The Rising Storm clocks in at about 450 pages, but that’s nothing to be intimidated about. The book itself is compelling and a page-turner. Just when things are getting exciting (aka: bad for our heroes), they somehow get even more exciting (aka: worse for our heroes) and you have no choice but to read on! Yet, even when we aren’t in battle, this book is still a thrill ride. I personally adored the politics in this book and hearing how the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace Disaster affected perceptions of the Republic and Chancellor Soh. I also enjoyed getting to know some of these characters better and learn more about their relationships with their friends and peers.
The standouts in this book are the relationships between characters. Without getting into spoilers, the constantly shifting dynamics between Marchion Ro and his Tempest Runners is wild to watch play out. Getting more Padawan Bell Zettifar and his charhound Ember is absolute perfection. The rapport between my personal favorites Stellan Gios and Elzar Mann is a delight. Speaking of Elzar Mann, his relationship with everyone and everything is fascinating to watch unfold, without a doubt providing me with some of my favorite moments in this book. I hope we get to see more of this interpersonal character exploration in future installments, now that we’ve been introduced to such a strong host of Jedi in this era. They are original and fun to watch!
For those that struggled with the scope and breadth of characters in Light of the Jedi, I’m not sure you’ll have an easier time in this installment. While Scott’s writing feels less choppy than the heavy-on-the-details world building of Light of the Jedi, the book still bounces from many points of view and characters, especially during our big battle. While I enjoy the cinematic scope of this era of Star Wars and find following many characters a gift (it’s like Christmas but for the whole book!), even I have struggled to keep up with the settings and figuring out where we’re hopping to during particularly intense sequences. I hope this is something that The High Republic will continue to refine, and I hope that we will get some smaller stories for adult audiences too.
Ultimately, The Rising Storm is a thrilling second installment in the adult offerings of The High Republic. It completely surpassed my high expectations, shocking me more than a few times. It has emotional highs, emotional lows, and provides the same level of excitement and enjoyment that you’d expect from your favorite Star Wars movie. It has set us up for even greater stories, and I applaud author Cavan Scott and the whole High Republic team for making me even more worried than before.