The High Republic: Light of the Jedi

This is truly the golden age of the Jedi. All of the stories you hear about the Jedi doing the impossible, overcoming tremendous feats in a way that you would only believe by seeing it with your very own eyes, all stem from this incredible era of Star Wars history. The diversity of the order, in both nationality and personal traits, in comparison to the unspoken unity between each and every individual speaks volumes as to how the Jedi during The High Republic are a force to be reckoned with through sheer compassion and understanding. This is how the Jedi are meant to be. This first impression of The High Republic already fits so naturally into the existing Star Wars lore while offering something entirely new and exciting. If you want to see for yourself what The High Republic is all about, please start here. You absolutely won’t regret it!

This is the best Star Wars book I have ever read. Period. Soule sets up an entire new era with original characters, technology, Force lore, and more, and he does so with absolute expertise. Every character grips you whether they appear in one chapter or 40, and the plot couldn’t be more kinetic and exciting if it were actively on a racetrack. The High Republic is here...and it’s better than we could have ever imagined.

The ambitious and explosive new chapter in the galaxy far, far away comes out of the gate at a dead sprint with Light of the Jedi. As a longtime Legends EU fan, it reminds me in a lot of ways of the New Jedi Order in its sheer scope as it kickstarts a new multi-year, multi-author storytelling initiative. But there’s enough originality in Light of the Jedi to set it apart as a fresh take on familiar Star Wars elements. In fact, just about everything in Light of the Jedi is delightfully and boldly a step into the unknown: a massive cast of memorable and charming characters, a villain who is just as much fun to spend time with as the heroes, and plenty of Force lore that will have you reexamining everything you thought you knew about the fundamentals of Star Wars. All in all, this is a page turner unlike just about any other. It’s truly remarkable that Charles Soule managed to achieve a work of such tremendous quality in his very first prose Star Wars novel! That being said, there were plenty of stylistic choices along the way that left me feeling like some of his risks were a little too bold (such as the inexplicably blood-soaked Gungan pirate), but those moments were few and far between. Soule truly has cemented himself as one of the great writers to ever lend their talents to Lucas’s sandbox as he takes his first steps into a larger world. . . and as we do too as the High Republic is officially underway!