I read on Facebook that Paul S. Kemp will be writing a new Star Wars Expanded Universe novel about Darth Vader and Palpatine/Sidious. (Due out May 2015 IIRC.) As I have a little Darth Sidious action figure next to my desk lamp at work, that makes me happy.
That also got me excited about what other Star Wars novels are out there. I tried to read some of the most recent ones that took place after the original movies, but they were part of a long, convoluted series involving a war with some new aliens, so I didn't get far. In fact, many of the books belong to extended mini-series. For some reason, I never got into the original Zahn SW books (the Thrawn books), which I know people love. I might rectify that...
From the reviews I've read, I'm dubious about reading quite a few of the titles. But I know the Star Wars novels range from "OMG never let that person near Star Wars again..." to "Ooh, ooh, you should read this even if you hate media fiction!"
So what Star Wars books would you recommend? Especially to someone who wants to plunge into the universe again, but doesn't really want to read a 20-volume Extended Universe miniseries?
