The best Star Wars books you can read (top 5 for 2023)
Star Wars is probably the biggest franchise of all time - George Lucas sold it for 5 billion dollars to Disney, an incredible amount of money when you think about it. The movies are among the most popular of all time, and the original trilogy still holds up (the prequels are a bit more controversial).
Battle Scars
This Star Wars book is quite remarkable in that it actually landed on the New York Times Bestseller list earlier this year, so it clearly broke through to a wider audience than just Star Wars nerds. And we're not surprised either - the book is packed with fun and works well as a standalone book which doesn't really require you to have a deep understanding of the Star Wars universe to enjoy. The book follows Cal Kestis who is the leader of the Stinger Mantis crew. The crew meets a stormtrooper who claims that she can help them evade the Inquisitor known as the Fifth Brother. As well as being fun and containing lots of action, there is also quite a bit of romance in this book, which is nice for a Star Wars novel. Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk
The Battle of Jedha
Based after the events of The High Republic: Convergence, this book is a 2023 book and we'd start by saying that if you haven't been reading The High Repulic series then this is definitely not the best book to jump in on as you'll struggle to understand what's going on. But if you're familiar with the storyline, then we'd say that The Battle of Jedha is the best book of The High Republic series so far. For an added bonus, download the accompanying "audio drama", which is like an audiobook but on steroids. You can listen to that audio drama for free with an Audible trial, learn more about that and buy this excellent Star Wars book here - amazon.co.uk
Thrawn Ascendency
The Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy by Timothy Zahn is an excellent trio of Star Wars books, but we’d say the best of the 3 is the second. The books follow the journey of Thrawn as he There is a Thrawn book from 2017, but if you’re familiar with the Star Wars: Rebels series then you can jump straight into this trilogy. The book is set between the events of Attack of The clones and Revenge of the Sith, so if you ever wanted to see more of the Star Wars universe from this period then we’d recommend reading this great book. Learn more and buy it here - waterstones.com
Brotherhood
If you're looking for a Star Wars book which is definitely for adults and which deals with some pretty mature themes, then we think Brotherhood is an ideal book to get stuck into. It's about the relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, and shows Anakin's transformation from being a padawan to a Jedi Knight. If you're someone who watched the prequel movies and didn't enjoy them, then don't be put off by the fact that this book takes place during those movies - the themes of the prequels are cleverly woven into this book, and although there is politics, it isn't overbearing and there is still plenty of action and intrigue. Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk
Cataclysm
Cataclysm is another book from the High Republic series, and it's part of Phase II after Convergence. Again, you don't necessarily need to have read the prior books to understand and appreciate this book, but if you've watched the Rebels series and read the aforementioned Battle of Jedha book then that's a good starting point. We'd actually say that along with Battle of Jedha, Cataclysm is one of the best books in the High Republic series so far. There is plenty of Jedi action in this book as various groups come together to battle against the Path of the Open Hand. There is also an audiobook which goes along with this book. Learn more and buy it here - penguin.co.uk
We hope this guide helps you to find an excellent Star Wars book and to see that you don't have to watch movies or tv shows to lose yourself in the fun of the Star Wars universe!
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.