In the nineties I possessed an insatiable appetite for Star Wars books. The mere appearance of my face in the school library would be greeted with “no Chris there aren’t any new ones”. From Thrawn to Rogue Squadron to the Yuuzhan Vong, there was plenty going on and I hoovered it up.
But then came college, sprinting, girls, clubbing. I lost track of the increasingly convoluted tale being told. Then Disney purchased Lucasfilm, and years of stories across various media was consigned to “Legends” status. A new continuity was forming, one that hopefully wouldn’t trip over itself…
There was outrage, but it made sense. Why be beholden to hundreds of mixed quality stories when you could make new films and figure everything out properly? Games, TV, books and comics now all work together towards one generally cohesive story. I dig it. Disney are even using the old expanded universe to their advantage, repurposing aspects of it as they flesh out this new galaxy.
But what are the new books like? Well the title might give away what I’m going to do. I’ll rank what I’ve read and add more as I finish them.
Punch it!
20 – Tarkin – 2014
I didn’t feel it as I was reading it but upon finishing Tarkin it hit me that everything interesting in the book had nothing to do with Tarkin himself.
He’s an impressive chap but ultimately I didn’t need to know about his past; it doesn’t change anything. He fully believes in what he’s doing and is occasionally overconfident; nothing we didn’t already know.
The book is at its best when he’s paired with Vader, but even then you’re not looking at Tarkin.
19 – Resistance Reborn – 2019
Resistance Reborn is decently written, shows off the new trio and brings some in some older characters. It just doesn’t do much!
There isn’t any true peril, or at least not to anyone we know already, as we know they’ll be in Rise of Skywalker. Instead, this is a book of small details and additional history.
There is one thing I HAVE to mention though, and that’s the absolute thirst for Poe and Finn in this book. Oscar Isaac is a handsome man with awesome hair. These facts are commented upon several times. That in itself is something.
18 – Heir to the Jedi – 2015
Luke might be a Skywalker, but we don’t really find out how he feels about anything.
Well here, in first person no less, we get a look into Luke’s noggin, and it’s actually pretty good. Luke might be a hero of the Rebellion but he’s without a teacher, has no literature, and is being sent all over the place on missions he doesn’t seem all that suited to. Tough times but it’s good to know his ego got quite the boost after Yavin.
Luke wondering if he gone’s mad hearing an old man’s voice in his head and an interesting cast of characters make this a muddled but enjoyable read.
17 – Thrawn: Alliances – 2018
A still decent yet messier entry into Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn series. The juggling of two timelines is mostly effective, though I preferred the newer of the two.
Most importantly, the TIE Defender is in this book, and I adore that ship! Any mention of it, especially in the hands of known characters, gets my blood pumping.
Ultimately, I feel it could have been shorter, so while there are great chapters in it, there’s also too much that only made me shrug.
16 – Ahsoka – 2016
I read the book years ago. But only (finally!) watched all of The Clone Wars recently. Originally I thought this book was only OK as I didn’t know Ahsoka very well. I’d always thought she was cool in Rebels at least. Since then there’s been a lot more Ahsoka. Her own series and Tales of the Jedi have rounded her out even more.
So I’m not sure there’s much point in the book now!
Wookiepedia points out of host of inconsistencies. They don’t make the book entirely non-canon, but there’s enough to make me twitchy over it. Taken on it’s own however, you don’t need to know the ins and out of the character to get invested. It’s well-written and gives some insight into the character. Plus I’ll always appreciate some talk about lightsabers and kyber crystals, and this is where I found out about “bleeding” them to turn them red.
15 – Lords of the Sith – 2015
Vader and Sidious stranded on a hostile planet, surrounded by enemies. Sounds cool doesn’t it? This book lives up to that.
In fact it does better than that. Not only does it give us a look into the Sith duo’s relationship but it gives us some well written protagonists. Actually, who are the protagonists? We want the Rebels to win but we want to see the Darth’s do cool stuff. Despite knowing how things ultimately pan out there’s still a real sense of tension. I still found myself wondering what would happen!
Lots of fighting and force usage, but also a lot of time spent on characters. A very well judged, self-contained story.
14 – Aftermath – 2015
As the first post RotJ book I’ve read in the new canon, I eagerly anticipated finding out what happened after Endor. I may not have found out a lot regarding that, but I did find a story that I enjoyed far more than what voices online lead me to believe I would.
Wendig does flit around; we spend a lot of time with New Republic and Imperial alike, but it works out. I want to see things from both sides. I want to know how both sides deal with a Palpatine-less galaxy and how The First Order come about.
We also get several interludes; stories including well-known characters and complete strangers that may tease things to come.
13 – Force Collector – 2019
Set not long before The Force Awakens, Force Collector struck me as a really good singular story. It touches multiple points of Star Wars history, whilst doing a great job of showing how even one or two generations of time can really change the truth and people’s general beliefs.
Likeable characters, some cool force usage (that isn’t based in action) and a good pace make this a decent read. It’s aimed at a younger audience, but not every story needs to tie in heavily or change the world. The more I read the more I appreciated that aspect of it.
Some kids on an adventure, rebelling against those around them. Plenty to relate to and enjoy.
12 – Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel – 2016
James Luceno redeems himself after Tarkin with his second novel in the new era. I really need to stop leaving books on the shelf to gather dust!
It’s unfair to say that Catalyst sets up Rogue One. It’s much more a companion piece. I made a point of watching the film immediately after finishing the book, and it’s impressive how well they line up. Obviously I already had the characters in my head before starting, but it was never jarring. Krennic and Galen were exactly as expected.
I really like the film, and Catalyst has only improved it in my eyes.
11 – Brotherhood – 2022
“That business on Cato Neimoida doesn’t, doesn’t count.”
Well now I know what that business is! And I’d say it’s easily argued either way.
Brotherhood takes place not long after Attack of the Clones. Skywalker and Kenobi, promoted to Knight and Council respectively, are both trying to figure things out. Their new relationship as equals, as they traverse the Galaxy at a time of war. With Anakin secretly married but barely hiding it, comparisons to Obi-Wan and Satine are clear. And acknowledged. Anakin shows maturity with an Initiate struggling to find her way too. It all adds extra wrinkles to the characters. And an extra sadness.
With short focused chapters this made for an easy read. The more you see around the start of the war, and how unsuited the Jedi really were, the sadder it is. Not a must-read; more a glad-I-read.
10 – Thrawn – 2017
I read the original Thrawn Trilogy at Secondary School, having already come across the character in TIE Fighter.
Fortunately Disney brought him back! I first saw him again in Rebels, so I finally had a voice to put to the face.
But for whatever reason I didn’t fancy reading the new books he starred in. Mistake!
Thrawn takes us back to his entry into the Empire, as he pulls Ensign Vanto along with him. Having that voice to draw on helps me immensely, but it wouldn’t get far without Timothy Zahn, Thrawn’s creator, bringing his A-game.
A proper page-turner.
9 – Shadow Fall – 2020
A much darker entry than the first film, and far denser, Shadow Fall absolutely feels like Alexander Freed’s Empire Strikes Back.
There isn’t much to celebrate but the tale of Alphabet Squadron has moved on considerably. Some characters have grown, whilst others I’m not sure I got enough of.
Did I always fully understand what was going on with a two year gap between reading the first book and this one? Nope! But I’m invested in Alphabet and I’m looking forward to the third book.
It’s heavy going but I think it’s going to pay off.
8 – Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade – 2023
The more the Prequel-era is fleshed out the clearer it becomes that the Jedi were wholly unprepared for a war. Far from the superheroes many think them to be. They were dogmatic, stubborn, and not at all ready to lead troops. “Generals” many of them were not.
That I follow Iskat through her story from Padawan to Inquisitor and completely get it is the strongest piece of this story. It doesn’t feel like radicalisation when you see why.
But it does feel rushed later on. I’d have liked some more time with her as she turns, which stops it short of being top tier. Still, an interesting read that I didn’t expect to be as strong as it was.
7 – Thrawn: Treason – 2019
The return of Eli Vanto, curiously missing from Alliances (which was all the poorer for it), brings back a voice which I liked to hear from. Between Vanto and Faro I often had to remind myself that in most situations I’d be looking at them as the enemy. Here however I cheered their success and shared their curiosity as they worked alongside Thrawn to help uncover mysteries which may threaten the Empire. Plenty of Defender use too, plus it’s nice to see other characters such as Krennic as the background to ‘Stardust’ is given more detail.
6 – Aftermath: Empire’s End – 2017
I finished the Aftermath trilogy with a heavy heart and great sadness. Sad because I won’t get another story with Norra, Snap, Mister Bones, Sinjir, Jas and Jom together. They’re a fantastic set of characters that I’ve watched change and grow. I want to spend more time with them.
Aftermath flitted about, whilst Life Debt was a great balance of past and present. Empire’s End turns out pretty lopsided, so whilst it does indeed live up to it’s title it doesn’t beat it’s predecessor.
I’m looking forward to watching The Force Awakens with these books, and Empire’s End in particular, in mind.
5 – Victory’s Price – 2021
Picking up after the various catastrophe’s and cliffhangers of Shadow Fall, the third Alphabet Squadron book wraps things up nicely.
In a series of books which look deep into how different people can find some form of catharsis, Freed has managed to give all of Alphabet, and Hera, fitting ways to carry on.
As a spiritual successor to the X-wing novels of Legend, the Alphabet books have been a success.
As a set of characters that I enjoyed spending time with, they’ve been even more so. I knew I was going to miss these characters when I realised I didn’t want the book to end.
4 – A New Dawn – 2014
‘AND’ is said to be the first narrative product of Lucasfilm Ltd.’s Story Group collaborative process (thanks Wookiepedia).
John Jackson Miller takes the chance to get to know more about two members of the Ghost’s crew from Star Wars Rebels. A New Dawn introduces us to Kanan and his first encounters with Hera. There’s conspiracy, multiple interesting characters, and a truly detestable bad guy. Count Vidian is in some ways a mix of Vader and Palpatine; large parts of him are no longer natural and he’s a right vicious bastard. I really hated him. They say a story can only be as good as its villain. There you go.
3 – Alphabet Squadron – 2019
Five different starfighters, with extremely different abilities, forced together. That’s the hook, and I like it a lot.
So it’s amusing to see people both IRL and in the book ripping apart the idea.
Turns out the book does a great job of describing the ships and their strength/weaknesses, which I absolutely appreciate as a detail geek. The best thing though, and what makes the book as good as it is, is the pilots. What a disparate bunch! With wildly different pasts, they’re all trying to figure out what they’re up to in a post Empire galaxy.
Not to say I have no imagination, but I admit I like seeing artwork of the characters, as it settles the images in my head. All it needs me to do is figure their voices, which fortunately comes quite easily with Alexander Freed’s dialogue. There’s a lot more to find out here, and I can’t wait! Far from perfect characters, in a period we know little about…and a Y-wing. Yes please.
2 – Aftermath: Life Debt – 2016
There’s a lot to digest but Wendig has a got strong handle on it all as we return to a a great set of characters, plus some more famous ones.
I adore this cast. Imperial, New Republic, other, they’re all trying to figure out their place in a new galaxy. They’re not sure if what they’re doing it best and you follow they’re ideas shifting. These guys aren’t static and it’s very interesting to see them grow.
Rae Sloane is one of the best Imperial characters there is, full stop. She truly believes in the Empire, but has a specific idea for what it should be. Having first met her in A New Dawn I really enjoy seeing her progress further.
Han, Leia, and Chewie all have roles to play. They’re never the main characters but they feel right.
A brilliant story well told, Life Debt is a cracking sequel and a great Star Wars story.
1 – Lost Stars – 2015
For more than three years this book sat on my shelf. For more than three years I pushed it away as a ‘YA romance book’. Not my thing you see.
But once I opened it? I finished it in three days.
Hindsight is a powerful thing, and with it I’m happy to admit I was a fool to put this off. Lost Stars is the best Star Wars book I’ve read, completely worthy of being #1 on this list. But that’s not enough. It’s one of the best books I’ve read period.
Following two people through the years as their paths converged and diverged against the backdrop of a war, proved to be a wondrous ride to go on. I understood them both, was infuriated by them both, but came to love being with them.
Who knew that my favourite Star Wars book wouldn’t contain a lightsaber?
I didn’t notice until after, but I read the final pages very slowly, in the hope that I’d turn the page and there would be more if I gave it a chance.
I’ve never been so sad to finish a book. But it’s a happy sadness.
There we go! We’ve now had ten years of Star Wars books in the new continuity. How do you think Disney are doing?
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