"After the fall of the Empire, many archives were opened and hidden information came to the attention of scholars across the galaxy. We are at a crux point in history . . . Citizens of the New Republic must know their history--a rich and glorious tradition, [with] many dark mistakes. We must learn from both."
--New Republic Historical Council
The story is one that began many thousands of years before the birth of Luke Skywalker . . . or Anakin Skywalker . . . or even Obi-Wan Kenobi. It spans galaxies, encompasses kingdoms and powerful dynasties, chronicles wars, and charts the rise and fall of individuals who changed the course of their times. Now, at last, the many strands of this extraordinary saga are drawn together--from the original movies, from the novels, from every verifiable source--and tied together in one, comprehensive volume.
- Learn about the Great Hyperspace War that divided the ancient Jedi Knights
- Discover the colorful adventures of the rogue heroes Han Solo and Lando Calrissian
- Experience the overthrow of the Empire, the birth of the New Republic, the founding of Skywalker's Jedi academy, the marriage of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, and much more!
Relive the legendary events. Catch up with the action you missed. Explore the saga of Star Wars from the very beginning--in one, authoritative essential guide!
When this book first hit print, many
Star Wars fans felt a great disturbance in the Force. Not the bad, millions-of-voices-crying-out-in-terror kind of disturbance, mind you--more like a galactic sigh of relief as two
Star Wars vets finally dared to compile a comprehensive chronology, a book ambitiously subtitled "The Definitive History of the
Star Wars Universe." And Kevin J Anderson and Daniel Wallace don't disappoint: their accurately named
Essential Chronology satisfies all but the most rabid fan-boy needs, cataloging every significant event from the Golden Age of the Sith (roughly 5,000 years BBY, Before the Battle of Yavin) through to the exploits of the Young Jedi in 24 ABY (immediately preceding the events of Del Rey's New Jedi Order story arc).
In encyclopedic style, the duo has compiled the periods and players from what's become a sprawl of comics, computer games, newspaper strips, "audio adventures", and paperbacks. Some niggling details, of course, slip through the cracks, but the end product succeeds admirably, proving to be both entertaining and useful. The icing on the cake? Solid illustrations by Bill Hughes, an era-by-era timeline (including every major book, comic, computer game, and movie), and--thank the Maker--an index. --Paul Hughes