Star Wars Books Thread

[Reverend]

Yeah, that's true. Other sources, like the New Essential Chronology added retcons and the idea of different Sith orders rising, falling and being replaced later down the line. It wasn't perfect (retcons rarely are), but it was good enough for the time and was one of the more reasonable fixes made to keep Legends in line with the movies and TCW.

Thankfully, having to accommodate a bunch of poorly coordinated and ill conceived stories is no longer a concern and we have is a complete tabula rasa in regards to pre-TPM history. From the scraps that have been mentioned here and there in the canon materials, it seems like that version of events from the TPM novelization may indeed be the basis for their current thinking.

Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone would lament the Legends version of how the Sith came to be. Of all the inconsistent, hodge-podge continuities that the EU was lumbered with, this one was possibly the worst offender. Not surprisingly, we have Kevin J. Anderson to thank for the bonkers origin story.


One thing that I've wondered about lately is if Kenobi's "before the dark times" like might actually refer to this period of Sith oppression. If you examine what he actually says: "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times, before the Empire." You can start to look at in in a new context.
Now we've seen a few references to the "Old Republic" in TCW and as far as I know, no canon source has referred to the Imperial period as "the dark times" as the EU proposed.
So contrary to our previous assumptions that the "Old Republic" refers to the Republic he served and that the "dark times" is in reference to the Jedi purge. Perhaps what he's really saying is the Jedi were around before the Empire *AND* before the Dark Times. That instead of being synonyms, these are two phrases describe separate events. So it goes: Old Republic > Dark Times > Republic > Empire.

 

[kirk55555]

I think I saw that episode, or at least the clip. I can't see how it was a middle finger, esp. since it didn't overwrite anything in the Clone Commandos game/novel series. It just showed one more event in their lives that the books didn't cover and didn't do any damage. I thought it was one of the better Legends homages in the series, personally.

Filoni using them specifically is the middle finger, in my opinion. He knows what him/his show did to the books related to them. It was totally a victory lap for him. He won, a bunch of fans lost, and he's showing off. I seriously doubt he'd even know to ask for them specifically if it wasn't to screw over the fans, he probably heard complaints from fans of the book and got back at the angry fans by using Delta.

Not really, but then again, I'm not really trying to anticipate what the book will be, but more taking an interest in reading it to get primed for the movie. Lucino did mention that we will get some additional insights into Jyn Erso that will allow readers to have a better understanding of her character when watching the movie. I don't know, I guess I don't think it needs to be "big" or "earth-shattering" to be worth my while.

Most of my favorite SW books aren't big or Earth-shattering. But, they also aren't mostly pointless tie in stories to movies, either.

TFA's model actually might be a good balance; spreading out the direct movie tie-ins across the GA and YA lines. It allows more space for additional stuff to be published and allows for flexibility in story format (I doubt Before the Awakening, essentially a collection of three short stories, would've been long enough to be an adult novel.)

If they have to do movie tie ins, I'd prefer them to be kid and YA books. Then, they don't take up a normal book slot, and the people tat want a tie in still get something.

We've got years of storytelling ahead of us. I don't see the need to fill in everything at once. Also, historically, IMHO, the farther away you get from the movies and the movie characters, the less interesting the stories got, IMHO. Besides, it is possible that the kinds of stories you want are being saved for the big and small screens, with the printed materials adding additional context and supporting stories to that.

Well, my favorite SW books are the Republic Commando books and the X-Wing books. The RC books have mentions of a few jedi, and one Vader appearance in Imperial Commando (I think), but that's it. X-Wing has Han Solo as a very minor character in one or two books, and maybe a Leia or Luke appearance. So, as far as I'm concerned the movie characters don't have to even be mentioned in a SW book for it to be good or even great. Not that I don't love a lot of books with the movie characters, but they're far from required in a good to great SW book. Also, the stories I want (besides sequels to Episode VII, obviously) are all stories you can only tell in book form, so they're definitely not being saved. The comics all deal with movie people, and the movies only deal with people and/or situations familiar to people who don't have to be SW fans. The real books are what make the SW universe feel alive and epic, when they tell stories about a bunch of different things in the universe.

Some of us really like learning more about events that relate to what we saw onscreen, I guess.

Tie in books don't seem to add anything to a movie. The movie and all of its plot points are, rightfully, controlled by the writer(s)/director/producer(s) of the movie. Any book is just taking the scraps that the movie doesn't want to talk about or doesn't have time for and doing something with them. Its just a big waste of time in my opinion. We won't get any info about Jyn or her family that is important to the movie, all that info will be in the real movie. That's why kid and YA books make more sense for this, they release a ton of those each year so its not using up a rare slot to make movie tie ins. When they only make 4-5 normal SW books a year, I want a bit more. Not necessarily "big" or "earth-shattering", but much more then a book that's just picking up scraps from a movie. Everything important to the movie will be in the movie. They should use the real books to expand the universe outside of the movies.

 

[fireproof78]

Filoni using them specifically is the middle finger, in my opinion. He knows what him/his show did to the books related to them. It was totally a victory lap for him. He won, a bunch of fans lost, and he's showing off. I seriously doubt he'd even know to ask for them specifically if it wasn't to screw over the fans, he probably heard complaints from fans of the book and got back at the angry fans by using Delta.

That's a lot of assumptions.

Tie in books don't seem to add anything to a movie. The movie and all of its plot points are, rightfully, controlled by the writer(s)/director/producer(s) of the movie. Any book is just taking the scraps that the movie doesn't want to talk about or doesn't have time for and doing something with them. Its just a big waste of time in my opinion. We won't get any info about Jyn or her family that is important to the movie, all that info will be in the real movie. That's why kid and YA books make more sense for this, they release a ton of those each year so its not using up a rare slot to make movie tie ins. When they only make 4-5 normal SW books a year, I want a bit more. Not necessarily "big" or "earth-shattering", but much more then a book that's just picking up scraps from a movie. Everything important to the movie will be in the movie. They should use the real books to expand the universe outside of the movies.

I'm confused by this, so perhaps you could explain a bit more. Tie in books don't add anything to the film is an odd point because the whole point is to take the "scraps" is to build upon the world with that information. That's how most of the EU got started, in my opinion. "Splinter of a Mind's Eye" to bits from ANH to forging a whole new adventure.

 

[JD]

Tie in books don't seem to add anything to a movie. The movie and all of its plot points are, rightfully, controlled by the writer(s)/director/producer(s) of the movie. Any book is just taking the scraps that the movie doesn't want to talk about or doesn't have time for and doing something with them. Its just a big waste of time in my opinion. We won't get any info about Jyn or her family that is important to the movie, all that info will be in the real movie. That's why kid and YA books make more sense for this, they release a ton of those each year so its not using up a rare slot to make movie tie ins. When they only make 4-5 normal SW books a year, I want a bit more. Not necessarily "big" or "earth-shattering", but much more then a book that's just picking up scraps from a movie. Everything important to the movie will be in the movie. They should use the real books to expand the universe outside of the movies.

It does add stuff to the movie, it gives us a better, clearer understanding of the characters and their relationships. That's why I love books like Catalyst, it takes the bits and pieces we get in the movies, and expands on them to give us more background and context to what happens in it. It might not be 100% necessary, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting and worth exploring.
As for it taking up a slot in the book schedule, I don't think Star Wars has a set number of releases like Star Trek does. Not to mention the fact that the Star Wars books are a tie-in line, so they would be stupid not to give us tie ins to the movies as they come out, and since SW isn't just a YA franchise it wouldn't make sense for them to just do a YA tie-in. And just to remind everyone, along with Catalyst we are getting the Jyn YA novel, and the Baze and Chirrut Middle Grade novel, so we're getting a pretty good spread of Catalyst tie ins.
In a bit of ironic timing, StarWars.com just posted a new article from SW fiction editor Jennifer Heddle about Catalyst.
6 Reasons Catalyst is Essential Reading if You Plan to See Rogue One.
I haven't gotten a book on release day in years, but I'm tempted with Catalyst so I can get as far into it as possible before RO comes out.

 

[kirk55555]

I'm confused by this, so perhaps you could explain a bit more. Tie in books don't add anything to the film is an odd point because the whole point is to take the "scraps" is to build upon the world with that information. That's how most of the EU got started, in my opinion. "Splinter of a Mind's Eye" to bits from ANH to forging a whole new adventure.

Scraps means stuff like talking about events that directly tie into a movie that weren't important enough for the movie to do. For example, its like if a whole book existed just to show how they set up the base on Hoth, or if a book was all about the Batte of Jakku. Those are important places their movies, but in the end it doesn't matter how/why the Rebels went to Hoth and it really doesn't matter why Rebels/Imperials fought over Jakku. Its side stuff that, at most, might be used as a side story in a comic, video game, reference book or kiddie book.

Now, I'd like to know about both of those because I'm a huge SW fan, but they don't needs books about them. Its the same with the early life of Jyn. It doesn't matter. The trailers show about as much as we need to see of that, and I'm sure the movie will go into it in a bit more detail. Wasting a whole SW book about how events we already have a pretty clear grasp of just based on the trailers is a complete waste. It might be a well written waste, and I'll read it, but I'd rather have another book that is just a part of the SW universe without being about the small, unimportant stuff left out of the movies.

It does add stuff to the movie, it gives us a better, clearer understanding of the characters and their relationships. That's why I love books like Catalyst, it takes the bits and pieces we get in the movies, and expands on them to give us more background and context to what happens in it. It might not be 100% necessary, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting and worth exploring.

Personally, if its not in the movie I generally don't really count it. Technically canon or not, the movie tells its own story and if a direct tie in isn't written by the movie's writer and overseen by the producers/director (which I don't think has ever happened), it doesn't really count because they had no say in it and certainly didn't take it into account while making the movie. Now, books set after a movie is done, or between movies, etc, do generally count because they are their own thing.

But, a direct tie-in/prequel to a movie that isn't made by the movie makers is really worthless in my opinion. It doesn't effect anything, the movie won't acknowledge it and for all we know the film makers have completely different ideas about the characters. That's why I prefer SW books that happen in the time gaps between movies, a good deal before or after the events, or have absolutely nothing to do with the movies at all. It gives the writers the most freedom, they're more interesting, they're less limited in scope/potential and they generally don't mess with/get messed with by the movies.

As for it taking up a slot in the book schedule, I don't think Star Wars has a set number of releases like Star Trek does. Not to mention the fact that the Star Wars books are a tie-in line, so they would be stupid not to give us tie ins to the movies as they come out, and since SW isn't just a YA franchise it wouldn't make sense for them to just do a YA tie-in.

I suggested a YA tie-in because those are already throw away stories, so the tie-ins might as well be in that format. Plus, books for kids tend to be more direct tie ins to movies anyway. They shovel the kids/YA books out every year, but we get a lot less real SW novels, even if there isn't technically a limit.

And just to remind everyone, along with Catalyst we are getting the Jyn YA novel, and the Baze and Chirrut Middle Grade novel, so we're getting a pretty good spread of Catalyst tie ins.
In a bit of ironic timing, StarWars.com just posted a new article from SW fiction editor Jennifer Heddle about Catalyst.
6 Reasons Catalyst is Essential Reading if You Plan to See Rogue One.
I haven't gotten a book on release day in years, but I'm tempted with Catalyst so I can get as far into it as possible before RO comes out.

Well, since Disney isn't stupid enough to make a book, that probably less then 10% of the main stream audience will ever read, required reading for their huge blockbuster movie, I'd take that article with a grain of salt.

 

[fireproof78]

Scraps means stuff like talking about events that directly tie into a movie that weren't important enough for the movie to do. For example, its like if a whole book existed just to show how they set up the base on Hoth, or if a book was all about the Batte of Jakku. Those are important places their movies, but in the end it doesn't matter how/why the Rebels went to Hoth and it really doesn't matter why Rebels/Imperials fought over Jakku. Its side stuff that, at most, might be used as a side story in a comic, video game, reference book or kiddie book.

Now, I'd like to know about both of those because I'm a huge SW fan, but they don't needs books about them. Its the same with the early life of Jyn. It doesn't matter. The trailers show about as much as we need to see of that, and I'm sure the movie will go into it in a bit more detail. Wasting a whole SW book about how events we already have a pretty clear grasp of just based on the trailers is a complete waste. It might be a well written waste, and I'll read it, but I'd rather have another book that is just a part of the SW universe without being about the small, unimportant stuff left out of the movies.

Ok, thank you for explaining. I personally don't see any book as a "waste," especially Star Wars ones. So, it's a different point of view for me.

 

[JD]

Personally, if its not in the movie I generally don't really count it. Technically canon or not, the movie tells its own story and if a direct tie in isn't written by the movie's writer and overseen by the producers/director (which I don't think has ever happened), it doesn't really count because they had no say in it and certainly didn't take it into account while making the movie. Now, books set after a movie is done, or between movies, etc, do generally count because they are their own thing.

But, a direct tie-in/prequel to a movie that isn't made by the movie makers is really worthless in my opinion. It doesn't effect anything, the movie won't acknowledge it and for all we know the film makers have completely different ideas about the characters. That's why I prefer SW books that happen in the time gaps between movies, a good deal before or after the events, or have absolutely nothing to do with the movies at all. It gives the writers the most freedom, they're more interesting, they're less limited in scope/potential and they generally don't mess with/get messed with by the movies.

If you read the article I posted you'd know that Heddle says in it that the Rogue One team was involved in the writing of Catalyst.

 

[USS Firefly]

I am reading Star Wars: Dark disciple, I am at page 245, but what a dissapointing book.

Spoiler

Vos had a BIG chance to kill Dooku but blew it like he was a younling.
And later Anakin, Obi Wan and Ventress are in the same room with Dooku, how difficult is it to attack him together?? The fight will be over in what, 9 seconds?

My next Star Wars book will be Ahsoka, hopefully that book is a lot better.

 

[Reverend]

Just finished TPM's novelization. Not much too add to my previous post. It was all fairly surface level stuff, not really diving much into character motivations. Jar jar could have been entierly cut from the story and you'd loose nothing and Padme actually comes off as a little creepy when talking about her "feelings" for a 9 year old boy. I know she's only supposed to be 14 herself, but still...

Next up: AotC. Let's see if the book make the whole Sifo-Dias subplot make even a little more sense...

I would say the plot purpose of Jar Jar was to have a main character to participate in the big land battle in the third act. Or else it would have been random nameless CGI cartoons versus random nameless CGI cartoons.

That role could easily have been served by slightly expanding another character's role. Captain Tarpals or even Panaka would have sufficed. Or as someone suggested, they could have cut that entire sequence, making the raid on the palace all the more desperate as even if they got to the Viceroy, they'd be under siege from the entire droid army. Also, that would have shifted the focus of the space battle from "take the pressure off the Gungans" to "this is the only way the Queen can survive her gambit". As an added bonus, it means the action is split across only three parties instead of four (Padme vs droids, Anakin in space and the Jedi vs Maul.)

I am reading Star Wars: Dark disciple, I am at page 245, but what a dissapointing book.

Spoiler

Vos had a BIG chance to kill Dooku but blew it like he was a younling.
And later Anakin, Obi Wan and Ventress are in the same room with Dooku, how difficult is it to attack him together?? The fight will be over in what, 9 seconds?

My next Star Wars book will be Ahsoka, hopefully that book is a lot better.

Sith Lords generally don't go down easy.
Maul was defeated (though not killed as it turns out) only because he took the time to gloat instead of just finishing Obi-Wan off. Dooku faced multiple Jedi on several occasions and survived, as well as two attempts on his life by Ventress, one of which had him impaired by poison and up against Asajj and two force using Nightsisters. In the end it took Palpatine's betrayal and Anakin drawing on the dark side to finish him off, while Palpatine himself was taken by surprise (another betrayal) and took his assassin with him in the process. Also remember that this guy previous wiped out a third of the Jedi council in four seconds flat, trounced Maul & Savage with relative ease and beat Yoda in a one-on-one dual.

So yeah, not so easy as all that.

 

[USS Firefly]

Ok but

Spoiler

Vos had his lightsaber at Dooku's troat, a little stab and he was finished. And against Anakin, Obi Wan and Ventress, Dooku would have had no chance of surviving, he can't be that strong

So the darkside is not only easier then but also much stronger.

 

[Ithekro]

At that point it isn't power, it is skill.

 

[Reverend]

^It's a little of both.

Consider that Dooku wasn't just any Jedi. He was considered the most accomplished swordsman in the order bar Yoda and (perhaps) Windu. Kenobi is also at a distinct disadvantage as Dooku trained the person that trained him, which also translates down to Anakin.

As for Ventress, she was never truly a Sith and never fully submitted to the dark side. Thus, she could never match Dooku's power or his skills.

 

[Mr Light]

I'm not denying the Gungan land battle could have been unnecessary. I think I read somewhere part of it was one-upping ROTJ, which had a three way battle (Endor, space battle, Luke/Emperor).

 

[kirk55555]

If you read the article I posted you'd know that Heddle says in it that the Rogue One team was involved in the writing of Catalyst.

Unless James Luceno secretly wrote Rogue One, it doesn't matter. Regardless, its still a book focusing on one little element we've pretty much got a good grasp on just based on the trailers. The book will probably be well written, Luceno is a decent author, but its still a waste of a book to me. At most it might deserve to be a short story, the kind they release for sale digitally then end up printing as a bonus for the paperback release of another book. I'm sure I'll still read it, but I'll keep regreting the fact that we don't get a better story in the novel slot taken by Catalyst.

 

[WebLurker]

Filoni using them specifically is the middle finger, in my opinion. He knows what him/his show did to the books related to them. It was totally a victory lap for him. He won, a bunch of fans lost, and he's showing off. I seriously doubt he'd even know to ask for them specifically if it wasn't to screw over the fans, he probably heard complaints from fans of the book and got back at the angry fans by using Delta.

I'm confused. How is it a middle finger?

(Also, we know why Filoni put Delta Squad in; he like the video game. The books have nothing to do with anything. Besides, as I recall, the Clone Commando novels weren't contradicted completely until the "Protocol 66" Lost Missions arc, long after Delta Squad cameo.)

Most of my favorite SW books aren't big or Earth-shattering. But, they also aren't mostly pointless tie in stories to movies, either.

I don't know. In my experience, the "pointless tie-ins" have been more meaningful than the random books about new characters doing stuff that doesn't really connect with the movies and have no importance outside of themselves. Maybe it's like that dark side cave, you find what you bring with you?

When they only make 4-5 normal SW books a year, I want a bit more. Not necessarily "big" or "earth-shattering", but much more then a book that's just picking up scraps from a movie.

That is the definition of a tie-in; picking up scraps from a movie/TV show/whatever and making something interesting out of them.

They should use the real books to expand the universe outside of the movies.

All the books expand the universe in one way or another( hence why it's an "expanded universe") and all of them are "real" (excusing the parody and Legends reprints).

...and if a direct tie in isn't written by the movie's writer and overseen by the producers/director (which I don't think has ever happened)...

Excusing Catalyst, Rian Johson (episode 8's director) helped shape the plot of Bloodlines. George Lucas gave Terry Brooks the Sith backstory for the Phantom Menace novelization, wrote the prologue to the Revenge of the Sith novelization (if I recall correctly), and was extensively involved in the editing of it. According to author Matthew Stover:

Though I did not personally watch him do it, I received from LFL a Word document of Revenge of the Sith with Mr Lucas' edits, which was distinct from the edits I'd already gotten from Sue Rostoni and Howard Roffman and the rest of the LFL crew, and this document was edited in such a detailed fashion that even individual words had been struck off and his preferred replacements inserted, as well as some passages wholly excised and some dialogue replaced with the dialogue from the screenplay. If that's not line-editing, I don't know what is.

What's in that book is there because Mr. Lucas wanted it to be there. What's not in that book is not there because Mr. Lucas wanted it gone.

Period.

So, it has happened, and frankly, I wouldn't dismiss it unless there is good reason to (like the continuity reboot did with the novelizations).

But, a direct tie-in/prequel to a movie that isn't made by the movie makers is really worthless in my opinion. It doesn't effect anything, the movie won't acknowledge it and for all we know the film makers have completely different ideas about the characters.

How do you mean "acknowledge," since there are cases where that happens, however retroactively. Rey refers to having flown ships before, from Before the Awakening, for example. Legends did the same.

Well, since Disney isn't stupid enough to make a book, that probably less then 10% of the main stream audience will ever read, required reading for their huge blockbuster movie, I'd take that article with a grain of salt.

Personally, I'd trust the people who made it to have a better idea of how useful the book is than you or me.

Presumably, it'll be one of those things where you can see the movie without reading the book, but things that are just throwaway lines will have more meaning, since you know the story behind them, or you'll have a better understanding of why the characters act like how they do, since you know some of the major events that got them to this point in life. So, not required reading, but one that'll enhance your experience at the movies.

Speaking for myself, after reading that description, Catalyst is not only looking like a really good read, I'm also thinking that it looks like one of the most worthwhile books since the reboot. Even factoring out the movie, it looks like an interesting story.

 

[Skywalker]

I think we're going to have to get used to the novel line now being mostly tie-ins that fill in the cracks between the broad strokes created by the movies. The days of the novels shaping the course of the Star Wars universe are over. Now they're following the lead of the movies and the TV shows, and frankly I'd argue that most of the comics are more important to the lore than most of the novels have been, at least up to this point.

That role could easily have been served by slightly expanding another character's role. Captain Tarpals or even Panaka would have sufficed. Or as someone suggested, they could have cut that entire sequence, making the raid on the palace all the more desperate as even if they got to the Viceroy, they'd be under siege from the entire droid army. Also, that would have shifted the focus of the space battle from "take the pressure off the Gungans" to "this is the only way the Queen can survive her gambit". As an added bonus, it means the action is split across only three parties instead of four (Padme vs droids, Anakin in space and the Jedi vs Maul.)

Bingo. That's exactly my thought process. I think that would have added even more urgency to Anakin wanting to join the fight, instead of only being there because of the auto-pilot.

 

[Ithekro]

Unless James Luceno secretly wrote Rogue One, it doesn't matter. Regardless, its still a book focusing on one little element we've pretty much got a good grasp on just based on the trailers. The book will probably be well written, Luceno is a decent author, but its still a waste of a book to me. At most it might deserve to be a short story, the kind they release for sale digitally then end up printing as a bonus for the paperback release of another book. I'm sure I'll still read it, but I'll keep regreting the fact that we don't get a better story in the novel slot taken by Catalyst.

How is it a wasted book? Didn't you say you wanted stories about things between the films? This is such a story it would seem that also ties in with the setup for some of the main character from Rogue One, who will be entirely new to us.

 

[Skywalker]

A New Dawn is definitely the best of the new canon books I've read so far. It took a little while to pick up, but once it got going it was tough to put down. I really liked seeing the beginning of Kanan and Hera's partnership, and it was nice to see Kanan doing his best to solve the problems confronting him without resorting to using the Force and drawing attention to himself. I still think Count Vidian was a little silly, and I'm a little weary of all the cyborg villains lately, so I hope he's the last one we see in the novels for a while. But it was very satisfying to see him taken down in the manner he was. And the setting for the story that Miller concocted, with the dual planetary system of Gorse and Cynda, and Cynda's crystalline interior, was very cool.

I've neglected to mention that I've also been reading the short stories as I've made my way through the novels, so it's neat to see Rae Sloane's career development as it happens, starting from her first appearing as a cadet in "Orientation" (leading into Lords of the Sith, which I'd already read) through A New Dawn when she rises to command Ultimatum. I know she appears in later stories, too. It's fun to see characters like her pop up now and again in different authors' works; it makes the universe feel more real and cohesive.

Since I've already read Heir to the Jedi and Twilight Company, and since Catalyst hasn't come out yet, the next novel up on my list is Aftermath. I'm not really looking forward to it, to be honest, but maybe I'll like it better than the average. I've got a few short stories to get through before I get there, though, but those don't take very long to read, since most of them are only a few pages long.

It occurred to me as I was finishing A New Dawn that since I was doing a chronological read-through, I should have included the comics. Oh well. I'll probably do those after I finish the novels. I've already read Shattered Empire, the first couple arcs of Star Wars and Darth Vader, and the first issue or two of Kanan, along with the Darth Maul, Princess Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca miniseries anyway.

 

[Solid Snack]

The AOTC novel I think takes a good 50 pages or so before it dwelves into the main story (TPM did a bit of this too)-dealing I think in part with Shmi getting captured by the Raiders (and Cleigg's attempts to rescue her) as well as Padme leaving for Coruscant, and Anakin and Obi-Wan returning from their "border dispute on Ansion" mission (a mission explained in the novel The Approaching Storm). ROTS is a bit more direct, although it largely skips over the goofy elevator stuff from the film, instead giving us Dooku's POV.

Of the 'lead in' novels, TPM's actually didn't come out until after the film if I recall-Darth Maul Shadow Hunter and Cloak of Deception were both good in different ways (Shadow Hunter would also have sequels with Michael Reave's other SW works, such as the Coruscant Knights series). Approaching Storm was kind of meh, and really didn't add too much to AOTC, Labyrynth of Evil was pretty good, although at the time, it was a bit hard to reconcile with the Clone Wars microseries if one was trying to.

 

[kirk55555]

All the books expand the universe in one way or another( hence why it's an "expanded universe") and all of them are "real" (excusing the parody and Legends reprints).

You know what I mean. The actual SW novels that expand the universe, not the kiddie/YA fluff that makes Disney a bit of money but doesn't do what the real novels do.

Personally, I'd trust the people who made it to have a better idea of how useful the book is than you or me.

They're the last people I'd trust. Their job is to sell books, they'd say that the movie is completely incomprehensible without the book if they thought it was to their advantage to say that.

Presumably, it'll be one of those things where you can see the movie without reading the book, but things that are just throwaway lines will have more meaning, since you know the story behind them, or you'll have a better understanding of why the characters act like how they do, since you know some of the major events that got them to this point in life. So, not required reading, but one that'll enhance your experience at the movies.

If any of that stuff was legitimate, it would be in the movie. If its not, its just the version of the characters that the writer thinks works, but could easily be nothing like what the actual movie's writer(s) was thinking about when the movie script was made.

Speaking for myself, after reading that description, Catalyst is not only looking like a really good read, I'm also thinking that it looks like one of the most worthwhile books since the reboot. Even factoring out the movie, it looks like an interesting story.

That's fine, you're entitled to that opinion. I think it looks like a waste and I'll never count it as canon to the movie, but I'm sure I'll get to it. Probably after I get to the movie (its currently at the bottom of the list of new canon books I'm planning to read), but I'll definitely get to it.

How is it a wasted book? Didn't you say you wanted stories about things between the films? This is such a story it would seem that also ties in with the setup for some of the main character from Rogue One, who will be entirely new to us.

This isn't what I meant. I want books with no connection to the specific movies/tv shows. Every single real new canon novel counts before for this except Catalyst (and Dark Disciple, I guess), even A New Dawn since it doesn't directly continue into Rebels. I want stories at all different time periods that don't connect to the films. Being set between films doesn't mean a story directly ties into a film.

I think we're going to have to get used to the novel line now being mostly tie-ins that fill in the cracks between the broad strokes created by the movies. The days of the novels shaping the course of the Star Wars universe are over. Now they're following the lead of the movies and the TV shows, and frankly I'd argue that most of the comics are more important to the lore than most of the novels have been, at least up to this point.

Having read most of the comics so far, they really aren't. Not that some of them aren't good, but based on the ones I've read the main SW book is really just fluff and Darth Vader, while well written and fun, covered a period of a month or two and didn't really add anything to the character. Poe Dameron was incomprehensible, the Han Solo and Chewbacca mini series were just terrible, and Lando was good but fairly pointless. Anyway, considering the fact that Catalyst and Dark Disciple are the only two real SW books released that are tie-ins that fill in cracks, at least as I define that type of book, I doubt that will be the majority of the books. There are thousands of stories the SW universe can tell that they wouldn't do in a movie, and the books are good for that.