His worldwide bestsellers have been translated into 22 languages and include stranger in a strange land, starship troopers, time enough for love, and the moon is a harsh mistress. We are primarily a source of discussion and news for anything involving the star wars expanded universe legends or story group canon. The history and continuing saga of the star wars universe. Heinlein, fourtime winner of the hugo award and recipient of three retro hugos, received the first grand master nebula award for lifetime achievement. Ask any star wars reader what book to start with, and nine times out of 10, youll get the same answer. Tackling an era rather than the whole timeline is easier since eras help break the expanded universe down into more manageable chunks.
Lately ive noticed a huge amount of posts asking about what books to read first in the expanded universe. The ultimate guide to reading the star wars books reedsy. However, the legends stories, as theyre now known have seen bits and pieces. As ofthe eu spans over 5, years and contains nexus 6 variants 1, novels, short stories, comics, video games, tv episodes, and other types of media. Since disney acquired the rights to the franchise back in 2012, much of the star wars expanded universe, which consisted of video game storylines, films and comic books, was rebranded as star wars. Getting started guide star wars books are our speciality. Disney may be creating its own canon book universe now since they decided the original expanded universe is no longer canon, but that doesnt mean the books currently labeled legends should be forgotten. The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. Yoda is called to a planet of child warriors in the middle of a tribal conflict. Jan 29, 2018 many star wars fans were upset when disney canned the expanded universe upon taking over control of lucasfilm. You can read the film novelizations for deeper understanding of the films themselves, though of course. Seriously, wikipedias list of every single book is so long that its still intimidating despite being incredibly wellsorted by inuniverse era. Heres my ranking of 31 individual books and multi book series in the star wars universe, minus the movie novelizations 31.
When disney took over lucasfilm and star wars from george lucas in 2012, a lot of exciting times came for the star wars fandom with new films, as well as new books, comics, video games, and tv shows, all on the way. Welcome to the star wars expanded universe subreddit. May 05, 2016 may the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels. It begins with the birth of the empire, and covers the gap between revenge of the sith and a new hope, and continues through the original trilogy, ending with the battle of jakku. Each novel is attributed to its respective era, along with name, timeline, authors name and date of release. The star wars expanded universe contains stories in a variety of different formats. Such derivative works have been produced concurrently with, between, and after the original, prequel, and. There is a whole galaxy of books about star wars, hundreds of them, if were counting the eu expanded universe. Creators of new star wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the expanded universe. There are so many books to choose from, and no right answer as to where to begin. Today, we take a close look at the star wars legends expanded universe, examining which books a new reader should check out, and how to start reading star wars expanded universe content including. Andersons jedi acedemy trilogies are great places to start they also introduce many eu characters that have considerable relevance later on down the road, notably mara jade and kyp durron.
The star wars expanded universe can seem impossibly huge to fans just starting to explore it. These additional stories not seen in movies and tv shows is known to fans as, the extended universe. If youre new to star wars books in general, you might want to check out this piece by a fellow rioter on where to start, but this list. The first star wars novel was published in 1976 in the decades since, dozens of books set in the galaxy far, far away have been released, stories for all ages starring the likes of luke. So it is possible that disney will bring more legends material into canon indeed, disney has introduced grand admrial thrawn into canon. There are so many star wars books for fans to read and consume, but. The book largely kicked off the expanded universe, as it began just five years after return of the jedi. New movies and other stories arent based on these books, and will sometimes contradict them. Each format has its own trends, with some exceptions. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be forgotten.
Check out more videos and star wars expanded universe articles right here on the site. But the press release announcing the decision is an iron fist in a velvet glovethe corporate parent cracking down on. With the star wars expanded universe having grown so large and encompassing, its also a great way to explain many of the discrepancies and continuityerrors that occur from time to time within the body of lore comprised by the books, comics, films, cartoons, video games and more. Indeed, using read as shorthand is not entirely correct, since you cant read a tv show, video game or radio drama. Nov 18, 2015 the star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be forgotten.
If you like the characters from the movies, as others have said before me, timothy zahns heir to the empire and kevin j. Star wars is an american epic spaceopera media franchise, centered on a film series created by george lucas that includes star wars 1977, the empire strikes back 1980, and return of the jedi 1983. Yodas secret war, by jason aaron, salvador larroca, kelly thompson, and emilio laiso though presented as a flashback, this 2017 story is the first one to take us back to a time prior to episode i, even if just. Apr 16, 2016 quite possibly the best novel to come out of the star wars new expanded universe, this story of two star crossed lovers, by claudia gray, is just incredible. This time, thea tackles a subject close to her heart. Originally conceived of as a loose trilogy featuring the principle heroes of the star wars films, one of the books. Andersons jedi acedemy trilogies are great places to start they also introduce many eu characters that have considerable relevance later on down the road, notably mara jade and. Under lucasfilm president kathleen kennedys direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and coordinate all star. And in the wake of the zahn books come more and more in the new republic era. Here is a brief history of the star wars expanded universe. Subscribe to see new videos every weekday covering star wars canon and legends lore. The force awakens, the expanded universe was no longer considered canon. This is the realtime chronological novel publishing timeline.
Star wars books, comics, and expanded universe jedi council. This body of work was collectively known as the star wars expanded universe for decades. Old republic era, rise of the empire era, rebellion era, new republic era, new jedi order era and legacy era. Speaking of great games from expanded universe multimedia projects, the force unleashed bridged the first two star wars trilogies, introduced the start of the galactic civil war and starkiller, darth vaders secret apprentice. Sep 01, 2009 the star wars expanded universe is conveniently divided into to six eras. The other side of that, though, was the removal of the expanded universe from canon.
Im 100% supportive of anyone whos interested in enjoying the star wars universe beyond the movies but im just tired of seeing the same posts over and over. Many fans had speculated that the expanded universe that is, the books, comics, video games, and other mediums that had developed from the rich worlds and characters of george lucass movies would be used as source material for the upcoming star wars. Popular star wars expanded universe books goodreads. However, we at youtini have flown from one end of the galaxy to the other, and were here to tell you. Discuss the storylines of the novels, comics and more. The series depicts the adventures of various characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star wars has been expanded to media other than the original films. Its actual language is quite a bit softer, temporizing that the eu is not being discarded, just changed. The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe. From the adventures of luke skywalker in december 1976 to the latest novel, this timeline tracks the month and year of every star wars novel excluding childrens and graphic novels published. Starkiller starts hunting down the remaining jedi, but soon starts to turn to the light side of the force.
Various authors penned exciting narratives in the star wars universe featuring all your favorite characters and a bunch. In my opinion the darth bane trilogy is the best star wars books i have read so far. Jul 10, 2017 where to start with the star wars expanded universe by thea james. This is a page about the star wars universe and its history. For over 35 years, the expanded universe has enriched the star wars experience for fans seeking to continue the adventure beyond what is seen on the screen. Apr 28, 2014 disney has signalled a fresh start for its star wars trilogy by officially ruling out storylines borrowed from the scores of expanded universe eu novels in book shops fans of the books. In what order should i read star wars expanded universe. New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since. Ive only read 32 books up to the date of this posting i agree with you as well that the darth bane trilogy was good but not necessarily great because it was all very dark and not a good blend of humour.
Ever since disney acquired lucasfilm in 2012, the company has been trying to reinvent the vast, fluid, and beloved star wars expanded universe. By kat staff writer september 1, 2009 with hundreds of star wars novels, comics and young adult novels in print it can be a daunting task to know where to begin. Star wars books, comics, and expanded universe jedi. The 10 best star wars legends books, ranked screenrant. Here are the best book series in star wars history. If you want to read the expanded universelegends books in chronological order, this timeline. Many derivative star wars works have been produced in conjunction with. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page.
Where to start with the star wars expanded universe by thea james originally appearing in our fourth quarterly almanac, where to start with the star wars expanded universe is the latest in our ongoing series of essays detailing where one can start with any number of sffpopgeekery topics. These books are part of the original star wars expanded universe, and follow an internally consistent timeline. Before the new star wars movies came out, the star wars legends books were the fans. Although there is no definitive right answer, presents a few ideas of where and what to start reading in the star wars expanded universe. A definitive legends clone wars timeline was never established by lucasfilm. I talk about characters, history, ships, technology, aliens, planets, be.
However in april 2014, with the knowledge that the new sequel trilogy was not beholden to events created in the expanded universe, lucasfilm announced that, going forward, everything in the star wars expanded universe would be rebranded star wars legends and a new canonical universe would be created. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown. The 25 best star wars video games, officially ranked. More star wars expanded universe characters may soon become. Novel publishing timeline this is the realtime chronological novel publishing timeline. Long before any star wars fans dreamed of george lucas continuing his epic space saga with a trilogy of prequels, and before other directors helmed a new trilogy that would conclude it, the star wars expanded universe was created with novels. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create.
Heres my ranking of 31 individual books and multibook series in the star wars universe. Where to begin with star wars books emmet asherperrin. The list includes only star wars novels, shortstories and comic books are not included here. The new star wars canon has existed for four years now, but we still remember the old days. The expanded universe, filled with amazing novels set in and well beyond. For many fans of star wars who decide to read the books, the expanded universe generally referred to as the eu can appear much like wild spacecrowded, confusing, and potentially dangerous. As a result, the company made a swift and decisive move that guts what star wars meant for many fans. Bioware and lucasartscreators of the hugely popular star wars. New to star wars books and dont know where to start. Simple star wars book list timeline of star wars novels.
Apr 25, 2014 for those unfamiliar with the term, the expanded universe is the official designation for all star wars material that has not been produced directly by lucasfilm, whether it be comic books, novels. Must read star wars legends books, and where to start. This was done to make room for new stories, as disney announced that the star wars comics would return to marvel comics. If youre a star wars fan, theres a good chance youve read a star wars books or two. It was renamed star wars legends, and considered sort of an alternate timeline to the main events of the star wars saga, similar to what happens in comic book series. The old star wars expanded novel universe that includes all star wars novels created after the legends rebranding of the old expanded universe by disney. This isnt a comprehensive set of book recommendations, but it should serve as a good starting point. In the beginning of attack of the clones, the jedi mention that. But the press release announcing the decision is an iron fist in a velvet glovethe corporate parent cracking. The war was long, many beloved characters died, and it changed the landscape of the star wars expanded universe forever. From the press release regarding the new disney vs legends canon now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments of star wars, all aspects of star wars storytelling moving forward will be connected. Ive been keeping up on star wars novels as best i can for about 14 years now. Lucasfilm unveils new plans for star wars expanded universe.
Star wars expanded universe stories to feature in episode. Conquest 2001 late in the run of the expanded universe. Start reading star wars books tips on the expanded universe. Episode i the phantom menace hits the big screen in 3d on february 10, 2012 find out everything there is to know about the characters, weapons, starships, droids, and creatures from star wars. Originally appearing in our fourth quarterly almanac, where to start with the star wars expanded universe is the latest in our ongoing series of essays detailing where one can start with any number of sffpopgeekery topics. The new books we got as a result have also been nothing short of incredible, shedding light on the years between star wars. On april 25, 2014, lucasfilm and disney released a statement that would change the star wars franchise and expanded universe forever. It is not for comics or short stories in legends continuity. Dec 17, 2015 if so, i highly recommend reading books from the star wars the expanded universe.
Say you decided youd like to read all the star wars books in existence. A reading guide to the new star wars expanded universe. Oct 03, 2000 because the star wars universe this guide covers is as vast and populated as george lucas galaxy far, far away, its impossible for even the most prolific researcherwriter to keep up with all the new additions as books, games, collectibles and even animated episodes appear almost on a monthly basis. Since the older expanded universe books were all recently moved into legends continuity, there isnt much out right now that is canon. Needless to say, if that had been the first star wars. Where to start with the star wars expanded universe. If youre new, and want to learn more about the expanded universe, you can find a few links in the sidebar that may be helpful. The expanded universe has been a part of star wars for almost as long as the. Star wars legends books represent the original star wars expanded universe which is now known as star wars legends. For those puzzled as to why the postdisney buyout titles would be included on a star wars eu timeline, the complete saga page follows the one canon approach, which permits any story that reasonably fits into the expanded universe on the timeline.
Dark force rising by timothy zahn, heir to the empire by timothy zahn, the last command by timothy zahn, sh. May the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels. Jumping into the star wars book universe can be a bit daunting. It removed the entirety of the expanded universe from canon. The book also introduced beloved characters like grand admiral thrawn who was later worked back into canon in novels, comic books, and a tv show and mara jade who many fans hope is about to be recanonized in the star wars comic. Asked how a new viewer should begin watching the star wars saga, lucas said reportedly to start with episode 1. For purists, the other pages on this site remain free of post20 stories. A guide to all the new star wars books in the expanded universe. Star wars legends should follow marvels comic example. Quite possibly the best novel to come out of the star wars new expanded universe, this story of two star crossed lovers, by claudia gray, is just incredible. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. Fleet junkie flagship the technical discussions of the gffa capital ships thread mk.
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