Published: January 4, 2022
Publisher: Del Rey
Author: Claudia Gray
Available Formats: Hardback (368 pages), eBook (351 pages), Audiobook (811 minutes)
Cover Artist: Yihyoung Li
Timeline: 230 BBY
Synopsis;
In this gripping sequel to Star Wars: The Rising Storm, the light of the Jedi faces its darkest hour.
Time and again, the vicious raiders known as the Nihil have sought to bring the golden age of the High Republic to a fiery end. Time and again, the High Republic has emerged battered and weary, but victorious thank to its Jedi protectors—and there is no monument to their cause grander than the Starlight Beacon.
Hanging like a jewel in the Outer Rim, the Beacon embodies the High Republic at the apex of its aspirations: a hub of culture and knowledge, a bright torch against the darkness of the unknown, and an extended hand of welcome to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. As survivors and refugees flee the Nihil’s attacks, the Beacon and its crew stand ready to shelter and heal.
The grateful Knights and Padawans of the Jedi Order stationed there finally have a chance to recover—from the pain of their injuries and the grief of their losses. But the storm they thought had passed still rages; they are simply caught in its eye. Marchion Ro, the true mastermind of the Nihil, is preparing his most daring attack yet—one designed to snuff out the light of the Jedi.
The review;
The cover is a stunning illustration by Yihyoung Li featuring the main Jedi protagonists for the coming adventure between the pages of The Fallen Star. New book releases are becoming more and more like comic releases, with variants from different book stockists. Again, we have the usual Barnes and Noble exclusive, Target exclusive and the stunning Out of Print limited edition. Each iteration has its own twist of freebies, coloured page edges, alternate covers and some signed by the author herself. Although this can make book collecting very expensive, it has the advantage of making your collection a point of interest.
If you are up to speed with everything The High Republic, this will be to your advantage. But, if you aren’t, The Fallen Star follows on from Light of the Jedi and The Rising Storm without having to know all the ins and outs of where the other mediums have taken us. I am also going to keep this review as spoiler free as possible. While I know the book has been released a couple of weeks now and many have read it already, but there is a vast amount of Star Wars literature out currently and many out there that haven’t quite caught up yet.
The overall storyline is the sabotage of Starlight Beacon by the Nihil. While I felt the book was what I would call “a slow burner”, when the pace does pick up it becomes a constant barrage of twists and turns. Claudia Gray has cemented her place within the Star Wars Galaxy of literature. To date, Lost Stars is still my favourite post 2015 reboot of the expanded universe, although there have been a few books that have pushed hard for that title recently. There are some very interesting plot points, but Gray knows how to develop a character and there are two or three that she really pushes along with.
Elzar Mann’s character is one that I am really enjoying. He is unconventional as Jedi go. On the cusp of the Dark Side and even scares himself at times when he dips a toe into the murky side of the Force that leads to it. He is fighting an inner conflict, he knows what he is doing, but doesn’t know how to stop himself. The incident in the latter stages of the story really sees how desperate and confused he is at times. Will he keep this at bay or will he the Jedi that starts the fall? He has turned up in this week’s Star Wars (2020) #20 from Marvel Comics and it is interesting to read little hints and titbits that tease what the future could hold.
There are casualties. We do lose some of our key characters along the path of the story. Some of those losses are surprising, but it’s how Gray deals with the grief that Bell Zettifar is suffering. Having lost my own mother at the end of last year, I have possibly read these excerpts with greater interest than I probably would normally. Zettifar is young and has suffered so much loss, in such a short time, but he is striving to do his best by those who have left him. When things are going against him, he seems to call on the ideals they have taught him and turns that into hope for his own future. But how much more can he take? Not only has he lost his first Master, but Gray takes him on a journey where his new Master is put in consummate danger and his best friend, Burryaga, is missing in action.
Affie, Leox and Geode are a fascinating combination. The Project Luminous team has taken a pounding for the character of Geode. Now, I must admit, this took some getting used to for me on first engagement with him, but through The Fallen Star, I have come to understand and accept him more readily. Along with the Arden’s, their actions and ingenuity help them become the heroes of the people by assisting the Jedi in Starlight Beacon’s hour of need.
The former Nihil pairing of Chancey and Nan also pricks up the interest. They inadvertently put the Jedi off the scent of the true threat to Starlight Beacon. There is something loose lurking in the shadows of the station that is interfering with the Force and attacking the Jedi’s bonds with it, but also attacking them when they encounter it person. Initially unleashed by Marchion Ro on Loden Greatstorm, this mysterious weapon is taking its toll.
I think the moral of this story is that you shouldn’t build a space station in the Star Wars Galaxy! They have a record of these projects not going too well, so with a historic disaster like this, you think Palpatine may have thought long and hard before building a Death Star. All jokes apart, the concept of Starlight Beacon and what it stood for is a magnificent idea. A symbol of hope for the whole galaxy, whereas the Death Star was a symbol of fear and tyranny. Both were all too easily attacked and destroyed. Was this due to an arrogance amongst their creators, the answer for me is simply “… yes!”
Gray portrays this arrogance really well. Yes, there are definitely other schemes or forces at play here, but it is there to see. A Jedi Order blinded by an unknown foe at work in the shadows. We’ve seen this before in the eventual fall from grace for the Jedi Order, but that fall wasn’t an instant collapse, but a gradual slide to its demise. And it starts right here!
And what of Marchion Ro and the Nihil? What seemed to be random Nihil incursions on Jedi temples, are recognised to be co-ordinated attacks, that serve their purposes immaculately. They are proving to be the duplicitous and villainous enemy that I have craved for some time now. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Imperial conflicts with the Rebel Alliance, and the Jedi versus Sith games of cat and mouse, but The New Jedi Order era from the Legends books always gripped me. An alternate foe that wreaks havoc across the galaxy, leaving all comers in their wake, regardless of them being able to wield the Force or not. It is this that makes me feel like this era is a breath of fresh air. The reason I like the Nihil and Ro so much is helped by the cobbled together, almost Steam Punk vibe they exude.
I need to mention that I didn’t just read this book, but I also listened to many chapters via Audible. This has become a common way for me to consume books in recent times and it helps in many ways. Marc Thompson delivers yet another sterling performance. Stellan Gios and Elzar Mann sound very much like Chris Hemsworth playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and when I sit back and think about that, maybe he would be a very good choice for one of those roles if we were to see a live action The High Republic venture at some point. At times the audio can get a little too busy for my liking with the sound effects and music. But this is what sets a Star Wars audiobook apart from most other audiobooks. This format has become part of the Star Wars audiobook blueprint including the very early abridged Legends releases in the nineties and even back to the original Radio Drama’s.
The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray is a brilliant conclusion to the first phase of The High Republic era literature. The care in continuity taken by the Project Luminous team to create this ongoing story is plain to see. I’m very excited to see what else the team throw at us in the coming months.
Availability;
The High Republic: The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray was released on January 4, 2022 and is published by Del Rey. It is available in hardback, eBook 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.
