Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View by various authors
This book isn't actually a novel, but something much more special: To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original Star Wars movie, dozens of authors came together to write 40 short stories, each one retelling part of the movie from a new perspective. Most of the stories are told from the viewpoint of a minor background character or other onlooker to the events of the movie.

As if that wasn't cool enough, the authors all contributed for free, with the publisher donating the proceeds to charity.

This is the first New Canon take on background characters from Episode IV: A New Hope, but if you can't get enough, also check out Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina in the Legends alternate timeline! And if you enjoyed this book, check out the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View.

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This is a book from the New Canon timeline! It's guaranteed to be consistent with future movies, TV shows, books, and comics (and most new stories since 2014).

Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization

Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization by Terry Brooks
From well-known fantasy author Terry Brooks comes the official adaptation of the Episode I: The Phantom Menace movie, with several all-new chapters about young Anakin Skywalker, starting from before the beginning of 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).

Episode II: Attack of the Clones novelization

Episode II: Attack of the Clones novelization by R.A. Salvatore
This is the official adaptation of the Episode II: Attack of the Clones film, with a number of expanded and new scenes that build upon the story 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).

Kenobi

Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
After losing almost everything to Palpatine's newly declared Empire, Jedi hero Obi-Wan Kenobi must learn to live as a hermit on the remote desert planet of Tatooine. His mission: to lay low and not be a Jedi. But it seems trouble has a way of finding him even here! A fan favorite.

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

Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina

Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina by various authors
A collection of short stories, each focusing on one of the characters from the famous bar scene in the original Star Wars movie!

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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).

(Interested in a New Canon take on the background characters of Star Wars: A New Hope? Check out Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View.)

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization by George Lucas 
The very first Star Wars book ever, this novel was written by Alan Dean Foster based on George Lucas's script for the original Star Wars movie (Foster agreed to do it without credit). It was released in 1976, six months before the movie, and was then titled Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker.

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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).

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).

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). 

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).

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.