Published: January 5, 2021
Publisher: Del Rey
Author: Charles Soule
Cover artist: Joseph Meehan
Exclusive cover artist: Jama Jurabaev
Available formats: Hardback (400 pages), Audiobook (13 hours 35 minutes), Audio CD (810 minutes), ebook (400 pages)
Timeline: 232 BBY
The synopsis;
Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before the Clone Wars… Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic.
It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the farthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. But even the brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.
When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.
Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from them.
The review;
Before you proceed, please be aware if you have not read Light of the Jedi, this review contains some potential spoilers.
Do you need to know anything about Star Wars to dip your toe into The High Republic? The answer is an emphatic, no. The High Republic era has started in such a refreshing way. From start to finish, it is different, extravagant, complex, pure, and familiar at the same time.
The artwork for the retail cover for Light of the Jedi is an illustration that has been everywhere since its release, but also in the build up to that point. The cover is superbly detailed focusing on Avar Kriss and her fellow Jedi. Joseph Meehan has done a sterling job and this image will live on for some time to come.
We are also treated to the Out of Print exclusive edition cover by Jama Jurabaev. He isn’t a particularly well known name to many as yet, but he has already worked on the convention exclusive cover for Master and Apprentice and concept art for The Mandalorian, so he has strong Star Wars credentials already. This cover is really atmospheric with the Jedi facing the Nihil on Elphrona.
The absence of any Imperial or Sith is what gives Light of the Jedi the feeling of freshness with this era being set in a time of peace. This means the Jedi have a greatly different purpose within the galaxy. The Jedi are grandiose and statelier than we have ever known, they are the guardians of “a more civilised age” that Obi-Wan alludes to in A New Hope.
From the very start of the novel, I was hooked. Hyperspace and how it works has never been explained before and this task has fallen to Soule. He has said he was ably assisted in this by Pablo Hidalgo during the Project Luminous meetings, some of those notes even in the form of diagrams. And this alone brings us to the untimely destruction of the Legacy Run and the reason for the Great Disaster.
Introducing the San Tekka family is another tie that connects the provenance of this story to what we already know. The San Tekka’s are the pioneers of hyperspace and this is a very interesting development. They have made their money from mapping hyperspace routes and then selling on that information for others to benefit from shortened journeys between certain points. Mari San Tekka also has similar skills to the Chiss Sky-Walkers. They have an ability that can navigate their ships through hyperspace. Mari’s skills are being put to use by the Nihil.
How do you explain the Nihil? Pirates is apt, but they are malevolent and callous, definitely not your jolly smiling Pirates of the Caribbean style brigands. But, after seeing the artwork to accompany the release, I also think Steam Punk, Star Wars style!
The Nihil are led by Marchion Ro. In Ro, we have a villain that is finding his feet after inheriting his lofty position as The Eye from his father. They are relatively small time, but as the story develops, you start to realise that some events were not just accidents but plotted by Ro and his counterparts. The Jedi also have an enemy of unknown measures, operating outside of their watchful eyes for the most part. He is clever and unlike other villains in Star Wars, he is someone who does not look as though he will be given a path of redemption like Darth Vader or Kylo Ren.
The hierarchy of the Nihil has a complex structure. Within them, there are 3 separate factions or families in a way. Ro wants to unify the Tempests, Storms, Clouds and Strikes, to become one and turn into a major power in the galaxy.
The Jedi are such a different prospect. We hear of Jedi on sabbaticals and pursuing their calling within the Force. Master Yoda is on a field trip teaching padawans but is already a member of the Jedi Council.
Porter Engle is an unusual Jedi Master, but I fell for his character completely. A wise old Master, best known with the Knights and padawans as the chef for their trips. He proves to be of huge value and far more helpful than we first believe he is going to be and I’m hoping we get more of him in the upcoming books and comics.
The relationship between Master Loden Greatstorm and Bell Zettifar is fascinating. We have seen the journeys of many a padawan, including Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka, but again we get a different angle as to what we are used to. Zettifar is lacking confidence in certain areas of the Force, but Greatstorm almost treats him with tough love to help him achieve what he is starting to believe as a failing. The capture of Greatstorm by the Nihil will have a profound effect on Zettifar. The success of his mission rescuing the Blythe’s daughter in the skies above Elphrona sees him defeat these shortcomings. In his master’s eyes this sees him accomplishing a feat equivalent of him undergoing the trials. But Zettifar is sure his master has perished and while Greatstorm and the other Jedi Knights who were alongside them see him as their equal, he almost seems to be torn as his master is not there to tell the Jedi Council himself. You distinctly get the feeling that the next steps in Zettifar’s path are going to be precarious.
Avar Kriss is special. Not only is she a highly accomplished Jedi, but she also has the ability to co-ordinate the other Jedi through the Force and help them achieve the seemingly impossible. This ability is not new to Star Wars and was something that Jaina Solo was able to do in the Legends literature. Her eventual elevation to Master of the Starlight Beacon is a testament to her abilities, and I am sure this will be the source of many stories going forward.
Pointing this out is not a criticism in any way shape or form. For me it is a compliment to the Project Luminous team that they have dipped into these books to help develop this era. There is so much we do not know about the Force that the sequel trilogy has dabbled with and was previously explored in Legends and video games. I am sure we will see more abilities revealed as the series continues.
Soule’s story has also provoked some thoughts for me about possible theories of what we could see and how those events may have been written to set the groundwork for future events in the galaxy.
The planet of Eriadu where Kassav of the Nihil held the government to ransom over the pending emergences does not go by unscathed. In Rogue One, we see a planet with an unusual weather system, there is a possibility the emergence that destroys their moon could have a bearing on the planet that helps the Imperials keep their Kyber research programme secret in the future.
The story unearths a genius, who comes up with the idea of linking thousands of flight navigation units to predict the future emergences of the fragments of the Legacy Run. Keven Tarr is a brilliant mind, and I believe his role in the galaxy is far from over. Reading between the lines and reading what he achieved I sense that he could be the inventor of the Astromech series of droids that we know so well. This may well be assisted by the San Tekka’s along the way. It is a gut feeling, but there is something there for me.
The Hetzal system being the source of a new medical advancement called bacta is also something that I can see being of huge importance. In Legends literature, there was a mini-war in the X-Wing series of books that went along this line. Bacta is going to be a hot commodity in the coming years for the Republic. Could this mean a future problem for the Republic and the Jedi?
In the latest issue of Star Wars Insider, the exclusive fiction section has been relaunched. Issue 199 features the first part of a 2-part short story by Soule that will conclude in issue 200. The story is almost a prelude that ties in perfectly with Light of the Jedi which gives us some extra insight into Joss and Pikka Arden and the Starlight Beacon.
“Don’t believe the hype” is a well-known phrase in life. Well, I can give you a few occasions in life where that statement has been proved to be incorrect, and Charles Soule’s first instalment of The High Republic is one of those occasions! Soule’s first prose in the Star Wars galaxy has been long awaited by many fans of his work and the wait has been worthwhile.
There has been so much planning, plotting, and collaborating that has gone before to bring us up to this release and the wait has been excruciating. There are many varied opinions of the sequel trilogy and new canon literature, so to introduce Star Wars fans to an unexplored era of a galaxy far, far away has been a tremendously brave decision, but in Light of the Jedi, Soule has delivered a masterpiece.
Availability;
Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule was released on January 5, 2021 and is published by Del Rey. It is available in hardback, eBook, Audio CD and audiobook formats. UK retail price for the hardback novel is £20 and it is available from booksellers on the high street, online and from Amazon UK and Amazon US.
