– Spoiler Review –
Lourna Dee has spent a majority of her time shouting her name at the galaxy, but after spending more time with Jedi like Master Keeve Trennis, could it lead to changes or will she still be her normal, backstabbing, running-away-from-everything self? Cavan Scott’s The High Republic: Tempest Breaker, performed by a full cast, deals with Lourna at such a crossroads, and while it takes some time to get going, the compounded character journeys propel it into a memorable ride with compelling themes.
Set at the end of events for Phase III, Wave II of The High Republic, Tempest Breaker comes loaded with plenty of character baggage as the overall story and these characters look to move into the final months, which helps bog down the opening several chapters. This depends on your level of investment, however, as newer fans could conceivably jump into Tempest Breaker and feel all caught up thanks to the opening sections, while fans who have read previous material for the main characters will likely feel how I did about it: a slow start since it both fills in some blanks and then rehashes much of what we already know. Once every listener is on the same page audio file. Tempest Breaker really hits its stride due to Scott’s script, the performances, and the overall production, as it gradually rewards listeners for their patience with a very emotional story, wonderful character arcs, and some great messages about the masks we wear, our ability to change, and the pressures others put on us. Breaker’s strengths make it a real shame the scriptbook will be a 5 month wait instead of a month and a half, as High Republic fans who are unable to experience audiobooks for a variety of reasons won’t get a chance to catch up until a month ahead of the final novel of the era. Readers who enjoyed The High Republic – Phase III comic, which Breaker takes places immediately after and continues its story, won’t get to experience the events within here ahead of The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, which takes place in the aftermath of Breaker’s story and is out in February. I’m sure the comic will help pick up the pieces via dialogue, but it might lead some readers to want and wait to read the comic until May 2025, when they can experience this story instead of the highlights. Tempest Breaker really shouldn’t be missed and feels like an important part of Phase III, especially as it lays the groundwork for what’s yet to come for the story and its characters, so it’s disappointing to see many fans will still have to wait to get in on the fun even though this has been a known critique around how these have been handled.
Lourna Dee has had quite the journey since her introduction back in Phase I, and as much as I was intrigued by her and wanted more about her back then, having her be the focus of the era’s first original audio drama was a surprise, yet Scott’s script for Tempest Runner unveiled an interesting portrait full of far more nuance than originally imagined. When she returned in The High Republic #1 – Phase III, it was clear the comic wouldn’t fill in the blank spots in Lourna’s time since Tempest Runner, but it quickly made it not matter much as her new situations and interactions with the Jedi, and a Yacombe child, helped show what she did and did not retain from her experiences in Runner, leading her on a somewhat surprising journey in the comic. Breaker beginning by filling in the missing year of time is vital to its larger portrait of Lourna, specifically since it brings her relationship with Quin and Muglan to the forefront, characters she grew alongside in Runner but were missing from the comic, which ends up helping form several emotional cores for listeners to attach to. After we’re all caught up, Breaker picks up from the comic, and that’s where the real thrust of the story lies, and if fans thought Lourna had already gone through the ringer, they are definitely wrong, as Lourna’s journey only gets more complicated as she has to face her choices so far and decide, once and for all, who and what she really wants to be. Scott’s script keeps us guessing almost until the very end, though unlike my original mixed feelings on Runner’s ending, Breaker not only offers a satisfying conclusion to this part of Lourna Dee’s story, it does so in a way which feels organic for the character and worthy of fans’ time investing in Lourna and the overall era. Jessica Almasy’s return to the role is the final icing on the cake, as Scott’s scripts gives her even more range to cover than even Runner did, and she absolutely rises to the challenge throughout. Almasy still captures what made Lourna one to fear despite the more emotional story, but you can tell via her performance that even Lourna isn’t sure she likes hearing herself as she used to be, angry and shouting at the galaxy, and this pull between who she’s becoming and who others, and herself, think she still is becomes ripe ground for Almasy’s overall work. This will likely be the last time we’ll hear Almasy in the role, though with a quality showing like this, she went out in the stylishly best possible way, just like Lourna would want.
One of my favorite things from Runner was Scott’s frequent use of a mask motif, something the audio team behind it helped focus on via sound design as well, so I really appreciated the way Scott references this theme again but also builds on it and expands to incorporate more variety at the same time. While Lourna still wears different masks for each new situation she finds herself in, even she knows it now, and this self-awareness, coupled with how spending time with Jedi like Keeve Trennis (Soneela Nankani), and even Avar Kriss (Saskia Maarleveld) later in the story, is something she’s trying to excuse for her changes, means the story is less interested about the masks and rather what we do with the one we choose. Accepting ourselves for all we are is a tough point to reach in life, even more so if one is part of a group that struggles for acceptance due to egregious and misguided political attacks like the LGBTQIA+ community (which Breaker confirms with Lourna), and it’s even harder when so many people tell us who they think we are. Lourna’s time in Breaker is about trying to break (sorry not sorry) through all the noise of what people like Avar Kriss, Marchion Ro, Muglan, and more think of her, and choosing to either confirm their worst assessments or be whatever she’d like to be, no matter what they say. Keeve sees a woman who can change, but does Lourna ever want to admit it? For Avar, she only sees her own failures in Lourna, a chance to avoid her survivor’s guilt and focus on blaming someone else. Muglan (January LaVoy) sees the blueprint on how not to lead a group of people, for inspiring loyalty, all while helping one’s one gain. With Quin (Shannon Tyo, who really captures the pain of loss and struggles with addiction), she sees heartbreak in Lourna, an uncaring woman who showed her not to bare her heart to anyone, causing her to relapse. And for the Eye of the Nihil himself, Marchion Ro (Marc Thompson) thinks of Lourna as a series of discarded masks, a predictable pawn who loves to have a scapegoat. She has her own feelings on each of them, but what I found most interesting was how, over the course of The High Republic so far, most of these thoughts on Lourna weren’t wrong, but like I said, it’s what Breaker shows Lourna does with those and ultimately chooses to be that really sets it above even Runner for such a great character study. Of all of them, my favorite interactions and developments were between Quin and Lourna, not simply because it explicitly confirms their relationship (you’ll never think of “ride the storm” the same way again, affectionately), but the heartbreak Quin went through and Lourna’s obvious desire to run from being hurt instead of giving her heart freely leads to some of the most emotional parts of Breaker, and Lourna’s choices about how she wants Quin in her life help bring about her ultimate fate before the credits roll.
Whereas I felt like Lourna had the strongest and most memorable sense of change throughout Runner, Scott lets Breaker be about more than her, as plenty of other characters go through some memorable and interesting arcs, placing them on their path to the final part of the era as well. Keeve Trennis has long been a favorite character of mine throughout the entire era and, as we approach the end, her leaving the Order and becoming part of the Order’s Lost remains top of mind. Like Lourna, Keeve’s struggling with how she feels about herself and how others think of her, case in point Avar Kriss, who gives her a prickly reception upon her return to Coruscant, though she apologies about it later, even giving Keeve the nickname “Light of the Jedi” (I see what they are doing there). It’s the way the Jedi like Avar and even Elzar Mann view her actions of going after Sskeer as selfish due to the supposed needs of the larger war efforts which begin to dig into Keeve’s thoughts about what the Jedi are and what type of Jedi she is. In fact, she even ends up fighting on Lourna’s side, against other Jedi at times, and all this leads to big questions about the Jedi Order’s path forward and what the Order is really doing or changing into during this conflict with the Nihil…and who and what principles of theirs are being left behind because of it. It’s something the Order doesn’t really take into consideration nearly 200 years later as the Clone Wars takes over the galaxy…until it’s too late, but the Jedi Order of this era seems more willing to ponder Keeve’s points, given some of the reveals towards the end. Some of Keeve’s arguments felt a little out of left field when she first reveals them, but since she gets more time to explain them as they carry on with their mission, it begins to make more sense as she explains it, while the conclusion to her arc here and what’s in store for her next, which will be the focus of February 2025’s The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi, is really setting up her pending exit from the Order to be an absolutely heartbreaking event, especially since it seems it’ll happen even with a ‘victory’ by the Order and the Republic in the struggles with the Nihil, the blight, and the Nameless.
Sskeer’s return to the story after his supposed death has been an interesting one, as Keeve was able to bring him back from the brink of madness when she finally found him, though he was simply protecting a defenseless Force-attuned child from the Children of the Storm, and helped convince him not to work with the Nihil’s nefarious Baron Boolan to get the Force back, leading to the Baron’s capture. This is all part of The High Republic – Phase III and, as I said earlier, Breaker picks up immediately after those events, revealing over the course of the audio drama it wasn’t as simple as taking Boolan to Coruscant afterwards. In fact, Sskeer is still fighting the edges of his baser self throughout most of Breaker, something Marc Thompson, who also voices Baron Boolan too beyond Marchion, really leans into with his growls and howls, making hearing those word bubbles from the comics nearly as terrifying as they looked. Sskeer’s struggling with what he wants and what others want from him as well, as he doesn’t accept people calling him a Jedi due to his murderous rage and having no access to the Force, yet he finds support in the most unlikely of places: Boolan. These two spend a good portion of Breaker together once Muglan-lead pirates muck up Keeve and team’s attempt to bring the Baron back to the Republic and their journey with one another was one of more surprising aspects to the audio drama. Boolan hasn’t had any real focus or point-of-view until now, where he and Sskeer debate the Path of the Open Hand’s views on the Force, the Force itself, the Jedi’s role in it, and much more, leading us to a fuller picture of the Baron that helps make him and his actions a little more understandable. And for Sskeer, he regains a confidence in himself as he talks these things through, though it’s Boolan’s actions to combat the ex-Jedi Master’s Magrak Syndrome which really change things for Sskeer, to the point I’ll admit I teared up when Keeve is actually able to sense/hear her Master in the Force for the first time since Starlight fell (damn it, Scott!). Sskeer and Boolan’s connection leads to some interesting developments as they chase the Baron’s potential cure for the blight, but the reality of what he’s cooking is far more surprising and interesting, tying into Phase II themes in neat ways, though what happens in the final part of the drama felt like it came too late, and was handled too easily, in the final half hour or so.
Marchion Ro features throughout Breaker in some surprising places, and interesting ways towards the end, and I felt like this was one of the better explorations of the character in a while. I’ve enjoyed what the comics have attempted to do and his parts in books like Temptation of the Force, but he’s largely still been held at arm’s length for exploration, though his interactions with Lourna Dee bring out some very interesting sides to him. We get to see how his blood-thirsty, uncaring nature clashes with the demands of being a public leader now he has a ‘kingdom’ to rule behind the Stormwall, all of which comes crashes down in Breaker’s big centerpiece scene, the gala, teased with artwork at NYCC (which I’ve attached here). Lourna and Marchion’s dance together is really a standout scene, for how they whittle each other down to their cores, striking true more often than not, and the repercussions of Lourna’s goading and actions have considerable consequences. I ended up having a different favorite between these two, but it’s later in Breaker than I imagined we’d see these two, and it really stands out for how it gives Lourna her big moment and reveals what sort of being Marchion really is. On the flip side, Avar’s antagonistic past with Lourna is ripe for Saskia Maarleveld and Almasy to play off one another, and how the two comes to terms with what each other has done and represents often brings some good laughs. Thankfully Avar’s been at the center of Phase III, finally giving the character her due, and this ends up feeling like an extension of the focus, as while she goes on a bit of an arc here, it’s clear she’s set to have more of one in her next appearance.
Last and not least, I’ll touch briefly on Tey Sirrek (plus Skoot!), the Kotabi bond-twins Terec and Ceret, and ObraLin, the characters who don’t get much of an arc but factor into the story at times. Of these characters, Tey and Skoot feature the most, not only to provide some much needed levity and laughs, but experience and a long-lived view on the proceedings. Manoel Felciano is terrific as Tey, capturing the character’s whimsy and heart at the same time, while Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes might only get to make beeps and boops, but his experience as droids in previous audio dramas allows him to make the little ball droid a big personality, to the point I often forgot the droid’s size. As for Terec and Ceret, I absolutely adore the team at Penguin Random House Audio for casting a non-binary voice actor, Dani Martineck, for the non-binary characters, but they aren’t in the story much beyond the earlier sections. We get a decent taste of the recent disconnect between the two twins before they exit the story and I hope we’ll get to see more of both of them in any upcoming stories. ObraLin seems to be where the production team had the most fun, as they really modulate his voice to fit his formless nature, and the sound effects for some of the weirder and surprising things he does both delighted and grossed me out.
Speaking of the production team, whereas I’ve had my share of issues with these audio dramas, Tempest Breaker was largely free of my usual concerns. There was some issues when Quin, Avar, and Keeve all were in a scene together, as sometimes it was hard to tell the three apart, but it was less of a problem than normal. Too many characters in a scene also provided some confusion, but it seemed like less characters were together than in previous entries, as they were often split up into pairs. Likewise, my problems with the battle scenes leaving me confused over what happened was addressed, as characters now say aloud what happened, like mentioning being stabbed in the back by a hidden blade, and while this does seem corny and Shakespearean at the same time, it alleviated my confusion a ton. Since about 99% of the audio dramas have used the analepsis conceit, aka Lourna is retelling all this to the reporter Rhil Dario (Kristen Sieh), the cuts between “past” and “present” aren’t overly frequent, while the shorthand transition noise is the same one the production has used before, so it’s more noticeable to me now as well. The gala really stood out thanks to the production choices, from the ceremonious entrance music to how the general chitter-chatter of the crowd made it seem like a packed soiree, all serving to bring an image to mind of the event even if we hadn’t got the gorgeous artwork above. I’m still really eager to have the scriptbook in hand to read alongside listening, as while I took copious notes it’s just not the same for me to listen to something versus reading, as it’ll help me follow along/retain better.
Here are a few other things:
- One of the Jedi featured in an early section of Breaker, Faris Karan, is voiced by Cavan Scott’s daughter Chole, a Jedi who appeared alongside her Master in the background in issue one of Cavan’s The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak!
- Also in the cast: Philip Hernandez as Elzar Mann, who continues the trend of them getting the character right instead of whitewashing him; Sneha Mathan as Lina Soh, who brought a stately presence to the character; Cassandra Morris as the Yacombe child, who still doesn’t get a name and, because they don’t talk to outsiders, we never hear her voice, just whimpers and whatnot; David Lee Huynh as Renga; Pete Bradbury as Keskar, one of Ro’s She’ar guard; and Neil Hellegers as Gabb.
- Quin’s reactions to Avar and Keeve’s outfits at the gala means we might need concept art of their formal wear, which would be a fun offset to the recent armored art for the Jedi.
- Another THR entry, another mention of something Sith-ly and ancient…I’m still theorizing that’s what they plan on doing next once this era’s story is complete.
- There is a Mynock Mention, early on, but it’s about shooting them in a
barrelpower core, which is fitting in the end. - What’s some of the upcoming High Republic releases to look forward to? Here’s a short list: December 18, 2024: The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3, The High Republic Adventures #13 – Phase III, and The High Republic Adventures – The Wedding Spectacular; January 8, 2025: The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #4; January 14, 2025: The High Republic Adventures #14 – Phase III. Keep up to date with our release schedule on our High Republic page!
Performed by a full cast, Cavan Scott’s The High Republic: Tempest Breaker really shines when it gets going, providing Lourna, and several other characters, some compelling and memorable arcs.
+ Jessica Almasy is the “Light of the Breaker,” but the entire cast takes full advantage of the script
+ Exploring self-acceptance and how we choose to view ourselves despite or in response to others
+ Scott’s script gives so much for Lourna, Keeve, Sskeer, Marchion, Boolan, Avar, Quin and more to experience
+ Keeps characters the focus and pushes them
– Starts slow
– Ending seems rushed
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.