– Slight Spoiler Review –
Race to Crashpoint Tower, a middle-grade novel written by Daniel José Older, is the second novel out June 29 as part of The High Republic’s Phase I, Wave II. With a breathless pace, both to its benefit and detriment, and two great young Padawan characters at its center, it’s a quick, exiting adventure to read.
Set concurrently with The Rising Storm, the adult novel releasing the same day, Race to Crashpoint Tower finds its focus on a smaller set of characters who get caught up with the chaos that unfolds at the Republic Fair, another of Chancellor Lina Soh’s Great Works that is interrupted by the Nihil raiders, thought to be beaten back a year ago. Whereas TRS shows readers the true, horrifying scope of the Nihil attack on Valo, Crashpoint instead deals with a small slice of the larger battle, as Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram finds himself and his new friends at the center of one of the most important parts of the chaos: getting the communication tower working again so they can call for help to beat back the Nihil. Like A Test of Courage (by Justina Ireland) before it, Crashpoint doesn’t shy away from the darker subject matter around it, finding a more age appropriate way to deal with it and help make it accessible to younger readers but also make it entertaining and meaningful for readers of all ages; the brutal attack by the Nihil on Valo might be mostly background noise, but its repercussions and how the young Padawan characters respond and react to it keeps it prescient without having to focus on or give greater detail to the destruction. Though not like the book would even have the time to focus on it, as its pace is well beyond .5 past lightspeed, carving through its story and characters in record speed, which definitely makes for an exciting rollercoaster— it truly is a Race after all— but it sacrifices characters to reach the finish line. As much as I enjoy characters like Ram, Lula Talisola, and her friend Zeen Mrala, co-protagonists of Older’s The High Republic Adventures, their character development in Crashpoint feels organic but rushed, though at least they get to develop even if it’s a blur.
Ram, much like Reath Silas from Into the Dark, isn’t much for adventure, expecting his life on Valo to be a largely peaceful affair, where he’ll take a Padawan and retire at an old age. Like many of the Jedi in the era, he sees and uses the Force in his own unique way, as he has had the time and space to focus on his specialties, and for him it’s through mechanics, as he’s able to dive through the innards of machines, droids, ships, and weapons alike and repair or take it apart. How he uses that ability throughout the book, coming into his own despite the dangerous situation, is a joy to watch and I love the ingenuity he comes up with to use his special skill set to save the day. In particular, it introduces us to V-18, a droid modified throughout that provides plenty of laughs, as do his mechanic partners, the little furry bonbraks. The High Republic era’s Jedi are fascinating in several ways, and with Padawans like Ram or Lula, it comes from how they never expected a life of action and adventure, surprised and shaken by the possibility of combat, but they rise to the occasion, realizing swinging their lightsaber now won’t just be in practice or imagining the ancient stories of wars against the Sith. Ram has to make his own peace with the new normal he’s thrust into as the Nihil’s attack rages on and watching him accept the new responsibility and take a step outside his own shell is both engaging for all readers and inspirational especially to younger ones, though as I mentioned before, it all seems to happen in a blink of an eye. Since events of Crashpoint overlap with The Rising Storm, there’s even a scene both books share, with Ram in prison and meeting Ty Yorrick, a Force-user with a mysterious past, and reading both scenes side by side makes for a fun effect.
Lula, one of the stars of Older’s The High Republic Adventures, gets equal POV time as Ram, and her own insecurities and adjustments to the Nihil’s attack setting a new precedence for the Jedi and that galaxy, are different and just as entertaining as Ram’s. She’s definitely grown-up for her age, but this all still hits her hard and is quite the adjustment, while seeing Jedi not much older than her like Vernestra Rwoh already so advanced forces her to deal with jealousy and focusing on finding her own balance within to become the Jedi she knows she can be…and the galaxy needs her to be as it changes with the events on Valo. Her interactions with Vernestra, already a favorite of mine, are some of the best of the novel with how she allows Lula to reach her own conclusions; I wish we had more time with Lula and her own Master Sy, however. Also, having the friendship with Zeen Mrala, a Force-sensitive Mikkian she met in the opening issue of THRA, helps keep her mind from wondering and her expectations in check, and the two young girls seem like a great support structure for one another. Zeen, too old to train unfortunately (something I didn’t think would be that big of a problem in this era), at least gets to join the Jedi and work alongside them, learning in her own way, though she has her own problems due to the fallout from her revelation being a Force-user: the religious cult she was in considers the Force a fire and that no one should use it, and her childhood friend unfortunately doesn’t react well to the revelation (also something unfolding in THRA). Zeen has to relive some of that here when they return to Trymant IV, the planet her sect of the Elders of the Path operated from. Lula’s able to support her as they deal with some remnants of her group still on the planet, despite its ravaging by one of the Emergences, and the two are much stronger for it. When they work in tandem, it’s something to behold, working at a level that seems not even the best Jedi Masters could reach, and I look forward to see these two continue their journey together, especially after the events of Crashpoint. Reading this book alone will give you a great idea on who Lula truly is, but reading THRA offers the full picture and trajectory of the character so far, so if you enjoy her appearance her, I highly suggest reading the series for more Lula, and Zeen, goodness.
Vernestra Rwoh, who premiered in the previous middle-grade book, A Test of Courage, is the one who sends Lula and Zeen on the mission to Trymant, trying to uncover what secrets the group holds that Nihil leader Marchion Ro wanted. At 17, she’s the youngest Jedi yet to pass her Trials and already has a Padawan, and she’s the one helping Lula through her internal struggles a bit, talking her through the idea of finding balance within. She’s been a favorite for me and her time here only adds to my feelings about the character, as she felt like the right one to have in the book understanding the younger Padawan’s issues. As mentioned earlier, new character Ty Yorrick, a saber-for-hire, crashes into the stories of Lula and Ram, and her unique mindset and situation add some unpredictability to the proceedings; reading The Rising Storm will illuminate what else she all gets up to and helps out with during the attack on Valo. The synergy between the two books was at a level one would hope and expect from this type of endeavor.
It’s understandable at this reading level we don’t spend too much time with the Nihil nor have any as POV characters, though we do learn some details about how they and the Elders of the Path became intertwined, but Older more than makes up for it by featuring the Drengir late in the novel, to great and spooky effect. The Drengir, plant-life with an obsession for meat spreading across the galaxy with help from the Nihil first seen in Into the Dark, are a spooky and frightening new enemy for the Jedi and Republic. When Ram and his new friends are stuck dealing with them, Older straddles a thin line, like a professional tight-rope walker, using their meat-focused dialogue and interactions for humorous effect but still showing the horrific potential of the dark-side aligned villains. Ram’s efforts, combined with similar methods seen in the story unfolding in The High Republic comic from Marvel’s first arc, offer a potential way forward for the Jedi to deal with the Drengir once and for all, but it likely won’t be that easy. Especially when we learn one of their surprising abilities that will make hunting them down that much harder!
Petur Antonsson returns to offer more illustrations like he did in AToC, but my review copy didn’t include them. I will update this once I get my hands on a release copy, but one thing I already know, they’ll be gorgeous! UPDATE: I finally got my physical copy and wow, Antonsson outdoes himself this round, with the vibrant yellow of Ram’s saber to the towering, frightening look for the hragscythe, which was much larger than I had imagined! Honestly though, seeing the heroes, especially Zeen, Lula, and Ram together was a neat visual, considering we’ve had much of the former two but this is the first time seeing Ram and having him with them cements him quickly into the era.
Here are a few other things:
- We have a page dedicated to The High Republic, which is where you’ll find all our reviews, news articles, and a list of what content is yet to come!
- Because much of Crashpoint takes place during events featured in TRS, I loved all the little connective details between the two, as it makes this novel feel like a small part of a larger whole, and while you won’t need to read the adult novel to get a grasp of the larger conflict, it definitely adds another layer if you can and vice versa.
- I was happy to see Crashpoint also waded into the discussions regarding the Jedi and passions/attachments, like TRS does a ton, finding a fitting way to have it in a middle-grade book.
- Like The Rising Storm and the previous entries of the era, Crashpoint offers some new representation for LGBTQ+ fans, with Ty (concurrent with Storm) joining the growing list of characters, while Master Sy is the first human non-binary Jedi. Love how effortless these creators make it look and I hope the live-action components can try to match them soon.
The High Republic – Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older earns the word ‘race’ in its title thanks to its breakneck pace, and while some aspects don’t do well because of it, the characters and their development still manage to cross the finish line with style.
+ Ram and his mechanic-minded POV
+ Lula’s story continues here
+ Vernestra and Lula moments
+ Entertaining, break-neck pace…
– …though it’s over before you know it
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.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in order to provide a review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.