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Uncover the Global Phenomenon: Star Wars Books

To explore the expanded universe of the Star Wars stories, you need to build momentum. The Star Wars franchise has provided so much content for the fans to consume with the canon novels, comic books, art books, and screen adaptations. The audience can get their hands on this content both offline and online.

Once the reader decides to read the Star Wars books, they are often confused about the order in which they should start. Also, another difficult thing is to determine which is fan fiction and which belongs to canon books.

Continue reading to learn the art of creating science fiction novels and short tales by taking inspiration from the best Star Wars books.

How Many Star Wars Books are There?

If you look at the number of books that come in the Star Wars series books, there will be a total of 381 books. That is because the Star Wars series includes expanded universe publishing.

Canon Star Wars Books

Suppose you want to know how many Star Wars books to read in order. The canon novels represent the core of the Star Wars series. You should be aware of worthwhile canon novels.

Here are the books you need to read:

Claudia Gray’s Master and Apprentice

The beginning of this Star Wars book details Obi-Wan Kenobi’s training to become a Jedi Knight. It provides a more in-depth look at his connection with his Master, Qui Gon Jin. In this book, Obi-Wan starts questioning the Master and expresses worry about his interest in predictions.

It is one of the best Star Wars books and is a fantastic place to start if you want to see the beginnings of a developing threat because it addresses the time before Phantom Menace.

Jackson Miller’s A New Dawn

This segment occurs before the narrative of A New Hope and after the events of the Revenge of the Sith. Given that it depicts life in the entire galaxy under the Empire, it has a darker tone. This book covers the events of Solo and Rogue One in terms of the movies.

James Luceno’s Catalyst

If you’ve read the last two novels mentioned above, the Catalyst provides more information on Galen Erso, the man who created the Death Star, and an insight into how the weapon came to be.

Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath

The audience starts thinking that the galaxy will finally experience peace once the Empire is defeated. However, this instalment depicts the fallout from the Emperor’s loss, whose legacy is still very much present. While the new government is still being established in this book, the Rebel Alliance engages in combat with the last of the Empire’s soldiers and loyalists.

The narrative covered by this book takes place after Return of the Jedi but before The Force Awakens.

Claudia Gray’s Bloodline

This chapter continues Leia’s journey following the Rebel Alliance’s victory. In this book, Leia discusses the fallout from discovering her family’s history and lays out her plan to become the first senator of the New Republic. The Force Awakens is set up in this book as well.

Alan Dean Foster’s The Force Awakens

This book expands on the details of the film that bears its name. Here, we continue to follow Rey and Finn, who undergo significant character growth during the franchise.

Jason Fry’s The Last Jedi

The Force, how it functions, and the institutions connected to it are further examined in The Last Jedi. Here, we learn more about the Resistance and the First Order’s inner workings. Additionally, Luke Skywalker and his interactions with Kylo Ren and Rey are explored in great detail.

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Resistance Reborn

The events in this book occurred just before The Rise of Skywalker and were intended to serve as a prequel to The Last Jedi.

Now you know how many Star Wars books you can read from canon to get the story’s gist.

Also read: How Authors Make Money Writing Books

Best Star Wars Books

When you have a long list of books to read, selecting a few that will be on top of your list is mandatory. To help you optimize the reading experience, here are the best Star Wars books:

The Darth Bane Series

The Sith lord is followed in this book series, written before The Phantom Menace, as he learns about his inclination toward the dark side. After his revelation during the events leading up to the Empire conflict, Bane will eventually join the Brotherhood of Darkness. You may learn about Bane changing The Phantom Menace’s regulations, which only allowed the Sith to have one master, in this book.

We get a fresh perspective on the conflict in the trilogy of Path of Destruction for the first book, Rule of Two for book two, and Dynasty of Evil for book three.

The Original Thrawn Trilogy and Expanded, Dark Legends: The Thrawn

This sequel trilogy, which contains both canon and expanded forms, is what sparked the excitement that led to the creation of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.

The Grand Admiral Thrawn persona is first introduced in this trilogy set in the expanded world. The author of this trilogy is Timothy Zahn. When you pick up The Thrawn, you’ll discover that the struggle between the Empire and the Star Wars Rebel Alliance, which takes place during the Return of the Jedi Events, serves as the book’s starting point.

Darth Plagueis

This book highlights how good intentions can sometimes result in something terrible. The history of Plagueis’ fixation with immortality and the catastrophe that resulted from his quest to create life is revealed to us in this book. Darth Plagueis is known as an exemplary Sith Lord who wants to have power.

The only thing he fears is losing the power and position he has earned. He adopts the brutal Sith ways as an acolyte. He destroys his Master when the time is right and swears never to experience the same tragedy again.

Final Words

After reading this blog, you will know which Star Wars books qualify as great reads. Once you are done with these books, you can also start with the other Star Wars stories. That will tremendously help you to write a precise sci-fi book.

Besides, those who can’t get enough of the franchise can go for graphic novel excerpts, articles, press releases, and film novelization discussions on the internet.