With time—and answers—in short supply, the Jedi must divide their focus between helping quell the renewed violence on Eiram and E’ronoh and investigating the Path. Among them is Gella Nattai, who turns to the one person she believes can unravel the mystery but the last person she wants to trust: Axel Greylark. The chancellor’s son, imprisoned for his crimes, has always sought to unburden himself of the weight of his family name. Will he reconcile with the Jedi and aid in their quest for justice and peace, or embrace the Path’s promise of true freedom?
As all roads lead to Dalna, Gella and her allies prepare to take on a foe unlike any they’ve ever faced. And it will take all of their trust in the Force, and in one another, to survive.
It’s hard to believe that Phase Two of The High Republic is sort’ve winding down, but here we are. Further proof that time isn’t real, I guess.
I’ve really loved everything that Phase Two has had to offer, which is probably the least surprising thing I could write here. But I don’t think anything could have prepared me for how hard I was going to fall in love with CATACLYSM, Lydia Kang’s first Star Wars novel (she does have a story in FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK). I think with the possible exception of THE RISING STORM, this may be my favorite novel in The High Republic era!
I’ve mentioned this somewhere along the way, but Phase Two feels so methodically plotted, and it’s really hard for me to imagine skipping certain things. Obviously, CATACLYSM picks up a lot of the story from CONVERGENCE, but also the Marvel comics & THE BATTLE OF JEDHA (first available only as an Audible Exclusive, but the hardcover is out now as well).
The peace treaty between Eiram and E’ronoh is looking further and further out of reach, with Axel Greylark’s betrayal in CONVERGENCE looming large. With the cast of characters expanded in this book (or at the very least, shifted), we spend a bit less time with Axel and Jedi Gella Nattai than we did in CONVERGENCE, but their story is no less interesting. There’s a frustration present in their interactions, naturally. But ultimately, Gella feels compelled to try and understand Axel & his motivations.
Padawan Enya Keen has a much bigger role in this one, and oof…what a great character she is. She’s sort of teaching herself the ins & outs of droid mechanics, and I thought this was such a cool little touch. I always tended to assume that this is something a Jedi is taught, but it’s clearly not the case. Through trial and error, Enya gets 4VO-TG (known as Teegee) up & running, and he proves to be a valuable asset in the adventures ahead. Enya is also called upon to make certain sacrifices in this book that seem unfathomable for a young Jedi, and she handles herself with such poise. I loved her in this book!
The cast of characters is huge in this book & so I’m not going to get to everyone, but I am absolutely going to talk about the two characters who, in my eye, stole this book completely: Yaddle & Cippa Tarko.
Fucking wow. Between THAT episode of Tales of the Jedi & now CATACLYSM, Yaddle has gone from just something of a mild curiosity in The Phantom Menace to one of the most badass characters Star Wars has to offer. In CATACLYSM, Yaddle is traveling with a youngling named Cippa Tarko, who is getting a reputation for being…a challenge. Basically, anyone tasked with keeping an eye on Cippa is doomed to fail (there’s some really funny moments related to this), but not Yaddle.
Yaddle is the perfect teacher for Cippa; she’s patient, direct, (mostly) unflappable, and also knows how to use humor to diffuse a situation. Cippa is a wildly powerful Jedi-in-the-making, and I’m left wondering (and seriously hoping) if/when we will see her again. She is a gem of a character (as is Yaddle) and quickly became one of my very favorite characters from The High Republic era.
CATACLYSM also shows us the darkest side of The Path of the Open Hand yet, with a bioterrorism plot at the center of things. It’s fucking scary, for real. Whatever pretense there was about them being a peace-loving, Force-protecting group is long gone.
The storytellers behind The High Republic continue to amaze, and CATACLYSM is for sure one of the best novels in this era. It’s impossible for me to overstate what these books have meant to me the last couple of years, and CATACLYSM is an incredibly special book, and one of my favorite reads of the year so far!
May the Force be with you, and Happy Star Wars Day!!
Grimdark Dad 