What'cha readin', you illiterate fuck?

[Diabolical]

After Manhunt, I read World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Good, realistic "history" of what the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse would be like, as told by the survivors.

I just started Bedwetter, Sarah Silverman's autobiography. So far, so good. Mostly funny, but it gets a little serious at times.

[anarky]

Just finished Darth Plagueis late this morning and

HOLY FUCKING SHIT READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW OR YOU ARE A FUCKING MORON WHO SPENDS ALL HIS TIME SUCKING HIS MOM'S DICK, YES, HIS MOM'S DICK, BECAUSE SUCH A FUCKING MORON CAN ONLY BE THE SPAWN OF A HERMAPHRODITIC EARTHWORM!!!!

Okay, to put it in perspective: I finished it and wanted to watch the whole Prequel Trilogy in one sitting, and only TPM coming to theaters in two weeks is keeping me from doing it... and I might anyway. Yup. Not just the first one. All three. Maybe with the Clone Wars micro-series and all three (?) seasons of the "other" Clone Wars show thrown in for good measure (which, of course, would not be cheap, as I only have the micro-series).

James Luceno did absolutely nothing short of fixing everything that was wrong (story-wise, at least) with the prequels.

I shit you not.

Always two there are... except when there's two and a dipshit third who thinks he's really the second.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Wow. It explains all George Lucas' shitty dialogue and gaping vagina plotholes?

[Diabolical]

I might give it a read once it hits paperback or I figure out how to get bootleg kindle books.

[anarky]

I was referring to story flaws. Shit like Anakin more or less accidentally killing Mace, then finding out Palpatine can't save Padme and running off to kill a bunch of kids anyway. Or why Maul is so fucking stupid.

Even Luceno can't fix shitty acting.

[jjreason]

I read the free preview which got me into the 2nd chapter. Nothing huge yet, but your line of spoiler purple is telling me I had best blow the $14 and read the book, before I break down & spoil myself again.

[Rollo Tomassi]

How many books have they put out since the YuZhon Vonng(however its spelled) Saga? And in the most recent books Han, Luke, Leia must be in their 80s by now, right?

[anarky]

I don't know. First they had the "Legacy of the Force" series, where Jacen became a Sith Lord, took Ben Skywalker as his apprentice, and killed Mara Jade, then everyone fought Lumiya and her light-whip and Boba Fett showed up and it was so kewl!!!!1!! Then someone killed Jacen and they have some other series with B&W covers and they're all in their 80s or 90s, but Del Rey says that medical science is better there so it's like they're in their 50s here. Supposedly the New Republic will fall in this series and the Sith will take over so they can run around with their Maul tattoos in the Legacy comic book. It's all fanwank at this point.

I take that back: first they had the trilogy about alien bugs that would be totally forgotten like the shitty Black Fleet Crisis trilogy if not for Luke and Leia finding recordings of the events of ROTS in R2-D2's memory banks, and it never occurred to them, "Hold on a fucking minute--our droid actually belonged to our parents all along?"

[Rollo Tomassi]

DelRey is mostly sanctioned fan wank at this point.
I vaguely remember that Bug trilogy. The Joiner King? Maybe that just one of the books in the trilogy.
I've also not read any of the Prequel era books, or any of the Post-ROTS stuff they did after the YV stuff. Like the Republic Commando paperbacks. I didn't even read Darth Vader.

[anarky]

None of them? Really? Wow.

The novelizations for all three films were far more solid, story-wise, than the movies themselves. Each movie had at least one novel that led into it and explained a shit-ton of stuff.

I would very seriously recommend reading these books in this order:

Episode I Adventures: The Fury of Darth Maul -- Darth Maul runs around kicking ass on an early mission, and builds a droid in true "bizarre TPM coincidence" fashion.
* Episode I Journal: Darth Maul -- Darth Maul's original backstory, screwed up by the Clone Wars but now fixed by Darth Plagueis
[Both of those are young readers books that are out of print, but not too tough to find. The first was available only to kids who joined some sort of roleplaying subscription, but used copies of it abound. Make sure you get the novel and not the game book, though.]
* Cloak of Deception -- Explains the political shitstorm swirling around Valorum in TPM.
* Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter -- Maul is sent on a more important mission, which puts Nute Gunray in charge of the Trade Federation.
* Darth Plagueis -- The new awesomest Star Wars book ever. Logic would make it seem that it should be earlier or later, but reading Shadow Hunter and Cloak of Deception will help fill in a few blanks when Maul gets sent on various missions. And no worries about spoiling TPM, I assume.
* Episode I: The Phantom Menace -- Duh.
Rogue Planet -- Obi-Wan and Anakin go on a mission where they run afoul of a certain guy named Tarkin. [This also ties in really closely with the New Jedi Order series, which I think you read.]
Jedi Quest (the standalone novel, not the series, though those are cool, too) -- Anakin builds his lightsaber, and gets a vision through the Force of a guy with horns and full-body tats.
* The Approaching Storm -- The mission to Ansion immediately before AOTC.
* Episode II: Attack of the Clones -- Again, duh.
The Medstar Duology (Battle Surgeons and Jedi Healer) -- Barriss Offee is knighted in, surprisingly, one of the best Star Wars novel miniseries.
Shatterpoint -- A Mace Windu solo novel, a bit cerebral and dense for a SW book but really good.
The Cestus Deception -- Anakin is knighted. Not a great book, but that's important, and it has Kit Fisto in it.
* Labyrinth of Evil -- Leads directly into....
* Episode III: Revenge of the Sith --Duh cubed.
* Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader -- Anakin transforms from a burnt crybaby in a black suit to the badass motherfucker from the OT.

That list is a bit long, but the ones with asterixes are the high points that prove that the stories underlying the movies were always solid.

[Diabolical]

Darth Vader was one of the last "new" Star Wars novels I read and I thought that one was pretty readable.
I did read Deathtroopers for shits and giggles. It was decent for what it was.
I read Death Star because it was by Steve Perry, which had a "Tales from" flavor.

[anarky]

I've got Death Star, but never got around to reading it. I looked at Millennium Falcon (also by Luceno), but passed because it had a Legacy-related frame narrative. I'll probably go back and get it or check it out from the library now.

[Diabolical]

Rogue Planet, The Approaching Storm and Labryrinth of Evil all sucked balls, especially Rogue Planet.

[anarky]

Most of Rogue Planet was iffy, particularly the "we're trying really hard to tie this in to the NJO" stuff. I thought the portions dealing with Anakin and his first kill were well-done enough to recommend the book overall. It's been over a decade since I read it, though, I'll admit.

Labyrinth of Evil did not suck balls. You got it backwards. Most of the other Star Wars books were lining up to suck its balls. The Approaching Storm I seriously considered not "starring," but AOTC drops in Obi-Wan and Anakin more or less en media res (is that right?) as they arrive back home from that mission. Sorta a "bounty hunter on Ord Mantell" thing, except the explanation was released in hardback a few months before the release of the movie. And, IIRC, there was a good deal of background info on Dooku and the Separatists in there, too. Maybe you should see if The Blues Brothers is on VH1 later; watching it might set your mind straight.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I've read some of those. Basically everything up until a 2005 publishing date. I remember the Medstar Duology being really good. I vaguely remember Shatterpoint. All the Film Adaptations.
But there were others they wrote later on and "slotted" into continuity. Like I don't think I ever read the Thrawn follow up Duology. Or maybe it was the one about the missing fleet.
I was in B&N a few weeks ago and was looking at the SW novels. There were tons I had no recognition of.