The Fallen Star
is essentially the finale to the first phase of the Star Wars: The High
Republic publishing initiative. As
such, it’s a novel that is stuffed to the brim with characters and storylines
all wrapped around a central event of a Nihil plan to strike the Republic where
it is going to hurt the most. Somehow this
novel has felt the most Star Wars of any of The High Republic novels
that I have read, juggling a multi-threaded plot and characters, as well as
bringing together plots from different authors writing in different media. Light of the Jedi is responsible for
beginning this initiative and in my estimation struggled to juggle its plotlines,
but Claudia Gray is responsible for making The Fallen Star work. Once again, all of the plotlines are wrapped
around the destruction of a space station, Starlight Beacon, and the efforts to
mitigate the disaster as it is literally split in half. Gray’s largest success in this novel is
managing to keep the characters engaging as well as important to the plot,
while running in parallel with Cavan Scott’s comic finale (which I have not
read). Each character is given their
distinct goal and characterization, the Jedi largely furthering the themes of The
High Republic’s examination of what it means to be a Jedi.
Elzar Mann is a Jedi who throughout the books that I
have read has had this incredibly interesting relationship with the Force. It’s a largely creative relationship that has
had his own touches with the Dark Side of the Force. Gray’s take on Mann’s perspective is both
creative but heavily introspective. One
of the musings of the novel is the relationship with other Jedi as well as the
general principles against forming romantic relationships, something unavoidable
with adolescence and overlooked by the order until they become attached. The Fallen Star wants to examine the
loss of the state of the universe with the threat of the Nihil. Mann is put under another Jedi, Orla Jareni,
essentially to monitor his attraction to the Dark Side and the most effective scenes
in this book involve the two and Jareni’s fate on Starlight Beacon. Jareni is killed by creatures that
essentially petrify and dehydrate her, creating a further danger in the novel other
than the Nihil threat. The Nihil plan is
also fascinating as this is the first novel where despite all odds, the Nihil
essentially lose in the end. Marchion Ro
is the primary antagonist of the novel and his particular brand of villainy is
an example of the Xanatos Gambit, being one step ahead of the protagonists and
Ro’s own allies until the very end when while his plans succeed there is enough
of a wrench to throw them off balance.
This is a book that ends with a mirror to the destruction in Light of
the Jedi, the destruction of Starlight Beacon ends in far less death and destruction
than there should have been. Gray is
careful not to ignore the destruction that does occur, a decent amount of the
resolution is devoted to it, but the Nihil are hurt as well in the
process. They lose some of their
operatives in a “noble” sacrifice and Nan who appears here after Into the Dark
and Out of the Shadows spends much of the book questioning the Nihil.
Overall, The Fallen Star is the strongest Star
Wars novel that I have actually read yet.
While not a major part of my review, Claudia Gray’s writing style is something
that genuinely makes the world more accessible with others (there is a major
Wookiee character and Geode returns and while both have no dialogue their personalities
and communication with other characters is a feat in and of itself). The arc feels like it’s an ending and a very satisfying
ending at that. 8/10.
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