The 5 Best Star Wars Books You Can Read On Kindle Right Now
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, getting into "Star Wars" was a relatively simple thing. You watched the original trilogy, and eventually, you watched the prequel trilogy. After that, you could dabble a bit in some comics or the odd novel, maybe play some "Battlefront II" (watch those wrist rockets, everybody), but you didn't need to dive in too deep in order to get a full picture.
These days, things aren't so simple. The Disney+ era has brought us loads of content totaling hundreds of hours across the various animated series, "The Mandalorian" and its spin-offs, and many other projects. The books, as it happens, have kept up with that breakneck pace. Sure, you could just watch "Andor" and call it a day, but there are tons of great "Star Wars" stories written across the current canon and Legends — the old Expanded Universe. Navigating both timelines and some 40-odd years of books can be a hazardous task, though, sort of like jumping into hyperspace without the proper star charts. Fortunately, I've ventured deep into the outer rim of Legends novels and short-story anthologies to make your journey as easy as possible.
There is no single right place to start when it comes to "Star Wars" books, but there are a few obvious choices, as well as plenty of material to avoid outright. Here are five of the best Star Wars books you can read on Kindle right now, the reasons why they're so good, and what to read after.
Star Wars: Light of the Jedi
It would be ridiculous not to kick off this list with the beginning of Star Wars: The High Republic. The multimedia project begun by Disney at the end of 2020 has expanded over the last few years and become an institution unto itself. For many fans, it's earned a place amongst the franchise's most beloved eras. And yet, because it's almost entirely contained within books and comics, many more still haven't even begun to explore this corner of the universe.
"Light of the Jedi" is the official beginning of the saga, so it should be no surprise to see it here on this list. The novel does a great job of establishing this unique period in galactic history, outlining the Renaissance-esque cultural bloom showering the Republic and the growing effort to colonize the Outer Rim. It also introduces core characters like Jedi masters Avar Kriss and Loden Greatstorm, as well as the villainous Marchion Ro.
The core story in "Light of the Jedi" revolves around the Great Hyperspace Disaster, a catastrophic event brought about by a faction of powerful space pirates called the Nihil. It's a compelling narrative by itself, but "Light of the Jedi" is made all the greater because of the numerous stories that follow. If you're interested in reading more "Star Wars" books, the High Republic is a fantastic place to start. Plus, the audiobook is fully scored with music and sound effects for those who want a more cinematic experience.
Darth Plagueis: Star Wars Legends
Recommending old Star Wars Expanded Universe books can be a slippery slope. So many came out in the 1990s and 2000s, establishing loads of lore — some of which has continued to influence the modern canon in major ways. Other parts of the EU, though, were baffling then and are only more so now. It's all worth revisiting for superfans who have a historical interest, but the selection that appeals to more causal readers today is more limited.
"Darth Plageuis" makes that shortlist for several reasons. First and foremost, it's a great read, written well by James Luceno and covering a particularly intriguing piece of the "Star Wars" mythos. The titular villain has been a point of interest ever since he was first mentioned back in "Revenge of the Sith," and his relationship with the young Sheev Palpatine sets the stage for the prequel trilogy in a number of fascinating ways. Since most casual fans have seen the prequels, "Darth Plagueis" is also far more accessible than a lot of the Legends material.
Lastly, while many details in the book have since been retconned, very little of the modern canon deals with Darth Plagueis directly. More of the story still fits into the current timeline than you might think, and though none of it is officially sanctioned by Lucasfilm anymore, it's a more fun read because of the pieces that do still work.
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
Sometimes, a full novel might be too big of a commitment, but that's what short stories are for. "From a Certain Point of View" is a project that started in 2017 — the 40th-anniversary year of the original "Star Wars." In honor of the occasion, Lucasfilm commissioned a short story collection of 40 unique tales from the perspectives of different characters, all set in and around "A New Hope." The anthology was followed by installments for "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" in 2020 and 2023, the 40th-anniversary years for each respective film.
All three volumes are fantastic, but "From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back" is the one to check out if you don't have time for them all. Not only does it center on what many hold as the best film in the original trilogy, but it also features a number of the best stories across all three books.
Writer and Star Wars critic Austin Walker's "No Time for Poetry," for instance, is a fun story of Dengar and IG-88 — two of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader to hunt down Han Solo — as they develop a begrudging camaraderie. Gary Whitta, one of the writers for "Rogue One," contributed the aptly titled "Rogue Two," which follows Rebel pilot Zev Senesca. Everyone from Yoda and Darth Sidious to the Ugnaughts of Cloud City gets a little snippet told from their perspective. It's a great homage to arguably the best "Star Wars" movie ever and a fun read from cover to cover.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith
It wouldn't be right to completely exclude the post-Endor era of the modern canon from this list. Since Disney kicked off the sequel trilogy and, later, the "Mandalorian" saga, numerous books have been written to add dimension and context to the New Republic era. Subjects like Luke's Jedi academy, Princess Leia's political struggles after "Return of the Jedi," Kylo Ren's fall to the dark side, and the emergence of the First Order are explored in detail, albeit to varying degrees of success. Anyone interested in this era of "Star Wars" should check out the "Aftermath" trilogy and Claudia Gray's "Bloodline," but our pick for this list is "Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith."
Released in 2022 — well after the premiere of "The Rise of Skywalker" — Adam Christopher's adventure novel primarily answers questions posed by that most recent film. It follows Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker, while the latter is at the peak of his Jedi powers, as they try to unravel a Sith conspiracy with ties to Palpatine's resurrection. The infamous Sith dagger from "The Rise of Skywalker" and the Jedi hunter Ochi of Bestoon feature prominently. The novel also provides a full explanation of Rey's parentage and how her family came to be.
As a supplementary text to "The Rise of Skywalker," "Shadow of the Sith" is a well-executed success. As a story in its own right, it's a great character-building piece for Lando and a fun picture of pre-exile Luke Skywalker that even includes a cameo from Anakin.
Heir to the Empire: Star Wars Legends
You'd think that with so much new, canonical Thrawn material to choose from, we could finally leave Timothy Zahn's original Legends trilogy off of a list like this one. And yet, against the odds, "Heir to the Empire" remains a necessary inclusion more than 30 years after its 1991 debut.
Even if you've never read the book, you're probably aware of the story's broad strokes. A little-known Imperial grand admiral named Mitth'raw'nuruodo, or Thrawn, for short, returns after the defeat of Emperor Palpatine and launches an attack against the recently christened New Republic. Though the Expanded Universe existed in various forms prior to Zahn's first "Star Wars" novel, this is where things begin in earnest. It's a fantastic example of '90s pulp sci-fi, and, as time has gone on, it's become an increasingly curious historical touchstone for where Disney has taken the franchise.
Thrawn's canonical arc across "Star Wars Rebels," "Ahsoka," and Zahn's more recent reboot novels is distinct in countless ways from the original "Heir to the Empire" story, but those contemporary texts all exist in conversation with their predecessor. The following two books — "Dark Force Rising" and "The Last Command" — are also still worth checking out if you enjoy "Heir," but the first book is of unique interest today because of its specific influences on the modern era of "Star Wars." It's also, simply put, better than Zahn's later Grand Admiral Thrawn books, canon or otherwise.