'Trials Of The Jedi': A 'Star Wars: The High Republic' Book Review
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It has all come down to this. After four years of books, comics, audio dramas, two TV shows, and appearances in several Star Wars video games, the narrative of Phases 1, 2, and 3 of The High Republic has come to an end. Written by Charles Soule who introduced the world to the initiative he and his fellow authors had created with the novel Light of the Jedi, Trials of the Jedi is a fascinating culmination to so much hard effort with many laudable traits. The following review contains no spoilers.
We cannot praise the novel enough for how it effortlessly weaves its story and features the perspectives of various characters both new and passed. Some of these perspectives are also new, featuring newly created characters while others highlight characters from the comics who have rarely appeared in the novels, giving us a new angle with which to understand their characters. There are also brief appearances by a number of other notable characters from across Phases 1 and 3, with some mentions even extending to Phase 2.
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One of the few flaws with Trials is connected with its characters though. For all of the new and returning faces, there are a few who are absent. The lack of mention for these figures is curious if not confusing, and takes away from the final package. Few of them could be counted as fan favorite characters, but represent a few key secondary or tertiary roles from various past, sometimes recent, stories who either go unmentioned by name, or when spoken of, are only acknowledged in passing.
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There are also some small continuity or information errors made in the text that this reviewer could not determine as either deliberate misunderstandings by characters, or just the usual small mistakes seen in these novels which work very hard to connect so much together.
As for the plot itself, it should come as no surprise that the narrative woven is complex, with many players and diverging storylines across the Star Wars galaxy. In one plotline, you have the Jedi and their voyage to the homeworld of the Nameless, known as Planet X. The Luminous Nine have a daunting task ahead of them, and everyone has some level of POV in the text, illuminating new facets of some characters as was alluded to earlier. The other plots we cannot comment further on, but as many will be aware due to storylines in the comics, the fearsome Stormwall suddenly goes down, and this novel explores why and how that happens.
In addition to the huge blend of characters, and a stirring plot, there is also a lot of character and location information sewn into the story being told. Multiple worlds are given a great deal of detail and new information, be they more established planets we have known about for years, or worlds that even as Soule approaches the finish line, he includes to help grant a snapshot of a wider, living galaxy. Character backstories for various figures are also padded out by thoughts about themselves and their history, giving some mysterious figures and some better known characters new knowledge that intrigues the reader.
We can say little else without giving away key details of the novel. But Trials of the Jedi is a phenomenal final chapter to this storyline, with many unexpected twists and turns along the way, a ton of characters included, and many interesting details both about them and various worlds across this science fantasy galaxy. It has a few small flaws, and is not perfect, but gets close to it as the conclusion for such a monumental undertaking.
Rating: 9/10
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Source: Trials of the Jedi
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