Well, 'The Crystal Star' is often regarded as one of the worst. It's got a plot that's all over the place. There are these strange alien concepts that don't seem to blend well with the rest of the Star Wars elements. It's like the author was trying to be too creative and ended up making a mess. The characters also don't act in ways that we've come to expect from them in the Star Wars universe.
In my opinion, 'The New Rebellion' is not a great addition to the EU novels. The story lacks the usual excitement of Star Wars. The conflict seems forced and the resolution is rather anticlimactic. It also doesn't do a great job of building on the existing relationships between the main characters.
I would say 'Knights of the Old Republic' novels are also very good. They take you back in time to a different era of the Star Wars universe. You get to see the Jedi and Sith in a whole new light, with different conflicts and power struggles that are really engaging.
Well, 'Aftermath' is often regarded as one of the worst. The story just didn't seem to have the same level of excitement as other Star Wars stories. It focused a lot on new characters that many fans had a hard time getting attached to. There were parts where the pacing dragged, and it didn't do a great job of making you feel like you were in the heart of the Star Wars galaxy.
The 'Dark Nest' trilogy is often considered among the worst. The storylines were a bit of a mess, and it deviated too much from the core themes and feel of Star Wars. It introduced some elements that were hard to swallow for many fans, like some of the new and rather strange alien species and their behaviors.
Characterization can be a big issue. There are novels where the main characters act completely out of character. For instance, a heroic character from the movies might do something really uncharacteristic in an EU novel, like making a stupid decision that doesn't fit their profile. And sometimes, the new characters added are just not interesting or engaging enough to hold the reader's attention.
The 'Courtship of Princess Leia' is often regarded as a not - so - great EU story. It had a really strange premise. Han and Leia's relationship took a very odd turn in this story, and it felt forced. The whole idea of other species vying for Leia's hand in marriage in such a cheesy way didn't sit well with the overall tone of the Star Wars saga.
Well, it's mainly because it was so poorly executed. The story was all over the place. It had a bunch of random segments that didn't flow well together. There was no real focus or a strong central plot. It seemed like they just threw together a bunch of ideas without much thought into making it a coherent Star Wars story.
In my opinion, 'The Thrawn Trilogy' is very important. As I mentioned before, 'Heir to the Empire' starts it off. These novels were really the first to expand the Star Wars universe after the movies and had a huge impact on how fans saw the post - ROTJ galaxy. Thrawn was a brilliant villain, not just a brute force bad guy but a strategic mastermind.
Sure. 'Heir to the Empire' by Timothy Zahn is a great one. It really kicks off the post - original trilogy storylines in the EU and introduced some iconic characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Some of the best Star Wars EU novels include 'Heir to the Empire' by Timothy Zahn. It really expanded the Star Wars universe post the original trilogy and introduced great new characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn. His strategic mind and the way he outmaneuvered the New Republic made for a gripping read.