Too tired to write a review. I've been a bit reading-fatigued late and probably enjoyed this less than I would have if I'd been in the zone. I can't hToo tired to write a review. I've been a bit reading-fatigued late and probably enjoyed this less than I would have if I'd been in the zone. I can't help feeling a little disappointed that this doesn't progress the story into new territory but just replays the basic setup - threat - Jedi spend most of book trying to resolve situation, in lieu of a plot. It's not the strongest ... but spending time with these characters is nevertheless all t the good, hopefully....more
I'm impressed. These books are an increasingly tough gig and Justina Ireland has to set plates spinning, tie into an established continuity, progress I'm impressed. These books are an increasingly tough gig and Justina Ireland has to set plates spinning, tie into an established continuity, progress that continuity plot but not too much and make this an exciting mini adventure all by itself. If the book suffers a little for such a broad remit, well... it's only a little, and what really impressed me is how much great character work this one manages to squeeze in, how much it feels like a charming YA novel and a Star Wars novel and how I came away from it genuinely caring about both Vernestra (she's the High Republic's Ahsoka, for sure) - don't call me Vern (spoiler: everyone does) - and the conundrums she faces having been promoted to Jedi Knight too early, Sylvestri (as another reviewer notes - great name!) and her really cute and plausible on/off romance with Jordanna and Nan's plotline too which I did not see coming. In a lot of ways it's a shame that so much stuff integral to the High Republic storyline has ended up in a YA novel because people take these demarcations too seriously and it might be skipped, but there's some cool politicking happening here that runs deeper than I'd expected.
A quick read with a fairly, thus far, inconsequential story which is starting to redo High Republic themes and ideas now just in another format. I've A quick read with a fairly, thus far, inconsequential story which is starting to redo High Republic themes and ideas now just in another format. I've upped the star rating because, whilst a little inconsistently drawn, at times this looks genuinely lovely and Star Wars works well in manga - maybe there should be more of it?...more
An excellently put together mini series yet again sadly let down a bit by indifferent artwork (presumably from the need to put these out on a tight ovAn excellently put together mini series yet again sadly let down a bit by indifferent artwork (presumably from the need to put these out on a tight overlapping schedule). This does a great job of recounting Ty Yorrick's back story in a mysterious and engaging way whilst also allowing her personal narrative to push forward into the future, ending with a promise that we'll see more of her. it's too brief to be essential and the macguffin-esque story is a little on the predictable/tired side, but this was a very quick read, very entertaining read and well worth it....more
Short and fun sidestory to The Rising Storm detailing what happens to characters we've met from the High Republic Adventures comic. I'm a big fan of tShort and fun sidestory to The Rising Storm detailing what happens to characters we've met from the High Republic Adventures comic. I'm a big fan of this joined up storytelling and seeing characters move from one medium to another. My only gripe is that if these are "Junior Novels" then how do people of this age range get to experience the entire narrative? (perhpas it will encourage them to punch outside of their designated age range?)...more
The Drengir are fairly quickly dealt with after being built up as the bad guys. There's the blessing and the curse of this crossover form of storytellThe Drengir are fairly quickly dealt with after being built up as the bad guys. There's the blessing and the curse of this crossover form of storytelling - it's really nice knowing that what takes place in The Rising Storm is affected by events in this comic book story but it's also frustrating that we can't delve further into the plotline or somehow get more out of it. Ultimately the Drengir are just a concept and a diversion and towards the end of the volume we're thrown into another plot featuring the main bad guys, the "Nihil" whose lingo I still haven't got my head around, they are Storms, they are Tempest Runners, they are the Eye of the Nihil, the are ... really just a bunch of Mad max style apocalyptic desert warriors who have somehow got strong enough to take on Jedi thanks to their smarts,(it's like Lex Luthor vs Superman) even thought heir internal politics seems like it will overwhelm them. Anyway, the last couple of issues introduce a more Keeve-focused storyline which was tense and enjoyable and if that mystery with Sskeer and his Jedi powers bears fruit, there might be something worthwhile about this series yet. I'm a little interested in picking up the third volume!...more
I didn't imagine that a Younger readers Star Wars mini-adventure would be what pulled me back into the world of the High Republic, but this felt rightI didn't imagine that a Younger readers Star Wars mini-adventure would be what pulled me back into the world of the High Republic, but this felt right and I'm back on board. Sure, the themes are so well trodden at this point as to be painful (Yes, hate does indeed lead to the dark side), but these audiobooks are so well made and it fed well into the simplicity of the story and brought pleasure as if I were watching, say, a really good Clone Wars episode. it zips along at breakneck speed but there's enough meat here to be worth digging into as character conundrums and inner monologues are not glossed over. Neither are the jokes and sense of fun. Actually, the biggest problem was that this was good enough that it left me wanting it to go a bit further ... but maybe it worked because it didn't?...more
When a collection isn't really supposed to be a collection it seems unfortunate to star rate it or even comment about the contents in a good/bad way. When a collection isn't really supposed to be a collection it seems unfortunate to star rate it or even comment about the contents in a good/bad way. Contained within this omnibus are a bunch of disparate stories penned about famed flirting-with-thedark-side Jedi Quinlan Vos and not all of them are written by John Ostrander or drawn by Jan Duursema. But those are categorically the best ones.
Ultimately then this volume introduces Quinlan Vos and his ex-padawan Aayla Secura (as well as Devaronian Villie), both of whom have had their memories wiped. In the first, and best story Twilight Vos is on the quest to find out why and ultimately to track down Secura with the Devaronian as sidekick - it's a pacy, exciting story that reveals a lot of thrilling character traits (Vos can glean visions from objects and this later becomes important for elucidating why he's such a force of nature that the Jedi both trust and worry about), adventure, double crossing and comedy and really showcases how good Ostrander can be when he's working towards something. "Darkness" is the other good story here as Vos comes face to face with Secura and an old enemy, whilst Duursema's superlative artwork elevates the final otherwise disappointing "Rite of Passage" (A Twi'lek is captured and they must go rescue!) The 2 part quickie Devaronian Version in which Villie tells a version of events on how he killed a Jedi, is really funny, though, and surprisingly cleverly thought through.
But mixed bag this is and the Infinity's End and Stark-Hyperspace War are both a little lacklustre. The former is the only Vos story not penned by Ostrander but does also feature the Witches of Dathomir being quite witchey and cultivating a brood of male slaves. It's a messy story, oddly paced and inconsequential but hey it's only 4 issues. The latter has a great premise about starting a war with the Jedi around limiting the supply of Bacta and making prices tumble. There are lots of good characters, including a Tarkin who damn well wants a Republicly run fleet (a conceit cribbed for another Star Wars book I just read, The Rising Storm. Possibly a coincidence) and smooth bad guy Stark himself, but it just fades into nothing as Ostrander, again, realises he only has 4 issues to play with.
Ultimately the long game is better than the short with these Star Wars stories and what makes to Vos saga so great (at least, I hope it's still great, since I haven't read it in over 10 years) is that the character is so strongly defined, so when the series hits its conclusion we're invested. As with all long-running comic sagas or epic novel series though one has to take a little rough with the smooth. This is a perfectly fun omnibus which I enjoyed immensely, and yet as a collection I never quite found my stride with its inconsistencies. In some ways this probably wasn't one to binge but a collection to savour the little things that work slowly.
Uninspired audio drama that likes to leave you in the dark as to whereabouts the story is actually at. This is poorly produced with terrible acting anUninspired audio drama that likes to leave you in the dark as to whereabouts the story is actually at. This is poorly produced with terrible acting and an uninvolving script that mostly left me either disconnected or a little lost.
Yet another miss in an increasingly disappointing range.
***Second Review
The first review is a good indication that I read too much and got overtired in 2022 because it really misses the mark. In truth, despite its weaknesses, this is a fun world-expanding sidestory that sets Lourna Dee up as an alternative villain to Marchion Ro, explaining a lot about her history and offering her a shot at redemption. It's this sort of colour that actually makes the High Republic sing. Marc Thompson's reading of The Rising Storm was so on point and here he nails it as dual villains Pan Eyta and Marchion Ro, the latter is chilling, menacing and a worthy entry into the Star Wars universe in its own right (yep, if you're not doing these on audio you're missing a whole dimension). Shame I couldn't relate to the Jessica Almasy's portrayal of Lourna Dee which is too full of gurning and not enough nuance for my liking, and that keeps this audio play at 3 -3 1/2* since she's the main character and in most scenes.
I've adjusted the rating from a 2* - 4*. I admit that I got this novel really wrong on my first readthrough and I put that down to the High Republic bI've adjusted the rating from a 2* - 4*. I admit that I got this novel really wrong on my first readthrough and I put that down to the High Republic being quite a tough series to get into and appreciate thanks to reams of new characters across a bunch of disparate media who appear frequently quite briefly, making it tough to unpick the actual plot trajectory. New Star Wars is always a tough sell when it doesn't replicate old Star Wars (and even tougher when it does) and Cavan Scott's novel is also stylistically new - granted it's not 100% successful either and some of my initial criticisms still stand, there are too many characters, too many action scenes and the novel consistently threatens to crash down under its own weight and the need to have wookiepedia constantly open to work out what's going on. Yet, the massive nerd in me had to admit that this also keys into the fantasy writing that I love. Multiple POVs are de rigeur right now and once I settled into who was who on my second readthrough the characterisations started to shine a lot more, and once the characterisations shone I cared about the battle. It's a bold book structurally though, spending the first half recounting diplomatic, love and other affairs in quite an aloof manner before opening out into 100s pages of battle scenes. Scott does write very well though and manages to make it work, though I could personally use less of the action and a little more colour and world-building.
What really pushed this into 4* territory for me though weren't the new Jedi but (as well as the absurdly strong quality of the audiobook I was reading. it's a difficult way to read this book as it's easy to miss characters, descriptions and names for all the different alien races, leaving you a bit lost at times but still highly recommended) the new villains, the Nihil. There's some serious infighting going on amongst the Eye and the Tempest runners in this book which turned them from being a motley group of intergalactic space pirates into a real living, breathing threat with personality and Marchion Ro's background scheming (which, yes, does just amount to him tracking down a superweapon. Hey this is Star Wars woop woop), particularly in the novel's opening sections feel quite sinister and real. There aren't too many twists and turns to the plot overall (I'd definitely expected something more grandiose and cosmic first time around) but I appreciated this book's ability to capture a moment in the conflict between Jedi and Nihil, to make it feel really cinematic and to make all of the tie in literature feel alive and relevant. That said I'm starting to grow affectionate for some of the new good guys too - Ty Yorrick has been fleshed out through 3 pieces of media I've read now Race to Crashpoint Tower and Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - The Monster of Temple Peak #2 and I'm starting to enjoy her personal backstory, and Elzar Mann I think has more to give with his force visions and romantic proclivities that bring a relatability to the story. So far there's nothing really new on the Jedi Character front, though and that's where it's failing to click on the highest levels (that said Orba Lin quoting history books mid-battle was pretty ace and hilarious).
Actually it's hard to rate one book in the High Republic series because they all feel like they work in unity. But this is finally starting to feel like new and exciting Star Wars content to me. It's not too deep and so far not exceptionally clever but has that quality of being desperate to race through it. In fact this was a re-read I initially had to force myself to do in order to refresh myself of events I hadn't taken in too well first time around and I ended up blitzing it in 2 days, so I must be enjoying this....more
An easy time, but another of those Star Wars books that doesn't hit greatness because it belligerently doesn't aspire to it and it belligerently triesAn easy time, but another of those Star Wars books that doesn't hit greatness because it belligerently doesn't aspire to it and it belligerently tries not to surprise or upset your reading experience at any point. Granted, this is deliberately targeted at a younger audience, so it probably has quite a lot to offer on that score. Character development and world-building is fairly minimal though it does introduce the Drenghir into the universe and start to make the High Republic era feel a bit more lived in. I feel like we're taking baby steps towards something bigger here and at the moment I'm not sure if we'll ever get there -I'm enjoying myself though! Onto the next one!...more
Every Marvel Star Wars comic I’ve read since 2015 has been an efficient beast that seems to go from A-B with a cold precision, but there’s rarely anytEvery Marvel Star Wars comic I’ve read since 2015 has been an efficient beast that seems to go from A-B with a cold precision, but there’s rarely anything in them to make one fall in love and this is unfortunately no different. The art is staggeringly indifferent, the characterisation is indifferent, the story over five issues amounts to finding a plant beast on a planet and then fighting it.
This and the two star rating may sound harsh when in truth I still enjoyed reading this volume. The best comics really do transport you into a cinematic universe of your mind, though and I struggled – as I often do since Marvel decided that their books had a standard, average, saleable look and feel to them – for this to really leap off of the page. Maybe as these series develop something will click – I do hope so as The High Republic, being a fresh start and not beholden to issues of continuity, is definitely the place that might happen. ...more
I've been waiting for an initiative from the Disney-era EU that would really stamp their mark on the Star Wars universe. We've had lots of little gap-I've been waiting for an initiative from the Disney-era EU that would really stamp their mark on the Star Wars universe. We've had lots of little gap-filler novels and my enthusiasm for Star Wars tie-ins dwindled after a few of those, since, for me, Star Wars needs a sense of scope of it's to be STAR WARS. This is more along the lines of what I've been thinking - a series of books and further tie-ins set in an all new of Star Wars that's able to introduce its own heroes, its own villains and world-build all on its own.
Great idea and what I wanted. Also damn hard to pull off.
The problem with Light of the Jedi, out the gate, is that it's just not a page-turner. I guess the excuse is that it has so much to setup and introduce for future novels to build on - but my counter-argument would be that if you don't hook people from the start, this ain't going anywhere. In fairness, the opening 100 page scenario with the hyperspace event and subsequent Jedi rescue is original and almost fun to boot, but sadly the book fails to build on this for a number of reasons, the biggest sin being that lots of Jedi characters are introduced but none of them are memorable or do memorable things.
What really kept me onboard and dareIsayit almost hooked into this series, were the antagonists, the Nihil. A Mad Max post-apocalyptic nightmare gang, they have their own internal struggles and politics which make up a large chunk of the book and the power plays and strategies from characters here were a lot of fun to read about. Slow as this book is - and it's not actually light on action, it's more that it's slow from lack of real narrative hook - it does end on some satisfying notes which made me feel that, yeah, the Jedi might have a fight on their hands against an interesting - and dirty - enemy. ...more
This was easily the best volume of Marvel's Star Wars thus far. Fast paced, exciting, well scripted - often really very funny - and the art game reallThis was easily the best volume of Marvel's Star Wars thus far. Fast paced, exciting, well scripted - often really very funny - and the art game really went up a notch. Why we needed a Star Wars crossover "event" is anybody's guess since crossing over Luke with Darth Vader isn't really crossing over much at all ... but we did get to throw Dr.Aphra into the mix whose presence is my favourite thing about this bunch of series, not so much that we needed another self-obsessed smuggler type, but her situation of trying to appease Vader so as not to get killed is quite clever and amusing.
It's a great conclusion to a year's worth of comics but at the same time I'm asking myself questions around where we should really be in a year and 24 issues in... it's literally Darth, Luke, Leia and Han duking it out with Darth Vader on a planet. That's it, that's the climax and it doesn't feel like, yet again, that we're in a place that could be described as anything other than fanwank and I'm going to continue to wish that this comic did something to contribute to the Star Wars mythos rather than just take from it.
So yes, this is recommended and I thoroughly enjoyed it but at the same time there's a limit to how much we need this kind of material. Now Jason Aaron has that one out of his system and he's proven that he can write Star Wars characters with his own voice, I hope he increasingly pushes things forward....more
Gillen crafts the better of the two Star Wars books out of the gate, as much as I don't love the comic's viewpoint of the bad guys doing bad things toGillen crafts the better of the two Star Wars books out of the gate, as much as I don't love the comic's viewpoint of the bad guys doing bad things to bad people; not because I'm squeamish, but because I'm not sure there's really that many ways to identify with Darth Vader or really care that his position might be under threat. Enter Dr.Aphra who is at least a human face and fighting for her life, although she seems quite comfortable with doing what it takes to survive.
Still, it's not a beautifully drawn book and it's not a beautifully constructed one. Marvel could do with fewer splash pages and denser storytelling at times. Or maybe I'm just too used to reading 80s comics right now?...more
Workmanlike retelling of a particularly fun movie. There's no point in this book's existence - these kinds of novelisations back in the day were for tWorkmanlike retelling of a particularly fun movie. There's no point in this book's existence - these kinds of novelisations back in the day were for those who wanted to relive an experience they couldn't repeat since it was impossible to see a film until it was shown on the TV. Why did I read it? In the vain hope that it would shed a little light on the wider universe that the movies are supposed to be set in, give us a little background or context that we missed. Nope. We got nothing. Barely an easter egg.
I've read three Star Wars novels by Luceno and they've all had a very dry style not at all suited to the oeuvre. He seems to be highly regarded for hiI've read three Star Wars novels by Luceno and they've all had a very dry style not at all suited to the oeuvre. He seems to be highly regarded for his attention to detail and knowledge of the universe, but where some are delighted that you get a bit of something Star Wars to store in your head, I'm just waiting around for something to happen. Seriously, nothing happens in this book and it's hardly made enthralling by some fascinating character dynamic, merely, we get more of what's already made plain onscreen in Rogue One.
I'm not chucking this series, but the chances of me continuing with it until there's a 99p kindle sale are pretty slim to non-existent. This is fine, I'm not chucking this series, but the chances of me continuing with it until there's a 99p kindle sale are pretty slim to non-existent. This is fine, but two books I and my Star Wars juices are just not flowing and I just don't feel I care about the universe that, not just Chuck Wendig has created - he doesn't take the blame for that - but the universe Star Wars books are creating. Everything I've read feels like treading water which is ok ... up to a point. It's probably time to sign out and appreciate that the powers that be care far more about the huge revenue from films and TV shows than they do books. I find that sad, but that's the way it is....more
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