I recently picked up an Expanded Universe book (Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn) and it kinda was in the middle of a trilogy. Soo..... What should I start with to get a grip on the EU?

I would start with timothy zahn’s thrawn trilogy

heir to the empire, dark force rising and the last command.

probably the finest EU books out there.

specture of the past is the first part of zahn's hand of thrawn duology, which is set after the thrawn trilogy.

Sounds good. I'll go to the bookstore/library later.

It depends on how you want to go about it. If you're interested in reading the best, then you should definitely start with Tim Zahn's books and go after that immediately to Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston of the X-wing series.

If, on the other hand, you're interested in reading chronologically, it depends on which era you're most interested in. The prequel era's first novel is Cloak of Deception, set just before Ep. I. If you're interested in starting the Rebel era, you may want to pick up the Han Solo trilogy by A.C. Crispin (which starts ten years before ANH and ends at ANH itself) then go to Shadows of the Empire and then The Truce at Bakura; a listing after that would take way too much space but you can find it in (for example) the front of any New Jedi Order novel.

If you're really into the classic characters and like seeing things change and head in new directions, go ahead and read the New Jedi Order (though you'll want to get through at least the Thrawn books, both the trilogy and the Hand of Thrawn duology, and probably some other basic important material like the Jedi Academy trilogy). If you don't ever want to see things change, though, then the NJO is definitely not for you. A lot of things change - all for the better, in the end, but it can be tough getting there...

Enjoy your foray into the universe of SW literature.

Oh - and if you're a comic book fan, though I'm not particularly knowledgeable about them, there are some very good stories in the comics set in the post-OT era, including Dark Empire trilogy.

if you're interested in prequel-era books then darth maul : shadow hunter is an absolute must as well, read that after cloak of deception you get the complete picture of events leading up to Ep I.
it will make you truly appreciate all Palpatine’s scheming.

Originally posted by Siv
I would start with timothy zahn’s thrawn trilogy

heir to the empire, dark force rising and the last command.

probably the finest EU books out there.

specture of the past is the first part of zahn's hand of thrawn duology, which is set after the thrawn trilogy.

ugh ! Im sick of hearing about Zahn and Thrawn..........ppl like it as EU because it uses the same tired formulas(as far as character interaction) that are at work in the movies..... The characterisations are ridiculous, very comic book like. The saving grace of course are the characters themselves, who are quite cool - Mara Jade, Talom karrde, Thrawn & Pellaeon, Noghri etc.

I really reccommend you perhaps start with something different, like the Rogue Squadron series by Mike Stackpole. Its still very SW, but great characterisations of new and well known characters and great action scenes !

mtfbwya

ugh ! Im sick of hearing about Zahn and Thrawn..........ppl like it as EU because it uses the same tired formulas(as far as character interaction) that are at work in the movies..... The characterisations are ridiculous, very comic book like. Not too harsh, now Astro. Really, that's a pretty accurate statement about the original Thrawn trilogy - but then, he had to stick pretty close to the movies at that point; anything revolutionary would have scared everyone off. It's only been in more recent years that LFL itself has been open to truly innovative ideas (like the NJO). And really, those comments only apply to the Thrawn trilogy, not the Hand of Thrawn duology, b/c Zahn's characterization was far more masterful in the HoT series than in the originals.

On the other hand, someplace like the X-wing series or I, Jedi make great starting points as well; Mike Stackpole is quite an author. The addition of one particular character to the saga by Stackpole, his protagonist character, is incredibly well done and that character is right up there with Luke and Han in my mind...

Originally posted by Master_Keralys
Not too harsh, now Astro......

he he he :p You know how I feel about Zahn Keralys... The man has had it *too* easy AFAIC..... I want him to try writing about something else other than Thrawn or the OFP..... I havent read SQ, but Id really love to read a post NJO novel focusing mainly on Mara Jade :D

mtfbwya

I would also go with the Thrawn Trilogy. That's what i started with and i was in to it right away...

Originally posted by fuzzyfreaker
I would also go with the Thrawn Trilogy. That's what i started with and i was in to it right away...

To all those interested in checking out the Thrawn trilogy, I REALLY recommend you check out the comic adaptations, they are absolutely *excellent* in terms of artwork, and were scripted by Zahn himself...

Heir to The Empire TPB from Dark Horse (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=46-467)

Dark Force Rising TPB (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=47-306)

The Last Command TPB (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=48-201)

CHECK OUT THE COOL PREVIEWS !

mtfbwya

i'm in agreement with Master_Keralys here, i started reading EU books with I, Jedi and have no regrets whatsoever. it's an amazing story introducing a very deep character (who happens to be shown on the left side of the title picture above), and a story that doesn't require one to read one or two books in order to get the whole story.