Name: Light of the Jedi
Rating: 3.721153846153846 (52 reviews)
ISBN: 9781529124651

CHARLES. SOULE

Light of the Jedi

Charles Soule

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace . . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm But the even brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation. When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives. Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.

Phil Linley

Rating: 8.5/10 Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule is the first book in a brand-new era of Star Wars storytelling, set hundreds of years before the Skywalker saga. It drops us into a time when the Jedi and the Republic are at their peak, filled with hope, growth, and exploration. The book does a great job of capturing that golden age while also planting the seeds of future trouble. The story kicks off with a massive disaster in hyperspace that puts countless lives at risk. From there, Soule introduces a wide cast of characters, both Jedi and non-Jedi, as they work to respond to the crisis and uncover who or what caused it. The opening is packed with tension, and it sets the tone for a story that feels both epic and personal. What really stands out in this book is the worldbuilding. Soule makes the Jedi feel larger than life but still relatable. Jedi like Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann are especially interesting, each dealing with their own struggles while trying to live up to the ideals of the Order. The villains, the Nihil, are totally different from the Sith or the Empire. They're unpredictable, brutal, and full of mystery. Marchion Ro, in particular, brings a creepy kind of menace that lingers in the background until it explodes into something terrifying. That said, the book can feel a bit slow in the beginning. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and some don’t get quite enough time to shine. It might take a while to get fully invested, especially if you're used to more fast-paced Star Wars stories. But once it hits its stride, it becomes a gripping mix of action, mystery, and Jedi philosophy. In the end, Light of the Jedi is a strong start to The High Republic series. It's not perfect, but it’s full of fresh ideas and introduces a fascinating new chapter in the Star Wars universe. If you’re curious about what the galaxy looked like before the fall of the Jedi, this is absolutely worth reading. I’d give it a solid 8.5 out of 10.

I feel like this was a reasonable introduction to Star Wars in book form…

Will Dawson

I'm really glad I decided to re read, over two years there is a lot of stuff I forgot about 

Hyde F

Jesse J. Anderson

Really enjoyed the story—a great setup for this new era of Star Wars fiction. My only complaint was there were simply too many characters, to where some important events had less of an impact as I tried to remember which character was which. Love the introduction of a new powerful enemy that feels original and exciting.

__________________________________________ Two hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, in the era of the glorious High Republic, the noble and wise Jedi Knights must face a frightening threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself....

Jose Manuel Lopez Reyes

I DNF’d this book about 80% in. Maybe Star Wars books aren’t for me after all. I’ll just stick to the movies for now :)

Hannah Williams

Such a fun read! The plot was very interesting. There were a couple slow parts here and there but over all really good! 

Destiny Martino

I am not one who typically writes reviews, I struggle to find words to describe what I have read, how I feel about what I have read, and words that do not involve major plot lines. However, after reading some of the negative reviews from this book, I felt like I needed to add my perspective.

This is very much a book at the beginning of something. It is ensemble in many ways, but I can see the focus being drawn to several different characters whom I am sure will be receiving much more focus in the future. We are being reintroduced to a world we know, but long before we really know it, many things are the same, but many things are very different. This is supposed to take place around 200 years before The Battle of Yavin...tell me, are things in your world the exact same as things in the life of someone living in 1821? How were those expressways doing in 1821? How about those television shows and movies you love?

We are being introduced to a universe still expanding into what we are familiar with. We are being introduced into a story without Sith. We are being introduced to the emergence and its effects on the blossoming hyperspace travel (which makes me appreciate Han Solo's words from Episode IV, "Traveling through Hyperspace ain't like dusting crops boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce to close to a supernova and that'd end our trip real quick, wouldn't it?") And the book absolutely leaves us with a sense of anticipation as to what comes next. 

Who is Marchion Ro? Where did he and his father come from? What is his plan? Why does he hate the Jedi so much?

What happens to Loden Greatstorm (who was a stand out favorite for me from his introduction)? What does Bell do in his absence? 

What happens between Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann? And what does what Mann experiences at the end of the book mean for the future?

Avar Kriss takes the center stage early on as the Jedi who organizes and leads the rescue effort, and she and Starlight Beacon continues to have a pretense throughout not only this story, but the YA novel and comic book. However we see the whole of the opening catastrophe through the eyes of several different groups involved. And through Kriss, we get to see a beautiful representation of how different the force is for each and every Jedi. 

We also see several Jedi fall. Several characters fall for that matter. Characters that drew me in, whose futures I was interested to see and was sad to discover their stories came to an end so soon (not in a critical way, but in a way to say that I appreciated the weight of their deaths).

I do not think a central character being established was the point here, though I think we will get there. The Clone Wars did much the same with the Clones and people love those stores and many of the lesser characters involved. We began with an ensemble, we slowly fell in love with individual clones as their stories were told, some died, some went on to great story lines and even returned in later stories. Here is the world, here is the forest, now let's find what trees are living and growing there.

I loved this book, I am already reading it for a second time, and I am hopeful and excited for the stories which will follow.

Mikkel Sandberg

This was probably one of the best Star Wars books I’ve read. It introduces some interesting characters and conflicts, and it sets the stage well for this new era of Star Wars stories.

Ryan Lane

This book is the introduction to the new Star Wars era of the High Republic. The opening third of the book is fast paced and reads quick, but I felt the middle dragged quite a bit. 

The story does a good job of setting up the state of the galaxy, the Jedi, and the Republic, but I wasn't able to really find a character that was developed enough for me to latch onto. The book has quite literally dozens of point-of-view characters. It's obvious that all of these characters are being setup for their own stories in other books or comics. 

Although I was ultimately disappointed, I will still read more in this era.

Heather Harrington

It's truly a golden age in the High Republic: scouts are using hyperspace lanes to connect to even the furthest settlements in the Outer Rim, worlds are flourishing under a compassionate and capable Senate leader, and thanks to the renowned Jedi's, peace reigns in the galaxy. With the Jedi by their side, the citizens of the galaxy are confident that they can face any obstacle that comes their way, but when a shocking disaster tears a ship apart in hyperspace and the scattered debris threatens to destroy an entire system, will the Force users prove to be enough? As panic and despair rage through the galaxy, the Jedi's are each pushed to their limits and must trust in the Force like never before because one single error could be their doom. All the while, a storm is brewing in the shadows. A sinister threat growing in the dark with only one mission in mind: to snuff out the light and Jedi once and for all.

Let me start by saying, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. With that in mind, I went into this with higher expectations and assuming it would blow me away, but it just didn't. That's not to say it wasn't a decent book, there were parts I enjoyed, but I was hoping for something great and what I ended up with was just...good. The writing was a bit hard to get into and the pacing was all over the place. I felt a lot of things happened off-page and weren't always explained well enough to give you a coherent picture of what was going on. You're also introduced to so many different characters that don't really have any distinct personalities so they all just mesh into one and it's hard to differentiate who's who. Despite all that, what I did like was the combat scenes, which felt very big and cinematic, and the Nihil, I'm intrigued to see how they're going to play out as the big bad in the grand scheme of things. So, overall, while I was hoping for more, it's still a fun read if you're a fan.

Madeline Hulburt

I didn't know it was possible to make a Star Wars book boring, but it was done. Way too many characters to even grow attached to any of them. There were a few stand-out characters but this story really would have shown with just three POV's instead of as many as it had. I recommend the audiobook to stay more engaged with the story. I will continue with the series, but I hope they scale down the character list.

Light of the Jedi

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