Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization by Donald F. Glut
Based on the movie script and written while the film was still in production, this is the original adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back from 1980. It closely follows the plot of the movie, but with some small differences (such as a "blue" Yoda) due to the fact that author Donald F. Glut didn't get to see the movie before writing the book.

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This is a movie novelization from the Legends timeline. Though the movie itself is canon, original content in the book could be contradicted by future books, movies, or TV shows (if so, you can think of it as an alternate universe).

Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry
The only novel set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, this book was published in 1996 as a refreshing return to the classic trilogy era, in the years where most novels took place after the defeat of the Emperor. The book is essentially a lead-in to Return of the Jedi, setting up the background for many of the events in that movie. However, it revolves heavily around a new character, the crime kingpin Prince Xizor, who is competing with Vader for the Emperor's favor.

Though the book tells a reasonably engaging story, many readers remember it more for its creepy attempted rape scene (for the record, most Star Wars novels have no sexual content at all).

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This is a classic era book from the Legends timeline. It will likely be contradicted by newer books (if so, just think of it as an alternate universe).

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novelization

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novelization by James Kahn
Written based on the script while the film was still in production, this is the original novel adaptation of Return of the Jedi from 1983. Author James Kahn brings depth and a slightly different perspective to what is probably the second-best of the main Star Wars movie novelizations (after Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith). Though there are naturally also some inconsistencies with the final film and later books, the novel also includes interesting expanded versions of some of the scenes from the movie.

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This is a movie novelization from the Legends timeline. Though the movie itself is canon, original content in the book could be contradicted by future books, movies, or TV shows (if so, you can think of it as an alternate universe).

X-Wing (Rogue Squadron Arc)

 
X-Wing series (Rogue Squadron Arc) by Michael Stackpole
This series of fan-favorite novels tell the story of Wedge Antilles's newly re-formed Rogue Squadron X-Wing pilots in the years after the destruction of the second Death Star. The varied Rogues will have to learn to work together if they are to cripple the flailing Empire, recapture the galactic capital planet Coruscant for the New Republic, and save the galaxy from the machinations of a sociopathic Imperial warlord. These books are remembered fondly by many Star Wars fans for their highly engaging, character-driven stories.

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Book 1: Rogue Squadron
Book 2: Wedge's Gamble
Book 3: The Krytos Trap
Book 4: The Bacta War

The next three X-Wing novels follow a different group of pilots, Wraith Squadron. The story of Rogue Squadron is continued in Book 8: Isard's Revenge.

This is a post-Return of the Jedi series from the Legends timeline. Think of it as an alternate universe from The Force Awakens and newer books.

X-Wing (Wraith Squadron Arc)

 
X-Wing series (Wraith Squadron Arc) by Aaron Allston
In the fifth-through-seventh books of the X-Wing series, the story shifts to cover Wraith Squadron, a group of misfits brought together by Wedge Antilles to be combination fighter pilots and special operatives. They soon find themselves in a series of high-spirited adventures against dangerous Imperial adversaries, by the end coming under the command of the famous General Han Solo. Author Aaron Allston made his Star Wars debut with this series of fan-favorite novels that skillfully combine laugh-out-loud humor with vivid emotional realism and well-developed characters.

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Book 5: Wraith Squadron
Book 6: Iron Fist
Book 7: Solo Command

Story of Wraith Squadron continued (decades later) in The New Jedi Order series and X-Wing: Mercy Kill.

This is a post-Return of the Jedi series from the Legends timeline. Think of it as an alternate universe from The Force Awakens and newer books.