The ABCs of SW EU

[Bel-Cam Jos]

This has been done many times before, but not in such an organized LIST format! (Umm... lists... ) Here's an alphabetical list of my favorite Star Wars Expanded Universe books, with a little stretching involved to complete the alphabet. :happy: Feel free to make your own, so all those who have not yet read every SW novel can start doing just that. :eek:
A Attack of the Clones/The Phantom Menace (these movie adaptations give you those little details the films left out)
B Boba Fett:The Fight to Survive (even though it's a young reader book, it covers some older issues quite well)
C Courtship of Princess Leia, The (great "classic" Leia and Han story, even if the plot is outrageous)
D Dark Force Rising (best of the first Timothy Zahn trilogy books, gave us the first 'clones' explanation in a post-classic films story)
E Empire Strikes Back, The; Star Wars; Return of the Jedi (just like the prequels novels, you need to read the movie novels to get those extras)
F Fight for Truth, The [Jedi Apprentice] (the entire JA series was excellent, at least up to about #13, but this one has the best characterization and conflict)
G Galaxy of Fear: The Hunger (I really liked this young reader series, and this book was just weird and made me cringe at times)
H Han Solo & the Lost Legacy (great end to a great series, from the early 1980s, and Gallandro is one of the most underrated villains in the SW stories)
I Illustrated SW Universe, The (it's a book created around Ralph McQuarrie's paintings, but the backstories from Kevin J. Anderson are great)
J Jedi Apprentice: Defenders of the Dead (another great story from Jude Watson's J.A. series)
K Kenobi's Blade [Junior Jedi Knights] (again, another young reader series, but it explains Tahiri from the New Jedi Order, and this book tries to connect Anakin Solo to Anakin Skywalker)
L Lando Calrissian & the Starcave of ThonBoka (great, great, great! Lando at some of his most scoundrel-est)
M Magic of Myth, The (not really a novel, but the philosophical/mythological/historical connections are necessary to understand the SW influences)
N New Essential Guide to Characters, The (yet another non-novel, but it gives you just enough info to get started; plus I refuse to list The New Rebellion here :p)
O Once Upon a Galaxy (wow, another non-novel, but I needed an 'O' book, it's a behind-the-scenes look at creating the ESB film)
P [i]Paradise Snare (another book in the early Han Solo trilogy, that shows how he thinks, why he does what he does, and his background with Lando/Fett/Jabba/Chewie/the Rebellion/etc.)
Q Queen of the Empire (well, gotta have something for each letter; it's a young reader attempt to have fun in the times when SW continuity wasn't as big an issue)
R Rebel Dawn (Han at his young and brashest, before the Empire pulled him into the "good guy" category)
S Splinter of the Mind's Eye (the first EU book, it's just fun enough to remind readers how the first SW film was)
T Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (one of my favorites, shows how into the SW universe Kevin J. Anderson was/is when he can tie together all those little stories of all the characters there)
U Unifying Force (I have not yet read this book, but since it's the last NJO book, it has to be good )
V [i]Vision of the Future (Zahn's re-entry into SW and G.A. Thrawn, plus some nice inside-Luke's-mind scenes)
W Wookiee Storybook, The (hey, any book with "Lumpy" as a character has to be good, right? Good fun for kids)
X X-Wing: Wraith Squadron (I did not like M.A. Stackpole's version of the Rogues, so A. Alliston's stories beat them hands down)
Y Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers (yet again, I liked this young reader series, dealing with adult situations in ways that youth would understand, this book's about responsibility and patience)
Z Zorba the Hutt's Revenge (uh, see letter 'Q')

So get reading! And enjoy! :)

[jjreason]

Jeez, Bel Cam.... Read much?????? :sur: I read most of them released up to (but not including) The Crystal Star and the Black Fleet Crisis business. Honourable mentions not making the list (at least in my mind) would have been the six book "Glove of Darth Vader" (or whatever) young reader series, these were pretty well written, with good characterization throughout. A few characters (most notably Thrawn, Ulic Qel Droma and Talon Karrde) would have made my list, but you were going with book titles where possible. I read the first book of the NJO because the death of Chewie was contained therein (although it would be an easy one to erase comic book style) but didn't continue on. As far as comics go, I really like the Rogue Squadron series and the Jedi Tales run as well. Great list, makes me want to go back and see what I've missed. The used book store here has more SW EU books in stock than where I used to live.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Jeez, Bel Cam.... Read much?????? :sur:
I have read just about every SW book that's been produced, to the best of my knowledge, with the exceptions of those released since Sep. '03 (I'm working on the New Essential Vehicles, The Unifying Force, Boba Fett #4, and Jedi Quest #7. Some of the behind-the-scenes or art books have eluded me, however (i.e. Mythmaking, SW Chronicles, etc.) I have all but one of the Marvel Comics series (#99), the three 3-D ones, but I've missed most of the Dark Horse comics (except Dark Empire I & II, Empire's End, Chewbacca, Zam W., Boba Fett, & Jango one-shots, Tales of the Jedi series, Crimson Empire I, Droids, and ESB Infinities.
So, to answer your question: I have read much. :)
"Reading; it's Hutt-amental!" :p