Ride the Storm Alongside Lourna Dee in the Wake of the Attack on Valo

As we’re nearing the end of the High Republic’s second wave releases, we find the galaxy in the midst of chaos after the events of The Rising Storm. Tempest Runner by Cavan Scott displays the Nihil front and center on this action-filled adventure following Lourna Dee in the aftermath of Valo’s assault. Lourna’s ship, the Lourna Dee, is now under attack from Republic forces as she’s believed to be the Eye of the Nihil, and knowing her capture is imminent, Lourna devises a plan to conceal her true identity by taking on a new alias and making it appear as though she perished aboard her ship. Lourna’s plan goes off without a hitch… for the most part. Tasia, one of Lourna’s storms, discovers Lourna’s true identity and plots to use this to her advantage during their time in prison. Tempest Runner primarily follows Lourna Dee as we see what she experiences after she’s arrested as well as unravels her backstory through strategic flashbacks. Up until now most of the Nihil’s members were an enigma, and while that’s still true to some degree, I’m glad we got to see a longer glimpse into this organization through one of its higher-ranking personnel. Besides viewing the Nihil from its higher ups, most of the prisoners Lourna interacts with are former Nihil varying in rank - along with some who don’t have an affiliation with the Nihil - so it provides insight from various perspectives that’s intriguing to examine. New characters introduced play a major role in the story as Lourna finds her way in her present situation as well as helps the reader understand how various people have shaped who she is today. Additionally, we see familiar faces on both sides throughout the story; however, most of the attention is centered around the Nihil, which is a sorely needed change of pace. Marchion Ro and Pan Eyta have a notable presence that supplements Lourna’s overall story as well as reveal new backstory for their characters that you don’t want to miss.

Going into this audio-drama I wasn’t expecting an emotional story, but Scott masterfully weaved themes of love and loss, ambition and anguish, and calm and chaos seamlessly together as Lourna reckons with ghosts of the past. The way Scott presents Lourna’s internal conflict makes her a relatable character on a deeper, more intimate level and it’s been awhile since we’ve seen a character’s inner workings as clearly as Lourna’s in Tempest Runner. I definitely feel as though I have a better understanding and appreciation for this character, and the cast did a brilliant job bringing this narrative to life. Initially, I had qualms with some of the voices - mainly Lourna’s (Jessica Almasy)- because it wasn’t what I’ve imagined while reading past installments; however, I felt like the voice fit as the story progressed. Conversely, as much as I love Burryaga, he didn’t sound like a Wookiee at all and it took me out of the story every time he spoke. I will say, however, the sound effects and overall production of Tempest Runner is top-notch and it enhanced the story.

Past High Republic installments have primarily focused on larger events that shape the galaxy with minimal attention to the overall narrative for this era, and despite Tempest Runner not focusing on driving the overall story for this era forward in a substantial way, it does make waves that will change the Nihil’s organization itself in subsequent installments. Although the scope of Tempest Runner is significantly smaller than we’re used to seeing in High Republic installments so far, I thoroughly enjoyed this character focused story. As I mentioned previously, Lourna’s characterization was well executed and now I have some investment for “Team Nihil.”

Final thoughts: Tempest Runner delivers the antagonist centric story I have been looking for and the narrative excels at making readers more invested in this era. I couldn’t have asked for a better selected audio-original and hopefully this marks the start of more intricate character-focused stories to come.

Click the image to see my visual review on Instagram