Fangirl Summer Guest Post: Star Wars Reading Primer by Tricia Barr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now its time for the BEST PART of Fangirl Summer : Star Wars Fangirling!!!  I am so grateful that Tricia Took the time to write me this post. Tricia is exactly the type of online friend I was dreaming of when I started searching for fellow Star Wars Fangirls. She is passionate and knowledgeable about all facets in the world of Star Wars and is great about celebrating the female characters in the EU and asking creators for more!

 

Tricia is also a part of Her Universes event Year of The Fangirl which inspired me to start Fangirl Summer. So of course I’m sooo happy she took the time to write this wonderful piece on the Extended Universe Novels. For many years the Star Wars novels have been a solace for fans who were left wanting more after the ending of Return of the Jedi. There were so many questions we had ! The novels have been an exploration of fans deepest hopes ( Luke gets a girlfriend!), Have fleshed out beloved characters personal lives ( Wedge and Lando) and have gone to many places fans may continue to protest for years ( Chewie!! *Tears*), yet most importantly the books have fanned the flames of a passionate group of fans.

 

So yes the new movies may eradicate a lot of the EU but these stories can always find a place in the hearts of Str Wars fans old and new! Now onto Tricia:

 

 

Fangirl Summer 2013 and a new Star Wars movie is on the way! If you’re excited for the upcoming Sequel Trilogy but can’t wait to enjoy stories about Jedi and X-wing pilots, plenty of fun books and comics are waiting to be read by the pool. I’ve shared some of my suggestions previously at Suvudu, Random House’s science fiction and fantasy blog. It’s been a bit over a year since then. New books have arrived and I always have more I want to suggest. I thought Fangirl Summer was a perfect opportunity to refresh my suggested reading list.

Are movie novelizations your thing? Then you can’t miss Revenge of the Sith. This is one of the very best novels in the entire Expanded Universe. It expands on the film in brilliant and unexpected ways. Another book that complements the Episode III novelization is Darth Plagueis, which exposes the Sith machinations to take over the galaxy during the Prequel Trilogy.

Do you like romance? If you’re wondering how Han and Leia finally tied the knot, read The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton. Or if you’d prefer to read about Han and Leia as newlyweds, try Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning.

Did you want to be an X-wing pilot in A New Hope? X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar by fan-favorite author Aaron Allston is one of the laugh-out-loud funniest books in the Expanded Universe.

Are you a fan of the original Star Wars movies? Timothy Zahn set the high bar with the Thrawn trilogy; the first book is Heir to the Empire. Allegiance, which takes place shortly after A New Hope, has Luke, Han, Leia, an intriguing squad of honor-bound stormtroopers, and Zahn’s signature character, Mara Jade, in her days as the Emperor’s Hand.

Have you wondered about Han’s and Leia’s children, or had an inkling to taste-test the epic nineteen-book New Jedi Order but felt a little daunted about jumping in without knowing much about it? Get Ylesia. It’s an ebook short story with a little romance, some Jedi swinging their lightsabers, a good sense of the Yuuzhan Vong villains of the series, and some fighter pilot action to top it off.

If you like gothic tales with alchemy, Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon is a new addition to the Expanded Universe. It is a stand-alone novel, but if you enjoy the book, check out the related comics story arcs: Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm and Prisoner of Bogan, both now compiled in paperback from Dark Horse.

Speaking of comics, Legacy, also from Dark Horse, features Han and Leia’s great-great-granddaughter Ania Solo in an action adventure that explores the far future beyond the films. The story is still unfolding, but I absolutely adore it so far.

Finally, out this month is Kenobi from John Jackson Miller, which explores how Obi-Wan became old Ben living the desert wasteland of Tatooine.

That’s just some of my suggestions. I’m always happy to answer the question directly on Twitter or at FANgirl Zone on Facebook, too.