A New Dawn brings a new hope to a galaxy far, far away. Amidst all the hullabaloo about Disney purchasing Lucasarts, Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, one thing became clear – change was inevitable. The greatest change and the most contentious has been removal of all the Star Wars Expanded Universe as canon. With the upcoming new trilogy and new children’s TV show Star Wars: Rebels, Disney has also set about continuing the franchise through other mediums. Thus we have A New Dawn: Star Wars by John Jackson Miller.
Miller previously wrote the well-received Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith – The Collected Stories, Star Wars: Knight Errant, and Star Wars: Kenobi along with 15 Star Wars graphic novels, so he’s got the chops to handle such a large franchise. A New Dawn: Star Wars reboots the Expanded Universe, though it’s no longer referred to that – a fact that places a great burden on Miller’s capable shoulders. At the same time, the novel introduces two new characters who will be the stars of Disney’s upcoming Star Wars: Rebels animated TV show for children. Don’t take that to mean the book is for children.
Fans of Star Wars have to come to terms with the fact that Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, the Republic Commandos and Rogue Squadron (in the books and video game), along with many more are no longer canon. They formed some of the greatest stories in the Expanded Universe, but are now relegated to history. The plus side of the ret-conning of Star Wars is the removal of such blemishes as Darth Plagueis, Darth Kyrat and the Vuuzhon Vong, not to mention the endless galaxy-threatening weapons that were being developed. Miller handles this transition admirably, crafting characters and worlds in A New Dawn that could just as easily fit in the Expanded Universe with no readers being any wiser.
A New Dawn hits all the beats readers have come to expect from a great Star Wars story, regardless of medium. There’s the rogue with a heart of gold by the name of Kanan Jarrus/Caleb Dume; the fiercely-driven leader Hera; the evil empire and a new nefarious villain; the comic-relief in the form of an unhinged explosives expert; and the sagely bar owner who helps guide the protagonists. There are Jedi of course, but as this book is set during the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope (episodes III and IV of the movies respectively) there is little in the way of lightsaber swinging or overt use of the Force. It’s still a great action adventure, much in the same vein as the early X-Wing novels were.
Not being dependent on the all-powerful Jedi is a great move on Miller’s part. It allows the characters of A New Dawn to be fleshed out without relying on the ever-present temptations of the dark side. Kanan the sole Jedi in this book, beyond flash backs to his master and Obi Wan Kenobi, likes to drink, gamble and fight. He’s not a warrior priest as so many other Jedi were depicted, but one making his way in the galaxy as best he can – and it makes him a more relatable and enjoyable character. His counterpart, the Twi’lek Hera is very reminiscent of Princess Leia in A New Hope before she became a leader in The Empire Strikes Back, mixed with the abilities of Mara Jade. Hera is a capable, dedicated warrior with a mission that she will see out no matter what.
Together Hera and Kanan create a nice dynamic that along with the plot pushes A New Dawn along. Hera is driven and has a clear goal in mind, while Kanan is just out for adventure with a devil-may-care attitude and wants to find out more about Hera and her ship The Ghost. The plot as mentioned before is action adventure, but closer to the high adventure of the early Robert E. Howard Conan the Barbarian stories. That said, there are very real consequences to the decisions made by characters with the book. People actually die, and not just faceless storm troopers but civilians. It’s a bold but necessary move on Miller’s part as it brings the Star Wars universe back to where it belongs – in the dirt with a bunch of rag-tag rebels fighting for survival without the intrigue of intergalactic politics.
Miller has done an excellent job of continuing the Star Wars novels by bringing them back to their roots. It’s clear that the team at Disney has a good understanding of the fundamentals of Star Wars that make it such a fun universe to explore and want that to continue. So if you’ve been disappointed with previous outings such as Honor Among Thieves: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion) then A New Dawn: Star Wars is a great return to form. New fans to the Star Wars universe or an old hand with a lightsaber, all should enjoy this adventure as the world prepares to return to a galaxy far, far away.
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Review by: Gregory Pellechi
Gregory Pellechi works in the Middle East because it’s cool and the world should be explored. He wishes he had more free time to read and write – the latter of which he does far too little of for himself. Greg will read just about anything including pamphlets in Spanish about influenza (always as if it’s a script from a Telenovela), but prefers Cyberpunk, Speculative Fiction and Star Wars. You can visit his blog at www.gregorypellechi.com but be warned he hasn’t posted anything to it in months. He’s more active on Twitter (@SvenNomadsson); just remember the time difference if you’re expecting a prompt reply.
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