Book Review | Star Wars: The High Republic ‘Race to Crashpoint Tower’

In Star Wars: The High Republic Race To Crashpoint Tower – Meet Padawans Ram Jomaram and Lula Talisola as they battle the Nihil to save the planet Valo.

The next adventure in the Star Wars The High Republic publishing initiative has arrived. And it involves a Race To Crashpoint Tower. But can Daniel José Older build upon the success of previous adventures?

STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – RACE TO CRASH POINT TOWER | by Daniel José Older

The Republic Fair has come to Valo. Delegates from all over the galaxy have come to share their cultures in the first galaxy wide fair in centuries. While everyone readies for the festivities, Padawan Ram Jomaram is more at home in his mechanics shop than anywhere else. When he finds out the communications tower has been knocked out he vows to fix it. However, Ram finds more than he bargained for in the attempt. The Nihil have come out of hiding to sabotage the event.

Meanwhile, Padawan Lula Talisola is helping Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh investigate the Nihil. They arrive on Valo just as an attack begins. Can Ram and Lula make it to the tower in time to aid the planet in defeating the attack?

Characters

Ram is a Padawan with a high interest in mechanics. He uses the Force to help him see inside machines, understands how they work, diagnoses mechanical issues, and more. This is unique and not something I’ve seen before. Usually, Jedi have a bond with animals or other organics. But Ram’s is with machines. During the novel, he learns to see the bigger picture of the galaxy instead of only seeing the parts.

Lula is a Padawan who is part of a group studying under Master Yoda and Kantam Sy. Lula is skilled, but not always confident in her abilities. She tends to get caught up in overthinking things. In the course of the novel, she learns to find balance within herself and how she can help the galaxy find balance.

Both main characters are of Hispanic/Latino descent. Lula is older than Ram by a couple of years, but their exact age is not stated. I doubt Lula is more than fifteen as she is younger than Vernestra. There is another non-Jedi Force Sensitive tween/teen who accompanies Lula named Zeen Mrala, but she is not a point-of-view character. Of course, there’s also a crazy droid.

Story

This was an exciting and fast-paced read. I read the majority of it in a day while in my hotel room at a state library conference. It had a lot of action and the story moved along at a good pace. It did not get bogged down by too much exposition, more than one plot,  or extra characters. This also allowed both main characters enough page time to become fully fleshed out.

While Vernestra and her apprentice Imri appear, it’s brief and it helps to connect their story to the wider High Republic arc and world. Ty Yorrick, a Force Sensitive that will appear in The Rising Storm, and can be seen on the cover of that book, appears briefly as the two books take place concurrently.

Lula, Zeen, and Master Sy appear in the High Republic Adventures published by IDW and also written by Daniel Jose Older. Those comics take place before the events of the book and tell how Lula and Zeen met. I haven’t seen a trade paperback for those yet, so I eagerly await a chance to read them in a collected edition to get more of their story.

Author

Daniel Jose Older is one of the architects of The High Republic series. Older’s previous Star Wars novel is Last Shot. He is also the author of the young adult series The Shadowshaper Cypher. This book is geared towards Middle-Grade readers between the ages of 8-12. However, it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Star Wars: The High Republic ‘Race To Crashpoint Tower’ by Daniel José Older is published by Disney Books and is available to own in the USA NOW! UK readers can pre-order the book for a July 1st release.

Melissa Villy

I’m Mina, the Jedi Librarian. I’m a Program Specialist Librarian, lover of all the books, and a lifelong Star Wars fan. I’m also secretly a Jedi.