– Spoiler Review –
With The High Republic – Quest for the Hidden City, which sees Jedi and the Pathfinders working to uncover the truth of what happened to one of their own after they receive a distress call, George Mann delivers an exciting, thrilling, and surprisingly layered story that’s both superbly paced and character-centric.
As the second novel of The High Republic Phase II: Quest of the Jedi, Quest for the Hidden City could easily be your jumping on point for the Phase, as this 150 years jump prior to Phase I is still very much in its infancy. Having read Path of Deceit prior will make one reveal later in Quest of the Hidden City’s story hit differently, but won’t affect your enjoyment of either novel, while Hidden City runs almost concurrently with the events of yet-to-be-released Convergence (which I already reviewed, it’s out Nov. 22), though only a final line in the novel ‘spoils’ the adult one but lacks so much context it won’t matter. I’ve really enjoyed how Phase II has been structure so far, as while most of Phase I felt like you had to read it in a type of order, these opening three novels, and even the Marvel comic, could easily be read in any order and you’ll be able to enjoy them while gaining new insights to the overall Phase. It helps we already sort of understand the different galaxy of this era, having gotten a taste of it in Phase I, so Phase II can explore a bit more while still feel inviting to new readers to the initiative.
George Mann’s Quest for the Hidden City starts with an EX droid, a communication model used by the Republic Pathfinder teams, which explore and establish connections across the Outer Rim, turning up damaged, no team, and a garbled distress call. The nearest Pathfinder team, which consists of a Republic pilot, medic, and two Jedi, is called to investigate, and the team quickly uncovers the situation is far more complicated than they could’ve realized. All the while, two hyperspace prospectors, stranded on a dark and ominous world full of nighttime monsters, attempt to send out their own distress call, the two stories intertwining as the truth of the situations clears. Since Phase II is 350 years before The Phantom Menace, communication isn’t as instantaneous as we’re normally used to and the Outer Rim is still a place of rumors and unknowns, though the Republic, alongside the Jedi who are an intricate part of the Pathfinder teams, while many people try to make credits mapping the galaxy and opening new hyperspace routes. Though there’s no large-scale galactic war, many local skirmishes wreak havoc on the developing economy of the galaxy, specifically Eiram and E’ronoh’s Forever War, making the situation the Pathfinding team encounters throughout Hidden City even worse. The lack of resources and the wait for supplies and remedies for the problems facing the locals at the focus of the story put a lot of weight on the shoulders of the Jedi and the Pathfinder team, the stakes more personal
Beyond the characters, two aspects I really adored with Hidden City are its exciting, roller coaster pace and how its story and mysterious unfolded, and how they are intrinsically linked. Even for a middle grade novel, 290 pages seems hefty, and there are big, ‘scientific’ terms and themes which will resonate for all-ages, but Hidden City still unravels at a relentless, yet never tiring pace, its thrills exciting, its characters and their internal dialogues intriguing, and its mystery always feeling like we’re one step away from solving it. This pace manages not to sacrifice the character journeys and spreads out different POVs enough that it hooks you, wanting to get back to the other just as you don’t want to leave the next, giving me a lot of hype for Mann’s upcoming audiobook The Battle of Jedha, which all these stories seem to be building to as the main event of Phase II. Just like the pace hooks you, the mystery of what happened to the previous Pathfinder team, what’s going on with the Katikoot and their society, and if the prospectors can make it out alive pull readers along as well, with Mann constructing the unfolding details like a puzzle with all the pieces on the board, though some are obscured. As the story unveils new revelations, often readers will be figuring it out at the same time or it’s a nice surprise, but either way it ends up making you feel like an active participant in uncovering the truth, making readers of all ages feel smart as pieces click in place. Even as 33 year old reader, I didn’t always see everything coming and its half the delight of reading Hidden City, its mystery unfolding at a pace that’ll keep any age reader going until the end.
A compelling mystery needs equally compelling characters to help push the story forward and Hidden City continues Phase II’s focus on non-Jedi and Jedi alike, whereas Phase I often felt too Jedi-centric, offering a better breadth of views of how the galaxy is in this part of the era. I can’t wait to talk about the Jedi characters, as one lived up to my hype and then some, but let’s dive into the non-Jedi for a bit. I really enjoyed the father-son relationship between Dass and Spence Leff’bruk, the hyperspace prospectors stranded on Gloam, a gloomy planet with monsters from myth and a dark history. Most of the book focuses on their struggle to survive and call for help on the dead planet, with Spence a supportive father and Dass eager to prove himself and not let his dad down, their dynamic earnest but never overbearingly so. With Spence injured, a lot of the work gathering supplies is up to Dass, so he has to work on being brave on his own, something he’s not had to do with his dad at his side always, so watching him grow and choose his future was a great thread throughout Hidden City. And even more intriguingly so, Dass and Spence’s story, how they ended up on Gloam, ties into some of the bigger parts of Phase II and the era as a whole, so it was both easy yet exciting to connect the dots, but for new readers it’s a great stage-setter. Beyond the prospectors, we get a variety of alien and human Republic Pathfinder characters as well: the spunky and determined Dietrix, a pilot who believes in their mission; Obik, a capable medic who embodies the ideal of helping anyone they can; the tech focused Amos and Kam, a Theelin and Twi’lek, an inseparable pair whose dynamic brought good laughs and showed the strength of comradery and platonic relationships. How most of these characters interact foretells Phase I’s popular phrase, “We are all the Republic,” as their willingness to help anyone and everyone in the galaxy, bringing the light of the Republic and all it can offer to peoples all over the galaxy, is inspiring not only as reader, but for those they encounter too, especially when they still try to help someone who turns out to be a villain in the end. I love the inspiration their kindheartedness can bring to young readers, pushing them to see past biases and instead focus on the fact we’re all just trying to make our way through the galaxy, an important message at all times but even more so now to older readers too, especially in such politically divisive environments
Outside of the Republic aligned characters, there’s Katikoot ones as well, a bipedal bat-like species on the planet Aubadas who originally called for the Republic’s help, though the mystery-laden situation of their history and problems related to Gloam, their sister planet, is what led to the first team failing. Mann delivers a rich, layered history for the new species, with highly descriptive and well-thought-out depictions of their hidden city, a level of detail we haven’t always gotten for new species that makes them feel fully developed and important on their own, not just there to facilitate the story. Their history is also full of intriguing depth, cautionary tales, and hopeful messages for readers of all ages to learn from, while I hope we’ll see more thorough world-building like what Mann offered in Hidden City. Two Katikoot, Mittik and Rillik, feature prominently in interactions with the other characters and the way they both react to the unfolding truth of the situation and their peoples’ history made them as interesting as all the world-building on display.
The fact that I can go this long without needing to really talk about the Jedi highlights just how important the other characters are the story and plot, even though Padawan Rooper Nitani is our main character. She’s sort of on a parallel yet opposite journey with Dass, as while she’s also trying not to disappoint her parent figure, Jedi Master Silandra Sho, she’s craving adventures, which is the exact opposite of everything Master Sho has shown her so far, focusing instead on diplomatic endeavors and the like. Dass has been living a life of adventure, just him and his dad, while Rooper hasn’t, but she’s quickly thrust into one when her and their Pathfinder team go and investigate the previous team’s disappearance. As Hidden City progresses, Rooper begins to learn the true meaning of everything Sho’s taught her and what adventure really can mean, something both her and Dass come to understand by the end in their own ways. I found it interesting Rooper has such a deep connection to her Pathfinder team, considering them family, but is still able to process she’s not supposed to have attachments to them; that the Jedi Order allows their own to go out and be with the Pathfinders, which could lead to temptations for attachments, shows how much trust they have in their own and the teachings passed down, evident in Rooper’s feelings to the team. Her relationship with Master Sho is also evident of the era’s different approach, but also of how the Master and Apprentice pairings teach both sides new things; Sho and Rooper prop one another up and seek one another’s advice, making them equals though it’s clear Sho is a Jedi Master for a very good reason. Speaking of Silandra Sho…I came into Hidden City with sky-high expectations for her, after she was first introduced back in July, and she blew them out of the local galaxy cluster during the novel. A distinct (and action figure worthy) feature for Master Sho is her shield, which she comes to use in ways that left my jaw on the floor by the end, but what makes her such a memorable character is less of how she uses that shield but rather how she embodies what it means. As we saw with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, using the Force for defense as we were always told the Jedi were meant to do, Silandra sees herself always as the shield, wielding it to defend others in preference to going on the attack; after all, if the Jedi are supposed to be part of the teams representing everything the Republic and Jedi have to offer the yet unknown planets and peoples of the Outer Rim, shouldn’t they be focused on defending even these new citizens if needed? Rooper coming to terms with Silandra’s message, and how it’s the perfect distillation of the Jedi we’ve yet to see, are wonderful parts of Hidden City. But because of her mindset, being with Silandra might not be as adventurous as Rooper imagined exploring the unknown would be, but the knowing crack of a smile on Silandra’s face when Rooper gets excited as their journey requires action shows the Master has it hidden within as well. As much of a Master as Silandra is, we learn a bit about her past and how she herself deals with grief and losing others, leading to multi-faceted, nuanced portrayal of the character. Her literal usage of the shield certainly helped blow up my expectations, but how she embodies it and works together with Rooper are much more important reasons why, plus make me excited to see more from her in different mediums before the Phase is over. That both of the leading Jedi are not only women, but women of color, is another excellent display of the types of diversity THR is brining to Star Wars, with Silandra’s Asian-coding as a rarity for Jedi in the franchise but a great start.
No discussion of the Quest for the Hidden City would be complete without a section about Nilah Magruder’s illustrations, a wonderful feature continued from Phase I’s middle-grade readers. You can see from the cover her style already, which gives us our first look at Rooper and Dass, though the shadowy creature remains obscured. I loved seeing Magrudger’s first piece in the book, finally showing the Katikoot, as while I had an idea of how they looked, her take, which sort of gave me Hulk wearing pants vibes but for a giant, bipedal bat, all meant in the best way possible, helped solidify the look and give me a better idea of how off-putting they might look initially. The second gives a better look at the “monsters” as Dass holds them off, so it was neat both of the kids featured! Overall, I look forward to Nilah’s future contributions for middle grade readers, it would be cool if she and Petur Antonsson switch off for Phase III!
Your Quest for the Hidden Spoilers is at an end…
Clicking the button below will reveal them!
Here are a few other things:
- If you haven’t seen Jake Bartok’s art yet, you’ll be following him after checking out this excellent piece he did for Quest for the Hidden City, which features Rooper, Dass, and Silandra!!!
- Also out in November for the High Republic? The Art of The High Republic released on November 8, which we’ll have a review for shortly; The first adult novel, Convergence, is out Nov. 22, which I already have a review for; and The High Republic Adventures #1 – Phase II launches Nov. 30.
The High Republic – Quest for the Hidden City marks a memorable entry into the era by George Mann, crafting a mystery with characters which will keep readers flipping pages until the very end.
+ Wonderful pace
+ Compelling mystery
+ Great set of characters
+ Silandra lived up to the hype/lots of non-Jedi to enjoy
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.