View Full Version : Star Wars books in the new canon
I'm completely up to date besides "Lost Stars".
Tarkin was by far the best of the new books. Tarkin and Vader go chasing pirates and kill lots of things. Good times all around.
A New Dawn was ok. It's the story that directly leads into Star Wars Rebels, so if you watch that (which you should), it's worth a read.
Lords of the Sith was ok. Vader and the Emperor are "stranded" on a planet while the planet itself as well as rebels try to kill them. As you can guess, they fail since Vader and the Emperor are alive in the movies.
Heir to the Jedi was ok. It tells of Luke after Ep4 going on a mission to some planet, gets a girl friend who dies later (of course, she's not in the movies after all), and learns a little of the force. The girl was cool, using a "slug thrower" sniper rifle to kill people. But overall it doesn't add much nor explain much. It was mildly entertaining.
Dark Disciple is worth skipping. It's about Asajj Ventress mostly, based on unused scripts from Clone Wars. The book makes Dooku and Grievous look really weak and incompetent. And suddenly Ventress has blonde hair.
Aftermath was terrible. Terrible . One of, if not the worst books I have ever read. It's first post-rotj story, and it sets a terrible precedent. Third person perspective, but in present tense. WTF. There are some familiar characters that don't do anything. Han and Chewie randomly have a chapter where they talk in the Falcon... and are never mentioned again in the story, nor does their conversation have any impact on the story whatsoever. There are a few moments like this with other characters too.
So in case you want to skip Aftermath, here's the somewhat important things... the New Republic (yes it's called that) is based on Chandrilla, Mon Mothma's home world. That's where the new Senate is forming and meeting up, as it doesn't seem Coruscant was taken. There's a mysterious unnamed "Fleet Admiral" that is in control of at least one Super Star Destroyer and a bunch of other ships, and is likely the highest ranking Imperial. That's it. Nothing else matters in that book. Skip the 16 year old whiney protagonist that makes a billion mistakes because he's a stereotypical kid. Skip the stupid B-1 battle droid name Mr. Bones owned by said kid. Get it? B-ONE? So clever. Oh and while I'm all for lgbt rights and such, there's suddenly a lot of gay people in Star Wars as of this book. The kid was raised by his aunt and his aunt's wife. Another main character is an Imperial Officer who is gay. There was one more occurrence, but it was one of those really random chapters that made zero sense and didn't matter at all to the story. There are no redeeming qualities to this book. Oh, the book establishes that cats and dogs exist in Star Wars.
Why can't they ever do one from a grunt Stormtrooper's perspective?
Why can't they ever do one from a grunt Stormtrooper's perspective?
Because the Empire is evil of course. They're Disney-evil now, killing randomly and for no reason nor motivation than just to be evil. But they're also incompetent.
Oh it was established in Tarkin that as of a couple of years before Ep4, nearly all of the clones had retired or died. Thus all the stormtroopers in the movies are regular humans.
You know what else I hated about Aftermath? At one point, in a random chapter, two bounty hunters are fighting and one points and shouts "Boba Fett?!" ... but it was just a distraction, he wasn't there and isn't known to be alive.
No it would be great. There was this movie called The Young Warriors about WWII. It was pretty low budget but that's what made it great about some punk kid who gets mentored by his sergeant and at the end becomes competent.
You're a punk kid in some dump of a planet. Too poor for college, nobody hiring, restless, directionless. You sign up and they put you in a line unit.
Modern day gear...rack grade laser rifle. They put you through basic, AIT, and you pick space 11B. Some political jive about a deposed Monarch with terrorist training camps. Hey...it's just a 5 year hitch. GI Bill....see the Universe....how bad can it be? Recruiter says the girls in the backwater areas are clean and easy. How bad could it be?
Not an ace TIE fighter...or a Boba Fett clone...just a teenybopper kid in a white armor suit trying to survive. To the Rebellion he's a nazi. But his biggest fear is pissing off 1st Sgt and not dying in some hellhole planet.
Side track. Can someone link me to the official canon readings and their order? Wouldn't mind adding some of this stuff to my reading list.
Side track. Can someone link me to the official canon readings and their order? Wouldn't mind adding some of this stuff to my reading list.
Koshin named all the ones that are out so far in the OP.
Koshin named all the ones that are out so far in the OP.
Yep!
As for order...
Ep 1
Ep 2
Clone Wars (tv series)
Dark Disciple
Ep 3
Lords of the Sith
Tarkin
A New Dawn
Rebels (tv series)
Ep 4
Heir to the Jedi
Ep 5
Ep 6
Aftermath
Yep!
As for order...
Ep 1
Ep 2
Clone Wars (tv series)
Dark Disciple
Ep 3
A New Dawn
Rebels (tv series)
Lords of the Sith
Tarkin
Ep 4
Heir to the Jedi
Ep 5
Ep 6
Aftermath
Where's Lords of the Sith?
Where's Lords of the Sith?
Sorry edited lol. Lost Stars is between ep 3 and 4 somewhere.
There are also some comics and short stories that supposedly are considered canon and fit somewhere in the grand scheme of things.
Moose-Knuckle
10-01-15, 15:47
Do any of the new canon novels concern the Bounty Hunters?
Do any of the new canon novels concern the Bounty Hunters?
In Aftermath, Dengar has a mini chapter that doesn't fit in with the book. He basically fights a young bounty hunter and loses because he's getting old, and they talk about forming a union or coalition of bounty hunters since their kind probably won't have a place in the New Republic. Aftermath also has a new bounty hunter as one of the main characters, and she's the only character that is written well... and isn't worth reading the book just for her. And of course Aftermath mentions and fakes out an appearance of Fett like I mentioned earlier.
A young Fett and Bossk appear in a few chapters of Dark Disciple, at first mad at Ventress for something she did in the Clone Wars cartoon, then she hires them to help her.
I don't recall any other bounty hunter appearances.
I'm glad you said Aftermath sucked. I started reading it two, that's TWO weeks ago and I haven't made it past the second chapter. It is just that awful. The author should be made to repay everyone who has bought it.
And that is not the first book that established the existence of dogs in the Star Wars galaxy. I have a Del Rey copy of Star Wars written by George Lucas and he established the existence of a dog, at least on Tatooine anyway.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/01/58e752ee62b54bd30efcc44efa616f24.jpg
On page 17.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/01/0f0338b29aa9340825672b31ef1d4fb9.jpg
And from what I've read online all the new Marvel Star Wars comics (since Disney owns both brands now) are canon and some will tie into the new books/movies and others won't.
I'm glad you said Aftermath sucked. I started reading it two, that's TWO weeks ago and I haven't made it past the second chapter. It is just that awful. The author should be made to repay everyone who has bought it.
And that is not the first book that established the existence of dogs in the Star Wars galaxy. I have a Del Rey copy of Star Wars written by George Lucas and he established the existence of a dog, at least on Tatooine anyway.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/01/58e752ee62b54bd30efcc44efa616f24.jpg
On page 17.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/01/0f0338b29aa9340825672b31ef1d4fb9.jpg
And from what I've read online all the new Marvel Star Wars comics (since Disney owns both brands now) are canon and some will tie into the new books/movies and others won't.
I actually listen to them via audiobook on long drives, when working out, and while cleaning house/guns.
I started zoning out a lot during Aftermath and it took me a little bit to realize how OCD and just bad it is. I'm not joking when I say it's just about the worst and least interesting book I've ever read/listened to, in any genre, including non fiction.
Yeah the new comics are canon, but so far they're all as boring as shit.
And wow that's a neat book! Crazy you remembered it and the page haha
No it would be great. There was this movie called The Young Warriors about WWII. It was pretty low budget but that's what made it great about some punk kid who gets mentored by his sergeant and at the end becomes competent.
You're a punk kid in some dump of a planet. Too poor for college, nobody hiring, restless, directionless. You sign up and they put you in a line unit.
Modern day gear...rack grade laser rifle. They put you through basic, AIT, and you pick space 11B. Some political jive about a deposed Monarch with terrorist training camps. Hey...it's just a 5 year hitch. GI Bill....see the Universe....how bad can it be? Recruiter says the girls in the backwater areas are clean and easy. How bad could it be?
Not an ace TIE fighter...or a Boba Fett clone...just a teenybopper kid in a white armor suit trying to survive. To the Rebellion he's a nazi. But his biggest fear is pissing off 1st Sgt and not dying in some hellhole planet.
A series of books by Karen Traviss based of the Clone Comando video game is just about what you are describing. Sadly though the Canon was changed before she finished the last book in the series because of the Clone Wars cartoon so there is no resolution to it and not worth reading because of that.
It was a 4 man group of clones that were grown men but at the same time children in so far as their knowledge of things not related to combat and warfare. They were doing their jobs during the clone wars but becoming disillusioned with their lot in life and their old training Sgt who is a father figure to them comes up with a way for them to GTFO and have normal lives as Mandolorian bounty hunters (as that was what he was). It also established some of the back story of the Mandalorians which was cool.
Anyway there was no closure to the series which really pissed me off and is still a sore spot with me with all the new stuff.
I actually listen to them via audiobook on long drives, when working out, and while cleaning house/guns.
I started zoning out a lot during Aftermath and it took me a little bit to realize how OCD and just bad it is. I'm not joking when I say it's just about the worst and least interesting book I've ever read/listened to, in any genre, including non fiction.
Yeah the new comics are canon, but so far they're all as boring as shit.
And wow that's a neat book! Crazy you remembered it and the page haha
You're really making me not want to bother with any of the new stuff other than the new movie.
Yes, that copy of Star Wars is really neat. If you could find one(ebay?) I highly recommend it as it has a lot of neat differences from the movie .
You're really making me not want to bother with any of the new stuff other than the new movie.
Yes, that copy of Star Wars is really neat. If you could find one(ebay?) I highly recommend it as it has a lot of neat differences from the movie .
Clone Wars and Rebels are both surprisingly good.
We'll see how Lost Stars turns out.
The clone crap kills it.
People have to accept that moptops and high school kids go to the local space mall and tell some recruiter that they wanna sign up to be stormtroopers, or mechanics and such.
Even Luke Skywalker said he was going to do that.
The clone crap kills it.
People have to accept that moptops and high school kids go to the local space mall and tell some recruiter that they wanna sign up to be stormtroopers, or mechanics and such.
Even Luke Skywalker said he was going to do that.
It's possible there's an academy besides the Imperial academy. I mean there probably isn't only one higher education school in the galaxy...
Mauser KAR98K
10-01-15, 20:00
Is Shadows of the Empire still cannon at least?
Is Shadows of the Empire still cannon at least?
Nope. I liked that book, video game, audio book, and comic series.
But Black Sun is canon, you can see swoops in the Special Edition movies, as well as Dash Rendar's Outrider YT-2400. And Xizor's race, the Falleen, are also canon and play a big role in Black Sun as seen in Dark Disciple.
Also, nothing in the new canon takes place between ESB and ROTJ as far as I know, so it could be re-added to canon at some point as nothing explicitly counteracts it, unlike Zahn's Thrawn trilogy.
Is Shadows of the Empire still cannon at least?
Nope.
No it would be great. There was this movie called The Young Warriors about WWII. It was pretty low budget but that's what made it great about some punk kid who gets mentored by his sergeant and at the end becomes competent.
You're a punk kid in some dump of a planet. Too poor for college, nobody hiring, restless, directionless. You sign up and they put you in a line unit.
Modern day gear...rack grade laser rifle. They put you through basic, AIT, and you pick space 11B. Some political jive about a deposed Monarch with terrorist training camps. Hey...it's just a 5 year hitch. GI Bill....see the Universe....how bad can it be? Recruiter says the girls in the backwater areas are clean and easy. How bad could it be?
Not an ace TIE fighter...or a Boba Fett clone...just a teenybopper kid in a white armor suit trying to survive. To the Rebellion he's a nazi. But his biggest fear is pissing off 1st Sgt and not dying in some hellhole planet.
Like the story of Jonny Rico in the Federal Service, who ends up fighting giant bugs on freakin' Pluto, man
Like the story of Jonny Rico in the Federal Service, who ends up fighting giant bugs on freakin' Pluto, man
So starship troopers in star wars?
Yeah but also coming home. Killing up Viet Ewiks and Taliban Sand people, and weird deposed Monarchs in exile can really put the zap on a kid.
It's like Gundam 0080. Or even 08th MS Gundam team.
He doesn't care about the force or anything.
Storm troopers are played for laughs, but a competent platoon in a tour of duty during a year of planet hopping would be bad ass
MountainRaven
10-01-15, 22:12
I didn't totally hate the book (Aftermath), but I'm not a huge literary critic.
I did like Mister Bones, although I think the name is stupid.
But, yeah, nothing big occurred. I was hoping that the book was going to be a synopsis of the events between ROTJ and TFA.
I would bet cash money that the person who has command of the SSD is Grand Admiral Thrawn. And that this Thrawn will be much more effective than the original Legends Thrawn.
And if you want a book about grunts, there's always next year's movie, Rogue One. Which is supposed to be largely devoid of any sort of Force powers and set in more of the morally grey area of the galaxy seen in the first part of A New Hope. And has a number of people working on it who previously worked on Black Hawk Down, for instance.
ETA: And the sudden abundance of gay characters - in a setting that previously had very few - is jarring.
I didn't totally hate the book (Aftermath), but I'm not a huge literary critic.
I did like Mister Bones, although I think the name is stupid.
But, yeah, nothing big occurred. I was hoping that the book was going to be a synopsis of the events between ROTJ and TFA.
I would bet cash money that the person who has command of the SSD is Grand Admiral Thrawn. And that this Thrawn will be much more effective than the original Legends Thrawn.
And if you want a book about grunts, there's always next year's movie, Rogue One. Which is supposed to be largely devoid of any sort of Force powers and set in more of the morally grey area of the galaxy seen in the first part of A New Hope. And has a number of people working on it who previously worked on Black Hawk Down, for instance.
ETA: And the sudden abundance of gay characters - in a setting that previously had very few - is jarring.
Yeah I think it's Thrawn too, which is why he wasn't physically described nor named.
Especially since someone at the meeting mentioned the outer rim and outside the galaxy. Plus that Mof was really scared of him and paranoid of his grand planning/manipulating skills. I thought he was scared the Emperor survived... but no, it was a mysterious Fleet Admiral.
MountainRaven
10-01-15, 22:42
Yeah I think it's Thrawn too, which is why he wasn't physically described nor named.
Especially since someone at the meeting mentioned the outer rim and outside the galaxy. Plus that Mof was really scared of him and paranoid of his grand planning/manipulating skills. I thought he was scared the Emperor survived... but no, it was a mysterious Fleet Admiral.
That was my thought, too.
The only other guy close to the level of manipulation of the Emperor from Legends during that time period was Xizor. And I don't think a crime prince is going to run an Imperial fleet.
Mauser KAR98K
10-02-15, 01:28
Loved Thrawn in Tie Fighter.
Loved Thrawn in Tie Fighter.
Thrawn: Hey you. You're a TIE Interceptor pilot, right? Go take out that mine field.
Me: FML.
...
Thrawn: Hey you. You're qualified to fly TIE Bombers, right? I'm gonna need you to kill some X-Wings...
Me: FML x2.
So starship troopers in star wars?
I'd watch it. The Starship Troopers are better shots
I'd watch it. The Starship Troopers are better shots
Well that's because they have fire control systems in their power armor...
No, I want to see basic training...how stormtroopers prepare.
Some get sent to hot zones, others do BS "peace keeping" in backwards planets where slavery is legal.
A kid who becomes a man in two years. A tour of duty in a rotten planet filled with religious fanatics fighting a terrorist war on behalf of a Monarch in Exile.
When I was a dumb kid I thought Storm Troopers were bad guys blah blah blah.
As an adult....well...I don't see how the Empire is "evil". In fact....the movies were horribly left wing.
Starship Troopers was so good because the moral was "Everybody fights. Nobody quits. If you quit, I kill you myself". It was a volunteer military that got it done.
That's why I'm not looking forward to the new movies.
So funny story. Lost Stars has been so far about two kids who grew up on a backwater world who practised for 8 years to get into an Imperial Academy... and both got into the best one. Only 4 chapters in, but the Royal Coruscant Academy is basically the Air Force Academy, but with a 50% attrition rate per year.
I don't get how the Empire spends so much time and money training these officers to stick them in expendable TIEs.
Oh TIEs are expendable in the official canon (see Tarkin) but do have ejection seats (Aftermath).
Since SW books always feature the good guys, I'm betting the kids join the Rebel scum at some point. But for now, they're very happy, intelligent, and skilled Imperial citizens looking forward to an exciting and successful career in the Imperial Navy.
I'm forcing myself to finish Aftermath but ugh...it's just so meh...
I'm forcing myself to finish Aftermath but ugh...it's just so meh...
Don't. Skip it.
Don't. Skip it.
I've only got 110 pages left. I'll wrap it up today and pick up something else next.
Have you read any of the "Journey to The Force Awakens" labeled boks?
Just as an update, finished Lost Stars. Apparently, Lost Stars is a "Journey to The Force Awakens" labeled book. Aftermath was too, but it sucked.
By far the best Star Wars book in the current canon.
Generally it's about two kids (girl and a boy) from a backwater planet that want more than anything to be pilots and join the Empire. They grow up, go through the Academy, then join the Imperial Navy. Through a series of events, one joins the Rebellion and the other stays loyal to the Empire, but they remain close. The book starts between Ep3 and 4 and ends after the battle of Jakku. The book goes into detail on how that Star Destroyer you see in the Ep7 trailer crashed on the planet's surface.
It's really the story about how two regular people can join the Empire and how they can have differences and change loyalties while being intelligent and logical. Then how they're on opposite sides of a civil war and how that tears them apart.
Highly recommend this book.
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