With the cancellation of Star Wars Celebration this year, and the subsequent delay of The High Republic until January 2021, building hype for the upcoming publishing initiative has certainly needed to change shape and from. First we got the opening chapter of Light of the Jedi and now an excerpt from A Test of Courage, the middle grade novel launching alongside LotJ on January 5! In it, we get to meet Vernestra Rwoh, the youngest Jedi Knight at 15, and Avon Starros (a distant relative of Sana Starros!), a young inventor. Their dynamic is a blast to read in this short sample, and I hope the rest of the book can live up to the interactions here. I’m also very curious to see if Avon’s line about inventing something to block the Force will potentially come into play, considering THR is supposed to last for multiple years/phases, while Vern’s phantoms in the Force should offer plenty of intrigue as well. Head below for a sample and the cover, otherwise head to the official site for the full excerpt! (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!)
“Hey, stop her!”
The sense of calm shattered and Vernestra opened her eyes to see a maintenance droid chasing a small, dark-skinned human girl riding a scoot speeder built of odds and ends. The girl’s hair framed her face in a halo of riotous curls, and she held a brightly shining power crystal in a single gloved hand. The expression of joyous triumph on her face was one that Vernestra knew all too well.
Avon Starros, daughter of Senator Ghirra Starros, was once again up to no good.
Avon had not yet seen Vernestra, and the Jedi used that to her advantage. Vernestra raised her hands, palms flat toward Avon, and pushed with the Force. The girl went flying backward off of her homemade contraption, but instead of letting her fall hard onto the deck, Vernestra kept Avon suspended in the air while the vehicle froze in the middle of the docking bay.
“Avon,” Vernestra said sweetly. “What is going on?”
Avon twisted around in midair, her happy expression souring when she spied Vernestra. “Ugh, I thought you were already on the ship.”
“No, I decided to take one last walk through the outpost before we left. I can see I am not the only one. What did you do?”
“Nothing! I didn’t do anything. By the stars, I don’t know why you always think everything is my fault, Vern.”
Vernestra gritted her teeth against the terrible nickname. Master Douglas Sunvale called her that, and while she was not about to correct a Jedi Master, she had no such qualms about correcting a girl younger than her. “Please don’t call me that.” She released her hold on the Force and let Avon fall to the ground, which was not all that far. The scoot speeder, which Avon had no doubt built from taken materials left unattended around the port, crashed into a nearby stack of shipping crates.
“You are the worst,” Avon groaned, splaying her limbs out dramatically on the ground.
“It wasn’t that far,” Vernestra said, even though it had been a bit mean to let the girl fall.
Head to the official site for the full excerpt! And head to the Manor’s The High Republic hub for all the latest about publishing initiative!
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.
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