Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (novel) [April 21, 1999]

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this novel version of the chronologically first Star Wars film. It was over nine hours long! It basically doesn't differ from the film except for a few lines of extra dialogue, and a few tiny scenes (such as in the beginning sequence which shows more of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine talking to an old pilot about a Z-95 headhunter.)

Here is some behind the scenes info on the novelization:

This novelization, unlike those from the original trilogy, contains much that is not in the movie. It includes three entire chapters of material created by Terry Brooks and unique to the novel. The first two chapters of the book concern Anakin's next-to-last podrace and its aftermath, while a later chapter describes an encounter between Anakin and a wounded Tusken Raider in the desert.
Brooks met with George Lucas before writing the book and received his approval and guidance, including information about developments to come in Episode II and Episode III. This can be seen in such passages as the Tusken Raider scene, which ironically foreshadows the death of Anakin's mother in Episode II, and the passage leading up to Anakin's fight with the Rodian child (Greedo), indicating that Anakin's anger derives from his anguish at Padmé's impending departure (foreshadowing the plot of Episode III).
The novelization is especially well-known for a passage describing the history of the Sith, including Darth Bane. According to Terry Brooks' memoir, Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, Lucas spent an hour on the telephone with him discussing the history of the Jedi and the Sith. Therefore, the information on this subject provided in Brooks' novelization can be presumed to derive from Lucas himself.
Brooks devotes the entire fourteenth chapter of Sometimes the Magic Works to the writing of the Episode I novelization, which was an extremely happy and fulfilling experience for him.

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (January 30, 2001)

 

I found that I got bored while listening to this audiobook. But, it still provided some good Star Wars narrative. Here is the plot summary from wookiepedia.

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter is told in two parts: "Mean Streets" and "Labyrinth".
Aboard the Trade Federation freighter Saak'ak, Nute Gunray finds that his second-in-command Hath Monchar, the Deputy Viceroy of the Federation, has gone missing. Unfortunately, it is too late to do anything about it, because at that moment, Darth Sidious contacts Gunray. The Dark Lord of the Sith questions Gunray about the missing Neimoidian. Gunray panics and tells the Dark Lord that Monchar is sick. However, Darth Sidious sees through the lie, and when the conversation ends, he sends his apprentice Darth Maul after the missing Deputy Viceroy.
On Coruscant, Lorn Pavan and his protocol droid I-5YQ meet with Zippa the Toydarian, a merchant desiring to sell the two companions a Jedi holocron.
Meanwhile, Padawan Darsha Assant prepares for her final mission before becoming a Jedi Knight. She will be sent to the Crimson Corridor in the Zi-Kree Sector of Coruscant. There, she must pick up a former Black Sun employee named Oolth the Fondorian who is willing to trade information about the recent reorganization in the upper ranks of the criminal syndicate in exchange for protection by the Jedi Order.
Darth Maul learns that Hath Monchar plans to sell the information to Lorn Pavan and hunts them both down.
Darsha Assant and her master Bondara run into Pavan and I-five. Bondara gives loses his life fighting Maul while the rest escape.
After a long chase through the bowels of Coruscant, battling Cthons, a taozin, and other dangers, the group is once again tracked down by Darth Maul. Assant does battle with Maul while I-five carbon freezes Pavan in an attempt to hide and protect him. After a large explosion, Darth Maul can sense no life in the warehouse and believes all his targets are dead. He heads back to his master with news of success.
Pavan is thawed out and this time, he starts hunting Maul. Although he was able to get the drop on Maul using a taozin limb, a series of unfortunate events lead him to his end at the hands of Darth Maul.

Star Wars - Cloak of Deception (May 29, 2001)

I listened to this book as an audio and abridged title. Basically, the most important thing in the book is the ploy of Palpatine/Sidioius to manipulated Valorum, the Trade Federation, etc. leading into the events of Episode I. Here is the plot summary from wookieepedia.

Cloak of Deception is told in four parts: Dorvalla, Coruscant, The Outlying Systems, and The Inner Circle.
Shortly before the Battle of Naboo (33 BBY), Darth Sidious is in the middle of his plans. As Senator Palpatine, he manipulates Supreme Chancellor Valorum and other senators. As the Sith Master, he begins to slowly put the Neimoidians and the Trade Federation in position for his blockade of Naboo.
A terrorist group known as the Nebula Front threatens the activities of the Trade Federation. They are protesting the actions of the group and will resort to any means necessary to disrupt the Trade Federation. They have hired Captain Arwen Cohl to carry out terrorist acts against their business, including robbing a Trade Federation ship of aurodium ingots, worth billions in orbit of the planet Dorvalla. However, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are hot on the trail of the terrorists. Though Cohl escapes, he is forced to crash-land and all but him and two of his crew members, Rella and Boiny, perish. He later flees in his ship, the Hawk-Bat.
Fearing more trouble, the Trade Federation petitions the Galactic Senate to allow them to increase their number of droid fighters, battle droids, and other defenses. Valorum considers this, but only if he can tax some of the trade routes they hold (on advice from Palpatine). This sparks a debate and a summit on Eriadu is scheduled to be held on the matter.
Taking extreme measures, the Nebula Front sets plans in motion to assassinate Supreme Chancellor Valorum at the summit to prevent the taxation. Cohl has been hired by a mysterious being known only as Havac. He travels throughout the Outer Rim, hiring several experienced assassins. Unknown to him however, Havac (secretly in league with Darth Sidious) has another plan. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council, along with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, steps in to track down Captain Cohl and the would-be assassins.
On Eriadu, Cohl dispatches his helpers throughout the capital city. He is ambushed by Havac after realizing the true target. Most of the assassins are captured by the Jedi outside the summit building, but one remains inside. A sniper, he has been given the order to fire at, but miss, Valorum. The Jedi find Cohl and his partner Boiny, who, wounded, agrees to help them. They discover the sniper a second too late, but are surprised when he misses Valorum. Then Cohl remembers the true intent of Havac: to assassinate the Trade Federation Directorate. Cohl tackles Havac and kills him, though he and Boiny are mortally wounded in the attempt. Suddenly, the battle droid rises and draws its blaster. With a shield activated for safety, the members of the Trade Federation are trapped. The droid kills them all while the crowd watches, stunned. The only survivors were the Neimoidian members, who were away to their ship which had been tampered with. In the ensuing shock, the bill to tax is passed by the Senate. Later, the leading members of the Federation are named. They are all Neimoidians. Darth Sidious later meets Nute Gunray on the bridge of his ship, suggesting they invade Naboo for revenge against Palpatine, who helped pass the bill. Little do they know that it is just part of the Sith Lord's plan for control of the galaxy.