Star Wars Start Here
Where Should You Start With Star Wars Books?
Choose a first Star Wars book by continuity, character or era, without treating the entire catalogue as required reading.
The short answer
Choose a continuity and a story that interests you, rather than starting with the earliest date on a timeline. Lost Stars is a useful canon entry for original-trilogy fans; A New Dawn suits readers curious about Rebels. For Legends, start at the beginning of a named series rather than mixing its sequels with current canon.[1][2]
Entry-point guidance with premise-level context; avoids major story resolutions. Source pages may contain spoilers.
Should you start with canon or Legends?
Choose current canon if your main aim is to follow the continuity of the newer screen stories. Choose Legends if you want to explore the earlier Expanded Universe on its own terms. Neither choice requires abandoning the other: the practical rule is to keep track of which history you are reading.[2]
Before buying a book, check its title, author and series information. A familiar character on the cover is not enough to identify the continuity. Reprints also have new publication dates, so a recent edition does not necessarily contain a newly written canon story.
Understand the difference between Star Wars canon and Legends
Which canon book fits your interests?
| What interests you | A starting point | Why consider it |
|---|---|---|
| The original-trilogy era | Lost Stars, by Claudia Gray | A self-contained character story alongside familiar events |
| The beginnings of the Rebels characters | A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller | Introduces characters before their television adventures |
| What follows Return of the Jedi | Aftermath, by Chuck Wendig | Begins a trilogy about the aftermath of the Empire’s defeat |
These are different doors into the catalogue. You do not need to read all three before moving on. Pick the premise that makes you want to turn the page, then finish that book or series before deciding whether to explore another era. A book written for younger readers is also a legitimate starting point; the age label is not a continuity label.
How should you approach a Legends series?
Treat a series as a local reading commitment. Check which volume is first, follow that sequence, and use the wider chronology when you want to place it beside other stories. If two books share a character but belong to different series, do not assume one is automatically the sequel to the other.
Legends is still worthwhile if its premise appeals to you. Reading it does not mean you are preparing for an exact screen adaptation, and you do not have to judge its value by whether its events appear in current canon. The distinction is about which story continues which history.[2]
Should your first read follow chronological order?
Only if tracing the fictional history is the experience you want. Chronology is particularly useful for revisiting a period or fitting books around films and series. For a first book, it can turn a simple choice into an unnecessarily large project.
Use Story Order’s Star Wars guide with the Read filter to narrow the catalogue. Check continuity labels and release information before choosing. If a date such as 5 BBY is unfamiliar, learn the notation first; it describes a placement, not a recommendation to read that book before every later one.
Inside the chronology
Go straight to the story
Sources & verification
Fact-checked on 28 September 2026 against the sources below. Starting recommendations and optional-context judgments are Story Order editorial guidance, not official mandatory orders.
- StarWars.com: Where should you start reading Star Wars books?
Official discussion of interest-led entry points and the three canon novels mentioned here.
Primary source · Checked - Lucasfilm: The Expanded Universe turns a new page
Why Legends and current canon are distinct.
Primary source · Checked