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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Books The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Ancient Whills, Jan 4, 2021.

  1. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2021
  2. vong333

    vong333 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2003
    Looking forward to this book
     
  3. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Synopsis.
    https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-high-republic-next-wave
    RACE TO CRASHPOINT TOWER

    Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
    Format: Middle Grade Novel
    Author: Daniel José Older
    Artist: Petur Antonsson
    Cover Artist: Petur Antonsson
    On-Sale Date: June 29, 2021

    The Republic Fair is coming! Visitors from all over the galaxy are traveling to the planet Valo for a massive, awe-inspiring festival celebrating the Republic. While his fellow Valons prepare for the fair, Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram is hiding out in his favorite place: a dingy garage filled with mechanical parts and tools. But when a security alarm goes off on the nearby hilltop nicknamed Crashpoint Peak, he ventures out with his trusty droid V-18 to investigate. There he discovers that someone has knocked out Valo’s communications tower—a frightening sign that Valo, and the Republic Fair, are in danger. Sure enough, as Ram races to warn the Jedi, the dreaded Nihil unleash a surprise attack! It’s up to Ram to face down the enemy at Crashpoint Tower and send a call for help to the Republic. Luckily, he’s about to get some assistance from unexpected new friends…
     
    whostheBossk and Daneira like this.
  4. Daneira

    Daneira Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2016
    This honestly seems like they came up with the title first and then tried to figure out how to make a story out of it, but I'm cool with that.
     
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  5. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    After how A Test Of Courage played out, I suspect this might surprise in a positive fashion.
     
    Merric likes this.
  6. Merric

    Merric Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 26, 2013
    Ooooh I didn't know it was Daniel Jose who was writing this one, All of a sudden I'm interested! It's cool how the characters of the High Republic Adventures series are actually splitting up and going their own ways into different media, too. Lula continuing her story in this book while Qort and Farzala take over the main leads of the comic. And since Daniel Jose is writing both I have complete faith that they'll connect well.
     
  7. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    https://www.starwars.com/news/star-...he-race-to-crashpoint-tower-exclusive-excerpt
    Jedi Master Kantam Sy paced back and forth on the deck of the Star Hopper as PZ1-3 navigated them closer and closer to Trymant IV. Sy was tall and slender, with sharp cheek-bones and an impressive topknot. They seemed older than their actual age, in part because they often walked startlingly slow as a form of meditation. But Lula had seen Master Sy in action, and that gentle easygoing demeanor was nowhere to be seen when lives were on the line.

    Lula and Zeen slid into the seats at their stations. It was strange to be the only two young people on the Hopper. The bridge was normally alive with chattering and laughter, Farzala cracking jokes and Qort explaining something complicated while the others gossiped or traded tips. But everyone else was off fighting an army of carnivorous plant creatures called the Drengir, and only Zeen and Lula were left.

    Stars shimmered in the darkness outside the transparent dome covering the whole top level of the Hopper. Lula and her friends would sometimes take their sleeping bags up and lie on their backs late at night, watching the galaxy spin past.

    “Listen up, listen up,” Master Sy said, already in action mode. “We’ll be landing in a moment. The last time we were here, things were very different, of course. We had some confrontations–”

    “Almost died a whole bunch,” Lula added helpfully.

    “And made a new friend!” Sy said, flashing a winning smile at Zeen. “Now we’re here for a very specific reason, and that’s to follow up on a lead from Jedi Vernestra Rwoh. I’ll let her fill you in.”

    The small blue image of a girl not much older than Lula flickered up from the holo. This was Vernestra Rwoh? She had a slender, kind face and long straight hair. She wore the traditional temple robes, both simple and ornate, and stood with her back very straight. But how could she be so young? A prickly flash of emotion rose within Lula, and she tried to push it away. Envy. A very un-Jedi-like feeling indeed. She crinkled her nose with the strain of getting her emotions under control.

    Ever since she could remember, Lula Talisola had been determined to be the greatest Jedi of all time. She knew this ambition wasn’t very Jedi-like, either, but she figured she had time to get that part under control amid all her other training. And anyway, if she trained hard enough and excelled at every possible skill, she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming the best; she just would be the best!

    So she studied and trained and meditated, at least twice as much as all the other Padawans she knew. And she stayed at the top of her clan. She figured she was on track, for the most part. Meeting Zeen, seeing what she could do with the Force, even without training–that had thrown Lula at first, sure. But Zeen had quickly become one of her best friends, and Lula found she couldn’t be bothered to wonder how amazing a Jedi Zeen would’ve been if she had been raised in the Jedi Order instead of suppressing her Force sensitivity–not when they were having so much fun together.

    But Vernestra had already become a full Knight and she was so young! Who was this girl?

    A sharp nudge from Zeen ripped Lula from her spiral of overthinking.

    “Ow! What?” she whispered.

    “You’re doing it again,” Zeen hissed back.

    “Doing what?”

    “Thinking too hard about something and not paying attention to what’s going on around you!”

    Lula was extra annoyed because her friend was right. “How do you know?”

    “You’re grinding your teeth.”

    “And so,” Vernestra was explaining, “I looked deeper into the files from the Trymant IV disaster and discovered the story of your cohort and Zeen Mrala.” She nodded at Zeen, who acknowledged her with a shy wave. “The Nihil raiders you came into contact with might have something to do with the ones I faced on Wevo. From what I understand, their attack on Trymant IV didn’t follow their usual raid patterns.”

    An awkward moment passed; the young Jedi looked directly at Zeen. She was waiting for Zeen to say something, Lula realized. But Zeen’s head tendrils pointed directly down, tensed, and her brow was furrowed. The whole mess with Krix and everything that had happened since was too much to get into, especially with a strange Jedi on a flickering hologram.

    “Is it, ah, true,” Vernestra said, her voice suddenly gentle and uncertain, “that one of your closest friends ran off with the masked raiders?”

    Zeen nodded once, her whole face a frown.

    “We believe that the elder the Nihil rescued from the Emergence on Trymant IV—”

    “Elder Tromak,” Zeen said.

    “Yes.” Vernestra looked solemn. “We think he may have had some ancient information that the Nihil were after. . . . Master Yoda went to investigate–we think–”

    “Still no word from him?” Lula asked, trying not to sound too worried. Lula thought Master Yoda was the greatest Jedi the galaxy had known, and he’d been with her and the other Padawans for most of their adventures on the Star Hopper. Nothing had felt the same without him around, but she always figured he’d come back.

    “Nothing,” Vernestra said. “But in the meantime we must keep investigating.” She turned to Master Sy and nodded respectfully. “We were hoping you and your Padawans could investigate for us, Master Sy. And with Zeen’s help, maybe you could get some answers from the elders who weren’t taken by the Nihil.”

    “We’ll do our best,” Master Sy said. “Right, Zeen?”

    “Yes, Master Sy.”

    “I’m sure you already know,” Vernestra said, “that these raiders are ruthless, unpredictable, and extremely dangerous. We don’t think any are still in the Trymant system, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back.”

    “We do know,” Master Sy said, with perhaps an edge of pride in their voice. “My Padawans have already faced them down several times.”

    “Entering Trymant system,” PZ1-3 announced from the pilot seat.

    Vernestra nodded at Sy, then turned to Lula and Zeen. “May the Force be with you all.” And she was gone.

    “Oh, dear,” PZ1-3 said, and everyone looked over to him. The droid swiveled in his seat and fixed his glowing eyes on Zeen. “We heard reports that the disaster had caused severe damage to the ecology of the planet, but we had no idea of the extent of that disruption.”

    “What?” Zeen cried, running to the front viewport. She gasped, one hand on PZ1-3’s shoulder.

    Lula was right behind her. Trymant IV had been a lush forest planet, its cities perched amid towering trees and gigantic lakes; whole networks of rivers had stretched across the surface, shimmering blue veins that you could see from kilometers above.

    Now it looked like nothing more than a dusty red desert.
     
  8. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-wars-high-republic-race-to-crashpoint-tower-excerpt
    "We'll let Starlight know what the situation is once we know what we're dealing with," Vernestra said. With a blip and a rattle, they jolted out of hyperspace, the whole ship jiggling and creaking, and zoomed closer to the green-blue planet below.



    Lula had to breathe through a wave of nausea as the stars shifted and slowed around them. "Ay, ay, ay, ay," she moaned with the starboard engine's grunts. "Whew!"



    As soon as everything came to a gradual rest, lights erupted across Lula's target screen.

    "There is an attack!" Vernestra yelped, tilting them forward. "And it's already begun! Alert Starlight!"

    Up ahead, hundreds of ion trails roared to life as Nihil fighters streamed in reckless, chaotic swooping dives toward Lonisa City. Down below, blaster fire ripped across building tops, floating pavilions, and crowded streets, and bursts of smoke plumed into the sky.

    Only static came over the comms when Lula tried to raise Starlight. "Comms aren't working!" She tried the Hopper and got the same result. "And I don't see any Republic ships. Is it possible they don't—"

    "No time to work out why. Do your best to get a dis-tress signal to Starlight," Vernestra said. "We're going in."

    Lula tried, but the system kept sending back an automated message in a language she didn't know. "I thought that Padawan said he'd fixed the comms tower. It doesn't seem like — whoa!" She almost choked on her own tongue as Vernestra hit the boosters, rocketing them toward the swarm.

    "All weapons live!" Vernestra yelled. "We need to punch a hole in this pack to throw off their attack pattern!"

    Lula opened her mouth to object, or plead for a moment to catch her breath, but they didn't have that luxury. Innocent people were being massacred on Valo, casualties piling up with every passing second. And already they were roaring up behind the attacking horde.

    "Fire!" Vernestra called, her face scrunched with concentration.

    Lula brought the control grips to rest on the two crafts closest to them, then pulled both triggers. Blaster fire splattered out from the turrets in an angry blitz of light, shredding the hyperdrive of one ship and lancing through the rear cannons of the other.

    Vernestra dipped the Varonchagger slightly to one side, clipping two smaller crafts with its bulky wingspan. They spun into a cluster of three more ships, and the lot of them burst into flames, spiraling out of the sky.

    But the other Nihil had realized there was an attack from their rear, and several swung their ships out of formation, whipping upward and back around with laser cannons blazing.

    "Hold on!" Vernestra hit the thrusters hard and spun skyward, past the attacking raiders, then cut off all the thrusters. The Varonchagger, convulsing angrily with one hit after another, sank suddenly.

    Lula met the goggled stare of a Nihil raider in a single-pilot craft bearing down on them, the swirl of space behind him. He lurched forward, blasting his wing cannons. She swung the turrets in a diagonal swath across the sky and released a barrage of laser blasts that carved through four Nihil ships. Then she concentrated both cannons on the approaching raider. Smoke and flames burst from his cockpit first; seconds later his whole ship disappeared in a fiery explosion that sent shards cracking against their front viewports.

    The man was dead, Lula realized, blinking. She'd killed him. She'd been in battle before, had taken other lives, but it never got easier.

    "No time for that," Vernestra said, sliding her hand over Lula's. "Not right now. After the battle, we must process, heal, rebuild. Right now we have to give our time only to making sure we get out of this alive."

    Lula nodded. Already, more Nihil ships zoomed toward them, and Vernestra was angling the Varonchagger to meet them head-on. "You're not scared?" Lula asked.

    "Oh, I'm terrified," Vernestra said with a nervous little laugh. "But this is what I mean. . . ." She swung the ship suddenly sideways, then sent them in a spiral over a forested expanse outside the city—leading the raiders away from the populated areas, Lula realized. "Balance. If we're not scared at all"—she grimaced as laser fire rattled across their rear and starboard shields—"we can't be courageous, right? And we might make mistakes in our arrogance. But if we're overcome by terror, we'll be useless, too."

    "I guess," Lula sighed. She switched to the side cannons, bringing up a static-laced image on her screen and swinging the sights into place on the swarming attackers. "I mean, I'm trying." She let loose another barrage of fire, but the Nihil seemed infinite—four spun out of the sky in flames, and seven more took their place.

    Vernestra swung them back around over a gorgeous lake that Lula thought would be a very peaceful sight in other circumstances. Fighters and puffs of smoke filled the sky over Lonisa City. From down below, thick green-yellow clouds of that nasty chemical gas the Nihil used rose over the buildings at various points around the city. An urgent alarm rang out.

    "Shields are about to—" Lula started, but another burst of fire shook the Varonchagger, and more beeps erupted.

    "I know," Vernestra said through gritted teeth.

    A group of Jedi Vectors screamed up from the rooftops, the first sign of a counterattack. They must've been on the planet before the attack began. Lula exhaled, then squeezed the triggers on the rear cannons and shook her head. "There's too many!"

    "I'm bringing us down," Vernestra said.

    "On purpose?"

    "Something like that."

    The sun-sparkled waves seemed to roar up to meet them. Ahead, a sandy embankment led up to a boardwalk, where riotous crowds ran every which way.

    "Hold tight!" Vernestra yelled.

    The Nihil who had been pursuing them must've realized they had bigger problems to deal with — they shrieked off overhead toward the air fights erupting with the Vectors. The Varonchagger skimmed the top of the lake, then bounced once, and again. Vernestra swung them into a hard turn, sending out a massive wave of water and sand. Finally, they slammed to a teeth-chattering stop along the embankment.

    "Another one!" Vernestra was already out of her seat and heading for the exit. "Shipmaster Nubarron's never gonna forgive me for this!"

    Lula hurried after her. "Wait! What do we do?"

    A purple glow lit the dim interior of the Varonchagger as the crisp sizzling growl of a lightsaber sounded. Lula's wide eyes tracked a long, slender stream of pure power as it bristled and slid through the air around them. It was a lightsaber, but now it was also a whip. "I've never seen anything like it," she whispered.

    "Don't tell anyone, okay?" Vernestra allowed herself a slight smile. "You have yours?"

    "Of course, but—"

    "It looked like that Padawan who sent the message was getting arrested, so he'll probably still be in the local lockup. It should be one of the domed buildings in the center of town, Government District. Break him out and find out what else he knows."

    "What are—"

    "I'm going to find the elder Jedi and make sure the Chancellor is safe. The comms might be down, but it could just be interference from everything going on. If not, you'll need that kid to help you get them back up. Got it?"

    Lula blinked, then steeled herself. Somewhere out there, Zeen and Master Sy were probably having a similar conversation. They were in danger, all of them, and the knowledge of that rippled through her with a shudder. But she had to stay focused. She had to do whatever she could to get everyone to safety. She nodded once as the blue light of her own saber blended with the purple glow of Vernestra's. "Let's go."
     
  9. FiveFireRings

    FiveFireRings Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2017
    Got this and "The Rising Storm" at the same time and elected to read "Crashpoint" first. Having only started "Storm", I think I might recommend that order, because as a standalone TRTCPT feels like it has some heft, with some surprisingly major events happening... although I can see it actually being a sidequest of sorts. In any case, it's definitely more a part of the main storyline than "A Test Of Courage" was.

    It definitely reads as a between-issues installment of the High Republic Adventures comic -- it introduces a new character in Ram Jomaram who apparently will join the main HRA cast in an upcoming arc, but he then splits the POV with Lula Talisola from the comic, with Zeen playing a big role and appearances from Vernestra and assorted others as well. There's a pretty big reveal about a surprising alliance which I'm assuming is more fleshed out in TRS. The fact that these characters are involved in a major event for the main storyline, while other aspects of the HRA plot stay on hold -- we see nothing of Marchion Ro or Krix -- is what makes this feel like a "marquee" event for that cast compared to the comic, but it's definitely an arc of that series in another medium, by the same author. Fortunately for me I like HRA pretty well, and it helps to have visual referents for a lot of the cast, so this is a good time. I still feel like the Drengir are being portrayed a little inconsistently from appearance to appearance -- not worldbreakingly so, but the Drengir here are both a little goofier and more gullible than elsewhere, and make no move to use any of their mind control schtick that's such a big part of the main High Republic comic MO. And I'm still not clear on how they started spreading all over the place after seemingly being awoken or discovered in just two isolated locations in Into The Dark. Anyway -- on to The Rising Storm now!
     
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  10. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    Ah, that’s why I’m confused about Lula and Zeen—never read any of the High Republic comics series.

    Still, like I’ve seen quite a bit in HR threads, the authors don’t assume all has been read and sum up past material well to prevent us from being in the dark completely
     
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  11. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Which might be the major achievement of the project. Both trades are not out until November - I'm holding out for an OHC for Marvel.
     
  12. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Sigh.... email from Amazon saying they expect to have stock to send August 14. Hopefully, it gets speeded up.
     
  13. FiveFireRings

    FiveFireRings Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2017
    It's handled well. There are side nods to some stuff that's not relevant to the plot but it would be weird for Zeen not to think about them (mostly her relationship with Krix) and some context about their home planet, but you get the idea. I think the only thing that kind of isn't super clear is that Zeen is not a Padawan in any way -- the novel does mention that but I think it also sort of talks about Master Sy and the "padawans" in ways that make her seem like one, if that's what seemed fuzzy to you.
     
  14. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    No, I just had no clue who they were. I honestly just figured it was an info dump like I feel happens all too often in canon, especially with THR.
     
  15. DLCV

    DLCV Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2020
     
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  16. Dawud786

    Dawud786 Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 2006
    I'm reading this to my 10 year old while also reading The Rising Storm with my 15 year old. Got to a point in TRS that converges with this book last night, and that was pretty cool.

    The 2 work together in a very different way than LOTJ and A Test of Courage. Woven together better, or rather more directly.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     
  17. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Sounds like it's good to read this close to The Rising Storm.

    Alas, no copy yet.
     
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  18. Dawud786

    Dawud786 Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 2006
    My strategy thus far has been digital books for these young reader books. I bought physical for Into The Dark, but there's a good chance I'll do digital for Out of the Shadows.

    I was sorely tempted to do digital for The Rising Storm, both by price and because I don't have shelf space for any of this. Print won out, however.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     
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  19. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Only problem for digital is A Test of Courage was a very nice little hardback, designed to get kids to pick it up and read it.
     
  20. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    My copy has despatched! Yay!
     
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  21. Foreign32567

    Foreign32567 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2021
    Perhaps the reason why was that these particular Drengir were still young and inexperienced.
     
  22. Dawud786

    Dawud786 Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 2006
    I agree. I've debated grabbing print for the kiddos too. I really wish there were digital/print bundles honestly.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     
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  23. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Most of the way through, enjoying it a good amount.
    I like how both Ram and Lula have big insecurities about being Jedi but those insecurities are very different from each other, and in fact they both admire the other in spite of those self-perceived flaws. Nice way to portray that we all have our own self-doubts when we're beginning to mature, and often we're our own worst enemies in terms of fears.
     
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  24. devilinthedetails

    devilinthedetails Fiendish Fanfic & SWTV Manager, Interim Tech Admin star 6 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Jun 19, 2019
    Started reading this morning on my commute. About a quarter of the way through as of the end of my commute. So far, I'm enjoying it. Actually like it better than Older's Last Shot so far. I especially like the Lula sections so far with the planet that was devastated because the Legacy Run incident destroyed one of its moons, causing climatic disaster due to the planet's orbit shifting. I just appreciate the continued exploration of the Legacy Run falllout. To me, it really helps establish the Nihil as a credible and terifying adversary. Also, nice to get continued glimpses of Vernestra Rwoh. I'm a shameless Vernestra Rwoh fan.
     
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  25. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    This was a neat little read, but suffers from being more connected to stories which I have yet to read.

    Still, like its predecessor, this is a great looking book, the illustrations are excellent and the story is well executed.
     
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