Light of the Jedi is a novel written by Charles Soule. It was published as part of the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing campaign and was originally released on January 5, 2021. The events of the novel are set two centuries before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Publisher’s Summary: 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 even the 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.
Review: Time for another book review and today it is on the newly released Light of the Jedi. Don’t worry, this is not spoiler heavy or anything just a brief overview of the book as a whole.
I was really interested in how this High Republic was going to start out and was a little nervous because although Charles Soule has done comics, I hadn’t really seen anything in the realm of novels. So I was going in more cautious than normal to be honest. But I had to read it because I love Star Wars.
From the beginning, I was interested and I found myself becoming even more interested as the story moved along. This book has a hard task since it is the first book in a series like this, and therefore it has to world build and show us what it was like in the High Republic times. And Charles Soule, I will give you a standing ovation for that.
To see how Jedi were in this time was pretty cool. It also had one of the best explanations of what a lightsaber is and its function. It opened us up to the fact that different Jedi have different skills that they specialize in and how they all had different ways to view the Force. It even expanded on all the different species we know from Star Wars and how they too could be a Jedi. There is a big space battle that occurs but it isn’t the same as most of the battles we get in Star Wars. It has its own style to it, and it ebbs and flows in its own way.
I also like how the bad guys involved in this story are pretty different from what we get normally in Star Wars. There is a Gungan involved and he actually seems really cool. He appealed to my dark side. Even though the book doesn’t introduce us to them until later on in the story, it surrounds us in mystery and as the story goes, you learn more and more about them and it builds and builds until at the end, you are at the edge of your seat just waiting to see what occurs. A ‘will he or won’t he do it’ kind of moment. My mind started speculating as I was reading the words. Technically, I was hearing the words because I listened to the audiobook. All the things they do with hyperspace are pretty interesting as well.
With that said, I love this book as a whole. It sets us up for what can be a fun ride with some different characters. I’m intrigued by the bad guy, I wish I knew even more about him, but I get it. This is the beginning of a series. It’s a good read and is a fun ride at times. There are some slower parts but they have to be there to show us what the world is like in this time. And I think it is fitting for me to end with this.
We are all the Republic.
