A Test of Courage, published in 2021, is a Star Wars junior canon novel written by Justina Ireland. It is a short story set during Phase I of the High Republic (which takes place approximately 200 years before the Skywalker Saga) about a newly promoted Jedi Knight named Vernestra Rwoh. She is given her first assignment to supervise a young inventor named Avon Starros, the daughter of Senator Ghirra Starros, on a luxury starliner traveling to the Starlight Beacon space station, which was opened after the hyperspace disasters. Vernestra is unique in that she was promoted to a full Jedi knight at the age of fifteen, so she is powerful, but still has teenage insecurities, which I think makes her a more interesting character. The ship is sabotaged by the Nihil, who have been the main antagonists of the High Republic novels, and Vernestra becomes stranded on a moon with a Jedi Padawan named Imri Cantaros, whose master was killed in the first encounter with the Nihil, a couple of civilians, and a droid. The group has to survive not only the dangers of the moon itself but the threat posed by the Nihil.
The hardcover version of the book is just under 250 pages. As most probably know, the junior novels and young-adult novels are really telling ancillary stories to the main adult novels. They generally introduce different characters or involve a side-mission tied to the main story, in this case, the conflict with the Nihil, but are not as involved (or as long) as the adult novels. To that end, this is a good, but not great, story. It is definitely more of a kid's book, but that does not mean adults cannot enjoy it. There is a bit less violence in it than the "main" canon novels have, but there is still a lot of action in it (relative to how long the book is). The author also finds a way to incorporate the dark side of the Force without it being in the Jedi vs. Sith context that has been prevalent in most novels, TV series, and movies. The Nihil make for good bad guys that present a challenge to the Jedi without being force users themselves. The book is a relatively quick and easy read. While I do not think it is a book that most people are likely to read over and over, it is a good short story that serves as an ancillary to the main storyline.
The hardcover version of the book is just under 250 pages. As most probably know, the junior novels and young-adult novels are really telling ancillary stories to the main adult novels. They generally introduce different characters or involve a side-mission tied to the main story, in this case, the conflict with the Nihil, but are not as involved (or as long) as the adult novels. To that end, this is a good, but not great, story. It is definitely more of a kid's book, but that does not mean adults cannot enjoy it. There is a bit less violence in it than the "main" canon novels have, but there is still a lot of action in it (relative to how long the book is). The author also finds a way to incorporate the dark side of the Force without it being in the Jedi vs. Sith context that has been prevalent in most novels, TV series, and movies. The Nihil make for good bad guys that present a challenge to the Jedi without being force users themselves. The book is a relatively quick and easy read. While I do not think it is a book that most people are likely to read over and over, it is a good short story that serves as an ancillary to the main storyline.
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