Making my way through The High Republic books has been an amazing side quest in recent months. Not only is it really cool to be reading Star Wars novels again, but the fact that they're canon makes it all the more satisfying. The stories are well-crafted, thought provoking, and provide substance that is truly lacking in anything Star Wars has released in film format since Rogue One. My main query as I began this venture was whether or not the Young Adult novels would be able to hold a candle to the nitty-gritty displayed in the likes of Convergence or Cataclysm.
The two books in question today are the novels Path of Deceit and Path of Vengeance. While these books are written by different authors, Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland for Deceit and Cavan Scott for Vengeance, most of the characters are the same.
Path of Deceit has us following Jedi Knight Zallah Macri and her Padawan Kevmo Zink. This pair has been tasked with pathfinder-type exploration in the galaxy's Outer Rim. It's almost like a two person team filled with that good ol' Operation Enduring Freedom mindset of winnin' hearts and minds. They are meant to expand the Republic's influence by showing up at different planets in the Rim to bring a little bit of Jedi kindness to those around them. On Dalna, however, a cult has been growing in strength that purports itself to stand for the freedom of the force. This means no manipulation of the force of any kind, including the kind that Jedi use when helping others. The Path of the Open Hand believes that any use of the force results in a butterfly effect somewhere else in the galaxy, or even that very planet itself, where the force will be so imbalanced it will result in catastrophes of all kinds.
Enter, the Mother.
If she sounds familiar, that's because she was a fairly integral part of both Convergence and Cataclysm. The two adult novels of The High Republic's Phase II already covered the vast amount of influence, and damage, that the Mother is responsible for as the head of the Path of the Open Hand. What Deceit and Vengeance do, however, is bring forth the other members of the Open Hand that are critical in and of themselves. Marda and Yana Ro, cousins of an endangered race, both play opposite roles in the Open Hand as they struggle to define their value as individuals as well as to the community. The Herald of the Path also has his time to glow, or glower really, as he jockeys for power amongst the power-hungry.
While the Path of the Open Hand has always expressed their desire to hand out "gifts freely given," their internal workings and motivations prove to be more nefarious at heart. The Jedi who are sent to investigate them, from Padawans like Kevmo or Matty to the knights like Azlin, Oliviah, or Zallah, are consistently on edge knowing that something is clearly wrong while they are spoonfed excuse after excuse by those they investigate.
The Good
The short answer to my question in that introductory paragraph is thus: Yes, they can hold a candle. They can hold a candle, and then some.
The writing in both Path of Deceit and Path of Vengeance is superb. To the point that I will start looking up novels by Gratton, Ireland, and Scott from outside the Star Wars universe. These three really know how to weave a story, and they can clearly do their homework as they work in conjunction to make the flow that much better.
The trio are dealing with the same characters throughout two chunky novels. Those same personalities are explored in a baton passing that is seamless, however, and did not have me scratching my head once in wondering why so-and-so was acting how they were. Their pros, cons, quirks, and flaws are all there to see. Sometimes frustratingly so. But isn't that what makes some writing so great?
As novels in the Star Wars realm, there is a certain expectation regarding the action sequences. Lightsabers need to swing. Blasters need to fire. And let's face it... some people are going to need to die.
But Wordsmith! It's a YA novel!!
So what. Gratton, Ireland, and Scott have no problem whatsoever with a bit of bloodshed. Limbs are lost in typical Mos Eisley fashion, and as the stakes are raised and the violence escalates... more than one Jedi becomes one with the Force.
The Bad
There's not much to see here. Are the novels perfect? No. They aren't going to change the face of literature. But they do exactly what they set out to do. They entertain and establish further lore in a universe that I, and many like me, truly love.
If there was just one caveat about the books I would say it lies in Vengeance with a lack of references to those who are at the same place, at the same time, as characters in Cataclysm. I felt like there could have been a little bit more connective tissue between the YA and the Adult novels here that would have left me with a wider smile on my face.
The Epic
Path of Deceit and Path of Vengeance are truly amazing novels in the Star Wars world. If you're a fan in even the slightest sense of the word, you will find them entertaining and even eye-opening as you see Jedi and those who oppose them hundreds of years before Vader is even an inkling in his mother's eye. Add that to the fact that The High Republic's Phase II is not truly complete without these two novels, and they are the perfect pair to round out prequel material to Light of the Jedi.
9/10
Epic
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