This is one of the young-adult novels set in the high republic era, set after the events of the novel The Rising Storm, and the Nihil attack on the Republic fair. The aftermath of the attack is still being felt by pretty much all parties. The book is centered around the characters of Vernestra Rwoh and her padawan Imri, both of whom are trying to deal with force abilities that they cannot control and are struggling to understand, and Sylvestri Yarrow a hauler whose ship was mysteriously knocked out of Hyperspace and then attacked by the Nihil at the beginning of the novel. It also involves the already-established Jedi characters Reath Silas and Cohmac Vitus. It also brings back the Nihil character Nan who was saved by and then saved Reath in the novel Into the Dark.
This novel is partly about the power struggle within the Nihil and a battle for control of the group and in part a thriller/mystery with the Jedi trying to figure out if the Nihil has a new weapon or if ships are getting knocked out of hyperspace due to some strange natural occurrence. I definitely think the book reads more easily now that many of the characters are established, as I had to spend less time trying to figure out (or remember) who all the characters were. I still think these novels would be better if they did more than name-drop Yoda. It does not make any sense that one of the most powerful Jedi at what is likely the height of his power would sit on the sidelines of the fight against the Nihil just to be mentioned by other characters. Not that he needs to be the focus of the novels, but he could definitely be utilized in some way.
Overall, I would say that even though the novel is one of the young-adult novels, and thus considered ancillary to the main storyline, it is as good and as enjoyable as the main "adult" novels in the high-republic series. It is not a difficult read, and at about 320 pages, depending on how fast a reader you are, it can be finished pretty quickly. I definitely recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment