Max Nocerino 
Max detours back into the adventures of The High Republic era. But can Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong’s Escape From Valo deliver another standout story?
It’s time to return to the era of Star Wars: The High Republic in Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong’s Escape From Valo. But does it stick the landing? Or this latest volume stalling the hyperdrive?
REVIEW
Reading Daniel Jose Older is an interesting experience. While he knows how to craft a creative story, and all the plot development pieces it entails, his dialogue and character development are disproportionately lacking.
“Escape from Valo” is a middle-grade novel from the beginning of Phase III of The High Republic multimedia literature initiative. Taking place a little over two centuries before The Phantom Menace, the Republic and the Jedi must counter the threat of the Nihil. The scum of the galaxy. Killer space pilots led by the cold psychopath, Marchion Ro. This book picks up a year after the terrorist attack on Valo and the destruction of the Republic’s Starlight Beacon. The story runs concurrent with the adult novel, “Eye of Darkness.” As this is middle grade, it is understandable that the book’s violence and adult content are watered down. Yet it shows a realistic perspective from the eyes of a group of teenagers, instead of adults.
RAM JOMARAM
The returning protagonist is one of Older’s creations, the tech-savvy Jedi apprentice Ram Jomaram. Ram finds himself behind enemy lines on his homeworld of Valo. The Nihil’s Stormshield has cut off a swath of space from the rest of the galaxy with an impenetrable hyperspace barrier of sorts. Ram has little choice but to harass the Nihil occupying his world by dressing up as a Scarlett Skull assassin and causing as much trouble for them as possible. He also takes a leaf out of Jedi Elzar Mann’s book by broadcasting FTL radio messages to his beloved droid. A fallen comrade who was lost when the shield went down. However, Ram must also help a few Jedi younglings who have also been stranded on Valo. All the while learning what it means to be a mentor.
The plot points usually transition very smoothly in this book, yet the bridges to each objective are a little weak. I always regarded Older as my least favorite High Republic author. But the real problem with his storytelling is the awkward and strange way he writes the character relationships and interactions. Sometimes what the characters say just hits the ear wrong. And the only conclusion I can come to is that Ram is an example of an autistic character in the Star Wars universe.
AUTISM IN STAR WARS?
As someone who may be on the ASD spectrum, I see all the signs in Ram. I very much hope that this was Older’s intention. Because it seems too deliberate. It makes me wonder deeper about how autism is treated or recognized in this society. I speculated years back that Neeko from Star Wars Resistance was autistic. But it was never confirmed afterward. Perhaps it is just my interpretation of a character based on my frequency bias. Either way, Ram is a somewhat likable character who has difficulty making jokes or recognizing his feelings. He devotes most of his time to his intense interests in machines and tinkering.
The Jedi kids he adopts are also a little strange. But it is quickly established that one of the two male kids has an attraction to his longtime friend. I have no problem with homosexuality whatsoever. Yet I notice that EVERY single Star Wars book produced in this era must feature some sort of same-sex relationship or attraction. Personally, I think it’s overkill and hardly necessary as in the real world, same-sex relationships are not as common as opposite-sex. It’s okay to be gay, but you shouldn’t be pretentious in doing so. There is something to be said with subtlety or moderation.
There are billions of species and more than two genders in the Star Wars galaxy. So it would be more creative to explore that. The same can also be said for pronouns, as we don’t know if the Star Wars society would even use, he, she, they, and them.
NON-VIOLENT VIOLENCE!
Another gripe I have with the middle-grade novels is that because it’s for children, the Nihil’s violence and evil are toned down considerably. Fewer characters die in this book. And some of the Nihil are reduced to bumbling fools who are so incompetent that they can’t even deal with children. Offenses that would have gotten a lesser-ranking Nihil killed by a superior are also completely circumvented. It creates a disequilibrium with the rest of the backdrop. The Nihil are bloodthirsty hedonists who are constantly killing each other like animals to curry higher favor! That simply cannot be translated well into a kiddie story. Iran (the Nihil’s baddie’s subordinate) is also written in an attempt to be funny, and it just comes off as silly and annoying.
Older knows how to construct a story. But the means to get to each objective are shoddy and written in a very non-compelling way that puts a bad taste in the mouth. He also very much employs a literal deus ex machina towards the end that I find as unbelievable and sloppy as Bell Zettifar holding onto his friend Burryaga being alive and then being proved right.
Additionally, a few characters are shoehorned into the story without much purpose. Like the pirate kid who joins the Jedi and characters who fizzle out in terms of story potential. Characters like the young girl who used to be friends with the Jedi younglings before they “abandoned” her when the Nihil invaded. Lots and lots of holes and problems.
VERDICT
Lastly, I will give some props to Older for giving us an obnoxious villain who has a soft spot for his baby Nameless monster who dies in the end. The death of a pet (no matter how heinous) always saddens me and I legitimately felt bad for the character, even though he was a bad guy. I like feeling that kind of feeling when I read any book.
It’s hard to gauge the quality of a book so disproportionate as this. However, I will award it a THREE STARS for being strong in some areas but completely ineffective in others.
STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – ESCAPE FROM VALO is available to buy now and will hit bokshelves on January 30.
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FORCE FACTS
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Dexter Jettster appears in this book! He was active as a privateer, 200 years before he met a teenaged Obi-Wan in Padawan and then decades before he sat down with Obi in his cafe to discuss the Kamino saberdart his old friend found. It’s interesting to have long-lived alien characters pop up in different eras and I usually like it but feel this was an odd cameo. Unless they set up Dexter later in the battle against the Nihil. I hope so.
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Ram’s idea to dress up as a costumed vigilante, actually makes sense for a lot of Force-users to do and it amazes me that we don’t see more of that.
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“Even though I know the Force doesn’t get passed through families, I always wished it did”. Huh?! This was said by the pirate kid Zyle, whose grandmother was a Force user but he was not. Zyle laments that he cannot connect through the Force and states that it is not passed down genetically. Hmmm. While some Force-users in Legends produced “sterile” kids, usually Force-sensitives who reproduce have the Force passed down as a genetic trait. Zyle lived in 232 BBY, so perhaps the science back then was incomplete. Or maybe Force-sensitivity doesn’t pass down with genetics and in canon, Luke and Leia are weird genetic exceptions?
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The way Ram’s droid, V18, smuggled himself past the Stormshield was quite inventive and genius in its simplicity. Take that Elzar Mann and the Old Republic science department.
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Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
