The galaxy is reeling from the destruction of Starlight Beacon and the creation of the Nihil Stormwall. But when Avon Starros brings good news to the Jedi, will the Jedi find a new avenue of help in defeating the nefarious Nihil and freeing the galaxy from their tyranny? Read Chris’s review of The High Republic: Defy the Storm!
Now we can really say Phase III of The High Republic has truly kicked off with a full wave of books and comics released. Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, authors of novels like Path of Deceit and stories in the Tales of Light and Life, come together again to write the first young adult novel of The High Republic Phase III: Defy the Storm. This novel follows a large ensemble cast, bringing back most of the characters that first appeared in Phase I’s middle grade and young adult novels. The authors bring a bit more maturity to these characters, asking how the leads from previous books written for younger audiences would react to the Nihil’s destruction of Starlight Beacon and the formation of the terrifying Occlusion Zone. I’m happy to report the novel is a great return to the storyline started in Phase I and will do some serious work pushing the overarching story along.
When Phase II of The High Republic was revealed, the authors were quick to point out the Young Adult market books would be driving the story along. There were only two, one written by the same Gratton/Ireland pair (Path of Deceit), and another by Cavan Scott (Path of Vengeance, his first in the YA market), and both stood as the major bookends for the era. (Some titles had some wiggle room on the timeline, but these were the foundation of the Phase). Because of this, a lot of THR fans wondered how Phase III would handle the story: would each book market (adult from Penguin Random House Worlds, YA and MG from Disney Press) have their own storyline? Would one market be the “central” storyline? Now we’ve had a few comics and one book from each market, it’s becoming pretty clear that all three “markets” are going to be important. In fact, without spoiling too much, Defy the Storm gets to introduce a few more of the technical elements of the Phase. When Eye of the Storm introduced the Nihil Stormwall, it did so without explanation of the mechanics; The Eye of Darkness later explained the effects of the Stormwall, but not the “how” of the wall. This novel gets the fun job of explaining the “science” of the Occlusion Zone, making it a fairly important read. It does so well: I never felt like I was reading either technobabble nor did I feel like I was reading a science handbook. (There are also other important story bits the novel runs with – but those are supposed to be read in the book, so, read on!)
But maybe more than just putting the grand narrative along, this novel has fun playing with some of the established characters and relationships. Of course, as you saw some on Defy the Storm‘s cover, we meet Vernestra Rwoh again, Avon Starros, Jordanna Sparkburn and Sylvestri Yarrow, and even Xylan Graf – but you’ll also meet more of their relationships, bringing the readers a fuller understanding of the characters seeing them interact with people they know and care about. I felt like this was one of the most fun parts of the book, just being back with these characters and seeing how they’re reacting to the massive changes the Nihil have brought in the galaxy. I will say this book does rely maybe the most on remembering a lot of characters and books and relationships from Phase I. The ensemble cast is great, but it is fairly large, and the book at times assumes you remember them all. I personally didn’t mind this, but I would say some readers should take a quick refresher on the books and kinda jostle their memories. (This book even builds out on one of the Star Wars Insider short stories to humorous effect.)
One final comment: the tone. Don’t underestimate the tone of the book, thinking being written for younger audiences would mean it should be lighter. This book gets fairly dark at times, covering themes of loss and guilt, grief, and betrayal and the need for revenge. Some characters ache to make decisions we won’t agree with, or know they will end with bad news for them. But the book is still a Star Wars book, and it’s cool to see how the themes of hope and love are built up, as well. I wouldn’t call this a horror book, but fans of Cavan’s Halloween comics or Justina’s historical-fiction YA works will find plenty to enjoy as well.
Despite being a bit overloaded in terms of the size of the ensemble, Defy the Storm is a hefty but strong read. Fun characters and strong plotlines come together to make a compelling addition to the storyline of Phase III and a welcome chance to revisit our favorite characters.
Chris is Mynock Manor’s Sous Chef. You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.