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Star Wars The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower

Reviews

Chris Wermeskerch ， 2021-06-25 00:00

Re-read this now that I have a physical （read: not review） copy， so still a lot of fun and still good to spend some time with these characters。

Karen Cohn ， 2021-06-17 00:00

This was a quick， easy， and generally entertaining book。 As a standalone book， it was fairly good; as a book in written the Star Wars universe it was somewhat lacking， in terms of connecting to the details of the genre。 One of the Jedi masters has more than one Padawan and is also training a Force practitioner who was too old at the discovery of her ability to be officially trained; these are things that just don't happen in the Star Wars canon， and are therefore somewhat disconcerting to those This was a quick， easy， and generally entertaining book。 As a standalone book， it was fairly good; as a book in written the Star Wars universe it was somewhat lacking， in terms of connecting to the details of the genre。 One of the Jedi masters has more than one Padawan and is also training a Force practitioner who was too old at the discovery of her ability to be officially trained; these are things that just don't happen in the Star Wars canon， and are therefore somewhat disconcerting to those looking for books that fit the existing parameters。 These issues aside， if you are not a stickler for details of the genre， this is a nice read。 As with several other books published recently， this book is part of The High Republic subset， dealing with the attempts by the NIhil to overthrow the Republic by destroying hyperspace; as with all of the novels in this collection that I have read， this one has major characters who are all Padawan learners or very recently promoted Jedi Knights， which makes the stories more accessible and interesting to younger readers。 Recommended for younger readers and those who don't mind canon inconsistencies。。。。more

TheGeeksAttic ， 2021-06-15 00:00

Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower was written by New York Times Bestselling Author， Daniel Jose Older。 Older is also writing the Star Wars Adventures High Republic series。 Summary: The Republic is getting ready to celebrate its accomplishments on the planet Valo， at the Republic Fair。 Chancellor Soh will be present， along with many Jedi， to celebrate the unity and power of the Republic。 A security alert reaches a young Padawan， Ram， there seems to be an issue at Crashpoint Tower （a communicati Star Wars: Race to Crashpoint Tower was written by New York Times Bestselling Author， Daniel Jose Older。 Older is also writing the Star Wars Adventures High Republic series。 Summary: The Republic is getting ready to celebrate its accomplishments on the planet Valo， at the Republic Fair。 Chancellor Soh will be present， along with many Jedi， to celebrate the unity and power of the Republic。 A security alert reaches a young Padawan， Ram， there seems to be an issue at Crashpoint Tower （a communications tower）。 Ram takes it upon himself to go check out the tower。 It’s the Nihil！ Ram does his best to fight them off， to see what it was they were doing to the tower。 When Ram attempts to reach his master or any other Jedi to inform them of what he'd witnessed but he has no luck！ Somehow， Ram must reach out to Starlight Beacon， to inform them that the Nihil have been spotted on Valo， and have tampered with the communications tower。 Disaster strikes at the Republic Fair！Characters: Ram Jomaram is a Padawan in Lonisa City on the planet Valo。 He loves tinkering with machinery， breaking them down， understanding how they work， and putting them back together。 His love and understanding of machines， such as droids， speeders， etc。 really helps him attune to the force。 He’s a peaceful young man with hopes of remaining on the quiet and peaceful Valo。 He's slightly fearful and a intimidated by the thought of battle。 However， he knows fear is all in the mind， he just needs to learn to control himself。Lula Talisola， from the High Republic Adventures comic series plays a large roll in this book！ She knows that her attachment to things and people are a great weakness。 Not only is her attachment a weakness， but she fears it could bring her down， into darker places of the force。 Lula wants to break away from her attachments， it's the only way she could possibly achieve her life long goal of becoming one of the greatest Jedi Masters。 Vernestra Rowh becomes somewhat of a mentor to Lula， helping her through this emotional set back。 OVERALL THOUGHTS: Race to Crashpoint Tower was pretty good！ I wasn't a big fan of Older's previous Star Wars book， Last Shot。 But my dislike for that story， will stay with that book， not the author。 I open each book with an open mind， ready for adventure。 I'm pleased to say I enjoyed this story。The event that takes place in this book is one that， once again， knocks the galaxy off its feet。 The execution of this event was a little muddled down， but after I let it marinate in my brain for a bit， it's better off that way。 After all， this is a kids book and shouldn't be graphic， besides， the event on Valo is the primary focus of the adult novel， The Rising Storm， I recommend reading that book before this one to get a better understand of what's happening on Valo。 This story doesn't focus too much on all that is happening during the tragedy。 It's focused on certain characters being pushed to their limits， and the tasks they needed to accomplish to help resolve the tragedy at hand。 I only have a few issues with the story， mostly with the dialogue。 Some of the names of people and creatures are far too goofy。 The Nihil are a vicious bunch， but the other villains that show up， the Drengir， are just far to silly to be taken serious。 However， it is a book designed for kids， so it's fine， the Drengir are a decent fit for this age group。 It's quite fun to see familiar characters from the other books and comics weave through the multiple stories in the High Republic era。 In this young reader book， we have several characters and locations that make an appearance， and they're handled so well。 I really enjoy how the characters each have a personal conflict or set back that they must overcome。 The challenges they face are both interesting and risky。 I highly recommend reading The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott before diving into this book。 Race to Crashpoint Tower is a fun junior reader book， and it reads really fast。Rating: This book receives a B+ 。。。more

Kaci Lister ， 2021-06-12 00:00

Received an ARC to review！ Race to Crashpoint Tower is a fun and exciting read for younger Star Wars fans。 It captures the reader with new characters and action-packed chapters。 Definitely recommend for younger fans！ Older fans can still enjoy this story while piecing together and comparing its events with the other novels。 Full review coming soon！

megs_bookrack ， 2021-06-10 00:00

Another very solid Middle Grade installment to the Disney Star Wars Canon。 Yayee！！！I loved all the connections to the other books within the new High Republic material。Full review to come。。。stay tuned！！！Original:ARC received！ Thanks so much， Disney LucasFilms Press！I actually received an Audio-ARC， so super pumped to give it a listen。 Star Wars audiobooks are traditionally fantastic！！ Another very solid Middle Grade installment to the Disney Star Wars Canon。 Yayee！！！I loved all the connections to the other books within the new High Republic material。Full review to come。。。stay tuned！！！Original:ARC received！ Thanks so much， Disney LucasFilms Press！I actually received an Audio-ARC， so super pumped to give it a listen。 Star Wars audiobooks are traditionally fantastic！！。。。more

Caleb ， 2021-06-09 00:00

A great entry point into the High Republic storyline。 Wonderfully entertaining characters， and a storyline that's not too heavy for children to understand。 Makes me want to read more of the High Republic Era。 A great entry point into the High Republic storyline。 Wonderfully entertaining characters， and a storyline that's not too heavy for children to understand。 Makes me want to read more of the High Republic Era。。。。more

Antoinette ， 2021-06-06 00:00

What an AMAZING adventure！ Fun and fast paced following young Padawans Ram and Lula finding the balance and order in the force。 I enjoyed even with the force and training， there is still the element of self doubt and questioning what you want for yourself in life。 V-18 and the Bonbraks are my absolute favorites！ Definitely a great read for new and old Star Wars fans！Thanks NetGalley！

SWbookcollector ， 2021-06-04 00:00

Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older。 Review copy provided by @disneybooks via #netgalley Set roughly a year after the Hetzal Prime disaster， as seen in Light of the Jedi， the galaxy is still reeling from the aftermath of those tragic events。 In the spirit of unity and with a show of strength a Republic Fair is hosted on the unassuming and picturesque world of Valo。 Elsewhere on the planet the grease stained and sheltered mechanic Padawan Ram Jomaram investigates reports a faulty comm t Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older。 Review copy provided by @disneybooks via #netgalley Set roughly a year after the Hetzal Prime disaster， as seen in Light of the Jedi， the galaxy is still reeling from the aftermath of those tragic events。 In the spirit of unity and with a show of strength a Republic Fair is hosted on the unassuming and picturesque world of Valo。 Elsewhere on the planet the grease stained and sheltered mechanic Padawan Ram Jomaram investigates reports a faulty comm tower。 What he finds there will change his world， and the galaxy at large， forever。 DJO has created his own little series within the High Republic and while admirable， I feel is a detriment to this story。 It's reliant on you having read both DJO's High Republic Adventures comic series and the upcoming （and incredible） The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott to really follow and fully enjoy the story being told here。 if you aren't familiar with the characters of Lula and Zeen then you may find their story a little perplexing and struggle to become invested in what happens to them， especially Zeen who only really shows up for the endgame， seemingly out of nowhere， having earned none of the spotlight given。The coordination between this and The Rising Storm is ambitious and really adds another level to the enjoyment and immersion。 The Republic Fair is a breathtaking and dynamic setting that I could happily continue reading multiple overlapping POV's of。 Seeing familiar events from Rams endearing perspective was a joy。 I only wish they'd kept the focus more on him as he's a great character。 Lula gets some great ass kicking moments but ultimately feels more at home in her comic series。"Race to。。。" Is ultimately an enjoyable little adventure that sometimes feels like supplementary material to other， superior stories。 I would happily read more stories set during the Republic Fair as imo its the most captivating event in Star Wars since the Battle of Endor。。。。more

Sean ， 2021-05-31 00:00

Overall， the story is interesting as a companion piece to The Rising Storm， but I found the narrative moved along much too quickly， which made it difficult to connect with the characters， especially the lead， Ram。 There are neat insights and revelations and it's interesting to see events from The Rising Storm happen from a different point of view （heh）。 I'd say this book is better suited for kids （the target demo） and perhaps even those who may not be the strongest of readers。 For the full revie Overall， the story is interesting as a companion piece to The Rising Storm， but I found the narrative moved along much too quickly， which made it difficult to connect with the characters， especially the lead， Ram。 There are neat insights and revelations and it's interesting to see events from The Rising Storm happen from a different point of view （heh）。 I'd say this book is better suited for kids （the target demo） and perhaps even those who may not be the strongest of readers。 For the full review， check out my thoughts here！ :https://screenhub。blog/2021/05/31/sta。。。。。。more

Hannah ， 2021-05-30 00:00

"。。。All his life has he looked away…to the future， to the horizon。 Never his mind on where he was。 Hmm？ What he was doing。”This may have been true of Luke Skywalker， but for Padawan Ram Jomaram， that is anything but the truth。 His closest confidants are more of the mechanical variety than organic and all he wants to do as Valo prepares for the Republic's Fair is to hide away in his garage and tinker with various bits and pieces。 But as the Force has it， fate has a different path in mind for Ram。 "。。。All his life has he looked away…to the future， to the horizon。 Never his mind on where he was。 Hmm？ What he was doing。”This may have been true of Luke Skywalker， but for Padawan Ram Jomaram， that is anything but the truth。 His closest confidants are more of the mechanical variety than organic and all he wants to do as Valo prepares for the Republic's Fair is to hide away in his garage and tinker with various bits and pieces。 But as the Force has it， fate has a different path in mind for Ram。Daniel José Older does a brilliant job of making the parallel events of the adult novel 'Rising Storm' accessible to younger readers， but for readers of the older variety， there are lessons here that are not to be missed。 Introducing a cast of characters （old and new） in a story full of heart-stopping thrills， timely emotional beats， and just plain-old good Star Wars adventure， this is a book for all ages and further enriches this new era of Star Wars during the High Republic。Special thank you to Lucasfilm and Disney Publishing for an advance copy of this book for review purposes。。。。more

Nicole ， 2021-05-27 00:00

Daniel Jose Older proves once again why he's one of the best Star Wars writers currently on the roster。 His mastery of the balance between the absolutely crazy shenanigans and deep， heartfelt feelings of the galaxy far， far away shines in this book， which is--appropriately--all about finding balance。 Daniel Jose Older proves once again why he's one of the best Star Wars writers currently on the roster。 His mastery of the balance between the absolutely crazy shenanigans and deep， heartfelt feelings of the galaxy far， far away shines in this book， which is--appropriately--all about finding balance。。。。more

Maggie Lovitt ， 2021-05-26 00:00

The whole for the whole， each part for the role it plays。 A mantra that Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram keeps at the forefront of his mind as he finds himself in a race against time as he discovers the Nihil’s plans to crash the festivities at the Republic Fair。（READ MORE: https://yourmoneygeek。com/review-dani。。。）Race to Crashpoint Tower is a junior Star Wars novel， set just before the disastrous events of The Rising Storm on the planet Valo。 If Justina Ireland’s A Test of Courage was your favorite bo The whole for the whole， each part for the role it plays。 A mantra that Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram keeps at the forefront of his mind as he finds himself in a race against time as he discovers the Nihil’s plans to crash the festivities at the Republic Fair。（READ MORE: https://yourmoneygeek。com/review-dani。。。）Race to Crashpoint Tower is a junior Star Wars novel， set just before the disastrous events of The Rising Storm on the planet Valo。 If Justina Ireland’s A Test of Courage was your favorite book from the first phase of The High Republic， then you are bound to love Daniel José Older’s Race to Crashpoint Tower。 With a cast composed primarily of Jedi Padawan， readers are treated to an adventure where the young characters are faced with serious situations and it makes for a truly fun read。 We might even get to see a favorite from A Test of Courage in a new role。 For fans of IDW’s The High Republic Adventures comic series， we finally get to see our beloved heroines Lula and Zeen brought to life in a book！ As much as I love seeing their misadventures in the monthly issues， there was something special about reading their points of view in Race to Crashpoint Tower。 The story is told in three parts centered around Ram and Lula’s points of view as they are thrown into the thick of things， fighting against not only the brutal Nihil assault but the fearsome and carnivorous Drengir。 Yes， the very same Drengir we read about in Claudia Gray’s Into the Dark and seen in Cavan Scott’s Star Wars: The High Republic comic series at Marvel。 I chuckled a number of times while reading the dialogue Older chose for the terrifying living — and hungry — plant。 One thing that I love about Daniel José Older’s Star Wars tales is that there is always a concentrated effort to usher in diversity while making it effortlessly genuine。 He doesn’t draw a circle around it and point it out， he makes it as natural as it is in our day-to-day lives。 These characters not only exist， but they are fully fleshed-out characters that play an important part in the story。 It’s one of the strongest parts of The High Republic-era。 At long last， there are Star Wars characters that fans can see themselves in and they’re not silent background characters — they’re actually the main characters！ It warms my heart to know that so many of my friends are finally seeing themselves and their experiences brought to life in their favorite franchise。 You will not want to miss out on this High Republic-era novel。 It’s fun， humorous， adventure-filled， filled with clever and endearing characters， and the perfect convergence of so many of the stories we’ve come to love over the past six months。。。。more

Arezou ， 2021-05-26 00:00

Star Wars is a lot of things。 It’s full of action。 It’s got big emotions and a lot of heart。 It has characters that are relatable and that stand the test of time。 Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older has all of these things， but it also has something most Star Wars just doesn’t: it is laugh-out-loud funny。 I’m serious。 I’m not the type to laugh at something if I’m reading it or watching it by myself。 And yet， by the time I got to the end of this book， I had actual tears in my eyes - the Star Wars is a lot of things。 It’s full of action。 It’s got big emotions and a lot of heart。 It has characters that are relatable and that stand the test of time。 Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older has all of these things， but it also has something most Star Wars just doesn’t: it is laugh-out-loud funny。 I’m serious。 I’m not the type to laugh at something if I’m reading it or watching it by myself。 And yet， by the time I got to the end of this book， I had actual tears in my eyes - the good kind， thankfully。 I shouldn’t have been so surprised。 Daniel José Older has brought his characteristic kind of funny to the GFFA before， with 2018’s Last Shot and the more recent （and relevant） Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures comic series for IDW。 Race to Crashpoint Tower pulls off the remarkable feat of being inextricably linked to both the IDW High Republic Adventures series， and to The Rising Storm and yet somehow functions perfectly as a standalone novel for younger readers - and older readers too。 See again: me with tears in my eyes。[READ FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: https://thegeekywaffle。com/home/2021/。。。] Special thank you to Lucasfilm and Disney Publishing for an advance copy of this book for review purposes。。。。more

Zakri Edwards ， 2021-05-25 00:00

Book 2 of The High Republic Middle Reader Books - See bottom of review for suggested High Republic Reading TimelineReview for NetGalley ARCRace to Crashpoint Tower written by Daniel José Older was written for middle readers， ages 8-12， and it is set in the High Republic Era of the Star Wars Universe following the events of "The Great Disaster" around 200 years before the The Phantom Menace。 This book is preceeded by A Test of Courage and The High Republic Adventures。 If the readers are avid Star Book 2 of The High Republic Middle Reader Books - See bottom of review for suggested High Republic Reading TimelineReview for NetGalley ARCRace to Crashpoint Tower written by Daniel José Older was written for middle readers， ages 8-12， and it is set in the High Republic Era of the Star Wars Universe following the events of "The Great Disaster" around 200 years before the The Phantom Menace。 This book is preceeded by A Test of Courage and The High Republic Adventures。 If the readers are avid Star Wars fans who must read everything in an order， it should follow The Rising Storm。（See suggested reading order below）This book in the series follows Padawan Ram Jomaram and his droid V-18 on the planet Valo as the Valons prepare for the arrival of visitors for the Republic Fair。 It has many cameo appearances from the other High Republic publications， and as with all THR stories， there is an attack by the Nihil and even Drengir。 Ram seems to be the only one who recognizes the threat， and it becomes his responsibility to notify the Starlight Beacon and call for reinforcements before all chaos ensues。For middle readers， this is a fantastic story。 It is fast-paced and straightforward， the characters are well developed， and the villains are to be feared without causing pre-teen nightmares。 For those who have read the other THR stories， they will be pleased by Older's use of known characters and the way he overlaps them into the meta-narrative。 The High Republic Suggested Reading Timeline: - Starlight: Go Together， Part 1 by Charles Soule （SW Insider 199 Short Story） - Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule - The High Republic （Marvel） 1 - Starlight: Go Together， Part 2 by Charles Soule （SW Insider 200 Short Story） - A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland - Into the Dark by Claudia Gray - The High Republic （Marvel） 2-6 - The High Republic Adventures （IDW） 1-5 - Starlight: First Duty， Parts 1 and 2 by Cavan Scott （SW Insider 201-202 Short Story） - Starlight: Hidden Danger by Justina Ireland （SW Insider 203 Short Story） - The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott - Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older 。。。more

Ben ， 2021-05-23 00:00

“Test of Courage” is a middle-grade book that was written for all ages。 “Race to Crashpoint Tower” seems like it was written for a younger audience。 I will look back at this book fondly。 It would be a good read-aloud book， very action-packed。 Unfortunately， there’s not a lot to ponder as an adult。

Sarah ， 2021-05-21 00:00

Not sure why people leave ratings before a book is even out， but I’m helping this one with a five star instead of all the pre-hate。 I’ll update when I’ve read it。

Julia Pika ， 2021-04-04 00:00

Thanks to NetGalley & Disney Publishing Worldwide for the early copy in exchange for a full review。 Actual rating is 3。5/5 stars。Full review coming soon！

William Schaller ， 2021-03-18 00:00

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Star Wars The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower

Reviews

Re-read this now that I have a physical （read: not review） copy， so still a lot of fun and still good to spend some time with these characters。

Not sure why people leave ratings before a book is even out， but I’m helping this one with a five star instead of all the pre-hate。 I’ll update when I’ve read it。

Thanks to NetGalley & Disney Publishing Worldwide for the early copy in exchange for a full review。 Actual rating is 3。5/5 stars。Full review coming soon！

Under strict embargo until May。