– Spoiler Review –
As a blight threatens everyone and the Nameless creatures ensure a Nihil advantage, it’s up to a young Jedi Knight and a Padawan to solve the mystery and unlock a way to turn the tide. Will they be enough or will the dangers come for them too? Find out in my review of George Mann’s adventurous and emotional The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless!
Beyond some of the current on-going and miniseries comics, and the upcoming audiobook Tempest Breaker, Phase III Wave II of The High Republic publishing initiative is coming to a close and bringing us one step closer to the end. Despite such a looming goalpost, George Mann’s The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless does an exceptional job of setting the stage for how potentially exciting all these various threads and characters and years of reading will culminate into something special in the end. In a way, this book has been the best to prepare me for the inevitable ending to this current initiative in 2025, as watching how it threads so many things together and many of the puzzle pieces fit into place, all while building and growing its characters, was cathartic in a way to the past few years of reading and enjoying this era and its storytelling. Tears of the Nameless certainly rewards readers of all levels, be it those consuming everything or just reading a few of the books, and if the rest of the remaining stories, and the big Trials of the Jedi novel to close everything out, can match a similar sense, it’ll serve to increase this era’s legacy.
Reath Silas has been a mainstay since the early days of Phase I and his journey from a bookworm to one who can both adventure and research was enjoyable to watch, and his Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus’ decision to leave him and the Order behind at the Phase I end has thrown an interesting new wrench into Reath’s life just when he was starting to get it all sorted. Reath hasn’t been in focus as much in Phase III, so unpacking his Master’s decision and his role in the ongoing Nihil conflict has been left simmering until Tears of the Nameless and Mann ensures this felt like the best time to deal with all of it. Sequestered away from his new friends and Masterless, the weight of the Jedi Order sits on Reath’s shoulders as he investigates the Nameless and blight problems affecting them and the entire galaxy. His only regular contact is Azlin Rell, the fallen Jedi who used fear and the dark side to prolong his life after encountering Nameless on Dalna 150 years ago, who needless to say isn’t the best influence on Reath as he works through various self-doubts, be it his ability to solve these problems or if he’s the main reason his Master left over a year ago. Amadeo Azzazzo, a Padawan most frequently out in the field with his Master, Mirro Lox, wants to see the blight contained and offers to assist Reath in his investigations, and his presence, alongside the return of Vernestra Rwoh after her battle with Marchion Ro at the end of Temptation of the Force, help alleviate Azlin’s influence somewhat but it’s not enough. Amadeo and Reath do end up making a breakthrough early in Tears most fans at home probably already did, but this simple revelation brings about some potentially dangerous and deadly missions: one is to explore the ruins of an ancient civilization on an abandoned planet and another is to capture Nameless to study (which is where this story overlaps with Beware the Nameless). It’s the return of Cohmac Vitus which has the biggest potential to help Reath against himself and Azlin, though it’s also the biggest wrench in the young Jedi Knight’s life, especially at such an important juncture as they rush to find answers to these big problems, but Reath and Cohmac’s relationship and if they can heal one another and together or not is a core aspect to what makes Tears of the Nameless so engaging. Reath and Cohmac’s time together in Tears really is such a memorable part of the book, not only because it’s something fans have been waiting for since Midnight Horizon released more than two years ago, but because it tells us so much about both of these characters and helps push them forwards to where they need to be for the rest of Phase III. Specifically for Reath, watching him be able to rely on his friendships and make a pivotal choice, on his own, about his doubts, especially in a scene between him and Azlin Rell, results in a lovely message to readers which not only drums up the era’s rallying cry of “We are all the Republic,” but also in how it gives those dealing with their own internal issues, their own doubts, reassurance and hope instead, especially about reaching out and relying on help from others. What elevates this aspect even more is the honesty and openness George Mann displays in the Acknowledgement section, and with his truths in mind, it puts everything into a very real, very personal perspective and I know I speak for more than myself when I say I appreciate you, Mann, and thanks for sharing your situation.
Amadeo had a very fascinating story in Tales of Light and Life by Lydia Kang, but he’s largely been a side character at best in Phase III and one could argue, his most interesting moment already came and went. While I wish his summation of what he learned and dealt with in Kang’s short story “The Call of Coruscant” wasn’t so quickly dealt with as it is in Tears, his interactions with a group of non-Jedi helping him and his Master on the dangerous mission of rounding up Nameless to study definitely makes up for it. His opposite journey to Reath, showing us and Reath what it’s like to have a Master who cares and is willing to let their learner grow and what could happen if that support isn’t available all of a sudden, is also a good part of the book, as it helps Reath understand the strength he found inside and share it with Amadeo, but I really gelled with Amadeo more once he was in the field and dealing with these new characters, especially Dorian.* Given what all happens in Tears, and having read Mann’s The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear‘s first two issues, so far I’m glad Amadeo got such a focus here because I’m curious if he’ll get much more, but previews of Echoes‘ final two issues seem to suggest he won’t be forgotten right away. Tears certainly made him interesting and left open the door for any writer to continue adding to his story.
Cohmac’s return has long been awaited by fans and Mann ensures it’s more than worth it. I especially enjoyed the flashbacks to a younger Cohmac, which helped put into perspective his current situation and choice at the end of Midnight Horizon, but also because we got more of Orla Jareni!! Their dynamic recalls what Reath is finding in Amadeo, while Orla’s no-nonsense approach to things was dearly missed by this reader, as its impact on others was given almost mythical status due to Cohmac, Elzar Mann (in other stories), and other characters wishing for her insight, so having it again showed how big a hole her sudden death has left for us and the characters. Cohmac’s crisis of faith struggle, own self doubts much like his ex-apprentice is currently going through, make this quite the time for him and Reath to reunite, which is why their parts together are so fascinating. Their journey through their problems together ensures any future stories with them, especially as we get closer to the big confrontation with the Nihil and the Nameless problem, will have plenty to plumb from their new dynamic. Cohmac’s early scenes alone are intriguing, like his escape from a Child of the Storm, one of Baron Boolan’s experiments, was a thrilling section, but once he and Reath get together, they go on some very exciting and unique adventures. In fact, their adventures to an ancient civilization’s world unlock some very important aspects to the overall story of the era, especially the Nameless, with some flashbacks to a time when something like this happened before…Either way, Cohmac’s return, even if we didn’t get new revelations, would’ve been worth reading Tears about alone.
Speaking of revelations, I felt like Tears had even more via Sicarus’ POV, the Child of the Storm chasing Cohmac and later becomes a big pain in everyone’s side towards the end. Whereas Reath and Cohmac’s reveals are more overt, what we uncover via Sicarus’ story is more subtle, but just as fascinating. It does feel like there’s a little bit of missed opportunity here with Sicarus in the end, especially when his role in the events comes to a sudden halt, and it felt like we needed just a little more of his backstory, maybe even a scene set before his change, to really solidify the character. Regardless, his POV is one that’s been long overdue for Phase III, as while Boolan’s Children of the Storm were a nuisance in Cavan Scott’s The High Republic – Phase III, the how and why he got them under his control was only explored surface deep (The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire recently showed a more personal side to a Child’s turn). Through Sicarus, a former member of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door, a Force-sect which got involved in the events of Mann’s The Battle of Jedha and will feature in his 2025 Hyperspace Stories: Qui-Gon graphic novel, we learn Boolan’s been injecting his ‘Children’ with Nameless blood, which helps the creatures not attack them while also letting the ‘Children’ sense Force users like the creatures do. It’s very creepy how Mann portrays this, but in doing so he helps make any future Child of the Storm characters seem all the more volatile and any potential turning of them away from Boolan’s conditioning all the more compelling. It’s also where interesting connections begin to form, explaining a bit how Planet X, the Nameless’ home, works and why them being torn from their homes leads them to be such a terrifying threat to the Jedi (they’re just hungry, and who isn’t, when they leave their home buffet?!). I really enjoyed this aspect as it lets readers connect the dots while providing details about some of this Phases’ underdeveloped quirks.
Lastly, I’ll cover both Affie Hollow and Vernestra Rwoh’s side roles in Tears. Affie and the crew of the Vessel make their first significant Phase III appearance, while Vernestra Rwoh, while in a minor role as well, helps push some interesting storylines forwards. While Affie, Geode, and Leox Gyasi appeared in Defy the Storm, they actually have a role to play in Tears, and while it’s not much, combining it with the mercenaries Amadeo befriends, it really pinpoints something I’m always wishing for a little more in The High Republic stories: viewpoints on events from the everyday citizen. With Affie in charge of the Byne Guild now, she’s on a non-stop quest to do what she can for the galaxy in this time of need, always pushing because she wants to make sure she’s not ideal during such trying times. Her conversation with Leox later in the novel should help fans who feel the same, as it points out the dangers of over committing without taking time for yourself. Affie and team really get involved and are pivotal towards the end, and it felt really neat to see someone so proud of helping the common good who isn’t a Jedi. As for Vernestra, as she recovers from her battle with Marchion Ro and finally shares what she saw him do with the blight (walk through it thanks to one of the so-called Nameless control rods), she injects herself into Azlin’s influence over Reath…and a mystery about his potential influence over others in the Temple. In her and Reath’s journey to understand if there’s a traitor in the Temple, they uncover something even more frightening: the blight has come to Coruscant, emanating from the Sith Temple the Order built their home over! Given we know the planet and the temple aren’t husks after these events, they obviously find a way to stop/reverse it, but this was a fun way to add stakes to the big problem and leave fans asking how it’ll be resolved. The blight has been an interesting addition to Phase III’s many obstacles to our heroes and this is the first time for me at least, besides the planet Oanne which Temptation focused on, where it’s felt like a palpable threat with stakes since it’s affecting people/places we have been made invested in. I don’t put any of the blame on Tears or Mann that Phase III hasn’t done enough to make its other targets ones we’d be concerned about, so I’m just glad this happened here so now it feels a little more pressing than some nebulous thing spreading in random parts of the galaxy. In the end, the Wookiee Jedi Burryaga’s efforts in Temptation to combating the blight are useful to the Jedi in holding it back on Coruscant, but the method’s draining effect only serves to heighten Reath’s efforts and the big missions at the end of the novel. As for the traitor, Tears ends without them caught, meaning they are out there…somewhere….
Here are a few other things:
- I don’t want to say how he gets it, but I was over the damn moon when Reath ends up with Silandra Sho’s shield!!! Silandra was my favorite character from Phase II, originally introduced in Mann’s Quest for the Hidden City, and the story of how her apprentice, Rooper Nitani ends up with it, was exceptional, in Mann’s Tales of Light and Life story! It looks like we’ll see more of Reath with the shield, per a preview of art from an upcoming issue of Echoes of Fear, and I hope one day we’ll get more of Silandra with it and more of its history!
- *One of the non-Jedi roped into helping Amadeo and Mirro Lox with bringing in a Nameless is a stellar bit of LGBTQIA+ representation, as Dorian’s story of understanding who he really is and finding support in his father is both a push for Amadeo to get through his fear after a big event and for readers who might be going through something similar to push through as well.
- As always, don’t forget to add your voice to the petition to see The Acolyte renewed for a second season! Another way to help show support for the show is grabbing Acolyte merchandise, like the action figures they’re still making or already announced, like Vernestra Rwoh! So excited to have the first action figure for a character from The High Republic publishing efforts!
- Upcoming High Republic releases include: November 20, 2024: The High Republic Adventures #12 – Phase III; November 27, 2024: The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear #3 and The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #2; December 3, 2024: Tempest Breaker. There’s a bunch of THRA releases later in December, so as always, check our High Republic page for the latest release schedule!
The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless by George Mann is another showcase of the author’s ability to center character driven stories into an engaging plot, all while pushing the era forward towards the final push with an intriguing new details and theories to ponder.
+ Reath and Cohmac’s journeys
+ Making Phase III additions (blight, Children of the Storm) feel more engaging
+ Coalescing various threads with an eye on what’s to come
– Some aspects like Sicarus ending too quickly
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.