The New Essential Guide to Droids (Star Wars) Paperback – June 27, 2006

Finally a New Essential Guide that can truly be called "Essential!" This may be the best essential guide (only the New Essential Chronology competes with it) written. Dan Wallace (with the aid of Able Pena and Pablo Hidalgo) has gone over every nook and cranny of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and if there's a droid to be found, a detail to uncover, a story-element to expose, he's done it!After the disappointing New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (which followed the trend of ignoring a lot of early Expanded Universe sources), I thought I was through with the NEG's. The New Essential Chronology changed that and this book has now upped the ante on ALL future Star Wars reference books!Everything is here. Entire pages are devoted to characters from rare and even out-of-print continuity sources, from old newspaper strips by Russ Manning, to the Droids animated show and spin-off Star Comics series, to Alan Moore's rare stint on Marvel UK's Empire Strikes Weekly (reprinted in Devilworlds) to the requisite but often overlooked pages of Marvel Star Wars (reprinted recently as A Long Time Ago volumes 1-7), L. Neill Smith's brilliant Lando Calrissian trilogy, RPG sources, novels, young readers books, Dark Horse comics; It's all here and much, much more! Not a stone is left unturned from 1977 to 2006, nearly 30 years of continuity has gone into this book that actually succeeds in demonstrating that the much maligned "appliances" of Star Wars are really fascinating creations in their own right, and every bit as intriguing as their human masters.Wallace handles the text expertly, weaving bits of continuity to form a much stronger and cohesive whole. This is not a guide for techies either, or even just for those who've read every original source out there, but rather it's a book for the average Star Wars reader written with a narrative structure. Far from simply providing the origin and purpose of the droid in question, each entry features fascinating short biographical tales of some of the famous examples that caused either salvation or destruction to the galaxy! Also, there's a history of droids section that details the dawn of their inception to their persecution and abolition at the hands of the Yuuzahn Vong. Also, as an added bonus, the illustrations here are stunningly realized.This is definitely a guide you don't want to miss and represents the high watermark Star Wars authors can achieve when they combine love of the universe with intelligent, diligent research and a deft hand at fixing the plotholes and connecting the dots. For from these often disparate pieces, some of the great tales emerge. This book is proof of that.

Used this as bathroom reading and couldn’t put it down so Interesting and well written as a Star Wars fan it’s a for sure must have if you can atleast stand to read and love Star Wars you must buy this book it tells all the company as well as all the movies and facts about most all of the droids from the Star Wars universe The only negative thing I could possibly say is they only go up to episode 3 (movie) which means that from roque one clear up to the newest one there not in the books

if you are a star wars fan, the star wars "essential guide" books are probably the best, most informative set of books out there and well worth the price, especially from amazon. my boys have been reading them as young as 3rd grade and they love them. hours upon hours of reading, only to be picked up and read all over again. my youngest (now 11 yrs old) asked for this book in particular about a year ago and i finally bought it for christmas. there is an earlier version of the book, but i thought that this was the better choice considering it covers all 6 movies.

The book is well laid out, the delivery was quick, the book was in pretty good condition (it was used), and the box it came in was really well packaged so my book was unlikely to receive much damage. I wish the rest of the third party stores were as good as this one.

They did a great job including pretty much every droid seen in every movie/TV-show.IMHO, it's missing OOO (Triple Zero), the evil protocol droid from the comics.

Love it it came super fast and so filled with information a absolute must have for any star wars fan

Good comprehensive collection of the various droids although the printing I have is a bit out of date. Purchased to statisfy an itch to more about the droids in Star wars.

it covers every era of starwars, well except for the old republic..that said, when i got this book, I immediately tore into it looking for two specific droids...T3 and HK-47 and both these awesome icons of the KOTOR games are in it! it even has entries for the entire R series of astromechs, the 3po series protocol droids and many more.for the droid enthusiast, this is THE edition of this book to have.