The Star Wars reading guide

I find your lack of books disturbing.

- Darth Vader*

(*We may have amended this quote)

You’ve seen the films hundreds of times, you’ve got your own lightsaber, you’ve dressed up as a Jedi for Halloween more than once, and whenever your partner says ‘I love you’ your first thought is to say ‘I know’. But for some reason you’ve never got around to reading any of the Star Wars novels. But where do I even start? You ask. Shhh. We say. We’re here to help. We can introduce you to a whole new section of the galaxy and you won’t have to travel 12 parsecs to reach it.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm, the Star Wars EU (that’s the ‘Expanded Universe’, the name given to the Star Wars stories told outside of the films - nothing to do with Wookie’s backpacking around Europe) was re-booted, allowing Disney to start over and make sure the books, comics, games, and any other stories could all tie together with the new films. Multiple new novels have since been set at different points in the Star Wars timeline, so now's the perfect time to jump into it. Here we take you through a few of our favourites.

(NB: This old canon of EU is now known as ‘Legends’ and has some fantastic titles, well worth looking at once you’ve dipped your toes in the new-canon.)

What to read if you love... the dark side

What to read if you love... the battle of Hoth

What to read if you love... Leia being a badass

What to read if you love... thinking about what happens after the good guys win

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