Do you want to know which are the best Star Wars books for fans of the great science fiction series to read? The Star Wars saga has been an inspiration for a huge amount of fan fiction that goes from silly online stories to published novels. The universe George Lucas created has shown itself to be a fertile playground for creative inspiration. Merchandising of all types, life-sized models, action figures, yearly conventions, and theme parks among other things have all resulted from this saga. Moreover, video games have taken pretty seriously this great series, and programmers and software designers have developed numerous Star Wars video games. The first Star Wars game produced by LucasArts was based on Star Wars Episode IV, and was available for the original Nintendo, and Nintendo’s handheld system, Game Boy. If you are interested in some of the best video games ever made, based on the Star Wars saga, check out our list featuring The 25 Best Star Wars Video Games of All-Time.
This time we’ve gathered some of the best Star Wars books ever written. We know that when it comes to issues such as Star Wars, it is difficult to make every fan happy. There are numerous options, and a ranking of the best books on the saga is indeed always likely to be discussed, as every fan has their own point of view on the history of the series, and its canon. Regardless, we have done our best to compile a list featuring the best Star Wars books to read, according to a ranking made by some serious fans. This is only list, not a ranking. We leave that to the fans, which you can get into in the comments section below.
Heir to the Empire Trilogy
This is the first book of the Thrawn trilogy, consisting of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. It launched the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe book series.
I, Jedi
Some fans consider this the best Jedi book ever written. It is the only one told in the first person, and it narrates the story of one of the main characters from the X-Wing series novels.
Vector Prime
This book is a watershed for some because of Chewie’s death. Yet Vector Prime launched the New Jedi Order, the last great Star Wars book series.
Dark Empire
Okay, so this one has brought about some controversy as well, as George Lucas publicly mocked this graphic novel. Anyway, this comic series features the Emperor, resurrected via a clone, and the turning of Luke to the Dark Side. Some elements such as the cloning were seriously discussed; yet, this is regarded as a pretty awesome comic series by most fans.
Outbound Flight
This book, first mentioned in the Thrawn books, wasn’t actually written by Zahn until several years afterwards. The story is a prequel that features young Thrawn, and is as well a foreboding set up for the war depicted in the New Jedi Order.
Continue on for the four very best Star Wars books you must read.
The Darth Bane Trilogy
Bane trilogy explains how the Sith’s rule of two came into being. This series consists of three books: Dynasty of Evil, Path of Destruction, and Rule of Two.
The Unifying Force
This is the last novel in the New Jedi Order series, and has been quite popular in the United States. It featured for the first time Kyle Katarn from the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight games. The book indeed works as an epic finale for the New Jedi Order series, with an amazing galactic war.
Shadows of the Empire
Shadows of the Empire was introduced between The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, presenting a new villain, and explaining how Luke, Leia, Chewie, and Lando got to where they were at the beginning of Return of the Jedi.
Death Troopers
It was bound to happed: a Star Wars-themed zombie story. This is one of the only such Star Wars books. It features Han and Chewie fighting a whole Star Destroyer full of Stormtrooper zombies. A sequel, set in the Old Republic, was recently released. Brrraaaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnsssssssss!!
