THE TRAITOR – Anthony Ryan
Author: grimdarkdad
Hi.
STAR WARS: INQUISITOR: RISE OF THE RED BLADE
Now a general on the front lines contributing to that chaos, she is often reminded: Trust in your training. Trust in the wisdom of the Council. Trust in the Force. Yet as the shadows of doubt take hold, Iskat begins to ask questions that no Jedi is supposed to ask: Questions about her own unknown past. Questions the Jedi Masters would consider dangerous.
As the years pass and the war endures, Iskat’s faith in the Jedi wanes. If they would grant her more freedom, she is certain she could do more to protect the galaxy. If they would trust her with more knowledge, she could finally cast aside the shadows that have begun to consume her. When the Jedi Order finally falls, Iskat seizes the chance to forge a path of her own. She embraces the salvation of Order 66.
As an Inquisitor, Iskat finds the freedom she has always craved: to question, to want. And with each strike of her red blade, Iskat moves closer to claiming her new destiny in the Force—whatever the cost.
AZURA GHOST – Essa Hansen
Now to have a fighting chance against the most influential siblings in the multiverse, Caiden is left with no choice. He must unlock the Azura’s true potential—which means finally confronting his own mysterious genetic origins.
SAVAGE CROWNS – Matt Wallace
At the helm of the people’s rebellion is Evie, the Sparrow General. She has been captured by the Skrain, Crache’s vicious army, and is being brought back to the Capitol for punishment. But reinforcements are coming for her.
Dyeawan, who has climbed from street urchin to Crache’s highest seat of power through clever schemes and ruthless bloodshed, finds trouble on every front once she arrives. The rebellion approaches, and there are whispers of a martyr within the city who holds enough sway to stage a coup. If she doesn’t act quickly, her rule will be short-lived.
As the women who hold the nation’s future meet each other from different sides of the battlefield, will they be able to find a shared vision of Crache, or will they destroy each other first?
THE LOST WAR – Justin Lee Anderson
Demons continue to burn farmlands, violent mercenaries roam the wilds, and a plague is spreading. The country of Eidyn is on its knees.
In a society that fears and shuns him, Aranok is the first mage to be named King’s Envoy. And his latest task is to restore an exiled foreign queen to her throne.
The band of allies he assembles each have their own unique skills. But they are strangers to one another, and at every step across the ravaged land, a new threat emerges, lies are revealed, and distrust could destroy everything they are working for. Somehow, Aranok must bring his companions together and uncover the conspiracy that threatens the kingdom—before war returns to the realms again.
ENGINES OF CHAOS – R. S. Ford
Her only hope could lay with Lancelin Jagdor, sent to gather allies in their struggle against the usurper. Can even the greatest warrior in Torwyn hope to succeed with so many adversaries determined to stop him?
Tyreta returns home with newfound strength and mysterious sorcerous abilities, only to discover it is not the land she left behind. She will have to call upon her untested powers to survive when she embarks on a mission that could turn the tide of war.
Conall, trapped in a dangerous land, has his own enemies to defeat before he can hope to escape and join the conflict that threatens his family. Even if he succeeds, he must overcome the demons that threaten from within or face damnation.
Though Rosomon is vastly outnumbered, and her family lost, she is determined to strike back against her enemies. But saving her homeland might prove an impossible task.
STAR WARS: PATH OF VENGEANCE
So this is kind of it, the last full length novel in Phase Two of The High Republic. There’s still a handful of issues of the different comics to come, THE EDGE OF BALANCE: PRECEDENT (the manga, which I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for!) is out in like a week, and there’s also the upcoming YA short story collection.
But as far as any full length novels of any type, Cavan Scott has the last word with PATH OF VENGEANCE. I loved this one a whole lot, and I’ll obviously get into the reasons why. I definitely couldn’t help but feel like I had a slight hangover from the outright masterpiece that was CATACLYSM.
Additionally (and this one is on me, because I knew what I was getting into), I do kinda wish I had waited until the Marvel comic was finished before reading PATH OF VENGEANCE. As I’m writing this, I think there’s just one or two issues left, but PATH OF VENGEANCE is set after the events of the Marvel comic. And so while the trade-off for me was outstanding (having Matty, my fav character from the comic being one of the main characters in PATH OF VENGEANCE), it did feel a little odd/spoilery jumping ahead in time like this, before actually reading the conclusion of the comic.
BUT ANYWAY!
The heart of this story was always going to be the relationship between Yana and Marda Ro. And while there are of course big moments in this book that were set up in other books/formats, this aspect of the story really picks up where PATH OF DECEIT left off.
There’s this sort of relentless push & pull, a wavering of loyalties where Yana and Marda are concerned. As The Mother has gotten more & more…let’s say unhinged, things just feel super tumultuous within The Path of the Open Hand. There’s a lot of anger & grief & resentment & feelings of helplessness boiling inside Yana, and it all comes to a head in some really emotional ways.
All roads lead to Dalna, and as I mentioned, it’s characters from the Marvel comic leading the way here. Matty Cathley has been far & away my favorite new Jedi from the comics, so for her to get main character status in this book meant the world to me. She’s just such a vibrant character, kind of the best of the Jedi, while also being a bit of an awkward & relatable mess. I loved getting a deeper look at her character, something the comics don’t necessarily allow for.
Same goes for Oliviah Zeveron, another fav of mine from the comic. Oliviah & Matty team up in PATH OF VENGEANCE, and it felt like we really got to know them both so much better. There’s almost a standoffishness to Oliviah that gets explored, something that’s not really even hinted at in the comic. Comic readers will know that Oliviah is Going Through Some Shit, and it just felt right having Matty along for the kind of chaotic & upbeat support she provides.
I started this review quite awhile ago & in the meantime, have been hit with some profoundly awful news & so this really isn’t coming together the way I’d hoped. All that said, this is of course essential High Republic reading & a really incredible way to close out (for the most part) the second phase of this epic Star Wars publishing initiative.
New we wait for Phase Three news/cover reveals and I am READY!
May the Force be with you!!
STAR WARS: CATACLYSM
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.
INFINITY GATE – M. R. Carey
Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth’s environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel, a secret that could save everyone on her dying planet. It leads her into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of. And she needs to choose a side before every reality pays the price.
THE STRANGE – Nathan Ballingrud
At once evoking the dreams of an America explored in Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles and the harder realities of frontier life in Charles Portis True Grit, Ballingrud’s novel is haunting in its evocation of Anabelle’s quest for revenge amidst a spent and angry world accompanied by a domestic Engine, a drunken space pilot, and the toughest woman on Mars.
Grimdark Dad 