The Starbird Files

  Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott REVIEW   *Spoiler Heavy* The final book of Phase II, although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the second part of Project Luminous, going into Path of Vengeance I did feel that it had a lot of heavy lifting to do to show why this detour 150 years in the past was needed. But if anyone could pull it off it’s Cavan Scott. While the comics and books of phase I were interlinked and part of one story, this phase has taken this to a whole new level with books overlapping, seeing the same events from different angles and perspectives. Path of Vengeance takes place during the Battle of Jedha through Cataclysm, bringing together characters from Path of Deceit and the High Republic comics, as well as references to the middle grade books. If you were wondering where Marda was in Cataclysm, the answer was right here. Clinging desperately to her beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary, she is the most devoted earnest follower of the Path, which leads her to ta...

If like me you weren’t really paying attention to NYCC there was a lot of Star Wars publishing news to catch up on, so I went hunting for all the news and collected it here for you too! Let’s begin with High Republic News There were cover reveals for wave 2 of the Phase II Cataclysm by Lydia Kang (Adult Novel, April 2023 Del Rey) Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton (Young Reader, April 2023 Disney Lucasfilm) Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott (YA, May 2023 Disney Lucasfilm) There was a new book announced, a YA Anthology announced for July 2023, featuring stories connecting to all three phases, written by all the HR authors - Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott and Charles Soule. There was another new book announced, The Edge of Balance: Precedent the first manga revealed for Phase II by Daniel José Older & Tomio Ogata (Viz Media May 2023). Burryaga will return in children’s book ‘Yoda & the youngli...

The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray (Del Rey) The third adult novel of Project Luminous comes with considerable expectations given the success of the era so far and that it closes out the first phase of this huge publishing initiative. Then add in that it’s written by Claudia Gray, probably the most lauded Star Wars author of recent years, and that the promotional materials have been showing us that Starlight Beacon was going to be destroyed for months, leading many of us to wonder just what are they hiding if they’re showing us this! It would be difficult for any book to live up to all this, would The Fallen Star succeed? One of Claudia Gray’s great strengths are the relationships between her characters, like Ciena and Thane in Lost Stars or Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in Master and Apprentice. Happily this trend continues, building some great bonds and fascinating friendships between Stellan and Elzar, Orla and Stellan, Bell and Burryaga. In The Rising Storm I hadn’t really found a connection wi...

Do you have a Star Wars fan in your life and you’re not sure what to get them? Or do you want to make sure your relatives get you something good? Fear not because The Starbird Files is here with the 4 book suggestions that you can ask your local bookshop for, as it’s always good to support local especially at this time of year. 1. Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection (Titan Books) This unique book is the ideal gift for any Star Wars fan, after all who doesn’t love a lightsaber? Featuring 58 illustrated lightsabers from all eras of the saga from fan favorites to more obscure characters. This will make a fine addition to anyone’s collection. Full Review  2. Ronin: A Visions Novel by Emma Mieko Candon (Del Rey) Star Wars Visions was a new DisneyPlus animated show released this year, inspired by Star Wars Japanese roots and created by anime creators and Ronin continues the story of one of these short films, The Duel. If you have (or are) a Star Wars and Anime fan in your life then this...

Ronin: A Visions Novel by Emma Mieko Candon (Del Rey) Ronin: A Visions novel comes on the heels of the first anime Star Wars series and takes place in the world of The Duel. Star Wars, as we know has a rich influence of japanese culture including the influence of Akira Kurosawa on George Lucas. I thoroughly enjoyed the Visions series and enjoy what little I have experienced of Japanese culture so I was excited to read this novel by Emma Mieko Candon which promised to be a different kind of Star Wars book. And boy is it different! The story kicks off with the events portrayed in The Duel, adding some internal flavor tho the characters we met there. A big mystery is quickly established with the voice that the Ronin hears, and Candon is superb at drip feeding us hints and clues whilst maintaining the air of mystery throughout, in fact we never learn the Ronin’s real name. With such an air of ambiguity coupled with the fact that Visions is not canon, it is easy to accept a kind of timeless...

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 s...

Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland (Disney Lucasfilm Press) I’ve honestly been struggling with how to start this review    of Out of the Shadows other than to say that this may be my favorite book of the High Republic era so far. The second Young Adult book in the High Republic project is written by Justina Ireland, and the story brings together characters from the first YA book in Reath Silas, Cohmac Vitus and Nan, and characters from Ireland’s A Test of Courage in Vernestra Rwoh and Imri Canteros. The story takes place several months after the events of the Galactic Fair on Valo and centres on Syl, a hauler formerly of the Byne guild who recently lost her ship and her mother in a Nihil attack when her ship was mysteriously pulled out of hyperspace in the Berenge sector. Together with Xylan Graf a wealthy businessman and the Jedi Cohmac, Reath, Vernestra and Imri she sets out to find out what happened. The story is a slow burn but that is just fine with me, especially as a...

Race To Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older (Disney Lucasfilm Press) Race to Crashpoint Tower is the second junior novel in the High Republic era, and comes from Daniel José Older, writer of the High Republic Adventures comic series. The story is set at the same time as The Rising Storm and also on Valo at the Galactic Fair, making it a story within a story almost. In The Rising Storm we briefly meet Ram Jomaram when Ty Yorrick and Mantessa are in jail and the Nihil attack starts, here we find out why Ram was also in the cells and what happens to him afterwards, with the scene mirrored and told from his perspective in this book. Ram Jomaram is a padawan assigned to the Jedi outpost on Valo, and he reminds me of Reath Silas a little, but where Reath doesn’t like adventure and prefers to be in the library, Ram finds social interactions difficult and likes fiddling with mechanics and his droid V-18, this makes him very likeable and relatable to introverts and people on the spectrum alik...