On Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023 The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha Audio Drama is released worldwide and thanks to Random House Audio, I was able to listen to it early. This is my review.
First off, what is an audio drama? Well, it’s essentially like an audio book but instead of having one narrator/voice-over actor, a full cast of voice actors voice the characters in the story. Think of it like a TV show but with audio only.
The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha is a 5-hour-27-minute action-packed story written by Author George Mann (Quest of the Hidden City, Dark Legends) full of politics, battles, and a look into how people act when they are beaten, lied to, and scared
Here’s the publisher’s summary to give you an idea of what the story is about.
Star Wars: The High Republic – The Battle of Jedha
After the events of The High Republic: Convergence, the Jedi travel to Jedha in this all-new Star Wars audiobook original.
Jedha. The worn streets of this ancient world serve as a confluence for the galaxy. Visited by all, yet owned by none. Here, the Jedi are but one creed among many worshipping and studying the Force. From the Guardians of the Whills to the Path of the Open Hand, countless beings come to learn, and to share, in peace.
As all of Jedha prepares for its Festival of Balance, the galaxy still reels from the violence on Eiram and E’ronoh. But after foiling a plot to escalate the war between the two planets, the Jedi believe that a lasting peace may be within reach. Master Creighton Sun and Jedi Knight Aida Forte arrive on Jedha with delegations from both planets to formally end the “Forever War.” The Jedi hope that the harmony of Jedha’s many factions, along with the signing of a peace treaty, will create a symbol to the rest of the galaxy of what can be accomplished through unity.
But not all are happy with the Jedi’s involvement or ready to concern themselves with peace. Rumors begin to swirl that the Jedi bring war in their wake. The distrust and anger that for so long fueled the Forever War now threaten to corrupt the communities of Jedha. When violence breaks out on the sacred moon, the war that was meant to end on Jedha may soon engulf the entire world.
So what did I think about it?
First off let me say that this story is not what I expected. I had anticipated The Battle of Jedha to be THE key moment in Phase II of The High Republic with the subsequent books dealing with the aftermath. A Battle that would shake the galaxy and cause for swift action by the republic to neutralize the threat.
I was partially right. The battles in this book will come with severe consequences for those involved but it felt more like a kicking-off point to a conflict than the conflict itself. So far the books that precede the Battle of Jedha (Path to Deceit, Quest for the Hidden City, and Convergence) have been used to set the stage for conflict while the Battle of Jedha ignites the kindling.
This story picks up where Star Wars: The High Republic – Convergence ends with delegations from Eiram and E’ronoh arriving on Jedha to sign a peace treaty. And, as I’m sure you could guess, things down go well.
At the center of it all is a beautiful look into how fear and anger make people act. Those in power are too afraid to give it up and make peace while the civilians caught in the cross-hair desperately look for answers and someone to blame.
When you truly believe the entire galaxy disregards you as collateral damage the concept of “gifts freely given” by the Path of the Open hand seems pretty enticing.
What the Battle of Jedha does best is build relationships with characters that are directly related to their ambitions. The ambition for power, safety, meaning, excitement, etc. bring the characters together in a way that allows them to thrive in their role… or pay the consequences.
Also, considering there is no narration outside of the spoken word by the actors, George Mann does an impressive job building out the vibe and layout of Jedha. I found it very reminiscent of how Babylon is spoken of in romanticized stories of the era. A melting pot of people looking to find their way in large world.
I do have some gripes about the story though.
Since it’s well… a battle, I’m not sure the audio drama format was the best move. There is a ton of action sequences and without having the 3rd person perspective of a narrator it can be difficult to know what’s happening until a scene is nearly over and the characters have a moment to explain what happened. Lots of crashes, explosions, screaming, and blaster fire that are surprising to the characters in the story and therefore are not included in any context before they happen. Leading to the listener to guess what is going on until after.
Also, some of the decision-making of the characters is wildly frustrating and not at all relatable. Tough decisions are made impulsively and without much logic. Unsure if that is simply story-telling I do not love or if they are intentionally written as flawed but I found myself shaking my head on multiple occasions.
To me the best stories are stories where every decision (good and bad) feels like a calculated effort. Han Solow trusting Lando Calrissian in Empire Strikes Back makes sense even though he was wrong. Lando turning Han into Darth Vader, while a d*ck move, made sense if he wanted to live. I just found more than a handful of decisions by characters to be rash and without even the possibility of working out.
That being said, I still highly recommend you check it out. It was a ton of fun and has some of the best character moments of the phase so far. Silandra Sho in particular stood out to me. She was an absolute UNIT in this story and will play a big role moving forward into Cataclysm and Path of Vengeance.
I will say that getting a second book with Marda Ro, The Mother, The Herald, Creighton Sun, and Silandra Sho did make me feel more connected to the phase. I’m really looking forward to the rest of Phase II.
You can get your copy of The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha on audible through Amazon here.
For light and life,
Grand Admiral Frik
