What are some really good pre-Disney EU Star Wars novels? Ideally set in the period just prior to A New Hope and just after Empire, with the space opera feel of the original film (IE, lots of droids, space battles, cool ships, etc). Ideally focused on either the Empire or on non-Force using, non-rebel protagonists.
Good Star Wars (Pre-Disney) EU novels?
- Thread starter Commander Kielbasa
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Given your preferences:
There's two sets of Han Solo novels by A.C Crispin and Brian Daley which were pretty good.
Shadows of the Empire is pretty good, it was a sort of 'bridge' between ESB and Return of the Jedi. It also had an accompanying comic series, video game, and even action figures and a soundtrack. It focuses more on the movie heroes and villains, though. It mainly deals with a rival of Vader who seeks to gain his place in the Empire, as well as Luke and co. trying to rescue Han. The stuff with the Bothans in it too.
There's two sets of Han Solo novels by A.C Crispin and Brian Daley which were pretty good.
Shadows of the Empire is pretty good, it was a sort of 'bridge' between ESB and Return of the Jedi. It also had an accompanying comic series, video game, and even action figures and a soundtrack. It focuses more on the movie heroes and villains, though. It mainly deals with a rival of Vader who seeks to gain his place in the Empire, as well as Luke and co. trying to rescue Han. The stuff with the Bothans in it too.
I never really got into the EU stuff when it became really popular... when I was a kid, I read the early books that came out after ANH and ESB like Splinter of the Mind's Eye as well as the Han Solo and Lando Calrissian novels. It's funny to look back at those books now, which were written before a LOT of character development had been done, in-universe. The Authors could kind of just do whatever they wanted...
There were not a lot of novels that covered the time just before A New Hope or just after The Empire Strikes Back. Partially because the comics covered what was going on between films, and until the Prequels, the era before A New Hope was mostly avoided as the only character viable were Han Solo (two trilogies by different authors decades apart) and Lando Calrissian (one trilogy). No one was going to seriously do a novel on Obi-wan Kenobi at that point, and the Droids were covered via a cartoon series.
Shadows of the Empire was I think the only novel set between The ESB and Return of the Jedi. There were also the short story collection books "Tales from the Eisley Cantina", Tale of the Bounty Hunters" and "Tales from Jabba's Palace" which cover various background character over their lives, before and sometime after the events of the films.
After the Prequel Trilogy, the was some Kenobi novels that take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, but I think those were closer to ROTS. There might have been some later novels that were set in this time period prior to Disney's take-over, but most that I am aware of that were good took place closer to ROTS, or were done after Disney took over.
Shadows of the Empire was I think the only novel set between The ESB and Return of the Jedi. There were also the short story collection books "Tales from the Eisley Cantina", Tale of the Bounty Hunters" and "Tales from Jabba's Palace" which cover various background character over their lives, before and sometime after the events of the films.
After the Prequel Trilogy, the was some Kenobi novels that take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, but I think those were closer to ROTS. There might have been some later novels that were set in this time period prior to Disney's take-over, but most that I am aware of that were good took place closer to ROTS, or were done after Disney took over.
There's the novel Death Star, which is basically the Legends version of the Death Star's origins.
At least the book's describing her upper lips. Could be worse.
Yeah, I read that book. I just imagine the awkward talks Luke and Leia had after ROTJ.
Shadows of the Empire and Splinter of the Mind's Eye are really the best that fit your criteria.
Runner-up? http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Lord:_The_Rise_of_Darth_Vader
More post-ROTS than pre-ANH but a fantastic take on Vader's "origin story" after the film, as it were.
Runner-up? http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Lord:_The_Rise_of_Darth_Vader
More post-ROTS than pre-ANH but a fantastic take on Vader's "origin story" after the film, as it were.
Since you guys already went out side of the criteria with Splinter of the Mind's Eye, I'll include a couple others around that time. Timothy Zahn, who is considered by many one of the best EU writers, did a couple of books between ANH and ESB, Allegiance and it's sequel Choices of One. They focus on the movie characters, and Luke's future wife and major EU character Mara Jade.
One book I know of, which I haven't read, that fits your criteria pretty clearly is, Shadow Games, which focuses on Dash Rendar, a new character introduced in the earlier EU novel (which is actually set later in the timeline) Shadows of the Empire, before ANH.
One book I know of, which I haven't read, that fits your criteria pretty clearly is, Shadow Games, which focuses on Dash Rendar, a new character introduced in the earlier EU novel (which is actually set later in the timeline) Shadows of the Empire, before ANH.
They're okay, although not really up to the standards of Zahn's earlier works. They kind of also are a bit goofy since they can't have Luke and Mara meet yet, but involved in the other's lives anyway. They also focus on a rogue group of Stormtroopers, and of course feature Vader, as well as future admiral Ozzell.
There's also the Coruscant nights stuff, mainly about a former jedi turned detective who teams up with a group of aliens and uses the force to solve crimes, but of course is being hunted by Darth Vader (Who seems written out of character-while of course as we've seen in the originals and Rogue One, Vader has a sort of ghoulish sense of humor, this series kind of goes a bit overhead with it. Vader laughs.)
There's also the Coruscant nights stuff, mainly about a former jedi turned detective who teams up with a group of aliens and uses the force to solve crimes, but of course is being hunted by Darth Vader (Who seems written out of character-while of course as we've seen in the originals and Rogue One, Vader has a sort of ghoulish sense of humor, this series kind of goes a bit overhead with it. Vader laughs.)
