BOOKS-
Discussions of various fantasy-fiction authors:
#5- Star Wars
So why in the world do I have an entire collection of dozens of novels collectively grouped as my favorite? Well, the truth is that Lucasfilm chose wisely when it gave Bantam Spectra the rights to publish novels set in the Star Wars universe.
Bantam Spectra has gone to great efforts to ensure that their novels deserve the bold golden "STAR WARS" symbol on each and every novel. Ground rules have been laid out in terms of what can and cannot be written, and each author's new installment has been smoothly and consistently blended into the rest of the timeline. Now I'm not saying that all of the novels that continue the storyline we all fell in love with all those years ago are excellent- far from it. However, I respect the determination of Bantam Spectra to give the Star Wars saga the attention to details and quality that it deserves.
I would have to say, after reading every one of the Star Wars novels, series, and short story collections to date that there are four main authors whom I personally feel have not only contributed the most to the storyline in general, but have set standards of excellence that Lucas himself would be hard-pressed to surpass.
Timothy Zahn is the man who started it all- the George Lucas of the Star Wars authors, if you will. His awesome trilogy not only gave the world their first new taste of the Star Wars universe since 1983, it produced numerous strong, new characters who've had their own respective stories and backgrounds fleshed out by the other Star Wars authors. The last two novels he wrote to end Bantam Spectra's literary contribution to the series were also superb, and left the door open for the Del Rey novels which have begun with a volume by another of my Top Ten authors- R.A. Salvatore.
Kevin J. Anderson is another excellent (and prolific) Star Wars novelist. His careful attention to detail and rare ability to keep the reader entertained throughout the course of the entire novel is a treat to look forward to with anticipation. I also admire his versatility as a writer to go from a trilogy, to a stand-alone novel which takes place in between other authors' stories, to over a dozen stories aimed at teens about the Solo children, to short stories about various characters.
Michael Stackpole really surprised me, since I was not expecting his Rogue Squadron series to be all that great. I figured well, there's virtually no "old" characters from the movies by Lucas, how good could it be? Well, by having so few characters we've known for decades hanging around in his novels, Mr. Stackpole has been able to take more creative liberties while continuing the Star Wars saga than his colleagues with more "safe" characters like Lando, Han, and Leia.
Ann C. Crispin also gave me a surprise, because she immediately proved to be an exception to my hypothesis I came up with after reading Stackpole! Ms. Crispin's task was to fill in the details about Han Solo's early adventures well before Star Wars itself. We're talking "pre-Chewbacca" early, here, for a good chunk of the trilogy. Her ability to show us the inside of Han's brain while he's adventuring through life is both intriguing and entertaining, since the novels fly along at the same speed as Han's wild life.
Some favorite moments of mine crafted by various Star Wars authors include C-3PO's hilarious antics while trying to avoid a memory wipe, Corran's creative solutions to dilemnas, Jacen and Tenel Ka's friendship through thick and thin, Han's sense of humor which has been well-preserved by all of the authors, Leia's Senate Chamber behavior during the worst crises, Mara and Karrde's style, Rogue and Wraith Squadron humor, and Winter's sense of humor- when you can find it, that is.
There were several authors whom I thought could have done a much better job- Barbara Hambly's plots dragged quite a bit, and I can't even begin to describe how awful of a job Roger MacBride Allen did with the Corellian Trilogy. However as a whole, the integration of the general storyline and the veritable plethora (man, I can't believe I actually *used* that word!) of awesome new characters to mix in with the old to go on adventures together definitely combine to put the Star Wars novels on my Top Ten list.
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Here's an almost-complete
Star Wars timeline:
ANH = Star Wars: A New Hope
TESB = The Empire Strikes
Back
ROTJ = Return of the Jedi
32 years before ANH:
Star Wars: Ep. 1 The Phantom
Menace
22 years before ANH:
Star Wars: Ep. 2
20 years before ANH:
Star Wars: Ep. 3
10 years before ANH to ANH:
The Han Solo Trilogy- by
Ann C. Crispin
5 years to immediately before
ANH:
The Adentures of Lando Calrissian
(I haven't read these)
The Han Solo Adventures-
by Brian Daley
(Star Wars: A New Hope)
During ANH:
Tales from the Mos Eisley
Cantina
3 years after ANH:
(The Empire Strikes Back)
During TESB:
Tales of the Bounty Hunters
3.5 years after ANH (Between
TESB and ROTJ):
Shadows of the Empire- by
Steve Perry
4 years after ANH:
(Return of the Jedi)
During ROTJ:
Tales from Jabba's Palace
The Bounty Hunter Trilogy
Immediately after ROTJ:
The Truce of Bakura- by
Kathy Tyers
About 6-8 years after ANH
(2-4 after ROTJ):
The X-Wing series up to
#7 - by Michael Stackpole and
Aaron Allston
8 years after ANH (4 after
ROTJ):
The Courtship of Princess
Leia- by Dave Wolverton
9 years after ANH (5 after
ROTJ):
The X-Wing Series #8- Isard's
Revenge
The Thrawn Trilogy- by Timothy
Zahn
11 years after ANH (7 after
ROTJ):
The Jedi Academy Trilogy-
by Kevin J. Anderson
I, Jedi- by Michael Stackpole
12-13 years after ANH (8-9
after ROTJ):
The X-Wing series #9- Starfighters
of Adumar
Children of the Jedi- by
Barbara Hambly
Darksaber- by Kevin J. Anderson
Planet of Twilight- by Barbara
Hambly
14 years after ANH (10 after
ROTJ):
The Crystal Star- by Vonda
N. McIntyre
16-17 years after ANH (12-13
after ROTJ):
The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy-
by Michael P.
Kube-McDowell
17 years after ANH (13 after
ROTJ):
The New Rebellion- by Kristine
Kathryn Rusch
18 years after ANH (14 after
ROTJ):
The Corellian Trilogy- by
Roger MacBride Allen
19 years after ANH (15 after
ROTJ):
The Hand of Thrawn Duology
by Timothy Zahn
22 years after ANH (18 after
ROTJ):
Junior Jedi Knights series
by Kevin J. Anderson and
Rebecca Moestra
23-24 years after ANH (19-20
after ROTJ):
Young Jedi Knights series
by Kevin J. Anderson and
Rebecca Moestra
-------------------------------------
Del Rey:
25 years after ANH (21 after
ROTJ):
Vector Prime,
by R.A. Salvatore
updated 11/20/99
