They May Be Old Canon But, Guys, You Gotta Read These!
If you haven't noticed, there have been a few changes made over the past few years. Disney bought Lucasfilm and took it for a jog. To me, the leap from the original EU was sad. There are so many characters and story lines that the general public will never see. We will never see the Solo twins (Jacen and Jana) along with Luke and Mara's son, Ben. (Yes, the name Disney attempted to placate the EU fans with). But, that doesn't mean that it's gone.
I highly encourage anyone who wants to get into Star Wars for realsies to keep reading the novels. There are several that, while they are no longer "canon", have no reason why they shouldn't be. They don't change the outcome of anything. What they do add is depth to story lines and characters. If this appeals to you, I have a few recommendations.
1) If you are interested in The Clone Wars and loved the animated series as much as the rest of us, them you HAVE to read the Clone Wars novels. The second, Wild Space, takes place during one of The Clone Wars episodes and is what Obi-Wan is up to while Anakin and Ahsoka are looking for a lost R-2. Some of the dialogue is even identical to the show! How cool is that!?
Star Wars: The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss—July 26, 2008
The Clone Wars: Wild Space by Karen Miller—December 9, 2008
The Clone Wars: No Prisoners by Karen Traviss—May 19, 2009
Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller—February 23, 2010
Clone Wars Gambit: Siege by Karen Miller—July 6, 2010
My favorite in this series is No Prisoners. The book is one of the first to introduce a light side using group other than the traditional Jedi. They are led by an ex Jedi named Djinn Altis. In the story, you get to see the pros and cons of each type of Jedi from Ahsoka's point of view as this is her first introduction to a light-using group other than her own.
2) Another amazing read is The MedStar Duology by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. The books take place approximately 20 BBY, 2 years into the war. The main Jedi is....drumroll.....Barriss Offee! The very one who betrayed Ahsoka and almost got her killed. The book takes place before her betrayal and shows her background. She was trained as a healer by one of the most dedicated masters in the temple; Luminara Unduli. During the books, she has a couple of profound revelations that may have had an impact on her later actions. Check it out, people!!
3) My final recommendation is for Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover. The story takes place only 6 months into the war. The main Jedi here is one we often see, but hardly know...Mace Windu. You learn so much about Mace's abilities and why he behaved the way he did around certain people. PLEASE, if read no other book, read this one! Windu is one of the only Jedi we know of to have the ability to detect shatterpoints. Shatterpoints were fault lines or weak points in a thing, person, or event. The other main Jedi is Mace's former Padawan,Depa Billaba. Depa went on to become the master of another character we know; Caleb Dume a.k.a. Kanan Jarrus.
And those are my recommendations! Let me know what you think! I love these books. They teach us so much more than the shows or movies ever could. Novels are the real meat of the Star Wars universe. Keep reading! Between the pages is where the Force truly comes alive.
Find me!! twitter: @ForceKnowledge
