Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage

The media could not be loaded.  So I came into this series with an open mind. I wanted this to be good. On the heels of the success of the Mandalorian, and the call from fans for a more old school take on Star Wars, and adjustments prior to release reported by the media it seemed as if we would get a better effort in this new undertaking. However this work is a lockstep example of the Kathleen Kennedy agenda and, in hearing the author's dismissive response to fan criticism, exactly what we feared. Like this or you suck.I didn't and here's why... (Spoilers ahead)So we meet our protagonist who is a female Jedi prodigy who made Jedi Knight at the ripe old age of fifteen. (Anakin Skywalker was in his twenties when he became a knight so that's how strong SHE is). The author goes on and on about how powerful she is and how proud she is to be a Jedi but then states that she is not arrogant or prideful so she's proud but humble. My issues with this character, beyond the obvious disregard for the lore, is how she is portrayed. The author seemed to want to avoid comparisons to Rey Palpatine but fell into the same trap of giving her character half-hearted doubts and hesitations only to immediately thrust conflict on her that she resolves with a Master's skill so there's no merit to any misgivings that she has.Then we meet the plucky sidekick who is also a prodigy but with science and engineering. She is a young girl who is bright, inquisitive to a fault with an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a cool mischievous streak. I liked her immediately but then the author screwed her all up. She. Is. A. Child. And she should react to the events around her as a child should. She doesn't. She acts like a grizzled veteran. The throw away lines about her hands shaking or her trying to project confidence in her voice are erased by her actions. The author tried to explain her cool competence away by blaming it on her love of logic (who is she, Spock?!). But there is no level of logic-love that can quell instinct when horrible things are happening.That's it for the girls, let's talk about the boys. They suck.We meet a male Padawan who is the opposite of our lead and only two years younger than her. He is the slow kid in class and full of doubt and fear and is absolutely nothing without the love and attention of his Master. His lightsaber doesn't even work right. He does have skills that our lead does not but he can only use them with her help or if the plot demands it. He is portrayed as being envious of the lead and her presence makes him feel inferior. The moment you meet him you know why he is there and where he will end up.The other is a diplomat's son who is a preteen who has been training formally to be a warrior for some time but is somehow not physically or mentally fit. He was meant to be a leader but ends up a follower of everyone including the young girl. He is also crushed with doubt and a lack of confidence.So the girls are prodigious and excellent and the boys are barely passable. Even the young girl's bodyguard droid is a sassy confident female.But that's not what makes this book so bad...There are no character arcs In this story. The lead is still super-awesome at the end. During the story she witnesses the Padawan suffer a brief fall to the Dark Side. It would make sense that she takes a step back for self-measurement and realizes that her age could leave her vulnerable to something similar so she should take time to build on her skills with experience. NOPE! She takes on the Padawan as her apprentice. They're only two years apart and he just tried to kill her! Really?!The Padawan learns nothing but he wasn't there to learn only to make the lead look good and to become her apprentice. In the end he still doubts and fears and is nothing without his new Master.The young girl is equally bereft of change and her lack of growth makes the least sense. On reading we learn that she suffered a severe trauma prior to the story as a result of her reckless behavior and she still doesn't change. In fact she makes a horrendously bad decision stealing a broken lightsaber sure that "science will thank her".The diplomat's son just chooses to honor his father, something that was never in question at any point in the story.I understand that this was just a YA style work for children but even they deserve a quality story and it was clearly sacrificed for the agenda. The plot was so weak boiling down to "HERE SHE IS, BASK IN HER GREATNESS!" The females are strong because we say so and the males around them are either dead or incompetent. And the predictability. 16 pages in I knew who was going to die and where everyone would end up. I was right about everything save for one point because there were no character arcs.In the end, this is a story driven by a progressive agenda where none of the characters progress. Throw in a weak predictable plot and you have nothing of value. Do better Lucasfilm. Male or female we want good stories!

I’ve always loved the Jedi, ever since I was a kid in the 80’s. Even though this book is geared towards young readers, I found it to include a great little story filled with some very solid Jedi philosophy that weaves well into established Star Wars lore.The little insights and conversations about the mysterious Nature of the force, about the light and dark side of the force are just as important in the fictional world of Star Wars as it is in the real world.For what this book aims to be, my expectations were exceeded, and I very much encourage any other adult readers who are interested in the High Republic era to pick it up and give it a read.

This is simply one of the best middle grade books I've read in ages, part of the initial round of novels for the multimedia project The High Republic, it follows the adventures of a group of teenagers who have found themselves in the middle of a chaotic situation, after the great disaster in Hetzal (again, reading Light of the Jedi before this one is highly recommended).Marooned in an uninhabited planet with a peculiar (and dangerous) ecosystem, they must survive and face a more experienced enemy, but the real test, and what makes this book a gem, is confronting the greatest enemy, themselves. I won't say more but the pull of the Dark Side via fear, anger, etc. is treated exactly as it should be, and taking in consideration all the current political landscape, it feels greatly relevant.Do not skip this one merely because it's middle grade, it really is good. Very good.

The High Republic was going to be a fresh start, finally something new to get behind. Unfortunate the choice of author (and I say that based on READING the book).

I enjoyed this novel and appreciated the more centralized and focused narrative than was present in the Light of the Jedi. It feels like a good first step for those new to Star Wars novels. Vern and company are great additions to Star Wars canon.

Everything Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule was, A Test of Courage is not. I know that, as a middle-grade novel, not to expect particularly sophisticated writing. However, when the main characters of the book are either underdeveloped or obnoxious, it makes for a frankly boring reading experience. The plot, of a group of youths stranded on an unknown planet, is well told, but the characters grate. Especially the main Jedi Knight, who at 15 was just knighted. The narrative makes a point of calling her a prodigy, but the prose gives nothing to indicate why this is. Show, don't tell. That factor makes the emotional ending of the book, frankly, absurd.

Sadly not so good. The author seems to have a very clear agenda (ideological agenda maybe), so clear that the book is pretty predictable. Yes, it's a book for children, but it doesn't mean that it needs to be predictable at all.I will probably get the next one, but just for the sake of collecting the books. I don't really think that Miss Ireland has done a good job... Not even a decent job.PD: the animations are few, but very beautiful. The artist did a nice job, I think.

This book is much more than I was expecting. I though this would be a quick read, but the story is much deeper than that.I have one complaint of this book. It's pace, the book is a bit too slow for me I wist it would have been a bit fast then thus would have been an easy 5 stars. I do understand there was a lot of unresolved grief to process in this book. So I could understand a slower book but it was a bit too slow for me.Vernesta is a prodigy even among the Jedi. She is the youngest Padawan to pass Jedi trials at her age for generations. Imri is an awkward Padawan who can does not see his potential. Avon is a senator's daughter and a scientific genius. Honesty is an confused teenager from a warrior race.Together these youngsters will have to band together for their survival and possibly justice as well.I really like the Jedi lore and the science vs the force theme of the book. This is not just a young readers book. I even like the art thread double page spread of artwork. I am looking forward for what is next for there characters.

I would give this a 3.5, but as I can't I'm rounding this up to a 4. Whilst not as good as "Light of the Jedi", I found this to be an enjoyable adventure within the High Republic era, with some nice ties to other books and comics. Some of the characters could be a bit hit or miss (I liked J6, Vernestra Rwoh and Imri Cantaros, but the others didn't necessarily work for me; however, Avon Starros showed some promise). Additionally, the villains seemed to lack purpose in this story, however the rest of the story was still enjoyable enough without them. Overall, I would say don't put be off by this being a middle-grade novel. Go in with an open mind and you might enjoy it.

Despite being written with children in mind, I found this a great little side adventure to the main plot. I understand the author to be a little divisive, but I ain’t reading it cos I care about real world politics. Good story, more please.

What I loved about this book is how it manages to be an intimate character story within this epic event that happens. I really liked the characters and how they contrasted with each other and the way their relationships develop is handled really well.