Recommend me some Star Wars novels (Part 2)

[PC!]

So, here's the books I've read so far:

Shadows of the Empire
The Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy
The Thrawn Trilogy
The Jedi Academy Trilogy
Darksaber

Now I'm looking to catch up to where the series is at currently, but I don't feel like digging through book after book. I want to catch up in the quickest way possible. So, for those of you familiar with the Star Wars book series, where would I go from here to get to the current storyline quickest? Thanks in advance!

[EroSennin]

http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/timeline.html

This is a timeline of all the books so far. I think its still up to date

[bigddan11]

Honestly, it is impossible to catch up to where they are currently at without reading every book in The New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force. As for what I'd recommend though, here's what I consider to be the main ones:

The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
A rogue Jedi (who is a former student of Luke's) starts killing people throughout the galaxy, and it causes a destruction that is felt by Jedi throughout the universe. The feeling is larger than when they felt the Death Stars destruction. It also introduces a major dark Jedi that is in Young Jedi Knights.

The Corellian Trilogy (Ambush at Corellia, Assault at Selonia, and Showdown at Centerpoint) by Roger Macbride Allen
This trilogy might be one of the low points if you dont like stories that are being told from 6 different angles at the same time, but key events occur in it that play important roles in "The New Jedi Order" and "Legacy of the Force." It also has Han and Leia's kids developing their own jedi powers, and their resistance to the Corellians is pretty funny.

Timothy Zahn's Duology (Specters of the Past and Visions of the Future)
These two culminate with the wedding of Luke Skywalker and a certain former assasin. If it weren't for these two, then Luke and his wife wouldn't have a child who plays a key role in Legacy of the Force, Ben Skywalker.

I would recomend reading at least the first 3 books in Junior Jedi Knights and the first 6 books in Young Jedi Knights (Rise of the Shadow Academy- Heirs of the Force, Shadow Academy, The Lost Ones, Lightsabers, Darkest Knight, and Jedi Under Seige) as these books introduce all the new Jedi that shall appear in The New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force. Best of all- the first 3 Junior Jedi Knight books (The Golden Globe, Lyrics World, and Promises) aren't even 1/2 the size of a regular Star Wars novel combined, and the other six are now sold in packs of three, as in 3 of them have been merged to become one full size novel.

"The New Jedi Order"
A new race of aliens is spreading throughout the Universe. The Jedi are called on to be protectors of the galaxy. One of their first missions is to finally unite the New Republic and the Imperial Remanat to form a new superpower that stands against the Yuuzhan Vong. As I mentioned before I felt all of them would be musts, but I do mention a few you ould jump over if you don't care to see what happens to certain characters after some events.
Vector Prime
Onslaught
Ruin (The events in this book set Han on a rollercoaster that will continue throughout the next 3 books. In it a Star Wars favorite sacrifices himself to save an entire planet . These next three show how Han overcomes his trials, but they aren't musts unless you care to see how Han rebounds.)
Hero's Trial
Jedi Eclipse
Balance Point

The next two develop Anakin Solo into the man he will be through the rest of the series and culminate in the birth of Luke's son. I would recommend them solely because they help form everyone into whom they become for the next book.
Conquest
Rebirth

Star by Star is a must. In it many Jedi are killed, including the one most people thought would replace Luke, but a way to stop the Vong is found. It sets up trials for Jacen, Jaina, Han, Leia, and Luke that will last through the rest of the saga and finally lead to The New Jedi Order being formed.

Dark Journey and Traitor are both optional, but they tell the specific events of what happens to Jaina and Jacen Solo after Star by Star.

Rebel Dream
Rebel Stand
The new alliance, called the Galactic Union, is finally fully formed, but the Yuuzhan Vong are about to attack one place no one expected them to reach- Coruscant itself.

Destiny's Way returns Admiral Ackbar to the battle field and Jacen Solo to the Galactic Alliance. Jainia captures Vong intelligence that will turn the war, and now they are after her. With everyone out on various missions (told throughout the story), the destiny of the universe will be revealed.

Remnant
Refugee
Reunion
These three are only important because the quest Luke and Jacen make in it- find the mysterious planet that has the ability to travel when and where it wishes- Zonama Sekot. It holds the key to the Vongs weaknesses. If it weren't for that quest, they'd be completely optional.

The Final Prophecy
The Unifying Force
A prophecy that regards the defeat of the Vong is given to the Jedi. With this and Sekot on their side, the Galactic Alliance finally has what it needs to take back the galaxy- if they can convience Sekot to help them.

I really didn't care for the Dark Nest Trilogy, so you could skip it and not miss anything other than it gies a Dark Jedi the ability to hide herself and use memory deletions on people that she does throughout Legacy of the Force. It also reveals the fate of the final Jedi from Star by Star.

The "Legacy of the Force" saga focuses a lot on politics, but it also has Jacen Solo becoming the next Sith Lord, Boba Fett training Jaina to hunt her brother, Luke losing someone very precious to him, the Jedi leaving The Galactic Alliance, and many other important events.

[PC!]

Wow, that's a lot of great information. Thanks very much. I'll use that info wisely. :)

[bigddan11]

http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/timeline.html

This is a timeline of all the books so far. I think its still up to date
There are a few things missing from that timeline. Here's what I know for certain is missing from that list:
All prequel books that take place between Ep. II and III and episodes III and IV.
Allegiance
All post New Jedi Order books

[Michael24]

I don't know much of anything about the current books because I lost interest when they did the whole New Jedi Order thing.

But I think A.C. Crispin's The Han Solo Trilogy is a must-read. It really fleshes out Han's character and shows how he became the gruff, witty pilot-for-hire we all loved when he first shows up in A New Hope. The books are "The Paradise Snare," "The Hutt Gambit," and "Rebel Dawn." We get to see Han's first meetings with Chewie, Lando, and Jabba, win the Millennium Falcon, and have his first encounter with Boba Fett.

I also like Brian Daley's The Han Solo Adventures, which was some of the very first Expanded Universe material, published in the late-70s/early-80s. "Han Solo At Stars' End," "Han Solo's Revenge," and "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy." Han, Chewie, and the Falcon are about the only real connections to the Star Wars universe, due to Lucas' restrictions at the time, but they're fun reads. I also like these two Solo series because the authors actually do something with Chewie instead of just treating him like the family dog the way so many other books did.

It seems relatively hated by most fans, but I also like The Courtship of Princess Leia, which shows how Han pretty much won Leia over once and for all and got married. I liked the concept of Force witches, and the domesticated Rancors were cool.

Tatooine Ghost is pretty good, too. A little slow at times, but it's basically about Leia uncovering details about Anakin's early life on Tatooine. I think it was written as a way for Leia to sort of come to terms with the fact Darth Vader was actually her father.