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vanessakm 's review for:
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void
by Tim Lebbon
Finding myself in a serious holiday malaise and more entranced with my trial DC Universe subscription than reading, this was the book I finished out 2018 with. And it was entertaining enough.
(Prepare thyself as I release the salvo of lukewarm accolades.)
First, you should know this was a spin-off from a Dark Horse comic book series, Dawn of the Jedi. And if you noticed that I said Dark Horse and not Marvel, you are correct in assuming this story is now officially part of the Legends timeline (It's a whole canon rebooting thing that happened when Disney took over, more info than you could ever need is, naturally, on the Interwebs.) And since I didn't read that series, it means I was slightly lost and had to spend a little more time than usual on Wookieepedia.
That might deter the average reader, but let's face it: if you are looking to pick this up, you've already long crossed the line into "Jar Jar Binks was the reincarnation of Darth Plagueis and I will now spend the next 15 minutes laying out my theory" territory. And if so, greetings friend!
Even longer ago and farther away, in the Deep Core of the Star Wars galaxy approximately 25,000 years Before the Battle of Yavin (or, BBY), the Jed'aii live and train on the planet Tython (FYI, the Deep Core is still canon but Tython currently is not.) Lanoree Brock and her brother Dal are the children of two Jed'aii instructors and seek to follow in their footsteps. But from an early age, it is clear Lanoree is gifted with the Force and Dal is not. And over time, this builds a rage and hatred in Dal that will eventually cause him to violently reject the Order, fake his own death, and search ancient legends for a technology that will allow him to escape the Deep Core (an area of the galaxy isolated by an abundance of dark matter and spatial anomalies.)
Unfortunately, using this ancient technology could also cause a cataclysmic release of power that could destroy all life in the Deep Core. So the Jed'aii send Lanoree to find and stop her brother.
This mission seems kind of important, so clearly they should only send one person. Maybe everyone else was busy with a trade dispute on Naboo.
The biggest difference between the Jed'aii and the Jedi seems to be that light sabers aren't a thing yet (although there is a fleeting reference to what are clearly Kyber crystals), so Lanoree carries a sword and occasionally wields an uncivilized blaster. She also seems a little more willing to kill than the Jedi will eventually be.
This had some good action scenes and I enjoyed the universe back story, non-canon though it may be. But I didn't really connect with the story because the characters didn't come alive for me. Lanoree in particular was kind of meh, and she's the heroine of the story so that's a problem.
If you are a casual Star Wars consumer, this novel in particular is not for you. But if you are a sci-fi reader and are curious, I do recommend them overall. The novels add a lot of richness to the universe, and they often remind me of the Dune saga, except with added optimism and 90% fewer soliloquys.
Now, what in the shit am I going to read in 2019?
(Prepare thyself as I release the salvo of lukewarm accolades.)
First, you should know this was a spin-off from a Dark Horse comic book series, Dawn of the Jedi. And if you noticed that I said Dark Horse and not Marvel, you are correct in assuming this story is now officially part of the Legends timeline (It's a whole canon rebooting thing that happened when Disney took over, more info than you could ever need is, naturally, on the Interwebs.) And since I didn't read that series, it means I was slightly lost and had to spend a little more time than usual on Wookieepedia.
That might deter the average reader, but let's face it: if you are looking to pick this up, you've already long crossed the line into "Jar Jar Binks was the reincarnation of Darth Plagueis and I will now spend the next 15 minutes laying out my theory" territory. And if so, greetings friend!
Even longer ago and farther away, in the Deep Core of the Star Wars galaxy approximately 25,000 years Before the Battle of Yavin (or, BBY), the Jed'aii live and train on the planet Tython (FYI, the Deep Core is still canon but Tython currently is not.) Lanoree Brock and her brother Dal are the children of two Jed'aii instructors and seek to follow in their footsteps. But from an early age, it is clear Lanoree is gifted with the Force and Dal is not. And over time, this builds a rage and hatred in Dal that will eventually cause him to violently reject the Order, fake his own death, and search ancient legends for a technology that will allow him to escape the Deep Core (an area of the galaxy isolated by an abundance of dark matter and spatial anomalies.)
Unfortunately, using this ancient technology could also cause a cataclysmic release of power that could destroy all life in the Deep Core. So the Jed'aii send Lanoree to find and stop her brother.
This mission seems kind of important, so clearly they should only send one person. Maybe everyone else was busy with a trade dispute on Naboo.
The biggest difference between the Jed'aii and the Jedi seems to be that light sabers aren't a thing yet (although there is a fleeting reference to what are clearly Kyber crystals), so Lanoree carries a sword and occasionally wields an uncivilized blaster. She also seems a little more willing to kill than the Jedi will eventually be.
This had some good action scenes and I enjoyed the universe back story, non-canon though it may be. But I didn't really connect with the story because the characters didn't come alive for me. Lanoree in particular was kind of meh, and she's the heroine of the story so that's a problem.
If you are a casual Star Wars consumer, this novel in particular is not for you. But if you are a sci-fi reader and are curious, I do recommend them overall. The novels add a lot of richness to the universe, and they often remind me of the Dune saga, except with added optimism and 90% fewer soliloquys.
Now, what in the shit am I going to read in 2019?