Books The High Republic: Convergence by Zoraida Córdova

Might be the Nameless comic mini series is the more likely place for that.

 

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Lan Barrell and the Qieq species are back in canon. That was one of the Adventure Journal articles I really liked back in the day.

 

Well, that was a quite strange book,

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especially the very rushed last part with bounty hunters suddenly storming the wedding.

While I like that Phase II so far tends to be more character-focused than Phase I, at the same time it lacks the big scale of events, although the setting allows it - with the Outer Rim seemingly being full of ongoing civil wars, the Path had a chance to be an imposive organization, offering suffering planets an alternative to the Republic's assertive expansion, but here it is just a small cult that, however, can be disproportionately wealthy and powerful (being able to provide important help to Eiram).

Although Czerka was just mentioned, it, nevertheless, played an important role in the conflict's origin, and I hope that it will appear lately in The High Republic. Phase II setting seems to be a perfect time for arms dealers and shady corporations.

Axel is an interesting antihero, glad that he will return in the Cataclysm seemingly as a leading character.

And two chancellors does not seem to be a very stable system, not surprising that Palpatine killed Damask shortly after the latter told that he wants to be a co-chancellor.

 

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I don't find Axel particularly sympathetic, and I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to. He's an a-hole that makes the worst choices at all the worst times and knowingly so. He's a got a self-destructive streak a mile wide and it's infuriorating.

I like Gella. Curious where her Wayseeker path takes here.

I wish we were getting more.

The defined plot for the era makes sense. I just hope we get stories in the High Republic setting once phase 3 is wrapped up. I think there's so much more potential to explore with all these characters that we aren't getting because there's a single story playing out, rather than this being a time period where stories are just allowed to be told.

I think I would have preferred it be just that. A time period, a setting, in which to tell stories. Not a new saga.

Hopefully they'll go back and explore more stories of Pathfinder teams and what not in this time period, because I find it far more interesting even than the 200 BBY setting of Phase 1.

 

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That was a heck of a lot of bounty hunters trying to break into a royal palace while a royal wedding was going on. And what was their plan? Every hunter for himself? First one to get him keeps him? Whoever gets him has to now fight all the other hunters who are trying to get him?

 

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Draw straws maybe? scissors paper rock?

 

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Probably.

Although, IMO, a bigger question - how they planned to get away with kidnapping Chancellor's son, seems like even a massive payment is not worth problems with the Republic's government.

 

I wonder

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why the Mother was so wary of Gella Nattai in particular and wanted to eliminate her. Is it possible that the Mother had a Force premonition about her?

 

Got this in an Amazon UK order today - hopefully next on the reading list.

 

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Maybe so. Gella initially planned to return to Jedha after the mission, and it is the Path's next target, so it is logical to take out of the game as many local Jedi as possible. And since Gella became a Wayseeker and headed into unknown direction, seems like Axel somewhat succeeded.

 

I started this novel but I don’t know if I’m gonna finish it, at least not for a while. I’m just not really feeling pulled in to the story of phase 2. Path of Deceit was kinda interesting cause it tied in to the backstory of the Nihil, the Leveller, and the Evereni. Quest for the Hidden City is completely irrelevant to the rest of the High Republic stuff, and what I’m hearing about this book doesn’t seem super interesting to me. It just seems like Star Wars world building, just for the sake of world building, but I don’t really feel any story momentum being conveyed through these three books.

 

This book adds to Path of Deceit for sure.

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The Children of the Path are present, though it takes a little while to find out who they are and exactly what they're up to.

Point being, this book actually is important to that part of the story and how it will ultimately connect to the Nihil and Phase 1 and 3.

It's far more character driven than plot though, imo.

 

I decided to listen to the audiobook, and I think I'm getting tired of Marc Thompson as the narrator of these things.

Definitely not a fan of his voice for Xiri

 

Started this today. So far so good but I'm only up to chapter eight.

 

Finished this today and I have to say it almost finished me.

I've been losing interest in Star Wars books for a while now and I've read everything going back to when The Courtship of Princess Leia came out.
Here, this made me question if I'm going to continue with these books in the High Republic. It is just too bland and I don't understand that as they have an entirely new time period in the galawy to create. This book, for me, also is clearly a YA book and not an adult book. I'm getting tired of these same sorts of young jedi not-too-sure of themselves growing pains type of stories. That's why I never read the young jedi books during the NJO period, I just waited until Tahiri and the likes 'graduated' if you will into the main adult cycle.

I do yearn for the tone of the old days, the Black Fleet Crisis, the NJO, but I know those days are never coming back. I do listen to or read everything that comes out but I'm struggling to think of one which was truly memorable recently. Perhaps the audio-drama with the Nihil twi'lik? And the fact that I can't remember her name right as I'm typing this speaks for itself.

Sorry for the bummer tone but I honestly just felt deflated by this and the future of SW literature. I mean, everything was obvious and I felt like I was wasting my time with this story because it had nothing to do with the established High Republic storyline that I had already been having trouble gettting invested in !

 

Still reading this but so far I am convinced that

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Axel Greylark is a total waste of space - nothing redeeming about his character at this point.

 

Agreed. I'm yearning to spend time with characters that are fun or interesting again. I'm a bit jaded by the two stereotypes we seem to always be getting now - 1. Nihilistic character. 2. Moralistic but emotionally crippled character.

That makes me remember that I actually did somewhat enjoy a recent book, Shadow of the Sith, but only really the parts with Luke and Lando and the enemy Pantoran as it felt like the old times again.

 

Must not give away the plot right now.

 

Read this. It was decent. Some good characters and a good twist.

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I really liked the twist with Axel, it was well done and he was a good character both before and after the reveal.

The main plot of the forbidden romance bringing peace is interesting. It felt very Young Adult, and I don't mean that a put down, it just feels like a very YA/fairytale like thing to happen.

 

Finally got around to starting the high republic. I started with this as I think it’s the earliest book in the timeline.

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I will have to say I didn’t see the twist with Axel coming at all. Some authors have all the “twists” written on the books sleeve. But I didn’t see Axel coming at all. All the characters in the book were good, but the only ones I really looked forward to reading and listening to were natti and Axel. Xiri and Phontu were fine, but I was more just waiting to get back to the others perspectives.

out of all the books I have read on my recent binge of Star Wars books
my rankings are this
Master and Apprentice
Dooku Jedi Lost
Inquistor rise of the red blade
Doctor Aphra
Convergence.

 

Will update as I go. As I do plan on reading all of them eventually