'The High Republic: Into the Light' Review

Claudia Gray has been one of the most important authors in Star Wars publishing for years. From Lost Stars to Master & Apprentice to The Fallen Star, she has constantly redefined the standard for what it means to be a Star Wars author, and every new release featuring her name has been a true event.

And now, she has written her final novel in The High Republic.

Into the Light is not only Claudia Gray’s final entry in the multiyear initiative, it is also the final Young Adult chapter as we look ahead to Charles Soule’s ultimate finale with Trials of the Jedi. As expected, Gray brings many of her favorite characters and plotlines from Into the Dark and more into her final story, and the result is a story that ties up every loose end she placed back in 2021 when The High Republic was barely more than an idea.

Despite a relatively slow start and a cast that sometimes requires a quick Wookieepedia reminder, Claudia Gray once again shows why her voice has dominated this industry for nearly a decade.

Plot

Into the Light follows Jedi Knight Reath Silas as he continues his efforts to push back against the horrifying blight taking over the galaxy. Most recently seen in George Mann’s Tears of the Nameless (our 2024 Youtini Book of the Year), Reath’s evolution since Gray’s Into the Dark has been immense.

No longer a Padawan afraid to journey out into the galaxy at large, Reath is a respected member of the Jedi Order desperately trying to outwit every new challenge that comes his way. His story begins with an isolated mission that reminds us of the state of the galaxy in regards to the blight before eventually setting him off on a mission to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk where the majority of the novel’s action takes place.

Disney Lucasfilm Press

Naturally, such a major mission requires an all-star team, and fans of Claudia Gray’s previous works can expect to run into all of their favorites including the crew of The Vessel, Azlin Rell, Burryaga, Avon Starros, and even a few others that we won’t spoil here. With the fate of one of the most famous planets in Star Wars history at stake, the team must work as quickly as possible to stop the blight…but the resurgence of the carnivorous Drengir might have something to say about that.

Even without going into further spoilers, that may already seem like quite a lot to fit into a relatively short book, and honestly…it is at the start. The plot begins at a somewhat questionably slow pace before the action starts on Kashyyyk, but it’s understandable with all of the strings that Gray wants to pull throughout the narrative. After all, this is the culmination of over 4 years of storytelling, so while the exposition isn’t necessarily the most exciting choice, it’s admittedly necessary.

That being said, once the gang arrives on Kashyyyk, the intensity increases exponentially, and the story flies by with classic Claudia Gray style. Even though Into the Light may not boast the classic space-opera scope of some of the other High Republic novels, there is more than enough action on the forest planet to keep the story engaging. Every pin set up in the initial chapters is knocked down with efficiency and efficacy, and by the time the final page is turned, you can absolutely feel the sense of finality and somewhat relief coming straight from Gray’s keyboard.

Now obviously that’s not to say that this conclusion ends every story in The High Republic. That job remains with Soule’s Trials of the Jedi later this year, but the story really does feel like a farewell to the threads that Claudia began weaving all those years ago. There is almost a sense of mournful triumph as each Jedi, Drengir, and pilot takes what may be their final bow, and although the scope of this final adventure may be smaller than some may like, there’s no doubt that this is the exact story that Claudia Gray wanted to tell.

Characters

While the overall story of The High Republic has been invigorating since its inception, the reason that the fan community has embraced it so fully has been the vibrancy of its characters. Into the Light continues that grand tradition beautifully by showcasing some of our absolute favorites at the top of their game, and Claudia Gray proves that she can truly enter the minds of her creations unlike any other.

Reath Silas once again takes center stage throughout the conflict of the novel, and it’s amazing to see him do so with such calm authority after remembering where he started back on Amaxine Station. Sure, Reath has climbed the ranks of the Jedi Order, but he’s also evolved from a scared young boy into a highly capable, respected man. Forever a student of the universe, he has maintained his love for research and knowledge, but throughout Into the Light, he is unafraid to take charge and fight back against the darkness of the galaxy to save those in need…proving himself one of the greatest leaders of the entire Order.

Lucasfilm

Aside from Reath’s starring role, another standout of this final Young Adult entry is Azlin Rell, the enigmatic fallen Jedi who began his journey during Phase II only to reappear throughout Phase III as one of the most compelling figures in the whole initiative. Azlin’s relationship with Reath has been fascinating to witness as he has appeared to lure the young Knight towards the dark while also observing Reath’s call towards the light, but Into the Light elevates his story to an entirely new level.

Azlin’s tortured existence has been defined by fear and his need to run away from the horrors of the Nameless, but as part of the Kashyyyk team, we finally get to see a peak of what his full powers are capable of. By no means is he suddenly a Boy Scout filled with remorse and a desire for absolution, but Gray allows him to flourish outside of a cell and prove his worth against the horrors of the Drengir and the blight in a way that only he can…and it’s positively thrilling.

Lucasfilm

Other notable standouts include some staples of Claudia Gray’s time in The High Republic including Nan, the Nihil agent who may have more simmering beneath the surface, Avon Starros, the young scientist whose plucky personality really puts the young in Young Adult, and Dr. Mkampa, a mad scientist whose loyalty to Marchion Ro is as volatile as her experiments. Each of these characters are given their time to shine in the grand tapestry of the book’s story, and Gray does her best to balance the size of the ever-expanding cast - often to great effect.

Perhaps the only downside of such a vast ensemble is the relative lack of focus on the Wookiee Jedi (including an appearance from The Acolyte's Jedi Master Kelnacca) given the centering of the story on their homeworld, but there is plenty of in-universe lore to explain this decision, and the overall narrative doesn’t necessarily suffer under the weight of this choice.

It’s hard to believe that this book might be the last time that we see some of these names grace the pages of Star Wars publishing, but it’s hard to imagine regretting the time we had with them in adventures such as this.

Writing

Into the Light represents another classically fantastic effort by Claudia Gray. She has proven time and time again that she can almost effortlessly produce strikingly poignant prose in a variety of incredibly emotional situations, and even though this may not be the tightest book of her career, the writing definitely carries on that tradition. However, I want to take this section to address something a bit larger in scale.

This may have been Claudia Gray’s final Star Wars book.

Claudia Gray

Like any other creative industry, Star Wars publishing ebbs and flows and brings in new voices all the time, and that’s fantastic news for all of us readers as we get to experience all types of different stories. However, there are some authors that just define certain eras of Star Wars, and it’s hard to imagine the galaxy without them.

Just like Timothy Zahn has become synonymous with Thrawn, Claudia Gray has been entrenched in the DNA of Star Wars books since her debut in 2015 with Lost Stars. She produced a number of fantastic novels in the following years, and then in 2020, we were told that we were guaranteed Claudia Gray stories for quite a while thanks to this new era called The High Republic.

And now…she’s written her final words in that initiative.

Now obviously, writing for The High Republic was a bit different than writing a solitary novel. Over the years, we’ve heard about the writing retreats, we’ve attended the sold out panels, and we’ve seen the architects attain a measure of Star Wars celebrity that both helped the popularity of the books but also welcomed in a level of harassment that I’m sure none of them expected.

So it’s safe to say that they all deserve a break.

It’s hard to say how long this break will be for each author. Justina Ireland has announced that she will not be writing any more Star Wars books after A Valiant Vow and The Acolyte: Wayseeker, and after their current comic runs conclude, we don’t have any solicits going forward for Cavan Scott or Daniel José Older…and the same goes for Claudia Gray.

Safe to say that it feels like the end of an era.

Whether this break is a few months, a few years, or if these are the final words that Claudia Gray ever writes for a galaxy far, far away, her impact has been sensational to say the least, and Star Wars owes her a debt for all of the grand stories she has told.

Entertainment

Now back to the fun stuff.

Some Star Wars books work best when consumed over larger periods of time while others are perfect for a large binge over a single weekend. Into the Light is most definitely the latter.

Once the team touches down on the surface of Kashyyyk, the story screams along at a tremendous pace, and the entire book plays out like a wonderfully cinematic Star Wars tale. That’s not to say that every single beat is filled with action and combat (although there is plenty of that in store), but every moment is filled with something meaningful and exciting.

There are mysteries to solve.
There are battles to fight.
There are revelations to be made.
There are losses to experience.

That excitement, however, is not limited to the titular light side. Moreso than any other High Republic novel in quite some time, this book delves into the depths of the dark side when it comes to lore, destruction, and full on action. Claudia Gray digs deep into her bag of tricks to offer twists and turns that supply us with secrets of the dark, and the result is a climactic fight between the two most powerful ideologies in Star Wars.

Through this mirroring of light and dark, Gray entwines all of the stories about Reath, Azlin, the Drengir, the blight, and more to create a fully executed vision of her thoughts about the light, the dark, and the very Force itself…and to call that product entertaining is quite possibly the least that we could do.

Overall

Hiring Claudia Gray as an architect of The High Republic initiative was a stroke of genius. Not only is she an immaculate storyteller in individual projects, but thanks to the structure of the initiative, Into the Light has allowed her to tie up all of the loose ends she began four years ago.

Now unfortunately, that same structure can make the beginning of this story confusing for readers that haven’t read every single High Republic entry (including Haunted Starlight, the latest audio drama), but whenever the story is firmly in Claudia’s control and the pen is in her hand, you know you’re in for something special.

I desperately hope there’s more to come in the future, but if this is indeed the final page…it’s been a journey unlike any other.

Rating: Incredible

The High Republic: Into the Light is available now wherever books are sold and will release on Tuesday, April 15th on audio.