The High Republic: Escape From Valo Review

RReturning to familiar planets is one of the great joys of Star Wars. The joys of a living galaxy mean that there’s always a possibility to go back to a favorite location for a quick adrenaline boost for seasoned readers.

Although there are only so many times that you can go back to Tatooine if we’re being honest.

Immersing yourself once more in the scenery, the people, and the culture of a place you’ve visited before in a movie or book can truly feel like going home again for fans, but it can be tricky to nail that perfect level of reference without feeling redundant. Fortunately, Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong strike that balance with expert precision in their latest release, Escape From Valo.‍

‍Escape From Valo marks the first middle grade novel of The High Republic’s third phase and welcomes audiences back to the titular planet that played such a key role in both Cavan Scott’s The Rising Storm and Older’s Race to Crashpoint Tower. However, because of the events of those particular tales, Valo is no longer a site of boundless creativity and galactic unity.

It’s a testament to the destruction of The Nihil.

Trapped on the planet are a number of young Jedi that barely escape the destruction of The Republic Fair. Gavi, Kildo, and Tep Tep have stayed alive for a year thanks to their remarkable resilience and belief in each other, but their strength is waning after such an extended struggle. Lucky for them, the planet is also inhabited by a fan favorite character from Older’s previous works, Ram Jomaram. Together, the group must find a way to help the native community resist against the Nihil occupation while also attempting to escape back to the masses of Jedi that lie behind the treacherous Stormwall. 

Readers that have previously enjoyed works by Wong and Older will be delighted to know that the pair are once again at the top of their game. Their writing styles complement each other so beautifully that it is impossible to tell where one writer stops and the other begins – not always a guarantee when it comes to co-authored projects. Previous stories of theirs have been filled with a trademark mix of humor, stakes, and a healthy amount of darkness, and Valo delivers all three factors in spades.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Valo is just how intense some scenes get for a book that is mainly marketed at younger audiences. The past two phases of The High Republic have been full of discoveries about the horrifying Nameless, and just because this book stars younger characters doesn’t mean that they are exempt from the terror. However, if you’re at all worried about your particular Padawan sleeping through the night thanks to Wong and Older’s machinations, take comfort that they should be just fine.

Maybe with a nightlight.

This dynamic duo must also be lauded for their continual raising of the bar when it comes to queer representation in Star Wars. Escape From Valo features a beautiful diversity of queer characters whose queerness does not debilitate them in any way but rather defines the beauty to be found in their lives and relationships. The increased normalization of these characters is an incredibly important part of the growing Star Wars canon, and knowing that there are trans and non-binary kids that will see themselves represented by main characters in a Star Wars book should be celebrated time and time again.

Overall, Escape From Valo is an incredibly fun and heartwarming addition to The High Republic that isn’t afraid to address the shockingly dark corners of the larger initiative. For fans that don’t necessarily want to read every single piece of content that the era has to offer, missing out on this novel likely won’t drastically affect your grand understanding of the main narrative, but it will rob you of some time with wonderful, engaging new characters that we will hopefully see much more often as the phase continues.

‍Escape From Valo is available now wherever books are sold.