Star Wars novels/comics??

[OrangePants]

My recent collecting of the SW Muggs has renewed my interest in Star Wars. I was thinking about getting some novels or comics to learn about some other characters like Darth Bane, Darth Krayt, Cade Skywalker. Does anyone have any advice or opinions on what are some of the better ones? I saw that the Thrawn Trilogy is recommended. Any feedback is welcomed. Thanks.:)

[Pumpkin King]

Dark Lord Rising
The Force Unleashed
Heir to the Empire
Shadow of the Empire

[Red X]

On top of Pumpkins suggestions I also highly recommend:

Outbound Flight
Allegiance (my favorite one)

The Thrawn Trilogy
Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (9 ABY)
Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn (9 ABY)
The Last Command by Timothy Zahn (9 ABY)

The Jedi Academy Trilogy
Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson (11 ABY)
Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. Anderson (11 ABY)
Champions of the Force by Kevin J. Anderson (11 ABY)

Anything by Zahn and Anderson I love. The books listed above will keep you busy for awhile and believe me if you love SW they will make your passion stronger as you read them and join your favorite characters once again on different adventures.

[Green Eggs and Death]

The Rogue/Wraith Squadron series (9 novels), by Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston.

I have just about all of the Star Wars novels UP TO Vector Prime (by "up to" I mean Star Wars chronological time ;) ) and those are some of my favorites.They focus on Wedge Antilles and what his role is in the SW universe, post RotJ. I have never read any of the Rogue Squadron comics, and there are references, in the novels, to what happens in those comics, but you lose nothing really if you haven't read them.

Michael A. Stackpole can be funny sometimes (not intentionally) 'cause he tends to end his chapters, and some of the sections in his chapters, with a character spouting sentences that no "real" person would EVER say, such as "And if we don't find the enemy base, a dark cloud will definitely hang over the fate of the universe," heh, or stuff like that (he does the same in his Battletech novels), but the rest of his writing is pretty good stuff. He handles the Rogue Squadron-based novels in the series and Aaron Allston handles the Wraith Squardron-based novels. Personally, I enjoyed the Wraiths more, but they're all good.

I also enjoyed the Black Fleet Crisis trilogy of novels, by Michael P. Kube-McDowell, but there are parts that are, frankly, quite boring. I think perhaps I enjoy it because there are not only Wookiees involved, including Chewbacca, but they actually DO something. However, if and when I re-read them, I practially fly through the parts involving Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker.

I always enjoyed the "original" Han Solo trilogy, Han Solo at Stars End, Han Solo's Revenge and Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, all by Brian Daley, because they came out (the first one did) between Star Wars and ESB, and I ate up anything Star Wars-related at the time. They're fun, featuring Han Solo and Chewbacca Pre-Star Wars.

Tales of the Bounty Hunters is pretty good, as is Tales of the Star Wars Cantina. Tales of the New Republic and Tales of the Empire? Not so great.