Book Review for Star Wars Book Club for July: Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void

Book: Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon

Cover Art by Torstein Nordstrand

Edition: Paperback

Description:

On the planet Tython, the ancient Je’daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force—and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy.

Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key—risking a cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic annihilation, is the decision of her Je’daii Masters to task her with the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved—and whose life she must now fear.




Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void is an interesting look in the Pre-Republic Era of Star Wars. The story follows as human Je'daii Ranger Lanorre Brock is tasked with a critical and dangerous mission to stop the Stargazers cult that plans to open a long believed hypergate in the depths of the Old City on the Je'daii established planet Tython. If the Stargazers succeed, the hypergate would not only destroy Tython but the solar system it's in. Despite being a highly trained and skilled Je'daii Ranger, this mission was going to be tough for Lanorre. And finding out that her younger brother Dalien "Dal", who was believed to be dead, was the cult leader was going to add an emotional layer to her completing this mission. Prior to his supposed death, Dal had a strong resentment against the Force as well as started to believe the origin stories that reflected the beliefs of the Stargazers.

Aside from her droid Ironholgs who generally stayed on her ship, Lanorre mainly worked alone for her missions. But for this one she was getting a little assistance from Tre Sana, a Twi'lek with a shady past. According to Je'daii Master Dam-Powl, Tre has been a useful contact and he would be helpful for Lanorre since this was going to be a dangerous mission and she was less likely to get help from others when many still don't trust the Je'daii.

Following clues and gathering information was leading her closer to finding the Stargazers but her mission was becoming more deadlier. With time was running out, will she be able to stop Dal and the Stargazers?

This was a good read, it was intense and fast-paced with an interesting story and characters. There are flashback scenes of Lanorre and Dal when they were teens going on their journey traveling from different Je'daii temples to study and train in the Force. During their journey you can see how their sibling relationship was becoming strained. You could feel Dal's growing frustration with the Je'daii and he thought their reliance on the Force was constraining. He was also becoming more unstable as their training progressed.

Meanwhile, you can see Lanorre excelling in her training but at the same time putting a lot of pressure on herself trying to look after Dal who didn't want her help and only seemed to resent her and the Force even more. Whatever sibling connection they had when they were younger no longer seemed to be there in their teen years nor as adults. Which is why in the main story, Dal showed no hesitation in trying to kill Lanorre who I initially felt was holding herself back, in hopes that her brother could be saved.

I really enjoyed reading this because you get to see the earlier concept of the Jedi Order and although the Je'daii Order was slightly different it still felt very similar. I like Lanorre, she's an intriguing heroine who was focused and determined but can be a little closed off. Which I'm sure years of working on her own added to her appearing impersonal. However, I found it surprising how much she enjoyed Tre's company on this mission. There was a good rapport between them, their relationship went from being a forced necessity to something built on trust.

This was a really good read and it made me wish all the Star Wars Legend stories were still canon because I would love to read more Pre-Republic stories about Je'daii Ranger Lanorre Brock.