Tempest Runner Review [Spoilers!]

Tempest Runner

Audio Drama by Cavan Scott

This was my first Star Wars audio drama experience (thank you Audible free trial!), and I really enjoyed having a new Star War story in a different medium. The sound effects, music and voice cast really brought the story to life, compared to where I have struggled with audiobooks in the past. The only drawback I found was it could be somewhat difficult to remember who new characters were, as their names were repeated less than in a written book.

Tempest Runner is the story of what happens to Lourna Dee after the events of The Rising Storm, and tells her backstory through flashbacks from various points in her life, and Lourna is now my low key crush of the High Republic era!

Lourna is captured following an attack on a communications outpost, but is able to deceive her Jedi captors calling herself Sal Krost. Through flashbacks we learn that she is the daughter of a privileged Twi’lek family, tricked into betraying her family and sold into slavery, rescued from the slavers by the Jedi she enrolls in a military academy. After this ends in violence she works as a gun-for-hire wearing Mandalorian armor, where she eventually comes into the sphere of the Nihil. It’s really Lourna’s history that takes centre stage, with a bit of prison politics thrown in, until the climatic attack on the Restitution by Pan Eyta seeking revenge on our protagonist.

Lourna Dee was a cool character before, but Cavan Scott’s story makes her one of the most interesting characters of the High Republic with this deep dive into her past and motivations. Lourna is a survivor more than anything else, and feels she has not been allowed to make the big decisions in her life, and this shows itself in her inability to control her anger. She is shown to not necessarily be one of the ‘bad guys’, and even has hero moments, leading her fellow slaves to rebel during the Jedi attack on the slavers, forgiving and later saving Sestin. But just when it seems she may be rethinking being part of the Nihil, Councilor Wittick & Sestin persuading her to spare Pan Eyta, she finds out Wittick was helping her because he was dying, she is furious asking the Nihil with Eyta to come with her, she kills Eyta and then it seems, Wittick. 

While the story is very much focused on Dee, the beginning is great as we get to hear the voices of Jedi we know well from the High Republic so far, including Sskeer, Avar Kriss, Keeve Trennis, Nib Assek and Burryaga, as well as Nihil Pan Eyta, Zeetar, Kassav, Wet Bub, and Marchion Ro. We meet Ro’s father Asgar for the first time, and perhaps most surprisingly of all, Jedi master Oppo Rancisis (first seen in the Phantom Menace) is a significant character, rescuing Lourna during the Jedi attack on the Zygerrian slavers and mentoring her from afar during her military academy experience. Thanks to the audio element we hear some of the Nihil’s favored music wreckpunk in the background of a couple of scenes. 

My one criticism of the story was that it felt quite convenient that two people from her past, just happened to cross her path. Bala, her ex that tricked her and killed her family, happens to unknowingly hire her to protect his shipments, and Lalutin, her rival at the Academy who she attacked, is the Republic representative on her first work detail. 

I was beginning to wonder how much this story would really matter to the overall story of the era, but the ending has some significant implications. As the audio drama ends Lourna attempts to seize control of her life, bringing her full circle, making a move to take control of the Nihil from Marchion Ro, history suggests this will not go well but I have my fingers crossed for her. This has been an excellent first audio drama experience for me and is well worth a listen for any fan of the High Republic.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 /5

Jonny O

If you liked this, then check out these reviews;

Marvel High Republic 7-9 Out Of The Shadows The Rising Storm