Star Wars: The High Republic: Trials Of The Jedi Book Review
“Star Wars: The High Republic: Trials Of The Jedi” closes out the three phase High Republic era.
Charles Soule comes full circle having penned the first book in The High Republic era (“Star Wars: The High Republic: Light Of The Jedi”) and now the final book in the series with “Star Wars: The High Republic: Trials Of The Jedi”). To say this novel covers a lot of ground is an understatement. As the Blight continues to spread throughout the galaxy (including the Planet Estarvera), time is clearly starting to run out to stop it. A 9 member team comprised of Terrec, Elzar, Avar, Burryaga, Arkoff, Reath, Ty, Bell and Azlin are tasked with venturing to the Nameless homeworld. Their goal is to release 12 captured Nameless and return them to the planet as it is possible that their displacement from their planet is linked to the Blight itself. In order to survive the effects of the Nameless, they are donning armor this time around.
Meanwhile, Marchion Ro’s maniacal plan continues to take shape. His Nihil forces are launching an attack on Eriadu, but the planet is prepared to fight back thanks to the locals, the Republic Defense Coalition and a few Jedi present on the planet (such as Emerick and Kantam). Marchion (who still has many Nameless in tow) is also plotting his final move which could devastate everything and everyone in existence.
Charles Soule has the unenviable task of wrapping up a 4 year and 3 Phase Star Wars project with The High Republic era with ‘Trials Of The Jedi.’ As is to be expected, not every character gets time in the story with some major players like Vernestra and Nan essentially being sidelined. Moreover, there are a lot of subplots and character tidbits that are reiterated from past novels. For the most part though, this is a satisfying finale that is filled with action, surprises, sacrifice, and, yes, closure. Everything comes to a head in this book and not everyone makes it out alive. The casualties were already great due to the ongoing Nihil conflict and the spreading Blight, but as the endgame approaches, the stakes get higher.
Without delving into spoiler territory, the most intriguing aspect of the novel is far and away the storyline about the Nameless Planet. Many secrets are at last revealed about this mysterious planet and it has a real Mortis vibe to it. It was hard not to be a bit skeptical about where this storyline was headed, but it was handled in a proper way. It feels very true to Star Wars, The Force, and The Jedi.
It’s hard to see which characters stand out here as so many of them get the spotlight, but Marchion, Reath, Azlin, Avar, and Elzar arguably have the biggest moments. For those worried we may not get more of these characters in the future, the novel does end in an open ended manner. There is a lot of room to further explore some of these characters as their stories are not yet done even as this chapter of their lives closes.
The High Republic may have had its ups and downs, but ‘Trials Of The Jedi’ is a fitting finale that will undoubtedly please fans of the series.
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