On 7th May 2013, Del Rey made a bold move. They chose Tim Lebbon to publish the first tie-in to the awesome Dark Horse comic series Dawn of the Jedi. It's a novel about a woman searching not only for herself, but for her insane brother--who was long-thought dead. It contains past and present tense scenes--past for the things currently happening to Lanoree and present for her past. Synopsis: On the planet Tython, the ancient Je'daii Order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force—and
found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as
strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained
absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy. Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council
on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed
with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a
cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key—risking a
cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more
shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic
annihilation, is the decision of her Je’daii Masters to task her with
the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear
why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down
and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved—and
whose life she must now fear.
The novel opens with Lanoree recalling how her brother, even as a child, rejects the Force, when she's summoned to Tython by Cathar Je'daii Master Dam-Powl to meet with the Je'daii Council. They tell her that her brother, Dalien, isn't dead; he's the head of the Stargazers, a sect of people that want to leave the Tython system via the Gree hypergate. Lanoree departs Tython; Dam-Powl left her a message stating that she should use the Twi'lek rogue Tre Sana and that he's on Kalimahr, in the city-state Rhol Yan in Susco's Tavern. Lanoree recalls her and her brother's great journey to begin their Je'daii trials--despite the fact that Dalien hates the Force. Lanoree is attacked by a Noghri preacher and meets Lorus, a Sith police captain in the Kalimahr Police Force. He lets her go if she promises not to kill any more Stargazer killers. Despite heavily disliking each other, Tre and Lanoree work together, and question Kara, a dreamer and former member of the Je'daii, about the Stargazers. Kara tells them that she gave them the old Dai Bendu Temple on the Khar Peninsula, but refuses to cooperate any further. Tre stuns her, which alerts her war droids--from the Despot War--while Lanoree combs her place for any more intel. She finds a book by Osamael Or--an explorer--and escapes with Tre. On her Peacemaker-class cruiser ship, Lanoree updates Dam-Powl about Osamael Or's diary, that Or found Gree tech, and Kara. Dam-Powl tells Lanoree that Kara is one of the Shunned--those people for whom the Force can never find balance in and are exiled to Bogan. Tre and Lanoree arrive at the Khar Peninsula and find the temple abandoned and rigged to explode; Lanoree sees some rocks forming an almost complete circle that her brother used to make. They escape and race toward Nox to find Dal.
Meanwhile, Lanoree continues to recall her brother and her on their journey and recalls how much he tried to never use the Force despite everyone telling him to. On Nox, Lanoree and Tre meet with gangster Maxhagan and learn where Dal went. Lanoree and Tre go into the depths of the city of Greenwood Station. Dal and three of his Stargazers flee. The station becomes bombed and Tre rescues Lanoree; together, and without protective suits or masks, they leave the station and board her ship. They chase Dal to his hideout on Sunspot. Tre stays with Ironholgs on the ship while Lanoree confronts her brother. Dal wounds Lanoree, leaving her with a hole in her chest, and leaves her behind. Lanoree recalls how he faked his death after killing a Je'daii named Skott Yun. Tre and Ironholgs rescue her and, while on her ship, she uses her alchemical creation to heal herself. They approach Tython and Lanoree notes her brother's crashed ship and another one kilometer away (Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm). Tre and Lanoree chase Tre and his Stargazers through the Gree hypergate. All of the Stargazers die and Tre is heavily wounded. Lanoree confronts Dal, and after a vicious duel, kills him, preventing him from activating the Gree hypergate. Lanoree gets Tre and the device to Anil Kesh; Lanoree learns that the crashed ship had Master Quan-Jang and several others racing to find out what it was (Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm). Master Dam-Powl tells Lanoree that she (Lanoree) will always be great with alchemy. Lanoree, disturbed that Dal wasn't alone in this Stargazer plot, heads back to Kalimahr and learns from Lorus that the true Stargazer masters--Kara and several others--have disappeared, leaving no trace of themselves or their whereabouts.
All in all, a stellar addition to the Star Wars Expanded Universe and a wonderful novel to help flesh out the Dawn of the Jedi era currently being used by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema. Great characters--Dal comes across as the ancestor to KOTOR2's Kreia/Darth Traya--wonderful plot, and containing the first short story and work of prose by John Ostrander: Dawn of the Jedi: Eruption.
The novel opens with Lanoree recalling how her brother, even as a child, rejects the Force, when she's summoned to Tython by Cathar Je'daii Master Dam-Powl to meet with the Je'daii Council. They tell her that her brother, Dalien, isn't dead; he's the head of the Stargazers, a sect of people that want to leave the Tython system via the Gree hypergate. Lanoree departs Tython; Dam-Powl left her a message stating that she should use the Twi'lek rogue Tre Sana and that he's on Kalimahr, in the city-state Rhol Yan in Susco's Tavern. Lanoree recalls her and her brother's great journey to begin their Je'daii trials--despite the fact that Dalien hates the Force. Lanoree is attacked by a Noghri preacher and meets Lorus, a Sith police captain in the Kalimahr Police Force. He lets her go if she promises not to kill any more Stargazer killers. Despite heavily disliking each other, Tre and Lanoree work together, and question Kara, a dreamer and former member of the Je'daii, about the Stargazers. Kara tells them that she gave them the old Dai Bendu Temple on the Khar Peninsula, but refuses to cooperate any further. Tre stuns her, which alerts her war droids--from the Despot War--while Lanoree combs her place for any more intel. She finds a book by Osamael Or--an explorer--and escapes with Tre. On her Peacemaker-class cruiser ship, Lanoree updates Dam-Powl about Osamael Or's diary, that Or found Gree tech, and Kara. Dam-Powl tells Lanoree that Kara is one of the Shunned--those people for whom the Force can never find balance in and are exiled to Bogan. Tre and Lanoree arrive at the Khar Peninsula and find the temple abandoned and rigged to explode; Lanoree sees some rocks forming an almost complete circle that her brother used to make. They escape and race toward Nox to find Dal.
Meanwhile, Lanoree continues to recall her brother and her on their journey and recalls how much he tried to never use the Force despite everyone telling him to. On Nox, Lanoree and Tre meet with gangster Maxhagan and learn where Dal went. Lanoree and Tre go into the depths of the city of Greenwood Station. Dal and three of his Stargazers flee. The station becomes bombed and Tre rescues Lanoree; together, and without protective suits or masks, they leave the station and board her ship. They chase Dal to his hideout on Sunspot. Tre stays with Ironholgs on the ship while Lanoree confronts her brother. Dal wounds Lanoree, leaving her with a hole in her chest, and leaves her behind. Lanoree recalls how he faked his death after killing a Je'daii named Skott Yun. Tre and Ironholgs rescue her and, while on her ship, she uses her alchemical creation to heal herself. They approach Tython and Lanoree notes her brother's crashed ship and another one kilometer away (Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm). Tre and Lanoree chase Tre and his Stargazers through the Gree hypergate. All of the Stargazers die and Tre is heavily wounded. Lanoree confronts Dal, and after a vicious duel, kills him, preventing him from activating the Gree hypergate. Lanoree gets Tre and the device to Anil Kesh; Lanoree learns that the crashed ship had Master Quan-Jang and several others racing to find out what it was (Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm). Master Dam-Powl tells Lanoree that she (Lanoree) will always be great with alchemy. Lanoree, disturbed that Dal wasn't alone in this Stargazer plot, heads back to Kalimahr and learns from Lorus that the true Stargazer masters--Kara and several others--have disappeared, leaving no trace of themselves or their whereabouts.
All in all, a stellar addition to the Star Wars Expanded Universe and a wonderful novel to help flesh out the Dawn of the Jedi era currently being used by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema. Great characters--Dal comes across as the ancestor to KOTOR2's Kreia/Darth Traya--wonderful plot, and containing the first short story and work of prose by John Ostrander: Dawn of the Jedi: Eruption.
