– Mild Spoiler Review –
Tessa Gratton’s The High Republic: Temptation of the Force starts Wave II of The High Republic’s Phase III with plenty of heart, pulse-pounding action, and hair-raising developments in the Republic and Jedi’s struggles against the Nihil, leaving readers as hungry as the Nameless for more!
Set after The High Republic: Defy the Storm, The High Republic: Temptation of the Force covers a longer swath of time as it finds the Republic and Jedi conflict with the Nihil at a standstill, with both sides devising ways to bring it to an end, be it the Republic and Jedi hoping to destroy the Stormwall for good or Marchion Ro investigating new toys to help spread his campaign of chaos. Over the course of the novel, both sides make significant headways into their respective problems and goals, with victories and surprises for everyone, making for an absolutely packed experience from start to finish that will leave readers eager to see what could possible come next. And yet, as big as Temptation and which happens inside it feels, it leaves readers with the impression, between Tempest Breaker and Trials of the Jedi alone, the finale for Phase III will be more massive than we can possibly imagine. Tessa Gratton has been behind several recent releases, from the aforementioned Defy the Storm, Quest for Planet X, Path of Deceit, and “A Closed Fist Has No Claws” in Tales of Light and Life, and somehow Gratton infuses Temptation of the Force with everything which made those memorable entries, deftly handling the burgeoning feelings of Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann, Burryaga’s lingering trauma and how he faces a dastardly new horror springing up in the galaxy, to Marchion Ro’s excited exploration of said horror. They do this by having a good selection of point-of-view characters, expanding on a few which fans have wanted and this era has eagerly needed, and really diving into each one to the point they feel like they drive the expansive plot more than the plot itself. In fact, it was more of the journey these characters go on which kept me flipping to the very end, as I loved (for better or worse) hearing how these moments affected them, as it grounded the events and helped them feel more than just big, galactic ones. As always, there are plenty of returning characters, some who have featured more prominently in other reading levels or mediums, but readers shouldn’t ever really feel left out if they aren’t enjoying other parts of the era, as there’s enough explanation provided one can understand the context, while the forward momentum of Temptation of the Force means what’s happening now feels more important than what happened prior. Overall, yes Temptation is packed, and sometimes feels like it, but it’s a thrilling ride that’s hard to put down, as its events and its character mix for an engaging experience I ended up enjoying even over the excellent Phase III start of The Eye of Darkness.
As a more direct sequel to the aforementioned Eye, Temptation picking up the lingering threads of Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann’s deepening connection was a must and the name/cover of the novel set a promise it will. Without a doubt, Gratton succeeds in dealing with what comes next for the pair, helping unpack not only their actions in Phase I and the repercussions of them, but also what it would mean for them to still be the Jedi the galaxy needs of them yet exploring how intimate they can take their bond. With Avar Kriss, we’ve gone from a dearth of POV for the character in Phase I to a thankfully heavy dosage in Phase III, as Eye had already corrected this and yet somehow Temptation takes even further. One of my favorite things about Eye’s depiction of Avar was getting back into her music focused take on the Force and Gratton doubles down on it here, though as Avar begins to intertwine with Elzar, exploring their feelings for one another, I adored the way his oceanic perspective on the Force blends into hers, and vice versa, as well as how Avar connects their two takes on the Force to help him make a decision one way or another. Yet while her and Elzar’s exploration will be of great focus and even greater screaming in social media posts, I was very pleased how it’s just one part of both their stories, especially Avar, as Temptation does a lot of heavy lifting with her past decisions and explores what brought her to make such choices, to stray as much as she did, to the point Keeve Trennis had to stop her from killing Lourna Dee. How she processes the guilt of Starlight Beacon’s fall, and Stellan Gios’ death with it, and her actions to flee the Order, and Elzar, that led her to be stuck behind the Stormwall in the first place strengthens what makes her such a compelling character and truly makes up for her limited Phase I POV. In fact, having her finding a more comfortable role for herself within the Order, understanding when and when not to lead, explores how well she understands the Force and what it means to be a beacon not just for the Order, but the galaxy, in the fight against the Nihil’s darkness. As for Elzar, the more eager and emotionally revealing Jedi is the one with the bigger questions and concerns about exploring their feelings for one another, as his past brushes with the dark side, one of which Temptation thankfully finally unpacks, creates uncertainty over the potential of giving into what the Order calls attachments. Having Avar be the confident one on this journey, finding little ways to help convince him yet never pushing him to make a choice makes sense for his problems with emotional control in the past, while I really enjoyed how it helps differentiate from forbidden Jedi love stories in the past (namely Attack of the Clones), keeping the dynamic fresh and surprising at times. Outside of this, Elzar bouncing between his role as liaison with Lina Soh and an offer from the Jedi Council forces him to confront a lot of his past deeds and actions, like what happened with Chancey Yarrow on Starlight Beacon (which Vernestra Rwoh confronts him about in Defy to get this ball rolling). Having been on Coruscant much of Phase III already, it was nice to have him out in the field more, experimenting a little again with the Force as he parses through his own feelings to see if connecting with Avar is worth a risk and what he wants next from the Force and what he wants to do, what role he wants to take in the Order. Overall, the choices they end up making, and their rationalizations along the way, are cleverly written and properly explored, while its never overbearing and reads like just another aspect, as central as it might be, to what makes Temptation overall so great (much like Gratton and Justina Ireland pulled off in Path of Deceit).
The Wookiee Jedi Knight Burryaga takes a surprising yet welcomed step into main character POV, normally reserved for his friend Bell Zettifar. While it was sad not to have Bell as a main POV, as he’s been for all adult novels to date, he’s still present in all of Burry’s sections, while Burry’s rise to prominence is a fascinating decision by Gratton, as his empathetic connection to the world, which we see in his connection with the Force digging into the roots the planet he’s on, and his recent trauma of being trapped in an underwater cave come against two of the more frightening obstacles facing the Jedi. Burry and Bell’s job of helping planets prepare for or evacuate if they sit at the current edge of the Stormwall, which has expanded beyond what it did in Eye, results in them embroiled with a mystery of reappearing Drengir and what the creatures seem to be fleeing from: a blight, which its effects are not unlike the Nameless’ to the Jedi, but it affects everything it touches. The blight was first introduced in Defy the Storm (and I assumed it was a Nihil/Baron Boolan thing, but I was wrong) and Temptation expands on it in intriguing and frightening ways, while its presence and what it’s doing to delicate ecosystems weighs on an already struggling Burry. His fight over the lingering trauma and having to sense more and more emotions despite his own turmoil pushes Burry like never before and it really helped make the blight not just a physical problem, but an emotional one as well, and I’m very much concerned to see what happens with it going forward. To top it off, he uncovers an extremely unconventional method to combat the Nameless, which comes with a lot of risk, but is it worth it to prevent more death by the Nameless? And is it the way to end the threat or just a temporary stopgap? Burry and the Jedi will have to figure it out soon to make sure no one else ends up as dust or too far gone for the Jedi to help them…
Given Gratton’s “A Closed Fist Has No Claws” story exploring Marda Ro and the Evereni in the aftermath of Phase II, I was really hyped to read what they’d bring to POV sections with Marchion Ro and they did not disappoint (Chapter 37 is a highlight out of many great sections for him). I’ve enjoyed other authors’ work with Marchion, but of all the Luminous authors so far, Gratton’s take is easily my favorite, really conveys his disinterest in the mundane and how he’s always seeking the thrill of a worthy adversary, believing himself an apex predator unmatched. Temptation sees Marchion focused on exploring the blight like Burry and Bell are, though he’s approaching it from a vastly different mindset, and what he uncovers only serves to make him more frightening in the tales to come, while offering some hints or clues on the larger mysteries of the era. He continues to keep everyone, Nihil and Jedi alike, on their toes—as well as us readers at home—and the finale of the book certainly comes with another great twist to his plans. He’s not the only Nihil Temptation focuses on, giving Ghirra Starros more time in the spotlight as well. Given how Defy the Storm gave us her daughter Avon’s POV, I enjoyed how Gratton follows-up on this, as while there wasn’t many real mentions of Avon from the Ghirra POV we had in The Eye of Darkness, this is a great balance of bringing back Avon into Ghirra’s thoughts alongside the woman’s ambitions with her choices and the Nihil themselves. Ghirra’s actions and how they’ll likely come to affect her family, not just her daughter but those generations later too, continue to make her a more compelling character each time she appears. I also appreciate her sections as beyond some of Elzar and Lina’s, it was a chance for the era to get some politicking in, and while it’s still lacking overall for the entire era, at least they still return to it.
Much like Burry’s POV, I was surprised but definitely delighted in Cari San Tekka inhabiting plenty of Temptation, as his time in Defy the Storm and his mission to help ferry people across the Stormwall sounded ripe for exploration. Cair’s marriage with Xylan Graf, scion of the rival family who reluctantly helped the Nihil with the Stormwall, if only to stay alive, is given more details, while their relationship, as messy and as complicated as it is, goes in unexpected and interesting places. While the young adult and middle grade novels often have the most non-Jedi characters, Cair’s section in Temptation was a great way to see the larger conflict from the ground level, from how the common person is trying to help the situation against the Nihil and what it looks like when the Jedi arrive, or have to flee, especially in a vital, action-packed moment on Naboo. Temptation of the Force also features Vernestra Rwoh’s first full adult novel appearance, and by the time the novel is actually out, we’ll likely have seen her in the live-action TV show, The Acolyte, which premieres a week before Temptation releases! Vernestra’s long been a favorite of mine, and while Defy the Storm features more about her mysterious Path from Mari San Tekka than you’ll get here, her experiences so far and figuring out what she wants to focus on going forward make her time in Temptation a worthy addition to her story. I especially like what she gets involved with towards the end, and certain interactions she has, which only made me love her character more.
Are you tempted for some spoilers…
…or will you follow the path of the Force?? If you can’t help but be tempted, click below!
UPDATE 6/11/24: In the build-up to release, Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director Michael Siglain released new concept art! One was from Ario Anindito (The High Republic comic series from Marvel) of Cair San Tekka, which is a colorized version of earlier Cair art released, though the initial released image was an outdated version with incorrect skin tone but the right one was released shortly after. The rest are from artist Diogo Saito, who does a great job with some cool, more action-focused poses: Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann (whose own skin tone was been questionable represented of late but is done more than right here), Burryaga, Bell Zettifar & Ember, and Yoda. Check them all out below:
Here are a few other things:
- I feel like we went away from the Vectors needing a lightsaber to power the weapons and it being controlled more with the Force, or at least not mentioning it as often, and I’m glad Temptation makes a point to include it again.
- There’s a moment in Chapter 15 where I loudly shouted, “What the fuck!” and had to put Temptation down. You’ll know when you get to it and Gratton KNOWS WHAT THEY DID.
- Avon Starros might not be POV, but she has some great moments here (one I christened a “Final blow. TKO”) and it certainly feels like we’re set up for her next appearance.
- Don’t miss out on Chris’ review of Temptation of the Force as well!
- As I mentioned earlier, The Acolyte, which takes place at the end of the High Republic era, premieres June 4! The two-episode premiere airs 8pm CST, so plan accordingly and know, without a doubt, people will not be cool about spoilers the next day. We’ll have spoilers, but only in our reviews, so head back to the Manor June 5 (hopefully!) for my review! UPDATE: My review for the premiere is here!! It had its cast, crew, and press premiere on May 23, so there’s been plenty of social media reactions to the opening episodes, while it was amazing to see almost all the Luminous authors (thanks to Jake Bartok you sort of see them all), the architect himself Michael Siglain, and Krystina Arielle got to enjoy the early look!!
- At a recent convention, they announced more comic miniseries and revealed a timeframe for the final The High Republic Phase III stories: June 2025! Be prepared, the end is almost a year away! Thankfully, there’s tons of content yet to come, so here’s a list with some of the upcoming releases:
- For more releases, concept art, all our reviews, check out our The High Republic page!
If The High Republic: Temptation of the Force is truly Tessa Gratton’s last contribution to Phase III, she couldn’t have gone out on a higher note, setting up and hoisting forward Phase III towards its end with lots of big moments which don’t sacrifice a stellar character focus in the process, making it feel much more about them than the journey.
+ Slow burn and build up of Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann’s choices about their connection
+ Burryaga and Marchion’s parallel investigations
+ Jam-packed book with lots of plot and character development, with a resolution so it doesn’t feel like it’s just set up
+ Character focus overall
– Can almost feel overstuffed
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 book 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.