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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
a great MG Star Wars novella
It’s been years since I read a MG Star Wars novella, but this was so good that I couldn’t pass it up. Daniel José Older has become an author whom I’ll automatically buy, and I am happy to see him pen more future Star Wars books.
The story takes place alongside the second Star Wars the High Republic and is told from the POVs of two Padawans who end up at Valo to save the day and fight the Nihil and the Drengir.
It’s been years since I read a MG Star Wars novella, but this was so good that I couldn’t pass it up. Daniel José Older has become an author whom I’ll automatically buy, and I am happy to see him pen more future Star Wars books.
The story takes place alongside the second Star Wars the High Republic and is told from the POVs of two Padawans who end up at Valo to save the day and fight the Nihil and the Drengir.
adventurous
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was fine. I don’t expect great things from these High Republic middle-grade books but it was solid enough. A short day-read that keeps up the pace and tells a nice little additional side-plot to the main plot of the adult novels. Nothing crazy. The Drengir involvement seemed unnecessary and out-of-touch. It seems unlikely that the primitive, dark-sided, evil, carnivorous plant monsters would maintain any alliance or entertain any interests other than their own and that felt like a weird choice. Would’ve honestly just worked with continued Nihil antagonism but other than that.
Fun, middle-grade novel. I appreciate the moment (really just a line of dialogue) that is shared between this book and "The Rising Storm" that connect the two to the same event and is just memorable enough to stand out.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another Simple Thrilling Middle Grade Entry In The High Republic Phase 1.
The High Republic does it again. Star Wars clearly knows how to pick it's authors for this project. Due to the short length of this novel I was really worried the novella wouldn't be good but it was in fact fantastic! Daniel José Older does a brilliant job at showing a whole other perspective of the attack on the republic fair. It also does a really good job despite being middle grade not sugarcoating the disaster and death around the main characters. Whilst Crashpoint Tower does have its humorous moments, when it needs to ho dark it goes dark perfectly.
Despite it being another really good entry I do have to snatch off half a star for the short pages. I completely get this story is for a middle grade audience but it's still an important part of the story. 199 pages felt way too quick too flesh things out and I also think more pages could have been done fleshing out Lula and Zeen since not every reader might have read The High Republic Adventures comics. Having so much media in a franchise isn't easy but I'm sure at least 50 more pages more briefly showing what happened in the comics wouldn't have hurt. With the page limit giving it felt hard to connect to Ram and Lula during parts of the book.
Other than that though this was another great entry into The High Republic. I mean it when I say the whole of this series is so worth checking out. This story does a really good job at showing the darkside of the republics security force and what it costs them. It also shows further how corrupt the Nihil are. Short and sweet but still really good.
First I want to praise the continuity. The writers of the High Republic are really good at connecting with other writers stories and threading plot points together. Race To Crashpoint Tower takes place during the adult novel The Rising Storm and ends at a key point. José Older rises up to the challenge beautifully and makes sure to not write over anything Scott Cavan planted the seeds for whilst also coming up with his own unique story that pulls from The High Republic Adventures. He also manages to respect Ty and incoperate her in a way that doesn't take away from her role from The Rising Storm. He also perfectly expands on Ram as a character. You can tell both authors sat down and planned together. Race To Crashpoint Tower can slot right in The Rising Storm and that's a good thing.
Secondly the simplicity and smoothness of the plot. Other High Republic novels have done this but Race To Crashpoint Tower in particular nails the craft of a simple but enjoyable story. People like stories to bold and complex but considering how chaotic Rising Storm was it was nice to have a simple story to go along with it. Its the basic premise of needing to track the Nihils moves and get the comms tower fixed but it's a simple premise that works very well. Despite the issues with length the story also flows very well too. It's simple but there's so much to get out of the quick adventure, with amazing high stakes and high thrills.
Finally the characters. The High Republic is always known for its amazing cast of characters abs Race To Crashpoint Tower is no exception. Ram, Lula and Zeen do an excellent job as the main characters of the story. Ram despite mainly doing mechanic work is thrust into the heat of the Nihils attacks and his arc concludes like a neat bow really well. Lula sharing povs with Ram gets to explore what it truly means to be a jedi and how to find balance whilst Zeen gets to come more into her own despite not being a jedi herself. Her character is adapted really well from the comics. The Side characters are just as memorable as the main ones. Vernestra Rwoh is an absolutely queen and it's great to see her bond with the younger character, Master Sy kills it and V-18 is another fun quirky droid included in the story. Ty was a fun inclusion too and we of course can't forget about the adorable Bombraks.
There's so much too dig into in this short but sweet chapter in the High Republic saga, I a hundred percent cannot recommend enough.
The High Republic does it again. Star Wars clearly knows how to pick it's authors for this project. Due to the short length of this novel I was really worried the novella wouldn't be good but it was in fact fantastic! Daniel José Older does a brilliant job at showing a whole other perspective of the attack on the republic fair. It also does a really good job despite being middle grade not sugarcoating the disaster and death around the main characters. Whilst Crashpoint Tower does have its humorous moments, when it needs to ho dark it goes dark perfectly.
Despite it being another really good entry I do have to snatch off half a star for the short pages. I completely get this story is for a middle grade audience but it's still an important part of the story. 199 pages felt way too quick too flesh things out and I also think more pages could have been done fleshing out Lula and Zeen since not every reader might have read The High Republic Adventures comics. Having so much media in a franchise isn't easy but I'm sure at least 50 more pages more briefly showing what happened in the comics wouldn't have hurt. With the page limit giving it felt hard to connect to Ram and Lula during parts of the book.
Other than that though this was another great entry into The High Republic. I mean it when I say the whole of this series is so worth checking out. This story does a really good job at showing the darkside of the republics security force and what it costs them. It also shows further how corrupt the Nihil are. Short and sweet but still really good.
First I want to praise the continuity. The writers of the High Republic are really good at connecting with other writers stories and threading plot points together. Race To Crashpoint Tower takes place during the adult novel The Rising Storm and ends at a key point. José Older rises up to the challenge beautifully and makes sure to not write over anything Scott Cavan planted the seeds for whilst also coming up with his own unique story that pulls from The High Republic Adventures. He also manages to respect Ty and incoperate her in a way that doesn't take away from her role from The Rising Storm. He also perfectly expands on Ram as a character. You can tell both authors sat down and planned together. Race To Crashpoint Tower can slot right in The Rising Storm and that's a good thing.
Secondly the simplicity and smoothness of the plot. Other High Republic novels have done this but Race To Crashpoint Tower in particular nails the craft of a simple but enjoyable story. People like stories to bold and complex but considering how chaotic Rising Storm was it was nice to have a simple story to go along with it. Its the basic premise of needing to track the Nihils moves and get the comms tower fixed but it's a simple premise that works very well. Despite the issues with length the story also flows very well too. It's simple but there's so much to get out of the quick adventure, with amazing high stakes and high thrills.
Finally the characters. The High Republic is always known for its amazing cast of characters abs Race To Crashpoint Tower is no exception. Ram, Lula and Zeen do an excellent job as the main characters of the story. Ram despite mainly doing mechanic work is thrust into the heat of the Nihils attacks and his arc concludes like a neat bow really well. Lula sharing povs with Ram gets to explore what it truly means to be a jedi and how to find balance whilst Zeen gets to come more into her own despite not being a jedi herself. Her character is adapted really well from the comics. The Side characters are just as memorable as the main ones. Vernestra Rwoh is an absolutely queen and it's great to see her bond with the younger character, Master Sy kills it and V-18 is another fun quirky droid included in the story. Ty was a fun inclusion too and we of course can't forget about the adorable Bombraks.
There's so much too dig into in this short but sweet chapter in the High Republic saga, I a hundred percent cannot recommend enough.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love you, Ram Jomaram