The only Star Wars book I have read is Deceived, which I really liked. That prompted me to check out Fatal Alliance, which I am about 1/3 of the way through. I didn't think to start reading any books about TOR until I heard the mention of Revan on this podcast.

I haven't read Revan yet either.... nor Decieved (gasp I know!).. money money money being that issue right now.

Its been years since I've read the series folks lovingly refer to as the Thrawn trilogy.. but it did get me heavy into reading many of the other Star Wars novels as they were put out.

I'm going to say its a toss up really between two sets/series. First "draft" pick if you will is the Darth Bane trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn. That series was a good read for me, and I enjoyed it as it wasn't told from the point of the "good guys". It was a series about a man becoming a Sith Lord over time, and his knowledge of what he was doing, and what it meant for the future of his newly shaped ideal/return to form, of the Dark Side. The only gripe I had on the series.. is the ending left me with far too many questions.. but then again.. isn't that the sign of a good book? To make you think about the ending and what it could mean?

Second runner up for this has been the Trooper series of books by Karen Traviss. Currently I'm up to the 3rd or 4th book and have enjoyed them. Its a shame that she had a falling out with LucasArts... but their loss is the Halo Universe's gain.

I'm almost tempted to re-read the Bane series again.. now that I've got all 3 and can do a solid read through them again. Last time I had to wait a few months to get the 3rd book in the series and some details of what went on before were a little fuzzy in places.

I'm sure the Revan novel is just as good, as its also written by Drew... so I look forward to eventually getting it and reading it as well. I'll just have to hold off on listening to the podcast till after I've done so... I'm still waiting to listen to cast 40 on Decieved since I've not read it either! LOL.

Most recently I have read "Deceived" in the TOR era and really enjoyed it. Of course before reading the book I had seen the trailer put together by Bioware and was anticipating a wonderful read. That is exactly what i received. Exploring this time frame in preparation for the game is what drove me to read "Deceived" and is what is driving me to win this book! I dont own Revan yet but look forward to reading it!

If you are looking for a TOR book check out "Deceived"

I haven't read Revan and picking a single Star Wars book is tough but my favorite story line would have to be the Clone Trooper one. I thought it was great learning about where the clone troopers came from and how they were really just little kids...that carried blasters. The growth of the clone trooper family with the mandalorians and jedi was very interesting especially when compared to how "outsiders" non-clones treated the clone troopers. They were really looked at no better than the droids they fought. I enjoyed it so much I've decided to play a trooper in TOR (yes, I realize they don't have much in common with the clone troopers but I think it could be interesting, especially using dark side choices).

Welcome to the Forums, Neethi.

I haven't read Revan yet but I am looking forward too.

My favorite star wars book was the Rogue Squadron series written by Michael Stackpole. I thought he did a really good job of describing the events immediately following the fall of the empire and really did a good job of giving the infamous rogue squadron a face other than that of Luke Skywalker.

Hello to all the newcomers! Welcome to the MER forums.

I'm looking forward to the "Revan" review and discussion, but as someone who has yet to sample any of the Star Wars books out there would it be possible for Evan to give a quick, rough and ready guide on where to start if you're just getting into them?

(hope you feel better soon Zach!)

I read Revan like a rabid wombat. I say this because I had to borrow my friend's (didn't have the spare cash because of the Holiday) and even he was surprised that I finished it so fast. So what follows will be as spoiler free as I can possibly make it while giving an overview of the book in a review style. However if you ARE worried about a little slip information? Skip me. I'll do my best, but I'm not perfect.

Within a mere five pages of the book I was hooked. It doesn't start with a massive fight between Revan and a Sith remnant or even with the legendary fight between Revan and Malak, but with Revan after the fallout. Just him being a normal human being living in the shadow of having his mind erased, his friend killed, and saving the galaxy after being the most reviled (and revered) Jedi to ever exist.

Through the course of the entire book it's never about him trying to defeat a looming evil, though you could say that. Instead it's more a follow up to KOTOR 1 and 2. Where Revan goes looking for peace after years of being a servant of the darkside, and years after the defeat of Malak where he is an outcast among Jedi. A living cautionary tale only allowed his freedom because he was so instrumental in the defeat of the Sith army.

It's no huge spoiler to say that Revan and Bastilla are, in fact, married. Or that they're content with each other as much as you'd expect. Yet he cannot find peace. As the code says "There is no emotion, there is peace." and Revan cannot find his. So despite his own misgivings he, T3 and Canderous set off to find the reason behind his nightmares. To give him back a part of his mind that was lost after Bastilla captured him during the strike mission.

What follows is a ride that is wonderfully old-school Star Wars. A man over his head despite his powers. A new character from the Empire you get to learn about quite well who grows on you quickly because he is not a brute killer or truly evil for the sake of being evil. You also get to see the Jedi Exile, get a sense of why the Ebon Hawk and T3 where there when the game began. And you get to see the life that Revan lead long before he became the Dark Lord. The virtue he held onto, the disillusion he experienced, and even the feelings he had for his former crew mates that went so far as to leave them to their own peace rather than risk them on another wild journey.

In short by the time you reach the end of this ride you have a unique understanding of what it takes to be a hero on both the Republic and Imperial side. Not to be the conquering hero who saved the galaxy, but to be the person who made the right stand at the right time. With that said I will tell you not to get your hopes up for a happy ending. But even in those heart-wrenching moments where you realize that things wont end like you wanted, you respect that those sacrifices were made. Not because it's what Jedi do, or it's just noble for the sake of being noble, but because Revan is willing to do those things. And that is the core of why he was believed to be a Sith even during the Mandalorian Wars, when he firmly believed in the Jedi Code in truth.

So if you haven't gotten to this book because you're worried about TOR plot spoilers... well theres a few. And you do get to meet a companion for one of the classes. However don't let that deter you. This book sets it's self apart from the usual hero's journey not because it's Revan and he obviously didn't stop the Empire from returning, but because he was willing to give up contentment with a woman he loved for the sake of more than himself, and had no regrets all the way through. So if you ever wonder what it takes to be a true Jedi? This is the book for you.

I haven't read many Star Wars novels, The Heir to the Empire Trilogy and then the episodes 1-3 books when they came out. Some how those were better than the movie because you couldn't hear the voices of the actors. Still didn't make sense but atleast yer ears weren't bleeding. With that said I have to say that the Heir to the Empire Trilogy is my favorite. Thrawn was just an awesome "bad guy". I mean if you get a personal army of assassin's who the heck is gonna step on your feet. The ideas about the force in this book also really threw a wrench into the system about Jedi's being the end all be all. It sorta leveled the playing field a bit and made a niche in which you could have normal people dominating without the force. I haven't read through the whole thread yet but was wondering if we could get a forum section for just books? I picked up a kindle last year and have been trying to read more like i used to when i was a kid. That or atleast maybe a start a thread on books and maybe have some sort of rating system on each book? I'd trust the people here before some of those booksellers.