Light of the Jedi

by Charles Soule

400 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 2021 by Del Rey Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-15771-8
OCLC Number:: 1163954151

(33 reviews)

Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace. . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic

It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. But even the brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.

Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace. . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic

When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.

Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.

9 editions

Dion Tryban reviewed Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (Star Wars: The High Republic, #1)

Reads Like a Star Wars Movie

4 stars

This is my first Star Wars novel, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it read exactly like a Star Wars movie. Every chapter jumped to a different subplot with different characters happening at the same time that all connects to a wider plot. Each new conflict felt important and the book was not afraid to kill off characters when it suited the plot. I enjoyed being introduced the to the politics of the Republic during this era and the introduction of a new baddie, the Nihil.

My biggest complaint is that the book introduces too many characters. It may be because I struggle to remember names in real life. Every time the book changed subplots I had to read a few paragraphs to understand who I was reading because most of the names did not stick for me. However, many of the characters did end up being memorable …

Excited to read the next book in the series

jiewawa reviewed Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (Star Wars: The High Republic, #1)

Feels like it's just setting up things for the "High Republic"

3 stars

The biggest weakness of this book is that it feels like it was mostly written to set things up for the new "High Republic" era of Star Wars.

There were far too many characters within a relatively short book. For the entire first act of the book, I felt very confused, and it wasn't until the introduction to the Nihil, that the book became more interesting.

For me, the Nihil really were the stars of the book and there were too many Jedi who had uninteresting plots. I doubt that I'll even remember what any of the Jedi did in the book come next week.

cargide reviewed Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (Star Wars: The High Republic, #1)

Review of 'Light of the Jedi' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Muchos personajes para contar el prólogo de todo lo que quiere hacer Disney con esta época de SW.
Sirve de presentación de la ambientación y de los personajes, además de ir enlazando (algunas veces de manera demasiado obvia) con otras historias paralelas.

El mayor problema que tiene es que el final no lo es tanto, dejando un frente demasiado grande abierto, pero al menos eso hace que yo tenga interés en seguir leyendo lo que pueda pasar a partir de aquí.

Hugh reviewed Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (Star Wars: The High Republic, #1)

Review of 'Star Wars: Light of the Jedi' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I need to stop reading Star Wars books. This felt like I was reading a movie. Jumping around from character to character, not being able to get invested in any of them. There was a montage at the start, jumping around between different characters on various planets and ships that were never to be seen again, and were each infuriating in their superfluousness and simplicity. They felt like caricatures that were meant to show "hey, the star wars galaxy has underdog high school nerds too". None of the hyperspace mechanics felt as if they were adhering to any kind of theory or internal consistency. I like the notion of stories from this era, would love to see another take on it.