Star Wars Canon Books in Order: Timeline & Release Order

When I want a list of the Star Wars canon books in order, I usually want one simple thing: the current official timeline without Legends titles mixed in and without a bunch of comics, reference books, art books, or kid-focused read-alongs getting in the way.

That sounds easier than it is. Star Wars canon jumps from the High Republic to the prequels, through the Empire, into the Rebellion, and then way past the sequel trilogy. Some books are full novels. Some are YA. Some are audio dramas or story collections that matter enough to include. So I’ve kept this guide focused on the books I’d actually want in front of me as a reader.

Last updated: May 10, 2026. I update this timeline as new Star Wars canon novels are announced and timeline placements are confirmed.

Want the full version with the old Expanded Universe mixed in? Start with my complete Star Wars books in order guide. This page is for canon only.

Jump to:

Recent Star Wars Canon Book Releases
Where to Start with Star Wars Canon Books
Star Wars Canon Books in Chronological Order
Star Wars Canon Books in Publication Order
What Does Star Wars Canon Mean?
Star Wars Canon Books FAQ

Recent & Upcoming Star Wars Canon Book Releases

These are the latest titles to drop across the Star Wars book universe. They span multiple eras and authors and you’ll be able to find these books slotted into the timeline below. But if you’re just looking for the newest books because you’ve read everything else already, this quick section will give you what you need without diving through the reading order.

The High Republic: Into the Light by Claudia Gray (April 2025)
The Acolyte: Wayseeker by Justina Ireland (May 2025)
The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule (June 2025)
The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown by Tessa Gratton (July 2025)
Sanctuary: A Bad Batch Novel by Lamar Giles (August 2025)
The Last Order by Kwame Mbalia (October 2025)
Master of Evil by Adam Christopher (November 2025)
Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen (February 2026)
Eyes Like Stars by Ashley Poston (July 2026)
Legacy by Madeleine Roux (July 2026)
Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse (September 2026)
Reign of the Empire: From the Ashes by Fran Wilde (Summer 2027; retailer page not live yet)

Where to Start with Star Wars Canon Books

You can read the list chronologically, but I don’t think most readers should start at the very beginning unless they already know they want the High Republic. Canon is easier when you start with the era you already care about.

Best one-book starting point: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. It crosses the original trilogy from a fresh angle and still feels like classic Star Wars.
Best Jedi starting point: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. This is the cleanest entry into the High Republic.
Best prequel-era starting point: Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan make this one an easy on-ramp.
Best Empire-era starting point: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. It launched the modern adult canon line and works well if you like Star Wars Rebels.
Best sequel-era starting point: Bloodline by Claudia Gray. It explains the political mess that helps set up the First Order era.

My personal “don’t overthink it” answer is Lost Stars. It’s accessible, emotional, and tied closely enough to the movies that you don’t need a huge lore background to enjoy it.

Star Wars Canon Books in Chronological Order

This is the canon timeline order. A few books cover a wide span of years, so I’ve placed them where they make the most sense for reading. I’ve also labeled novelizations, script books, audio dramas, and story collections when that context matters.

The High Republic

The High Republic is set centuries before the Skywalker saga. It’s the Jedi near their peak, which makes it feel different from the movie eras in a good way.

The High Republic: Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton (~382 BBY)
The High Republic: Convergence by Zoraida Córdova (~382 BBY)
The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha by George Mann (~382 BBY) (Script Book)
The High Republic: Cataclysm by Lydia Kang (~382 BBY)
The High Republic: Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott (~382 BBY)
The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment by George Mann (~382 BBY) (Story Collection)
The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (232 BBY)
The High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray (232 BBY)
Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Starlight Stories by Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, and Justina Ireland (232–230 BBY) (Story Collection)
The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott (~231 BBY)
The High Republic: Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland (~231 BBY)
The High Republic: Tempest Runner by Cavan Scott (~231 BBY) (Script Book / Audio Drama)
The High Republic: The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray (~230 BBY)
The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older (~230 BBY)
The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life by Various Authors (~382 to ~230 BBY) (Anthology)
The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness by George Mann (~229 BBY)
The High Republic: Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland (228 BBY)
The High Republic: Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton (228 BBY)
The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless by George Mann (228 BBY)
The High Republic: Tempest Breaker by Cavan Scott (228 BBY) (Script Book / Audio Drama)
The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule (228 BBY)
The High Republic: Into the Light by Claudia Gray (228 BBY)

The Acolyte Era

The Acolyte: Wayseeker by Justina Ireland (~160 BBY)
The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown by Tessa Gratton (~134 BBY)

Fall of the Jedi

This stretch covers the prequel era, the Clone Wars, and the collapse of the Jedi Order. It’s one of the trickiest parts of the canon timeline because several books overlap with movie and TV events.

Padawan by Kiersten White (~41 BBY)
Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray (40 BBY)
The Living Force by John Jackson Miller (33–32 BBY)
Episode I: The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks (32 BBY) (Novelization)
Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes (32 BBY)
Queen’s Peril by E.K. Johnston (32 BBY)
Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston (28 BBY)
Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott (~22 BBY) (Script Book / Audio Drama)
Episode II: Attack of the Clones by R.A. Salvatore (22 BBY) (Novelization)
Brotherhood by Mike Chen (22 BBY)
The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark by Various Authors (22–19 BBY) (Story Collection)
Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson (22–19 BBY; epilogue 14 BBY)
Queen’s Hope by E.K. Johnston (~22 BBY)
Dark Disciple by Christie Golden (19 BBY)
Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn (19 BBY)
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover (19 BBY) (Novelization)
Master of Evil by Adam Christopher (19 BBY)
Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed (19–18 BBY)
Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen (19–10 BBY; epilogue 3 ABY)
Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good by Timothy Zahn (~18 BBY)
Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn (~18 BBY)
Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston (18 BBY)
Sanctuary: A Bad Batch Novel by Lamar Giles (18 BBY)
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno (21–17 BBY)

Reign of the Empire

This is where the canon timeline starts filling in the space between Revenge of the Sith, Andor, Rebels, Rogue One, and the original trilogy.

Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp (14 BBY)
Tarkin by James Luceno (14 BBY)
Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs (12–11 BBY)
Most Wanted by Rae Carson (~13 BBY)
Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston (~13–12 BBY)
A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller (11 BBY)
Solo: A Star Wars Story by Mur Lafferty (10 BBY) (Novelization)
Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse (~6 BBY)
Reign of the Empire: From the Ashes by Fran Wilde (between 6 BBY and 1 BBY; retailer page not live yet)
Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray (3 BBY)
Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (~15–2 BBY)
Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn (~2 BBY)
Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn (1 BBY)
Rebel Rising by Beth Revis (13–1 BBY)

Age of Rebellion

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed (0 BBY) (Novelization)
Episode IV: A New Hope by George Lucas (0 BBY) (Novelization)
Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View by Various Authors (0 BBY) (Anthology)
Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden (0 ABY)
Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne (0 ABY)
Doctor Aphra by Sarah Kuhn (0 ABY) (Script Book / Audio Drama)
Battlefront: Twilight Company by Alexander Freed (3 ABY)
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut (3 ABY) (Novelization)
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back by Various Authors (3 ABY) (Anthology)
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi by James Kahn (4 ABY) (Novelization)
From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi by Various Authors (4 ABY) (Anthology)

The New Republic

The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis (4 ABY)
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray (6 BBY–5 ABY)
Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed (4.2 ABY)
Aftermath by Chuck Wendig (4.2 ABY)
Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig (4.4 ABY)
Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed (4.5 ABY)
Victory’s Price by Alexander Freed (4.9–5 ABY)
Aftermath: Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig (5 ABY)
Last Shot by Daniel José Older (7 ABY)

Rise of the First Order

The sequel-era books do a lot of the heavy lifting around Leia, the New Republic, Ben Solo, the First Order, and the fallout from Palpatine’s long shadow.

Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura (18 ABY)
Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher (21 ABY)
Bloodline by Claudia Gray (28 ABY)
Force Collector by Kevin Shinick (~31 ABY)
Eyes Like Stars by Ashley Poston (~33 ABY)
Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson (34 ABY)
Canto Bight by Various Authors (34 ABY) (Story Collection)
Episode VII: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster (34 ABY) (Novelization)
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi by Jason Fry (34 ABY) (Novelization)
Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse (34 ABY)
Legacy by Madeleine Roux (34–35 ABY)
Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson (34 ABY)
Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate by Zoraida Córdova (34 ABY)
Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker by Rae Carson (35 ABY) (Novelization)

New Jedi Order

The Last Order by Kwame Mbalia (35 ABY)

Star Wars Canon Books in Publication Order

Chronological order is the main reason most people land on this page. Publication order is useful for a different reason. It shows how the modern canon actually grew after the 2014 reset, starting with A New Dawn.

I’m keeping this list focused on the modern Disney/Lucasfilm canon publishing era. That means I’m not sorting the original 1970s through 2000s movie novelizations into this section, even though the movies themselves are canon and those novelizations can still be fun optional reads.

2014

A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
Tarkin by James Luceno

2015

Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne
Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp
Dark Disciple by Christie Golden
Aftermath by Chuck Wendig
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

2016

Episode VII: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster
Bloodline by Claudia Gray
Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig
Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed

2017

Aftermath: Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig
Thrawn by Timothy Zahn
Rebel Rising by Beth Revis
Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden
Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson
Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View by Various Authors
Canto Bight by Various Authors

2018

Episode VIII: The Last Jedi by Jason Fry
Last Shot by Daniel José Older
Most Wanted by Rae Carson
Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn
Solo: A Star Wars Story by Mur Lafferty

2027

Reign of the Empire: From the Ashes by Fran Wilde (retailer page not live yet)

What Does Star Wars Canon Mean?

In Star Wars, canon means the current official continuity Lucasfilm is building through the movies, Disney+ shows, novels, comics, games, and other connected stories.

The big dividing line came in April 2014. After Disney bought Lucasfilm, Lucasfilm reset the publishing line. The old Expanded Universe was rebranded as Star Wars Legends, and new books starting with A New Dawn became part of the shared modern canon.

That doesn’t mean Legends is bad. I still love a lot of those books. It just means they don’t automatically describe the timeline Disney and Lucasfilm are using now. A Legends book can inspire canon later, but it isn’t canon by default.

For this guide, I’m focusing on canon novels, YA novels, adult movie novelizations, script books, audio dramas, and major story collections. I’m leaving out comics, art books, reference books, visual dictionaries, tabletop/RPG books, most simple children’s adaptations, and tiny read-alongs.

Star Wars Canon Books FAQ

Do I have to read the Star Wars canon books in chronological order?

No. Chronological order is useful if you want the cleanest in-universe timeline, but it’s not the only good way to read. I’d start by era if you’re new, then use the full chronology once you know what kind of Star Wars story you like most.

Are Legends books part of Star Wars canon?

No. Legends books are the old Expanded Universe continuity. They still matter culturally, and Lucasfilm can pull ideas from them, but they aren’t automatically part of the current canon timeline.

Are the Star Wars movie novelizations canon?

The movies are canon. The novelizations are trickier. Modern novelizations are usually easier to treat as canon-friendly, while older novelizations can include extra details that don’t always match later continuity. I include them here because many readers still want them in a book timeline, but I treat them as optional.

Should I read canon or Legends first?

Start with canon if you mainly care about the movies, Disney+ shows, and the current direction of Star Wars. Start with Legends if you want the old Expanded Universe, especially the classic post-Return of the Jedi stories. They’re different reading experiences, and that’s fine.

What is the best first Star Wars canon book?

My pick is Lost Stars. It has original characters, strong movie connections, and a story that works even if you haven’t read any other Star Wars novel. Light of the Jedi is the better pick if you specifically want to start with the High Republic.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more science fiction authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Science Fiction Books in Order index.