Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark

The story is fine, as far as it goes. I don't consider this Claudia Gray's best Star Wars work, but not her worst, either. I gave the book 4 stars because some of my challenges with it have nothing to do with the book itself, but rather with the High Republic series in general so far. I think I undersand what the publishers are trying to do with the series, and for the most part, I'm enjoying it. But in the effort to establish a wide galaxy in which stories can be told, I feel let down. I want characters I can root for over many stories, watching them grow and growing with them. I am reminded of my fondness for Luke, Han, and Leia. Sure, throughout the movies and many additional stories, we encountered many planets, creatures, supporting characters, etc., but at the foundation, we always had our core group of characters. If there is a core group of characters in the High Republic series so far, I've yet to notice it. There are more Jedi than you can shake a lightsaber at, and few of them are very memorable. As much as I enjoyed this book, I doubt I'll recall anyone's name from it in a month, and that feels like such a missed opportunity. Please, creators, stop bombarding me with a deluge of one-shot, one-note characters and give me some people (or droids or whatever) about whom I can care for more than the time it takes me to finish a particular book! I want to love this new era. So far, although I see its potential, I saw that before any books were actually released. After reading Light of the Jedi, I got excited, only to find nothing but more new characters with each subsequent book. I'm rapidly becoming lukewarm to the series, and that's too bad.

It’s been a while since I enjoyed a book so much. I like the High Republic era but now I’m really into it.

Great Book. Great Story.