Worst Star Wars Books (updated)

After reading some of the latest Star Wars books I've decided to re-work some of my Top 10 list in this category. I won't repeat anything I've already talked about in my previous post here just my newest additions.

10) Planet Of Twilight

I like this book better in this spot. As I said for my previous #10 (Dark Forces trilogy) I didn't think that one belonged and was only using it to round off my Top 10 list at the time. This one however, deserves it.

9) Red Harvest

What the Sith would be like if it were written as a WB TV show.

8) Crystal Star

Again, if you'd have told me there would be 7 other books worse than this one, I wouldn't have believed you. Maybe I should read this one again, it'll probably look like a masterpiece now!

7) Clone Wars: Seige/Gambit Duology

That's right! Even this series moved down a notch to make way for another leader in the pack!

6) Coruscant Nights

This series was so bad it retained it's #6 ranking as before instead of moving down like all the others did. After reading the 4th book in this series I've come to the conclusion that this book should be ignored by the average leader. 

Here's some more fodder to place on a series I've already spoken about: In book 4 the main character Jax not only gets the upper hand on Vader once, BUT TWICE! Showing just how cunning a Jedi he really is. He even figures out the Vader is Anakin too! Making him the only one besides Obi Wan to know the truth. Of course this Jedi is too good to die and after fooling Vader again ( which they make seem easy) he's off to the stars for more adventures. 

Pathetic, god-like writing about a character who shouldn't be that important to the universe. Just like Stackpole's "I, Jedi" the authors want you to think of their character as the best one around! (forget Luke Skywalker right?) They had potential to move DOWN this list with the release of this book, but they failed miserably and yet again find themselves in 6th place. 

#5 Tatooine's Ghost

Poor Troy. His only failure to date. This "Ghost" will haunt him for years. 

#4 Shatterpoint

Even this poorly written novel had a drop in the rankings thanks to this next book!

#3 Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void

Please welcome with me our newest addition to the "Worst Top Ten" Where do I start on this book? It's horribly written. I was shocked to learn Tim Lebbon's written several novels before and for his sake I hope they were better than this. It takes place over 25,000 years before Episode 4. There is no hyperspace, yet many aliens are in this. I guess they all traveled years in space to be with eachother. And the Jedi don't have lightsabers yet, just swords. 

To be honest that's all they did to make it seem "in the past". The still have blasters, space ships and droids. The earliest stories they had in the Star Wars storyline before this was the "Golden Age of the Jedi" comic book series that didn't amount to much either. The problem is getting people to care what happened. There have been only 2 storylines that have taken place in the past that fans cared about. The Tales of the Jedi comic book from Dark Horse. (which is excellent) and The Old Republic storyline which also receives added exposure thanks to the video games. Other than that, the rest have been ho-hum.

This book does a horrible job sending you back and forth between the history of the main character without any indication of doing so. One paragraph break may be happening a few hours after the last or 10 years ago in the past. You never know till you read a few lines in. Instead of clearly marking the difference in the time lines the author goes with a weird 3rd partner depiction of the event of the past. Like you're sitting in a classroom with someone giving you an account of events. For example:

She walks into the room. She looks around, no one is there. "Funny" she thinks to herself, for in the Force she senses a presence that is not easily ignored. She is scared, frightened even, that this book will suck for anyone reading it as well.


The overall story is drab too which lives you not caring whether our hero makes it out alive or not in the end. I LOVE Star Wars books, but even this one was tough for me to read. I just hope any new fans coming to the Expanded Universe for the first time don't try this one first because it's 1st in chronological order, because they might not make it very far after that.  

#2 Republic Commando Series

You still suck Karen Traviss.

#1 I, Jedi

The winner and still champion! I wonder if anything will ever come close to this disaster on paper. Hmmm... A Jar Jar novel perhaps?