– Spoiler Review –
Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton team up again for The High Republic: Defy the Storm, the final Phase III, Wave I novel, which wonderfully showcases the repercussions and lingering breaking points of the Nihil’s victory after the fall of Starlight Beacon, all while updating us on some Phase I favorites we haven’t seen yet, plus intriguing glimpses of what is yet come in the final Phase!
Set after the events of The Eye of Darkness and Escape from Valo, Ireland and Gratton’s Defy the Storm sees the stalemate between the Nihil’s ever expanding and impenetrable Stormwall and the Republic grind on, but unlike other stories so far, we see more of what life is like for those under Nihil rule and if the Nihil can sustain or grow their influence. This is definitely an aspect I felt like was missing from The Eye of Darkness, however we got more in Escape from Valo but it was very localized, as it really helps paint the danger and volatility of living on Nihil that makes this whole situation even more desperate for all involved, especially with scenarios which affect everyday citizens in different ways, from freedom of movement, of keeping their home, their freedom, and their lives. Defy the Storm largely stars the non-Jedi characters of the era too, so instead of a Jedi’s point-of-view on either side of the wall, we see the people just making due with the situations before them, as well as from those whom they interact with, giving us that larger picture Phase III has been missing so far and hammering home how terrible the situation is…or how profitable it might be for others. It adds a real lawlessness to the Outer Rim that almost didn’t feel as present in much of Phase II, making the Republic and the Jedi eventually breaking through the Stormwall in the near future of Phase III, and liberating all those inside, sound even more palpable of how outer systems so eagerly want to join the Republic, while also forcing the Republic to scale up their efforts to the point it makes sense they’ll eventually pull back, little by little, until we get to the Prequel era. Defy the Storm might not move the larger plot forward, it certainly does move many things around so they are ready for what’s next, but it didn’t need to push it all forward considering Ireland & Gratton wanted rather to be as effective as they were in returning us to familiar characters, developing their stories, and giving us a taste of what Nihil rule is really like. While it might not feature as big of moments as TEoD, Defy the Storm is my favorite of the opening three because what Defy lacks in bigger events, it makes up for it in spades with its character growth and focus, which makes the smaller events, especially a deadly hint at future Nihil plans towards the end, hit all the harder emotionally.
Of all the characters so far in this era, Avon Starros remains my all-time favorite, so I was very excited, but full of trepidation for her appearance here, as we’ve seen her mother and her machinations in The Eye of Darkness, but Avon was absent. How was Avon taking being part of the Nihil? Was she stuck behind the Stormwall? Was she still able to pursue her scientific passions or had life with the Nihil changed her? In Defy, Avon is still the whip-smart, scientifically minded kid we all knew, but a year trying to survive as part of the Nihil has certainly hardened her in different ways. The reason she was essentially absent in Ghirra’s sections of TEoD is not only because she gets a free pass to keep learning on Coruscant, but because Avon’s rightfully upset and disappointed in her mother and her choices picking the Nihil and letting so many people die in the process. Her biggest worry however is less about her mom or how she’s ignoring her, but rather if she’s going to end up like her, something she feels is harder to do as time goes on and she mist come up with more ways to avoid opportunistic Nihil attempting to kill/kidnap her to take down Ghirra. Thankfully she has a bodyguard for that, none other than Deva Lompop, a Shani with a diet of other beings, who is the most unconventional choice but it’s clear from the start they’ve formed a special bond as Ghirra pulls away from her child for her own ambitions. Ireland introduced Deva in the War of the Bounty Hunters – Jabba the Hutt #1 one-shot, later showed her meeting Avon in Mission to Disaster, and most recently showed us Deva’s long-standing connection to the Starros family after her time with Avon in the Sana Starros comic. Their interactions in Defy do wonders for both characters, as Deva’s fierceness helps Avon grow up and out of her shell, showing her how to survive outside the lab, while Avon’s compassion and need for connection soften the long-lived Shani’s harder instincts, giving her something to care about again. But with Avon setting her sights on revenge while trying to tear the Stormwall down from the inside, is Deva’s cynical view of the universe what she needs right now, especially with her desire not to become her mother? Thankfully, Avon’s plans include tracking down Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and reunite her with Imri Cantaros, her Padawan, who Avon and Deva helped hide away behind the Stormwall, so it isn’t all darker influences in her life and her choices. Their friendship has always been a blast and it was wonderful to have them interacting again, despite the big differences in their lives since they last saw one another, as Vernestra tempers some of Deva’s lessons with ones of her own, while having Avon around helps Vernestra confront her own feelings after the fall of Starlight. Avon also spends time with Xylan Graf, who returns from Ireland’s Out of the Shadows and was a very vain character now given more depth, and he’s around for a pivotal point in Avon’s Defy journey which allows her to conclude her own decision on her biggest goals. Through Avon’s POV, especially in the earliest sections, I loved seeing the grunt-level chaos inside the Nihil, from them trying to attack her, the way she viewed their perversion of Hetzal, and more, all which add up to various cracks within Marchion’s rule and Ghirra’s own ideas. Avon’s always been more of an old soul due to her smarts, but she truly grows up in Defy and it was both hard to see as a fan of her character, yet also great to see her take a larger step into the galaxy, taking both the good and the bad and forging her own path along the way. As always, we’ll be watching her career with great interest!
Jordanna Sparkburn and Sylverstri Yarrow both return as well, though Jordanna takes center stage for most of Defy yet Syl still has her important parts. While they’ve been enjoying their lives working for Maz Kanata, growing their relationship along the way, Jordanna is restless about her duty once again, thinking about the family stuck behind the Stormwall she hasn’t heard anything from, while Syl wants to know what happened to her mother Chancey (she’s faked her death before) while still focusing on helping others by bringing supplies and other humanitarian efforts. Jordanna believes Xylan Graf is not only their best bet to learn more about Chancey’s situation, but he could be her way past the Stormwall to check on her family, but will a Graf and a San Tekka, of which Jordanna is part of the clan, work together? I enjoyed this return to the Graf and San Tekka feud, as we see it from two people who don’t worry so much about the competition, be it Xylan’s usual selfish actions and surprising husband or Jordanna’s desire to get back to the woman she loves superseding family feuds. As Jordanna gets deeper into Nihil space, working alongside Xylan, Avon, Vernestra, and later a clan cousin Cair San Tekka, the separation from Syl helps test her goals, and once she finds her family, and the horror they are dealing with, her choices lead to an intriguing compromise between her sense of duty and her love of her girlfriend and what Syl wants to do with her life. I was glad for the decisions made, as it’s always great when Star Wars lets a relationship grow and change and adapt, while we’ll hopefully get to see their new ventures play out in a future story! Speaking of the horrors Jordanna finds, it’s an intriguing next step in the Nihil’s plans and ties into the Nameless themselves, taking what makes them so volatile and making it dangerous to everyone…and everything. It’s a superweapon that, at this point, has no way to be counteracted, and if the dastardly Baron Boolan of the Nihil can use it the way they did on Jordanna’s family’s moon, the Republic might just be better off on the other side of the Stormwall. Tying it into Jordanna’s desire to protect her family and her family’s unwillingness to leave as this is all they have/know, who sort of represent the Outer Rim people in general, adds such a great personal edge to this larger problem. It’s a big threat and I’ll be interested to see how the Republic and Jedi manage to stop it, though I imagine it’ll have to do with solving the Nameless puzzle…and Vernestra’s special hyperspace Path from Mari San Tekka. But we’ll get to that in a moment! For Syl, she’s missing for a larger part of the novel than I would’ve liked though, like I said, her presence hangs over and influences Jordanna’s choices, having her finally learning what happened to her mother, the full story we saw in The Fallen Star, was a thread I’m happy didn’t get prolonged. Syl’s reaction to the news, given her contentious past with Chancey, was fitting and made me like her even more. All in all, while Jordanna grew on me as a POV character by Defy’s end, I wish we had more from Syl again, as I still preferred her POV overall from Out of the Shadows.
While I enjoyed Xylan Graf in OotS, he didn’t leave much of an impression outside of his ginormous Grand Theljian snow dog, Plinka. I felt like Axel Greylark was a more compelling third-party source of chaos in Phase II, but Xylan really gets his due and rises to an interesting character of his own thanks to the added depth he receives in Defy. While it looks like he’s working for the Nihil, the reality is he’s working with them to save his own skin, helping maintain the Stormwall if only because it’s his only play after the events of OotS and the fallout from it. He mixes it up with Ghirra Starros, but it’s more about survival than anything else, as he sees a future, with money in it, if she’s on top rather the chaos of Marchion Ro or General Viess. Despite this potential alliance, which they are trying to overlook how they dislike one another, helping and looking after Avon might feel like a way to get on Ghirra’s good side, but he soon finds he might actually have a little bit of a heart. Case in point, his actions aren’t just about him anymore, as the time between OotS and Defy resulted in Xylan finding love in the strangest of places, Cair San Tekka. Their relationship does wonders for Xylan as a character, as Cair’s influence provides him selfless moments and growth where once thought impossible. But it’s also through much of Xylan’s parts we see pros and cons of Nihil rule, from the way their chaos hampers the daily lives of Outer Rim citizens as the scav droids cut off connections between one another to how a life of luxury diminishes and drives away more of the money of tourism and the wealthy, and these glimpses really help add to the breadth of problems faced by those whom the Republic and Jedi can’t help the longer they are unable to break through the Stormwall.
If Avon is my favorite character of the era, then it’s Vernestra Rwoh, and Keeve Trennis tied at second place (but first in Jedi characters), and after experiencing her self-identifying as a Wayseeker and leaving the Order behind to pursue her own thing in her Tales of Light and Life short, I’ve been borderline inpatient to see where her story goes next…with news of her being in the upcoming show The Acolyte not helping either (especially after the trailer!). Defy doesn’t disappoint with its exploration of Vernestra, who we find enjoyed her simple journeys on her self-imposed Wayseeking lifestyle but can’t quite shake feelings of survivor’s guilt even a year after Starlight Beacon because of her connection to those she lost (Stellan Gios, her old Master) or thinks she did (Imri and Avon). She also feels confident she’s where she needs to be, the Force nudging her to the right place time and time again, but she continues to avoid the Order until she, a prodigy known to all, can figure out her internal feelings. One of the biggest reasons Vernestra feels the Force is guiding her are the visitations from Mari San Tekka, which goes from voice in her hyperspace dreams to full-on visitation, where Mari appears to nudge her toward who will be helpful and time is drawing near to use and understand the special hyperspace Path. There’s a scene towards the end of Defy where Vernestra learns more about the Path’s destination, with heavy, heavy hints it’s for Planet X, the home of the Nameless, as I’ve been guessing since she first received it,* while the mysticism in the scene is wonderful to behold. As Vernestra reconnects with first Avon, who hides her true intentions from the Jedi Knight but still continues to foster their friendship in some lovely scenes, and later Imri, who’s new perspective and mission help her confidence about herself and her path, it was great to see her grow along the way. Vernestra and Keeve Trennis, who’s story plays out mainly in The High Republic on-going comics from Marvel by writer Cavan Scott, are my favorites because of how their journeys have taught them to be the true embodiment of a Jedi, having compassion for everyone, even the Nihil, and how they navigate connections and friendships, using them to strengthen themselves while also knowing when to let go, and while Keeve’s seen a lot of this in her comic, Vernestra has her big moments on that journey here, with more to come in the stories ahead.
Defy the need for spoilers…
…or don’t and click below!
Here are a few other things:
- *As for the special Path and Mari San Tekka, I have some extra theories/thoughts. With Mari, I believe her age-changing appearances to Vernestra are happening from Mari’s point-of-view in the chronological order of the age Vernestra sees Mari as, meaning while we see them play out in chronological order for the Jedi Knight in Defy, they aren’t for Mari if we were following her POV; which I really, really hope we’ll get to see before Phase III ends. While Mari was immobile and trapped for a good portion of her life, she was still able to journey thanks to her special connection to the currents of hyperspace, all thanks to her being born after a visit to the mesmerizing Planet X, the home of the Nameless, which we saw in several dazzling chapters of Phase II’s Path of Vengeance. Avon and Vernestra will be vital to understanding the planet and solving the crisis of the Nameless, her well-respected status with the Order by the time of The Acolyte could certainly be earned doing so, though the how of it remains to be seen, but I can’t wait to find out!
- Blink and you almost might miss them, but it was a joy to have the Vessel crew back, if only for a chapter or two!
- Another blink and you’ll miss, but Amadeo Azzazzo and Mirro Lox, who first appeared in Lydia Kang’s Tales of Light and Life story, also make a brief appearance. Amadeo is set to feature a little more in Tears of the Nameless, out in September!
- Through Cair San Tekka, we get a lovely little connection to Gratton’s Phase II entry, Quest for Planet X!
- Syl isn’t the only person to learn the truth of her mother’s death and I was quite intrigued by the encounters which follow and how the other character deals with it. Should be an interesting thread for Gratton to pick up in her upcoming novel, Temptation of the Force!
The High Republic: Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland imparts an emotional journey for the remaining Phase I favorites, all while raising the stakes for the larger conflict and setting them up for what’s to come next.
+ Showing the repercussions of the Nihil’s rule behind the Stormwall
+ Plenty of growth and depth for everyone, including somehow even Xylan
+ Returning to Avon and Vernestra doesn’t disappoint
+ Hints at what is still to come
– Liked Jordanna but wished for more Sylvestri
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.