On Star Wars Novels

Just some of the Star Wars books out there . . . and no, this is not my shelf

 Having briefly introduced my interest in Star Wars in general, I now discuss the world of Star Wars novels. I focus only on those works written for adults- I'm not familiar with, nor interested in, the children/young adult stories.

To date, over 140 Star Wars novels have been published. The first, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was released in 1978. There was a lull of some time, but in 1991, Timothy Zahn launched an era of Star Wars lore that has yet to abate. His Thrawn Trilogy- Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command - made the bestseller lists, and ever since, Star Wars novels have been produced at a tremendous clip: about 7 novels have been produced each year for the last two decades.

Since there are now so many in print, they're officially organized in categories, each of which is referenced to the Battle of Yavin, the final battle in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. "Before Battle of Yavin" (BBY) or "After Battle of Yavin" (ABY) designators commonly used and presented here, holding true for both the novels and comic books:

25,000-1,000 years BBY: Sith Era

Explores life in the Old Republic, when the Sith and Jedi alike were numerous, and safe hyperspace travel lanes were still being discovered.

1,000-0 years BBY: Rise of the Empire Era

This era includes the prequel movies, Episodes I-III, and chronicles (among other things) how the Old Republic fell, and became the Empire.

0-5 years ABY: Rebellion Era

The era with which most Star Wars fans are most familiar, this time span includes Episodes IV-VI, and shows how the Rebellion overthrew the Empire, culminating in the final battle at Endor, as seen in Return of the Jedi.

5-25 years ABY: New Republic Era

After overthrowing the Empire, a New Republic was formed. Remnants of the Empire remained, however, and so in this era, many of the works revolve around the New Republic being established and battling what's left of the Emperor's cronies.

25-39 years ABY: New Jedi Order Era

In the New Jedi Order era, extra-galactic invaders- the Yuuzhan Vong- come to the galaxy in a total takeover attempt. They "shake things up" and cause the New Republic to fail; in its ashes, the Galactic Federation for Free Alliances rises. Their story is told over a 19-book story arc; the longest Star Wars storyline ever produced.

40+ years ABY: Legacy Era

After the Yuuzhan Vong are defeated, the galaxy looks very different- Alliances shift; new empires arise. Two 9-book arcs have been produced in this era (with the latter arc set to have its final book released in 2 days).

Final Thoughts:

Of the 140, I've read just over 80. I won't inundate the blog with individual reviews on all; where possible, I'll review the multi-novel story arcs, trilogies, and/or the "best of" each era. For a good list of novels, check out here.