So You Want to Star Reading Star Wars Novels

The Star Wars universe seems vast enough just with the six movies. But the universe has been expanding--at quite a rapid pace, no less--since the early nineties, when Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire pushed the boundaries past the original 3 movies into then-unexplored territory. Now, the Star Wars universe is bigger than ever, with countless books, video games, and the like. It can be quite overwhelming for one interested in expanding their Star Wars horizons to find a good jump in point. Thus, allow me to get you started on your Star Wars "Expanded Universe" tour with several book suggestions.

What better place to start than the trilogy that started it all? I'm talking, of course, about Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, the first three licensed Star Wars books from way back in 1991. These books--Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command--are set five years after Return of the Jedi, and tell the story of the scheming imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn as he strives to bring the greatly-weakened empire back to its former glory. While Thrawn begins his conquest, Leia Organa Solo and the New Republic strive to bring as many planets as possible into the organization so that peace and order can be restored to the galaxy. Easier said than done, as both Leia and her brother Luke Skywalker are the targets of a dark Jedi master named Jorrus C'baoth who wants to turn them to the dark side and form a new universe ruled by dark Jedi. It all comes to a head when Thrawn comes to be in control of a vast number of powerful ships to send against the New Republic, manned by strange new clones with C'baoth leading them. Can our heroes destroy the cloning facility and stop Thrawn and C'baoth from taking over the galaxy? The trilogy features non stop action for all of the characters. New characters prove engaging, leading them to appear in many upcoming novels. The only problem I found was the trilogy getting bogged down by a little too much political talk for my tastes, but if you want to get started in the Star Wars universe, it's highly recommended you start here.

The Jedi Academy Trilogy is my personal favorite thus far. It tells the story of Luke searching for force-sensitive students that he can gather and train to become a new generation of Jedi Knights and defend the New Republic. It proves to be a pretty difficult task, as the remnants of the empire continue to press against them, this time in the form of Admiral Daala, who strives, as expected, to get revenge on them for the destruction of the empire. Luke does eventually gather several Jedi candidates and start his academy, but will he be able to keep them under control and shielded from the powers of the dark side? Who will prevail in this ultimate battle between the New Republic, the Empire, and the dark side? The writing is crisp and clear, though perhaps a little filler-ish at times. The characters are fleshed out well, and everything flows smoothly.

These six books should prove to get you started on your Star Wars journey. After you've completed them, it's recommended you continue the journey by reading Children of the Jedi and Darksaber, followed by Visions of the Past and Specter of the Future. Of course you're free to mix it up, but this order is recommended if you want to keep things straight. Start your adventure in a galaxy far, far away today!