Review: The Eye of Darkness

By Alberto Calderón

Spoilers!

It’s been one year since the fall of Starlight Beacon. The Jedi and the Republic are still reeling from the destruction of their “beacon of hope” in the Outer Rim. Deep inside the Occlusion Zone, Nihil leader Marchion Ro celebrates his victory but hungers for more.

Stellan Gios might be gone but his presence looms large over Jedi Master Elzar Mann and Republic Chancellor Lina Soh. Author George Mann launches Phase 3 of The High Republic, aptly titled Trials of the Jedi, in a stellar, pulse-pounding, nerve-racking but ultimately hopeful manner.

Story: 4 out of 5 Probe Droids

When the prologue starts with the torturing of a Jedi Grand Master you know you are in for a wild ride. When we left Phase 1 of The High Republic, Marchion Ro had crowned himself owner of the galaxy after bringing down the Chancellor’s Great Work in Starlight Beacon and showing the public that the Jedi were not there to save them when they couldn’t even protect themselves. Now, ruling over dozen of annex worlds inside the Occlusion Zone, he is doing experiments on Master Pra-Tre Vetter and the Nameless. The Force-eaters. The  Shrii-Ka-Rai.

On the Republic’s side of the galaxy, Elzar Mann feels the weight of past events weigh heavy above him. He is losing weight, growing an Stellan-like beard, having trouble meditating. Survivor’s guilt is a hell of a thing. Chancellor Soh is right there with him, bearing the responsibility of the Nihil attacks and still trying to govern the galaxy and it’s ever growing problems. She’s looking into a diplomatic solution while Elzar is having trouble with the lack of action and response by the Jedi and Republics forces.

Author George Mann

Patrolling the Nihil Stormwall border, an invisible vast web of hyperspace distortion field the Nihil used to control access to the Occlusion Zone, Jedi Knights Bell Zettifar and Burryaga Agaburry protected worlds from Nihil raids and helping anyone that needed help. Doing what the Jedi did best. Them, alongside the Republic Defense Coalition and other Jedi were trying to capture a Path Drive in order to find a way to cross the Stormwall without being immediately destroyed.

Jedi Avar Kriss and Porter Engle, unbeknownst to both, were inside the Occlusion Zone hiding from the Nihil, helping those they could, and trying to either find a way out or a way to send a message to Coruscant. As a big fan of the Jedi we love to see them kicking butt and giving out important advice, so when we see them doubting themselves it brings another layer to them. When Avar Kriss, the Hero of Hetzal, became deflated when she realized that even though appreciated, one shipment of grain to a suffering Rodian colony was not enough to defeat the Nihil as it would only last them a week, I felt for her. Of course, right before this she’s hanging to the outside of a ship destroying countless scav droids in a very badass moment.

For his part, Porter was visiting outpost from Phase 2 of The High Republic in order to bring back to life a communication droid from the Pathfinder era in hopes that the Nihil disruption filed would not recognize the old signals. Close on his trail was an old nemesis, General Viess, now Marchion Minister of Protection.

“You are all the Republic, but we are the Nihil. Underestimate us at your peril.”

Marchion Ro

You knew that Marchion Ro would not let the anniversary of his biggest victory go uncelebrated but as always he finds a way to shock us. Utilizing Starlight Beacon’s own frequency, he used the Nameless to execute Jedi Veter in front of all the Republic to see. I hate him but wow, what a great villain we have in Star Wars.

It’s surprising that Elzar Mann’s back hasn’t broken already with all that he is carrying but George Mann decided to add a bit more weight when the Republic and the Jedi Council finally agree to take the fight to the Nihil following Elzar’s push but his plan immediately backfires causing the death of dozens. I just need to give him a hug.

But all is not bone broth and blue milk in the Nihil camp. Ex-Senator and Nihil Minister of Information Ghirra Starros has been planting the seeds of discontent and has been trying to convince Marchion that in order to keep the Nihil sustainable they needed to reach out to the Republic and ask for a seat in the Senate. To make the Nihil a power player in galactic politics, something that Marchion Ro had no desire on.

Ease or Reading: 3.5 out of 5 Probe Droids

The big concern with the growing High Republic is how much you need to read in order to keep up with all the stories. Should you have read all of Phase 1 and Phase 2? What about the multiple comic lines? I won’t lie, it does help and makes the new stories more enriching and your emotional connections to the characters that much stronger.

“The Republic will prevail”

Lina Soh

On the other side, and maybe I’m looking at this concern with blinders on since I have kept up with most storylines but I felt that George Mann did a tremendous job catching up the audience with the main beats and it gave me a A New Hope vibe when they mention stealing the Death Star plans during the crawl, Obi-Wan tells Luke about fighting in The Clone Wars. We didn’t know what those events meant but we were still engaged in the story. If you want to jump in, jump in. You can then find the stories that connect to you and read those.

Chapters flow easily and the writing is engaging.

Characters: 5 out of 5 Probe Droids

Phase 1 of The High Republic was filled with great characters and George Mann gets to play with a lot of them in The Eye of Darkness and gives all of them enough substance to not be mere fan service but undergo full fledge arcs.

The first third of the book focuses on Elzar Mann and Lina Soh on Coruscant dealing with the fallout of the previous year and finding their own way to move forward amid the gaping wound left by the passing of Stellan Gios. Bell, Burryaga, and Ember patrol the Outer Rim in hopes of fiding a way through the Stormwall and keeping up hope of finding other lost Jedi.

The next section has us following Avar Kriss and Porter Engle in their separate missions inside the Occlussion Zone and their interactions with the people inside Nihil space and how they keep them following the light and filling them with hope. Ghirra Starros tries to weasel her way into more power inside the Nihil, which she sees as a crumbling empire and tries to use her senatorial connection to the politics of Coruscant to cement her place.

George rounds everything up with Elzar’s attack on the Stormwall, Avar and Porter reuniting and fighting their way into a Nihil attack ship and subsequent return to Coruscant (Avar at least). Her reunion with Elzar, although brief, was everything we could have hoped for. The love they have for each other is unmistakable and each feel the mistakes they had done in the year that had passed.

“But I can’t. I’m not Stellan, you see. I can’t do what he did. And every time I try, it goes wrong, and people get hurt.”

Elzar Mann’s message to Avar Kriss

Marchion Ro and the Nihil are featured heavily throughout the story. He is not content with the destruction of Starlight and feels that as long as the Republic stands and the Jedi walk, his work is not over. He built his throne on Hetzal with the wreckage of the Legacy Run, for kriff-sake.

“When all is said and done, being true to ourselves is the only path toward true peace.”

Jedi Grand Master Ry Ki-Sakka

Of course we also get a great supporting cast with Yoda, Nihil newcomer Melis Shryke, reporter Rhil Dario, evil scientist Baron Boolan, who not only was the Nihil’s Minister of Advancement but was also one of the Children of the Path of the Open Hand during Phase 2 of the initiative.

Canon Connections: 5 out of 5 Probe Droids

Being the first novel of Phase 3 was going to be a big ask for any author, but George Mann does a fantastic job connecting the stories of the previous two phases. Porter Engle and General Viess make the jump from Phase 2 as their conflict from the pages of The Blade (by Charles Soule) continue here and for all we know, round 3 is still around the corner.

We finally find out who the mysterious character that arrived with Yoda at the end of Daniel José Older Midnight Horizon was. None other than Jedi Azlin Rell who made his first appearance in Path of Deceit (Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton). He holds an important key in understanding and hopefully finding a way to defeat the Nameless. My only negative is that I would have loved to follow this thread but it was not to be in this book.

“You don’t have to win, Avar Kriss. All you have to do is try. That’s enough.”

Belin

Some of my new favorite Jedi get a few callouts as we learn that Master Mirro Lox and Padawan Amadeo Azzazzo (Lydia Kang’s Call to Coruscant inside the anthology book Tales of Light and Life) are doing the same as Bell and Burry patrolling the border of the Stormwall.

There is a mention that the Nihil had a weapon that could prevent lightsabers from working, something that we learned Avon Starros wanted to work on since the middle grade book A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland and something similar also made an appearance in The Rising Storm (Cavan Scott).

Expands Star Wars: 3 out of 5 Probe Droids

I miss the Nihil Tempest Runners but it looks like they have been replaced with the three Ministers, Ghirra, Boolan, and Viess. Not that he needs it but Marchion Ro has his own personal bodyguards in the She’ar.

The inclussion of the Stormwall was a smart way to keep the Jedi and the Republic separated from the Nihil. Better to keep those adversaries apart and the tension growing instead of having them back at each others throat immediately.

Sometimes whe Jedi start to lose their connection to the Force it breaks them and many times they can’t reconnect to it. Loved that when Avar Kriss returned to Coruscant after a year hiding away in Nihil territory, her connection, the full song of the Force returned to her.

Overall: 4.75 out of 5 Probe Droids

The Eye of Darkness could have easily been a book about the Nihil and the Republic/Jedi fighting for 400 pages but having all of the parties still dealing with the results of the fall of Starlight was a much better decision. It gives us our heroes multiple challenges to overcome while we see that even in victory, the Nihil are in disarray.

Elzar Mann is now the face of the Jedi alongside Avar Kriss and future stories are posied to expand their relationship and how they come to terms with their own failures.

Hi praise to George Mann for starting Phase 3 of The High Republic on such a high note.