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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
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
adventurous
medium-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
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The characters and story were engaging and kept me on the edge of my seat. Reath and Affie are so great :)
If Light of the Jedi was the introduction to what The High Republic has to offer, then Into the Dark narrows the focus down to a much smaller scale. This allows the characters to be much more fleshed out. The emotional resonance is much stronger. The usage of the first book to minimize the amount of exposition leads for an engaging ride all the way through.
adventurous
challenging
medium-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
– Spoiler-Free Review for Into the Dark – But contains spoilers for Light of the Jedi –
Into the Dark by Claudia Gray is a Young Adult novel taking place in the High Republic Era of Star Wars history. It is the fourth book in Phase One of the High Republic series and the first Young Adult novel within it. The story occurs currently with, and after the events of, Charles Soule’s Light of the Jedi and therefore both this book and this review will contain some contextual spoilers for LOTJ.
The main themes of the story that resonated with me are the ideas of legacy and destiny. What is one meant to do, what is one intended or expected to do vs. what do they actually want to do and see themselves doing? Has their choice been taken from them or do they have the ability to shape their own future. These ideas connect to all the central characters in the story from newly-Masterless Jedi Padawan Reath Silas; pilot Affie Hollow, the adopted daughter of a corrupt Guild leader; and roguish Jedi Knight Daz Rydan. The three of them each experience paths laid before them and must choose whether to pursue them in a traditional manner, the one that is expected of them, or to forge their own path.
The idea of legacy is interestingly portrayed by both Reath and Daz due to the fact they were both the Padawans of Jora Malli. The book recounts the events prior to and after Malli’s death – which is portrayed in LOTJ – and uses Reath and Daz as lenses through which Jedi’s grief can be explored and felt. Paralleling this is Master Cohmac Vitus. This story contains three flashbacks to a mission twenty-five-years prior to the events of the main story following Vitus on a mission that has been a cause of great guilt and grief for him. The fact he carries this guilt still to this day is shunned by the Jedi Order. However, it is this grief that so perfectly allows Vitus to be a foil for Reath Silas. Their dynamic and conjoined growth throughout the story is one of my favourite elements that Gray crafted.
The exploration of Hyperspace was really exciting in this story and felt like an epic nautical adventure in format in that regard. Everything felt quite swash-buckling with the Jedi aboard the Vessel providing a good helping of heroic archetypes for this to feel truly timeless as a story. The new additions of creatures and Nihil threats were excellent and added some complexity to the story while also, of course, tying to the wide High Republic initiative of story-telling.
While some Star Wars fans may believe they can skip any non-Adult novel titles, I would advise everyone to give the Young Adult and Middle Grade books in Canon a chance as Into the Dark proves that wisdom and an amazing adventure can come to you at any age.
Into the Dark by Claudia Gray is a Young Adult novel taking place in the High Republic Era of Star Wars history. It is the fourth book in Phase One of the High Republic series and the first Young Adult novel within it. The story occurs currently with, and after the events of, Charles Soule’s Light of the Jedi and therefore both this book and this review will contain some contextual spoilers for LOTJ.
The main themes of the story that resonated with me are the ideas of legacy and destiny. What is one meant to do, what is one intended or expected to do vs. what do they actually want to do and see themselves doing? Has their choice been taken from them or do they have the ability to shape their own future. These ideas connect to all the central characters in the story from newly-Masterless Jedi Padawan Reath Silas; pilot Affie Hollow, the adopted daughter of a corrupt Guild leader; and roguish Jedi Knight Daz Rydan. The three of them each experience paths laid before them and must choose whether to pursue them in a traditional manner, the one that is expected of them, or to forge their own path.
The idea of legacy is interestingly portrayed by both Reath and Daz due to the fact they were both the Padawans of Jora Malli. The book recounts the events prior to and after Malli’s death – which is portrayed in LOTJ – and uses Reath and Daz as lenses through which Jedi’s grief can be explored and felt. Paralleling this is Master Cohmac Vitus. This story contains three flashbacks to a mission twenty-five-years prior to the events of the main story following Vitus on a mission that has been a cause of great guilt and grief for him. The fact he carries this guilt still to this day is shunned by the Jedi Order. However, it is this grief that so perfectly allows Vitus to be a foil for Reath Silas. Their dynamic and conjoined growth throughout the story is one of my favourite elements that Gray crafted.
The exploration of Hyperspace was really exciting in this story and felt like an epic nautical adventure in format in that regard. Everything felt quite swash-buckling with the Jedi aboard the Vessel providing a good helping of heroic archetypes for this to feel truly timeless as a story. The new additions of creatures and Nihil threats were excellent and added some complexity to the story while also, of course, tying to the wide High Republic initiative of story-telling.
While some Star Wars fans may believe they can skip any non-Adult novel titles, I would advise everyone to give the Young Adult and Middle Grade books in Canon a chance as Into the Dark proves that wisdom and an amazing adventure can come to you at any age.
i'm actually a reath supremacist he's so fun and silly
Yeah this is more like it. Claudia Gray just knows how to write a Star Wars novel. Into the Dark did a great job with a hyper-focused story within a larger-scale story, and retroactively helped me enjoy the first installment of The High Republic, Light of the Jedi, even more. Solid entry, I hope we see these characters again in future High Republic books.
A bookworm jedi, a pilot eager to prove herself, a rock-like navigator, pirates, and space station with the atmosphere of a haunted house where the bulk of this story's action takes place all make up Claudia Gray's YA entry in The High Republic-Phase 1. It's filled with action, some genuinely scary parts, jedi angst, and engaging protagonists.
Reath Silas is headed for Starlight Beacon, much to his dismay. He's happy in the jedi Archives, and can't see how taking his head out of a book could benefit him. He's travelling with Orla Jareni, Cohmac Vitus and Dez Rydan, all Jedi knights, to the Outer Rim's newest station, Starlight Beacon, together on The Vessel.
Affie Hollow is copilot of The Vessel, with Leox Gyasi as pilot and Geode as navigator. They're all part of the Byne Guild, run by Scover Byne; the guild handles shipping throughout Rim, and Scover is Affie's adopted mother.
While en route, hyperspace lanes are closed due to the Great Disaster, and they, along with several other ships, must shelter on a station, which is full of plants and droids tending them, but otherwise empty. It's got a creepy, haunted feeling, and the Jedi sense weird Dark Side stuff there, which is unexpected. Affie finds evidence of the station being an out of the way place some Byne pilots have stopped at, also.
Well, this wouldn't be a Star Wars story without everything going to crap soon after everyone's arrival at the station, with multiple threats and shocks. And a new adversary for everyone in the sector/galaxy to contend with. As if the Nihil weren't enough!
After a shocking loss, Reath is left bereft, and Cohmac is left wondering about some of the Jedi strictures on emotions and attachments. Orla is reminded of her first mission with Cohmac, twenty years earlier, what with everything going wrong then, too. Affie learns things about her adopted mother, and we all learn from Leox that Geode is a "wild man" *hee, hee*
This was a lot of fun. Reath is relatable, and though dragged into adventure, proves himself to be daring and more than capable at improvising; he grows a lot over the course of the book, and it's fun watching it happen.
Affie has some pretty big decisions to make with what she learns, and she chooses to make hard choices; she too, grows a lot over the course of this adventure.
I really liked how much Cohmac had to wrestle with his teachings after all that they encountered and how making the decision to take Reath on as his padawan felt like a good decision for both of them. I also liked how Orla's experiences with the weird Force stuff they encountered helped her maker her decision with respect to her place in the Jedi Order.
I found this book to be a fun entry in the series, and now on to the next.
Reath Silas is headed for Starlight Beacon, much to his dismay. He's happy in the jedi Archives, and can't see how taking his head out of a book could benefit him. He's travelling with Orla Jareni, Cohmac Vitus and Dez Rydan, all Jedi knights, to the Outer Rim's newest station, Starlight Beacon, together on The Vessel.
Affie Hollow is copilot of The Vessel, with Leox Gyasi as pilot and Geode as navigator. They're all part of the Byne Guild, run by Scover Byne; the guild handles shipping throughout Rim, and Scover is Affie's adopted mother.
While en route, hyperspace lanes are closed due to the Great Disaster, and they, along with several other ships, must shelter on a station, which is full of plants and droids tending them, but otherwise empty. It's got a creepy, haunted feeling, and the Jedi sense weird Dark Side stuff there, which is unexpected. Affie finds evidence of the station being an out of the way place some Byne pilots have stopped at, also.
Well, this wouldn't be a Star Wars story without everything going to crap soon after everyone's arrival at the station, with multiple threats and shocks. And a new adversary for everyone in the sector/galaxy to contend with. As if the Nihil weren't enough!
After a shocking loss, Reath is left bereft, and Cohmac is left wondering about some of the Jedi strictures on emotions and attachments. Orla is reminded of her first mission with Cohmac, twenty years earlier, what with everything going wrong then, too. Affie learns things about her adopted mother, and we all learn from Leox that Geode is a "wild man" *hee, hee*
This was a lot of fun. Reath is relatable, and though dragged into adventure, proves himself to be daring and more than capable at improvising; he grows a lot over the course of the book, and it's fun watching it happen.
Affie has some pretty big decisions to make with what she learns, and she chooses to make hard choices; she too, grows a lot over the course of this adventure.
I really liked how much Cohmac had to wrestle with his teachings after all that they encountered and how making the decision to take Reath on as his padawan felt like a good decision for both of them. I also liked how Orla's experiences with the weird Force stuff they encountered helped her maker her decision with respect to her place in the Jedi Order.
I found this book to be a fun entry in the series, and now on to the next.
