Best Star Wars Legends Books For Beginners

[@MattyStoked]

What's your favourite story from the Star Wars Legends community? I'm sorry if it's the Thrawn books

[@Grogeous_Maximus]

Luke meeting Mara, most of the Yuuzhan Vong books, and all the books where Jacen Solo is clever as fuck

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

Honestly the Wraith Squadron novels by Aaron Alston. Has some of the best comradery and antagonists that are just plain entertaining. Close seconds would be Dark Forces II and TIE Fighter.

[@poopooman-q7r]

the NJO series, labyrinth of evil, ROTS novelization, 2003 CW, republic comics, tales of the jedi, legacy comics, cant pick.

[@TheLurkingWriter]

I'm a huge fan of the Thrawn and X-Wing novels but I'm onboard with your choices - well thought-out and reasoned. Thank you for this video.

[@andrewpequita6569]

Loving your content. I grew up loving the EU. Tales of the Jedi was my shit. Ulic , Exar Kun shit. Loved Golden Age of the Sith. For books I, Jedi, Thrawn Trilogy and then the Bane books. I mourn Darkhorse loosing SW. Been on a NJO kick as of late. Star by Star is daaaark AF.

[@LuckStat]

I initially thought “nah I disagree about Dark Empire” but I thought about how many stories after it reference it directly (especially Academy) and how it was written to be less standalone than Empire and it all made sense. Really think you’re on to something. Great video as always!

[@MattyStoked]

The stuff that happens in Dark Empire is just so bananas. Honestly I think half the reason I recommend it is the absolute vibes of the thing.

[@seawind930]

I mean a lot of Jedi powerscaling came out of it. Jedi were originally old guys who lazily swing a sword and lift big rocks with their minds but they became Dynasty warrior type characters that could charge through a battle field and wreck walkers and tanks.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@MattyStoked I believe I started with the Jedi Academy trilogy, and then Ambush at Corellia. I read Dark Empire part 1 soon, and also the Thrawn trilogy graphic novels. Seemed to work pretty well. I also got the Essential Guide to Characters, which helped.

[@StarWarsExpandedUniverse]

The Star Wars EU is amazing! The superior Star Wats continuity! Great video man! With some awesome editing! Thanks for putting some exposure on the EU!

[@MattyStoked]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for joining the party 😍

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

The Expanded Universe also has a very helpful timeline in each of the books and comics that show the reader the timeline and how that book fits into it with the others. For anyone curious, I highly recommend it, there's some incredible books that cover the Post Return of the Jedi timeline like the X Wing series, the Thrawn Trilogy, Darksaber, Hand of Thrawn Trilogy, Survivors Quest, The New Jedi Order. The Prequel era has some great novels like Darth Plageuis, the Dark Lord Trilogy, Dark Rendezvous, then there's the ancient, Old Republic stories like Darth Bane trilogy and the novels set during the original Trilogy like Shadows of the Empire, the Bounty Hunter Wars, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, Death Star, Allegiance, and Choices of One.

[@MattyStoked]

Well said! I see plenty of crossover between our lists here :)

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

@@MattyStoked a fellow person of culture and taste it would appear. Cheers!

[@PanelstoPixels]

Rewatching this today and furiously scribbling notes before I go book shopping. Thanks for the great video!

[@MattyStoked]

Make sure you let me know what you end up getting 😉

[@LightningBoltForever]

Nice to see you back! I was never too into the EU when I was younger, but I've lately been realizing how much of a goldmine it is for not just great Star Wars content, but good reads in general. Thank you for this video and for going into such detail about each start point!

[@MattyStoked]

Hey, thanks for being here! Glad you enjoyed the video. It's easy to write these books of as pulp fiction. But you're right, these books are good reads in their own right! A lot of these authors are established writers outside of the EU, which I think is important.

[@aaronlaughter6471]

This is what we need, more recommendations for the good star wars stuff, the stuff pre disney, not another disney killed star wars video. God speed.

[@MattyStoked]

There's SO much acid in the Star Wars creator sphere, I just don't get it. Keep what you like, move past what you don't. It's a peaceful life 😎

[@cjspear]

I am very impressed with this guy’s recommendations and general knowledge. As a fan who’s read 75+ SW novels, I really think this guy knows his stuff. I am pleasantly surprised.

[@MattyStoked]

Thanks so much mate. I've been reading the EU since the mid 1990s so I like to think I've retained a little. I'm by no means a encyclopaedia on the subject, but I love this stuff.

[@nathanyessler1509]

I definitely think this is a solid list, especially delving into the Old Republic era with Tales of the Jedi and Knights of the Old Republic I & II. I would also recommend, since many younger readers are looking for Prequel Era content, the Star Wars Republic run by Dark Horse. Definitely aimed at a more mature audience for a lot of their comics, and it ran from 1999-2005. The clone wars era comics were definitely some of their best, and I loved featured characters like Aurra Sing and Quinlan Vos. I'd also add in the Kenobi novel, slower, but really well written, and the Shatterpoint novel featuring Mace Windu. And of course the 2003 Clone Wars, but that's a more easily accessed show.

[@MattyStoked]

Honestly the EU is so big, I couldn't possibly have listed everything which is good. I'd like to visit this subject again, I have plenty of ideas for follow-ups to this. Specifically prequel-era stuff. As you mentioned, Shatterpoint is excellent.

[@nathanyessler1509]

@@MattyStoked I very much agree. I've seen a lot of younger people who are interested in Prequel era stuff, especially the Clone Wars, ask around. I really loved the original Clone Wars Multimedia Project, and how well it transitioned to The Dark Times.

[@Jackfromshack]

This content is like a breath of air to a drowning man. A Star Wars fan is grateful to you

[@MattyStoked]

Thank you so much! Star Wars is a tough subject rn, but I'm always glad to meet people who carry the torch!

[@saberiandream316]

Want recommendations?

[@CaptainMcKayRandom]

This is the first time I’ve seen one of your videos. Really enjoyed it, I subscribed because I, too, love 90s media. Before you got to it in the video, I was thinking about my starting point as a kid, and it was Shadows of the Empire. So, when you said that was a great jumping on point, I definitely can co-sign that haha. I missed a lot of the books, but the ones I did have I always enjoyed. It was so strange, yet so amazing seeing Star Wars thriving in the 90s through games, books, etc when there only really existed the original trilogy from fifteen years prior. Great video!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Those are some absolutely wild recommendations but I think that's what's so great about the old EU. It's so huge and so crazy that there is something for everyone, no matter what sucked you into Star Wars in the first place! For me it was the Tales of the Jedi - first read it when I was a young teenager and the idea that Star Wars had this extensive history with fleshed out characters, kingdoms and even religions made everything so much more real. I think the story of Ulic Qel-Droma is burnt into my brain at this point!

[@MattyStoked]

What I love about this comment is you're basically saying "I disagree with your points", but we're mature adults who recognise that having different tastes is a *good* thing and makes the world a better place. Keep being awesome. 🤘

[@ridensroom6957]

I actually encourage people to read Rogue Squadron before Thrawn trio. Watching the rebels officially become the new Republic and get Coruscant back i feel is a great start point.

[@MattyStoked]

That's a good take. Thrawn coming back as a genuine threat to the New Republic holds a lot of weight when you can appreciate all the work that's been done.

[@MattDraper]

Immaculate vibes and great insights. YEAH!

[@MattyStoked]

I'm glad to be putting vibes out into the world.

[@ronk2062]

100% Shadows of the Empire is the first book for someone just starting on the EU, anyone who has seen the trilogy can read the book and be immersed in the wild that’s fleshed out in the shadows book. I’ve been saying this since I’ve read it in the 90’s and glad this was your choice as well 👍

[@MattyStoked]

Dash Rendar is my boy!

[@tylercoursey7826]

Dude genuinely thank you so much for this vid. I’ve always wanted to get into legends but I’ve been so intimidated and have had no idea where to start. I feel like I have a much better idea now thanks to this video, I really appreciate it

[@MattyStoked]

Thanks so much for this comment. Glad I could help! It's a pretty intimidating amount of stuff, and I hope the advice here helps you out :D

[@Eleven17Studios]

My dad just started reading the Republic Commando series. Seems like I should join bookclub it with him!

[@MattyStoked]

That would be so adorable. Actually one weird observation I made but forgot to put into the script for this: almost universally, the booked written by women are far and away better than the ones written by men. Karen Traviss is an absolute G.

[@jamisonweaver3711]

Man, the Clone Wars. It sounded so dark & interesting when we first heard the term. Wow! They REALLY let us down.

[@MattyStoked]

I'll be honest I always imagined it was Jedi versus an army of evil clones. But I love what we got, so it's not so bad from my perspective.

[@holomatrix]

Nice video, Thank You. THIS is the REAL Expanded Universe! I do admit I started with Heir To the Empire Trilogy, then did the Jedi Academy trilogy (LOVED those books), I did try a little bit of Courtship of Princess Leia, but then did all of I, Jedi, thinking I'll do the X-Wing Series as soon as i'd finished. I, Jedi finished me off as it was just, so enormous, and the wait for the end character to return was, a long wait. After that I left it alone and never went back. I need to jump back in somewhere and may have to do a sitdown, however I always thought with the timeline that the Heir To The Empire trilogy came first, obviously that idea has, aged well...

[@MattyStoked]

If you want a big project to jump into, I recommend the New Jedi Order series. I'll cover that one day...

[@javieriechegaray]

Great video, I was looking for an explanation like this! Thanks for the heads up.

[@regishel]

How I started was not going by when they were printed, I started with comics from the Prequels up to Return of the Jedi comics, then I started reading books set between the prequels and OG, and then the sequel movie happened and I had a break with the EU, but sometime after "that", I went back and realized how I really wanted to read real Star Wars sequels and Pre-prequel stuff too. Personality I feel going when an era inside the Star Wars universe is the best way to get into the EU, go with the books and comics set in your favorite era, or of course characters too, but I personality prefer going by era.

[@BM-wh5qk]

I started with the 90s Han Solo Trilogy because those were the first EU books I found back then.

[@MattyStoked]

A great place to start!

[@BM-wh5qk]

@@MattyStoked I believe I also read concurrently or shortly thereafter the Tales from Mos Eisley/Jabba's Palace/Bounty Hunter books. Those seem like an easy gateway for people who just know the movies.

[@MattyStoked]

@@BM-wh5qk yeah I still love those Tales books. Anthology stuff is always a lot of fun.

[@JaredMerlin]

I recommend if people want to know the Solo kids and young jedis, they should read the Young Jedi Knights series. Those books include parts of Han's past on Corellia, how Jacen met Tenel Ka, and of course Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin's ties to Centerpoint Station.

[@MattyStoked]

I recently picked up the YJK books. Looking forward to getting back into them.

[@sadpanda1775]

I'm thinking about getting into the EU of Star Wars. I did NOT expect Ricky Gervais' little brother to be the one telling me how to get started.

[@MattyStoked]

Jesus Christ what a horrible thing to say about somebody

[@Cwibacca]

Courtship is a great book. It was one of the first books that I read after Shadows of the Empire and the Thrawn trilogy. I also loved the Mandalorian armor, and it's two sequels🎉 I found Truce at Bakura tough to get into. Maybe I'll give it another go now that I'm twenty years older. Great video.

[@MattyStoked]

I'm currently re-reading all of them. Truce was still hard. It's really bizarre, in a good way, but still jarring. The Bounty Hunter Wars books still rip. I didn't find them as engaging a second time around, but more Boba Fett is never a bad thing 🥰

[@zackeryparkerson]

While I think recommending the Jedi Academy trilogy as a starting point is a bit mad, I love that you recommended Courtship of Princess Leia. That book is so much fun.

[@MattyStoked]

I'll happily die on that hill, Zackery! You know all the main characters, you know what their motivations are. And it's just such a fun read!

[@Nortic111]

Ah man, if I could speed read I'd go through them all over again. It was the best of days with these stories!

[@MattyStoked]

I like to revisit my personal favourites now and then. Like taking a little tour of the sights!

[@memoryfoam2285]

I started with the Thrawn Trilogy, then I read the X-Wing books up to the defeat of Zsinj, at which point I read Courtship (which I think is massively overhated). I then read the rest of the X-Wing books, followed by the Black Fleet crisis, which while very good in some ways mishandled some core characters like Leia in my opinion. I then read the Hand of Thrawn Duology, then the first Jedi Academy book which I didn't like very much, and gave up on that series midway through the second. I then took a break, and am now halfway through the second book of the Corellia trilogy, which I'm finding somewhere between BFC and JA in terms of quality. Once I've finished the Corellia trilogy, I'm planning on starting NJO, as I've been reading online about the Vong for years and can't wait to actually read the books.

[@memoryfoam2285]

I also read both parts of Dark Empire, and found it annoyingly disappointing based on its reputation and the cool ship designs it spawned.

[@MattyStoked]

That's a shame about Dark Empire. I'm really glad you're on my wavelength about Courtship. I love that book!

[@tFighterPilot]

First Star Wars book I've read was actually The Truce at Bakura, simply because that's what was at the library for some reason. It takes place right after RoTJ (like the next day, I think), and has rebels and imperials work together against reptilians. After that I've read the Kevin Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy (again, that's what I found), and finally the Thrawn trilogy. Interesting that you actually recommend starting with Kevin Anderson's books. Sadly, I kinda stopped reading as I started wasting all my time on the internet.

[@MattyStoked]

Me too! Truce was my entry to the EU. It's such a weird, messy book! I re-read it last year and it's really dark and spooky, too. What a great entry point! Personally, I think the EU is really messy and chaotic. And I like that! So I like to recommend slightly messy and chaotic books to reinforce that!

[@Original_Edition]

Young Jedi Knights was my Harry Potter as a kid haha

[@MattyStoked]

Did you read Galaxy of Fear? Basically Goosebumps in space. It was awesome 😃

[@JaredMerlin]

Thanks so much for this video. GOOD MEMORIES!!! 👍

[@MattyStoked]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the passionate comments x

[@seawind930]

I started with the X-wing series and the books had timelines for books so I could see where to pick up on what I wanted to read or what I missed

[@MattyStoked]

Hell yeah, the X-Wing books are great! Did you check out my videos I made on the X-Wing books and comics earlier this year?

[@magnenoalex2]

Id love to onow your thoughts on New Jedi Order and the whole Legacy era

[@MattyStoked]

Oh yeah I would love to do a big video on the NJO series. That's something I'll definitely cover one day!

[@ryanlandes6849]

Great advise and recommendations.. You’re right about if you’re reading something and it’s not hitting, just stop.. I would add to that if you’re worried about missing something, just look up a recap video or blog on that specific book..

[@SilverSai]

KOTOR/Tales of the Jedi for me! Then followed by the whole Kyle Katarn-shebang. 👌

[@MattyStoked]

KYLE GANG FOREVER

[@pip5528]

My main interests are Battlefront, the Republic comics, the Thrawn trilogy, Dark Empire, maybe Darth Maul, and Labyrinth of Evil. I ended up starting with Heir to The Empire. I'm not really worried about a preconceived notion of the EU because I just like the story. I also love the 2003 Clone Wars but that's a small piece of the massive multimedia project.

[@MattyStoked]

All great things, to be honest. At the end of the day, I believe that Star Wars is big enough that it can support the kinds of stories that you as an individual enjoy. And you can happily leave the things you don't care for, and your experience won't suffer.

[@DiegoReviews]

Besides the video games, Star Wars EU stuff is uncharted territory for me. This is gonna be a big help when deciding where I want to jump in!

[@MattyStoked]

If and when you want to start, hit me up bud! And you definitely need to check out my boy Dash ☺️

[@onaretrotip]

Loved this mate. The trilogy of books i always adored as a kid was the Tales books (Tales from Jabba's Palace/Bounty Hunters/Mos Eisley). They were great because they were all short stories by multiple authors, and all the best were there (Timothy Zahn, Kevin J Anderson, etc). Plus they were all about established characters that had small parts or were just in the background of the OT. Boba Fett's bit in that book was awesome (if you know, you know).

[@MattyStoked]

Oh mate, same! That Boba Fett short story in Tales was at one point going to be adapted into the Boba Fett film. Kind of sad that never happened, but we'll always have those books 🥰

[@Starwarsfearsome]

Love your Star Wars videos do more they are great!

[@MattyStoked]

I did two more at the tail end of last year and they're two of the worst-performing vidoes I've done in years :( I LOVE Star Wars, especially the old EU. But I feel at this point, the bigger channels are taking up a lot of oxygen and it's hard to get eyes on a smaller channel like me.

[@Tarragon_]

You have great taste see and we had the same idea start with Tom veich dark empire some of his best work and one of the single best ways to start EU timeline.

[@MattyStoked]

Thank you. My personal tastes are always for the wilder, crazier ideas that have a harder time working together. I just love the creativity, seeing what's possible with the space. Tom Veitch goes there and Cam Kennedy is one of the greatest comics illustrators of all time. No brainer!

[@TopcatsLair]

Revan - "Am I a joke to you" LOL Honestly I love recommending the Darth Bane trilogy and the KOTOR comics and games. Haven't read the KOTOR novels yet.

[@saberiandream316]

There are no KOTOR novels.

[@TheB0sss]

I have to say, the darth bane trilogy really grabbed me. I started recently with those and im here finding the next one to do. I dont mind jumping back and forth in the timeline, i might go with revan next. Seems like a similar vibe with the same Writer

[@MattyStoked]

If you liked Bane, you'll almost certainly like Revan. The Tales of the Jedi comics are cool if you're vibing on that Old Republic flex. Plus you get cool figures like Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun and Marka Ragnos. Lots of cool old Sith in those stories!

[@TheB0sss]

@@MattyStoked i'm on the last bane book in the trilogy. Loved all of it so far. I'm definitely doing revan next, but I'm really only doing audiobooks right now so the comics are not really suitable at the moment.

[@jasoncutugno8577]

If you like Jensaarai they are introduced in I,Jedi. A GREAT audiobook.

[@MattyStoked]

I just re-read the paperback last month. A really fun book!

[@that_one_guy_named_rami]

I've been enjoying playing the games from the EU for a long now. Also, I've read a few comic books. But now, I've started reading the novels, and I'm also finding them to be enjoyable.

[@MattyStoked]

That's great to hear 😊 What have you been reading?

[@that_one_guy_named_rami]

@Stoked so far, I've read Shadows of the Empire, The Trawn Trilogy, Cloak Of Deception, Darth Plagueis, Dark Lord: Rise Of Darth Vader, ROTS novelization, Phantom Menace novelization, Revan, Rouge Planet, Jedi Trial, Yoda Dark Rendezvous, and the OT novelizations. Right now, I'm reading Tatooine Ghost.

[@TheRealSkillaholic]

Well then. I've been watching Captain Fordo and Sheev Talks' videos on why TCW breaks star wars lore and doesn't add up, and gradually started to gain an interest in Legends, which I used to discard as "non-canon" previously. This video popped up in my feed at the perfect time.

[@MattyStoked]

That's great to hear! I'm really glad this video is finding an audience. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the comment :)

[@thesegaguy6279]

Glad there's still love for Shadows of the Empire. :)

[@MattyStoked]

One of these days I'm going to go fully into Shadows!

[@walbertorios4071]

Love your content, but I do have a question we all this controversy with Star Wars what will be a good book to make a new series or movie that could be in line with the Star Wars storyline thank you

[@MattyStoked]

Thanks for the nice comment. I'm pretty happy with these stories remaining in the Legends continuity. But! If I had to choose, I'd probably take something which doesn't feature the main cast (too much). The film I've wanted to see for a long time now is Rogue Squadron. I was close to making a video on that subject, but it didn't seem like something people wanted to see.

[@SpenceSWlibrary]

Nice list my friend! Long live the EU!

[@MattyStoked]

Thanks mate. I absolutely love all this old stuff, and I'm always stoked to meet new people through it. Long live the EU! 😎

[@JaredMerlin]

I have The Thrawn Trilogy on cassette tape, inside a casing with the Millenium Falcon on top of it. I also have on cassette tapes Star Wars - Dark Empire 1 & 2.

[@MattyStoked]

That's AWESOME 💜

[@azimuddin1890]

For where I am now with the Original Expanded Universe, I have watched Clone Wars (2003), played the Knights of the Old Republic Duology on my I.O.S which I enjoyed, then read Tales of the Jedi comics. I just read finished reading the entire Tales of the Jedi series, from Golden age of the Sith Empire to Redemption. Such a good story in my opinion. I got the paperback Darth Plagueis novel, Cloak of Deception, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Labyrinth of Evil, Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader, and Millennium Falcon. I also have all of Dark Empire which ties in to Tales of the Jedi, which is neato. I have ordered most of the Thrawn Trilogy comics. All of Dark Force Rising comics. The Last Command 1-5. I just need Heir to the Empire and the 6th comic of The Last Command. Of course I have The Phantom Menace to Revenge of the Sith novelization. I actually have the paperback and hardcover version of Revenge of the Sith, reason being was that I wanted Ep 1-3 hardcovers, for consistency. However, the hardcover I got was still a little smaller. Never knew about hardcovers and paperback. Never learned it from anyone else, just learned it myself. So far, liking it.

[@MattyStoked]

If you enjoy the Old Republic / Tales of the Jedi era, then you'll likely enjoy how it ties into Dark Empire. It also ties into the Jedi Academy trilogy and I, Jedi (which is essentially a hidden episode in the Jedi Academy trilogy).

[@azimuddin1890]

@@MattyStoked I heard about that.

[@azimuddin1890]

I actually made my own list of Star Wars E.U content, well most of them are mentioned by another KZbinr, Comic Belief, who made a video of Dark Horse comic years. I listed things I’m not sure if I want to get in orange, things I listed in purple are the things I want, and blue are things I already have. To make it easier, I categorize each content in each ears. Tales of the Jedi - 25,000 B.B.Y - 4,000 B.B.Y K.O.T.O.R - ? B.B.Y The Old Republic - ? B.B.Y The Phantom - 32 B.B.Y Attack of the Clones - 22 B.B.Y Revenge of the Sith - 19 B.B.Y A New Hope - 0 B.B.Y Empire Strikes Back - 3 A.B.Y Return of the Jedi - 4 A.B.Y The New Republic - ? A.B.Y

[@thrawn8840]

Anyone have list of all legends books, I remember seeing one when I had google it but looks like it’s been removed haven’t found it since

[@MattyStoked]

I would think Youtini or Wookiepedia would have an exhaustive list of all of the books. I have a Google spreadsheet which I populated by using a page on Wookiepedia.

[@Wheredidyougetthatshirt]

New Jedi Order is the best place to start, JMO.

[@alexanderrobles8712]

Currently reading the yuuzhan vong war currently on book 4

[@MattyStoked]

Oh HELL YEAH! One of these days I will be doing a video on the New Jedi Order. It's such a massive undertaking, so it will take me ages!

[@alexanderrobles8712]

@@MattyStoked 19 books 😖 but it feels like each book is an episode. During my time reading I’m understanding a lot of things are left open and they will carry over to the next books.

[@MattyStoked]

@@alexanderrobles8712 It's an epic undertaking. Not just as a reader. But imagine being part of the team behind bringing this universe to life!

[@Monkey_Boy9602]

If you're going to read the comics, I have to suggest getting the Omnibus. They've already released "Star Wars Legends: The New Republic" Vol. 1, which contains: STAR WARS: MARA JADE - BY THE EMPEROR'S HAND #0-6; STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE - EVOLUTION #1-5; STAR WARS: X-WING ROGUE LEADER #1-3; STAR WARS: X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON #1-35 and SPECIAL; STAR WARS HANDBOOK #1; and material from STAR WARS TALES #10, #12, #15 and #23. The second volume, containing: STAR WARS: THE JABBA TAPE; STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE EMPIRE #1-6; STAR WARS: DARK FORCE RISING #1-6; STAR WARS: THE LAST COMMAND #1-6; STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE #1-6; STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE II #1-6; STAR WARS: EMPIRE'S END #1-2; STAR WARS: BOBA FETT - TWIN ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION, BOUNTY ON BAR-KOODA, WHEN THE FAT LADY SWINGS, MURDER MOST FOUL and AGENT OF DOOM; STAR WARS HANDBOOK #3; and material from STAR WARS TALES #1, #3-5, #10, #14, #20 and #22, comes out in June.

[@MattyStoked]

The new omnibuses really are tremendous value if you want to read a lot of physical comics for a relatively modest outlay. Good recco!

[@histguy101]

I dont think there can be any one single entry point. The entry point is really the films. Any book is going to fill in and explain what's going on. It can get annoying sometimes how they expodump every callback in every book, especially if it's a callback to a movie. Some authors handle this better than others.

[@jonathanmontgomery1030]

How would you go about purchasing dark empire?

[@MattyStoked]

Lucky for you, there's plenty of ways! Dark Empire was released in the 90s as single floppies. All three parts (Dark Empire, Dark Empire II and Empire's End) were collected by Dark Horse a number of times. I have Dark Horse TPBs which I've picked up at book shops, second hand shops and even the preowned TPB shelf in my FLCS. The whole run was published in a deluxe hardcover in the 2010s. The easiest (but probably not the cheapest) way is going to be getting the new Marvel-published Star Wars Epic Collection: The New Republic Book 5, which contains all of Dark Empire plus a couple of extra contextual stories. There is a digital version of this book, which you can get from the usual places. Hope that helps!

[@regishel]

With the sequel books, I would disagree. The Thrawn trilogy is definitely a great place to start, but maybe I'm biased because I don't like dark empire, even though I love the art style. Anyway I don't think thats a great place to start the EU sequel content, personality I started with the ongoing comic just called Star Wars, most of it is pretty good but there are some less great stories once in a while. But if someone wanna start with the Sequel eu they should be asked if they want to read stories with the main OG characters, if you don't really care then the Jedi Academy. But I would start with the classics aka the Thrawn trilogy because it's really about the main characters more.

[@MattyStoked]

Bias is what this discussion is all about. Everything is subjective, everything is opinion. There are no objective "facts" about what the best Star Wars books are 😎

[@SonfordsGameCorner]

Great review and guide however I must ask why the exemption of the new Jedi order and beyond? Also for those who don't really care about the movies as much but like the universe I always suggest the Bane trilogy.

[@MattyStoked]

Good question! This video is "where to start with the EU", and I just wouldn't suggest starting with NJO. I would love to make a video about that series one day. It's not a great starting place as it takes a _lot_ of characters established in the EU, so it much better with at least _some_ context. The Bane books are good (I did cut out a little bit about them), I like the edgy 2000s-ness of them 😎

[@mandocomando9444]

You have a valid point against the thrawn trilogy, it feels a cut above all of the older eu books and some of the later ones, but I think it’s odd to recommend dark empire as the first book to start with. It’s so far on the opposite end of the bell curve from Zahn’s books that it sets a different kind of wrong first impression. Its art was so unique, the story was so comic bookish, and the lore was so weird that it doesn’t fit for the rest of the books [in the “main” story]. I would still recommend people read it, just not first, probably not even second, but once they have a good grip on the setting. Good recommendation all around though, the Jedi academy series does feel like the start of the eu books getting in gear, and it’s nice to see someone not so dogmatic on the reading order or novel vs comics vs games supremacist/separatist

[@MattyStoked]

Nah man Dark Empire rocks. Cam Kennedy is a legend.

[@mandocomando9444]

@@MattyStoked I didn’t say it was bad, it was good, it just doesn’t fit with almost everything else. It’s very different from most of the other Star Wars comics I’ve read (to be fair I haven’t read a lot of comics), and it’s incredibly different from the novels. Actually I liked Cam Kennedy’s boba fett run better then the dark empire, the dramatic coloring and dirty penmanship did the setting justice. Again though, great artist, good story (but not without its flaws), hard for me to recommend to someone just starting out. Also it’s weird that the last 1/3rd is by a different artist since he totally changed the character design and blends colors differently

[@MattyStoked]

@@mandocomando9444 oh yeah I never said you said it was bad. The reason I like it is exactly because it's so wild. I think it's a good idea to establish the wild corners, the furthest reaches of the EU. I believe that gives a much better foundation than the very safe, marketable picks. The weirder the better! And yeah, Cam's Boba Fett book is excellent 👌

[@JaredMerlin]

I wish someone had done a movie or two which included the YVH droids, the Ysalmiri and the appearance of Mara Jade.

[@MattyStoked]

All of this will find its way back into canon. I'm sure of that now!

[@azimuddin1890]

(12:54) OH MY GOD, THE MOVIE STOLED THAT BOOK’S TITLE!

[@MattyStoked]

Haha, yep!

[@charlesboots6508]

Relating to your last point; Don't slog through something you aren't enjoying, but also don't be afraid to go back to something you tried before, but put down. Sometimes you personally aren't in the right place to appreciate something, but will enjoy it more at a different time in your life. That's my polite way of saying "go back & read the Thrawn Trilogy again," because if you're a Star Wars fan & didn't love it, I think that's a "you" problem, not a "Thrawn" problem. 😉

[@MattyStoked]

That's great advice. Many times I've revisited something I was cold on and enjoyed it a lot more second time around. And re: Thrawn, perhaps I will. But to be clear, I don't consider these books to be bad or that there's a problem which lies with them. I'm happy for me not liking them as much to be a "me" problem. Taste is subjective and it's okay not to enjoy one thing as much as another!

[@mr_reborn]

6:20 - a problematic scene, where Xizor beguiles Leia by exuding pheromones? Sorry, how is this problematic? How has it not aged well? You picked up on him being the villain, right?

[@MattyStoked]

I get that he's the villain but it's still ick

[@mr_reborn]

@@MattyStoked and heres the reason “modern sensibilities” give us absolute trash fiction

[@MattyStoked]

@@mr_reborn this sounds like you think there's been no good books written in the last 30 years?

[@JaredMerlin]

The weirdest situation was from the book "Darksaber" when Leia got into a pit of mud with Durga the Hutt. FYI "Darksaber" has nothing to do with the Darksaber from The Mandalorian it was yet another Death Star.

[@JaredMerlin]

Star Wars "Shadows of the Empire". Have the book, have the comic, have the cassette tapes, have the CD, have the video game, have some action figures and vehicles. Quite enjoyed "Shadows of the Empire".

[@MattyStoked]

Shadows is the best!

[@JaredMerlin]

I was REALLY hoping they were going to use Centerpoint Station in The Force Awakens instead of creating Starkiller Base. I was very disappointed.

[@fineadditions]

This is Great!!!

[@MattyStoked]

Thank you so much

[@fineadditions]

@@MattyStoked I love your view on Kevin J A

[@MattyStoked]

@@fineadditions he's a superstar

[@fineadditions]

@@MattyStoked i just reviewed his hyperspace war comics on my podcast absolutely fantastic

[@valviform]

I actually tried to play SotE a few minutes before watching this video and died for good on the fourth stage of Battle of Hoth. I gave up lol.

[@MattyStoked]

10/10 experience lol

[@valviform]

@@MattyStoked woah hey! Just found your channel, love the stuff. Thanks for the response, lol

[@MattyStoked]

@@valviform thanks for taking the time to watch a comment, mate. Great to see you here 😀😀

[@HPRshredder]

He's back on camera! Star Wars is such an odd franchise for me. Feels larger than life and dying at the same time. I was quite young when Episode 1 made it to theaters, so I was part of that "generation" of fans. But it wasn't the movies so much that got me into it. It was the games! Jedi Knight Jedi Academy, Battlefront 1 & 2 (the originals of course), Shadows of the Empire (as you mention), Rogue Squadron and more. I did have a moment in middle school watching the originals on my Xbox 360 in my room that I'm fond of, and I really liked them, but the stuff outside of the movies has always been more interesting to me. I was really disappointed by the newest trilogy and pretty much don't consider it canon. EU is the real canon for me.

[@HPRshredder]

Since you mentioned it; my favorite "Vader moment" is in the comic "Thank the Maker" where he finds C3P0s head and touches it to his. Just a really strong image to me. I'm not a superfan or anything, but I still like a lot SW has to offer. Loved the LEGO sets as well as a kid. Some of my favorites.

[@jerrycunningham1820]

Courtship of princess Leah! favorite book. Unfortunately the clone wars cartoon destroyed Dathomir, and the witches.

[@MattyStoked]

I think it still works. I like the depictions of the Nightsisters in TCW, I'm just a little upset they're not riding more rancors :D

[@jerrycunningham1820]

@@MattyStoked the nightsisters are all that is left. I hate the depiction in clone wars. The book an octive better.

[@histguy101]

​@@jerrycunningham1820And Luke and his son go back to Dathomir in FotJ and see the results of the cultural contamination like 25 yrs later. You could also say the whole story of Allana, Tenel Ka, etc starts there.

[@Mara80418]

EU is my favorite.

[@JaredMerlin]

Got ALL the books, got almost all the comics, have played almost all of the games. AVID Star Wars FAN!

[@tombraiderstrums09]

Wait…did I just see an EU book called The Last Jedi??

[@MattyStoked]

You did! The new Disney canon poaches a lot of its ideas from the EU. It's even taken a few names from the old EU. Tales of the Jedi / Empire, The Last Jedi.

[@azimuddin1890]

For me, I personally started this E.U joureny, technically by Clone Wars (2003), and then playing two K.O.T.O.R Duology R.P.G’s. (Edited: on my IPhone) I watched like 5 to over 9 hour videos of each story campaign, Jedi Knight, to Sith and such. (Edited: S.W.T.O.R M.M.O I mean) I liked them a lot, it echanced the Star Wars universe in my opinion, just by adding more interesting characters and world building. Then I wanted to write my fan fic continuiation of K.O.T.O.R.2, cause I didn’t like how the S.W.T.O.R M.M.O has Darth/Jedi Knight Revan in it, and the writers for the Revan novel killed off Meetra Surik, who was the protagonist of K.O.T.O.R.2 (me favorite game by the way). So I wanted to do what Chris Avellone (writer for the game) did by reading the expanded universe in order to understand the franchise. So I got Tales of the Jedi, two volume of the Freedon Nadd Uprising. The reason why I got that was because I already knew somewhat about Freedon Nadd, and thought it was about his origins and such. I thought it was a novel at first until I found out it was a comic once I got it. Wasn’t disappointed in the slightest, in fact, I’m glad that I did. I soon got the rest of the Tales of the Jedi books, Ulic & the Beast Wars, Nomi Sunrider, Dark Lords, Sith War, Redemption, and the prequels, Rise and Fall of the Sith Empire (forgot the name). I read most of them, and wanted to reread them in timeline order. When I played K.O.T.O.R.2 multiple times, I recognize the references and appreciated the games even more. I saw a review before getting the comics, and wished the K.O.T.O.R games adoted the style of Tales of the Jedi. But since I’m making a fanfic continuation of K.O.T.O.R.2, I decided to have the look of the games change to be closer to those comics. Plus they just looked great in my opinion. I also have the two Jedi Knight games (Academy and Outcast), and Pod Racing bundled up eith Republic Commando, for the Switch. I ordered the novelization of the Star Wars: movies Ep 1-3, Darth Maul Shadow Hunter, Cloak of Deception, Darth Plagueis, and Labyrinth of Evil. I also wanted to get the Darth Bane trilogy novels, Thrawn Trilogy (either novels or comics, not sure yet, maybe comics). So yee… So what I have planned so far… - Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Rule of Two, and Dynasty of Evil (novel) - Darth Plagueis (novel) - Cloak of Deception (novel) - Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (novel) - Labyrinth of Evil (novel) - Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command (comics) - Dark Empire I, Dark Empire II, and Dark Empire III (comic) Not counting the novelizations for the movies.

[@MattyStoked]

A great list! Those Freedon Nadd books are really cool.

[@timalsept2854]

I’m sorry I like Dark Empire as much as the next guy but the Thrawn Trilogy is way better. Thrawn and Mara Jade are some of the best characters but there aren’t really any dud characters. Fey’lya maybe but he still served an important role. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the most impressive villains I’ve seen. And Mara Jade redemption is amazing. Plus Rukh, and Pellaeon and Talon Karrde are all great. And the reason I think it should be read first is it’s more of a sequel to the OT and there is a surprise behind every corner that could be ruined by spoilers. Dark Empire I won’t argue because the two don’t reference each other at all but anything else especially involving Mara Jade, Pellaeon, or Thrawn afterwards

[@MattyStoked]

I'm not saying the Thrawn books are bad and I'm not ranking. I'm just saying that I think skipping them isn't a bad move to set your expectations haha

[@timalsept2854]

@@MattyStoked well the Thrawn ones are my favorite so I think they should be first but with Dark Empire that’d be fine to start with because they don’t reference each other.

[@jenniferbeeson2678]

Shadows of the Empire was the first book the man who would become my husband shared with me.

[@MattyStoked]

Now THAT is the kind of story I love to hear! How wonderful! 😍😍😍

[@BryonTunks-m5x]

Fate of Jedi is awesome book

[@Soup-man]

Just started Knights of the Old Republic and it's soo much better than Disney's mediocrity

[@MattyStoked]

KotOR is a really good comic. Great writing on that one, some really mad ideas.

[@Soup-man]

@@MattyStoked Also Bastilla Shan >>>>>> Rey

[@MattyStoked]

What are we comparing them on? They're both women, is that it?

[@Soup-man]

@@MattyStoked Partially, but I'm also saying that one has good writing while the other doesn't. Star Wars used to give their female characters interesting stories to work with.

[@nicolasacosta1673]

Oof I have to strongly disagree with the Jedi Academy trilogy. Apart from the Han Solo subplot in the first book it has to be the worst story I have read in the EU. It has some neat ideas like sith ghosts but the writing is absolutely horrendous.

[@MattyStoked]

Noooo!! Haha, that's fine, mate. The best thing about the EU is that it's full of so many different and cool things, we all get to have our favourites. I'll never not love the Jedi Academy books, but I respect your comment. Thanks for taking the time to comment 😎

[@Mara80418]

I would recommend to start reading EU books from the Thrawn Trilogy.

[@nodruj8681]

"chad sequel EU" bruh you're about 35

[@MattyStoked]

Thanks for the compliment lmao

[@histguy101]

Yeah, we came up with the slang you use, except "bruh" I'm not owning that one

[@FartsForEyes]

I kinda hope Disney Star Wars never brings Mara Jade into the movies…I know they would just do what they do always do and turn a red headed original character into a strong diverse female character without any flaws…i just don’t think I can take another race swapped character that originally had red hair

[@MattyStoked]

I don't think Mara Jade's skin colour has any bearing on her character, mate. I've not read every story she's in, but I've not come across a page or a panel or a moment in a game where her being white was in any way important to the story. It's really not an important thing to get upset about.

[@FartsForEyes]

@@MattyStoked you are 100% right on that count…it shouldn’t matter what color a persons hair or skin is…but it definitely matters to some people, like modern screenwriters/directors/producers..it mattered so much that they felt they had the need to change that character to “update for modern audiences”… I have just seen it happen way to many times times(26 times in the last decade” like it makes ya wonder why do hollywood screenwriters/directors/producers seem to hate red headed characters from the source material so much …just do a quick google search about that topic and you will shit your pants as to how many times it’s happened

[@FartsForEyes]

@@MattyStoked and to your last point about being upset…I’m not really that upset about it…it’s just really weird how many times it has happend…just makes a guy wonder is all

[@MattyStoked]

@@FartsForEyes Yeah I know the meme you're referring to. I think it's worth you considering that redhead white people have been used as a stand-in for underrepresented minorities. Mull that over and tell me what you think.

[@sinnoth3975]

6:30 Wow so problematic, lol?

[@MattyStoked]

Big yikes 🦎

[@jpotter2086]

How to do it right .... back your birthday up to 1967, rewind to age 10, and do it right this time.

[@regishel]

The Courtship of Princess Leia is really Really Boring!

[@MattyStoked]

HOW DARE YOU