– Minor Spoiler Review –
The High Republic’s final Phase’s first adult novel is George Mann’s The High Republic – The Eye of Darkness, which lives up to its title, and then some, by giving the Nihil their Light of the Jedi moment. It’s a rousing adventure of a novel blasting right into the new Phase, never relenting in its tension while still catching up readers on the new, deadly status quo, plus diving deep with favorite characters for the journey ahead, leaving readers eager to see where and how this Phase will wrap it all up.
Set one year after the fall of Starlight Beacon, The Eye of Darkness picks up in a far different galaxy than we last left it in Phase I, as the Nihil stand nigh untouchable behind their yet-to-be-cracked Stormwall, an invisible barrier delineating their hold on the galaxy. Some Jedi are trapped behind the Stormwall with the Nihil and their unwilling residents, while the rest of the Order, alongside the Republic, are struggling to find a way in, though the Jedi Order is grappling with what to do with the threat of the Nameless, the creatures who feed on the Force, if they do make it through. The situation seems hopeless for those on both sides of the Stormwall, but the Nihil have turned from pillaging to governing, something their modus operandi isn’t quite prepared for, plus with Marchion Ro’s unrelenting focus on destroying the Jedi, these new status quos threaten to tear the Nihil apart from the inside. With help from former Republic Senator and now Nihil-aligned politician Ghirra Starros, who arranges ministers to oversee basic ruling structure, will she find a path forward for peace with the Republic, or are greater plans in motion? And will Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, facing the constant mockery of her Great Works by Marchion Ro’s actions, ever let the Nihil have a seat at the table? Furthermore, will the Jedi be at her side, regardless of her choice, as they work through their fear of the Nameless creatures while trying to still be guardians of Light and Life despite abandoning their Temple Outposts? With George Mann’s expert pacing and great variety of point-of-view characters, the answers to these questions, and more, will have you eager to dive into each new chapter and the final Phase overall. In fact, The Eye of Darkness reminded me most of The Rising Storm, as it has a pervasive sense of unease, uncertainty, and tension throughout the entire read since Mann paints a compellingly tough picture for our heroes to overcome and it only seems to get more difficult as the book goes on, especially as favorite characters take greater and greater risks to end the Nihil’s reign. Add in the era’s two big ingredients, a propensity for killing off characters and providing cliffhangers like it’s the luminous authors’ sole existence to hurt us readers, and there’s a recipe Mann has no problem whipping up that will leave fans with all sort of reactions by TEoD’s end, be it letting out one really long, deeply held sigh of relief, shouts of anger and sadness, and desperately needing more content to see what happens next. Charles Soule’s Light of the Jedi kicked off the entire era in spectacular fashion and Mann’s The Eye of Darkness delivers at the same level, plus taking the risks of The Rising Storm for an entry which lives up to expectations and then some.
A lot of what makes Darkness such an engaging read is its characters, not only from how well Mann dives into their internal conflicts about their choices or what’s happening in the galaxy now compared to a year ago, but also from who he all follows. At the book’s core is a pair of characters who have ignited High Republic fans for years now due to their connection and past, which has been rocked by the death of their friend Stellan Gios, leaving them even further apart than ever: Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann. Avar is trapped behind the Stormwall, trying to help those in need one crisis at a time without being caught by the Nihil, while Elzar remains on the other side, struggling with his new role, how he left things with Avar, and losing his patience about being unable to bring her, and anyone else, back from the other side. Darkness is ripe pickings for those writing fan fiction, obsessing over little details about the two and their history with Stellan Gios, or just fans of the characters in general, and George Mann keeps readers’ emotions on edge with surgical precision. I’m far from the only one, but I’ve been calling for Avar to be a point-of-view character for some time now, as her journey through Phase I, while interesting, never quite got the full treatment to make it all really land, but Mann makes up for this choice with having her front and center in Darkness, as her struggles with her role, what happened, and what she has to do now make for compelling reading; in fact, it renews my wishes for a deeper dive into her character during Phase I events, no matter when we get it, as it’s just that good. What really left an impression was her dealing with her failures after having all these big titles subscribed to her, from Hero of Hetzal, Marshall of Starlight, and even Estala Maru’s final words about her being the best of them, as it opens a window into her issues even during Phase I with the honorifics and the pressure of living up to them and then explores what it means for such a prominent Jedi to have failed, at least as she sees it, and be caught up in the consequences. The friends and allies she makes along the way, especially as a golden opportunity presents itself she can’t pass up, are an enjoyable collection and their views of her help her come to terms with her life and actions so far in a fitting way. As for Elzar, there will be reason to request more concept art of him, but that’s not what makes his sections so easy to invest in. With the loss of Stellan, Avar separated from him, taking over a role he doesn’t feel he can fill the shoes of, and already struggling with his emotions, there’s a lot of turmoil for Elzar to drag himself through and the author Mann doesn’t let up, which makes it even more compelling as he works his way through it and leaves you hoping he can prevail. His conversations with Chancellor Lina Soh, where they express their frustrations with the situation regarding the Nihil or the Jedi Council’s decisions and work through resolutions, are a real delight because they tell us a lot about both Lina and Elzar in the process, while also giving us a glimpse on how the Republic feels about what’s happened. Overall, things get rather emotional towards the end for both Elzar and Avar and their respective journeys (and for readers, as I got quite emotional!), as revelations tear open questions fans have been wondering over for some time now, with Darkness leaving readers eager for what comes next.
Bell Zettifar has basically been the adult novel through-line in Phase I and he returns to such prominence in Darkness, and rightfully so, adding another notch in his nuanced journey as a Jedi. He’s part of a Republic Defense Force team tasked with both protecting the planets on the edges of the Nihil’s Stormwall and capturing a Path drive to help traverse the seemingly unstoppable technology. While Elzar struggles with being himself as he’s thrust in the roles and decisions of his friends, Bell contends with a righteous zeal to bring the Nihil to justice for all they’ve done, including the death of his Master, Loden Greatstorm, who’s rescue was robbed from Bell’s hands as the Jedi crumbled to dust before him. After rescuing Burryaga from the oceans of Eiram, told beautifully by Charles Soule in the Tales of Light and Life collection, Bell’s sense of self and purpose has only strengthened, but the confirmation bias doesn’t help as the situation only grows worse over the course of Darkness, forcing him to confront himself and his commitment to his goals or to Life and Light. Having Burry and Ember around provides Bell with a support group, exploring one of this era’s key differences for the Order compared to the prequels, and watching how he relies on them and uses their presence and advice to center himself as his drive to prevent more needless Nihil violence grows serves to also show us how much Loden would be proud. Hopefully that’s how his story ends by the close of Phase III, as Darkness is a great reminder of what’s made him such an exciting character to follow.
One thing I’ve wanted from High Republic stories is more time within the Nihil themselves, and given they have effectively “won” to some degree, it would make sense we’d get more from their side in Darkness (the title and cover offer such expectations too). Thankfully, I believe Mann does one of the best jobs yet exploring their side as well, thanks to chapters from Marchion Ro’s perspective, Ghirra Starros’ sections, General Viess who appeared in Phase II’s The Blade comic miniseries, a new and upcoming Nihil, and even a familiar character stuck doing their dirty work who comes up with a plan of their own to fight back. Ghirra’s chapters give us a much better understanding of her choices up until this point and peel back some of the fog around the Nihil and what they’re doing now they control a large swath of space behind the Stormwall. They also include some topical potential when Ghirra attempts a diplomatic future for the Nihil, as discussions she has with the Republic and Marchion offer what at times can feel prescient and valuable for how to deal with those who rule through fear, intimidation, and bad faith arguments. Marchion proves he’s as unpredictable as ever, but Darkness begins to peel back the layers to see how sustainable this method is, and if he really cares or not what happens with the Nihil compared to fevered focus on destroying the Jedi Order. Between the new character and General Viess, we get to see what the appeal of the Nihil still is and what it means to profit from their chaos, and what the system, as is, does to those who attempt both. I quite enjoyed the return of a character from The Rising Storm, as their tenacity and guts despite the situation, and later their ultimate choice as the novel closes, made me excited for more from them in the future. The little glimpses we get of how terrible the Nihil’s rule is for those trapped behind the Stormwall is a stark and important case to explore, as we hear more than see what their year in power has done up until then, so it was a small, yet appreciated addition to better contextualize how bad things are beyond what characters tell readers. Overall, the villains and those directly dealing with them don’t disappoint, as while Ghirra might be the only one with some understandable exploration, Viess offers more self-preserving intrigue, while Marchion proves again he’s a special type of psychopath and a villain that can stand alongside even Darth Vader as one of the franchise’s greats.
Fear is not only something readers might feel for their favorites while reading The Eye of Darkness, but also it’s something which permeates much of the decisions and choices of many of its characters, whether they realize it or not. And, on the edge of such darkness as this novel portrays, how could many of these characters not react in such a way, even the Jedi? The Nameless don’t just feed on the Force, they wiggle their way into a person’s fear, so learning to conquer such emotions will likely be one part of the larger puzzle for the Jedi to survive the Nameless threat. It’s interesting to watch the Jedi Order react the way it has, especially with the Guardian Protocols and retreating to some degree, claiming it’s for various reasons which have nothing to do with fear, but rather to show patience and understanding, but how could this be anything but fear dressed up in different clothing? This gives this golden era the first big feeling of the prequels, yet knowing they’ll have to overcome the Nameless leaves me curious how Phase III will balance showing this golden era’s true might while also keeping an eye to the future of where they end up. How each of Darkness’ characters overcome the fears they deal with in the year since the fall of Starlight is what makes each character’s journey so enjoyable to watch unfold, whether they be good or bad, as it makes all of them feel like real, accessible people, even if they are Jedi, and that humility is very engaging and part of what makes this era so tangibly exciting.
Here are a few other things:
- It’s a small detail, but I loved learning what Marchion had his throne made out of…only Marchion!
- When I first read The Eye of Darkness, The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight #1 hadn’t released yet, so when Azlin Rell shows up at one point in the novel, I was completely floored, much like how fandom was when he first reappears in the SoS #1 issue! Having reread Darkness since, the comic gives his appearance here a little additional context and yet keeps the potential of his return wide open. Very curious where his story goes next.
- Speaking of Shadows of Starlight, its second issue is out November 8 and it’ll focus on Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss, likely filling in some items they mention in Darkness about what happened after Starlight Beacon fell.
- As with every Phase, Star Wars Insider is host to a series of short stories, and Lydia Kang is behind Phase III’s “Tales from the Occlusion Zone.” The very first one dropped in issue #222 on October 31, one day before this review published, and it brings back Joss and Pikka Arden, tasked with a secretive new mission for the Republic Defense Coalition, which they joined after Starlight Beacon. You can read an excerpt from “No Big Deal” on the official site, where we’re introduced to a character with surprising connections to one of the earliest High Republic characters we meet in Light of the Jedi, which leaves me curious where their story will go, while some new personal details for Joss and Pikka will be intriguing to watch unfold, given the situation they soon find themselves in! I checked out the story and Insider issue thanks to the Libby app, for free, so make sure you have your library card current to use it as well!
- There are plenty of familiar names mentioned throughout The Eye of Darkness, but none were more interesting to me than the continued reference to Reath Silas and Emerick Caphtor investigating the Nameless. When is this story being announced?! Is Sian Holt with them? Making it a Trail of Shadows sequel!? We can only hope!
- Along those lines, Darkness certainly left me VERY interested when The Broken Blade, the comic miniseries quietly announced at the end of The Blade, will be coming out/more formally announced, due to Porter Engle’s appearances here, which you can only imagine how Viess would feel if she knew he was out there…
- If you somehow missed it, NYCC’s Publishing Panel revealed a big surprise: Stellan Gios’ lightsaber would be coming to shopDisney! Details have remained sparse since, but beyond Young Jedi Adventures merch (the junior’s TV show on Disney+) and some shirts, there hasn’t been High Republic merchandise, so this is big news! Hopefully the next announcement of merch brings action figures or something that’s a little more affordable than I imagine this lightsaber will be!
- Bell Zettifar and Ember, alongside Loden Greatstorm, Estala Maru, and Starlight Beacon, make the jump to Young Jedi Adventures on November 8, a week after this review publishes and just under a week until the book publishes on Nov 14!
George Mann’s The High Republic – The Eye of Darkness lives up to its title, and more, by setting a startling and engaging new status quo for what’s to all come for Phase III: Trials of the Jedi.
+ Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann’s journeys
+ Sense of tension grips and holds on until the final page
+ Things look to get worse before they get better
+ Seeing it from the villain’s POV a bit more
– Does feel like it would’ve benefited from a little more of the larger picture
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 novel 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.