Welcome back to a Galaxy Far, Far Away. The Star Wars universe has been teeming with new tales as the High Republic era finds its footing across a vast collection of storytelling mediums. The High Republic, set about 200 years before the Skywalker Saga, is a generally peaceful moment in time. The Galaxy we’re familiar with later in the Star Wars timeline is less settled at this point, but the Republic & the Jedi are committed to peace; even in the unchecked Outer Rim.
Race to Crashpoint Tower is a Junior novel whose events proceed plot points established in the previously published adult novel, Light of the Jedi, and includes characters and plot from The High Republic Adventures comics. This is starting to sound a little complicated, however, the masterminds behind the High Republic era are generous with exposition. While much needed to be explained in Race to Crashpoint Tower to make sure the reader had the most up-to-date information, it never felt too heavy-handed or redundant.
This fast-paced, character-driven adventure opens on the planet Valo, where a giant festival is set to begin. We meet Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram in his favorite place; the garage. There’s nothing Ram loves more than using The Force to take something apart and put it back together again. He’s elbow deep in ripping apart a speeder when droid V-18 interrupts him. The security alarm on Crashpoint Peak has been tripped, and V-18 can’t find anyone else to help investigate. Ram’s not sure if the security breach is an error, or the work of the Nihil, the resident baddies of the High Republic era. This investigation gets the story moving, and Ram, V-18, and a few friends from past High Republic works, have to band together to not only protect the peace of the festival, but the whole planet of Valo.
While I am not the intended age demographic for Race to Crashpoint Tower, I found the characters and story to be interesting and engaging regardless. Any Star Wars fan and High Republic reader will find something to enjoy in this compact (compared to the adult novels) adventure. Race to Crashpoint Tower is set for release on June 29th, 2021, the same day as the second adult novel, The Rising Storm debuts. Both books will feature events that overlap in The High Republic timeline. Don’t worry, GateCrashers has you covered; you can read our spoiler-free review of The Rising Storm here. And with that, my fellow Star Wars-lover, remember to board your nearest Jedi Vector ship on June 29th and make the jump to your local bookstore to purchase both of these new High Republic novels.