Sent to investigate are Jedi Masters Cohmac Vitus and Kantam Sy, along with Padawans Reath Silas and Ram Jomaram, all fighting their own private battles after months of unrelenting danger. On Corellia, Reath and Ram encounter a brazen young security specialist named Crash, whose friend was one of the victims of the Nihil attack, and they team up with her to infiltrate Corellia’s elite while the Masters pursue more diplomatic avenues. But going undercover with Crash is more dangerous than anyone expected, even as Ram pulls in his friend Zeen to help with an elaborate ruse involving a galactic pop star.
But what they uncover on Corellia turns out to be just one part of a greater plan, one that could lead the Jedi to their most stunning defeat yet….
Ok, I’m struggling to write reviews. Badly.
Like, to the point I’m not sure if I even want to keep doing it?
But the HIGH REPUBLIC books have meant so fucking much to me over this last year+ and it wouldn’t be right to not write something up for Daniel José Older’s MIDNIGHT HORIZON, which has to be far & away the most diverse Star Wars book ever written.
Real talk, if you are looking for the Star Wars book where the boy saves and/or kisses the girl…move along, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.
I’ll say up front that I felt like MIDNIGHT HORIZON was a bit longer & more chaotic than it absolutely needed to be, but I also don’t know that I’ve ever read a Star Wars novel with this many extremely likable characters, so it’s a wash as far as I’m concerned. I adore everything that Daniel José Older has done in the Star Wars universe, and the way he tirelessly advocates for marginalized folks in the Star Wars fandom.
One of the cooler things about MIDNIGHT HORIZON is how it had me running out to pick up the trade paperbacks of Older’s comic, THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES, because a lot of the characters from MIDNIGHT HORIZON are from the comic! I haven’t read the comics yet, but I’m so excited to!
The story takes place on Corellia, which allows Older to create some cool threads between The High Republic era and, of all things, Solo.
The threat of the Nihil is significant here, because Corellia is one of the Core Worlds, whereas previous Nihil attacks took place in the Outer Rim. In fact, the Jedi are reluctant to even believe there is a threat from the Nihil this close to Coruscant.
One of the main POVs belongs to Kantam Sy, a nonbinary human Jedi master. There’s been a handful of nonbinary characters in some of the Star Wars books (including the delightful & roguish pilot Taka Jamoreesa from Older’s novel, LAST SHOT) and comics, but Kantam Sy is for sure the most prominent.
They are such a fascinating character because on the surface, Kantam Sy appears to be the consummate Jedi Master: patient, kind, noble, and always looking out for the Padawans under their care. But we get some really unexpected flashbacks to their earlier Jedi days & find out they had a bit of a rebellious/wanderer phase.
Kantam Sy spends much of this book paired up with Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus, and they make for a pretty entertaining duo.
I could get lost here writing about all the characters & how amazing they are. The list of characters is EXTENSIVE, and Older brings them all to life in such great ways. I loved the dynamic between Ram Jomaram & Reath Silas. Ram brings out a carefree/silly side of Reath that we haven’t seen much of before. But more to the point, these two form such an intense bond in a short period of time, and it was just one of the loveliest friendships I’ve seen in Star Wars.
When I mentioned picking up THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES, probably the biggest catalyst for that was wanting to get to know Lula Talisola and Zeen Mrala better. Lula is like the Jedi Padawan prodigy, just supremely talented and destined for greatness. Zeen is Force sensitive and is not-a-Jedi-but-kind-of-a-Jedi. And these two have this almost cosmic connection through the Force and just… oof. I loved Lula and Zeen so goddamn much, and really can’t wait to dive into the comics to learn more about how they met.
This was just great, for sure. MIDNIGHT HORIZON is, as I mentioned, incredibly diverse. Black and brown Jedi are front and center in the story, and there is more queer rep in this book than I ever could have anticipated.
The High Republic era has truly become one of my favorite aspects of Star Wars, full stop. There’s still a whole lot for me to explore through the comics, and then the waiting for the second phase of The High Republic era begins!
Grimdark Dad 