Title: Star Wars: A New Dawn
Author: John Jackson Miller
Recent Release Date: September 2, 2014
Review of Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
My Pre-Reading of A New Dawn
Synopsis:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
“The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.”—Emperor Palpatine
For a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights brought peace and order to the Galactic Republic, aided by their connection to the mystical energy field known as the Force. But they were betrayed—and the entire galaxy has paid the price. It is the Age of the Empire.
Now Emperor Palpatine, once Chancellor of the Republic and secretly a Sith follower of the dark side of the Force, has brought his own peace and order to the galaxy. Peace through brutal repression, and order through increasing control of his subjects’ lives.
But even as the Emperor tightens his iron grip, others have begun to question his means and motives. And still others, whose lives were destroyed by Palpatine’s machinations, lay scattered about the galaxy like unexploded bombs, waiting to go off. . . .
The first Star Wars novel created in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, Star Wars: A New Dawn is set during the legendary “Dark Times” between Episodes III and IV and tells the story of how two of the lead characters from the animated series Star Wars Rebels first came to cross paths. Featuring a foreword by Dave Filoni.
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Review: This book sets the scene for the new Star Wars canon. It is a prequel to the new tv series Star Wars Rebels. This book shows how two of the main characters in the tv series, Kanan and Hera, met. Since the series is only beginning, the characters don't feel fully fledged out. Hera has almost no backstory. Kanan was only a padawan during the Jedi Purge. I liked learning about his past. I hope for more stories set closer to right after the Purge.
With this whole new era of Star Wars, they're really trying to get back to the feel of the original trilogy. The world present in this novel is a mix of the original trilogy and the prequels. It's mostly the original, but with some more modern things. I liked how a stormtrooper was randomly a female. It was the most subtle thing, but I liked the diversity they are presenting. A primary antagonist is also female captain of a star destroyer.
Usually Star Wars stories are grand and in exotic locales. This novel takes place mainly on a mining planet. This added to the gray tone reminiscent of the film that started it all.
Although Star Wars Rebels may be a children's show, this novel is not. There are some pretty brutal deaths.
Vidian is the main villain of the novel. Unfortunately, he does not seem very original. He is another cyborg Star Wars villain. He does have an interesting background, even though it may be really bureaucratic.
I think a downfall of this novel is that it couldn't make any big changes. The Star Wars story group had a lot of influence on this novel. I think John Jackson Miller was a little restricted. I preferred his Kenobi book.
I give this novel a solid 3/5. If you are a complete Star Wars superfan, you may enjoy this book as a prelude to Rebels. But, if you don't have to read every Star Wars book that comes out then I'd say you can pass on this one.
--PAUL
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