Tales from Jabba's Palace

Tales from Jabba's Palace by various authors
The palace of Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine comes to vivid life in all its depravity in this collection of short stories tying in to Return of the Jedi. From the band and the dancers, to the guards and the rancor keeper, to the many others hiding in the shadows, this fun and diverse volume takes readers into the lives of the palace's denizens one by one. It's also memorable for a bizarre story of Boba Fett's experience rotting away inside the belly of the sarlacc.

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

Tales from the Empire

Tales from the Empire by various authors
A collection of short stories, selected as some of the best originally published in the Star Wars Adventure Journal roleplaying game magazine in the mid-1990s. Fan favorite characters such as Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Corran Horn all make major appearances, and the book includes a novella collaboratively written by beloved authors Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole (who also each contribute one other story to the collection).

Despite the cover art, Boba Fett only appears in this book from a certain point of view.

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

The Bounty Hunter Wars

 
The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy by K.W. Jeter
From veteran cyberpunk author K.W. Jeter comes a unique saga of intrigue, violence, and paranoia set in the gritty but high-tech criminal underworld of the Star Wars galaxy. Though centered on Boba Fett, the story includes all the bounty hunter characters introduced in The Empire Strikes Back: Dengar, Bossk, Zuckuss, 4-LOM, and IG-88.

After the defeat of Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi, Dengar must decide how to proceed after discovering the dangerous Boba Fett helpless and nearly dead in the sands of Tatooine. His choice is made much more complicated by the appearance of a dancer from Jabba's Palace who has mysteriously lost her memory, knowing only that she has some important connection to Fett. All the while, a powerful corporate executive watches from the shadows with unknown motives.

Meanwhile, half of the story is told through flashbacks to a time soon after the destruction of the first Death Star, when criminal kingpin Prince Xizor seeks favor with the Emperor by engineering a brutal war between the galaxy's bounty hunters. In a scheme that thrusts Boba Fett into an uncomfortable double-agent role, the Bounty Hunter's Guild will be torn to pieces, and only the most skilled and ruthless bounty hunters will survive.

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Book 1: The Mandalorian Armor

Book 2: Slave Ship

Book 3: Hard Merchandise

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

The Truce at Bakura

The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers
Immediately after the destruction of the second Death Star, the heroes of the rebellion are caught up in a quiet alien invasion at the edge of known space. If the evil Ssi-ruuk are allowed to steal the minds of the planet Bakura's population to power their droid army, the rest of the galaxy could be next. Rebels and Imperials will have to work together to defeat the invasion.

The Truce at Bakura is the earliest Legends novel in the post-Return of the Jedi timeline, but the Thrawn Trilogy (set five years later) was the first published.

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

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover
An unusual but intersting novel from author Matthew Stover, known to Star Wars fans for the exceptional philosophical and emotional depth of novels like Shatterpoint, Traitor, and the Revenge of the Sith novelization.

Dismayed by sensational film portrayals of his exploits for the Rebel Alliance, the self-critical Luke Skywalker finds himself caught up in an all new B-movie adventure, facing off against a mysterious dark side foe who has a theatrical side of his own. Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor is a self-consciously pulpy adventure that winkingly explores the sometimes unclear relationship between reality and fiction (while still staying strictly within the Star Wars universe).

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

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.

The Courtship of Princess Leia

The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton
An early Star Wars novel from the 1990s revival, this book tells the spunky story of how Han Solo and Princess Leia finally ended up getting married. After Leia receives a marriage request from the powerful prince of the neutral Hapes Consortium, she's divided between her love for Han and her duty to the New Republic. Han, reverting under pressure to the criminal instincts of his past, kidnaps Leia and spirits her away to the remote plant of Dathomir. They soon find themselves stranded groundside - trapped between the Empire and a clan of Force-using, rancor-riding witches - with Luke Skywalker obliged to come to the rescue.

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

Tatooine Ghost

Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning
Written long after most of the post-Return of the Jedi Legends books, Tatooine Ghost is a story of the recently married Han Solo and Princess Leia, set just before the events of the Thrawn Trilogy. It was the first novel that set out to bridge the events of the original Star Wars movies and the prequels.

In the story, the Millennium Falcon travels to Tatooine to protect vital New Republic military secrets. But in the adventure that follows, Leia finds herself on a journey of discovery, turning up surprising links to the early life of her father, Anakin Skywalker.

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

The Thrawn Trilogy

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn
Among the most beloved of all Star Wars novels, the so-called Thrawn Trilogy (a name that doesn't actually appear on the books themselves) was the story that launched the Legends expanded universe in earnest back in 1991. These books were the first ever written to take place after Return of the Jedi, and they set the stage for much of the rest of the Legends continuity. They tell a masterfully-written, multi-faceted story that's at once both epic and deeply personal.

Five years after the destruction of the second Death Star, the budding New Republic is threatened by Grand Admiral Thrawn, an alien military genius who has returned from the Unknown Regions to retake the galaxy for the Empire. Worse, Thrawn teams up with an insane Jedi clone who boasts access to secret Imperial technologies. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia must rediscover old secrets and search out new allies in the struggle to stop Thrawn. But among these new "friends" is Mara Jade, a former Imperial agent who lives for one purpose: to kill Luke Skywalker.

The Hand of Thrawn duology is a sequel to this trilogy, set ten years afterwards.

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Book 1: Heir to the Empire
Book 2: Dark Force Rising
Book 3: The Last Command

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.

(Do you miss Grand Admiral Thrawn? He's back in the new Star Wars canon, starting with Timothy Zahn's novel Thrawn!) 

X-Wing: Isard's Revenge

X-Wing: Isard's Revenge by Michael Stackpole
A continuation of Michael Stackpole's first four X-Wing novels, Isard's Revenge follows up with Rogue Squadron two years later, in the aftermath of the Thrawn Trilogy. More adventure, drama, and surprises await in this thrilling final installment of the Rogue Squadron story arc.

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Corran Horn's story is continued in I, Jedi.

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

The Jedi Academy Trilogy

 
The Jedi Academy Trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson
Though fan opinions vary on its quality, the Jedi Academy Trilogy plays a key role in the timeline of Legends novels set after Return of the Jedi. The series follows Luke Skywalker's mission to rebuild the Jedi Order by searching out Force-sensitive candidates and establishing a new Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. All does not go well at first, with a powerful Imperial superweapon emerging from hiding even as the spirit of an ancient Sith Lord works to corrupt the new generation of Jedi apprentices.

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Book 1: Jedi Search
Book 2: Dark Apprentice
Book 3: Champions of the Force

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.

I, Jedi

I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole
A tie-in to both the X-Wing series and the Jedi Academy Trilogy, this novel tells the story of Rogue Squadron pilot Corran Horn on his quest to become one of Luke Skywalker's new Jedi. Set at the same time as the Jedi Academy Trilogy, this book shows Luke Skywalker's first batch of Jedi students from a new point of view, and takes readers on a new adventure far beyond the Academy's walls.

I, Jedi was the first Star Wars novel to focus entirely on a character who wasn't in the movies, and is one of the only Star Wars books written in the first person.

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

Children of the Jedi

Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly
Not long after the events of the Jedi Academy Trilogy, Han and Leia are searching for a lost group of Jedi children. Meanwhile, Luke must find a way to stop an aging computerized superweapon, even as he falls in love with an Old Republic Jedi whose mind is trapped inside the computer.

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

Darksaber

Darksaber by Kevin J. Anderson
In this follow-up novel to the Jedi Academy Trilogy and Children of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker and his lover Callista set out on a journey of Force discovery, even as an evil Hutt crime lord builds a superweapon inspired by the Death Star. Meanwhile, Admiral Daala consolidates her power over the remnants of the Empire, preparing to strike back at the New Republic and Luke's recently-formed Jedi Academy. Remembered by some fans as one of the worst Star Wars novels, despite being a great financial success.

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

X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar

X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar by Aaron Allston
This late installment in the X-Wing series is remembered by fans as a masterpiece of humor mixed with seriousness. The story focuses on Rogue Squadron old-timers Wedge Antilles, Hobbie Klivian, Tycho Celchu, and Wes Janson, sent to earn the loyalty of a long-lost planet that now must decide between joining the New Republic or the Imperial Remnant. The mission will prove to be a test of the pilots' diplomatic skill as well as their flying expertise.

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

Planet of Twilight

Planet of Twilight by Barbara Hambly
As Luke Skywalker searches for his lost love, Leia is captured by a dangerous cult using Force-sensitive crystals to threaten the New Republic. Before the end, the heroes of Star Wars must come together on a strange planet to protect the galaxy from the return of an ancient and horrible plague.

Planet of Twilight is the third in a loose trilogy of novels that began with Children of the Jedi and Darksaber.

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

The Crystal Star

The Crystal Star by Vonda N. McIntyre
Meet the bizarre book that went down among fans as the most disliked Star Wars novel of the 1990s, despite being a great financial success. Written by noted Star Trek author Vonda N. McIntyre, The Crystal Star introduces readers a world of centaurs and werewolves, an evil chunk of meat from another dimension, and a strangely out-of-character Luke Skywalker.

The story follows Leia on a mission to rescue her kidnapped young children, while Han and Luke race to solve the mystery of a trans-dimensional space anomaly. Though clearly out of place among the Star Wars novels, it's not without its positive aspects, and is worth reading for both completists and those who appreciate the absurd.

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

The Black Fleet Crisis

 
The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
The remnants of the Empire have retreated and the galaxy is experiencing a period of peace. Han, Luke, and Chewbacca finally have some time to dedicate to themselves and their families. But Leia, now president of the New Republic, must grapple with the political maneuverings of a ruthless regional leader whose machinations threaten to tear the galaxy apart. Meanwhile, Luke is drawn off on a wild goose chase in search of knowledge of his mother, and Lando investigates the secrets of a mysterious and ancient ghost ship.

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Book 1: Before the Storm
Book 2: Shield of Lies
Book 3: Tyrant's Test

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.

The New Rebellion

The New Rebellion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Master Luke Skywalker faces one of his greatest challenges since restoring the Jedi order, as a Force-using genocidal maniac threatens to take down the New Republic. As Han and Lando dive into the criminal underworld of their past to clear Han's name of fraudulent terrorism charges, Luke must face the dark side of his own Jedi order.

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