Dark Nest Trilogy

This series details our heroes fighting an invasive alien species called the Killiks who rely on a hive mind approach to attempt to take over the galaxy. The plight of the Solo children—which is fundamental to the overarching plot of the Legacy era—begins to unfold. Dark Nest is the connective tissue linking the New Jedi Order with Legacy of the Force. At the very least, you'll want a very solid knowledge base of the New Jedi Order in order to start this trilogy. Several of its plot lines are important to the story going forward—Jaina's relationship with Zekk, Jacen's descent into darkness, and Leia finally following through with her Jedi training. It's a very hard sci-fi trilogy, which is appealing to some fans more than others. There are many points in the series that are very head-scratchingly complex and outright weird. And yet so many other points in the series are absolutely some of the coolest moments in all of Star Wars Legends—especially Leia's rivalry with crazed Dark Jedi Alema Rar—with plenty of incredibly staged lightsaber fights! This is a great series if you love the ladies of Star Wars! Leia, Jaina, and the deliciously devious Alema Rar all get the spotlight in these books. It's great for fans of over-the-top lightsaber fights—Troy Denning is known for egregious violence and limb-lopping in his Star Wars writing. Dark Nest is also good if you're looking for a concise trilogy after an excruciatingly long series like the New Jedi Order. Finally, fans of the Young Jedi Knights books will be rewarded in a big way as many of its characters return to the spotlight—Raynar Thul, Zekk, and Tenel Ka in particular!