The High Republic: Into the Light Review

spoilers ahead!!!!!

"What flourishes in darkness can be defeated only by bringing it into the light."

Into the Light by Claudia Gray follows Reath Silas, Cohmac Vitus, Amadeo Azzazzo, Nan Hague, the crew of the Vessel, and more as they work to stop the spread of the blight and the Drengir on Kashyyyk. Will they be able to stop it, or will the dark win out over the light?

So far, phase III of the high republic has been a bit of a letdown. Defy the Storm was an early disappointment that focused on characters I largely didn't care in the middle of a plot with very little real consequence. Temptation of the Force continued that trend with an unfortunately disappointing story that seemingly didn't get anywhere, but Tears of the Nameless was a surprisingly welcome departure from this trend with an enthralling story focusing on some of my favorite characters from the whole multimedia project. Into the Light falls somewhere in the middle—I didn't love it, but I certainly didn't hate it. I think it played some aspects of the plot too safe, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the bolder choices made by Gray. So let's get into some of the parts of the book I enjoyed

Reath Silas continues to be one of my favorite Star Wars characters in recent years. Because Gray introduced us all to him in Into the Dark, her style perfectly complements his development over these past few years, with his more mature personality demonstrating just how far he has come. Reath and Cohmac's evolving relationship over the entire THR publishing initiative has been really exciting to see, and this book feels like a satisfying place to end it. With Cohmac rejoining the Jedi Order at the end of the book, I can imagine Reath and him going on so many cute former-padawan-and-master missions just like Obi-Wan and Anakin did ^^.

Speaking of Cohmac, he, Amadeo, and Burryaga were the other main jedi of the book, and I thought that Gray did an amazing job with both of them. I'm still a firm Reath-padawan-name-Amadeo truther, and their interactions in this book perfectly built on their relationship in TotN without taking away from the core returning characters from ItD. Burryaga works best when he is with Bell Zettifar, in my (and countless other zettifurry believers) opinion, but his connection to Kashyyyk made for a very interesting dynamic, especially when paired with Kelnacca from The Acolyte (which was a wonderful addition, I love these kinds of crossovers)!

As for the non-Jedi cast members, Nan was wonderful addition, as always! Her continuously evolving dynamic with Reath and the Nihil made for a really enthralling read—I was never sure what side she was on until the very end of the book. Her rivalry with and vendetta against Dr. Mkapa was a classic example of how power breeds struggle and violence, though I did think some of the detail about her motivations could've been a little clearer (not that I don't understand why they weren't). If we're talking about Nan, we better talk about her new crew as well, since it certainly seems like she's going to be joining the Vessel, at least for a short while, as a navigator to fill the rock-sized hole Geode left in their cockpit. Affie, Leox, and Geode were all excellent in this book, as per usual!! Geode is quite possibly the funniest character in any Star Wars book series I've ever read, and everytime he was on the page I got a laugh. His sacrifice at the end of the book was the moment that made me the most emotional, I MISS HIM ALREADY >.< !!!!!

The other non-Jedi (technically former-Jedi) that I want to mention is Azlin Rell, who I continued to really enjoy throughout this book. His perspective on the events was really illuminating to the way his mind works, and i have a feeling that he may just turn to the light more permanently in the upcoming Trials of the Jedi. On one hand, he craves violence and destroys the the Drengir without remorse, but on the other hand he feels the light more strongly than ever, and recalls his innocent trip to Kashyyyk as a youngling. His appearance and actions in Edge of Balance, Vol. 3 made that issue one of my favorite in the entire phase, so this continuation was an excellent addition to a character I love so much.

I'll be brief, but there were some things I didn't love in the book. For one, I don't know if it's because I never read the phase I middle-grades, but I am so not invested in Dr. Mkapa's whole bit. I wasn't really loving when she showed up in Out of the Shadows (which actually idek if she did, that's how unmemorable that book was), or when she showed up DtS, so naturally I wasn't a huge fan of her in this book. I just think the whole "Nihil scientist" bit is overdone—Baron Boolan, Kisma Uttersond, Niv Drendow, and now Mkapa just seems like too much. Not that I think she's a bad character, but she just seems like the same character as a whole bunch of other Nihil—there is nothing distinct at all about her, and I'd almost prefer if it were Niv Drendow or Boolan (even though I know he's captured, whatevs).

Similarly, I felt that Avon Starros' presence in the book didn't really amount to much. This is probably another side effect of not having read the phase I middle-grades, but I never really felt a connection to Avon. I think her relationship with Ghirra Starros is interesting, but ultimately I don't really think she did much in this book except have a personal connection to Mkapa. Here I think my criticism of Avon's character is different from my criticism of Mkapa—Avon feels original and like she has a place in the publishing initiative, I just don't think this book was the place for her.

And now, the big flesh-craving plant monster in the room—the Drengir. I have not been loving the Drengir in this phase—I feel like we keep repeating the same plot over-and-over again, where the Drengir attack, the Jedi fight them off, and then they stop attacking. I listened to Seeds of Starlight and it seemed as if we were heading toward a Jedi-Drengir truce in the sequel audiobook Haunted Starlight. But now I don't know what the point of those stories were if there was never a truce at all (maybe to get the Great Progenitor off Eiram, but idrk, I didn't listen to the sequel). However, I do enjoy how the Drengir were treated in this specific book—I think ending their story with Reath and Cohmac (where it began all the way back in 2021) was a good thematic choice. The light changing their violent nature was a fun aspect of the story, and I do genuinely enjoy how their saga ends. However, throughout phase III (including in this book), the Drengir have simultaneously felt like a non-threat and a non-integral part of the story, which makes it annoying how often they popped up. To reiterate, I do enjoy how the Drengir's story ends in this book, but I really think their overarching story throughout the phase could've used some work.

I overall enjoyed reading this book—TotN had me back in THR-mode, and this book will certainly keep me there until TotJ comes out later this year. As for setting-up future stories, I think the way the blight disappeared from Kashyyyk after a massive burst of light-side energy from the White wroshyr trees sets a precedent for the Jedi to be able to stop the blight. Gray made it pretty clear that this cure to the blight wasn't to be repeated, so I'm sure that the Jedi's almost sure trip to Planet X will have something to do with the ultimate solution, but even knowing that the blight can be stopped in its tracks is important context for TotJ. Ultimately I think this book did a lot right, but fell short of being excellent. Gray's writing style is great, but phase III's circuitous plot and seemingly never-ending loose-ends has dampened my enjoyment of the entire phase. It feels as if all the writers are boxed in by what has come before (which obviously makes sense), whereas the writers for phases I and II had more room to experiment without having to deliver on years-long promises of myriad tied-up ends. What I will give this book is that it focuses primarly on a singular event, which DtS and TotF didn't do and subsequently struggled to keep my attention and interest.

I think readers of THR will enjoy this book, especially since it does wrap up a lot of loose ends from years and years ago, and also people who are more into the mystic aspects of the force. Kashyyyk is such a magical planet, and Azlin's perspective really gives some great insight into this aspect of the force. 8/10, pretty good!