Emerge From the Aftermath of the Republic Fair with Justina Ireland's Latest High Republic Novel

Wave two of the High Republic kicked off with a devastating storm of destruction for the Jedi and the Republic with the Nihil’s attack on Valo, and the adventure is continuing with Justina Ireland’s latest installment: Out of the Shadows. Ireland delivers an intricate follow-up to the attack on Valo and successfully depicts new tribulations for the Jedi as adversaries begin to seep out of the shadows. It’s two months after the devastation the Nihil wreaked at the Republic Fair, and the Jedi are working tirelessly to end the threat of the Nihil. There are two main storylines at work throughout the book: one following the Jedi - mostly Vernestra Rwoh, Imri Cantaros, Reath Silas, and Cohmac Vitus - and another following new character Sylvestri ‘Syl’ Yarrow and her unlikely partnerships as they work to unravel their suspicions about the Nihil. Ultimately, both storylines converge towards the end of the book when they work together to investigate an empty space sector believed to be used by the Nihil. Vernestra and Imri are at the forefront in their storyline, and Ireland really dives in to continue their characterization and development throughout the book. If I’m being honest, Vernestra and Imri have my favorite Master and Apprentice dynamic in the High Republic so far, and Vernestra is still one of my favorite new characters introduced. Vernestra is still coming into her role as a Master, and Imri is challenging her for the better which is refreshing to see a Master and Apprentice relationship that promotes growth in both parties. In A Test of Courage I wasn’t sure about Imri, but Out of the Shadows changed my perspective on his character for the better. Imri’s gift established in A Test of Courage provided a good opportunity to flesh out a unique skillset, and I’m glad Ireland built on Imri’s empathic abilities in Out of the Shadows. The characterization and development that went towards Imri’s character was sorely needed, and I’ll definitely be watching his career with great interest, along with Vernestra. Reath Silas, first introduced in Claudia Gray’s Into the Dark, also makes an appearance; although he’s not at the forefront, his presence is strong nonetheless. His new Master, Cohmac Vitus, is also another supporting character with a notable presence and it’s interesting to see more of Reath and Cohmac’s dynamic. As for our new characters, I was impressed with the amount of characterization and growth Sylvestri Yarrow had throughout the book. Syl’s notions about the Jedi make her an intriguing character to follow, and later when she’s forced to work alongside Jedi to meet a common goal, her interactions are revealing - especially with Vernestra. Xylan Graf, a member of the infamous Graf family, is a supporting character introduced in Syl’s storyline, and he’s definitely one to pay attention to.

While Ireland focuses on characterization for our protagonists throughout the book, little attention was given to the antagonists which definitely keeps the general mystery alive; however, I would have liked to see more development for the villains of this era. The perspective of the Nihil mostly comes from a familiar face from Claudia Gray’s Into the Dark: Nan. She’s an interesting character, don’t get me wrong, but I was hoping for more development there. Additionally, Lourna Dee made an appearance like the promotional material suggested, but her presence wasn’t substantial like I was expecting. Although, I suspect Lourna Dee will be getting more attention in Cavan Scott’s audio original Tempest Runner coming later this year, so I guess we’ll have to wait to see more on her. Overall, the pacing was comfortable throughout the book and Ireland’s style was reminiscent of the prequels just like in A Test of Courage. I attributed the prequels-esque tone in A Test of Courage as a technique to hook audiences in before fading into a tone unique to the High Republic; however, I’m starting to think this prequel feel will remain consistent in Ireland’s novels and I’m loving it. Furthermore, there were certain cameos and interactions with unexpected prequel characters that was more heartwarming than anticipated. Ireland also included a handful of foreshadowing to the state of the Republic we’ve seen so much of which reinforces the prequel-esque tone established as well as provide appropriate glimpses of the future for new Star Wars readers, not to mention a hint of dramatic irony for readers familiar with the prequels. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed in A Test of Courage was Ireland’s discussion about the Force, so I was ecstatic to see she continues this conversation and takes it a step further: differentiating the living and cosmic Force. I’ve always been fascinated with the Force and learning how it works, so I hope this discussion continues in Ireland’s novels to come.

The overall narrative is a little different from prior novels as the Jedi are working to uncover the deeper threads of the Nihil that allow the group to gain the advantage in their attacks, so at this point they’re heavily focusing on learning about hyperspace. There has been suggestions the storyline for the High Republic would eventually begin investigating this aspect but it hasn’t been a primary focus until now, which I suspect is definite signaling towards Phase II. Sure, the Nihil and Drengir have been at the forefront but I haven’t been convinced they’re the “big bad” the Jedi come to fear, and I’ve been thinking that bombshell will be revealed at the end of Phase I or sometime in Phase II, but I digress (if I’m wrong, I’m wrong - I’ll just be a little disappointed.) I hope hyperspace won’t be the whole focus for the High Republic initiative moving forward, I guess we’ll see, but at least the overall narrative centered around hyperspace in Out of the Shadows was well thought out.

Final Thoughts: Out of the Shadows is a must read for those wanting to jump back into the High Republic after the events at the Republic Fair in The Rising Storm. Ireland masterfully crafts the narrative from cover to cover, and the characters in this novel are some of the best this era has to offer. I highly recommend checking out Ireland's latest High Republic installment if you're invested in this era, because if one thing's for certain, this is where the fun begins.

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