Star Wars has always had an exciting history within novels. The first piece of Star Wars media ever released was the official novelization Star Wars: From The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, released in November 1976, a year ahead of the release of the film. The first spinoff novel Splinters of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster came a year later, and explored the further adventures of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia as they faced off against Darth Vader. Many authors continued to expand upon the events of the film saga, including the popular trilogy Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command from Timothy Zahn in the early 1990s. Characters such as Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Thrawn would have recurring roles in later novels.
In the next several decades, authors explored events ranging from thousands of years before The Phantom Menace to decades after Return of the Jedi. Books explored the wars between thousands of ancient Jedi Knights and Sith Lords, and introduced Han Solo and Princess Leia's children Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin, as well as Luke’s son Ben Skywalker.
When Disney adopted the rights to Lucasfilm and relaunched the Star Wars franchise, they initiated a new era of publishing and a new canon. Novels released since 2014 are a part of this new timeline. While some of the older books have been re-released by Disney, they are now considered part of the "Legends" non-canon timeline.
It can get confusing trying to figure out how each of these stories fit together, and where they take place in relation to the films. Here’s the chronological order of the newly released Star Wars books, not including short stories or books for young readers.
The High Republic Era - 200 Years Before 'The Phantom Menace'
- The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
- The High Republic: The Rising Storm
- The High Republic: The Fallen Star
- The High Republic: Into the Dark
- The High Republic: Out of the Shadows
- The High Republic: Midnight Horizon
- The High Republic: Tempest Runner
- The High Republic: Convergence
- The High Republic: The Battle For Jedha (Upcoming, February 2023)
- The High Republic: The Battle For Jedha (Upcoming, February 2023)
- The High Republic: Cataclysm (Upcoming, April 2023)
- The High Republic: Quest For Planet X (Upcoming, April 2023)
- The High Republic: Path of Vengeance (Upcoming, May 2023)
Before 'The Phantom Menace'
- The High Republic: The Vow Of Silver Dawn (Upcoming)
- Dooku: Jedi Lost
- Master & Apprentice
- Padawan
Between 'The Phantom Menace' and 'Attack of the Clones'
- Queen’s Peril
- Queen's Shadow
- Queen’s Hope
Between 'Attack of the Clones' and 'Revenge of the Sith'
- Brotherhood
- Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel
- Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising
- Dark Disciple
Between 'Revenge of the Sith' and 'A New Hope'
- Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good
- Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil
- Ahsoka
- Thrawn
- Lord of the Sith
- Tarkin
- Most Wanted
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (Novelization)
- Rebel Rising
- A New Dawn
- Lost Stars
- Battlefront: Twilight Company
- Leia, Princess of Alderaan
- Thrawn: Alliances
- Thrawn: Treason
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Novelization)
- Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
Between 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back'
- Heir to the Jedi
- Doctor Aphra
Between 'Return of the Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens'
- The Princess and the Scoundrel
- Hunters: Battle for the Arena (Upcoming, March 2023)
- Alphabet Squadron
- Aftermath
- Shadow Fall
- Aftermath: Life Debt
- Victory’s Price
- Aftermath: Empire’s End
- Last Shot
- Poe Dameron: Free Fall
- Shadow of the Sith
- Bloodline
- Force Collector
- Phasma
- The Force Awakens (Novelization)
Between 'The Force Awakens' and 'The Last Jedi'
- Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Novelization)
Between 'The Last Jedi' and 'The Rise of Skywalker'
- Resistance Reborn
- A Crash of Fate
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Novelization)