While most fans know Star Wars movies and tv shows, the world of Star Wars books and comics features unique storylines, arcs, and character development. This side of the franchise has some of the best canon-defining narratives, so what a shame that not all fans get into them.

Many casual fans want to try a Star Wars book or comic series but don't know where to start. There is the Extended Universe or Legends material, the current canon, and both have hundreds of entries. So, here are five books and comics for Star Wars books new fans should start with.

1 – Heir to The Empire by Timothy Zahn

While it’s not the first Star Wars book published, Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn kicked off the Extended Universe. The New York Times bestseller introduced many firsts into the franchise, like the creation of the planet Coruscant which George Lucas would later bring to life in the Prequel Trilogy. It also introduced one of the most prominent book-to-tv-screen characters, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Despite having moments of that fun 1990s cheesiness, Heir to the Empire holds up decades later, allowing Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and their friends to have their own unique story arc. Fan-favorite characters like Mara Jade, Captain Pellaeon, and Thrawn all get their start here in this novel.

The Ahsoka series' marketing hints that Heir to the Empire might be essential. Now is a great time to pick it up.

2 – Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

What do you get with two star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of a galactic civil war? You get one of the finest Star Wars books ever written. Claudia Gray has consistently proven she’s one of the best Star Wars writers, balancing plot and emotion. Lost Stars has everything a good Star Wars story should have.

Reading the book feels like watching the Original Trilogy and then turning the camera off to the side to see what’s happening with other characters in the wings. Starting before A New Hope and ending after Return of the Jedi, it treads on familiar ground while still feeling new.

Lost Stars is about two childhood friends, Ciena and Thane, who both enlist with the Empire searching for new job opportunities. Their training is a fascinating look at the lowest levels of the Empire and how propaganda warps young people. They meet different friends in the Imperial Academy, including a young man from Alderaan.

The Empire isn’t what they thought it would be, and Thane defects while Ciena stays. With the characters supporting opposing sides in the war, can their love survive?

3 – Bloodline by Claudia Gray

Several novels explain the how and why the events of Sequel Trilogy happened. The Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Windig details the beginning of the First Order, built out of the final battles of the Empire. Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed focuses on transitioning from the Republic to the Resistance.

While those are all great, the most essential of Star Wars books for the Sequel Trilogy is Bloodline. It focuses on Leia at the story's center, detailing the politics of the New Republic and how the First Order infiltrated the new government.

It also tackles why Leia has so few allies by the time The Force Awakens rolls around. The novel's focus is the destruction of her political career when it’s revealed that Darth Vader is her father. The harrowing story stands as one of Leia’s most satisfactory entries in the entire franchise, showcasing why the Princess turned General is the well-respected leader fans have come to know.

4 – Light of The Jedi by Charles Soule

For a story well separated from the Skywalker Saga, hop on the High Republic hype train. The multimedia project has succeeded with multiple New York Times bestsellers, award-winning comics, audio dramas, the animated series Young Jedi Adventures, and a live-action show, The Acolyte.

Set 250 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, the first novel, Light of the Jedi, kicks off the entire initiative. The Jedi and the Republic enjoy their golden age of a long-reigning time of peace. When a new group of raiders called the Nihil threaten everything with a weapon that attacks the Force, the Jedi are pushed to their limit.

Like all of the High Republic Star Wars books, what’s fascinating about Light of the Jedi is watching the seeds of demise grow. These Jedi have fundamental differences from the Jedi Order of the Prequel Trilogy, and watching the beginning of their fall hurts. Light of the Jedi starts the snowball that will eventually lead to Order 66 and the destruction of the Jedi Order.

5 – Darth Vader by Charles Soule

If you pick up a single comic to try out, Darth Vader by Charles Soule has everything from an emotional story to weird Force lore. It opens right after the events of Revenge of the Sith, and the early issues focus on Anakin getting used to being Darth Vader. 

The comic run also addressed how the Empire reacted to Darth Vader's emergence. The arrival of the mysterious man in a suit sewed confusion among high-ranking Imperial officers and led to early strife. It’s a chronicle of the earliest days of the Empire and what happened in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Republic and Jedi. The comic also addresses the rise of the Inquisitors too, so there are plenty of Easter eggs for Star Wars Rebels fans.

Darth Vader also lays the groundwork for other movies, video games, and television series through the last arc, which follows the construction of Vader’s castle. A fun new Sith Lord appears and becomes one of the most unique baddies in Star Wars. The less readers know about him going in, the better.

This comic series bridges the gap between the Prequels and the Original Trilogy through the lens of one of the best villains of all time.