Title: Light of the Jedi (2021)
Author: Charles Soule
Pages: 381
Series: The High Republic #1, Star Wars Canon (Series Tracker)

Charles Soule has the enviable (or perhaps unenviable) task of breaking in The High Republic, a new era of Star Wars storytelling. He does so in an admirable way with Light of the Jedi. A time of peace and prosperity in the galaxy far, far away quickly comes to a violent end and this book racks up an insanely high body count.

The story itself is a bit sprawling and unfocused, but there are some intriguing new characters, plenty of Jedi action, and a batch of ferocious antagonists never before seen in the Star Wars universe (think the War Boys of Mad Max). I’ll happily seek out more stories in this universe, but I’d say this was a solid but somewhat unspectacular welcome to the new era.

★★★¼