Star Wars is kicking off the High Republic era. What do critics have to say about the novel Light of the Jedi?
The day has finally come! Star Wars is kicking off the literary series The High Republic, which is being led by the launch title Star Wars: Light of the Jedi, written by Charles Soule.
This is a significant turning point in Star Wars history for many reasons. For one, never has Star Wars dived this deep into exploring this part of history, the High Republic era. It takes place many, many years before the events of Episode I, and it highlights the golden era of the Jedi. Second, never has Star Wars taken on such an ambitious, in-depth literary project before. Yes, the now non-canon Extended Universe was quite expansive, and the current literary canon about the Skywalker saga is working to match that. But the project as a whole has been a huge collaboration between authors building a new Star Wars world from scratch, so it should be a sight to behold.
But now that the first novel has come out and the reviews have been steadily coming in, does that mean all the effort paid off? So far, there are a handful of reviews of Light of the Jedi out from critics now, so let’s see what they have to say.
Star Wars: Light of the Jedi review roundup
Overall, it seems like the first round of reviews are quite in favor of the new book written by Soule! Here are a few excerpts from critics’ reviews.
Thomas Bacon, Screen Rant:
"Soule is a veteran Star Wars writer, having written some of the best Marvel Star Wars comics, and his understanding of Jedi and the Force allows him to capture these feats in prose. The action is breathtaking, and the power on display is remarkable. Soule fulfils [sic] his promise to redefine the Force, and it will be thrilling to see what other writers can contribute to the Star Wars High Republic lore."
Megan Crouse, Den of Geek:
"But once Light of the Jedi got going, I had a lot of fun. This really is a book about good people, including politicians and ship captains who are easy to root for. The novel isn’t deep, doesn’t interrogate decades of Jedi discourse and re-knit them from the inside — but it does the work to prove that being good can be deep and difficult too, that good people are complicated. These Jedi have lots of different perspectives, opinions, and their own personal moral lines they will and won’t cross. Best of all, the book shows that good is cool, especially as illustrated by a daring rescue on alien horseback."
Bryan Young, /FILM:
"Charles Soule cuts a very fun, well-thought out yarn – he is the perfect choice to kick off this era. The stakes and status quo of the universe are laid out plainly, the technology is walked back sufficiently, and hyperspace travel is treated with an awe and wonder that we haven’t really seen since Luke Skywalker’s first trip with it in A New Hope.We also see a lot of great stuff with the Jedi that makes their fall in two centuries feel like it may or may not have been inevitable. And the different personalities of Jedi we see are a welcome break. For those looking for a taste of the old Legends books where Luke had trained dozens and dozens of Jedi in the new order as they went around completing missions, this will definitely scratch that itch."
JJ Goodman, That Hashtag Show:
"All in all, once Light of the Jedi gets past the initial excitement of the first act, it settles down to become an exemplary introduction into this new era of Star Wars. Soule’s portrayal of the various Jedi, and Nihil, provides the depth and range of character we’ve come to expect from a Star Wars feature. And yes, we get to see the Jedi in a whole new light, as the title suggests. It will be exciting to see where things lead us from here."
For what it’s worth, it seems like the series can only go up from here. And we’re excited for what will come next in the High Republic series, including the comic books that are set to come out.
Will you be reading Light of the Jedi? Let us know in the comments down below. And come back to Dork Side of the Force for our review of the new novel.