How to Start Reading Star Wars
A long time ago, in a book club far, far away….
Hello and welcome to Part 2 of my ultimate Star Wars catch up guide! Make sure you’ve covered everything in Part 1 before proceeding, which already includes some books and comics:
Looking for my comics reading order? I recommend you do that after what I have listed in this article, but if you’ve already covered everything here and taken note of the books/comics acquisition tips, you can skip ahead here:
If you’re here it means you just speed-ran through a lot of on screen material, or you’re already a connoisseur and ready to get reading. Hopefully I can get you on your way!
But first: how the hell do you do this without breaking the bank?
(And trying to avoid Amazon because it sucks.)
- For books, the Libby and Hoopla apps from your library are essential. Not all libraries have Hoopla, but if yours does, it usually has a good comics selection as well, and you also won’t have to wait for the more popular titles. (With Libby, you check out and wait for books like physical books, and with Hoopla you don’t have to wait but have a limited amount of checkouts per month).
- Both apps let you read ebooks within the app on a phone or tablet, but Libby (in the US) lets you send books to your Kindle/Kindle app as well.
- Both apps also let you check out audiobooks, which I highly recommend, even if you’re not normally an audiobook reader. Most Star Wars audiobooks are just as cinematic as the movies, with music, sound effects, and more.
- For comics, it gets a bit complicated. Star Wars comics span several comics publishers, which you can check Libby/Hoopla/your physical library for the trade paperbacks, buy single issues digitally using this guide, check your local comic book shop using this (international) shop locator, or buy trades from regular book retailers.
- If your library doesn’t have the title you want, or you start collecting, start by checking your local independent bookstore. Even if there isn’t one very close to you or they don’t have a lot of Star Wars books, most let you order any book through their website, and in the US, Canada, and several others countries, ship nationwide.
- To find your local store in the US, use the Indiebound locator:
- To find your local store in Canada:
- In the US and UK, your best second resort is Bookshop, where every purchase supports independent bookstores. I have a virtual storefront on Bookshop, if this guide is helpful for you, if you’d like to purchase through me.
- If your library doesn’t have the audiobooks, Libro.fm and Chirp are normally great alternatives, but Disney is finicky about rights issues, so Audiobooks.com, Barnes & Noble in the US, or Rakuten Kobo globally are other great options.
- As a last resort in the US, Barnes & Noble is always a good choice for physical, audiobooks, and ebooks. The app has subscriptions and a la carte similar to Kindle Unlimited/Audible, and for physical books, there are often B&N exclusive versions if you decide to collect. (Waterstones in the UK also does similar special editions)
- As a last resort worldwide, Better World Books is a great, affordable option. It has free shipping on new and used books in almost every country. You can also try Biblio for used books. (Book Depository and AbeBooks are owned by Amazon, so try to avoid them!)
- NOTE: Non-U.S. readers may have issues accessing the IDW and Dark Horse titles because of license issues. If so, try buying the trade paperbacks through import from Better World Books or Biblio.
Ok, my library and anti-Amazon propaganda is over. Here’s what you came for. My reading list.
1. The High Republic
If you’ve completed part I of this guide, you’ve now made your way through three eras — the prequel trilogy Age of Republic, the original trilogy Age of Rebellion, and the sequel trilogy Age of Resistance. Now it’s time to enter the next canon era…The High Republic.
The High Republic is currently being published in preparation for the first live action streaming show of the era, The Acolyte. (There’s also an animated kids’ show, Young Jedi Adventures!) It currently consists of three “phases,” to mirror the three movie trilogies:
- Phase I, starting 200 years before the Phantom Menace
- Phase II, the “prequels” of THR, occurs 150 years before Phase I.
- Phase III, starting a year after Phase I left off
THR is some of the best to come from Star Wars in years. It answers some big questions: How did the Jedi and the Republic become as intertwined as we see them in the prequels and the Clone Wars? What were they like in their “golden” era? Also, Kantam Sy is the best Jedi of all time, and Ty Yorrick is very sexy.
Here’s my comprehensive High Republic reading guide!
Bookmark them both, because I’ll be updating them for Phase III as well!
There are a range of books and comics here for all ages. Do not skip the YA and middle grade novels, they’re phenomenal and include some essential characters! Each wave of each phase begins with major events told from many points of view, (haha, get it?), so you only get the full picture if you don’t skip anything (comics ESPECIALLY included). For example: a major character from the middle grade novels will be appearing in The Acolyte!
We covered the High Republic as Phase I launched on my podcast, RuPalp’s Podrace. I recommend listening along as you read, but highlights include:
Our interview with the author of Midnight Horizon:
and our complete High Republic Phase I review:
and our interview with the author of Convergence in Phase II:
Do you like tracking your reading on apps like GoodReads? Try Storygraph instead, and join my podcast’s High Republic Reading Challenge!
2. Star Wars Visions: Ronin
If you completed part 1 of this guide, you should already have read this, but if not I have to reiterate it — Ronin is one of Star Wars’ BEST novels, and it requires almost no Star Wars knowledge to read it! It continues the story of Visions season 1’s first short, “The Duel,” and the audiobook is a uniquely wonderful experience.
Once you read it, you should listen to my Star Wars podcast’s interview with the author!
3. The Age of Republic
Now that you’ve caught up on the main stories of every era, it’s time to dig in to the additional canon stories that bring the galaxy far, far away to life! Let’s start with the prequels and Clone Wars era.
- Dooku: Jedi Lost — this is actually an audio drama, which you can also get the script and read along for if you’d like. Pay attention to all the High Republic connections…
- Padawan — this YA novel has quickly become one of my favorite Star Wars novels overall, with great characterization of Obi-Wan, Jedi culture and philosophy, ties to the High Republic, an interesting plot and side characters, and genuine moments that will make you cry.
- Master and Apprentice — this tells the story of Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship to Qui-Gon as a teenager, before the Phantom Menace. It has been one of my favorites for a long time, and has some prophecies in it you’ll need to pay attention to…
- Darth Maul — this comic is about Maul’s apprenticeship to Palpatine before the Phantom Menace, and one of the reasons he became on of my favorite characters.
- Queen’s Peril — this novel was technically released AFTER the first Padmé novel, but it occurs chronologically first. It begins when Padmé begins her reign as Queen of Naboo, and then tells the story of the occupation of Naboo in the Phantom Menace from the point of view of Padmé and her new handmaidens.
- Obi-Wan & Anakin — this comic is about Anakin’s apprenticeship to Obi-Wan as a child, and how they both struggled without Qui-Gon after the Phantom Menace. It is one of my favorite Star Wars comics overall!
- Queen’s Shadow — this was the first Padmé novel that was released, and tells the story of Padmé’s transition from the end of her term as Naboo’s elected queen, and first few years as a young galactic senator on Coruscant.
- Leia: Princess of Alderaan — this novel occurs during the age of the Empire, but the author of the Padmé novels tied them with it well, and the parallels of Leia as a young junior senator and early member of her parents’ rebellion, to Padmé’s first years in the galactic senate work well together.
- Queen’s Hope — This is the final novel in the Padmé trilogy. It begins during Attack of the Clones and covers Padmé’s marriage, the beginning of the Clone Wars, and the growing rift with her loyal handmaidens. Like the novels before it, it brings in an amazing amount of other important female characters in Star Wars as well.
When you’ve finished, check out my podcast’s Padmépisode! We also mention some of the events in the current run of Darth Vader (2020), which will be in part 3 of this guide, if you’d like to listen after that.
- Brotherhood — this novel overlaps with Queen’s Hope, detailing Obi-Wan and Anakin’s transition from master and apprentice to equals, friends, and brothers, while also trying to navigate the beginning of the Clone Wars. The authors of Queen’s Hope and this novel tied them together quite tightly both literally and thematically on purpose.
- The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark — This anthology retells major TCW arcs through the main characters’ eyes, sometimes in heartbreaking ways, and includes an original story about Dathomir at the end. If you can, the audiobook is a phenomenal experience including the original TCW voice actors (and one of my favorites in all of Star Wars).
- Dark Disciple — if you didn’t already read this during your Clone Wars watch, now is the time. This is based on one of the planned TCW arcs that never got to be made when it was initially cancelled, and finishes Ventress’ story. (It is also one of the best canon Star Wars novels, and the reason Ventress is one of my favorite characters.)
- Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir — This comic is also based on one of the planned TCW arcs that never got to be made, so it’s essential reading. It explains how Maul got from being captured by Sidious, to briefly starting a crime empire and being the head of the Maul-dalorians in the Siege of Mandalore.
- The Revenge of the Sith novelization — While it isn’t necessarily “canon” anymore, it is considered one of the best Star Wars books, and even if novelizations aren’t your thing, it’s a special one. Proceed with caution and many tissues and your therapist on call.
4. The Age of Rebellion
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith or just Darth Vader (2017) — this comic picks up right where Revenge of the Sith left off with Vader’s story, showing how he fully embraces being Vader and the lies Palpatine told him.
- Ahsoka — Right off the Clone Wars finale, this one is gonna hurt really badly. I am so sorry. I really recommend the audiobook for this one as well, because it has the Clone Wars’ and Rebels’ original voice actor, Ashley Eckstein. This book was commissioned based on an outline Dave Filoni gave after the Clone Wars was originally cancelled, so when TCW eventually got finished, some of this book was written over a bit in season 7, and in Tales of the Jedi. It’s still canon though, and pairs well with the Ahsoka series.
- Kanan — This is one of my favorite Star Wars comics. The beginning contradicts a little bit with Kanan’s escape from Order 66 now that the Bad Batch is out, but it’s overall still canon, and very beautiful.
- A New Dawn — this is the story of how Kanan and Hera met. Also, it introduces Admiral Rae Sloane, an important imperial and then First Order character who appears in LOTS of different media.
- Battle Scars — You should’ve already seen this in part 1 of this guide, but if you’ve played or watched walkthroughts of Fallen Order, it cannot be missed. It occurs between the two games (Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor) and adds some amazing depth to the crew of the Mantis, one of our favorite found families in Star Wars.
- Catalyst — this novel is an often ignored gem (kyber crystal pun intended, since this novel is all about crystal science!). It’s a prequel to Rogue One about how Galen Erso was manipulated into working on the Death Star, and the sacrifices he made for his family. From Avon Starros and Chancey Yarrow in the High Republic, to the imperial jockeying over the Death Star in Thrawn: Treason, this is an essential read to bridge quite a lot of important connective tissue (with a lot of heart).
5. The Man, the Mitth’legend, Thrawn
Thrawn is one of the most popular characters in Star Wars who didn’t originate in a movie or TV show. The popularity of his (now legends) books helped keep Star Wars fandom alive until the prequels came out (and there are people writing Star Wars TV shows right now who became SW fans growing up reading them!) Some concepts from the books were even used in the prequels. This was why, when he was announced to be a villain in Rebels, people were really excited. This character, that had lived on the page, and then had been de-canonized, for so long, is now an integral part of the overarching canon, now across both animation and live action.
After he was introduced in Rebels, Disney commissioned a whole new series of books about him, from the original author, Timothy Zahn, that was in keeping with the current canon. I consider them some of my favorite parts of Star Wars, not just Star Wars books.
Start with the canon Thrawn trilogy:
Then read the Thrawn comic (this is an adaptation of the first canon Thrawn novel. An essential read, if only to see the beautiful Ar’alani and Eli Vanto’s faces).
Then go back to the Ascendancy prequel trilogy:
If you’d like to learn more about where to start with the legends Thrawn novels that made him the icon we know today, check out Youtini’s guide:
Also don’t miss my podcast’s Thrawn episodes when you’re done!
6. The From a Certain Point of View anthologies
Star Wars has released a very special project for the original trilogy films so far, telling the story of each film through an anthology of short stories, each from a different author, from the perspective of a side character. Some are funny, some are incredibly sad, and some keep me up at night. I highly recommend the audiobooks for From a Certain Point of View, From A Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, and From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi. These books often reference both small and large characters and moments from other Star Wars books and comics, so waiting to read them after a lot of other Star Wars publishing is quite rewarding as well.
7. Stories of Jedi and Sith
This is an anthology of stories across almost all the eras, with stories about everyone from Rey and Palpatine, to Barriss and Ventress. The audiobook is PHENOMENAL!
It’s Time For Comics
If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve already read some comics, but in order to really be “caught up,” we’re gonna need to do get into quite a lot more. Scroll up and review the tips for finding books and comics, and then join me for PART 3:
A Quick Note
You may notice I haven’t included a section on the sequel trilogy, Age of Resistance, era novels yet. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read them! It just means that era is still under construction with all the shows coming out so I’m still deciding. We’ll get there!
