In the Tales of Light and Life Anthology, go on mini adventures with your favorite High Republic Padawans and young Jedi Knights.
It’s time for another detour in The High Republic for the TALES OF LIGHT AND LIFE ANTHOLOGY. The first three stories, “The Queen’s Bloom”, “The Closed Fist has No Claws”, and “Shield of the Jedi” take us back to Phase 2. The first one follows a young Axel Greylark as he first meets The Mother while out on the town while attending University. The second follows Marda Ro as she searches for other Evereni and forms the Nihil, including where she gets the red eye and storm imagery. The third follows Padawan Rooper as she faces the trial set for her by her master and becomes the next keeper of the Shield.
Most of the rest of the stories are set just after or a year after the fall of Starlight. They see Vernestra on her own after becoming a Wayseeker after loosing Imri on Starlight in “The Force Provides”. Another follows Bell as he looks for and finds fan favorite Burryaga in “All Jedi Walk Their Own Path.” Catch up with the crew of The Vessel in “After the Fall.”
The final two stories, “A Light in the Darkness” and “The Call of Coruscant,” occur just before Phase Three and revolve around new characters. For this reason, I couldn’t get into these two stories. I know one of the characters from “Call” will be in one of the upcoming YA novels, but as I had no investment in the character yet, I didn’t see why I should care about him or how the story connects to the broader storyline. These two were just superfluous.
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
I enjoyed “The Queen’s Bloom” as it gave a little insight into Axel’s character before his father’s death and showed us how he ended up on The Mother’s radar. “The Closed Fist” gives us insight into Marda’s psyche as she creates what will become the Nihil and possibly tells us who Marchion’s great-grandfather is. While not strictly essential, they help better understand the characters and the creation of the Nihil.
Bell’s story was probably my favorite. While I still think it’s a stretch that Burry survived, the story shows Bell’s dedication to his friend. He decided that since he didn’t fully listen to his instincts when Loaden went missing, he would trust them this time and seek out his friend until he had confirmation that he lived or died. We also get a nice flashback to a mission he went on with Loaden that informs us how he approaches the current situation.
While I like Vernestra as a character, her story was a miss for me. Ireland’s stories, in general, are a mixed bag for me. I liked how it showed how she deals with the grief of losing her Padawan but also that she is listening to what the Force is calling her personally to do. It also shows how she ends up where she is at the start of Phase 3, but the mission she goes on just wasn’t that interesting to me.
VERDICT
While some of the stories were pleasant interludes and character pieces, I don’t think any of these are essential reading to continue the story of the High Republic Era. Like the final two stories, Rooper’s and the one about the Vessel are superfluous. I listened to the audio, and both narrators did an excellent job with the characters’ voices. I think I preferred listening to this time. However, overall, it only earned me three stars.
Star Wars: The High Republic – Tales of Light and Life is available to order now.
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.
