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Reviews
Tales of Light and Life by Zoraida Córdova, Lydia Kang, Claudia Gray, Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland
olegx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bryjpg's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i think the other padawans should follow in amadeo’s footsteps and go to the club
thisdadreads's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Disney Lucasfilm press for the advanced copy of this book.
This dad read Star Wars The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life! This YA anthology contains 9 short stories (10 in the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition, that story being Alyssa Wong’s first publication in The High Republic) written by all authors involved in The High Republic up to this point: Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule.
Told in sequential order, the stories in Tales of Light and Life take readers on a journey from the events of The High Republic phase 2, update us on what’s been happening since the fall of Starlight Beacon, and hint at what’s to come in phase 3. For readers who have been keeping up with the entirety of The High Republic initiative, Light and Life is utterly satisfying. It’s officially one of the fastest Star Wars books I’ve ever read, I didn’t want to put it down. What I found most satisfying was how each author brought their own unique talents to each story but the entirety of the book felt harmonious. It feels like a culmination of everything that’s come before it, and the perfect bridge to what we can expect when the next phase starts in November 2023.
Instead of breaking down and critiquing each individual story, I’m going to speak to a few of the stories that stood out to me. It will come as no surprise to readers of my reviews that I absolutely loved the story focused on Marda Ro, A Closed Fist Has No Claws, by Tessa Gratton. Gratton leans on the abstract for her portion of Tales of Light and Life; framing Marda’s tale as a letter she’s writing to her future offspring. We get hints of the journey Marda goes on after the events of Path of Vengeance, namely the creation of a new group of followers and the culture she creates as their leader. Marda’s story reads like a stream of consciousness at times, a real glimpse inside a (still young, at 18) tortured soul who is still finding her way.
Rooper Nitani gets the spotlight in George Mann’s Shield of the Jedi. Rooper is a character who I’ve enjoyed well enough so far, but she shines as the subject of a YA storyline. She’s at the perfect age to explore themes like self worth and bravery. Mann’s tale has all the elements of a fun adventure story but then comes in with emotional beats and plot points that hit right at the heart. Without getting too spoilery I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Rooper and the shield.
Lastly, Charles Soule’s All Jedi Walk Their Own Path is probably the story that phase 1 fans have been craving the most: the fate of our beloved Burryaga. My boy Bell Zettifar can’t shake the feeling that Burry’s fate is not set in stone. Armed with his reliance on the Force, his memories of his time with former Master Loden Greatstorm, and little else, Bell heads off to find his Wookiee friend. Along the way he proves to the citizens of Eiram that working with the Jedi might not be as bad as they thought, a heartwarming lesson on working with others amidst differences. Bell is one of my favorite characters in The High Republic so selfishly I loved spending more time with him; objectively, Soule handles Bell’s storyline with thoughtfulness and grace, offering the story that brought me closest to tears.
Tales of Light and Life is the first anthology book from The High Republic and I truly hope it’s not the last. Telling succinct stories written by diverse authors was an extremely pleasurable reading experience and I can’t recommend this book enough. Let me state, however, that the entirety of phase 1 and phase 2 should be read before picking up Tales of Light and Life, and preferably before reading anything from phase 3. I give this book
This dad read Star Wars The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life! This YA anthology contains 9 short stories (10 in the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition, that story being Alyssa Wong’s first publication in The High Republic) written by all authors involved in The High Republic up to this point: Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule.
Told in sequential order, the stories in Tales of Light and Life take readers on a journey from the events of The High Republic phase 2, update us on what’s been happening since the fall of Starlight Beacon, and hint at what’s to come in phase 3. For readers who have been keeping up with the entirety of The High Republic initiative, Light and Life is utterly satisfying. It’s officially one of the fastest Star Wars books I’ve ever read, I didn’t want to put it down. What I found most satisfying was how each author brought their own unique talents to each story but the entirety of the book felt harmonious. It feels like a culmination of everything that’s come before it, and the perfect bridge to what we can expect when the next phase starts in November 2023.
Instead of breaking down and critiquing each individual story, I’m going to speak to a few of the stories that stood out to me. It will come as no surprise to readers of my reviews that I absolutely loved the story focused on Marda Ro, A Closed Fist Has No Claws, by Tessa Gratton. Gratton leans on the abstract for her portion of Tales of Light and Life; framing Marda’s tale as a letter she’s writing to her future offspring. We get hints of the journey Marda goes on after the events of Path of Vengeance, namely the creation of a new group of followers and the culture she creates as their leader. Marda’s story reads like a stream of consciousness at times, a real glimpse inside a (still young, at 18) tortured soul who is still finding her way.
Rooper Nitani gets the spotlight in George Mann’s Shield of the Jedi. Rooper is a character who I’ve enjoyed well enough so far, but she shines as the subject of a YA storyline. She’s at the perfect age to explore themes like self worth and bravery. Mann’s tale has all the elements of a fun adventure story but then comes in with emotional beats and plot points that hit right at the heart. Without getting too spoilery I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Rooper and the shield.
Lastly, Charles Soule’s All Jedi Walk Their Own Path is probably the story that phase 1 fans have been craving the most: the fate of our beloved Burryaga. My boy Bell Zettifar can’t shake the feeling that Burry’s fate is not set in stone. Armed with his reliance on the Force, his memories of his time with former Master Loden Greatstorm, and little else, Bell heads off to find his Wookiee friend. Along the way he proves to the citizens of Eiram that working with the Jedi might not be as bad as they thought, a heartwarming lesson on working with others amidst differences. Bell is one of my favorite characters in The High Republic so selfishly I loved spending more time with him; objectively, Soule handles Bell’s storyline with thoughtfulness and grace, offering the story that brought me closest to tears.
Tales of Light and Life is the first anthology book from The High Republic and I truly hope it’s not the last. Telling succinct stories written by diverse authors was an extremely pleasurable reading experience and I can’t recommend this book enough. Let me state, however, that the entirety of phase 1 and phase 2 should be read before picking up Tales of Light and Life, and preferably before reading anything from phase 3. I give this book
creaser's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It was so nice to see the phase one characters again and say goodbye to the phase two ones! Also really liked the newly introduced ones and hope they show up again
mumblebeee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
galacticvampire's review against another edition
4.0
Tales of Light and Life is a mixed bag of eras and ages and characters, and the enjoyment of the reader will wildly vary depending on how invested you are in each of them.
In some cases, I loved visiting some characters again and having insights on their lives before, during or after their time on page. In other cases, it was cute at most but didn't add much to what we knew.
I picked up this book mostly for the Bell and Burryaga tale and it was beautifully written, but I still found it odd that such a big issue for one of the main character in the main storyline was solved in an anthology book.
Individual ratings:
Really good: Marda, Vernestra, Bell and Burry
A fun addition: Axel, Affie, Keeve, Amadeo
Cute but boring: Rooper, Ram and Zeen
In some cases, I loved visiting some characters again and having insights on their lives before, during or after their time on page. In other cases, it was cute at most but didn't add much to what we knew.
I picked up this book mostly for the Bell and Burryaga tale and it was beautifully written, but I still found it odd that such a big issue for one of the main character in the main storyline was solved in an anthology book.
Individual ratings:
Really good: Marda, Vernestra, Bell and Burry
A fun addition: Axel, Affie, Keeve, Amadeo
Cute but boring: Rooper, Ram and Zeen
shawn_afk's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed most of the stories in this. I thought that it was going to be more impactful than it ended up being, but there are definitely some real big stars in this.
marveledspectre's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0