| Title | : | Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345541936 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345541932 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 263 |
| Publication | : | First published May 7, 2013 |
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.
Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi) Reviews
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This book is a prequel to Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Volume 1-Force Storm (Star Wars : Dawn of the Jedi). Let me rephrase that it is a Prequel to the main story of Force Storm. Issue 0 & 1 offer a much more comprehensive history about the Dawn of the Jedi era. Luckily for me I had already read this so I understood much of the history which was alluded to but not explained in this book.
The basic history is huge pyramid shaped ships (called Tho Yor gathered up many different force sensitive, including the Witches of Dathomir, the Sith species, Humans and others to a Planet called Tython. Tython is rich in the Force and very sensitive to changes to it. It has two moons Bogan the dark moon & Ashla the light moon, these represent two sides of the force. The planet is so sensitive that Jedi (or in this era Je'daii) swaying too far to either side are sent to one of the respective moons until they can find balance. Cause of the nature of the planet any one born without Force powers (Force sensitive) is banished from the planet as it is too dangerous for them. On a technological note from the sounds of this and this millenniums before the movies outer solar system travel has not been perfected, and you might have noticed the Je'daii on the front is carrying a sword. Yep the Je'daii are going Samurai, no Lightsabers yet.
This story Lanoree Brock is a Je'daii Ranger (the equivalent of a Jedi Knight). She is called back by the Je'daii counsel for a special mission. She is specially selected because the antagonist is her long thought dead brother Del Brock. The difference between is Lanoree excelled at using the Force, Del didn't even though he was Force sensitive he shunned and hated the force slowly turning him into a dark and angry young man. What makes Del so dangerous is he want to leave the system to the bigger galaxy. To do this he need to open a Hyper gate; the side effect if this is creates a Black hole wiping out the whole system. The story is a now and then format. Half taking place when both Brocks are Journeyman and not with Lanoree current mission.
In this era the Je'daii are taught all areas of the Force, both Dark and Light techniques of accessing it but they must maintain balance. As Journeymen they are sent to the different Je'daii temples specialising in a different disciplines (science, art, medicine, martial arts, and alchemy/magic).
Lanoree specialises in telepathy and alchemy. Del even though he does not use the Force favourite was combat. Even though he or maybe because he does not use the Force he has built up way of block or at least sensing telepathic attacks and he taught this technique to his followers (the Stargazers) who are just as passionate about leaving the system at any cost as he is.
Like I said as this is the first book of this era I was expecting to learn more of the history. The do mention a couple of events like Deposit wars, and a bit about the Great Journey was good; but I would have liked more difference in the way the Je'daii are trained compared to the modern Jedi. Je'daii training is rawer more like a survival course getting from temple to temple. Having Lanoree using a sword the battles are a lot more bloody and brutal. The last 3 chapters run alongside the Force Storm comic. There is also a 7 page bonus story about Lanoree previous mission to this one. It gives more insight to the Je'daii thinking and their use of the Force.
I good book in all, but I would say read the comic of Force Storm first then this book, as a follow up The Prisoner of Bogan next. -
Bullet Review:
This ought to be 3 stars but I'm giving this 2 because no Star Wars book should take me nearly half a year to finish and fill me with such dread every time I pick it up.
I don't know that Tim Lebbon gets Star Wars; Lanoree is one of the most incompetent Force Users I've ever read (albeit still more interesting that the dull as dirt, Kerra Holt of Knight Errant). This story was completely pointless and failed utterly at answering the big question of "What are the origins of the Jedi?" It may sound like I hated this book, but that's not true. I'm just massively disappointed.
Not a Star Wars book I would recommend. I won't be checking out Lebbon's other works either.
Full Review:
Lanoree Brock is a Je'daii Ranger who has now been assigned to find her long-dead brother, Dalien, who holds a dangerous device that could ruin the world - or send them to the depths of the universe.
As a long-time Star Wars fan, who has plunged the depths of Star Wars EU with "Children of the Jedi" and "Jedi Trial", I must say this was a big fat disappointment - and confirmation that it's a good thing I'm not going to read past the Legends line and subject myself to more potential madness.
Now, we all can't be too hard on Star Wars. For every "Crystal Star" (the book that was the inspiration for my screen name - back in the day when I was a teenager and didn't have the same standards I do now) or "Courtship of Princess Leia", there was a "Heir to the Empire" or "Shatterpoint". Ying...and yang. But just because Star Wars is prone to bad books doesn't mean I have to tolerate it. Just because Star Wars has its rough spots doesn't mean that I have to turn the other way and pretend they don't exist.
I'm not sure why this book was written, other than to cash in on the mildly interesting comic series of the same name - which, to be honest, was much better than anything in this book. This was not an origin story. It was not an original Jedi story. It really isn't an original Star Wars story. I mean, how many times will we suffer through the "Character X chases Character Y for MacGuffin J" plot?
The characters are so boring and dull and lifeless. Lanoree WAS a better character than Kerra Holt - but come on, that's not saying much. Kerra Holt was pretty bland. She makes Saltine Crackers look spicy. Lanoree could have been a kick @$$ female Jedi - Space knows, Star Wars has its problems showcasing females doing things other than dying of broken hearts (or is that now retconned by Disney?). But no - she's a complete and utter moron. A simple mission turns into a jaunt around the solar system, a 300 page waste of paper/electronics/however you read this book. Her investigation skills are pretty much zero; Tre does more investigating than Lanoree, and he's not a Force User at all. A character can leave a heap of bloody clothes in her path, and she collapses and IMMEDIATELY thinks he's dead withOUT checking her surroundings!
And then the bloodbath Lanoree leaves in her wake! I get that Je'daii at this time weren't the pacifistic Jedi in the movies, but Lanoree justifies killing people a lot. A LOT. And her incompetence quite possibly gets a main character killed! (What's worse, that "death" doesn't even serve the purpose of being compelling or heart-wrenching in the least.)
Notable Mentions of Stock Star Wars characters:
+ The Fat Evil Businessperson
+ The Twi'Lek bad guy
+ The Family Member Who Isn't Dead
Also, what are Twi'Leks and Noghri doing on Tython and all these planets? Isn't this much before interstellar travel? What, did all these cultures come from the SAME system? HUH?
And now, before I lose steam, your favorite and mine:
NERD NITPICKS!
1. Landing permissions - ain't nobody got time for that! Seriously, is there a Star Wars book in which characters actually ask for permission to land, land, and then chase their bad guy?
2. Is there a requirement for a Star Wars author to create at least one planet per book wherein there is SO MUCH POLLUTION that acid rain and black skies are the norm? Is that in the list that George Lucas sends to all potential authors of his books?
3. At one point, Lanoree pilots her ship "out of Nox's gravity". Only, she just left the atmosphere. Yes, the further you get from the planet, the less the gravity will be, but it hasn't disappeared!
4. Force alchemy can save a person from a point-blank blaster wound! After that person has been drug through mines and been knocked out for half a day! We have never seen this before, but sure, let's go with it!
5. "We are but residents here; our true home is in the Force." I think the word you mean is "foreigners", not residents.
6. The book ends at 65% on my Kindle - the rest (besides a short story going to 68%) are a bunch of gorram excerpts of other books! It feels like I'm paying for heaps of excerpts!
7. Force Punch?! Again, in all my reading in Star Wars EU, I've never heard it called "Force Punch" before (only "Force Push"), and Lanoree overuses it so much, it must be banished from existence.
And this has been another...Nerd Nitpicks!
Seriously, the best thing about this book (other than yes, Lebbon did make the protagonist female) is the short story "Eruption" written by John Ostrander. THAT was awesome. THAT made Lanoree look bad @$$ and competent. THAT was more interesting than anything of this book.
Lanoree is an incompetent Je'daii doing a stupid mission with boring characters, and the writing is just average. This isn't the worst book that I've ever read, nor the worst Star Wars book, but it took me over 5 months to finish, and for a Star Wars book, that's a crime. Not to mention, every time I did pick up the book, I wanted to promptly put it back down.
No wait, you know what the REAL best thing about this book is? Disney has banished it from canon - a move that almost no one will cry over! -
Really probably 2.5 - this book for me was rather mediocre and here are a few reasons why:
- This was the first Star Wars book I have read that does not include characters and storyline related to the original. You might say "Matthew, you went into this knowing it is long before the original trilogy". To that I say that the author then should have worked harder to make it entertaining on its own so I didn't care so much about the lack of connection.
- The book goes back and forth between time periods and I often forgot which I was in as the transition was not smooth.
- The overall story was blah. It had no teeth. It had no pizzazz. As I read, more often than not, I was like "okay, guess this is what is going on, I am not sure why I care"
I will keep reading Star Wars, but I hope these duds are few and far between. -
Tim Lebbon’s 2013 Star Wars novel Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void is difficult to rate or review.
First of all, this is a Star Wars novel, because we explore the Force and an early version of the Jedi, called the Je’daii. That’s why I chose this work, I like ancient history, I like Star Wars, so how far back in the series can we go? This is it, look on the Star Wars timeline and this is as far back as any writer has ventured in Lucas’ interactive vision.
But is this really a Star Wars book?
It reminds me of Frank Herbert’s 1976
Children of Dune with the setting of two children in the wilderness training and also that each chapter begins with a quote from a Jedi master. This is also more gruesomely violent and in many ways more barbarously dark than the run of the mill SW book. There are no light sabers (though there is an oblique reference), the protagonist uses a sword and decapitates with the wild abandon of a samurai on holiday.
Set thousands of years before the events we are all familiar with, this is far removed from the goings on of Obi Wan and Anikin. And though there are droids, there is none of the campy but fun personality we are used to from R2 and C3P0.
Here’s my theory – and I could be way off. Lebbon had this idea and sold it to Lucas with some Je’daii lore taped on.
Anyway, all that said, not a bad story. Lebbon is a good writer and while the characterization is flat, and the dialogue seems also-ran-ish, I stayed tuned in til the end.
Turns out this is based upon a graphic novel series about the beginnings of the Jedi as we know it. Lebbon tells about a young Je’daii Ranger who tracks down her long lost brother who is Force deficient and mad about it. Lebbon alternates between now time and the Ranger’s memories of her and her brother’s initiation into the Je’daii rites and where it all goes wrong.
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The "Dawn of the Jedi" series was first produces in comic form and of course the logical progression is novelization. It takes Star Wars back to its roots. As the title says, it's the origin story to the Jedi, the beginning of our favorite protectors of the universe, users of the force (and lightsabers!), and purveyors of piety.
(It was radioactive spiders that created the Jedi!)
And you'll never believe how they began. In fact, if I gave you infinite guesses, you'd never get it. And it's not for the reason you think.
The "Je'daii" have a mysterious society that does its own thing, which tends to be for the betterment of the universe, saying "may the force go with you."
Yeah, you'd never be able to guess because you'd be going for something new. Also, they use the force and swords and have masters and apprentices. So it's definitely an origin story and not just an exact replication of the jedi we know and love.
Okay, so if you're reading Star Wars books, you really can't go into it expecting a whole lot. And sadly, any of the newer books have the added reputation of being bloated series with little plot.
However, what you can expect is lots of action and lots of fun. Into the Void delivers on both counts. While I make fun of the "origin story" it's still an entertaining and interesting look at the beginnings of the Jedi. These Je'daii go through an interesting training period on an incredibly dangerous planet.
Into the Void follows Lanoree Brock, a Je'daii Ranger, who spends most of her time on her own in solitary missions ranging around the galaxy. She's called in for a special mission that could result in the salvation or destruction of the galaxy as they know it, and it's all because of her brother Dal, once thought dead.
The narrative switches between the present where Lanoree is in pursuit of her brother in her current mission and her past training where she and her brother participated together. It's a great way to introduce Dal and find out what his motivations are for his dark pursuits later in his life.
Lebbon does a great job with these characters and his narrative structure works well to set things up for an exciting ending while providing plenty of excitement throughout the training on this dangerous planet. I'm interested to try out Lebbon's other works because he obviously knows what he's doing.
Like other Star Wars audiobooks, Into the Void is filled with suspenseful music and every type of sound effect they can possibly fit in. Like a movie in your head, I can't recommend Star Wars audiobooks enough. And January LaVoy does an excellent job bringing Lanoree and every other character to life.
But what I really can't wait for the origin of the origin story. That's where the money is.
3.5 out of 5 Stars (recommended) -
I can't read this book. It's just written too terribly to even get past the first chapter. The writing is beyond amatuerish and it uses present tense, which I absolutely HATE. Examples of this would be The Hunger Games and I Am Number Four. I'm sorry, but I just cannot stand the use of present tense. I absolutely despise it. Not to mention the fact that few people who use it in their writing are able to do it well. Some Star Wars fans may be able to get past the terrible writing and the present tense, but I cannot. Honestly, I sat on my couch for 45 minutes correcting the grammar in the first chapter, more than actually reading it before I put it down. It was THAT bad. I don't know what editor green-lighted this for publication, but whooo-boy did he fail to do his job. This one's going back to the book store for a refund and the writer should be ashamed of himself. It's not often I find a book so badly written that I can't even get past the first chapter. I've read writing assignments from high school kids that had more skill and grammatical knowledge than this. My advice to anyone seeking to read this book: Pick up the trade paperback compilation books of the Dark Horse comics that this book is based on. The comics are far more enjoyable with some very good artwork. Don't support shoddy, half-assed work like this by paying good money on it that would be more enjoyably spent on unanesthetised dental surgery.
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You know when you were a kid and you went to the store and you saw knock-off copies of popular toys? Like, next to the G.I. Joes would be "Action Commando Man" or some such? Well, this book is the Action Commando Man of the Star Wars universe. This fact also makes it very difficult to rate.
For example, as a generic sci-fi story starring a space ninja, it's pretty rad. The main character rips people's fingers off and crushes them with her force powers, and when it's time to do some swordplay, sneaking up behind them and decapitating them or impaling them always trumps a fair and noble fight.
As a Star Wars novel, however, it is barely passable. As a description of what the Jedi Order was like in the beginning, it is severely lacking and ultimately disappointing. All we learn is that Jedi masters trained initiates by beating the ever living shit out of them. And if you are looking for Jedi that actually act like Jedi, look elsewhere (see my first point about why this is a great non-Star Wars novel). In fact, if you take out every mention of "the force", then this story could easily take place in any sci-fantasy universe.
This book also felt like the beginning of a series that they were going to pursue but just didn't. If this was always meant to be a standalone, then that is even more confusing because this book leaves more questions and holes about the early Star Wars universe than it answers.
So, anyway, if you have already read most of the other Star Wars novels out there, then certainly give this a try. Also, if you want a pretty good generic sci-fantasy novel about killer space ninjas chopping people up with swords and smashing people's faces with their minds, then you will probably enjoy this a bit. If you want a true Star Wars experience, however, I would suggest looking elsewhere. -
I can't believe this was published.. this book is just badly written and half of it isn't close to cannon. the species mentioned here shouldn't be there at all.. Wookiees, Noghri and Sith!? Did anyone check if this book lined up to the lore and history of the Star Wars universe? I'm a huge Star Wars book nerd and got so frustrated with this guys book. I expected a book that sets its time as early in the history as anyone ever has to have had much better lore. it doesn't explain anything! why are Sith here?! this takes place after the Rakata's Infinite Empire was destroyed by the Siths Sorcery right? the Sith are met for the first time by dark Jedi after this book possibly at the end of this guys planned trilogy!? (PLEASE GOD DON'T LET TIM MAKE MORE OF THESE!!)
Cannon issues aside, he's no scientist. he mentions at the beginning of the book that "Exposing dark matter to normal matter would be cataclysmic. It would create a black hole..." Oisk!! pure Oisk! Dark matter would not act that way ever!
And by the way don't swear in a star wars book. he says "Bitch" and "Piss" in the first two chapters, which might not be awful in a PG-13 movie but never have i read a Star Wars book with any kind of bad language at all. they say plenty of other words from tons of other languages in the SW universe.
Please don't let him ruin more precious Star Wars novels, the future movies are getting close to tossing the expanded universes Cannon out the window they don't need help from this guy..
signed, I weep for Star Wars -
I have a a lot of friends who like the Star Wars books, so I hope I don't annoy them. I just read a review of a book I like immensely where the reviewer said she found the characters whiny and the dialogue wooden... I listed the entire series among my favorites. Obviously I disagree. So, some of you will disagree here.
On the plus side I don't plan to greatly "trash" the book. Mostly I just couldn't get into it. I may go back and try it again later when I'm in a different mood. I've read several books I liked a lot lately and this one just (mostly) left me cold. I couldn't get involved.
When it comes to Star wars I've never gotten into any of the books, for that matter as far as I'm concerned only the original trilogy of movies are worth seeing.
Just me I guess.
Also i need to say that I got this in audio and sound effects didn't help...mostly they just annoyed me. I don't need to hear wookiees howling, driods beeping and so on as the book is being read.
So, 2 stars mostly because I just couldn't care about the characters or the book. Still it's a good idea and I may try again...maybe...later. -
Okay, would it have killed Lebbon to have written the book in one tense? It really made the flashbacks kind of annoying. I was actually thinking of just skipping them because they really didn't add anything to plot.
The rest of the book was just okay. Problem #1 is that Lanoree Brock really isn't all that likeable of a hero. None of the Je'daii are, in fact. Second, Dal isn't really evil. So you have a weak hero chasing a bad guy who isn't bad.
Another of the problems is that Lanoree doesn't recognize that her brother isn't a bad guy until late in the book. Something that could have made an interesting sub-plot is barely touched upon.
And the MacGuffin is another problem. Lanoree blindly follows orders when she should have been questioning them. Why is this stargate bad? What's wrong with the idea of exploring space? Why do the Je'daii Masters think the device that opens the stargate will destroy the planet?
Lanoree never asks these questions and the book never answers them. It's simply: Je'daii good; Stargazers bad.
So, die hard Star Wars fans only. -
It was ok.
A simple story of a family torn apart and pretty much the adventures of a Lanoree, a Jedi who's traveling around getting into trouble.
What I liked: A nice little story, well written characters and fun to read with its good and bad moments.
What I didn't like: No use of the Star Wars lore at all. This was supposed to be the origin of the origins of the whole thing and how it all started but that lasted for a few pages and then we go 200 years to the future or something reading about the adventures of Jedi that could very well be placed in any place throughout the Star Wars timeline.
I mean, this is supposed to be the DAWN of the Jedi, and we're reading here about a generic story that takes place AFTER the so called dawn, and that was a bit disappointing.
And last but not least, my other problem was that Lanoree was this young Jedi who got called back from all the Jedi Masters and all the wise and the teachers and all that shit, to be told that she has to go find her long lost missing for dead brother and may or may not have to stop and kill him. Really Jedi Masters? You have a serious dangerous threat to end Jedi life as you know it and the first thing to do is to call back a young Jedi from her adventures out there in the galaxy and tell her, "Hey, go find your brother who you thought was dead, and also, kill him." So. Damn. Wise. #Not
Other than that, the story as I said was ok, but nothing to write home about, and the ending was a bit obvious and nothing you haven't read before. -
Isn't it frustrating when you read a book and you don't know how to rate it because you ADORE the sidekick but hate the MC, found the story intriguing, but stumbled over the plot holes, loved the world building, but didn't see enough, and were repulsed by REALLY problematic moral issues that were never addressed? And you feel in love, intrigued, betrayed, confused, and cheated ALL AT THE SAME TIME?
Yeah, I'm feeling pretty Kylo Ren-ish right now.
-
This is a story of the foundations of what would, in time, become the Jedi Order. Taking places tens of thousands of years before the Old Republic,on the planet of Tython, a group of Force users gathered to study the ways of the Force. They were called the Je'daii.
As they develop the foundations for what will become the Jedi Order- we see the original beliefs of the original before they became the hubris laden, hide bound, morality lecturers for the "Light" side-aka the Jedi Order.
No the Je'daii understood that the Force was about balance- both light AND dark. While the Jedi shunned the Dark, rightly fearing its power and seduction, their ancestors understood that to be truly balanced one needed both.
Now mind you this was a time before lightsabers. Je'daii used finely wrought swords. This is the story of Lanoree Brock- a Je'daii Journeyer. Her brother Dal (he's basically a prick throughout the entire story) has found an ancient device. He hates the Force and plans to leave Tython- but his device might spell the destruction of a galaxy. That's the premise. More than that I will not spoil.
The main story is good, but what makes this interesting is the focus on the Je'daii and their philosophies. While any fan of the Jedi order will see the substance of the basic beliefs, there are subtle differences. It is in finding these subtle differences that this story shines. I enjoyed reading about their view of the Force and was surprised to find them more open and understanding than their dogmatic descendants. I leave you with this quote (and compare it to the hubristic and dogmatic drivel spewed by Jedi propagandists like Yoda or Mace Windu):
"A Je'daii needs darkness and light, shadow and illumination, because without the two there can be no balance. Veer to Bogan (the Dark Side), and Ashla (Light Side)feels to constraining, too pure; edge toward Ashla, and Bogan becomes a monstrous myth. A Je'daii without balance between both is no Je'daii at all. He, or she, is simply lost."
The line about ".....toward Ashla, and Bogan becomes a monstrous myth." presaged the Jedi's hubris millennia before the events that led to the rise of Sidious. An interesting look at the foundation of the Jedi Order and their ruminations on the Force. -
Definitely one of the best Star Wars books I have ever read. If you've ever wondered about the history of the Jedi, about their origins, before their temple on Coruscant, before their wars with the Sith, in fact, about a time where the Sith were simply a species, their name not yet a synonym for terror and the dark side of the Force, then this is the book for you.
Packed with the usual action sequences and struggles between two opposing forces that usually appear in Star Wars novels, it follows Lanoree, a Je'daii Ranger, who follows hot on the trail of her long lost and now corrupt brother, attempting to stop him before he changes the course of the entire system. Set in a time before hyperspace travel, it's fascinating to see the galaxy reduced to one handful of planets, diverse though they are, teeming with familiar species, and some unfamiliar ones too. Lebbon infuses the story with a mysterious history and a long gone species that no one knows much about, echoing other texts in the Star Wars universe, such as Bioshock's Knights of the Old Republic and its Builders, while at the same time, establishing a history of the universe that opens up a whole new space for writing and expanding the canon universe. There are many interesting things to note, from the way a Padawan undertook their training, to the planet it was set on, to the fact that there was no 'dark side' nor a 'light side' to the force that a Je'daii must stay on, but rather a balance that they must achieve.
It also follows the story of Lanoree as a child, going through her training, and though this might sound like it would detract from the story, it doesn't; it fleshes it out, the twin story lines co-existing and fueling one another, so you, as a reader, have a better understanding of the characters' motivations. Of Lanoree's at least. On that note, it would have been interesting to see some of the other characters' backstories explored, like Tre's, Lanoree's companion for the most part of the novel, and Dal's, her brother, who spent many years in hiding, under the guise of being dead. Unfortunately, the latter seems impossible, given the nature of the book's ending, but perhaps not, considering that several chapters of the novel begin by quoting Dal's diaries.
It would be wonderful to see a sequel to this novel, perhaps with Lanoree, or some other character, finding and picking their way through Dal's journals, while also filling in some gaps from this book, like revealing some more of Tre's history, or even just informing us of what happens afterwards. And of course there are some things that leave a reader still a little confused, like the art of Alchemy of the Flesh, which seems to be genetic cloning of some sort that can be harvested for its healing properties for the being whose DNA it is grown from, but the specifics are not clear. Also, as it's not something that seems to come up a lot in later Star Wars novels, it might be interesting to explore whether that was continued, or whether it became a banned practice, or even a dark side practice.
But overall, Lebbon does a great job of presenting us a new face of a well known universe, by making it strange, delving into a history that most readers never even really take the time to think about. I, for one, definitely hope that he writes a couple more novels about this time period, and look forward to hearing about future Star Wars publications of his. -
You ever read a book and think "wow, isn't this decent"? That was my exact thought. This book was decent. No more, no less. It's not something I regret spending my time on, but it's not something I'll ever read again. And that's fine. It's perfectly balanced, just like the Force.
Spoilers below! -
Star Wars Legends Project #1
Background: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void came out in May of 2013, and was written by
Tim Lebbon. Lebbon is apparently quite prolific in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy genres, with a whole boatload of novels and short stories to his name. His flagship works include entries in the "Hellboy" franchise, some movie novelizations, the "Toxic City" trilogy (described as Hunger Games meets X-Men), and "The Secret Adventures of Jack London" series. This is his first Star Wars book. He has apparently expressed interest in building it into a trilogy around the main character, Lanoree Brock. Heaven forbid. Happily, no such trilogy has yet been announced, and despite the "Dawn of the Jedi" heading, which would seem to indicate some kind of series potential, the book appears (for now) to be a stand-alone tie-in to the Dawn of the Jedi comic book series.
As one might guess from the whole "Dawn" thing, this is very early days in the Star Wars universe. The earliest days to-date, in fact: 25,000 before the Battle of Yavin (not counting a brief 35,000-years-before-Yavin flashback at the beginning of the comic series). It's so early, actually, that the "Jedi" of the title don't even exist. The main characters are "Je'daii," ancestors of the familiar space monks so distant, they don't even wield lightsabers yet (though they do carry metal swords that can somehow deflect blaster bolts, so it's basically the same thing). Actually, the "Dawn" part of the title is inaccurate, too. When this novel takes place, the Je'daii have already existed for 10,000 years (i.e., longer than recorded human history), so all in all, it's kind of a stupid title. Aside from the Force, and a few familiar species (Wookiees, Twi'leks, etc.), there's not a lot here that is recognizably "Star Wars." The events of the novel's climax seem to overlap with the first Dawn of the Jedi comic,
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm, and that's about all the connection you'll find to the rest of the Expanded Universe.
Summary: Lanoree Brock is a promising young Je'daii Ranger (now that's a good title), the equivalent of a Knight, roaming the various planets of the Tython system in the deep core of the galaxy, where the Je'daii order was gathered and formed, and which they and their non-Force-wielding neighbors alike are unable to leave (long, somewhat goofy story, don't worry about it).
Lanoree is surprised to be recalled suddenly to Tython for an urgent secret meeting with several Je'daii masters. It seems that her younger brother, Dalien, whom she has believed dead for several years, is now the deranged leader of a cult bent on returning to the homes their ancestors left millenia before by activating an ancient alien stargate that may or may not exist, using ancient technology that may or may not work, which may or may not create a black hole and swallow the entire system when activated. Turns out, even though he went to extreme lengths to fake his own death and disappear, Dalien's still using his real name. Anyway, Lanoree is tasked with finding him and stopping him by whatever means necessary. As she pursues him from planet to planet in the company of a shady Je'daii informer, flashbacks reveal the rift between the siblings that led to Dalien's apparent death years before.
Review: A lot of Star Wars writers spend too much time describing and explaining things that every fan already knows about, as though their reader may not have seen a Star Wars movie before. Lebbon kind of does the opposite. Most readers are not going to know anything about this time and place in the Star Wars universe, and yet he is constantly dropping references to seemingly important people, places, and events that we know nothing about. I never knew when he was being vague about something that would be explained later, when the reference was just unimportant background flavor, and when he was talking about something I ought to know about but don't. Partway through the book, I got frustrated and found the introductory issue (#00) to the Dawn of the Jedi comics, which has a series of entries introducing the setting. That helped a lot, but I shouldn't have to go "check the encyclopedia" (or buy a comic book) to get my bearings.
But then, I didn't feel a whole lot of connection to the story anyway, because Lanoree Brock may well be the least sympathetic protagonist in Star Wars history; even worse than the protagonist of Episode I (cuz there wasn't one . . . get it?). Aside from just being badly written (wooden, flat, humorless), she is incredibly self-absorbed, judgmental, and self-righteous, but also completely amoral. Her disdain and disregard for non-Je'daii is palpable in every scene in the book (she very slowly grows to sort of care about her sidekick, but only after he basically lays down his life for her), and her choices and actions throughout the book are highly questionable at best. That wouldn't matter so much if her character was meant to be a little ambiguous, but through it all I had the deeply unpleasant sense that I was supposed to be cheering her every move simply because she's "The Hero" and therefore her virtue is to be taken for granted. Oh, and her "special Force talent," which gets trotted out as an extremely clumsy plot device to resolve a crisis near the book's end, is creepy, disgusting, and downright evil; and also pretty much the dumbest Force-based ability ever conceived.
Of course, a lot of Lanoree's flaws are just endemic to the Je'daii themselves. I couldn't help sympathizing completely with every character or organization that attempts to cross or oppose them. They occupy the Force-heavy planet of Tython, completely aloof, while non-Je'daii have spread out to the other planets in the system. Non-Je'daii pretty much run their own affairs, but it is clear that the Je'daii treat everyone else like small children, in that they swoop in to meddle whenever they feel like it, whether asked or not, don't bother to consult the opinions of the people whose lives they're interfering with, and don't deign to offer any explanations for their actions, because after all, how could puny non-Je'daii minds comprehend anyway? They're all just completely insufferable "shut-up-I-know-best" douchebags, spouting inane, faux-deep dime-store philosophy.
Really, though, the writing just isn't good in general. It's not so much overtly wretched as it is distractingly unpolished throughout. Lebbon frequently fails do describe important visual elements of a scene (like what his main character looks like, or who she's talking to) until he's so far into a scene that it feels like an intrusion and an afterthought. He constantly uses weird turns of phrase that, while they don't stand out on their own as clearly wretched, just sound slightly wrong or assert things that don't quite make sense. The overall effect is that the flow of reading is constantly disrupted. Information is also repeated frequently, sometimes even in the form of characters repeating conversations they have already had as though they had not already had them. In other words, it's not even like he's reminding the reader in case we've forgotten. It's like he forgot that he had written it already. Finally, for some reason Lebbon decided to write all of the flashback scenes in the present tense; a bizarre, counterintuitive choice that exemplifies how off-kilter and awkward the entire reading experience is.
Above all, this story couldn't be more dull if the author had revealed everything that was going to happen from the very beginning ... Because that's what he did. Before Lanoree embarks on her mission, we know who she's after, where they are, exactly what they're up to, and where they're going to end up. And then we have to read 300 pages of rote confirmation that all of what we know is indeed correct. Lebbon keeps teasing the reader along, attempting to build suspense as though something unexpected is about to happen, only to reveal that, Surprise!, there isn't anything unexpected. Everything is exactly what it seems. Meanwhile, the flashbacks build and build toward Dalien's violent "death," treating it as though it were an event we don't already know about, and that we don't already know he faked. Yawnsville.
And, aside from being really boring, there are a couple of really glaringly obvious problems with the story as told. First, in every story ever where an organization sends people on missions, there is always a great deal of concern if they believe their agent might be emotionally compromised. This goes double for Je'daii, reliant as they are on a balanced connection to the Force, unclouded by emotion (a balance which this book goes out of its way to beat us over the head with every dang time the Force is mentioned until I wanted to scream, "Okay, I get it! The dark side tempts, the light side calls, keep the balance! I KNOW"). But somehow, the Je'daii masters think that the best idea is first to suddenly spring on Lanoree the news that her brother, whom she loved dearly and has mourned for several years, is actually alive, and then send her on a mission that will most likely result in her having to kill him. And, sure enough, she almost critically fails the mission like 4 times because, "Aw, it's my little brother!"
Second, since everyone is completely confined to a single system, every Je'daii in existence (and there seem to be at least hundreds, if not thousands of them) is pretty much right there. There are 10 planets in the Tython system, and Lanoree visits 4 of them during the course of her mission. But, even though the masters seriously believe that Dalien's success could credibly result in the destruction of the entire system and the deaths of everyone, they send her alone, and there never seems to be any backup available. Even when she informs her master that her brother has gotten away (or gotten away again), and has a significant headstart, but she knows where he's going, there's never a, "Oh, we have like 20 Je'daii hanging out on that planet already. They'll move to intercept." They even know from the very beginning, exactly where Dalien is going to end up: on their planet. And yeah, there is a sort of explanation for why they aren't just waiting there for him when he shows up, but it's pretty thin. (On the other hand, there is no explanation at all for a similar lapse by Lanoree: She arrives on a remote mining planet where her brother has landed and kills the 2 cultists guarding his ship. But rather than just stay behind and disable the getaway vehicle, then wait for him to return, she follows him, nearly dies, and lets him escape.)
The stupid thing is that there is an obvious fix for these problems, and it would have made the whole novel infinitely more compelling to boot. Why not just have Lanoree investigate "suspicious activities" by this weird new cult that no one seems to know anything about? Play up the angle that she is haunted, even damaged, by the loss of her brother, and retain the flashbacks describing how it happened. Then, big surprise: The mysterious leader of this cult IS her brother, who is still alive! And he plans to activate an ancient stargate! And this might destroy everything! Bam bam bam, you've got three major, surprising plot twists that raise the stakes as they are revealed rather than laying all the cards on the table at the outset. Plus, this eliminates the problem of why the Je'daii masters would send Lanoree after her own brother (they didn't know), casting the success of her mission into even greater doubt, and it explains why they wouldn't take the threat more seriously (they aren't aware of the severity of it).
There's a lot more I could say about why this book is so terrible, but at the end of the day, I think what damaged the experience most of all was recognizing that there was clearly a good story in here somewhere. Tim Lebbon just buried it under loads of crap rather than excavating it. I hope that the comics this novel ties into are better. And if Lanoree is a character in them, I hope she's written competently. Into the Void includes a short story, "Eruption," written by a different author and set just before the novel begins. It features Lanoree in partnership with a Twi'lek Je'daii named Hawk Ryo. And even in that brief span, her potential was obvious. A good writer could have pulled this off, they just didn't hire one.
F -
Meh. I’m struggling to decide how to rate this book. There were things I liked about it… and things I definitely did not like. I’ve come to this book after something of a hiatus. I collected all the Expanded Universe books in my teen years, saving up my pocket money to make a new addition once a fortnight, reading each book multiple times over, arranging them all neatly in chronological order on a dedicated shelf… And then I went to university and the only time I had for reading was spent reading those five chapters and seven articles on historical methodology that I had to give a presentation on the next day. So I fell behind as the newer books came out. Now, newer books and the rest of my collection alike have been wholesale swept aside, and Disney tells us none of them ever really happened. What a crock. Of course, I choose to ignore this grandiose edict, and like many Star Wars fans, I make my own canon – why not, after all, most of us are still trying to forget the prequels happened. But it got me to thinking about my EU collection. About how the newer books seemed to steadily lose their way – several books were being churned out a year, in the past few years before the Legends lockdown; many of them barely over 200 pages in hardcover, with thin, stretched plots and mediocre writing. I suppose another reason why I fell behind with the newer books was lack of enthusiasm. But even back in the day, the series had terrible entries. Crystal Star was ghastly, and Children of the Jedi was nonsensical. When I got to thinking about what I should do with my now non-canon EU book collection, I decided to weed out the good from the bad, and give those newer novels I never got round to a read before I placed them in the keep or throw pile. And I decided to begin, well, at the beginning. I did read the Dawn of the Jedi graphic novels before reading this – which I now realise was an error as they actually take place immediately afterwards. They were alright – enough to save them from the throw pile – but I wanted more out of them, frankly. I rather hoped that a meaty book would provide the depth I desired. The result was a mixed bag.
I’ve always really enjoyed the ancient history of the Star Wars universe, so I must admit I was interested in the history, and comparing and contrasting the Je’daii of this era to those of the era we all know so well. And this particular era always fills me with a sense of smug vindication. Everyone loves Jedi, and I’m no different, but I always got this nagging feeling that their world view was kind of simplistic. Very rarely are things as simple as good versus evil – people, and life, are a chaotic riot of colour. Without the dark side, how would they know the light side? How would there be any concept of good if there was no bad? Some Jedi deliberately dabble with the dark side and don’t fall, others fall completely unintentionally; some say love is bad, others believe no such thing… The Jedi may be awesome, but their code is one great big mess. Taking us all the way back to this era, the Jedi Order in its earliest incarnation, their life philosophy is taken in a completely different direction. The Jedi here recognise that you can’t have light without dark, and strive not towards the light side, but to be in balance between the two. It’s a nice retcon explanation to see that the Jedi Order’s original intention was founded upon wisdom after all, and the later Jedi have just screwed it all up and deviated out of balance. It explains a lot of the mess that happens millennia down the line.
I won’t go into the details of the backstory – you’ll have to read the comics to find that out – but to summarise, the early Jedi Order, and a whole bunch of non-Force sensitives, of several different species, were brought to and have colonised the Tythos star system. This is early galactic history, so whilst they’ve colonised most of the star system, they haven’t yet developed interstellar travel. The main plot revolves around the quest to achieve this, and the quest to stop it. I liked the time Lebbon spent on describing this different stage, so to speak. It’s a wildly different era, and I felt that Lebbon achieved the creation of a different sort of ambience. It felt like a different atmosphere from other Star Wars novels I’ve read, and I’ve read a lot. I have to say I felt the inclusion of several iconic Star Wars aliens in this era is a little too convenient and engineered – but I can’t blame Lebbon for that. When I envisioned the early Star Wars era one of the interesting struggles I imagined was those different aliens meeting and the tension and possible conflict around those landmark events, way before the Republic became the Republic with all its mixing and integration of so many different species. And that was another problem I had with the book – well, not just this book, but this era – this novel and the comic series are set just over ten thousand years after these people are collected up and dumped on Tython. They’ve already established themselves. This isn’t really an origins story at all. It’s what happened after the initial struggles were over and the whole system had been colonised. On the one hand, I can see that setting it in an era where the whole system has been colonised gives the characters plenty of exciting locations to go to, keeping the scenery fresh and allowing a good dose of space travel. But on the other hand I feel like I’ve been cheated out of the real origins story – the mysterious Tho Yor and the very first struggles of these people on Tython. The real origins don’t even go back ten thousand years before this book is set, but even earlier – the ancient Gree technology, the Kwa, and just who were the Celestials?! I have wondered these questions through years of dropped hints and brief references in Star Wars books and comics – I WANT ANSWERS, DAMMIT! But Star Wars is never going to give them to us. Because they don’t know. They’re just making it up as they go along, and extending galactic history ever further backwards without any real plan or coherency. It’s like the writing team for LOST.
I have to say I agree with reviewers who were frustrated that Lanoree didn’t consider Dal’s plan to open the hypergates with more seriousness. Alright, obviously I’m rooting for her to stop a potential cataclysmic event, and I don’t want her crazy brother to go through with his madcap scheme. But why doesn’t Lanoree ask more questions of the rest of the Order, and the Masters? If I were in her boots I’d be asking the Masters “what makes you think opening the hypergates would cause a cataclysmic event? Shouldn’t we explore other possibilities for interstellar travel even if the hypergates are a no-go? Shouldn’t we spend some of our time and resources studying and examining the hypergates so that we at least know what we’re dealing with here, and learn as much as possible, even if we never activate them? It could be a joint venture with Je’daii and the system’s top scientists…” But the Je’daii Order just didn’t want to seem to have anything to do with the hypergates at all. The message was that nobody should even think of looking for or examining these things, let alone activate one. Hey, if I had a piece of ancient, powerful, potentially destructive tech lying around, I wouldn’t leave it alone. It’s a little like an unexploded bomb. I’d be damn careful around the thing, but I’d sure as heck send people in to study the thing and see about the possibilities of safely dismantling it, or learning more about it in hopes of one day understanding how to use it, or at the very least setting up the area as a total no-go zone.
Speaking of Lanoree… I struggled to identify with her and root for her. I did support her from the basic position of I hoped she would stop disaster from happening, but other than that it was difficult to empathise with her. She was a fairly distant character, and whilst I didn’t dislike her, I didn’t like her either. Tre Sana and Dam Powl were more interesting. I wanted to know what secrets those two were so obviously hiding. At times I outright disagreed with Lanoree’s actions, specifically, her using the Force to intrude upon her brother when they were young. I get that she was well-intentioned, and obviously Dal has issues with personal identity and purpose, but Lanoree couldn’t respect or accept his boundaries and choices (misguided as they may have been) and that made me downright annoyed with her. That said, I must praise
On the subject of the writing, I have little to say. I feel it was competent but unremarkable. Except, I must praise the flashback in which Lanoree enters the Old City. This was the scene in the book where I really felt the eerie atmosphere leap off the page. This was well done, and fairly evocative. I only wished it went on longer and Lebbon had got to play with it more. The climax and the resolution of the story did feel sudden and abrupt to me, and kind of an anti-climax, to be honest. After reading the Big Showdown I thought “that’s it?” I really expected something more; a bigger struggle, a harder fight, and an altogether more emotionally wrenching scene.
In conclusion, I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It’s been a mixed bag for me and I’m not yet decided on whether it’ll stay or go. But I’m pretty sure there won’t be any more of Lanoree’s story, now that Disney have shut this canon down.
6 out of 10 -
Finding myself in a serious holiday malaise and more entranced with my trial DC Universe subscription than reading, this was the book I finished out 2018 with. And it was entertaining enough.
(Prepare thyself as I release the salvo of lukewarm accolades.)
First, you should know this was a spin-off from a Dark Horse comic book series, Dawn of the Jedi. And if you noticed that I said Dark Horse and not Marvel, you are correct in assuming this story is now officially part of the Legends timeline (It's a whole canon rebooting thing that happened when Disney took over, more info than you could ever need is, naturally, on the Interwebs.) And since I didn't read that series, it means I was slightly lost and had to spend a little more time than usual on
Wookieepedia.
That might deter the average reader, but let's face it: if you are looking to pick this up, you've already long crossed the line into "Jar Jar Binks was the reincarnation of Darth Plagueis and I will now spend the next 15 minutes laying out my theory" territory. And if so, greetings friend!
Even longer ago and farther away, in the Deep Core of the Star Wars galaxy approximately 25,000 years Before the Battle of Yavin (or, BBY), the Jed'aii live and train on the planet Tython (FYI, the Deep Core is still canon but Tython currently is not.) Lanoree Brock and her brother Dal are the children of two Jed'aii instructors and seek to follow in their footsteps. But from an early age, it is clear Lanoree is gifted with the Force and Dal is not. And over time, this builds a rage and hatred in Dal that will eventually cause him to violently reject the Order, fake his own death, and search ancient legends for a technology that will allow him to escape the Deep Core (an area of the galaxy isolated by an abundance of dark matter and spatial anomalies.)
Unfortunately, using this ancient technology could also cause a cataclysmic release of power that could destroy all life in the Deep Core. So the Jed'aii send Lanoree to find and stop her brother.
This mission seems kind of important, so clearly they should only send one person. Maybe everyone else was busy with a trade dispute on Naboo.
The biggest difference between the Jed'aii and the Jedi seems to be that light sabers aren't a thing yet (although there is a fleeting reference to what are clearly Kyber crystals), so Lanoree carries a sword and occasionally wields an uncivilized blaster. She also seems a little more willing to kill than the Jedi will eventually be.
This had some good action scenes and I enjoyed the universe back story, non-canon though it may be. But I didn't really connect with the story because the characters didn't come alive for me. Lanoree in particular was kind of meh, and she's the heroine of the story so that's a problem.
If you are a casual Star Wars consumer, this novel in particular is not for you. But if you are a sci-fi reader and are curious, I do recommend them overall. The novels add a lot of richness to the universe, and they often remind me of the Dune saga, except with added optimism and 90% fewer soliloquys.
Now, what in the shit am I going to read in 2019? -
I've read
Into the Void twice. The second read was better and worse. It was better because I realized more of Lebbon's really good descriptive writing and I saw more detail in the book than I noticed during my first read. And, the second read was worse because I saw more holes in the story and saw more unanswered questions and unplumbed depths.
Into the Void could have been be so much more. It feels like a missed opportunity. There is a wealth of lore, universe building and mysteries to explore that are presented in the book. Sadly, all we get is a space chase and flashbacks to Je'Daii training. The Je'Daii masters seem like complacent, lazy, and feckless middle school teachers. I was supremely disappointed in them as characters. Lanoree, especially on my second read, is so unlikable. She is a callous bully and her 'alchemy of the flesh' is a weird personal science experiment that found a place in the story, but at the very end and in a hurried and selfish manner. Worst, I never felt tension or anxiety about the alleged cataclysm the book's antagonist was trying to unleash. The danger fell flat and while the book told the reader there is a sense of critically important urgency it never makes the reader feel that way.
None of this is Lebbon's fault. He is a capable writer and does well with what he had. He was a writer-for-hire in this
Into the Void effort.
I give this book 2.5 stars (down a half star from my read in 2017). There are no, "Wow!" moments and there is a dearth of meaningful dialogue. As noted above: so many great ideas are established but never fleshed out. See my highlights and notes for more. I might read the comics that this novel ties into. Perhaps they shed more light on the deeper story that
Into the Void fails to convey. As a stand-alone novel,
Into the Void is nowhere near must-read Star Wars fare. -
Having heard so many great things about the Star Wars expanded universe, I felt it was finally time to take the gargantuan task of starting this series of Legends (no longer Disney cannon) from the beginning.
Set 25,000 years before the battle of Yavin this is the earliest novel in the timeline.
Je'daii Ranger Lanoree Brock is given the task to stop her (believed dead) brother Darlen Brock from activating a bomb.
This is the only novel set around this era, but I believe that it’s linked with the comics.
Working as a stand-alone but I soon started to find that the author’s descriptions slightly lacking.
At times it felt like a novelisation, as this is my first introduction to this era I found it hard to visualise some of the characters and places.
It was a fast paced story and I was easily swept along with the ride.
What I did find fascinating during this era was the use of technology. No lightsabers or hyperspace.
If anything this book could have easily been a part of a trilogy itself.
Enjoyable, but left me slightly unfulfilled. -
Read the Review Here:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/05/....
“A fun look into a Star Wars before such a time as even the Old Republic. Action packed and page-turning.” ~The Founding Fields
I’ve been reading a lot of new Star Wars releases recently and there seems to be a trend of one thing happening - they’re fun, action packed and page-turning, but they’re rarely anything more. Crucible and The Last Jedi both prove my point, but nonetheless, it’s Star Wars, even if Tim Lebbon has picked an era of history that I know nothing about (aside from the confusing Spiral), in order to tell his tale in.
"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."
This novel explores the early days of the Jedi, back when they were known as the Je’daii. You can see certain similarities, and for the first time, the novel itself feels like it wouldn’t work if it was set in the same time period as the main films – which was the problem that dogged the Old Republic novels. I picked up the #0 issue of Dark Horse’s Dawn of the Jedi saga a few weeks ago in the bargain box at my local comic store in order to see if it could clarify anything, and it certainly helped me to understand to a certain extent the background that this novel was set in,
The book itself is set 25,000 years before the A New Hope, and deals with a very different time. Intergalactic travel is merely an idea, planets boasted different names and technology is far from what we’re used to. The early days. There aren’t that many alien species yet, nothing like the vast sea of them that you see in the Mois Eisley Cantina. There’s humans, Twi’lek, Wookiees – and even the Sith, presenting a threat of course to the Je’daii, who aren’t as powerful with the force as say, Yoda is in the prequels.
The main character here is Lanoree, and it is through her eyes (first person present tense) the story is told. She’s an interesting character, and it’s nice to read a novel with a female lead in the Star Wars Universe for a change, but Lebbon hasn’t managed to make her have a lasting impact on me as a character, although she does undergo some development throughout the book. The story has some great promise and some great ideas, but ultimately it isn’t more than your average book from this Universe. The setting is the only thing that makes this book stand out, because otherwise Lanoree could be replaced with pretty much any minor EU Jedi character and we wouldn’t notice the difference.
The flashbacks are a somewhat weak element of the book as well, and the ending itself doesn’t really deliver as it feels sudden, as if it was forced and abrupt. However, I still enjoyed the book itself despite all the negative things I’ve said about it, but only to a certain extent. The action, the twists and the world is fun to read in and I hope that Into the Void isn’t the last book that I see in this Universe. And I’ll also be reading something else if it’s written by Lebbon as well, because I’m fully aware that he’s already an established writer - Echo City is high on my to-read list and has been for a long time, so I may have to check that out and see how well he fairs outside the Star Wars Universe.
VERDICT: 3/5 -
In a time when the Jedi aren't quite the order we know them later as, and lightsabers haven't been innovated yet, Lanoree Brock wields a sword and the Force, and is sent on a dangerous mission - track down the whereabouts and put an end to a cult leader whose plans may endanger the system -- and who is her brother, long believed to be dead.
It took me a little while to get into the story. Tim Lebbon does a good job of flipping back and forth between the present, with Brock and her ally, the former criminal Tre Sana, chasing down leads on different worlds, and the past, with Brock in her Jedi training with her brother, who is slowly rejecting the Force and slipping away on his own path. About halfway through, the action keeps up, and I was fully engaged in the story as Lanoree and Tre fly across the system on the tail of Dalien Brock, and destruction follows them whether they want it or not.
Lanoree is a great character, and I'd love to see more with her and Tre and her droid. Lebbon also explores the differences of the era: The Je'daii are not the Jedi from the movies - they have a different take on the light side and dark side of the Force, and they are not well regarded in other parts of the system. Plus the story fits around the beginning of the "Dawn of the Jedi" comic series, so it will be interesting to see what develops next! -
I'm struggling between 2 and 3 stars because this didn't really feel like a Star Wars book. It was very dark, which isn't unusual for this series, but I thought it was especially so.
Set 25,000 years before Luke was born, this is the earliest book in the SW canon so far. Je'daii Ranger Lanoree Brock is tasked by the Council to track down her brother and stop him from trying to use mysterious and ancient alien technology. There are plentiful flashbacks of Lanoree as a child, entering the order with her brother Dalien and his eventual rejection of the force: Dale becomes obsessed with intergalactic travel and xenotechnology, and I actually wound up identifying more with his yearnings than hers. Too bad his methods were so darn disagreeable. (On that, the section of the book covering the events at Greenwood Station on Nox was very well written.)
Based on how far in the past this was set, I was hoping the author would cover how the force was discovered or how the Jedi were founded - but even 25 millenia ago, the force and its users are well-established and commonly known. Dawn of the Jedi, a totally misleading title.
Ultimately, it was an enjoyable space adventure and a quick read at under 300 pages, hence the 3 stars. It just didn't feel like Star Wars to me. -
I hate to say it but this was such a disappointment. I had heard this book wasn’t exactly the greatest, but I always try to go into books with a positive mindset. Unfortunately, I think it was a very weak book.
Let’s talk positives, though. I do like a couple of the ideas here—for example, the main antagonist being a character who hates the Force and essentially wants to remove it from the equation. It kinda reminds me of Kreia from Knights of the Old Republic 2 (granted she’s a far, far more compelling character, but the parallel is there). There are also some nice lore tidbits in here, though they’re not focused on as much as I’d have liked. And, uh… it’s very short. Yes, that’s a plus.
This book was just SO boring to me. There are few books I’ve read where I was legitimately looking forward to finishing it, not because I was so invested, but because I just wanted it to end. (Yes, I know I can just DNF the book, but I believe quite strongly in finishing every book I read.) I didn’t care about the plot, nor the characters, and I found neither compelling in pretty much any way. It’s a real shame because the earliest days of the Jedi is a part of Star Wars history that fascinates me, and one I’d love to see handled in the current canon, and this is the only novel that takes place during that period. Unfortunately, it wastes that potential.
Overall I just did not care for this book whatsoever. I won’t give it a 1/10 or 2/10 only because I don’t think it was truly bad, but it was extremely boring and not noteworthy in any way. This is, without a doubt, the weakest Star Wars novel I’ve read thus far by a relatively significant amount.
Rating: 3/10 -
In high school I read nearly every Star Wars book ever written, and I have great memories of Jedi adventures across the universe. Every now and then — particularly when I am in need of some easy fiction reading — I like to pick up one of the new Star Wars titles. I was given a free digital copy of Into the Void in exchange for an honest review, and I jumped at the chance.
Into the Void focuses on the beginnings of the Jedi, to their historic roots. In fact, the few force-sensitive individuals in this book are actually called Je’daii, and they are far less concerned with clinging to the light side than their later descendants. The Je’daii look to walk a balance between light and dark, keeping a healthy tension, whereas the Jedi most of us know were ultimately concerned with never straying anywhere near the dark.
Additionally, the Je’daii are unique in that they don’t yet have lightsaber technology. Although there are some hints of force crystals and the beginnings of lightsaber tech, the Je’daii use regular swords. Those swords can absorb and deflect some laser bolts, much like a lightsaber, but it took adjusting to accustom myself to reading about a Je’daii carrying a gleaming metal sword.
In Into the Void Lanoree Brock is the protagonist, tasked with tracking down her brother, a mysterious possible villain who turned his back on the Force he despised. The brother-sister relationship carries good potential, but Lanoree never becomes a captivating hero. Her character lacks depth, and the author spends more time focusing on Lanoree’s history with her brother than on Lanoree as a person. I kept wishing I’d see more complexity in Lanoree’s thoughts and words, but she was frustratingly simple.
The action was very well-written and compelling, but the character development was more frustrating and less complete than in other Star Wars novels. I recommend this book to Star Wars fans who want to ponder the beginnings of the Force and the Jedi, but I wouldn’t suggest this book to budding Star Wars readers, as there are many better novels to begin with. -
Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi by Tim Lebbon, is a great story relating to The Star Wars movies. The novel takes place on a planet strong in the force called Tython. Throughout the book brother and sister, Lanoree, and Dal constantly fight and experience the "sibling rivalry." Lanoree is very strong in the force, and has a bright future ahead of her. Dal, on the other hand does not understand the force and doesn't want to become a Jedi. Years later the siblings find themselves meeting each other as enemies with the fate of the galaxy weighing on their decisions. Will Lanoree be able to stop her brother in order to save the Galaxy?
I enjoyed this book because I liked the Star Wars movies and can relate to a sibling rivalry. My favorite scene from the story is when Lanoree and Dal are moving through the silent desert and can't hear any sounds. Overall it was a great read and related to the Star Wars movies telling of what happened before the movies were created.
I recommend this book to anyone who liked the Star Wars movies and can relate to that sibling rivalry. Someone who likes action and adventure would enjoy this book. This book is age appropriate for people 10 and up because of some violence and dark scenes. -
Well it only took me a month, but I did it. Finished on this during the first leg of my flights today. I’m on mobile so just a short review I think, with apologies for typos.
I love the idea behind this. A time where Sith and Jedi were the same: Force users utilizing both dark and light to Get Shit Done. What I did not like was Lanoree. She was fine, there wasn’t any specific thing I can point to about her that set me on edge. I simply didn’t find her empathetic or engaging.
But maybe that was the point. She did good things and bad things and wasn’t there to make friends. She did her job and that’s all she was there to do.
I do wish we could have learned more about the depths of the Old City and what, if anything was waiting down there. I was also lost on a few points. No one has hyperdrives at all? That’s what Dal was building, yes? Were the Gree like the Architects from the Alien prequel? Where precisely is Tython located in terms of The Republic? Core, Mid or Outer Rim, Unknown Regions? Was that a vision of Vader or Revan or...?
It’s too bad all of this history was relegated to AU fanfic when Disney took over, there are so many more paths to explore in the galaxy’s ancient history. -
This book was set around 26,000 years before A New Hope. This was a look into the early galaxy, and more interestingly, the early Jedi Order, then called Jed'aii. Lanoree was a Jedi Ranger, what I would associate with a Knight. She lived and traveled on a ship alone performing missions for the Jed'aii Council that was based on Tython. Her brother, Dal, could not commune with the Force and that made him bitter. Lanoree believed her brother had died, but in reality, he had ventured deep into Tython to look for a way to activate a hypergate. Dal wanted to leave the Tython system, and venture into the stars, he was bitter about being the only non Force user in a family of them, and wanted to activate the gate to leave Tython. Lanoree was sent to stop him because if he was to succeed, he would open a black hole that would cause massive destruction. This dynamic reminded me a lot of Jaina and Jacen battle at the end of Invincible. Lanoree was was the talented Light Side user working to stop her brother who had fallen. It was really fascinating to see the early Jedi, how they were portrayed, and how the Order functioned.
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My first foray into the Star Wars and it was a treat. We are in a world that is set 25,793 BBY (before the Battle of Yavin) (years) before A New Hope, so many years before Luke and Leia, years before Anakin and shockingly years before lightsabers and hyperspace!!!! Shocking I know the things we take for granted!
I really did not know what to expect with my intro into such a vast world and I have to say I really did enjoy it. This book took me a bit longer than normal to finish because one I was savouring every word and reading for me, but more importantly there is so much information to take in you really can not rush it. I was already re-reading a few paragraphs to make sure everything sunk in.
A Je’daii needs nothing but confidence and comfort in the Force. Clothes for warmth, a ship to travel in, food for energy, water to slake thirst, a sword to stab, a blaster to shoot … all these are luxuries. The Force is everything, and without it, we are nothing. —Master Shall Mar, “A Life in Balance,” 7,538 TYA
Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, #1) by Tim Lebbon 42%
Yes!! You have read that correctly, the Jedi are known as Je’daii! This was another surprise I did not expect and it was really interesting to see how the “Jedi” was originally seen! And, and this is a biggie, the Sith, yes the Sith, “work” with the Je’daii! Just WOW!! This was just awesome to take in and enjoy. I mean I am a geek of Star Wars but not so much where I know all the different planets, races and terminology which is why I wanted to read the books so I could learn more. Every description is so vivid that, I was constantly hearing the noises of the ships at wars in space or the sound of a lightsaber in the battles (even though there were none!) and the sound of the blasters! This is how much I was immersed in this book, I felt like I could picture the worlds, the battles and witness heartbreak first hand. The imagination of Lebbon just has no bounds, I really would love to sit down and pick his brain to how he created this story in the Star Wars universe!
I loved following the story of Lanoree and her brother Dal, we flit between the past where we see the duo starting their journey to becoming a Je’daii Ranger but we know that a tragedy occurs. In the same chapter, the story flows to the present day where we see Lanoree travelling around on a top-secret mission at the request of the Je’daii council because only she has the power to see this through to the end. I got to see new worlds that I have not been exposed to before and meet her droid, Ironholgs and her new companion, who I had a soft spot for but really shouldn’t, Tre Sana!
I love checking out the Star Wars wiki when reading as it gave me so much more information. I am a bit gutted this is the last time I get to see the sassy Lanoree on my journey. At the beginning she is hard, and when she has to work with Tre, god she does resist this! She hates to be near this Twi’lek rogue, but slowly over time they get settled into an easy rhythm with their banter and a blossoming friendship.
I also have to say that man some of this book was brutal! Some of the deaths that happened saw my hand fly to my mouth in shock, did not see them coming especially in the way they happened. Plus when reading the journey of Lanoree and Dal to the different temples, I mean wow thank god I did not have to do this! Some of the creatures were terrifying, horrific and you wonder how they would survive!
There is also a little nod to the future in this book and boy did I love this little Easter Egg. The only thing I will say is she keeps dreaming of a “cloaked figure” OMG!!!!
So my first top dipping adventure has been a blast, we have had so much brutality, we have had an adventure to other planets, we met new species, we stopped the universe from being destroyed and this was the first book in over 300 books to go!
She was on a mission to prevent a possible system-wide catastrophe, and whether everyone in the system knew that or not did not detract from its importance.
Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, #1) by Tim Lebbon 24%
