The Rising Storm Review [SPOILERS!]

 The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott (Del Rey)

After a fantastic start to the High Republic with the first wave of books, the wait for the second releases has been excruciating, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into the second adult novel of the era, even if it was written by Cavan Scott who has been torturing us in the Marvel High Republic comic series. And I am pleased to say that he doesn’t disappoint in quality or emotional torment.

The story picks up several months after the events of Light of the Jedi with preparations for the Republic Fair, one of Chancellor Soh’s Great Works, in full swing. The opening half of the book takes it’s time showing us the preparations for the Galactic Fair on Valo which I liked but I wasn’t really gripped until we catch up with Loden being tortured onboard the Gaze Electric. The tension builds with a real sense of impending doom until the Fair is attacked by the Nihil, and from then on the pace is frantic, the story gripping, and it never slows down.

I know many people have been calling The Rising Storm the best book in the High Republic so far, but it doesn’t *quite* match up to Light of the Jedi for me, and in the main this is because I struggled to connect to Stellan Gios and Elzar Mann the way others did. Both are interesting characters, Stellan the poster boy and freshly minted Council member, Elzar the more complex maverick that wears his emotions much closer to the surface, there is a definite parallel to be drawn with Obi-Wan and Anakin here. One of the other focuses of The Rising Storm is one of my favorite characters of the Era so far, Bell Zettifer. Bell is now training under Indeera Stokes, but he is traumatized by the events of Light of the Jedi and the presence, or lack there of, of his old master Loden Greatstorm looms large and results in one of my favorite quotes of the book from Indeera;

“He would also remind you how a Jedi faces the death of those they love, because a Jedi CAN love, Bell. We’re not droids, nor should we ever be. We are living creatures rich in the force, with everything that brings. Joy, affection, and yes, grief. Experiencing such emotions is part of life. It is light. 

But while we experience such emotions, we should never let them rule us. A Jedi is the master of their emotions, never a slave. You miss what you might have shared with Loden if he were here. That is natural. I miss him too. And so we acknowledge that hurt. We understand it, even embrace it, but eventually…”

“We let it go”

Bell’s constant companion Ember, the charhound, really feels like a full character here and their relationship is a highlight of the story. I loved the internal machinations of the Nihil in The Rising Storm, they are a real strength of both this story and the era in general. Pan Eyta’s bullish thirst for power and hatred of The Eye, Lourna Dee really grew as character for me, clever, badass and willing to side with whoever will benefit her, and Marchion Ro is a top 5 Star Wars villain now, worthy of sitting alongside the greats. Two new characters really stood out for me, Ty Yorrick - Saber-For-Hire, is a fascinating and complex character, and I want to know more about her, especially why she left the order. The other is OrbaLin, although we’ve briefly met him before in the Marvel comic, we get to know the Ugor Jedi archivist much better here, and he’s awesome, another ass kicking nerd!

While the first half of the book moves slower I loved the world building of the Galactic Fair, the scale is grandiose and with the huge floating islands based on planets of the Republic it feels like an in-universe version of DisneyLand, and I want to go there! (Preferably without the Nihil attack, thanks). I feel like I say it in every High Republic review, but the connectivity is once again fantastic, with characters like Buckets of Blood, Vernestra Rwoh, Porter Engle all popping up, and we meet Ram Jomaram, the star of Race to Crashpoint Tower for the first time. It’s great when Vernestra arrives with the padawan’s from the Star Hopper, connecting with DJ Older’s Adventures comic which was just starting to feel a little more separate to everything else.

During the book we see Elzar tap into the dark side, angered by the Nihil’s casual disregard for life, then in the finale he fakes using the dark side to make Amarant believe he’s legitimately escaped. We’re obviously being led to believe that Elzar will go dark but I don’t think he will, that would be too similar to Anakin and I don’t think this group of writers would do that. The book ends with the sentence “And for the first time since he was a child, Stellan Gios was afraid”, and that made me wonder, what if it’s Stellan that goes to the dark side or leaves the order? It would be a much bigger twist.

After the attack on the Fair is over, the last few chapters begin to feel like an epilogue and I wanted one more final set piece, which Cavan Scott gave me in spectacular fashion. The showdown at the Nihil base on Grizal is epic and emotional, and as we’ve seen in his Marvel comic run Scott has mastered giving us hope and then snatching it away, sensing Bell’s presence a mutilated Loden breaks free and we feel the joy of their reunion before Marchion Ro unleashes the ‘weapon’ he was searching for early in the book, that has been kept secret from us throughout. ‘The Leveler’ is a terrifying creature that seems to affect force users, plunging Bell into terror and seemingly separating him from the real world around him, and turns Loden to dust. We are left in shock and with more questions than answers about ‘The Leveler’ and it’s horrifying potential.

The Rising Storm is another thrilling installment in the High Republic era and a must read for any Star Wars fan.

Jonny O

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗/5

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Light of the Jedi Review Into The Dark Review A Test Of Courage Review