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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
What a great introduction to The High Republic era! Charles Soule has such a way of describing the world of Star Wars in this time! I especially loved the descriptions of the Force through the eyes of many different Jedi. I wasn't a huge Jedi fan before but this book made me fall in love with them a little. Especially Avar Kriss! Can't wait to read more of The High Republic books! For Light and Life! ✨
A super promising start to the High Republic, the new publishing initiative for Star Wars by the folks at Disney. I think they chose a good writer to kickstart the endeavor: Charles Soule is great at sketching out flashy characters with cool visual designs, setting up intriguing plot threads for follow-up, and for making breezy, easy-to-read chapters. (This explains his success as a comics writer). The book's opening in particular was effecting and skillfully set up the Jedi to prove themselves the heroes in the Republic's golden age.
If I have any complaints, it's that Soule's prose writing isn't always my favorite style (though this is a matter of taste) and, sometimes, I wish we had a bit more context for the plot threads and their implications that will clearly be resolved in future books. But these are outweighed by the strength of the characters and the well-drawn scenes. Lastly, I'll say that I think the Nihil are going to prove a promising new villain for this era. Just as Thrawn was a good villain because he was unlike anything else our heroes had faced, so too are the Nihil weird, different, and *cool.* I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan, so I'm always willing to give a new Star Wars book a try, but I'm happy to say that now I'll be eagerly following the development of this era.
If I have any complaints, it's that Soule's prose writing isn't always my favorite style (though this is a matter of taste) and, sometimes, I wish we had a bit more context for the plot threads and their implications that will clearly be resolved in future books. But these are outweighed by the strength of the characters and the well-drawn scenes. Lastly, I'll say that I think the Nihil are going to prove a promising new villain for this era. Just as Thrawn was a good villain because he was unlike anything else our heroes had faced, so too are the Nihil weird, different, and *cool.* I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan, so I'm always willing to give a new Star Wars book a try, but I'm happy to say that now I'll be eagerly following the development of this era.
Empecé este libro porque me apetecía una historia que fuera entretenida y de aventuras, ligera, y pensé que un libro de Jedis iría por ahí, pero no es para nada lo que esperaba. Sin embargo no creo que eso sea el motivo de mis dos estrellas, sino lo siguiente:
* El libro a ratos parece más una historia de Star Trek o incluso The Expanse, que un libro de Star Wars. No me pegan varios de los temas que trata, más de sci-fi, que de fantasía del espacio que es lo que para mi es Star Wars.
* Los Jedis de este libro hablan de la fuerza de una forma que a mi me recuerda más al Dios cristiano que a lo que yo he entendido que era la fuerza hasta ahora. Quizás esto sea mi culpa, no obstante, por haberlo entendido mal o por estar dando demasiada importancia a según qué expresiones en la lectura.
* Tiene un exceso de personajes tal que hace que no haya conectado con casi ninguno, y no me importe lo que les pase.
* No me gusta demasiado el estilo de escritura del autor.
Lo que sí me ha gustado:
* La tecnología especial para Jedis es muy chula :D
No tengo muy claro que vaya a seguir leyendo libros de esta saga, aunque como cada libro lo escribe un autor diferente... Ya veremos.
* El libro a ratos parece más una historia de Star Trek o incluso The Expanse, que un libro de Star Wars. No me pegan varios de los temas que trata, más de sci-fi, que de fantasía del espacio que es lo que para mi es Star Wars.
* Los Jedis de este libro hablan de la fuerza de una forma que a mi me recuerda más al Dios cristiano que a lo que yo he entendido que era la fuerza hasta ahora. Quizás esto sea mi culpa, no obstante, por haberlo entendido mal o por estar dando demasiada importancia a según qué expresiones en la lectura.
* Tiene un exceso de personajes tal que hace que no haya conectado con casi ninguno, y no me importe lo que les pase.
* No me gusta demasiado el estilo de escritura del autor.
Lo que sí me ha gustado:
* La tecnología especial para Jedis es muy chula :D
No tengo muy claro que vaya a seguir leyendo libros de esta saga, aunque como cada libro lo escribe un autor diferente... Ya veremos.
3.5
This was an okay start to the High Republic era. I think my biggest issue is that there were simply too many characters and not enough development for them. I didn't feel like I really knew anyone and considering that all these characters are new to the Star Wars universe I would've liked a little more of an insight into who these characters are as people. The first third though was absolutely incredible and had great tension and I'm still excited to see what this new era of Star Wars has in store for us.
This was an okay start to the High Republic era. I think my biggest issue is that there were simply too many characters and not enough development for them. I didn't feel like I really knew anyone and considering that all these characters are new to the Star Wars universe I would've liked a little more of an insight into who these characters are as people. The first third though was absolutely incredible and had great tension and I'm still excited to see what this new era of Star Wars has in store for us.
I feel like there’s a lot covered in this book, however it’s not always clear why it’s relevant and why we should care all that much (characters die in the chapter they’re introduced in, some don’t really add anything, etc). There’s a lot of world-building, exposition and all that taking place and obviously it’s important to do that with the new timeline they’re establishing, but I feel like the huge amount of characters that were introduced, especially in the Jedi order, made it hard to really get pulled into the story. Plus, the real plot only sets in within the last 50-pages of the book, and with the cliffhanger ending, it felt even more like a mere set-up for a future book.
Nonetheless, I‘m really excited for this new series, and hope we have more character-driven stories in the future!
Nonetheless, I‘m really excited for this new series, and hope we have more character-driven stories in the future!
Technically DNF. Honestly, I want to watch lightsabers not read about them.
Well written and exciting, I look forward to the rest of the series. I would have liked to get to know individual characters better.
3 stars ⭐️
Lowkey a bit boring but not too bad
Tbh the only reason I read this is bc I wanted more Jedi content
Lowkey a bit boring but not too bad
Tbh the only reason I read this is bc I wanted more Jedi content
There was a lot to be optimistic about here. It’s the first instalment in an exciting new multimedia project; it features the Jedi in their prime; and it’s written by Charles Soule, who I trust implicitly with the franchise and its characters (he wrote my two favourite Star Wars comics: [b:Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 1: Imperial Machine|35009957|Star Wars Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 1 Imperial Machine|Charles Soule|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525359653l/35009957._SY75_.jpg|56290519], and [b:Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren|53098863|Star Wars The Rise of Kylo Ren|Charles Soule|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586240022l/53098863._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72204182]).
So, despite the misgivings that I had after the slew of mediocre-at-best Star Wars novels we’ve received in the last 2 – 3 years, I went into this new adventure with an open mind and heart. And it paid off, sort of. This is an entertaining book. I had a good time. I think the majority of Star Wars fans will enjoy this story.
But… here’s the thing. Every praise I have for this book comes with a big, glaring ‘but‘. Let me show you what I mean:
THE WRITING: Soule is an amazing comic writer. He also write prose novels, but I hadn’t read any of them until now. I think his skills translate pretty well across the two media. It’s a very no-frills writing style, but that fits the genre and the story that’s being told. The action scenes in particular were compulsively readable.
But… The dialogue really struggled here. The characters’ words are fine, but there’s a heavy overuse of dialogue tags and a failure to break up or add any variation to conversations. I was taken out of the story several times by this. Here are two (spoiler-free) examples that disrupted my experience so much that I got out of my comfy armchair to go and get page flags to mark my frustrations:
“Why does he keep doing that?” I grumbled distractedly.
When he remembers that using the word ‘said’ is perfectly okay, the conversations are monotonous to the point of distraction:
These are first draft-level issues, and an editor really should have picked them up.
THE PLOT and THE CHARACTERS: I don’t usually talk about these things in tandem, but it’s relevant in this case, because the same problems plague both the plot and characters. Things are a little bit complicated here, because this book had a big job to do outside of just telling its own story. As the introduction to a multi-author and multi-arc series, it needed to introduce a wider range of characters and ideas than is typical. But at the same time, it should be able to be read as a standalone novel. These two goals are in obvious conflict with each other, and the act of trying to balance them was detrimental to this book.
The first act is pretty spectacular. It shows us the Jedi coming together to deal with a big space emergency (I can’t be more specific without including spoilers, so just trust me, it’s a BIG space emergency), and the sequence serves as a great introduction to the current state of the galaxy and the relationship between the Jedi and the politicians. I loved these first 100 or so pages, and if they had been bound together in a novella I would have no problem rating it as a 5/5 space adventure.
But… things fell apart in the second and third acts, because of one glaring issue. Because of the nature of this new series, this book introduces us to multiple (I’m talking at least 10) distinct ‘good guy’ characters, mostly Jedi. These are the characters we’re going to be following and talking about in all of the novels/comics/games to come. There are two main groups of Jedi that get a little bit more spotlight than the others, but that’s still five Jedi all vying for the nebulous role of the story’s protagonist. The end result is that it’s impossible to feel truly connected to any of them, because there simply isn’t enough time for them to shine.
By contrast, the main antagonist of this story is clear. Sure, he has a couple of top-level henchmen that get their own varying degrees of pagetime, but there’s no doubt about who we’re supposed to be focusing on and intrigued by.
Because we’re following three core groups of Jedi (plus the politicians) but one core group of bad guys, the unescapable fact is that this story, therefore, is about the bad guys. The plot is driven by their antics: they’re proactive, whereas the Jedi are necessarily reactive. They’re more developed, more complex, and more compelling. I wasn’t exactly rooting for them, but I did want to see a lot more of them, and I enjoyed their scenes far more than I enjoyed spending time with any Jedi. I read the book less than a week ago but I’m honestly struggling to name any Jedi other than Burryaga (and I’m not even sure I got the correct spelling there).
The bottom line is that I feel much more connected to Marchion Ro than I do to [insert any Jedi name here]. That’s not a problem for me personally; I love complex villains and anti-heroes just as much as the next person. But I’m pretty sure that’s not the vibe that Lucasfilm was going for when they pitched this novel. Star Wars isn’t really known for its explorations of grey morality. There are good guys, and there are bad guys (well, sometimes there are bad guys who turn into good guys); and we are definitely meant to root for the good guys. But in order for us to do that authentically the heroes need to be more appealing to us than the villains.
I think this issue will become less prevalent in future instalments in the series, which will have a bit more room to focus on their respective protagonists. But I can only judge this book on what it does, not what future books might do. And I can’t in good faith give a high rating to a book called “Light of the Jedi” that presented the Jedi as, well, boring.
OVERALL: 3 out of 5 stars, but all of them are for Marchion Ro.
I recommend this: To all Star Wars fans. As I said above, this is an enjoyable story. But I didn’t have any thoughts or emotions stronger than “oh, that’s a cool new way to use a lightsaber, I guess”. If that’s all you want out of the franchise, then you won’t be disappointed at all. But if you wanted a bit more emotional impact you might need to approach this one cautiously.
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So, despite the misgivings that I had after the slew of mediocre-at-best Star Wars novels we’ve received in the last 2 – 3 years, I went into this new adventure with an open mind and heart. And it paid off, sort of. This is an entertaining book. I had a good time. I think the majority of Star Wars fans will enjoy this story.
But… here’s the thing. Every praise I have for this book comes with a big, glaring ‘but‘. Let me show you what I mean:
THE WRITING: Soule is an amazing comic writer. He also write prose novels, but I hadn’t read any of them until now. I think his skills translate pretty well across the two media. It’s a very no-frills writing style, but that fits the genre and the story that’s being told. The action scenes in particular were compulsively readable.
But… The dialogue really struggled here. The characters’ words are fine, but there’s a heavy overuse of dialogue tags and a failure to break up or add any variation to conversations. I was taken out of the story several times by this. Here are two (spoiler-free) examples that disrupted my experience so much that I got out of my comfy armchair to go and get page flags to mark my frustrations:
“Maybe the ship malfunctioned?” Vellis ventured.
“Not impossible, but unlikely,” Avar continued. […]
“Our working theory is that it encountered something in the hyperspace lane, and it tried to avoid running into it,” Elzar broke in.
“Why does he keep doing that?” I grumbled distractedly.
When he remembers that using the word ‘said’ is perfectly okay, the conversations are monotonous to the point of distraction:
“Is everyone all right?” Erika said.
“I’m okay,” Bee said.
“Hurt my hand, but it’s nothing too bad,” Ronn said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you,” Ottoh said.
These are first draft-level issues, and an editor really should have picked them up.
THE PLOT and THE CHARACTERS: I don’t usually talk about these things in tandem, but it’s relevant in this case, because the same problems plague both the plot and characters. Things are a little bit complicated here, because this book had a big job to do outside of just telling its own story. As the introduction to a multi-author and multi-arc series, it needed to introduce a wider range of characters and ideas than is typical. But at the same time, it should be able to be read as a standalone novel. These two goals are in obvious conflict with each other, and the act of trying to balance them was detrimental to this book.
The first act is pretty spectacular. It shows us the Jedi coming together to deal with a big space emergency (I can’t be more specific without including spoilers, so just trust me, it’s a BIG space emergency), and the sequence serves as a great introduction to the current state of the galaxy and the relationship between the Jedi and the politicians. I loved these first 100 or so pages, and if they had been bound together in a novella I would have no problem rating it as a 5/5 space adventure.
But… things fell apart in the second and third acts, because of one glaring issue. Because of the nature of this new series, this book introduces us to multiple (I’m talking at least 10) distinct ‘good guy’ characters, mostly Jedi. These are the characters we’re going to be following and talking about in all of the novels/comics/games to come. There are two main groups of Jedi that get a little bit more spotlight than the others, but that’s still five Jedi all vying for the nebulous role of the story’s protagonist. The end result is that it’s impossible to feel truly connected to any of them, because there simply isn’t enough time for them to shine.
By contrast, the main antagonist of this story is clear. Sure, he has a couple of top-level henchmen that get their own varying degrees of pagetime, but there’s no doubt about who we’re supposed to be focusing on and intrigued by.
Because we’re following three core groups of Jedi (plus the politicians) but one core group of bad guys, the unescapable fact is that this story, therefore, is about the bad guys. The plot is driven by their antics: they’re proactive, whereas the Jedi are necessarily reactive. They’re more developed, more complex, and more compelling. I wasn’t exactly rooting for them, but I did want to see a lot more of them, and I enjoyed their scenes far more than I enjoyed spending time with any Jedi. I read the book less than a week ago but I’m honestly struggling to name any Jedi other than Burryaga (and I’m not even sure I got the correct spelling there).
The bottom line is that I feel much more connected to Marchion Ro than I do to [insert any Jedi name here]. That’s not a problem for me personally; I love complex villains and anti-heroes just as much as the next person. But I’m pretty sure that’s not the vibe that Lucasfilm was going for when they pitched this novel. Star Wars isn’t really known for its explorations of grey morality. There are good guys, and there are bad guys (well, sometimes there are bad guys who turn into good guys); and we are definitely meant to root for the good guys. But in order for us to do that authentically the heroes need to be more appealing to us than the villains.
I think this issue will become less prevalent in future instalments in the series, which will have a bit more room to focus on their respective protagonists. But I can only judge this book on what it does, not what future books might do. And I can’t in good faith give a high rating to a book called “Light of the Jedi” that presented the Jedi as, well, boring.
OVERALL: 3 out of 5 stars, but all of them are for Marchion Ro.
I recommend this: To all Star Wars fans. As I said above, this is an enjoyable story. But I didn’t have any thoughts or emotions stronger than “oh, that’s a cool new way to use a lightsaber, I guess”. If that’s all you want out of the franchise, then you won’t be disappointed at all. But if you wanted a bit more emotional impact you might need to approach this one cautiously.
https://floppypaperback.wordpress.com