So I’ve been wanting to get into reading Star Wars books and have no effing idea where to start. Basically I’ve read the novelizations of a couple of movies, Jedi Apprentice everything and Rogue Planet because of my obsession with Obi-Wan back in the prequel era... and that’s it. Oh, and a few comics set in the Rebellion era.
Do you have any recommendations on where to start or just some good reads to start with? The obi-wan obsession is still alive and well if that’s a factor... anyway, thank you!
I’m going to include both canon and Legends in this list, because if you want more than, like, two recs for Obi-Wan stories, you’re pretty much going to have to dig into Legends, too. Plus, they’re genuinely good stories and that continuity has a lot of value and great stuff! - Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, which I assume you’ve read already but just in case you haven’t! The characterization for Anakin is really the selling point for this novelization + Stover knows how to deliver a killer line or twenty, it knows how to really pack a punch to the feelings and make that movie an even better experience. - Wild Space by Karen Miller has a lot of issues with the structure of it, it feels like two books stitched together, it doesn’t earn its ending, it prioritizes whump over staying true to the canon, it doesn’t really quite get the Jedi, but MAN is that book quotable as all hell and so dramatic and an absolute scream of a read, so it’s still one of my favorites to this day. Miller’s work tends to be very iddy, but if you like that stuff, it’ll be stellar. - From a Certain Point of View: A New Hope by various authors. The first anthology was absolutely stellar for the three prequels characters stories, the Yoda pov, the Obi-Wan pov, and the Qui-Gon pov are all must reads. The Motti story is also the funniest thing I have read in my life. (I, uh, to put it mildly do not recommend the second/ESB anthology.) - Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott is an audiodrama and it’s a lot of fun and gives us a nice sketch of what the Jedi Temple was like, what Dooku’s time as a Padawan was like, and a really good look at Asajj Ventress’ character as she tries to uncover Dooku’s past. - Choose Your Destiny: An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure by Cavan Scott is very much a young readers book but I loved both characters here and there were some really hilarious moments in it. It’s just fun to read. - Force Collector by Kevin Shinick is set in the sequels era and it doesn’t deal with the prequels characters much directly, but it is a lovely look at a Force-sensitive young man trying to figure out what the Force is telling him and to rediscover the actual truth about what happened to the Jedi Order, not what the galaxy says happens. A lot of cool worldbuilding here that I loved! - Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart is probably the best book for the Jedi, as well as for Yoda and Dooku feelings, but all the Jedi get really good moments in this one, definitely read this! - Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover is focused on Mace, but again he brings his A-game to Star Wars and it’s an excellent read overall. - I haven’t finished either Labyrinth of Evil or The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno, but I’ve liked everything else I’ve read of his and I’ve heard good about these ones! - I’ve heard good about The Cestus Deception by Steven Barnes, though, I haven’t read it myself yet. - Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston has a bit of Obi-Wan and Anakin it, a couple of short scenes from Obi-Wan’s povs (like a single page short) and mostly Ahsoka occasionally thinking of them, but I enjoyed this book a lot for the look at Ahsoka’s character. - I have greatly enjoyed both Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (definitely read this one first) and A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland, which are about the Jedi Order set about 200 years before the prequels and they’re set in a golden age where the Jedi are shown to be much more revered by the galaxy, there’s a lot more good faith going around, and yet you can see exactly how the cracks in it all are first appearing. Lots of really good worldbuilding and fun action and Jedi stuff! If you’re looking to expand beyond the prequels or looking for some comics/etc. recs, I have a handful of posts that may help you out here, here, here, here, and here..
