Finally finished Phase 1 and your assessment is pretty spot on. It was a mistake for the authors to jump between mediums because there's too much disconnect it causes from book to book. Ireland should've been given the middle grade, Grey the YA, Soule and Scott the adult, and Older the HRA comics - he's just not a prose guy.
I really liked the first 2 adult novels but my issues with this series are it feels like if you don’t read all the comics or the junior novels it feels like I’m missing something. I’m not really sure if I’ll continue this series as much as I enjoy reading Star Wars
Great Video! I actually enjoyed them all with exception of Crashpoint Tower. I have seen a BIG issue with the story telling where if you haven’t read the comics/manga/audio drama you do miss A TON of plots that aren’t really resolved in the adult/YA books. After finished the comic the Eye of Storm is makes 100% perfect sense why phase 2 shifts to years prior to phase 1 and it’s gonna be spectacular. One issue that bothered me is the lack of Yoda…he pops out a bit in the IDW comics - gets mentioned in the adult books are someone who can single handily turn the tide against impossible odds ….yet never appears or makes any sort of impact 😡 I’m thinking he will have a huge role in phase 2 and obviously in phase 3. In the end this has been an excellent period to read on, I love Vern, Avar, Bell and Ty and can’t wait to keep reading the next phase
Really respect this list, I haven't read the junior novels myself and don't really plan to. I hate that I agree with you on the YA books, I just failed to connect with them. The Adult novels are by far some of my favorite Star Wars novels in a long time each one I have loved so much. Our lists do differ but they are a little different. 1 The Rising Storm (I think this is the best structured and paced book overall, I enjoyed every plotline especially Ty and Elzar) 2 Light of the Jedi (Honestly a masterpiece in my opinion what it set out to do and accomplished is nothing short of amazing) 3 The Fallen Star (by far the book that had me the most emotional throughout, some really heavy losses in this one. I do agree with the whole idea that it is a little disapoining that its set in one singular setting but I also think that is a positive because it was handled well) 4 Midnight Horizon (I found this to be the most enjoyable book of the YA stuff so far and I was impressed by DJO for the most part, the tone is the biggest issue I think and it was pretty hard to connect to a character like Ram) 5 into the Dark (yeah definitely Claudia Gray's weakest book despite introducing some of my favorite characters in THR; Leox and Affie. This book I just really struggled to enjoy and found the reveal of the drengir very disappointing especially with how they were handled in the comics.) 6 Out of the Shadows (I wouldn't say I hated this book but I really didnt like it. Ireland is my least favorite out of these 5 authors. I dont like her focus on character descriptions and how little development each one gets. Reath was extremely disappointing in this book to me as well.) Love the High Republic, the Comics and the Adult Novels is where its been at for me. Very curious to see what Phase 2 will look like because there are so many hanging threads im dying to see resolved but looks like we will have to wait and see in Phase 3!!
Finally its here, been waiting for this. Can't say I disagree with any of your picks tbh, mby Into the Dark is abit higher for because I liked it alot. Heres some thoughts on the Adult Ones. Light of the Jedi had the very hard job of introducing an entire new Star Wars era and cast, and I think it did a pretty amazing job at it. Kinda sad Soule didn't do more books this phase mostly focused on comics. I was on the fence on the High Republic stuff, but after reading it I wanted more instantly. Instant hit for me. The Rising Storm is for me the best book of the phase, but as you said its EXTREMELY close with LotJ. Its just a fun read, where I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Really liked the new character introduced aswell, former padawan turned mercenary. Would have loved to find out more about her, but shes not mention at all in later books. The Fallen Star: I had high hopes for this one since I absolutely love Claudia Gray, but I was a little disappointed by it. Don't get me wrong I still liked it, but them directly spoiling it in marketing kinda ruined it for me. I didnt feel much tension at all knowing the outcome, and I think it would have been alot better had I not known. Also one characters decisions seems very stupid to me, and also it seemed way to easy for the villains? I'm still abit unsure how I really feel about TFS. I'm very excited for Phase 2 this fall, but kinda bummed they abandoning every character and going back more years. Lets see how it plays out.
I enjoyed your list! I’ve only read the adult and YA novels and enjoyed most of them. I was curious your thoughts on the Tempest Runner as a read. I listened to the audiobook and found the production value very high and the story quite engaging. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I love the High republic, I read all the main Marvel Comic. And out of the Shadows. The fist Comic run was 10/10, the story the carackter all of it. But the 2, 3 was not good. It was very Childish and so was it painted. Out of the Shadows was also amazing, at fist the story was very slow but at the middle it started to be very good. It was the first Star Wars book I read, so I can't rank it to a other one.
Ok, Jonathan I finished reading the adult novels of the High Republic. I ended up with the last adult novel being not only disappointed but confused. I get the initiative to incorporate all the different formats & genres, but there were characters that showed up in this book, I was like, "Who are they?" I also wondered what happened to other characters from the previous novels. I found it the series very disjointed. I'm like many readers that don't want to, don't have the time, and/or don't believe you should have to read the comics, YA books, etc to know and understand the story. So a couple of questions: In your review you talked about a story element that was in the adult novels but resolved in one of the YA books. (Since I probably won't read those) will say what it was? Also, did the High Republic story end with the Fallen Star? If not, what happened to the Nihil? Were they defeated? If Disney is requiring people to read all these materials that is NOT the way to go about writing & developing a new era. The Adult novels should have their own thread, the YA books theirs, Comic also, etc. I'm very frustrated with this, especially knowing that Phase 2 is going to be 100 years or so BEFORE when Phase 1 took place. Anything you can answer, help with, tell me where to look for answers, etc would be appreciated. I cannot be the only person that felt this way if they just read the adult novels.
I would much prefer the books to follow their own characters (Adult books only follow those characters, while the MIddle Grade follows different characters, while the YA follows other characters). However, that isn't the approach here. It was definitely most difficult in The Fallen Star to keep up as that's where the most crossover happend. The book "Out of the Shadows" finished up the plotline for the old woman who was part of the San Tekka clan who was taken by the Nihil and found their routes for them. I felt that that plotline should have been resolved in The Fallen Star or another adult book instead, and it seemed smaller scale than it should have been by being relegated to the YA line. The story is not over. They are going back in time 150 years with Phase II, and they will then go forward in time to after the Fallen Star for Phase III (Kind of like how we have the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, and the Sequels). So some things might not get revisited, but the story is by no means over. As someone who loves the adult novels first and foremost, I am very frustrated by this. Then again, I'm also really happy to have an interconnected line again, because I was so tired of standalone novels that I'll take the drawbacks that this series has. I'm hoping the editors and story group will learn from this and maybe if they ever do another dedicated series, maybe for the Old Republic they will keep it to just the Adult books.
Thank you! I was wondering what happened to her. I'll have to take a look at that book. I believe you and are very similar in our thinking concerning this. I too enjoyed the connectivity and the broader story that was being told. The literature field of the SW franchise is being stifled by all the tv shows in my opinion. They have no room to maneuver for broad scope storytelling. I think you can only do only so many novels dealing with origin or back stories
Just now jumping into these since Phase II is almost done. Have you /are you going to read the Chronicles of the Jedi book that's kind of like the encyclopedia of the High Republic era so far?
I only really read novels and sometimes short story/novella collections, so I doubt I’ll read it. But I won’t say never. If I’m enjoying something I might look into other media for it.
Have you ever ever got around to reading the high republic comics? If so, could I request a ranking or series or review videos on them? Never been a comic reader but have heard good things about the comics, so would really value your opinion about which ones are worth my time.
Jonathan, I have a question for you---or anyone else that's wants to jump in. I'm just getting to the High Republic books. Just starting "Light of the Jedi". My question is are all levels of the books so connected, do you have to read the YA & Middle Grade books as well to understand what's going on; or can you just read the Adult novels to grasp the story?
They are loosely connected, and kind of reference each other. There will be offhand references throughout. However, the main lines follow each other generally, or at least the characters do, so you can read the Adult novels by themselves.
I have a better opinion of Older's books. And I'm not a fan of Ireland's works. Older was a positive overall surprise for me, the Adventures comic and characters from it are perhaps my favorites in the whole HighRepublic, and I enjoyed learning about their fate, seeing the aftermath of what became Zeen, etc.
One of the advantages of the High Republic is that they really created something for everyone, touching every age group, every demographic, and every writing style. Unfortunately, that means that some won't work and some will work. But I am really glad you like Older's works. And thank you for watching the channel!
I have only read Light of the Jedi so far and have Rising Storm on my shelf waiting to be read. I was only planning on reading the adult novels but after watching this I might try the others too. Will I lose anything by reading the adults first then the others later? Also do the Middle Grade make sense on their own as my son is 10 and has recently taken an interest in reading but he hasn't read any Star Wars yet? Sorry for all the questions! Great vid as always Take care
If you only read the Adult novels you might get everything that’s happening in that hooos, but you’ll definitely miss some references and nuances with other characters and plot lines. I think your son might be able to handle the Middle Grade. They are pretty easy to read. I’d suggest those books, as well as the Kevin Anderson/Rebecca Moesta Young Jedi Knights Books and the Jude Watson Jedi Apprentice Series.
I would rate it around number four or five out of 10. It was really good, super fast paced and enjoyable, but needed more time. I do have a full video review on the channel if you are interested.
I only read very little of the comics, as my reading focus is prose. However, I have read some of the first two Vader runs, as well as some of the Kanan comics and some others. Ill have a comics video eventually, but it’d just not one I’ve done too much of, but I’d love to do more.
@@thatfunkymonkey7667 I do have several top fives and top tens for Star Wars books in my RUclips channel including favorite canon books, favorite legends/EU books, favorite authors, etc.
Great ranking! I’ve really been enjoying this era so far, although I haven’t read the middle grade books or comics I actually did a video like this on my other channel ranking the six adult and YA books. If you’re interested in my thoughts on each book, it’ll be on the channel The RVN1207 Page. I’d link it but I don’t think RUclips likes that, for whatever reason My ranking is probably something like this, though it may shift around slightly: 1. The Rising Storm 2. The Fallen Star 3. Midnight Horizon 4. Into the Dark 5. Light of the Jedi 6. Out of the Shadows
There are elements and references and walk on characters that you will miss if you don’t read everything. But the basic frame of the story you will understand, because the adult novels generally follow the same characters throughout.
Finally finished Phase 1 and your assessment is pretty spot on. It was a mistake for the authors to jump between mediums because there's too much disconnect it causes from book to book. Ireland should've been given the middle grade, Grey the YA, Soule and Scott the adult, and Older the HRA comics - he's just not a prose guy.
I really liked the first 2 adult novels but my issues with this series are it feels like if you don’t read all the comics or the junior novels it feels like I’m missing something. I’m not really sure if I’ll continue this series as much as I enjoy reading Star Wars
That is totally understandable.
Great Video! I actually enjoyed them all with exception of Crashpoint Tower.
I have seen a BIG issue with the story telling where if you haven’t read the comics/manga/audio drama you do miss A TON of plots that aren’t really resolved in the adult/YA books. After finished the comic the Eye of Storm is makes 100% perfect sense why phase 2 shifts to years prior to phase 1 and it’s gonna be spectacular.
One issue that bothered me is the lack of Yoda…he pops out a bit in the IDW comics - gets mentioned in the adult books are someone who can single handily turn the tide against impossible odds ….yet never appears or makes any sort of impact 😡 I’m thinking he will have a huge role in phase 2 and obviously in phase 3.
In the end this has been an excellent period to read on, I love Vern, Avar, Bell and Ty and can’t wait to keep reading the next phase
Really respect this list, I haven't read the junior novels myself and don't really plan to.
I hate that I agree with you on the YA books, I just failed to connect with them.
The Adult novels are by far some of my favorite Star Wars novels in a long time each one I have loved so much.
Our lists do differ but they are a little different.
1 The Rising Storm (I think this is the best structured and paced book overall, I enjoyed every plotline especially Ty and Elzar)
2 Light of the Jedi (Honestly a masterpiece in my opinion what it set out to do and accomplished is nothing short of amazing)
3 The Fallen Star (by far the book that had me the most emotional throughout, some really heavy losses in this one. I do agree with the whole idea that it is a little disapoining that its set in one singular setting but I also think that is a positive because it was handled well)
4 Midnight Horizon (I found this to be the most enjoyable book of the YA stuff so far and I was impressed by DJO for the most part, the tone is the biggest issue I think and it was pretty hard to connect to a character like Ram)
5 into the Dark (yeah definitely Claudia Gray's weakest book despite introducing some of my favorite characters in THR; Leox and Affie. This book I just really struggled to enjoy and found the reveal of the drengir very disappointing especially with how they were handled in the comics.)
6 Out of the Shadows (I wouldn't say I hated this book but I really didnt like it. Ireland is my least favorite out of these 5 authors. I dont like her focus on character descriptions and how little development each one gets. Reath was extremely disappointing in this book to me as well.)
Love the High Republic, the Comics and the Adult Novels is where its been at for me. Very curious to see what Phase 2 will look like because there are so many hanging threads im dying to see resolved but looks like we will have to wait and see in Phase 3!!
Thanks for the great vid! I’m in light of the Jedi and getting pumped! I love the new timeline so far and I think Bell is my favorite!
In the High Republic, my favorite is Bell. I also like Elzar Mann and Loren Greatstorm.
I love all your videos man! Keep doing you. Respect 🙏
Thanks for the support!
Great Video! Would love to see you do a similar ranking (or tier list) of the New Jedi Order/ Fate of the Jedi books!
I’m sure I’ll do a similar video eventually. I did rank my top 3 of the New Jedi Order in a previous video. Thank you for watching!
Finally its here, been waiting for this. Can't say I disagree with any of your picks tbh, mby Into the Dark is abit higher for because I liked it alot. Heres some thoughts
on the Adult Ones.
Light of the Jedi had the very hard job of introducing an entire new Star Wars era and cast, and I think it did a pretty amazing job at it. Kinda sad Soule didn't do more
books this phase mostly focused on comics.
I was on the fence on the High Republic stuff, but after reading it I wanted more instantly. Instant hit for me.
The Rising Storm is for me the best book of the phase, but as you said its EXTREMELY close with LotJ. Its just a fun read, where I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Really liked the new character introduced aswell, former padawan turned mercenary. Would have loved to find out more about her, but shes not mention at all in later books.
The Fallen Star: I had high hopes for this one since I absolutely love Claudia Gray, but I was a little disappointed by it.
Don't get me wrong I still liked it, but them directly spoiling it in marketing kinda ruined it for me. I didnt feel much tension at all knowing the outcome,
and I think it would have been alot better had I not known. Also one characters decisions seems very stupid to me, and also it seemed way to easy for the villains?
I'm still abit unsure how I really feel about TFS.
I'm very excited for Phase 2 this fall, but kinda bummed they abandoning every character and going back more years. Lets see how it plays out.
I enjoyed your list! I’ve only read the adult and YA novels and enjoyed most of them. I was curious your thoughts on the Tempest Runner as a read. I listened to the audiobook and found the production value very high and the story quite engaging. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you for watching!
I love the High republic, I read all the main Marvel Comic. And out of the Shadows. The fist Comic run was 10/10, the story the carackter all of it. But the 2, 3 was not good. It was very Childish and so was it painted. Out of the Shadows was also amazing, at fist the story was very slow but at the middle it started to be very good. It was the first Star Wars book I read, so I can't rank it to a other one.
Ok, Jonathan I finished reading the adult novels of the High Republic. I ended up with the last adult novel being not only disappointed but confused. I get the initiative to incorporate all the different formats & genres, but there were characters that showed up in this book, I was like, "Who are they?" I also wondered what happened to other characters from the previous novels. I found it the series very disjointed. I'm like many readers that don't want to, don't have the time, and/or don't believe you should have to read the comics, YA books, etc to know and understand the story. So a couple of questions: In your review you talked about a story element that was in the adult novels but resolved in one of the YA books. (Since I probably won't read those) will say what it was? Also, did the High Republic story end with the Fallen Star? If not, what happened to the Nihil? Were they defeated? If Disney is requiring people to read all these materials that is NOT the way to go about writing & developing a new era. The Adult novels should have their own thread, the YA books theirs, Comic also, etc. I'm very frustrated with this, especially knowing that Phase 2 is going to be 100 years or so BEFORE when Phase 1 took place. Anything you can answer, help with, tell me where to look for answers, etc would be appreciated. I cannot be the only person that felt this way if they just read the adult novels.
I would much prefer the books to follow their own characters (Adult books only follow those characters, while the MIddle Grade follows different characters, while the YA follows other characters). However, that isn't the approach here. It was definitely most difficult in The Fallen Star to keep up as that's where the most crossover happend.
The book "Out of the Shadows" finished up the plotline for the old woman who was part of the San Tekka clan who was taken by the Nihil and found their routes for them. I felt that that plotline should have been resolved in The Fallen Star or another adult book instead, and it seemed smaller scale than it should have been by being relegated to the YA line.
The story is not over. They are going back in time 150 years with Phase II, and they will then go forward in time to after the Fallen Star for Phase III (Kind of like how we have the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, and the Sequels). So some things might not get revisited, but the story is by no means over.
As someone who loves the adult novels first and foremost, I am very frustrated by this. Then again, I'm also really happy to have an interconnected line again, because I was so tired of standalone novels that I'll take the drawbacks that this series has. I'm hoping the editors and story group will learn from this and maybe if they ever do another dedicated series, maybe for the Old Republic they will keep it to just the Adult books.
Thank you! I was wondering what happened to her. I'll have to take a look at that book. I believe you and are very similar in our thinking concerning this. I too enjoyed the connectivity and the broader story that was being told. The literature field of the SW franchise is being stifled by all the tv shows in my opinion. They have no room to maneuver for broad scope storytelling. I think you can only do only so many novels dealing with origin or back stories
Great vid!!
I cant wait to start reading these my self lol still making my way through legends though so well see lol
I guess we will get more books like this with Vernestra in phase 3
Top video 👍
Can you do a video on the order you read the high republic books
I might make that video eventually. I’m trying to determine whether to do it before phase 3 comes out or after phase 3.
Just now jumping into these since Phase II is almost done. Have you /are you going to read the Chronicles of the Jedi book that's kind of like the encyclopedia of the High Republic era so far?
I only really read novels and sometimes short story/novella collections, so I doubt I’ll read it. But I won’t say never. If I’m enjoying something I might look into other media for it.
Have you ever ever got around to reading the high republic comics? If so, could I request a ranking or series or review videos on them? Never been a comic reader but have heard good things about the comics, so would really value your opinion about which ones are worth my time.
I own 2 bind ups of the comics but haven’t read them yet. I’m not sure if or when I will.
@@jonathankoan Understandable as I know you've got a million books on your to-read list already. Thank you for the reply!
Jonathan, I have a question for you---or anyone else that's wants to jump in. I'm just getting to the High Republic books. Just starting "Light of the Jedi". My question is are all levels of the books so connected, do you have to read the YA & Middle Grade books as well to understand what's going on; or can you just read the Adult novels to grasp the story?
They are loosely connected, and kind of reference each other. There will be offhand references throughout. However, the main lines follow each other generally, or at least the characters do, so you can read the Adult novels by themselves.
I have a better opinion of Older's books. And I'm not a fan of Ireland's works. Older was a positive overall surprise for me, the Adventures comic and characters from it are perhaps my favorites in the whole HighRepublic, and I enjoyed learning about their fate, seeing the aftermath of what became Zeen, etc.
One of the advantages of the High Republic is that they really created something for everyone, touching every age group, every demographic, and every writing style. Unfortunately, that means that some won't work and some will work. But I am really glad you like Older's works. And thank you for watching the channel!
I have only read Light of the Jedi so far and have Rising Storm on my shelf waiting to be read. I was only planning on reading the adult novels but after watching this I might try the others too. Will I lose anything by reading the adults first then the others later? Also do the Middle Grade make sense on their own as my son is 10 and has recently taken an interest in reading but he hasn't read any Star Wars yet?
Sorry for all the questions! Great vid as always
Take care
If you only read the Adult novels you might get everything that’s happening in that hooos, but you’ll definitely miss some references and nuances with other characters and plot lines.
I think your son might be able to handle the Middle Grade. They are pretty easy to read. I’d suggest those books, as well as the Kevin Anderson/Rebecca Moesta Young Jedi Knights Books and the Jude Watson Jedi Apprentice Series.
@@jonathankoan thanks I'll look into them
What about tempest runner?
I would rate it around number four or five out of 10. It was really good, super fast paced and enjoyable, but needed more time. I do have a full video review on the channel if you are interested.
Great video I appreciate your Star Wars canon videos, do you happen to read any of the canon comics as well? Would love to see lists on those too!
I only read very little of the comics, as my reading focus is prose. However, I have read some of the first two Vader runs, as well as some of the Kanan comics and some others. Ill have a comics video eventually, but it’d just not one I’ve done too much of, but I’d love to do more.
@@jonathankoan ah got it, side question what about a potential top 5 or 10 least favorite Star Wars books?
@@thatfunkymonkey7667
I do have several top fives and top tens for Star Wars books in my RUclips channel including favorite canon books, favorite legends/EU books, favorite authors, etc.
Great ranking! I’ve really been enjoying this era so far, although I haven’t read the middle grade books or comics
I actually did a video like this on my other channel ranking the six adult and YA books. If you’re interested in my thoughts on each book, it’ll be on the channel The RVN1207 Page. I’d link it but I don’t think RUclips likes that, for whatever reason
My ranking is probably something like this, though it may shift around slightly:
1. The Rising Storm
2. The Fallen Star
3. Midnight Horizon
4. Into the Dark
5. Light of the Jedi
6. Out of the Shadows
Can I read just the adult novels, or am I not going to understand the story?
There are elements and references and walk on characters that you will miss if you don’t read everything. But the basic frame of the story you will understand, because the adult novels generally follow the same characters throughout.
Midnight horizon is a lot of peoples favourite lol
I have seen that. It just really didn’t work for me. But I’m glad it works for other people.