With the multitude of Star Wars books, TV shows, comics and films, getting into the new canon is a pretty daunting hobby, both to your mind and wallet. Rest easy as I bestow upon you an easy, quick guide of sorts on where to start exploring the vast Star Wars universe.

Disclaimer: I have read a large amount of the Del Rey Novels, watched the entirety of Clone Wars, and two seasons of Rebels but I have yet to watch Resistance. Due to the vast array of comics, I have read a fair amount of them but i am not fully caught up, full details are below. 

So a few things before I get started. This guide will be split into four parts, Part A involves Del Rey timeline. This timeline is the new canon of all the new novels that form the publisher’s current releases. Part B will refer to the Comics, which will be a massive topic as there are over 60 issues in the main Star Wars series alone. That doesn’t include crossover events and mini-series. Part C involves Visual Media. Visual media will encompass the films and TV shows, I.E. Clone Wars, Rebels and Resistance. Finally, Part D contains the leftovers. Leftovers aren’t something you should skip just because these are “teen novels.” Often times these stories can contain some of the more darker themes of Star Wars and have some of the most amazing stories and characters in the series. This part will also contain video games as well though there aren’t that many at the moment.

Part A- Del Rey Timeline. The Del Rey books are kinda like the numbered films of the book world, these novels are often exploring major characters like Luke, Leia and Han or are more centered around the massive gaps in between each trilogy; I.E. explaining the Battle of Jakku, or filling the massive 30 year time leap between The Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens.

Alright so let us start with the prequel era of Star Wars novels, yes you may moan and groan but the prequel stories often hold some of the most interesting lore building and characterization in the entire franchise. So first off we start with Dooku: Jedi Lost.

Dooku: Jedi Lost is an audiobook detailing the life of Count Dooku. It details not only his rise as a Jedi, but also his fall to becoming a sith lord, and eventual training of Asajj Ventress. I personally am really intrigued on the relationship between Dooku and Ventress as it was touched upon in the later seasons of The Clone Wars. I have yet to listen to the audiobook but it is definitely high on my list. The Audiobook is available on audible.com

Master & Apprentice is the next on my list and it is one written by Claudia Gray, who in my humble opinion is the best Star Wars canon author in this current point in time. The reason for this, is that she has written Leia Princess of Alderaan, Star Wars Lost Star, and Star Wars: Bloodline (i’ll get into more detail on those later.) Master and Apprentice chronicles the childhood of Obi-Wan and his relationship with his master Qui-Gon Jinn. This is one of the few Star Wars stories that take place before The Phantom Menace.  Unfortunately this is yet another book I can’t fully recommend as I have yet to read it but Claudia Gray has my full confidence as the past 3 books she has written have all been fantastic.

Dark Disciple is the next novel on the list and it is one that any fan of The Clone Wars needs to read as it based off scritps that were written for the show before cancellation. Dark Disciple features two fan-favorite characters Asasjj Ventress and Quinlan Vos. It’s an interesting pair up as Asasjj at this time in canon has deviated from her path as a sith and Quinlan Vos is a Jedi knight. Seeing these two interact was a wonderful experience and I would recommend this for anyone looking for a more mature story.

Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel is a prequel story to the excellent Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Catalyst gives fans of the film a deeper look into Galen Erso and his wife Lyra Erso. This includes how they found themselves building the Death Star, and how they were unknowingly working for the Empire. It is written by James Luceno who is a veteran in writing Star Wars novels. Luceno has crafted a thrilling story that is essential reading for any fan of Rogue One. Catalyst perfectly complements the film and makes the films biggest moments more impactful, while clearing up some of Jyn Erso’s motivations throughout Rogue One.

Lords of the Sith was an interesting idea that that unfortunately failed its’ delivery. The idea was to dive deeper into the relationship between Darth Vader and Empire Palpatine by stranding them on Ryloth (The home of the enslaved Twi’leks) and fighting a growing rebellion. Author Paul S. Kemp attempted to take a dive into a complex relationship of admiration, respect, and hate; but he ends up retreading ground that was already told in the Vader comic series and told in a much better fashion. Lords of the Sith is worth a read for its’ action and a few cameos from The Clone Wars character Cham Syndulla.

Star Wars Tarkin is another book written by James Luceno, who has crafted yet another great tale. This time, the story focuses on Tarkin before he was a Grand Moff and chronicles his life when he was working with the Republic through flashbacks as he teams up with Darth Vader to fight off a rebel insurgency. James Luceno does a fantastic job diving into Tarkin’s mind and seeing what makes him tick.

Thrawn is a book about another fan-favorite villain written by Timothy Zahn who also penned the original Thrawn trilogy. Thrawn is the start of a new trilogy featuring Thrawn and its’ sequels Thrawn: Alliances and Thrawn: Treason.  I have read the start of the first novel and have so far been enjoying it. Thrawn is an interesting character as he is one of the few aliens who serve the Empire, and seeing his rise through the ranks makes for a compelling read. Until I have finished the first book I can’t comment on the next two in the series but what I have been hearing is that they just keep getting better.

A New Dawn is set before the cartoon series Star Wars Rebels and features the two main characters from the show, Kanan Jarrus and his partner Hera Syndulla. These two have such a powerful relationship in Rebels, that seeing how these two met and became the dynamic duo that we know and love is a treat. A New Dawn is mandatory reading for anyone who watched Rebels as is does a great job at fleshing out Kanan and Hera, while still exploring the complex nature of the growing Empire.

From a Certain Point of View is more of a celebration of Star Wars then canon material, though it does contain some great stories. This compilation is filled with 40 short stories written by 40 different authors; ranging from Gary Whitta, and Meg Cabot to Claudia Gray. Each story focuses on one character from Star Wars and was written for the 40th anniversary of the first film. I would recommend this to a more hardcore audience as they have some great stories from big-name characters like Qui-Gon Jinn to smaller side characters like Aunt Beru.

Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company and Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad were written as companion pieces to the videos games. As Battlefront was multiplayer-only, author Alexander Freed was able to craft a story and cast of characters that were fully original and didn’t impact much of the world; as they were just a squad of ragtag soldiers from the rebellion. I absolutely love stories set around the soldiers and stormtroopers of the Star Wars universe, as these stories tend to be more complex and show us different perspectives. They also dive into the politics of the Empire VS the Rebellion as Rebels are seen as terrorists but the Empire is seen as just and right.

Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad is one of my top 3 favorite novels in all of the canon. Christie Golden crafted such a complex web with the story. The main character Iden Versio grew up on an Empire controlled world and has known nothing but peace through the Empire. It is not until she is sent to infiltrate a group of rebels does she learn of the Empires evil deeds. Now Battlefront II: Inferno Squad also features a group of 4 outstanding characters that make the group feel special, and in the sequel, the story told in the Battlefront II video game makes the player more empathic to the choices made by Iden and her team if they read the book first.

Heir to the Jedi was written by Kevin Hearne and is absolutely skip-able. Set after the events of A New Hope, Heir to the Jedi follows Luke Skywalker as he tries to learn the ways of the force as he is now without a master to teach him. Though the premise does sound interesting Heir to the Jedi falls flat due to a few factors. These include a half-baked romance, stale and boring action, and Luke himself seems to revert back to his whiny ways before he came across Obi-Wan. The only slightly redeeming quality about this novel is when Luke is teaching himself how to focus himself as he uses the force, other then that Heir to the Jedi is not worth your time.

The Aftermath Trilogy were one of the first sets that were introduced to the new canon and were written by Chuck Wendig. I have read the first two and though the main story was kinda boring to read and characters were frustratingly dull, Chuck wrote little interludes between chapters that kept me invested in reading the full book. These interludes hinted at a cult worshiping Darth Vader, camoes from Clone Wars characters and even a hint that Boba Fett could still be alive. Aftermath had the potential to really be something special and its sequel Life Debt made improvements by including Han and Chewbacca on a quest to free the Wookies on Kashyyyk. These moments were the best moments in the novel, but they didn’t come until the end. The Aftermath Trilogy is worth a read just for the story of the rise of the First Order alone.

Last Shot is a book I have mostly been uninterested in as I am not the world’s biggest Han Solo fan. Despite that, I do enjoy Lando so I will eventually pick this one up. As it stands in canon I have heard good things and its definitely a fun adventure. This is also worth a read if you enjoyed Solo: A Star Wars Story or are big Han and Lando Fan.

Bloodline by Claudia Gray is another one of the best new canon novels. Claudia Gray has proven that she knows Leia inside-and-out and here in Bloodline, Leia is working toward building the New Republic. Expect a lot of politics that never feel over-the-top or boring. The novel adds in some action great character building too, and as a result you’ve got yourself one of the greatest Leia Organa Stories ever put to paper. Make this one a top priority when you plan on building your list of must-reads.

Phasma was written to specifically correct the mistreatment of one of the most intimidating characters in all of the Empire. Set before the events of The Force Awakens we learn why Phasma is so indebted to the First Order and how her backstory really makes her a force to be reckoned with. It is worth a read if you were disappointed by her mistreatment in the films.

Lastly, we have Canto Bight. Canto Bight is a novel filled with short stories that range from great, to oddly cartoonish. This would be a completely skip-able read if you were not interested in the planet of Canto Bight but seeing as The Last Jedi is my favorite Star Wars film I was completely invested, but was left a little disappointed.

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