Where to Start Reading the Star Wars Expanded Universe Books!

In this video, I discuss where I suggest new readers start reading the Star Wars Expanded Universe Books! Enjoy!
Books Discussed:
Heir to the Empire
X-Wing Series
Darth Bane Trilogy
Darth Plagueis
Shadows of the Empire
Kenobi

[@richardjamesIII]

I read so many Star Wars books as a kid. Shadow of the Empire was one of my favorites. The story set up Return of the Jedi so well, and Prince Xizor was a fantastic villain.

[@siisch46]

Great video. just a week too late lol. I"ve just started reading my first Star Wars expanded universe novel (I am not counting when I read Splinter of the Minds eye when it came out in the 70's lol). I wanted to start as far back as I could, but sticking with characters I'm at least familiar with from the movies. I decided on what some sites call the rise of the Sith era. I'm reading Cloak of Deception. I'll let you know what I think when I finish :).

[@zekinumanoglu3152]

I think thats called “rise of the empire “ era in legends

[@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels]

I still have ~40 left to finish reading all the adult Legends books, but from the set I've read before I don't think I can argue with those picks. Awesome picks!

[@diegocastillo7760]

awesome suggestions!! I was wondering if you could do a ranking of all of the New Jedi Order books in chronological order as a video to see how each one ranks amongst each other and by the end of it have a full list to see how strong the series is for you?

[@ToddsBookTube91]

Nice little video Jonathan. I was just the right age when the Harry Potter books first came out and my mom read to me as a child so I have always liked reading. But I read the first Bane novel in the series and a stormtrooper book and these two books got me into reading as an adult in my 20s.

[@mtverv]

Another great video man! Some suggestions I would put forward before going with the Thrawn Trilogy (if you are skipping the Rogue Squadron books) are The Truce at Bakura and The Courtship of Princess Leia. Bakura is kind of key to understanding how the Galaxy is functioning right after the Empire’s collapse and Courtship shows how Han and Leia got from Love Confession to Marriage (because it was not as easy as people think). I agree with your Darth Bane Old Republic suggestion but would also add the Jedi Apprentice Series. Shows Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s beginnings as a Master/Apprentice pair and is just a good series overall. As far as Standalones go it’s got to be I, Jedi. Yes this seems paradoxical given I said to skip Rogue Squadron and it comes after the next prominent Trilogy after Thrawn in The Jedi Academy Trilogy but I, Jedi is just that good. It is without a doubt my favorite Stackpole book. For the last suggestion I want to make I had to throw in something for people who like Star Wars but want a story with completely new characters and what better Series for that but The Young Jedi Knights. Yes I know I’m bringing it up again but this is where the story of the characters that would define and carry the future of the Star Wars Universe (the sequels both movies and shows don’t exist it was just a weird shared fevere dream lol) got their start.

[@jonathankoan]

If I had been including the middle grade books I would definitely include the Jedi Apprentice and Young Jedi Knights, but they are generally hard to find now unfortunately.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Great video! I’d also recommend Tales from Jabba’s palace - anyone who’s watched the movie can enjoy it and it gives you a taste of the various authors writing styles eg I really enjoyed Kevin J Anderson’s stuff

[@masonleombrone7611]

Great video! I’ve never read an SW novels before but finding your channel a few months back got me into them. I was at a used movie/book/record shop and found original printings of the Thrawn trilogy and I just started reading Heir to the Empire, and you’re so right it feels just like the movies and I’m only up to chapter 8!

[@sackman1886]

Heir to the Empire and the Thrawn Trilogy is fantastic along with the Darth Bane trilogy. Both are phenomenal. My favorite stand alone book was Darth Plagueis! I always felt like this book did such a good job at trying to fix the original prequel movie, and makes that trilogy seem much better than it is. Another good one was Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith, which did an AMAZING job at placing the reader into the mind of a changing Anakin Skywalker and the torment he went through. Loved it. Also, Kenobi: Star Wars Legends was fantastic. EDIT: haha I just finished your video and realized that I basically have loved all of the same stuff you end up recommending! Got a few new books to check out!

[@Spiderweb444]

I started with the thrawn trilogy and for canin the claudia gray novels and they were awesome points to start reading!

[@CodyvBooks]

I think you’ve just convinced me to start with Kenobi! Thanks mate

[@that_one_guy_named_rami]

I guess equal minds think alike! Those are some excellent novels, however, I would add Cloak of Deception, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, and Labyrinth of Evil, as well as the novelizations of the prequel trilogy.

[@SteveHolm89]

Kenobi was my first Legends book, loved it. I have actually ordered the new reprint hardcover version signed by JJM himself, making it the first time I buy a book for collection purposes only.

[@animalmother8037]

I think I started at the Corellian trilogy long time ago. Big Han Solo fan and didnt know exactly where to start. In hindsight I wouldve started with the Thrawn trilogy or Kenobi if it had been written back then.

[@DarthTamarus]

Very good suggestions. I’ve read everything you mentioned aside from Kenobi. I plan to pick it up soon. The Darth Bane trilogy were the first books I read and to this day they’re GOAT’d to me. I also just loved Rogue Squadron even though I had put it off for so long. Looking forward to Kenobi 🤌

[@katelynrushe9025]

The first EU book I ever read was “Rogue Planet,” which is set 3 years after The Phantom Menace and sets up a lot of characters, settings, and plot lines that will feature later in the EU chronology. My first original era EU book was “Truce at Bakura,” which is a direct sequel to Return of the Jedi and I think is a fantastic story. I would definitely recommend Bakura as a starting point for new Star Wars readers.

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

Great video, Jonathan! Very thoughtful, as always.😊

[@NathanJones-os6qs]

Excellent recommendations; the X-Wing series is my all time favourite. I'd definitely start with Heir to the Empire and the Thrawn trilogy, which is how I started when I was in school; I then moved on to The Truce at Bakura because it was set only a few days after The Return of the Jedi, but I think another really good introduction to the EU is the "Tales From" series - Mos Eisley Cantina, Jabba's Palace and Bounty Hunters. Great video as always.

[@jmbwashi]

Awesome video. I started reading Star Wars books about 25 years ago with the Golden Globe first book the Junior Jedi Knight series. I usually recommend Heir to the Empire unless the reader doesn't want to start a trilogy in which case I recommend the stand-alone book Scoundrels. Kenobi is a great book and is very inoffensive as in you don't need to be a big Star Wars fan to enjoy it.

[@brianwiggins7924]

Great video, Johnathan. I enjoy your SW content the most!

[@orboakin8074]

Great video, friend. I have been a Star Wars fan since my childhood in Nigeria and I'm currently rewatching Clone Wars and buying EU novels🎉🎉Just finished book one of the Bane trilogy and am also reading the prequel novelization. The Stae Wars lore is so amazing and well crafted byuxas and all those awesome writers👍Whenever i hear people say the Prequels were bad because of politics abd that politics has no place in Star Wars, I am always confused🤔 Lucas' great world building is also what made this franchise so awesome.

[@karlvolker7681]

Id love to see a video of your rankings of the novelisations of all the films. My personal favourite is the revenge of the sith

[@jusstinpalmer7298]

I love the prequels so I read the republic commando series. It’s sucks Karen Miller left that series unfinished, I had to find some fan fiction. They wrapped it up really nicely tho.

[@randywilliams5628]

My first Star Wars novel was Truce at Bakura. It takes place immediately after Return of the Jedi!

[@GreatBooksGuy]

Just finished the Darth Bane trilogy!

[@martinbauzon7450]

My first legends book read was darth revan ( old republic) to me its a decent / pre-start to a jedi's time. But ofcourse revan is both a dark side and lightside user (overall dark side user) will give darth revan a 7/10

[@knoober3756]

I always say for a prequel fan, Darth plagueis. For an OT fan, Heir to the empire. Both expand the plot threads of the trilogy they’re tying into 10 fold. I haven’t read a lot of the EU, and plagueis is my 1st SW novel period, but those are definitely the big 2 for entry points. Kenobi is a great one too because it’s a perfect standalone but if you’re looking to get into the EU. The latter 2 are the best imo.

[@SpectacularWebHead]

Excellent video

[@JohnM-cd4ou]

Great suggestions

[@Smartiie_]

Really great video! I really want to get into "young jedi knights" and "legacy of the force" since I really want to learn about Jaina's and Jacen's story. Can you recommend those too? :)

[@jonathankoan]

Young Jedi knights series is amazing. Legacy of the force is just good in some places and ok in others. Not as good as the Fate of the Jedi or New Jedi Order

[@Smartiie_]

@@jonathankoan Alright, thank you so much! I plan on reading through everything anyway one day. First the high republic and old republic and then the other EU stuff 🔥

[@jipjomon]

It's interesting that the Bane series are considered part of the same era as KOTOR etc. since they're set many thousands of years after all the other games/books/comics that were produced with the Old Republic branding. Darth Revan was 2-3x more ancient to Darth Bane than Darth Bane was to Darth Vader!

[@gamer46ful]

I have never read a single Star Wars EU novel and I took a leap of faith and decided that my first Star Wars book would be Shadows of the Empire. I just reserved a copy of it from my public library. I'm kind of nervous and unsure if I will like it but I want to give it a try at least. Hope I picked a good one. If I like this I might give the Thrawn trilogy a try then.

[@kianvandenberg6364]

Update?

[@gamer46ful]

@@kianvandenberg6364 I finished it and I thought it was pretty good. I have a few criticisms but for the most part it was a super fast paced read and I loved seeing certain scenes that bridge the gap between the two films. The dialogue was perfect to the characters voices in my head so it worked in that aspect. It was a solid first Star Wars story.

[@kianvandenberg6364]

@@gamer46ful you should definitely read the Thrawn trilogy. It’s better than shadow of the empire

[@lostwoodsdweller5313]

Can you do a where to start video on Star Trek? I’m a new Trek fan and am not sure where to begin.

[@jonathankoan]

I do have that video on the channel.

[@alvinstanley4712]

I'm starting with episode 1

[@rodhamm8484]

I started with Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. I had no choice because it was the only Expanded Universe novel in existence at the time. Yup, I am that old, lol. I started back into reading the EU a couple years ago with Darth Plagious. I have read all the other books mentioned except the Darth Bane trilogy. All are good suggestions!

[@Farmboyz72]

Me, a seasoned EU reader: “hmm yes, very good”

[@thetemplar1088]

I would like to get into books like these too, but could you tell me where I could buy them... sadly I am not sure Amazon delivers to Romania

[@jonathankoan]

There might be other vendors that ship to Romania, I’m not sure which ones though.

[@njsmoker83]

Definitely Heir to the Empire

[@flabebe2615]

What would i have to read , if icm allready well known to the thrawn trilogy and wanted to know more about luke becomming a jedi grandmaster, defeating abaloth and such things?

[@jonathankoan]

Well, the Abeloth storyline is at the end of the timeline and was the last published series, so you have quite a long way to go to get there. After the Thrawn trilogy, I recommend reading the Jedi Academy Trilogy, the X-Wing series, I, Jedi, the Hand of Thrawn. Then you’re done with the biggest and best Bantam era series and you can go to the New Jedi Order and the Legacy of the aforce and Fate of the Jedi. There are other trilogies and books featuring Luke and the Order during this time, but I don’t think they are quite as good as the ones I mentioned.

[@flabebe2615]

@@jonathankoan Thanks a lot Jonathan, im a big fan of your channel

[@swipitoemg7884]

Let’s gooooo! 😁

[@Weasel3001]

If you had to choose only one: EU or Canon Star Wars books?

[@jonathankoan]

I don’t usually like to answer that question, because it creates a dichotomy between the two, and I have elements of both that I enjoy and elements of both that I don’t enjoy. If I absolutely have to, I’d go with the Legends/EU line because so far I’ve enjoyed its continuity more. But there’s so much to love in the canon as well.

[@ryanmeneses5003]

I don't think it matters where you start nor is there a defined path once you pick a spot because theres always going to be constant flip flopping back and forth.

[@Matthewsmarkers]

Does the Kenobi book clash with the Obi Wan series? I don’t care much for what is considered cannon but I want to read Kenobi imagining that it would end right where the Disney+ series would begin. Can anyone tell me without revealing spoilers if possible?

[@jonathankoan]

There is no contradiction between either.

[@Matthewsmarkers]

@@jonathankoan thank you!! 🙏

[@linejumper8204]

Splinter of the minds eye. Star Wars was the first movie I saw in theater. There was no such thing as A New Hope.

[@shawncornell]

What do you mean your English teacher wasn’t a big reader?

[@jonathankoan]

I meant, she’s not a reader of Star Wars books.