Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsFull of Potential, Missed and Realized
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2021
I believe an important disclaimer to submit upfront is that I am a Star Wars fan down to my bones. I've adored this universe for nearly twenty years, and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I hold no particular hostility towards Disney's handling of the franchise, and outright admit that I love the Sequel Trilogy, flaws and all, just like I do the Original and Prequel films. If that's enough for you to discard my opinion, I don't begrudge you that.
I thought this book was pretty good, which is a bittersweet thing to say. Given Soule's work with both Darth Vader and The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series, I was expecting an absolute home run here, but what I got was a pretty good swing. There are definite flaws, but nothing outright glaring; however, perhaps a bit more worrisome in my mind, there's no particular mark of excellence here either. Much and more of my enthusiasm for the High Republic era feels like it was put on a shelf and asked to wait another six months instead of given a glowing welcome.
To dive a bit more into particulars, Soule does a marvelous job setting up this era of the Star Wars universe. Like many, I was incredibly dismayed to learn that this prequel-prequel series was not going to be the Old Republic, and instead the very creatively-titled High Republic. I hoped then, and continue to hope now, that we'll get a truly dark age of Star Wars one day, filled with pain and misery and, above all else, depth. I want a return to the strikingly complex conflicts that absolutely flooded the Old Republic era. I want compelling villains and flawed heroes. I want memorable battles and dire losses. I want a Star Wars era that doesn't just feel recycled.
Light of the Jedi doesn't deliver much on either the complexity or memorability factors, but the one thing I will give it unabashed praise for is its originality. The shining optimism, while nauseating in ways I will describe later, feels decidedly different from the cynicism of the prequel and original era. This is a time where the Republic was at its peak, and it is nice to see Senators and a Chancellor that act to further that age of prosperity instead of profiting by it. Multiple works of brilliance are described throughout the novel's pages, innovations that seek to further the warmth of the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim, and means by which the ruling government very sincerely wishes to enrich everyone's lives. In this current climate, an approach to political overtures that doesn't feel dreary in its portrayal was very welcome, in my eyes. As much as the comparison may draw despair from the older Star Wars fans, my mother included, the High Republic's general feel very much reminded me of classic Star Trek. It's a universe that highlights the good within humanity, and how we have the potential to change the world around us for the better. The novel positively bleeds the sentiment of putting aside your differences and helping your fellow man, all to inspire a greater feeling of cooperation and compromise. In terms of a sheer ideal, I love that utopic vision, and feel it lends a singularly unique feel to the High Republic both in new canon and old.
The issue is that those ideals often compromise actual character dynamics. Too often are heroes reduced to little more than "doing the right thing just because WE ARE ALL THE REPUBLIC." Those last five words comprise the sitting Chancellor's creed, and if you take a shot every time they're written in this book, you'll be dead halfway through. I have absolutely no issue with morally uncompromising characters. I love Superman and adore All-Might, but those characters have heft and weight behind their ideals, decidedly unique views of the world and reasons for why they are the way that they are; their moral strength is not comprised of the same sense of unity as hundreds of other characters in their respective universes. When Light of the Jedi shirks that creed and lends a sense of humor and wit to its characters, it gives rare glimpses of a truly brighter world, instead of the polished sheen of a pamphlet's front page.
Unfortunately, that same broad grouping of characterization extends to the novel's antagonists as well. The Nihil are space pirates, through and through, but not the particularly charismatic kind. A definite opportunity existed for a grey morality here, of a group of people that fear the monolithic authority of a central government eradicating the unique cultures of their own species, and banded together as a last bastion of a steadily outdated way of life. It would be cliche and romantic, yes, but give it that signature Star Wars spice and I feel like there would be something fantastic to cook up there. Instead, what we get is "take what you want when you want it" and "RIDE THE STORM," which is fine for a one-off villain, but far and away from what I would like for an overarching force. Fortunately, the chapters you spend in the head of their leader were my favorite parts of the book by significant margins. He feels despicably evil, while hiding layers of revelations for later works in the High Republic. Sequences with him near the end of the book made me very excited for what else lies in store, both for him and his plans on the galaxy.
I'll touch a bit more on my second largest complaint with the book: pacing. Light of the Jedi opens with a frantic and gripping introduction that had me tearing through page after page. Unfortunately, this introduction drags on for far too long and is far, far too reliant on far too many characters to present a singularly gripping thread throughout the whole event. Soule shows a remarkable hesitation to really sit in a single character's head for a prolonged length of time, instead leaping from one to the next just as soon as things get going. This problem wanes after the fast-paced intro, but continued to rear its ugly head nearly every time I got well and truly invested in a character's struggle. Some may argue that this is intended to show multiple events happening at the same time; I'd be willing to cede that if the chapters weaved back and forth like a dance. They do not. Often, it feels like a roulette wheel, with you exiting one plot thread and whirling round and round until it picks you back up again. The sheer density of names is overwhelming, and while I finally got a hang of who was who by the end, there's simply too many people for this ensemble cast to provide a veritable hook right away.
Many of these complaints can be chalked up to Soule's relative inexperience as an author. While I was midway through this book, I picked up one of Timothy Zahn's recent Thrawn novels and was instantly sucked into its pages. It provided a clear, concise, and colorful alternative to the comparatively unpolished pages of Light of the Jedi; while this may sound like an insult, I only intend to provide it as a hopefully encouraging example that Disney is *not* looking to squash any and all sense of individual authorship in its burgeoning Star Wars fiction. Soule has plenty of potential; I just feel like far too much was asked of him, and of this singular book. If its cast was trimmed down by just a third, or at least if that third was portrayed more strictly from the heads of the remainder, we'd have a much more well-realized and tantalizing grasp of this era. As it is, at least for me, I'll simply keep waiting for the next novel.
I don't want to end this review on a sour note, as I think that would be doing Light of the Jedi a disservice. The book delivers a singularly romantic version of the Jedi and the Republic, filled with hope even in the face of darkness. In my humble, if somewhat experienced opinion, it captures the heart of Star Wars adequately, even beautifully at times. Soule's experience with comics shows results with incredibly descriptive prose and punchy one-liners that hint at marvelous arcs to come, if not by his hands, then by the other authors slaving away for this era. There are problems to be worked on, for sure, but this era shows plenty of that Star Wars magic, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next glimpse of the High Republic.