by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star was written by New York Times best-selling author, Claudia Gray. This is the 3rd High Republic novel published by Del Rey. (A big thank you to Del Rey for sending out this copy for me to review.) The Fallen Star is the 3rd and final novel for the first phase of The High Republic.
SUMMARY: Starlight Beacon, the Republic’s physical symbol of peace and loyalty, is the next target of the Nihil. Marchion Ro has spread the Nihil across the galaxy to strike at random, to cause discomfort and fear. Many Nihil victims have made their way to Starlight Beacon for medical aid and ship repair as it hangs in space above the planet Eiram.
Soon, chaos will irrupt on Starlight Beacon as Marion Ro sends a crew to sabotage the station and unleash a Jedi killing, force hungry beast. The light of Starlight Beacon… will be snuffed out!
CHARACTERS: I’ve picked two characters to briefly mention.
The controversial Vintian character, Geode, brings in some comic relief. While the rock character does provide a few laughs, this living rock’s abilities alter an important plot point that we spend a lot of time with… by just sweeping the climax of said particular plot under the rug. It was a funny thing, but also a let down.
Bell Zettifar shines in this tale. While he’s still mourning the loss of his master, Loden Greatstorm, he doesn’t hesitate to jump into action when the world is burning around him. He and the wookie padawan, Burryaga, have become great friends and work well together.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: So far with the High Republic, I’ve really enjoyed the Del Rey novels. The era has been pretty hectic as the villains, the Nihil cause disaster throughout the galaxy. The previous novels introduced excellent characters with simple plots but excellent details. This novel, I hoped I wouldn’t have had to say it… falls short of my expectations. Here’s why…
It truly feels that Claudia Gray could not break the mold of the YA novel structure. The one thing this story lacks more than anything else, would be details. There are no aspects of the story that are heavily detailed, so there are a few situations that happen in the book that are muddled down and slightly confusing, because the details aren’t there! The story is shallow and simple.
The characters did not feel consistent with who they were in previous books, not just original characters created by Gray, but the characters created by the other authors writing in the High Republic Era. Claudia Gray brings in a few characters from her previous YA novel, Into the Dark such as Affie Hollow and her crew.
Some of my favorite characters in the High Republic are Stellan Gios and Elzar Mann. However, sadly, I wasn’t thrilled with either one of them in this book. They lacked the leadership and strength they displayed in past novels. Elzar has disconnected from the force for fear of sinking into the dark side. He comes across as too fearful and weak, I understand that he, as well as all Jedi, are students of the Force; they are always learning and growing. Elzar acts like a first time force user. Stellan Gios is suddenly very prideful and a tad spiteful. He is acting by Marshal of Starlight Beacon, replacing Avar Kriss. He has this childish grudge against Avar that doesn’t feel appropriate to his character in previous stories.
The relationships between the Jedi, as slightly mentioned already (with Stellan & Aver) all seemed out of line, with the exception of Bell & Burryaga. The dialogue wasn’t that bad, but there were many tacky lines and, much like the story structure, shallow. Previously, we’ve had a galactic disaster, billions have lost there lives during the events of Light of the Jedi, thousands more in The Rising Storm… but Chancellor Soh believes that the destruction of Starlight Beacon is the most tragic event in the history of the Republic? Yeah she believes that. I’m bummed out too that what was building up to some very intriguing political happenings in The Rising Storm, was completely absent in this book.
Do I recommend this book? Yes. Even with all the negative things I had to say about it, it is the continuation of a much larger era. This is the final adult novel in the first phase of the High Republic.
RATING: This book receives a C minus.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Novelization Review
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Novelization was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Terry Brooks. This tale takes place during the the Rise of the Empire Era, taking place 32 years before A New Hope.
SUMMARY
The galactic trade federation oversteps its bounds and releases its droid army against Naboo after a trade dispute. The Jedi step in to bring peace to the whole situation, but find themselves unable to do so. The Jedi assist in protecting the Queen of Naboo, leaving her home planet. They find themselves stranded o far away planet Tatooine, where they need to find parts to repair their ship. While there, Jedi Master Qui-Got Jinn comes across a young boy, Anakin, who is force sensitive. Qui-Got feels that this boy will be something great, someone that could potentially be spoken of in Jedi prophecy, the chosen one… the individual to bring balance to the force.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This novelization was fine, a lot of it reflected the film almost beat for beat. We did have a few additions to the story, such as a pod race with Anakin, which was pretty cool. Something that I found goofy was this exchange that Anakin has with the Sand People, or to be politically correct, Tusken People.
We do have mention of Darth Vane but it’s said that he had a male apprentice. Well, I’ve read the Darth Bane trilogy, Zannah… was a female.
I found it interesting that Qui-Got actually sold Anakins Podracer after Anakins victory to Sabulba, Anakins pod racing rival.
There really isn’t all that much to say about the book or the plot, let’s get real, if you’re watching this, you’ve probably seen the film… at least 5 times. Maul speaks a bit more, he has a verbal exchange with the trade federation folks.
The final thing worth mentioning that I found just bizarre is that at Qui-Gons funeral, doves were released… ha what?
So, do I recommend that you read The Phantom Menace novelization? No need to, while it did add some to the story, it’s not enough to go out of your way to read.
RATING
I will give this book a B.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Timothy Zahn. This is the final book in the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy. The Ascendancy trilogy as a whole, takes place after the events of Attack of the Clones.
SUMMARY: A threat to the Chiss Ascendancy is just on the horizon, but not all can see it coming. The enemy, Jixtus, has been formulating a plan to weaken the Chiss, turning the families against each other with lies and theatrics. Thrawn is fully aware of the deception and must act alone in order to keep the Ascendancy from collapsing in on itself, or from being conquered by outside forces, known as the Grysks.
CHARACTERS: A big cast of characters in this book, many military and political figures as well as a few alien races with very prominent roles, I’ll just briefly mention Thran and Jixtus.
Thrawn, as always knows what’s happening and is several steps ahead of everyone else. Sometimes its fun and believable, other times it’s silly and unbelievable. Thrawn seems to be in control of his own destiny, nothing comes as a surprise to him. I love that the Chiss families all have a grudge against him and want him ousted. Thrawn breaks the rules quite a bit, ignoring most of the orders given to him. Governing officials can’t stand him, but a handful of military leaders understand his motives but cringe at his risk taking.
I liked what Zahn was doing with the primary villain of the story. Jixtus is a pretty bad dude; he’s manipulative, controlling, and determined destroy the Chiss Ascendancy. While the character was handled well most of the time, I was actually somewhat underwhelmed with the overall arch of the character.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: For me, this novel has the same flaw as the previous instalments, the “Memories” chapters. These “memories” tend to foreshadow events or themes that are contained in the following chapters. I really don’t like reading unnecessary content that doesn’t mean much to the overall story… especially when it’s going make the following chapter(s) predictable There is one memory chapter in this book that actually was really good, it gave me the chills while reading it. That said, there is also one of these memory chapters, that left me outright confused as to what it was referencing, it seemed important, but there was no explanation of what was happening or why.
There is so much happening in this book, I’m surprised it was condensed down into a trilogy rather than a series of five or six books. I could be wrong but it feels like that’s something Zahn would’ve wanted to do, but it just didn’t happen. While the book is over 500 pages, which is pretty hefty in the Star Wars canon, it felt rushed in many places and left some aspects of the story wide open without conclusion.
I was hoping this book would tie up at the end with some sort of absolute closure with certain things, but it really didn’t. So many things can be brought back up in the future, which could be nice… but it also has me worried that we may never touch on these things ever again. For example, some awesome, wild tech is mentioned but not utilized in this story… we know it’s there now, we know what it’s capable of doing… I would hate it if we never get more use with it. There is more I can say on this, but I like to keep reviews spoiler free.
RATING: I enjoyed a lot of the book, but due to some of the issues that I really can’t seen get over, I give Thrawn: Lesser Evil a B.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Out of the Shadows was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Justina Ireland.
Justina Ireland did a pretty good job with her previous High Republic book, Test of Courage. However, with this one, I checked out early. I read the whole thing, but my care for anything going on was absent. There are parts of the story that are ok, but there are many parts that were just so boring.
I love that this book tied in with the other High Republic books and comics so well. Familiar and new characters have a lot going on. The events on Valo have many people throughout the galaxy scared. The Nihil are really making a name for themselves. The Jedi are getting really frustrated with the Nihil, but also with struggle they face by dipping too far into the affairs of Republic politics and war (sounds familiar).
This book had a lot of cringey material. I don’t know why the YA books have more adult themed subjects than the adult books. For example, alcohol consumption, sexual advances, and even prostitution. When a YA book has to mention every sexual orientation and every racial skin tone, it doesn’t read good. It feels like a a diversity training manual disguised as a Star Wars book.
I’m not kidding, just about every character that was brought in was described by the color of their skin, it’s poor character development, I can understand doing this occasionally… but all the time? Please stop. Our main character, Syl, is horn-dog, she’s so pervy.
RATING: I hate doing it, but I have to give this book an F. I spend my time reading books and I want to like them, I really do. The most important thing I MUST do, is be honest and give my opinion on the book. Some of you folks, will love this story.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Ronin was written by Emma Mieko Candon. Ronin is Emma’s debut novel. It was published by Del Rey (thanks for this copy) and ties in to the Disney Plus series, Visions.
SUMMARY:
An old man is haunted by a voice in his head. He has lived a long, hard life. Events unfold in a manner he never expected, when he witnesses a slain warrior rise from the dead. It’s brought to light that a Sith witch has been resurrecting the dead to do her bidding. The Ronin and a band of unusual folks make it their mission to find the witch who’s creating her demonic army, and sever the strings of her dark puppetry.
This band of warriors will face many trials, some will be victorious, some will be overcome with grief. This quest may also bring to light answers as to what happened to the beautiful planet Rei’izu, which vanished after the great war between the Sith and Jedi.
In this tale, lore of the force and those that wield it altered in a way reader’s have never witnessed.
CHARACTER:
Ekiya: She’s the pilot of the Poor Crow, the most down to earth of the characters. She’s not afraid to tell people how things are going to be on her ship. When tensions rise between bickering force users, she’ll tell them to shut it. In her youth she was forced to fight in a war she wanted nothing to do with. She lost so much that was dear to her. She holds pins her anger on the Sith and the Jedi.
The Ronin: He’s a seasoned warrior, of both light and the dark. In his youth he served the Jedi. Yet, he eventually abandoned the the Jedi and Empire, to serve his own desires. He and the woman he loved, sought out the Mirror of the Shinsui Temple, which was said to give visions that would fulfill their desires. This led to a great war on the planet Rei’izu. Now, in his old age, he is alone but not alone, a voice in his head guides him. It guides him into danger, to duel with Sith warriors. But… this voice isn’t singular to just the Ronin.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This book, I have mixed feelings about it. Most of what’s in this story I absolutely enjoyed. We have a wonderful adventure full of obstacles, with pain and suffering, there is mystery, hope, betrayal, and mysticism.
The novel takes an alternate path from what we know as canon. Emma tells a unique story, that does have familiar tones that we’ve witnessed in Star Wars, but it’s also so very different. This story, this galaxy of Star Wars, is a version we have’t seen. The Empire rules the galaxy, but it’s not the Empire we know of in current canon or the Expanded Universe/Legends Empire. The Jedi are its warriors, they are divided into clans and ruled by Jedi lords that serve princes of the Empire.
Emma’s writing style is nice, it’s not a style I recognize in the other Star Wars books, so that’s great, it reads more like a fantasy than a science fiction book, which is the style I prefer. The plot was great and the twists were decent. As a tale that isn’t part of the canon timeline, it definitely works as a stand alone novel that brings in its own lore and could potentially spark a new line of canon in an alternate Star Wars universe.
The negative that I have… I hope you actually hear me out on this, I do not like the use of the pronoun they/them/their. I found it EXTREMELY difficult to follow some situations and got very confused when a group of characters were talking amongst each other. The shift of they or their between an individual and individuals was making my head spin. I also don’t understand how a character is known to be identified as this, when another character comes along and refers to that character as a they/them/their… I can’t find the logic in it. However, this character was very interesting and mysterious. I just wish so much about the character didn’t confuse me.
RATING: I will give Star Wars: Ronin a ( B – ). I loved the writing style and the plot, but the confusion that disrupted my brain while reading a particular character brought the rating down.
by Matthew Wilson
Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Daniel Jose Older. Older is also writing the Star Wars Adventures High Republic series.
Summary: The Republic is getting ready to celebrate its accomplishments on the planet Valo, at the Republic Fair. Chancellor Soh will be present, along with many Jedi, to celebrate the unity and power of the Republic.
A security alert reaches a young Padawan, Ram, there seems to be an issue at Crashpoint Tower (a communications tower). Ram takes it upon himself to go check out the tower. It’s the Nihil! Ram does his best to fight them off, to see what it was they were doing to the tower.
When Ram attempts to reach his master or any other Jedi to inform them of what he’d witnessed but he has no luck! Somehow, Ram must reach out to Starlight Beacon, to inform them that the Nihil have been spotted on Valo, and have tampered with the communications tower.
Disaster strikes at the Republic Fair!
Characters:
Ram Jomaram is a Padawan in Lonisa City on the planet Valo. He loves tinkering with machinery, breaking them down, understanding how they work, and putting them back together. His love and understanding of machines, such as droids, speeders, etc. really helps him attune to the force. He’s a peaceful young man with hopes of remaining on the quiet and peaceful Valo. He’s slightly fearful and a intimidated by the thought of battle. However, he knows fear is all in the mind, he just needs to learn to control himself.
Lula Talisola, from the High Republic Adventures comic series plays a large roll in this book! She knows that her attachment to things and people are a great weakness. Not only is her attachment a weakness, but she fears it could bring her down, into darker places of the force. Lula wants to break away from her attachments, it’s the only way she could possibly achieve her life long goal of becoming one of the greatest Jedi Masters. Vernestra Rowh becomes somewhat of a mentor to Lula, helping her through this emotional set back.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Race to Crashpoint Tower was pretty good! I wasn’t a big fan of Older’s previous Star Wars book, Last Shot. But my dislike for that story, will stay with that book, not the author. I open each book with an open mind, ready for adventure. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed this story.
The event that takes place in this book is one that, once again, knocks the galaxy off its feet. The execution of this event was a little muddled down, but after I let it marinate in my brain for a bit, it’s better off that way. After all, this is a kids book and shouldn’t be graphic, besides, the event on Valo is the primary focus of the adult novel, The Rising Storm, I recommend reading that book before this one to get a better understand of what’s happening on Valo. This story doesn’t focus too much on all that is happening during the tragedy. It’s focused on certain characters being pushed to their limits, and the tasks they needed to accomplish to help resolve the tragedy at hand.
I only have a few issues with the story, mostly with the dialogue. Some of the names of people and creatures are far too goofy. The Nihil are a vicious bunch, but the other villains that show up, the Drengir, are just far to silly to be taken serious. However, it is a book designed for kids, so it’s fine, the Drengir are a decent fit for this age group.
It’s quite fun to see familiar characters from the other books and comics weave through the multiple stories in the High Republic era. In this young reader book, we have several characters and locations that make an appearance, and they’re handled so well. I really enjoy how the characters each have a personal conflict or set back that they must overcome. The challenges they face are both interesting and risky.
I highly recommend reading The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott before diving into this book. Race to Crashpoint Tower is a fun junior reader book, and it reads really fast.
Rating: This book receives a B+
