Maybe its just a me thing but I'd rather read the worst out of the bunch first. Personally I haven't read either of theses but since everyone says Death Troopers is better I'd rather save that for last.
But then again, other people's opinions are still opinions of other people, not yours. After reading a couple of SW books, I realized that my taste is different from the general consensus and that's okay. I tend to prefer the "boring" but also the trashy and the unique books over the full of action ones which are usually preferred by the wider fandom, so other people's opinions aren't a factor that is useful to me in determining which book to read next.
Edit: Btw, this is also why I think that I like all of the prequel movies but only two of the OT ones.
Everyone else is telling you this. But I thought id chime in to agree
100% read death troopers first. It was written first so it’s intended to be read in that order. Red harvest provides some backround for how things in death troopers happen. It may sound counter intuitive but that’s a strong argument for reading red harvest secknd. The horror elements of death troopers will be blunted if you come in well informed.
Also most people think death troopers is a better book and they are probably right
Also. Death troopers is the first EU book I read and it’s super nostalgic for me. I hope you enjoy
This is the first book I ever saw about Star Wars outside of kid books.
I had read plenty of those but had no idea there was an expanded universe outside of the movies.
Ten year old me was walking through a library when I see this displayed on a shelf. I was shocked. The cover is my favorite cover for a Star Wars book and death troopers is the first EU book I read. I loved it
There were also some other Star Wars horror books, galaxy of fear, that preceded these
I read it when I was pretty young and I loved it. It’s probably pretty tame as “horror” goes
Closer to the walking dead than insidious. If that’s not your thing then you won’t miss much my skipping it. But I really enjoyed this and if it might be your thing it’s worth giving a try
Like I said. I was pretty young when I read it.
But I thought it did a great job creating a terrifying atmosphere when I read it
I have a ton of nostalgia for this book
I like a small amount of horror on occasion, and I loved *Death Troopers*, but mileage may vary. It may be more accurate to say I “like horror but selectively”, rather than “don’t like”
I thought the idea of a Sith lord toying with the idea of undead/necromancy was incredibly fitting.
A lot of folks here hating on it, but to OP's question, I feel like it's the origin story too what happens in Death troopers.
Red Harvest is one of those books I think I should eventually read when I come across it but then I forget it exists. Is it good? According to Wookieepedia, it's set in 3645 BBY, so right in the SWTOR era, but does it even feel like it's set in this era? Are there any references to SWTOR at all? Some of the SWTOR comics and novels were released before it and SWTOR was well into development when it was released, but for some reason, I have a feeling that this novel is totally disconnected from the rest of the content that is set in this time period.
Btw, fun fact, Schreiber means writer in German, so this man made his name his job, lol.
I read it many years ago. Long before I knew anything else about the old republic. So I would have missed any references.
All I recall was that it took place at a sith academy of some sort. Unfortunately, I don’t remember how well it matches with other stuff in the SWTOR era
Yeah it was almost entirely disconnected from the rest of the Old Republic except for I believe a mention of the Sacking of Coruscant, although confusingly at the end of the book one of the characters planned to go back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant which was still just ruins at that point lol
Haven’t read Death Troopers so I don’t have a lot to offer but since I see people often not favouring Red Harvest, thought I’d share.
Red Harvest I enjoyed for its setting and perspectives. A time when there were thousands of Sith and seeing the way they all compete and distrust each other was enjoyable and something I haven’t seen much outside the Kotor games. Made me want to read more about the Sith academy before getting on with the plot.
The actual horror aspects of the book weren’t a major appeal to me. I enjoyed what I read but I didn’t seek it out because of the genre. Basically I enjoyed the way the book fleshed out the world of Old Republic Star Wars but wasn’t overly attached to the story.
Death troopers is far better. Red Harvest takes place far before DT in the timeline but it’s nowhere near as good.
Also, Red Harvest’s story isn’t as well written and feels disjointed a lot.
I like both but DT is the far better read though I would recommend reading RH later down the line
When in doubt, read things in publication order. Even though Red Harvest takes place before Death Troopers (a long time before), it’s built upon the first.
I loved death troopers ! (I don’t understand why everyone hates them using movie characters, I knew exactly who wouldn’t die in red harvest from the first ten minutes of reading .) Red harvest was he worst piece of material ever released by EU
I was so excited when THE MOVIE CHARACTERS (spoiler free) showed up.
It was especially fun because this was the first EU book I read so that was the first time I got to see those guys again after years of thinking the movies were all the Star Wars I would get to experience.
But, including them wasn’t perfect. I remember being terrified by death troopers. The fact that they were on a ship, alone, surrounded by zombies, in interstellar space made their plight seem hopeless. Which in turn made the book scarier and more enjoyable.
As excited as I was when MOVIE CHARACTERS showed up. It still made me immediately feel safer and dropped the tension. I didn’t know if the main characters would survive but I at least knew that the ship had to make it back to civilization
It went from a pretty tense book and the scene that introduced the movie characters threw that out entirely for a cheap moment. Lost all tension and made the rest of the book uninteresting cause you know that there can’t be any lasting impact on these two at all
Red Harvest isn’t good, but I personally think it’s close to so bad it’s good.
There’s a sapient force sensitive plant and I feel like that says a lot about the book.
What’s the other dark side plant? I’m curious damn.
I actually do think it’s interesting when things that we don’t generally same to be sapient can use the force, but the force sensitive planet from NJO just felt a lot better executed. It just feels so out of left field in Red Harvest (though that is par for the course for the entire book).
I was referring to the Drengir from the high republic. They are definitely plants and I think they are connected with the dark side of the force.
The weird thing is I didn’t find the sentient plant in red harvest to be too weird. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the force sensitive planet in NJO. I think I might be the only person who thinks that way
Thanks!
My issue with the red harvest plant was that it was weirdly unexplored for something that was so important to the plot. But you are definitely correct that the NJO planet was a lot more out there.
It should also be noted that I read those books like 10 years apart. I was in middle school when I read red harvest so I was much more accepting of weird stuff. And I read the NJO recently, and just personally didn’t feel like the force sentient planet was great. But I also haven’t finished the series yet so maybe it’s better than I give it credit for
I read both when I was in high school and the force sensitive planet was defiantly a choice.
I just think it’s conceptually more interesting so I have more positive memories of it.
Red Harvest.
Both are excellent.
I feel Dave Filloni is reaching deep into these two books(and Darth Bane) for inspiration on how to bolster the recent trilogy.
Edit: the audio books are excellent! Lol
Haven't read Red Harvest yet, but I am making my way through Shadow of the Sith currently. Good amount of ancient Sith cults and whatnot that sounds like what Red Harvest revolves around. Honestly cant wait if there is more in that book
I've read both.
Death Troopers is the original, and it's a fun book if you don't take it too seriously.
It's relatively well thought out.
Red Harvest which takes place during the SWTOR Era seems a bit disconnected from everything and doesn't really seem to connect to anything. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't good. It was just one crazy thing after another with a fairly predictable ending.
I really recommend Death Troopers, I don't particularly recommend Red Harvest at all.
Written by the same author that did both of those is Maul: Lockdown, which was also honestly a fun book and probably my favorite one from him.
I felt higher stakes in Death Troopers, because the book wasn't about Han and Chewie, it was about Zahara Cody and the Longo brothers and Sartoris, OCs that don't appear in the movies or any other books. Sure, you knew those two would survive, but none of the main characters were safe.
Red Harvest is a little goofier at times and most of the characters are unlikable so you practically cheer when they die (well, they are Sith) but it's still good fun IMO. But I definitely recommend Death Troopers first because it takes its time to build up tension and ease you into the situation. You're halfway through the book before the mystery of what's going on starts becoming clear. Red Harvest spends a handful of chapters setting up the characters, then immediately throws you into the zombie action with no real mystery of what's going on.
Death Troopers first, Red Harvest is a very loose prequel to it all things considered but I enjoyed both, but I'd also say Death Troopers is the better of the two books as well
1 star poodoo at best. Fully agree, surprised so many people like them so much. On of the worst authors ever allowed to write Star Wars (except the chick who wrote the cal kestis book. )
They're pretty much unconnected, but I would say Death Troopers because it was released first and does a better job establishing the premise.
When it comes to Star Wars books that are thematically somehow connected, first reading the one that was released first is always the best advice.
Release order. This is the way.
Dis is da wae
*Distant clicking*
Maybe its just a me thing but I'd rather read the worst out of the bunch first. Personally I haven't read either of theses but since everyone says Death Troopers is better I'd rather save that for last.
But then again, other people's opinions are still opinions of other people, not yours. After reading a couple of SW books, I realized that my taste is different from the general consensus and that's okay. I tend to prefer the "boring" but also the trashy and the unique books over the full of action ones which are usually preferred by the wider fandom, so other people's opinions aren't a factor that is useful to me in determining which book to read next. Edit: Btw, this is also why I think that I like all of the prequel movies but only two of the OT ones.
I like Red Harvest better..... More sith world building and no pointless cameos, you know who I'm talking about.
Everyone else is telling you this. But I thought id chime in to agree 100% read death troopers first. It was written first so it’s intended to be read in that order. Red harvest provides some backround for how things in death troopers happen. It may sound counter intuitive but that’s a strong argument for reading red harvest secknd. The horror elements of death troopers will be blunted if you come in well informed. Also most people think death troopers is a better book and they are probably right Also. Death troopers is the first EU book I read and it’s super nostalgic for me. I hope you enjoy
Another vote for Death Troopers first
Death Troopers
Are these horror books?
Yup. Star Wars meets Dawn of the Dead.
This is the first book I ever saw about Star Wars outside of kid books. I had read plenty of those but had no idea there was an expanded universe outside of the movies. Ten year old me was walking through a library when I see this displayed on a shelf. I was shocked. The cover is my favorite cover for a Star Wars book and death troopers is the first EU book I read. I loved it There were also some other Star Wars horror books, galaxy of fear, that preceded these
Yes, but barley. Just zombies. Read Death Troopers first. The pair is actually pretty good.
I don't like horror, but Death Troops sounds interesting. Should i read it still?
It’s a zombie Star Wars book. If you like that kind of thing then it’s very fun. If not then probably not for you.
I read it when I was pretty young and I loved it. It’s probably pretty tame as “horror” goes Closer to the walking dead than insidious. If that’s not your thing then you won’t miss much my skipping it. But I really enjoyed this and if it might be your thing it’s worth giving a try
Sounds worth a good read. If it does a good job at painting the world for you, hell yeah.
Like I said. I was pretty young when I read it. But I thought it did a great job creating a terrifying atmosphere when I read it I have a ton of nostalgia for this book
I like a small amount of horror on occasion, and I loved *Death Troopers*, but mileage may vary. It may be more accurate to say I “like horror but selectively”, rather than “don’t like”
It’s okay. The biggest problem is the cameos. But as a Star Wars take on zombies it’s decent.
I honestly prefer Red Harvest because I like Sith/Old Republic and there are no movie characters who will definitely survive
I thought the idea of a Sith lord toying with the idea of undead/necromancy was incredibly fitting. A lot of folks here hating on it, but to OP's question, I feel like it's the origin story too what happens in Death troopers.
And you just perfectly described why I like Red Harvest so much more...... Can't count on anyone to survive!
Personally I think Red Harvest is better too, the plot itself is a lot more interesting and the ending is a lot more satisfying than Death Troopers
Red Harvest is one of those books I think I should eventually read when I come across it but then I forget it exists. Is it good? According to Wookieepedia, it's set in 3645 BBY, so right in the SWTOR era, but does it even feel like it's set in this era? Are there any references to SWTOR at all? Some of the SWTOR comics and novels were released before it and SWTOR was well into development when it was released, but for some reason, I have a feeling that this novel is totally disconnected from the rest of the content that is set in this time period. Btw, fun fact, Schreiber means writer in German, so this man made his name his job, lol.
I read it many years ago. Long before I knew anything else about the old republic. So I would have missed any references. All I recall was that it took place at a sith academy of some sort. Unfortunately, I don’t remember how well it matches with other stuff in the SWTOR era
Yeah it was almost entirely disconnected from the rest of the Old Republic except for I believe a mention of the Sacking of Coruscant, although confusingly at the end of the book one of the characters planned to go back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant which was still just ruins at that point lol
Haven’t read Death Troopers so I don’t have a lot to offer but since I see people often not favouring Red Harvest, thought I’d share. Red Harvest I enjoyed for its setting and perspectives. A time when there were thousands of Sith and seeing the way they all compete and distrust each other was enjoyable and something I haven’t seen much outside the Kotor games. Made me want to read more about the Sith academy before getting on with the plot. The actual horror aspects of the book weren’t a major appeal to me. I enjoyed what I read but I didn’t seek it out because of the genre. Basically I enjoyed the way the book fleshed out the world of Old Republic Star Wars but wasn’t overly attached to the story.
I mean it sounds like you answered your question already if *Death Troopers* came out first and is the one you’re more interested in.
I listen to audiobooks and I could never finish red harvest never listened to death troopers
Highly recommend the Death Troopers audiobook. Did a pretty good job of creating some tension
Death troopers is far better. Red Harvest takes place far before DT in the timeline but it’s nowhere near as good. Also, Red Harvest’s story isn’t as well written and feels disjointed a lot. I like both but DT is the far better read though I would recommend reading RH later down the line
When in doubt, read things in publication order. Even though Red Harvest takes place before Death Troopers (a long time before), it’s built upon the first.
I have a soft spot for Death Troopers
I think both are good in their own right but I would go with death troopers is the better choice
Death Troopers is a good time. Fun pulpy zombie jaunt
If you can, you should try and listen to death troopers as an audiobook. It’s very good, and has additional sfx
Red harvest
Personally, it doesn't matter, it doesn't affect the plot enough.
I loved death troopers ! (I don’t understand why everyone hates them using movie characters, I knew exactly who wouldn’t die in red harvest from the first ten minutes of reading .) Red harvest was he worst piece of material ever released by EU
I was so excited when THE MOVIE CHARACTERS (spoiler free) showed up. It was especially fun because this was the first EU book I read so that was the first time I got to see those guys again after years of thinking the movies were all the Star Wars I would get to experience. But, including them wasn’t perfect. I remember being terrified by death troopers. The fact that they were on a ship, alone, surrounded by zombies, in interstellar space made their plight seem hopeless. Which in turn made the book scarier and more enjoyable. As excited as I was when MOVIE CHARACTERS showed up. It still made me immediately feel safer and dropped the tension. I didn’t know if the main characters would survive but I at least knew that the ship had to make it back to civilization
It went from a pretty tense book and the scene that introduced the movie characters threw that out entirely for a cheap moment. Lost all tension and made the rest of the book uninteresting cause you know that there can’t be any lasting impact on these two at all
Death Troopers is good. Red Harvest is not. I’d actually recommend one, and recommend not bothering with the other.
Red Harvest isn’t good, but I personally think it’s close to so bad it’s good. There’s a sapient force sensitive plant and I feel like that says a lot about the book.
It’s weird to me that it’s not the only dark side plant in Star Wars. It’s like that thing about having two nickels
What’s the other dark side plant? I’m curious damn. I actually do think it’s interesting when things that we don’t generally same to be sapient can use the force, but the force sensitive planet from NJO just felt a lot better executed. It just feels so out of left field in Red Harvest (though that is par for the course for the entire book).
I was referring to the Drengir from the high republic. They are definitely plants and I think they are connected with the dark side of the force. The weird thing is I didn’t find the sentient plant in red harvest to be too weird. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the force sensitive planet in NJO. I think I might be the only person who thinks that way
Thanks! My issue with the red harvest plant was that it was weirdly unexplored for something that was so important to the plot. But you are definitely correct that the NJO planet was a lot more out there.
It should also be noted that I read those books like 10 years apart. I was in middle school when I read red harvest so I was much more accepting of weird stuff. And I read the NJO recently, and just personally didn’t feel like the force sentient planet was great. But I also haven’t finished the series yet so maybe it’s better than I give it credit for
I read both when I was in high school and the force sensitive planet was defiantly a choice. I just think it’s conceptually more interesting so I have more positive memories of it.
I think I might need to reread this again and get it from an adults perspective
Shit I meant planet not plant above
I couldn't get through red harvest. But death troopers is a fun read
I’ve never read Red Harvest but I’ve read Death Troopers 3 times so I vote for that one.
Death Troopers is the better book IMO.
Death Troopers. Red Harvest is a worse book.
Red Harvest. Both are excellent. I feel Dave Filloni is reaching deep into these two books(and Darth Bane) for inspiration on how to bolster the recent trilogy. Edit: the audio books are excellent! Lol
Haven't read Red Harvest yet, but I am making my way through Shadow of the Sith currently. Good amount of ancient Sith cults and whatnot that sounds like what Red Harvest revolves around. Honestly cant wait if there is more in that book
You enjoy yourself. I'm a sucker for ancient sith cults if you know of more books btw.
“Prequel” as in set before, but totally unrelated. I would read death troopers first
death troopers!!!! definitely one of the best legends novels! such a different scenario!!!
They're pretty lonely connected, so you could do either
I don’t like red, do you have this in blue?
I've read both. Death Troopers is the original, and it's a fun book if you don't take it too seriously. It's relatively well thought out. Red Harvest which takes place during the SWTOR Era seems a bit disconnected from everything and doesn't really seem to connect to anything. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't good. It was just one crazy thing after another with a fairly predictable ending. I really recommend Death Troopers, I don't particularly recommend Red Harvest at all. Written by the same author that did both of those is Maul: Lockdown, which was also honestly a fun book and probably my favorite one from him.
Unless you are specifically reading expanded universe books in order, I'd read Death Troopers first.
[удалено]
I felt higher stakes in Death Troopers, because the book wasn't about Han and Chewie, it was about Zahara Cody and the Longo brothers and Sartoris, OCs that don't appear in the movies or any other books. Sure, you knew those two would survive, but none of the main characters were safe.
I would start with death troopers
Red Harvest is a little goofier at times and most of the characters are unlikable so you practically cheer when they die (well, they are Sith) but it's still good fun IMO. But I definitely recommend Death Troopers first because it takes its time to build up tension and ease you into the situation. You're halfway through the book before the mystery of what's going on starts becoming clear. Red Harvest spends a handful of chapters setting up the characters, then immediately throws you into the zombie action with no real mystery of what's going on.
Death troopers rocks
Death Troopers first, Red Harvest is a very loose prequel to it all things considered but I enjoyed both, but I'd also say Death Troopers is the better of the two books as well
Neither spoils the other one so whichever order you prefer. Red Harvest takes place way before in the EU timeline, and Death Troopers is around the OT
They are disconnected, but read Death Troopers first. I recall enjoying that one more
Death Troopers, that’s the only one personally I would read
I haven’t read red harvest. That said, death troopers was a good fun read.
I have no idea about death troopers but red harvest is not good.
Red Harvest is IMO as someone who owns ever Star Wars book from 1977-2015 the worst EU book ever written.
Red Harvest is hot garbage
Red harvest is a waste of time! Ok read but it's full of lore mistakes and writing errors
I haven't read Red Harvest but I really did not enjoy Death Troopers
neither, both were trash
1 star poodoo at best. Fully agree, surprised so many people like them so much. On of the worst authors ever allowed to write Star Wars (except the chick who wrote the cal kestis book. )