The Starbird Files

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...

IDW Star Wars The High Republic Adventures: The Monster Of Temple Peak #1 Written By Cavan Scott Art By Rachel Stott, Vita Efremova, Nicola Righi I was excited to get my hands on this new limited run comic from Cavan Scott, set before the events of The Rising Storm, the central character is Ty Yorrick, Saber-For-Hire. Ty was one of favorite new characters from wave two of the books so the chance to get to know her better was something I was really looking forward to, and Cavan did not disappoint. She has been hired to capture a prize Gundark, but her old training comes out when it threatens an alien child and she kills it, although she is now a mercenary, Ty still retains her Jedi instinct to protect. There are also flashbacks to her days as a padawan in the order, her cocky friend Klias Teradine leading her astray, and we meet her teacher Master Cibaba. She takes another job, from a group of settlers on the planet Loreth whose livestock have been attacked by a Gretalax. The client, La...

  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....