The 8 Best Canon 'Star Wars' Books
The Star Wars universe has a vast array of places, stories, and characters that are not contained in one medium. The stories continue beyond the movies beginning with the first Star Wars book published in 1978. Many of these works have now been labeled as “Legends” and are no longer canon within the universe. Recently, however, there has been even more Star Wars content in the printed media and even expanded to graphic novels. These are some of my favorite selections.
Darth Vader: Dark Lord Of The Sith By Charles Soule
This incredible comic series is one of my all-time favorites. It tells the story of Darth Vader right after he becomes Darth Vader. He is doing tasks for Palpatine and trying to prove himself as a mighty Sith lord. It is a great insight into what Vader is doing right after Revenge of the Sith.
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Brotherhood By Mike Chen
This recent book is a must-read for any prequel fan. It depicts the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan before Revenge of the Sith and features some tender moments between Padme and Anakin. It also brings back one of my favorite characters, Asajj Ventress. This book tugs at my heart when I see the happiness that Anakin could have had.
Master And Apprentice By Claudia Gray
Set before The Phantom Menace, the book explores the relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon does not always listen to the Jedi Council whereas Obi-Wan is very by the book, and respects the council’s wishes. Something comes up, and the two have to decide the best course of action, and if they should involve the council. The end of this book is very emotional.
Ahsoka By E. K. Johnston
After the events of Revenge of the Sith, Ahsoka is on the run and is just trying to survive in the galaxy under the Empire. She is all alone even though she would help out people on the planets she is hiding on, and fight back against the Empire. On the other hand, all her friends are gone in the broader sense, and, she does not even know what has happened to Anakin. It is a great continuation of Ahsoka’s story after The Clone Wars.
The Queen Trilogy By E. K. Johnston
E. K. Johnston is on the list again with her trilogy making up of Queen’s Peril, Queen’s Shadow, and Queen’s Hope. The first book takes place before the events of The Phantom Menace. You see how Padme becomes queen at a young age and how her relationship with her handmaidens develops. They become friends, and eventually sisters. They go through everything together, even dangerous missions, to ensure their queen is safe. The trilogy shows a side of Padme that we did not see in the movies or in The Clone Wars series.
Doctor Aphra By Kieron Gillen
This excellent comic series is about Doctor Aphra, an archeologist who was recruited by Darth Vader after the Battle of Yavin. She eventually fell out of his favor, faked her death, and roamed the galaxy with her murderous droids 0-0-0 (Triple-Zero) and BT-1 (Beetee). This comic tells the story of her on the run from Darth Vader while she searches for rare artifacts across the Outer Rim to pay off her debts. This comic also reintroduces the Wookiee Krrsantan, who was most recently seen in The Book of Boba Fett.
War Of The Bounty Hunters By Charles Soule
Charles Soule is on the list again, because he always does a good job expanding the stories of characters we already know. This new comic series is about Boba Fett transporting a carbonite-frozen Han Solo between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. However, things did not go as planned when Crimson Dawn gets involved.
Any Of The High Republic Books By Various Authors
The new The High Republic series is composed of both books and comics. The best place to start would be with the first book, Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, which is set 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. It introduces several powerful Jedi during a time of galactic peace called the High Republic era. They prepare to launch the Starlight Beacon, which is a space station that will aid communication with distant worlds. However, the villainous pirate group known as the Nihil interferes. The rest of the books deal with the Jedi fighting the Nihil and trying to restore peace in the galaxy.
Star Wars books and comics are just as important as the movies and the shows. They expand on characters we already know, and stories we are familiar with. There are so many more Star Wars books I have yet to read, and these works just make me want to dig deeper into Star Wars lore.
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