The Fallen Star
- Downloads：9692
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-08 04:19:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Claudia Gray
- ISBN：B09B2MSJGD
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Rafaela Carrilho
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4。5 for two main reasons。 One， I can’t comprehend why a certain big character barely made an appearance。 And two， I was expecting some kind of big twist since we knew from the start what was going to be the main catastrophic event of the book。 That never happened and none of the major questions accumulated through this phase got answers。 I understand its a long run project， but is still frustrating to have the final book of this first trilogy without a single significant explanation。 I would sti 4。5 for two main reasons。 One， I can’t comprehend why a certain big character barely made an appearance。 And two， I was expecting some kind of big twist since we knew from the start what was going to be the main catastrophic event of the book。 That never happened and none of the major questions accumulated through this phase got answers。 I understand its a long run project， but is still frustrating to have the final book of this first trilogy without a single significant explanation。 I would still HIGHLY recommend the High Republic and The Fallen Star。 It delivers in keeping you reading nonstop and on the edge all the time。 I won’t say you need to read all the YA novels and comics， but surely will make a HUGE difference if you do。 。。。more
ShamNoop
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This book has caused me unbelievable pain
Landry
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The POV whiplash is strong with this one。Claudia Gray has written some of my favorite Star Wars books ever， which is probably why I rounded this rating up to 3 stars vs the 2 I wanted to give it， and also why my disappointment in this book is especially pronounced。 You can achieve good character depth with a small cast of characters in a short novel or a large cast of characters in a long novel。 Both are difficult feats to accomplish， but it's possible。Achieving it with a large cast of character The POV whiplash is strong with this one。Claudia Gray has written some of my favorite Star Wars books ever， which is probably why I rounded this rating up to 3 stars vs the 2 I wanted to give it， and also why my disappointment in this book is especially pronounced。 You can achieve good character depth with a small cast of characters in a short novel or a large cast of characters in a long novel。 Both are difficult feats to accomplish， but it's possible。Achieving it with a large cast of characters in a short novel is practically impossible， and that fact is on full display in The Fallen Star。At one point I counted 6 POV changes in 6 pages。 Six。 POV changes at that kind of frequency masquerade as "good pacing"， but are ultimately a disservice to both the characters and the reader。 It seemed like we never spent more than a few minutes at a time with any character， and those minutes were spent advancing a contrived plot and little else。 We spend a little time in their heads， but not much， and even the moments intended to be human， such as Belle's grief， feel clinical and surface level rather than an actual human experiencing actual human emotions。 It's hard to empathize with a character when we're just popping in to say hello for a paragraph or two and then heading elsewhere。 In short， there was no beating heart to this story。 It was a whipped-around telling of a pre-determined event and it's hard to look back on the book as offering much else beyond telling us how the event happened。My advice to canon junkies who are going to read it no matter what: go with the audiobook。 The sound effects， score， and the brilliant Marc Thompson combine for a movie-like experience， which can make the incessant POV switching slightly more tolerable as it feels more like a movie switching scenes every few minutes。 。。。more
astra
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i loved this book so so much， it was incredible， the story was so well written and had really amazing pacing。 it did also ruin my life and was incredibly heart breaking， but if you read the high republic， you aren’t gonna be surprised by that
caty g
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Oh wow。 I finished this book in two days because I needed to know just what would happen。 I mixed together listening to the audiobook and reading the hard copy， which made the experience a little bit inconsistent， but Claudia Gray's writing truly conveyed the panic of the situation and I enjoyed that it was very character-driven。 Elzar and Stellan's relationship， along with Orla added into the mix， was so fun to explore， and Burryaga and Bell's friendship was also a nice surprise。 Seeing the cre Oh wow。 I finished this book in two days because I needed to know just what would happen。 I mixed together listening to the audiobook and reading the hard copy， which made the experience a little bit inconsistent， but Claudia Gray's writing truly conveyed the panic of the situation and I enjoyed that it was very character-driven。 Elzar and Stellan's relationship， along with Orla added into the mix， was so fun to explore， and Burryaga and Bell's friendship was also a nice surprise。 Seeing the crew of the Vessel again was such a treat， especially Leox， who was focused on in this book a lot more that I thought he would be。 The Leveler is so creepy， I got chills while listening to those parts。 I've seen complaints about the small scale of the novel （with it just taking place on Starlight Beacon） and that it won't have lasting effects， but I think it's clear that the Luminous authors are gearing up for another great High Republic phase soon。 So excited to see what comes next！ 。。。more
Colt
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A story that really only shines in the smaller ways not because Claudia can't write in the bigger ways but because Fallen Star feels very confined to it's detriment。 What could've been several chapters in a more complete story is stretched out to an entire 300+ novel。 Important payoffs or thematic points made about lack thereof to setups like Marchion's family or the Leveler seem completely absent， Chancellor Soh is sidelined severely， and plot lines like Mari San Tekka， Pan Eyta and Lourna are A story that really only shines in the smaller ways not because Claudia can't write in the bigger ways but because Fallen Star feels very confined to it's detriment。 What could've been several chapters in a more complete story is stretched out to an entire 300+ novel。 Important payoffs or thematic points made about lack thereof to setups like Marchion's family or the Leveler seem completely absent， Chancellor Soh is sidelined severely， and plot lines like Mari San Tekka， Pan Eyta and Lourna are drastically reduced or not brought up at all， a slew of characters who are from other stories have to crossover and clog the cast， and the story's starting point is a far cry from an organic follow up to Rising Storm due to comics filling in time and altering dynamics。 Which brings into view that the detrimental confinement of Fallen Star doesn't feel as self imposed as it does Lucasfilm imposed。 Because to my knowledge all these plot threads are picked up in other media， despite these plotlines originating in the first of the adult novels。 Multi media storytelling isn't inherently bad， shared details make the world feel cohesive but plotlines bouncing between several creatives all trying to write their own piece while ensuring they fit together makes the art feel like "assembly required。" None of this touches on the repetitive nature of each adult novel being a mass death event （and we've got another one hinted at now，） each one loosening the refreshing feeling of seeing a war free golden age。 Each of these events dilutes the drama and pushing it more and more into standardized Star Wars。 Of course Claudia still cranks out some excellent prose and character work， but through no fault of hers， Fallen Star buckles under the weight of the lie that the main line novels could be read by themselves alone。 。。。more
Deni
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It is a fast pace disaster book with some of our favorite characters especially Bell。
Emma
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C/W:（view spoiler）[death of a loved one， violence， grief （hide spoiler）]There are spoilers for Star Wars: The Rising Storm in this review。I have been anxiously anticipating Star Wars: The Fallen Star since the moment I finished The Rising Storm。 Claudia Gray truly outdid herself。 The tension and emotional stakes started high and somehow only grew over the course of the story。 This was one of those rare reads where I desperately wanted to read it as quickly as possible to find out what was going C/W:（view spoiler）[death of a loved one， violence， grief （hide spoiler）]There are spoilers for Star Wars: The Rising Storm in this review。I have been anxiously anticipating Star Wars: The Fallen Star since the moment I finished The Rising Storm。 Claudia Gray truly outdid herself。 The tension and emotional stakes started high and somehow only grew over the course of the story。 This was one of those rare reads where I desperately wanted to read it as quickly as possible to find out what was going to happen but kept getting so stressed out by the story that I'd have to put the book down for a bit。The Fallen Star brings together so many characters I've grown to love over The High Republic phase 1。 It was such a delight to see how these characters have grown over this broader story。 Two character arcs that I found particularly well done were Elzar's journey to feel comfortable with the Force after drawing on the dark side in The Rising Storm and Bell's journey to make sense of the death of his Master， Loden Greatstorm。The discussions around the philosophy of the Force and questions of what it truly means to be a Jedi continue to bring me possibly too much enjoyment。 The High Republic content has consistently grappled with big themes in the Star Wars universe and I was really impressed that The Fallen Star fit these discussions in naturally in a book that was absolutely jam-packed with action。I wish we had gotten a bit more of a wrap-up at the end of The Fallen Star but I'm going to hope that I'll find out more about the fates of some of my favorite characters in other wave 3 releases。 The Fallen Star is definitely going on the list with my all-time favorite Star Wars content。 。。。more
Sarah
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Review to come
Delainey B
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I will never forgive Claudia Grey for the pain she put me through。
Arezou
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A few months after the tragedy on Valo， Jedi Master， Council Member and Republic poster boy Stellan Gios has taken over as marshal of Starlight Becon， the Republic’s luxurious space station， in the absence of former marshall Avar Kriss。 The Beacon and those aboard are preparing to wind down after flying to Eiram to aid the people dealing with a local crisis。 For her part， Kriss is off on a mission to hunt down and bring back Lourna Dee， who she believes to be the Eye of the Nihil， leader of the A few months after the tragedy on Valo， Jedi Master， Council Member and Republic poster boy Stellan Gios has taken over as marshal of Starlight Becon， the Republic’s luxurious space station， in the absence of former marshall Avar Kriss。 The Beacon and those aboard are preparing to wind down after flying to Eiram to aid the people dealing with a local crisis。 For her part， Kriss is off on a mission to hunt down and bring back Lourna Dee， who she believes to be the Eye of the Nihil， leader of the destructive band of marauders。 She is mistaken in the assumption， and while she is off on a wild mynock chase， actual Nihil leader Marchion Ro is setting in motion an attack so devastating it will remove the galaxy’s ability to remain complacent and ignorant about just how powerful the Nihil have become。 [READ FULL REVIEW: https://thegeekywaffle。com/home/2022/。。。]Finales are not easy。 And while The Fallen Star is one of three books and a handful of comics meant to close out Phase One of the High Republic， it still feels very much like a finale。 With the grand set piece of the whole first phase - the Starlight Beacon - crashing to the ground it’s absolutely a massive status quo change for everyone involved。 The action scenes are appropriately high-stakes， and there is an undercurrent of tension present from almost the very first page。 Before I get into it， I want to state for the record that I did not dislike this book。 There is plenty about it that I enjoyed。 I found the chapters with Bell Zettifar and Burryaga to be some of the most enjoyable， I always love to see Stellan and Elzar together， and Fallen Star added Orla Jareni to shake up their dynamic for the more interesting， and I learned things about Marchion Ro that I never thought I would （though I definitely suspected）。All that said， despite being the shortest of the adult novels， it also felt the densest。 Where Light of the Jedi and The Rising Storm function fairly well as two parts of a trilogy， Fallen Star feels more like a culmination of the Phase as a whole。 Right down to the culmination-typical body count。Characters appear in this book who were in neither of the previous adult novels and are given very little introduction。 Highly specific references are made to the Trail of Shadows comic series， which is still ongoing。 Avar Kriss’s absence from the Starlight Beacon is explained in the main Marvel run。 These things weren’t an issue for me personally， as I’m on top of the books and comics。 But I couldn’t help but wonder about readers who aren’t caught up。 Would they feel lost？ Some， like a friend of mine， said they followed just fine and this intrigued them enough to catch up on the comics。 So should the approach from the beginning have been to encourage people to read as much of this as possible？ Once the current comic runs conclude in the early spring， the High Republic is on hiatus until October， which should give those curious enough plenty of time to catch up before Phase Two begins。 And if this is any indication， they’re going to need to。With so much going on in the novel， and with the pace driving it towards its inevitable end， I couldn’t help but wish that it was about 100 pages longer。 The action and surrounding imagery came across really well。 The parallels to the sinking of the Titanic begin early and continue throughout。 The threat posed by the Nihil， too， was very well conveyed。 It is mostly， if not entirely， responsible for that aforementioned undercurrent of tension throughout。 Where things felt rushed was with the character development。 This is surprising coming from Claudia Gray， as her focus is generally on character first and foremost。 There were many moments - particularly among the adults - where the scene felt like it should be building to an emotional resolution of some kind， or at the very least to the escalation of an emotional tension。 Instead these moments were almost always interrupted by the physical danger that surrounds the characters。 This wouldn’t be so disappointing if I knew we were picking back up with these characters sooner rather than later。 While Midnight Horizon will be out in a month， Fallen Star is still the last adult book we are getting until October。 And with the news that Phase Two will be set some 150 years prior to this， if the phases are roughly equal in length its going to be a good two years at least before we revisit this time period。 As I said， I didn’t dislike The Fallen Star。 It gave me plenty of time with my favourite characters and the action was enjoyable to watch unfold。 It was gripping enough that I read through it all in a single sitting。 It hasn’t put me off the High Republic as a whole， and I am very curious and interested to see what Claudia Gray is cooking up next。 I just wish that， if this is going to be the last we see of these characters for a while， that we’d been allowed to spend more time simply exisiting among them and watching how they interact with one another in peacetime， rather than just responding to disaster。 A little more calm， a little less storm。 。。。more
Declan O'Keeffe
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😭😭😭😭
Davis Emmanuel
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wowWow wow wow。 What an astounding astonishing note to leave us on。 The High Republic is Star Wars at its best and Claudia Gray is a master of her craft。 I can't wait for the next arc。 wowWow wow wow。 What an astounding astonishing note to leave us on。 The High Republic is Star Wars at its best and Claudia Gray is a master of her craft。 I can't wait for the next arc。 。。。more
katie :）
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my heart hurts so much。
Alacritous13
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Will review after recovering from emotional trauma caused by this book。
Kels
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that was the most stressful and traumatizing thing i’ve ever read *gives it five stars*claudia， i’m sending you my therapy bill and you will be dealt with
John-Gregory Carse
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When we discovered that Claudia Gray was going to author the last chapter of Phase 1 in the High Republic expectations flew through the roof。 How can you blame anyone after the craftsmanship of Lost Stars， Bloodline， Master and Apprentice and even more。 It almost set this book up to be a disaster （pun intended） however after reading The Fallen Star there is no question that this is my favorite canon Star Wars novel and that Claudia Gray is currently the best Star Wars Author。This book filled me When we discovered that Claudia Gray was going to author the last chapter of Phase 1 in the High Republic expectations flew through the roof。 How can you blame anyone after the craftsmanship of Lost Stars， Bloodline， Master and Apprentice and even more。 It almost set this book up to be a disaster （pun intended） however after reading The Fallen Star there is no question that this is my favorite canon Star Wars novel and that Claudia Gray is currently the best Star Wars Author。This book filled me with so much excitement and joy as it did with dread and pain。 Gray handles the characterization so well and there are some moments that make you audibly cheer， yell， or any other noise you could make。 The pace starts very calm and picks up speed as you progress through the story。 There are plenty of shocks and twists。 When you think you know what's going to happen Gray proves you wrong and wrong again。I want to mention that I listened to the audiobook for this book and my gosh: Marc Thompson gives the performance of his life。 With his voice acting coupled with the sound production propelled this to the best audio book experience by a mile。 There were moments that I got jump scared。 There was plenty of new music but also familiar songs that paired perfectly with key scenes that left me scared， crying， and giddy。As you can clearly tell， I LOVE THIS BOOK。 I could gush on and on but simply enough you have to read （or listen） for yourself。 It really rewards those who have followed all the stories from comics to middle grade books and everything else in between。 The Fallen Star once again raises the bar for storytelling in Star Wars and solidifies without question that Claudia Gray is the royalty of Star Wars Books。 。。。more
Tabitha Page
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I can't believe after a year we've made it to the final adult novel of phase 1。 Written by Claudia Grey， The Fallen Star is emotionally devastating and kept me on my toes throughout the entire time reading。 Although not perfect， there were definitely some amazing moments that stood out to me。 The next target of the menacing Nihil Leader Marchion Ro is the Starlight Beacon， which has become a symbol of hope throughout the entire Republic， from the Core to the Outer Rim。 As scattered Nihil attac I can't believe after a year we've made it to the final adult novel of phase 1。 Written by Claudia Grey， The Fallen Star is emotionally devastating and kept me on my toes throughout the entire time reading。 Although not perfect， there were definitely some amazing moments that stood out to me。 The next target of the menacing Nihil Leader Marchion Ro is the Starlight Beacon， which has become a symbol of hope throughout the entire Republic， from the Core to the Outer Rim。 As scattered Nihil attacks keep happening， a horde of victims needing medical help and ship repairs flood the Beacon， creating a perfect time for the Eye of the Nihil to strike。 Chaos bubbles over on the beacon， as all of the Jedi are mysteriously losing their connection to the Force from some unknown creature smuggled onto the station。 I want to start with the few gripes I have with this novel， because I truly did enjoy it， but some things I think could've been handled a bit better。 Firstly， this novel did feel pretty small， as we were stuck on the lower half of the Beacon， save for some interludes from Marchion's ship。 The first few chapters were truly amazing， especially with Orla and Elzar， and I wish that carried through for the rest of the story。 Having at least one POV from a main person from the top half of Starlight Beacon could've raised the stakes even higher， allowing us to see a bit more of what was happening within a broader scope。Also， considering we know that phase 2 will be set 150 years prior to LOTJ， some stuff we learned about in other stories， especially Out of the Shadows （spoilers: （view spoiler）[ Vernestra's paths from Mari San Tekka （hide spoiler）]） felt way less important and even a bit useless， because we didn't touch upon it at all。 Maybe phase 3 will see a continuation of the characters from this phase？ Who knows。 Nevertheless， lets get into what I loved！ I enjoyed all of the non-Jedi POV's which we do not tend to see outside THR， and I found myself intrigued into how they were dealing with the trouble on Starlight。 Yes， the Jedi may have bigger tip-yip to fry， but these pilots and citizens just want to save themselves， their crew， and their ships。 I loved seeing Joss and Pikka， and of course the Vessel crew。 I loved Bell and Burryaga once again， and I truly thought that Bell shined throughout the novel。 After countless heartbreaks， Bell still finds hope and light in the darkest of situations， which I believe best represents a true Jedi。 He's been my favorite to read about in the adult novels since LOTJ， and TFS did not disappoint。 I'm sad to part with these characters， some forever， and maybe some for just a little while。 I cannot wait to see more stories to come from Claudia Grey and the other high republic authors。 For Light and Life！ 。。。more
Emma
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At this point， any Star Wars book written by Claudia Gray comes with a set of assumptions that it’s going to be absolutely amazing， and all of her books have lived up to this expectation。 The Fallen Star far exceeded her precedent of excellence， which I didn’t think was possible。 This book has a unique tone: it feels like the closest thing we’ve ever gotten to the horror genre in Star Wars， yet the story is still incredibly emotional。 Somehow， Gray wrote a satisfying ending to the first phase of At this point， any Star Wars book written by Claudia Gray comes with a set of assumptions that it’s going to be absolutely amazing， and all of her books have lived up to this expectation。 The Fallen Star far exceeded her precedent of excellence， which I didn’t think was possible。 This book has a unique tone: it feels like the closest thing we’ve ever gotten to the horror genre in Star Wars， yet the story is still incredibly emotional。 Somehow， Gray wrote a satisfying ending to the first phase of The High Republic publishing initiative， yet still left us wanting more out of the era。 The impact that this story will have on the era is something I predict we will be talking about for quite some time。 。。。more
Chris Wermeskerch
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To sum it up， I’d say that The Fallen Star was a great page-turner， but I wish it had slowed down just a bit for processing sake。 As you can tell， I’m still processing a lot of my thoughts on the novel。 I really enjoyed it！ But it is definitely a product of the era， and thus showed some of the weaknesses of the era （that I love deeply）。 As the climax of a Phase， it builds interesting stories for the next wave of books （that are due…well， hopefully soon！）， but serves more as a transition chapter To sum it up， I’d say that The Fallen Star was a great page-turner， but I wish it had slowed down just a bit for processing sake。 As you can tell， I’m still processing a lot of my thoughts on the novel。 I really enjoyed it！ But it is definitely a product of the era， and thus showed some of the weaknesses of the era （that I love deeply）。 As the climax of a Phase， it builds interesting stories for the next wave of books （that are due…well， hopefully soon！）， but serves more as a transition chapter than it does as a finale。You can see my full review at: https://mynockmanor 。com/ the-high-republic-the-fallen-star-review-by-chris/ 。。。more
Faye Sterling
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So， this book was emotionally devastating， but I understand why some people were disappointed。 Starlight Beacon felt empty and it wasn't just because of the comm interference。 Im left with more questions than ever， like if one of the levellers was on the top half of the station， whether they might've survived the crash， etc。 Bell Zettifar was really the emotional core of this for me， which almost made me sad that as a whole he didn't have very much to do for a while。 Elzar and Stellan just weren So， this book was emotionally devastating， but I understand why some people were disappointed。 Starlight Beacon felt empty and it wasn't just because of the comm interference。 Im left with more questions than ever， like if one of the levellers was on the top half of the station， whether they might've survived the crash， etc。 Bell Zettifar was really the emotional core of this for me， which almost made me sad that as a whole he didn't have very much to do for a while。 Elzar and Stellan just weren't doing it for me。 Though， big kudos to Gray for timing the Marchion Ro scenes so well that the 180 of horrible tragedies to characters thirsting over the Eye turned into actual psychic damage。 I genuinely feel harmed even seeing thirst tweets about this man now。 I feel like this book could have been great if starlight had felt fuller， and if we'd had more little tension releases， because a lot of horrible things bled together due to how high the tension was。 Since there was no break， it was like 5 hour chunks of "wtfwtfwtf" with a small interlude for Geode and then back to wtf， which led to what was likely supposed to be the biggest deaths of them all feeling。。。。anticlimactic？ 。。。more
Amy
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I really enjoyed this as the last book in phase 1 of the High Republic。 Being the third in a series， it relies heavily on plot and characters established in the first two books and in other stories in THR so those two books are a must read before reading this installment。 The plot is well paced and there is more character development for some of our main characters。 We all knew where this story was headed given the title and imagery released， but it did not lessen the impact of the story。 Very w I really enjoyed this as the last book in phase 1 of the High Republic。 Being the third in a series， it relies heavily on plot and characters established in the first two books and in other stories in THR so those two books are a must read before reading this installment。 The plot is well paced and there is more character development for some of our main characters。 We all knew where this story was headed given the title and imagery released， but it did not lessen the impact of the story。 Very well done。 I'm looking forward to more stories in this era。 。。。more
Meredith England
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claudia gray i am going to FIGHT YOUliteral screaming sobs w this one
Alex Graboyes
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Negative reviews are something I dread to write， yet here I must。 To be perfectly frank， I really did not enjoy this book。 There are a multitude for reasons。 One is how different these characters are from previous books。This book is the third in this phase， yet it feels so disconnected， disjointed from TRS。 Valo is rarely thought about。 Multiple characters with huge impacts are never even mentioned or thought about。It’s also a book that hugely relies on you reading all the books and comics。 It i Negative reviews are something I dread to write， yet here I must。 To be perfectly frank， I really did not enjoy this book。 There are a multitude for reasons。 One is how different these characters are from previous books。This book is the third in this phase， yet it feels so disconnected， disjointed from TRS。 Valo is rarely thought about。 Multiple characters with huge impacts are never even mentioned or thought about。It’s also a book that hugely relies on you reading all the books and comics。 It is heavily connected to them， yet it rarely uses these connections。 LoTJ and TRS informed you what was going on in the comics。 TFS does no such thing。Starlight meanwhile is completely shrunken down。 This is a place that can hold a multitude of ships and thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people。 It is a huge station， yet it only feels like a few rooms。 Characters feel like they teleport to each place。I can’t help but feel like this reads like a YA book。 It doesn’t feel like an adult novel， nor does it read like one。 The Vessel crew are all very much YA characters， and they very much act like it in this book。This is a book that I really wanted to love。 LoTJ and TRS were amazing books that made this phase better。 Yet this brings this phase to a close with a whimper。 And that is how the Light of the Jedi goes dark。 With a whimper。 。。。more
Liv Sol Lilith Oschlag
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This was a HEAVY read。 Really heavy。I don't know what to say。 I feel like this book is impossible to talk about meaningfully for me without going into spoilers， which I won't （I can't wait for my friends to read it so I can ~SCREAM~ about specifics with them， but at the moment， I feel way too drained to write。。。 anything）。 I'll just say that it will take some time for me to recover emotionally from this story。 But I'm very excited to see where The High Republic will go from here。 This was a HEAVY read。 Really heavy。I don't know what to say。 I feel like this book is impossible to talk about meaningfully for me without going into spoilers， which I won't （I can't wait for my friends to read it so I can ~SCREAM~ about specifics with them， but at the moment， I feel way too drained to write。。。 anything）。 I'll just say that it will take some time for me to recover emotionally from this story。 But I'm very excited to see where The High Republic will go from here。 。。。more
TheGeeksAttic
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Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star was written by New York Times best-selling author， Claudia Gray。 This is the 3rd High Republic novel published by Del Rey。 （A big thank you to Del Rey for sending out this copy for me to review。） The Fallen Star is the 3rd and final novel for the first phase of The High Republic。 SUMMARY: Starlight Beacon， the Republic's physical symbol of peace and loyalty， is the next target of the Nihil。 Marchion Ro has spread the Nihil across the galaxy to strike Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star was written by New York Times best-selling author， Claudia Gray。 This is the 3rd High Republic novel published by Del Rey。 （A big thank you to Del Rey for sending out this copy for me to review。） The Fallen Star is the 3rd and final novel for the first phase of The High Republic。 SUMMARY: Starlight Beacon， the Republic's physical symbol of peace and loyalty， is the next target of the Nihil。 Marchion Ro has spread the Nihil across the galaxy to strike at random， to cause discomfort and fear。 Many Nihil victims have made their way to Starlight Beacon for medical aid and ship repair as it hangs in space above the planet Eiram。 Soon， chaos will irrupt on Starlight Beacon as Marion Ro sends a crew to sabotage the station and unleash a Jedi killing， force hungry beast。 The light of Starlight Beacon… will be snuffed out！CHARACTERS: I’ve picked two characters to briefly mention。The controversial Vintian character， Geode， brings in some comic relief。 While the rock character does provide a few laughs， this living rock’s abilities alter an important plot point that we spend a lot of time with… by just sweeping the climax of said particular plot under the rug。 It was a funny thing， but also a let down。 Bell Zettifar shines in this tale。 While he’s still mourning the loss of his master， Loden Greatstorm， he doesn’t hesitate to jump into action when the world is burning around him。 He and the wookie padawan， Burryaga， have become great friends and work well together。 OVERALL THOUGHTS: So far with the High Republic， I’ve really enjoyed the Del Rey novels。 The era has been pretty hectic as the villains， the Nihil cause disaster throughout the galaxy。 The previous novels introduced excellent characters with simple plots but excellent details。 This novel， I hoped I wouldn't have had to say it。。。 falls short of my expectations。 Here's why。。。It truly feels that Claudia Gray could not break the mold of the YA novel structure。 The one thing this story lacks more than anything else， would be details。 There are no aspects of the story that are heavily detailed， so there are a few situations that happen in the book that are muddled down and slightly confusing， because the details aren’t there！ The story is shallow and simple。 The characters did not feel consistent with who they were in previous books， not just original characters created by Gray， but the characters created by the other authors writing in the High Republic Era。 Claudia Gray brings in a few characters from her previous YA novel， Into the Dark such as Affie Hollow and her crew。 Some of my favorite characters in the High Republic are Stellan Gios and Elzar Mann。 However， sadly， I wasn’t thrilled with either one of them in this book。 They lacked the leadership and strength they displayed in past novels。 Elzar has disconnected from the force for fear of sinking into the dark side。 He comes across as too fearful and weak， I understand that he， as well as all Jedi， are students of the Force; they are always learning and growing。 Elzar acts like a first time force user。 Stellan Gios is suddenly very prideful and a tad spiteful。 He is acting by Marshal of Starlight Beacon， replacing Avar Kriss。 He has this childish grudge against Avar that doesn’t feel appropriate to his character in previous stories。 The relationships between the Jedi， as slightly mentioned already （with Stellan & Aver） all seemed out of line， with the exception of Bell & Burryaga。 The dialogue wasn’t that bad， but there were many tacky lines and， much like the story structure， shallow。 Previously， we’ve had a galactic disaster， billions have lost there lives during the events of Light of the Jedi， thousands more in The Rising Storm… but Chancellor Soh believes that the destruction of Starlight Beacon is the most tragic event in the history of the Republic？ Yeah she believes that。 I’m bummed out too that what was building up to some very intriguing political happenings in The Rising Storm， was completely absent in this book。Do I recommend this book？ Yes。 Even with all the negative things I had to say about it， it is the continuation of a much larger era。 This is the final adult novel in the first phase of the High Republic。 RATING: This book receives a C minus。 。。。more
Maggie Lovitt
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To quote Jonah Hill in This is the End: “Something not that chill happened。” In a lot of ways， Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star is the end—at least， the end of the first phase of The High Republic。 For the past year， the Project Luminous team has been delivering new novels and comics， creating top-notch stories and compelling characters that we couldn’t help but grow attached to。 With the ominous poster that accompanied the release of The Fallen Star， death was anticipated， but the death toll was To quote Jonah Hill in This is the End: “Something not that chill happened。” In a lot of ways， Claudia Gray’s The Fallen Star is the end—at least， the end of the first phase of The High Republic。 For the past year， the Project Luminous team has been delivering new novels and comics， creating top-notch stories and compelling characters that we couldn’t help but grow attached to。 With the ominous poster that accompanied the release of The Fallen Star， death was anticipated， but the death toll was far higher than any of us could have expected。The Fallen Star marks a pretty considerable shift in the status quo delivered in the previous adult novels。 Where Light of the Jedi set the scene for the glory of the Jedi， and The Rising Storm started to chip away at their perfection， The Fallen Star delivers a pretty devastating blow to not just the Jedi Order as a whole， but to the group of Jedi that have been the central focus of the story。 The stakes are significantly higher and the losses—both physically and as a crisis of faith—will undoubtedly have a long-lasting impact on the future of The High Republic。 We have passed the point of no return and from this moment forward， the scene has been set。Gray does quite well with balancing a vast array of characters and their own unique voices; switching seamlessly between world-weary Jedi Masters， victorious Nihil， and the young cast of characters that have been a guiding light throughout this first phase。 Gray was tasked with quite the challenge， and she succeeds in wrapping up an entire year of multi-media publishing while setting the scene for the next author to pick up the baton。As a warning， this review will contain spoilers from this point forward。 It is nearly impossible to discuss The Fallen Star without revealing some specific details。 However， I have endeavored to paint with broader strokes here and not get too deep into the minutia of the novel。 Regardless， read forth at your own peril。（view spoiler）[At the start of the novel， we are reintroduced to Elzar Mann who is still actively struggling from his brush with the dark side。 While he is in a markedly better headspace thanks to Stellan Gios’ quick thinking and the assistance of Orla Jareni， Mann has not quite found his way back to stable ground。 Given how things really spiral out of control for him towards the third act of the novel， including losing one of his main support systems， I’m keen to see how his journey plays out in the next phase。 Perhaps we should have listened to the theories that the fallen star wasn’t just about the Starlight Beacon’s destruction， but the death of a pretty stellar Jedi。Throughout the novel， Claudia Gray utilizes a really clever literary allusion to symbolize the relationship between Elzar Mann， Avar Kriss， and Stellan Gios。 Particularly with Stellan， it is said that he saw his connection with Elzar and Avar as a constellation of stars; and in the end， Avar reflects on this by saying that he is now their polestar。 It’s a beautiful， and ultimately， bittersweet comparison， given the way things work out。 I’m a sucker for any comparison to celestial bodies， but at what cost？Speaking of Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss， I’m not sure what to make of their relationship anymore。 I appreciated how Claudia put to words how the Jedi—in all of their “no attachments” nonsense—have gotten away with having intimate relationships。 With the devastating loss of the Starlight Beacon， it will be interesting to see if this duo will lean on each other for support and I hope it will explore where that might lead。 We have seen what happens when romantically-inclined Jedi incur painful losses （looking at you Anakin Skywalker） and I really do worry that Elzar is headed down a similar path。 These are some of the most engaging themes that have been explored in The High Republic and it’s fun to see these authors approach the Jedi with nuance and expose their infallibility。Our fallen star of the Jedi is not the only casualty of this terrible attack—in fact， it would almost be easier to list off who survived the ordeal。 Some of which were cut down without a lot of character work or backstory， while others， like Stellan， felt just at the beginning of their arc。 Stellan in particular had such a beautiful storyline throughout The Fallen Star。 He’s grappling with newfound responsibilities， trying to cope with everything he’s been through， and trying to keep it together for Avar and Elzar’s benefit。 There’s some great storytelling that Gray employs as she picks at Stellan’s conflict with Avar and， in doing so， exposes some of the issues I personally have with Avar。 Her actions feel led by self-righteousness， and she has been acting out both irrationally and vindictively。 The wrong Jedi remained on the Starlight Beacon and I do wonder if Avar will show any sign of feeling that way in future stories or if she is too self-absorbed to see it that way。There are some moments of hope in the final act， at least where Burryaga is concerned。 While the Wookiee Jedi appears to be dead， there was no body， and Bell Zetifar is determined to confirm that he is actually one with the Force before mourning his loss。 While Burryaga’s fate may be unconfirmed and this cliffhanger could very easily be setting Bell up for another devastating loss， it was written in a far less definitive way than Stellan’s death。 With a death toll as high as The Fallen Star’s， it’s nice to at least have one character we can hope for a miraculous survival from。The Nihil may have a significant presence as the architects in the destruction of the Starlight Beacon， but they don’t actually appear very often in The Fallen Star。 Gray makes some interesting choices with the Nihil， including developing Nan further， who she first introduced in her young adult novel Into the Dark。 Rather than being an adoring and loyal follower of Marchion Ro， her story takes a new direction as a prisoner of the Republic， where she is forced to work with Chancey Yarrow to get off of the Starlight Beacon and survive the Nihil’s plot to destroy it。 Her fealty to Marchion remains， but on a much more subdued level。 I really liked Nan when she was first introduced and I hope she gets a chance to really shine in the upcoming novels and phases。 I’m not sure if she’ll remain loyal to Marchion Ro， but it feels like she may。 Star Wars only has a handful of female characters and even fewer morally grey ones， so Nan makes for a refreshing deviation from the status quo。Speaking of Marchion Ro， I was rather intrigued by the arrangement that he has with Senator Ghirra Starros， not just because the Nihil having a spy in the Senate is fascinating， but because we get confirmation that it’s not just the Jedi getting action in The High Republic。 It’s also rather indicative of where Marchion’s headspace is—he could care less about her， he only cares about power and revenge。 We also see much of this relationship （if you’d call it that） through the eyes of Thaya who， in a lot of ways， fills the void left by Nan， however， she doesn’t wax and wane philosophically about Marchion’s hair and skin。 I hope Thaya continues to work alongside Marchion Ro， as their dynamic was just as intriguing as his ploy with Starros。Marchion Ro’s “screen time” in The Fallen Star may be limited in the novel， and certainly， some of his scenes felt a little surface-level in detail， but that’s likely because it’s building to something larger for him and， perhaps， it will be paid off in Charles Soule’s upcoming Eye of the Storm comic book series。 This novel gave a great look at how he’s dealing with the ramifications of Lourna Dee’s mutinous actions and how he is spiraling a little to maintain control of the Nihil。 Not to get to “I miss Ben Solo” on this review but Marchion Ro has a very similar vibe—he feels like a scared boy in a mask， spinning out of control as he tries to make a name for himself and prove everyone wrong。 It would be endearing if he wasn’t the cause of so much death in this book。I do think that The High Republic has made a few minor missteps， which are perhaps only blatant to readers who spend the majority of their time embedded in the fandom。 The era has heralded itself as one of inclusion and representation， but the death toll in The Fallen Star primarily encompasses characters that have been pushed to the forefront because of what they represent。 The crew of the Vessel nearly loses their heroic ace pilot—who is literally ace—whose fake-out death is played up for shock value and equally seems improbable。 Chancey Yarrow， a triumphant Black woman in STEM is killed pretty horrifically by one of “the good guys。” And finally， we are still uncertain about the fates of Ceret and Terec—two of the three non-binary Jedi in the era—and they’ve been essentially fridged for the time being。Obviously， a character’s identity shouldn’t be plot armor， and The Fallen Star makes it clear that no one is safe， but it still leaves me a little frustrated that these characters have been paraded in front of fans who were desperately looking to see themselves in the galaxy， only to watch their stories get cut down before they ever go anywhere。 None of this feels malicious， but I do hope The High Republic continues to be mindful of these choices。As the first in the three final installments of Phase I， The Fallen Star sets the stage for more devastation， pretty seamlessly paying off the build-up of the last two waves， and the comics， while delivering heartfelt and heartbreaking storytelling。 The High Republic as a whole has been a glorious tapestry of stories， which have now been torn asunder。 I look forward to seeing where the Jedi go as they shift into the Jedi Quest phase of Project Luminous， but I’m equally excited to see how Marchion Ro’s newfound power suits him。 Will the power go to his head and will he be the next to fall？ Ultimately we know the world state of the future of the galaxy， but there are still centuries to go and decades of mayhem to wreak in the meantime。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Jakob Wesner
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Review following soon！
Jay Gabler
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Thank you Random House for the free book。 It’s a total page-turner as the iconic Starlight Beacon comes under attack while hanging above a remote planet。 AND the author turns a literal rock into a suave hero。 Space opera！
Owen Carlisle
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