10 ESSENTIAL Star Wars Legends Books that EVERY True Star Wars Fan Must Read

[@swlegendslore]

Thank you all for watching! Please like the video and subscribe to the channel. Also, comment below and let me know what you thought of this video.

[@StarWarsExpandedUniverse]

Solid picks

[@swlegendslore]

Thanks

[@the_gamer_g00se]

I really liked this. I'm new to the deep deep lore of Star wars and this helped big time and I'm definitely going to read them. Thanks a bunch

[@swlegendslore]

I’m so glad it helped!

[@TheMediaMonologue]

Excellent picks! I still haven't finished Shatterpoint, but Matt Stove has proven himself as one of the best Star Wars authors with the ROTS novel and TNJO: Traitor. As for Darth Plagueis, I actually think it's okay to read as a beginner (as long as you've seen the prequels). I read it before doing a deep dive into the EU and loved it, then I read it years later as a Legends expert and appreciated it even more. Being familiar with the other books and comics certainly enhances the experience, but it's a credit to James Luceno that he wrote a compelling story on its own merits. Some other great Legends books and comics: 1) Dawn of the Jedi (comic series) and Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void (novel) 2) Infinities (comics) - this was never canon, but it's a really cool "what if...?" for every film in the original trilogy. 3) Dark Empire, Dark Empire II, and Empire's End (comics) 4) Legacy, Legacy - War, and Legacy Volume 2 (comics) - this builds off all the previous books and comics but is still great.

[@swlegendslore]

Thank you! I agree that you can read Darth Plagueis as a beginner and enjoy it for the Palpatine/Plagueis story because that story doesn’t need any extra material on its surface. But so much of what Luceno does with the story attempts to treat Palpatine’s rise to power as the culmination of millennia of Sith, that I had to mention that it’s not best as a beginner story. I’m also planning on doing one of these videos for comics

[@emeza2331]

Absolutely essential picks! Awesome video and breakdown on these amazing novels!

[@swlegendslore]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it

[@jaredbeatty1831]

Recently started diving into the EU. Already 15 books down and obsessed with this side of Star Wars. Top 3 novels so far are Rule of Two, Kenobi, and Lost Stars

[@kiandl6368]

I would like to start but I’m not really a reader so it’s tough. I have recently started reading comic books (marvel/dc) and I would love to jump into SW Legends

[@swlegendslore]

Those are all great ones! I hope the video helped you out. Enjoy the EU!

[@swlegendslore]

Audiobooks are a great way to enjoy Star Wars novels if you're not much of a reader. I'm a big fan of Star Wars audiobooks. The production value is extremely high. Sounds from the movies like ship engines, blaster firing, lightsaber noises, etc. are added in, and most of the narrators are excellent! I recommend listening while you're driving or on a walk if you're trying to find time to see if you like them. Also, if you have Spotify Premium, there are lots of Star Wars Audiobooks included with your subscription! Just a thought if you're looking for an alternative way to consume the EU stories without having to find the time to read. Hope that helps out

[@tgif1345]

Great list. One thing to note about the Jedi Academy Trilogy is that it was also the first time the novels were connected to the comics in any way as Kevin J. Anderson's Tales of the Jedi comic book series was coming out at the same time, so Anderson brought in a character from those comics into the novels. I absolutely agree with you about the Revenge of the Sith novelization, the X-Wing series, the Han Solo Trilogy, Darth Plagueis and Kenobi though. And, while it is outdated due to when it was published, the Thrawn Trilogy is a solid choice as well. Shatterpoint is one I'm mixed on because I've only read it one time, way back in like 2004 or 2005, when I was still in high school, and I didn't care for it, even though it was well written, just because I'm not as much of a fan of movies like Apocalypse Now, so that kind of story doesn't really do it for me. At the same time though I have only read it the one time, 19 or 20 years ago, so maybe I'd like it better if I were to read it now, as an adult.

[@swlegendslore]

Thanks! You should definitely check out Shatterpoint again. They did a great new unabridged audiobook for it as well for the Essential Legends Collection if you want to try it from a slightly different angle. I certainly love the book

[@tgif1345]

@@swlegendslore Maybe. It's just one of those books that I've never gone back to since I've never owned it as I borrowed it from my local library at the time. I do love that they're doing unabridged audiobooks for the books they're putting out in the Essential Legends Collection. I'm not a big audiobook listener, but, the abridged versions that we used to get on audiocassette and CD felt like they were missing things.

[@finnk7210]

Personally did not love Jedi academy series either lol

[@swlegendslore]

It’s not the best haha, but it’s definitely essential

[@clarkkentnaruto4322]

Thanks for making this video. You have definitely given me some much needed guidance. So far, I have only read and listened to the nine movie novelizations, Star Wars A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, and Queens Shadow by E. K. Johnston. I will let you know what I think about those books once I have listened to them. Oh, and I almost forgot about Splinter of the Mind's Eye. I finished that one not that long ago.

[@swlegendslore]

You’re on a good start. Glad the video helped!

[@clarkkentnaruto4322]

@@swlegendslore Thanks. It's been fun so far.

[@Dave-ez2uy]

Absolutely must read Trevor Davey's new Legends Timeline book. Been pouring over it for a few days now. 😊

[@kekklerod]

reading them all in chronological order! can’t wait to get to the bane trilogy. love it when star wars gets dark

[@swlegendslore]

It’s an incredible trilogy!

[@DarthTamarus]

I’ve read every one of these aside from the Han Solo trilogy. Great list 🙌🏻 I also agree The Jedi Academy trilogy is probably the worst. Just seems very elementary in how it’s written. Almost as if it was meant for young readers not adults.

[@swlegendslore]

Thanks! Yeah, I felt like Jedi Academy had to be included on an essentials list because of how important it is for laying the ground work of how Luke’s Jedi Order operates in the post-RotJ EU, but it’s certainly not as high quality as everything else on the list.

[@user-eg4nj5mw1d]

Thank you! Just getting into it

[@swlegendslore]

Glad it helped! I have lots of Legends guides on the channel if you’re interested. Thanks for watching!

[@JediOrder17]

Is This Your Personal Channel Away From Star Wars Lads!

[@swlegendslore]

Yes it is! Hope you enjoy the content here too

[@JediOrder17]

@@swlegendslore what happens if you pass star wars lads in subscribers to 😳😭🙀

[@swlegendslore]

Then this channel will probably get a lot more content haha

[@kavanpuranik98]

Is there a book in legends set 100 or 1000 years before the events of episode one that's about the jedi order? About how the jedi became what they are etc. ?

[@swlegendslore]

There are pretty much no Star Wars Legends books that take place between the Darth Bane Trilogy (which ends about 1000 years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (32 years before ANH). The books that we do have (Darth Plagueis, Jedi Apprentice Junior Novels, Cloak of Deception, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Maul: Lockdown, etc.) all take place within about 50 years of TPM. If you'd really like to read stories about the transition from the Jedi at their prime to the Jedi bogged down in politics and dogma from the Prequels, then I would suggest reading The High Republic from Star Wars Canon. Since it's a time period that Legends has never covered, it won't really contradict anything important from the Legends timeline. If you're looking for the origin story of the Jedi though, then I would recommend reading either the Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void novel or the Dawn of the Jedi comic book series. Both provide stories about the earliest days of the Jedi (when they were the Je'daii Order before the split with the Sith). While both only briefly provide a history of the Je'daii's rise to power, they are the earliest possible stories about the Order that you can read. Hope that helps!

[@fehner27]

What is everyone's opinion on the Death Star novel? I was thinking that one after the Han Solo trilogy

[@swlegendslore]

It’s a solid book. Not one of the best of Legends, but one of the few anthologies out there in the continuity

[@seto3153]

Have you read the Republic commandos books? Are they worth reading?

[@swlegendslore]

Yes! They are great! Karen Traviss’s take on the clones is certainly contradicted by the 2008 Clones Wars Series, but I still highly recommend them.

[@seto3153]

@@swlegendslore Good to know, I might have to give them a read as well!

[@leafgreensniper13]

@@swlegendslorenah, it’s the other way around, the 2008 clone wars contradicted her work, she published first. Filoni wrote over all of the established clone wars

[@Empty00Eyes]

Mostly like the choices. I don't think Kenobi needs to be there except to tell everyone the show doesn't exist. Tarkin would be better tbh.

[@swlegendslore]

Tarkin is a Canon book, but I appreciate the comment. Thanks for watching

[@MattStormage]

Is the story similar as the series or completely different? I didn't watch either way, but still.

[@swlegendslore]

@@MattStormage No, it's complete different from the series. The book takes place months after Revenge of the Sith and is more of a personal journey for Obi-Wan as he moves away from his life as a Jedi. The series takes place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith and is more about Obi-Wan coming to grips with his failure letting Anakin fall to the Dark Side.

[@Empty00Eyes]

@@MattStormage completely different