Here’s your official guide to the Star Wars books in chronological order. When George Lucas launched Star Wars, part of his genius lay in the decision to embrace transmedia. The first official tie-in novel, Alan Dean Foster’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, was actually published before the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Still, it wasn’t until 1991 that Lucasfilm really began to exploit the potential of novels, with Timothy Zahn relaunching the Star Wars Expanded Universe with the launch of his New York Times-bestselling Thrawn trilogy. All that was erased from canon, officially branded “Legends,” shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.
Since then, Disney has evolved Star Wars into a trailblazing transmedia franchise. Lucasfilm Publishing has launched several successful initiatives to tie in with movies and TV shows, while the Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative has opened up a whole new part of the Star Wars timeline. That makes it incredibly difficult to keep up – but here’s your guide to the Star Wars books in chronological order. Note that this doesn’t include choose-your-own-adventure stories or tie-ins that simply adapt a story from one medium to another, without adding new lore. It also doesn’t include novelizations of the original trilogy or prequels, where canonicity is debatable.
Books In Star Wars: The High Republic Phase II
Star Wars: The High Republic technically takes a tip from George Lucas himself, with the overarching story told out of chronological order. That means phase II technically comes first, some 350 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. It’s worth noting these stories often overlap significantly, with events occurring concurrently – particularly toward the end. Path of Vengeance technically begins before Cataclysm, but ends as something of a coda to the era, so logically comes last in this list.
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Path of Deceit
by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland -
Convergence
by Zoraida Córdova -
Quest for the Hidden City
by George Mann -
The Battle of Jedha
by George Mann -
Cataclysm
by Lydia Kang -
Quest for Planet X
by Tessa Gratton -
Path of Vengeance
by Cavan Scott
Books In Star Wars: The High Republic Phase I
Set 200 years before the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: The High Republic Phase I is the story of the Jedi Order at its height. The High Republic Era is a time when the light of the Jedi shone brighter than ever before, as the Republic expanded across the Star Wars galaxy map toward the Outer Rim. But the brighter the light, the darker the shadows it casts, as the Jedi learned to their cost.
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Light of the Jedi
by Charles Soule -
Into the Dark
by Claudia Gray -
A Test of Courage
by Justina Ireland -
The Rising Storm
by Cavan Scott -
Race to Crashpoint Tower
by Daniel José Older -
Out of the Shadows
by Justina Ireland -
Tempest Runner
by Cavan Scott -
Mission to Disaster
by Justina Ireland -
The Fallen Star
by Claudia Gray -
Midnight Horizon
by Daniel José Older
Books In Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III
Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III is set a year after the events of Phase I. The space pirates known as the Nihil appear to have triumphed, but the Jedi are organizing against them. Phase III launched in November 2023, which means only one book has been released to date.
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The Eye of Darkness
by George Mann
Star Wars Books Set Before The Prequel Era
Several stories are set between the High Republic Era and the prequel trilogy. The Vow of the Silver Dawn is included in this list, but unfortunately, it has yet to be translated into English; its timeline placement has recently moved as a result of the reference book Star Wars: Timelines. Claudia Gray’s Master & Apprentice is a particularly important book during this period, finally revealing details about the Chosen One prophecy.
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The Vow of Silver Dawn
by His Majesty the King -
Dooku: Jedi Lost
by Cavan Scott -
Padawan
by Kiersten White -
Master & Apprentice
by Claudia Gray -
Darth Maul & the Rathtars
by Steven Behling
Prequel Era Star Wars Books
Lucasfilm Publishing’s Star Wars canon books have done a good job of adding depth to the prequel trilogy. This period includes a tremendous range of novels by E.K. Johnston focused on Padmé Amidala, and a trilogy by Timothy Zahn that ends shortly after the rise of the Empire. Christie Golden’s Dark Disciple is an unusual book, the only one still officially considered canon even though it was technically produced after Disney’s reset; it’s an important story from Star Wars: The Clone Wars that was never made because of the show’s cancelation.
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Queen’s Peril
by E.K. Johnston -
Queen’s Shadow
by E.K. Johnston -
Queen’s Hope
by E.K. Johnston -
Brotherhood
by Mike Chen -
Dark Disciple
by Christie Golden -
Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising
by Timothy Zahn -
Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good
by Timothy Zahn -
Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil
by Timothy Zahn
Books Set During The Reign Of The Empire
Lucasfilm Publishing initially focused on novels set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, with a number of books by James Luceno fleshing things out. A major transmedia initiative accompanied the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, meaning several books are set around that; this seems to have blazed the trail for later approaches. Catalyst, by James Luceno, is included in this section even though it technically begins during the Clone Wars;
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Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade
by Delilah S. Dawson -
Catalyst
by James Luceno -
Adventures in Wild Space
by Cavan Scott and Tom Huddleston, a series of children’s novels -
Ahsoka
by E.K. Johnston -
Lords of the Sith
by Paul S. Kemp -
Tarkin
by James Luceno -
Crimson Climb
by E.K. Johnston -
Most Wanted
by Rae Carson -
Lando’s Luck
by Justina Ireland -
Solo: A Star Wars Story
by Mur Lafferty -
Rebel Rising
by Beth Revis -
Thrawn
by Timothy Zahn -
A New Dawn
by John Jackson Miller -
Jedi: Battle Scars
by Sam Maggs -
Servants of the Empire
by Jason Fry, a series of children’s novels -
Leia: Princess of Alderaan
by Claudia Gray -
Thrawn: Alliances
by Timothy Zahn -
Thrawn: Treason
by Timothy Zahn -
The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fearl
by Tom Angleberger -
Guardians of the Whills
by Greg Rucka -
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
by Alexander Freed -
Bounty Hunt
by Katrina Pallant
Star Wars Books Set During The Original Trilogy Era
Surprisingly few Star Wars canon books have been set during the original trilogy era, which has instead mostly been explored by Marvel Comics. Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars technically begins during the Dark Times, spanning the entire Galactic Civil War before finishing a year after Return of the Jedi, but it’s included here because so much is set during the original trilogy. Sarah Kuhn’s Doctor Aphra is an audiobook adaptation of a comic book story, with significant additional material.
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Lost Stars
by Claudia Gray -
Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
by Christie Golden -
Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure
by Greg Rucka -
Heir to the Jedi
by Kevin Hearne -
Doctor Aphra
by Sarah Kuhn -
The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure
by Jason Fry -
Battlefront: Twilight Company
by Alexander Freed -
Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure
by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry
Star Wars Books Set Before The Sequel Trilogy
The period between Return of the Jedi and the Star Wars sequel trilogy is relatively unexplored. This is partly because Lucasfilm had no concrete plans for the rise of the First Order, so didn’t want to detail anything until the sequels had been completed. Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy and Alexander Freed’s Alphabet Squadron trilogy overlap significantly.
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The Princess & the Scoundrel
by Beth Revis -
Alphabet Squadron
by Alexander Freed -
Aftermath
by Chuck Wendig -
Shadow Fall
by Alexander Freed -
Aftermath: Life Debt
by Chuck Wendig -
Victory’s Price
by Alexander Freed -
Aftermath: Empire’s End
by Chuck Wendig -
Hunters: Battle for the Arena
by Mark Oshiro -
Last Shot
by Daniel José Older -
Poe Dameron: Free Fall
by Alex Segura -
Shadow of the Sith
by Adam Christopher -
Bloodline
by Claudia Gray -
The Legends of Luke Skywalker
by Ken Liu -
Before the Awakening
by Greg Rucka -
Phasma
by Delilah S. Dawson -
Force Collector
by Kevin Shinick -
Join the Resistance
by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Books Set During The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Continuing through the chronology, there are several Star Wars books set during the sequel trilogy. Again, though, these are minimal in number, reflecting the various course corrections taken by Lucasfilm. The most notable is Rebecca Roanhorse’s Resistance Reborn, which resolves many of the unanswered questions from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens
by Alan Dean Foster -
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
by Jason Fry -
Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire
by Delilah S. Dawson -
Resistance Reborn
by Rebecca Roanhorse -
Spark of the Resistance
by Justina Ireland -
Pirate’s Price
by Lou Anders -
A Crash of Fate
by Zoraida Córdova -
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
by Rae Carson
Star Wars Anthologies
Finally, there are a number of Star Wars anthologies considered canon. Several of these are tales of myths and legends told across the galaxy, and so cannot be precisely placed. The From A Certain Point Of View series explore the different original trilogy movies, but it is difficult to say whether they are canon; they are omitted from the recent Star Wars: Timelines reference book, suggesting these aren’t official Star Wars canon.
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Tales Of Light & Dark
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From A Certain Point Of View
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From A Certain Point Of View: The Empire Strikes Back
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From A Certain Point Of View: Return of the Jedi
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Myths & Fables
by George Mann -
Dark Legends
by George Mann -
Life Day Treasury
by George Mann and Cavan Scott -
Star Wars: Tales of Light & Life
