Temptation of the Force Makes the Ending of The High Republic Even Less Predictable
A spoiler-free review of Tessa Gratton's latest High Republic novel, Temptation of the Force.
The Republic has found a way to break through the Stormwall. Little by little, the Jedi are doing everything they can to salvage the worlds devastated by both the Nihil and a new mysterious threat. One thing’s for sure: They won’t save the galaxy alone. It’s going to take leaning on each other and drawing on one another’s strength to restore peace.
Since its intense beginnings, The High Republic has featured character bonds that shimmer when strengthened and crumble when shattered. This book is no exception. Pairing key characters together to weave intertwining storylines together creates an instant page-turner prior fans of these novels will absolutely devour.
While not Tessa Gratton’s first entry into The High Republic initiative, it’s some of the best work the author has blessed us with so far (I remain convinced that “A Closed Fist Has No Claws” from the Tales of Light and Life anthology is the best thing Tessa has ever written). Temptation is fierce. It is captivating. With every new chapter, it is increasingly impossible to predict what might happen next. And that is the beauty of it — the tangible uncertainty running not just through the characters, but bleeding into the hearts of readers as well.
Even Star Wars books have the power to attach us to feelings we recognize, despite these stories being set in a fictional universe, taking place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. When Avar and Elzar struggle to put their feelings into words, we understand that. When Bell and Burry’s friendship becomes the very thing that holds each of them together, we get that. When Porter and Viess relentlessly butt heads almost purely out of spite, we know that. We have been there. We have (maybe) sat with those feelings.
But what Temptation does best of all is set up the events of future High Republic stories in a way that reveals almost nothing about where the overarching story is headed. And that’s a good thing.
Establishing a new threat with seemingly no way to stop it, furthering the narrative that Marchion Ro is so addicted to power that he is losing his hold on reality. Bringing Elzar and Avar back together without tying all the lose ends between them.
The book tells a complete, dynamic story while establishing a strong foothold in the middle of a much larger tale. As a storyteller, that is an extremely challenging feat. But Tessa Gratton put in the work, and it paid off. And that’s not even counting the jaw-dropping writing itself — there were sentences in this book that made me stop mid-paragraph so that I could only begin to process what I just read. This truly is one of the most fascinating Star Wars books I’ve read in a while.
There is so much more I want to say about this book, but don’t worry. A spoiler-filled hour-long discussion is coming up next month.
At the end of the latest installment in The High Republic series, we are left to wonder — as we should: How is this all really going to end — and is that ending actually going to be a launch pad for a brand-new journey we can’t even imagine could exist yet?
Star Wars The High Republic: Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton is available now wherever you get your Star Wars books.
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