Name: Light of the Jedi
ISBN: 9781529124651

CHARLES. SOULE

Light of the Jedi

Charles Soule

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace . . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm But the even brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation. When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives. Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.

I feel like this was a reasonable introduction to Star Wars in book form…

Will Dawson

I'm really glad I decided to re read, over two years there is a lot of stuff I forgot about 

Hyde F

Perhaps it was because of some real-life matters getting in the way of my reading but I couldn't properly drown in this book; the narration didn't carry me to the end like a wave. It felt weak and monotone, yet I did enjoy the book overall. It would be wise to consider that this book was an introduction to the high republic, meaning it is understandable for the narration to feel like an infant trying to find its voice. Despite all my criticism, the formation of the setting, plot, and characters was too interesting to ruin the experience, I can't wait to see how the events will unfold. 

aral

Jonas

A solid first introduction to this new era in the Star Wars timeline. The book really manages to grab your attention right from the start and while that slightly diminishes as you keep reading, it still holds up till the very end, delivering some twists and unanswered questions for future installments in the High Republic line of stories. 

The book has to introduce us to a plethora of new characters which all seem like they could be interesting characters. However, since all of these characters are introduced to us for the first time, we only get to know just a handful of them in a more meaningful way. They each needed a moment in the spotlight, and sometimes even sharing that moment, so we've only barely scratched the surface of what some of these characters have to offer. Though I'm sure we'll get there wherever these characters will appear next.

I'm intrigued to find out more about this new evil that is causing uproar in the galaxy and somehow manages to evoke a great deal of fear in the Jedis. I will definitely be on the lookout for more adventures set in the High Republic.

Ashley

Absolutely loved this book. I was captivated from page 1 and couldn’t put it down. It was a heart breaking story, but a fantastic introduction to the world of the High Republic. It does bounce around a lot between different individuals but I love that. It’s the same tragedy experienced by millions and we get to see the viewpoints of a good amount of them!

Jesse J. Anderson

Really enjoyed the story—a great setup for this new era of Star Wars fiction. My only complaint was there were simply too many characters, to where some important events had less of an impact as I tried to remember which character was which. Love the introduction of a new powerful enemy that feels original and exciting.

__________________________________________ Two hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, in the era of the glorious High Republic, the noble and wise Jedi Knights must face a frightening threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself....

Jose Manuel Lopez Reyes

I DNF’d this book about 80% in. Maybe Star Wars books aren’t for me after all. I’ll just stick to the movies for now :)

Kordian Brzeziński 

"Light of the Jedi" z pewnością nie jest książką na tyle znaczącą, by faktycznie wyznaczyć jakiś nowy nurt w ramach uniwersum Gwiezdnych Wojen. Ot, opowieść, która może spodobać się oddanym fanom uniwersum, ale przeciętnych miłośników filmowej sagi (do których się zaliczam) nie zachwyci.

Główny motyw całej książki, tj. łagodzenie skutków katastrofy statku w przestrzeni nadświetlnej, jest całkiem ciekawy, a co więcej, dobrze przeprowadzony. Autor potrafi kreować napięcie, nawet jeśli tylko na chwilę. Nie doświadczymy tu wielkiego zaangażowania w worldbuilding, ale wprowadzone smaczki pozwalają zatopić się w świat przedstawiony. I o ile samo założenie zarysowuje książkę niekoniecznie przełomową, ale mającą potencjał na porządną, o tyle wszystko rozbija się na postaciach.

Rozumiem, że to ma być wstęp do nowej franczyzy w ramach "Gwiezdnych Wojen", ale 50 postaci na 380 stron to trochę za dużo. Zdecydowana większość z nich nie ma w sobie żadnego charakteru, a ich losy nie wzbudzają emocji. Ktoś umiera, ktoś przełamuje swoje ograniczenia, ktoś dokonuje niemożliwego, ktoś inny zdrady - ale mimo wszystko nic nie poczułem. Jestem w stanie przywołać z pamięci imię jednej postaci (nie dlatego, że jego właściciel jest jakoś szczególnie ciekawy, po prostu jest nieskomplikowane). Bohaterów/bohaterek jest po prostu zbyt wiele, by jakkolwiek rozwinąć ich wątki. Niby mógłbym się dowiedzieć co się z nimi stało, a być może przywiązać się do niektórych, czytając kolejne lektury i komiksy z serii, ale nie tego oczekuję kupując książkę. 
Płytkość postaci wpłynęła na nią całą. Czytałem ją przez miesiąc, bo kilkukrotnie przerywałem w co bardziej nużących momentach. Gdy dobrnąłem do 60% musiałem się nieco zmusić, by skończyć. Raczej niepotrzebnie. 

Szkoda.

Hannah Williams

Such a fun read! The plot was very interesting. There were a couple slow parts here and there but over all really good! 

Destiny Martino

I am not one who typically writes reviews, I struggle to find words to describe what I have read, how I feel about what I have read, and words that do not involve major plot lines. However, after reading some of the negative reviews from this book, I felt like I needed to add my perspective.

This is very much a book at the beginning of something. It is ensemble in many ways, but I can see the focus being drawn to several different characters whom I am sure will be receiving much more focus in the future. We are being reintroduced to a world we know, but long before we really know it, many things are the same, but many things are very different. This is supposed to take place around 200 years before The Battle of Yavin...tell me, are things in your world the exact same as things in the life of someone living in 1821? How were those expressways doing in 1821? How about those television shows and movies you love?

We are being introduced to a universe still expanding into what we are familiar with. We are being introduced into a story without Sith. We are being introduced to the emergence and its effects on the blossoming hyperspace travel (which makes me appreciate Han Solo's words from Episode IV, "Traveling through Hyperspace ain't like dusting crops boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce to close to a supernova and that'd end our trip real quick, wouldn't it?") And the book absolutely leaves us with a sense of anticipation as to what comes next. 

Who is Marchion Ro? Where did he and his father come from? What is his plan? Why does he hate the Jedi so much?

What happens to Loden Greatstorm (who was a stand out favorite for me from his introduction)? What does Bell do in his absence? 

What happens between Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann? And what does what Mann experiences at the end of the book mean for the future?

Avar Kriss takes the center stage early on as the Jedi who organizes and leads the rescue effort, and she and Starlight Beacon continues to have a pretense throughout not only this story, but the YA novel and comic book. However we see the whole of the opening catastrophe through the eyes of several different groups involved. And through Kriss, we get to see a beautiful representation of how different the force is for each and every Jedi. 

We also see several Jedi fall. Several characters fall for that matter. Characters that drew me in, whose futures I was interested to see and was sad to discover their stories came to an end so soon (not in a critical way, but in a way to say that I appreciated the weight of their deaths).

I do not think a central character being established was the point here, though I think we will get there. The Clone Wars did much the same with the Clones and people love those stores and many of the lesser characters involved. We began with an ensemble, we slowly fell in love with individual clones as their stories were told, some died, some went on to great story lines and even returned in later stories. Here is the world, here is the forest, now let's find what trees are living and growing there.

I loved this book, I am already reading it for a second time, and I am hopeful and excited for the stories which will follow.

Mikkel Sandberg

This was probably one of the best Star Wars books I’ve read. It introduces some interesting characters and conflicts, and it sets the stage well for this new era of Star Wars stories.

Samantha Seeman

For my first Star Wars book, this was very very promising. I do wish though that I had access to some reference books, maps and other resources while reading, just because I am a relative Star Wars newb and couldn't picture everything instantaneously. The story itself though sparked an interest in continuing down this Star Wars journey and committing to at least trying some more books in the canon universe. 
This first (second?) book in the High Republic series was super interesting. It takes place 200 or so years before Phantom Menace, and really doesn't mention any big name characters other than Master Yoda. It is inherently about the Jedi during a supposed time of peace, and how they assisted the Republic in aftermath of some tragic and costly events. The Outer Rim is known for doing things their way, with a comfortable space between them and the Republic. But when about 40 pieces of a destroyed ship randomly exit hyperspace and start crashing into moons and killing millions of people, they need some help to make sure it never happens again. The top people in the Republic are tasked with figuring out just what happened to cause these disasters, and prevent it from happening again. I loved the peak into another part of the galaxy, it's people and how the Republic and Jedi interact with them. 
As with any Star Wars story, there looms an abundance of death and violence. The loss of life and violence that led to it is something I didn't really feel as much watching the movie. It was a very heavy under current of this story though, as I imagine other Star Wars books feature prominently. It just hit differently, you know? 
That being said, the writing for this story was engaging and interesting while leaving room for accessibility. I will fully admit that I do not regularly read science fiction (or much fantasy for that matter) so I was nervous cracking open a Star Wars book. Thankfully, the text was not science heavy, and didn't bore me to tears. There was tons of action (and violence) some morality examinations and tons of conflict. But there were also a lot of great passages of character development and interactions between characters that really makes you feel like you know them. In other words, they felt like real people. 

I plan to continue my journey through the universe (but maybe better equipped with a notebook and tabs next time) and look forward to reviewing more of these in the future.

Andrew Sztehlo

It’s not a very well written novel. It doesn’t have any sense of pace, there isn’t really a through line, no main characters. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. It essentially sets the scene for what’s to come. I like the characters, the world... it all captures what makes Star Wars so enjoyable. The book is at its best when it’s with the Jedi. It really captures the optimism and heroism.

Ryan Lane

This book is the introduction to the new Star Wars era of the High Republic. The opening third of the book is fast paced and reads quick, but I felt the middle dragged quite a bit. 

The story does a good job of setting up the state of the galaxy, the Jedi, and the Republic, but I wasn't able to really find a character that was developed enough for me to latch onto. The book has quite literally dozens of point-of-view characters. It's obvious that all of these characters are being setup for their own stories in other books or comics. 

Although I was ultimately disappointed, I will still read more in this era.

Heather Harrington

It's truly a golden age in the High Republic: scouts are using hyperspace lanes to connect to even the furthest settlements in the Outer Rim, worlds are flourishing under a compassionate and capable Senate leader, and thanks to the renowned Jedi's, peace reigns in the galaxy. With the Jedi by their side, the citizens of the galaxy are confident that they can face any obstacle that comes their way, but when a shocking disaster tears a ship apart in hyperspace and the scattered debris threatens to destroy an entire system, will the Force users prove to be enough? As panic and despair rage through the galaxy, the Jedi's are each pushed to their limits and must trust in the Force like never before because one single error could be their doom. All the while, a storm is brewing in the shadows. A sinister threat growing in the dark with only one mission in mind: to snuff out the light and Jedi once and for all.

Let me start by saying, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. With that in mind, I went into this with higher expectations and assuming it would blow me away, but it just didn't. That's not to say it wasn't a decent book, there were parts I enjoyed, but I was hoping for something great and what I ended up with was just...good. The writing was a bit hard to get into and the pacing was all over the place. I felt a lot of things happened off-page and weren't always explained well enough to give you a coherent picture of what was going on. You're also introduced to so many different characters that don't really have any distinct personalities so they all just mesh into one and it's hard to differentiate who's who. Despite all that, what I did like was the combat scenes, which felt very big and cinematic, and the Nihil, I'm intrigued to see how they're going to play out as the big bad in the grand scheme of things. So, overall, while I was hoping for more, it's still a fun read if you're a fan.

Madeline Hulburt

I didn't know it was possible to make a Star Wars book boring, but it was done. Way too many characters to even grow attached to any of them. There were a few stand-out characters but this story really would have shown with just three POV's instead of as many as it had. I recommend the audiobook to stay more engaged with the story. I will continue with the series, but I hope they scale down the character list.

Jane Krauss

I read the first chapter when it was released early in June/July 2020. My first thoughts were, this is very Star Trek-like, that adventure and going to the “final frontier.” I enjoyed it as it was quite visually written. For chapter 1, it was a significant lead in a book and found myself hungry for more.
Wow, there was so much to take in. The characters development was great, and I loved learning more about the High Republic era of the Jedi Order and the Republic. The Nihil are a truly terrifying group of villains. 
My one negative comment, and it doesn’t affect the rating. Designed or evolved, you can’t have both.