Review: Out of The Shadow

By Alberto Calderon

Spoilers!!!

For Sylvestri Yarrow losing her ship to the Nihil was the last straw. She needed to let the heart of the Republic know that the Nihil were not just a band of pirates but an organized group wrecking havoc along the galaxy, not just the Outer Rim. But when Syl is presented with an opportunity to gain more credits that she would know what to do with, would her desire to help her crew (and herself) go above her mission to Coruscant?

Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh is reassigned to Coruscant at the behest of her former Master, Stellan Gios. Along with her Padawan, Imri Cantaros and Jedi Cohmac Vitus and Reath Silas, they make the trip to the capital of the Republic and are enthralled in a political mystery involving rich families, Republic senators and Nihil scientists.

When everyone around you (even yourself) is lying, keeping secrets and telling half truths, is it easier to live the lie than to face the consequences of the truth?

Author Justina Ireland

STORY: 3.5 out of 5 Probe Droids

I was surprised by the story that author Justina Ireland told in Out of the Shadows. I did not expect it to be a sort of political thriller with ramifications that could impact the Senate, the Nihil, the Jedi and regular citizens. We saw another side to this conflict against the Nihil where it is not just fought on the battlefield but the back channels. And if you have the credits to do as you please, you don’t care who you might hurt as long as you get what you want.

After her ship is pulled from hyperspace and lost to the Nihil, Sylvestri Yarrow makes it her mission to go to Coruscant and tell someone in the Republic about the real threat the Nihil pose and that these piecemeal approach to dealing with them is not working. When Xylan Graf, part of the Graf family of hyperspace prospectors, and adversary to the San Tekka clan, approach her with a deal to not only get her a new ship but an extensive line of credit, she is pulled into a world of lies, deceit, murder and betrayal.

Back from her introduction in Ireland’s A Test of Courage, Jedi Knight Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh makes her triumphant return (I have yet to read Race to Crashpoint Tower) and my love for that character continues to grow. She is now Master to Imri Cantaros and struggling to teach him and how to best to control his ability to sense other’s emotions. If Sylvestri is the main character, Vern (she’s ok with me calling her that :)) is a close second. We spend a lot of time with her and learn more about her past and the ability she has of losing herself to the Cosmic Force while traversing in hyperspace.

“There is a great deal of space between the will of the Force and the will of either the Republic or the Jedi Order.”

Master Cohmac to Jedi Knight Vernestra

During a stop on the planet Tiikae (along with Imri, Master Cohmac Vitus and Padawan Reath Silas), Vernestra finds a cube that she had seen during one over her hyperpace visions and apparently is of great importance to the Nihil.

Once the main cast reaches Coruscant they find out that the city planet is just as ruthless as the Frontier. It might not be violence (although there are several assassination attempts), but all the lying and double-crossing is enough to have them wanting to return to the outskirts.

For myself I think the story on Coruscant was a bit too long and I would have preferred if they left the planet for the main mission earlier as it seemed that a lot of the points that the author wanted to make were been repeated. I do understand the need to show that some characters (Xylan, Senator Starros) can’t be trusted, it just seemed long to me.

Once they leave Coruscant and the Nihil plot is revealed, I was pulled right back into the story and the ramifications it has for future stories in The High Republic. Lourna Dee keeps plotting to overthrown Marchion Ro and with the way this story concludes, his days as “the Eye” might be coming to an end.

EASE of READING: 4 out of 5 Probe Droids

The High Republic (THR) continues to be one of the most accessible literary ventures for Star Wars and Out of the Shadows is another example of that. Each chapter adds to the story and keeps the reader engaged even if taking the story chapter by chapter and not reading all of it in big chunks.

It is a story that benefits from having read the previous THR entries, like The Rising Storm and Race to Crahspoint Tower (which at the time of this review I have not read yet) to give backstory and meaning to certain events but can also be enjoyed as a standalone adventure.

Although an easy read, the continued expansion of High Republic stories will start making it a challenge to follow for readers that don’t consume every book that is released.

CHARACTERS: 4.5 out of 5 Probe Droids

Out of the Shadows has a large cast of characters and all have a part to play in the story. From Jedi, to haulers, senators and prospectors, Justina Ireland gives us an ensembled cast that is diverse in looks and orientation. Sylvestry Yarrow and on-again-off-again girlfriend Jordanna Sparkburn, Vernestra Rwoh who had never felt the push/pull of attraction that other Jedi felt when they came of age (I feel bad for Reath who has a crush on her) and Master Cohmac Vitus who “respectfully looked” at Xylan and his half-opened shirt.

“People leave, it’s what they do. It doesn’t mean they don’t love you.”

Jordanna to Sylvestri

I hate Xylan Graf. There, I said it. Not because he is a bad written character, on the contrary, he is written so well that all you can do is root against him. He is a well-dressed, well-mannered conniving swindler that uses his money and power to get what he wants. He’ll betray you, manipulate you and stage assassination attempts against you just to move the chess pieces in his favor. And all with a smile on his face.

The aforementioned Syl Yarrow is a young woman having to deal with a lot in her life and seems on the verge of just breaking down with each reveal she is exposed to in this book. She is so deep in Xylan’s manipuilations that even though she knows it’s a game, she is in it now and can’t escape it.

Of course, I can’t leave out talking more about Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh. She’s at a point where she is questioning not just her role as a teacher to Imri but the role the Jedi and the Republic in the Nihil conflict. She believes that the Jedi should be more aggressive even thought this contradicts the role of the Jedi in the galaxy and the Force.

“You already had the answer, Vernestra,” Avar said with a warm smile. “You just needed to find it within you.”

We get plenty of time with Imri, Reath and Cohmac, and although I would have loved to get more of Cohmac and his disillusion with the Jedi Order, what we got was enough as this is not his story and it would have taken away from Vern and Syl’s. We also get to spend some time with other favorites like Master Gios and Master Avar Kriss, Nan (also from Into the Dark), Lourna Dee and Marchion Ro.

Animals! I can’t forget to include all the wonderful creatures introduced in this book. Remi the vollka, a vicious hunting cat that shoot lightning from their horns (how cool is that) and Plinka, a Grand Theljian snow dog that enjoyed pretending to be a fluffy couch so guests would sit on him.

CANON CONNECTIONS: 4 out of 5 Probe Droids

There are plenty of connections between Out of the Shadows and the previous The High Republic titles. Between characters we’ve met before to the over-arching storyline of the Nihil conflict, this book might be the first to bring everything that has happened prior together.

When a new Tempest Runner is introduced and Lourna Dee is confronting Marchion Ro about his “Oracle”, we know why because of events in The Rising Storm. Why Vernestra doesn’t like to be called Vern (thank you, A Test of Courage). In Into the Dark we learned why Reath Silas hurts every time he has to take a life. Do you need to have read all of these to follow and enjoy Out of the Shadows? No. But it does make the experience better.

I keep thinking about the first canon Thrawn trilogy of books and how it deals with gravity well projectors, and Pathfinders and sky-walking and wonder if all of this connects. Here we have the Paths, and legends of how the Jedi might have been the first to learn how to traverse hyperspace thanks to the Force.

EXPAND STAR WARS: 4 out of 5 Probe Droids

Every The High Republic book expands Star Wars just by the very nature of being set in this timeframe that has been unexplored but also each story delivers something new that makes me wonder what’s next.

With Out of the Shadows it was the special ability that Vern has to lose herself in the Cosmic Force when traversing through hyperspace and have visions or premonitions of future events. She connects with the Oracle, Mari San Tekka, and is shown a Path to reach an unexplored region of space that should be left alone. What’s out there and why do they need to stay away? But why then did she gave Vernestra this Path?

We still have Jedi that understand that the Jedi Order serves a purpose but when that purpose is in opposition to the will of the Force, then something is wrong.

“But the Jedi follow the Force. We are the light, and we cannot blindly follow any other edict but that one.”

Master Cohmac Vitus

Plus we got our first Jedi counselor in Master Josiah, who helped Jedi stay centered after terrible events and that remembering was one of the ways to process the pain and trauma of disaster (he would have been useful 200 years later with Anakin Skywalker). And how can I forget quartermaster Master Nubarron. A purple cloud with an amorphous body who communicated telepathically with the other Jedi.

OVERALL: 4 out of 5 Probe Droids

Justina Ireland crafted another great story for The High Republic with ramifications that will be felt sooner rather than later, specially for the Nihil structure. The ending of the book gives the sense that, for me at least, the Nihil will be divided and Marchion Ro will have to go his own way and focus on his vengeance against the Jedi and leave the Nihil plot to Lourna Dee. I’m still not sure who has the upper hand.

For the Jedi and the Republic, they have seen that the reach of the Nihil is long as it has reached Coruscant and their current plan of action is really ineffective. People are growing disillusioned with both institutions and if they don’t correct course, more lives will be lost.

And for my favorite Jedi Knight, Vernestra Rwoh, I’m afraid for her. She is a child prodigy having to learn to walk her own path but is keeping secrets from other Masters and her growing disenchantment with the Order might lead her to dark paths.