Star Wars – The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
By Charles Soule
Published by Del Rey
Being a huge Star Wars fan, I must admit that I never truly delved into the novels. The Han Solo trilogy being my only experience, which I liked very much.
Why?
I’m sure it had mostly to do with not straying too far from the Skywalker storyline and preserving it in my mind as perfection.
When I was asked to begin reviewing material from Star Wars: The High Republic, I was apprehensive.
But, curious all the same.
It’s Star Wars after all.
I’m glad I accepted the mission!
Light of the Jedi is epic!
Carved up into three section, or acts, Charles Soule’s vivid, bordering on poetic, writing style gives us the perfect pallet of flavor without being too flowery or dense.
The first act is relentless. An inciting incident chronicling the fallout of a hyperspace disaster that costs billions of lives.
Yes, billions.
We’re introduced to a wide variety of characters and much like James Cameron’s skillful development of the Colonial Marines in his 1986 masterpiece Aliens, you can never safely bet on who will live and who will become one with the Force! Unexpected and thought-provoking twists even provide a Star Trek flavor.
It’s that good.
The second act gives us a chance to catch our breath and transitions into an investigative story. Those who survived, and those in power, piece together clues to discover the cause of the accident and race against the clock to prevent further tragedy.
This time period of the Star Wars universe is elegantly fleshed out and we’re treated to one of my favorite moments, which I’m going to spoil right now.
So, skip ahead to END SPOILER if needed.
Jedi make it rain.
I was surprised as anyone that this resonated with me so much. I adhere to rules, and if you’re going to expand upon them, the idea better work within the rules. Here, not only does this trick make perfect sense, it becomes magic.
When a massive array assembled to aid the Republic in preventing further loss of life begins to overheat, something must be done to cool down the insane amount of droids involved.
Rain.
Using science through the Force, Jedi reach out to the water vapor in the surrounding air and lift it into the atmosphere creating clouds! Then storm clouds. Then rain.
Brilliant.
END SPOILER
We’re also introduced to the well thought out antagonists of the High Republic series, the Nihil. The band of marauders responsible for the accident.
Political motivations from every faction, Republic, Jedi and Nihil alike, ultimately steer us to the exciting concluding act. Adrenaline kicks in as we follow two intertwined events that again take unexpected turns. While this particular story concludes in the way you would mostly hope, the door is left wide open for continuing threats and at least one rescue mission.
The characters are diverse and the Jedi in particular each shine in their own way.
One sees the Force as a great song and uses that harmony to connect her brothers and sisters (recalling the song of the Ood from the David Tennant era of Doctor Who). We have a Wookiee Padawan whose empathy gives him a strength beyond all others. A seasoned Jedi who has seen it all and done it all and exuberates a quiet confidence we want to emulate.
The list goes on. Thankfully, many will appear in further stories.
Light of the Jedi had the daunting task of launching an entire series.
A make-or-break story.
And how, does It deliver!
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