Star Wars: The High Republic - "A Test of Courage"

 

Spoilers below ...

Continuing my exploration of The High Republic series, and a desire to give audible books a go as I’m a really pathetic book reader, I picked up A Test of Courage which is a junior novel. The audible book is unabridged and is read by a rather pleasant lady, who mimics a few of the different character voices but primary doesn’t do anything too extreme. The background music and sound effects are in place, but unlike LOTJ (Light of the Jedi) audible book, background effects aren’t really as required in what is overall a simple premise.

The book centres around young characters, in line with it being a junior novel, with recent Jedi knight Vernestra Rwoh the centrepiece, Avon Starros this book’s technical genius, her droid J-6 (basically a nanny with attitude), Imri (a troubled padawan) and Honesty (an ambassador’s son) who is somewhat the random character who, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t do much. They are all the only survivors of a Republic starship, the Steady Wing, which is sabotaged and destroyed by two Nihil. Then all end up on a jungle like planet, have a little matchup, and that’s the long and short of it.

However, along the way there’s plenty interesting stuff, mostly from Vernestra whose lightsabre she has modified to change into a light whip, which brings up an interesting little conversation about the historical Sith wars and its reveals the Jedi and Sith both used this modified lightsabre like whips. Then there’s a mini-Anakin like turn towards the dark side by Imri who has just lost his Jedi Master in the tragedy, and whose dark side is fuelled also by Honesty’s anger at the Nihi in a rather interesting spin on dark side being fuelled by other’s anger and pain as well as their own.

It's an enjoyable and easy to follow story, a tale of young Jedi finding their way, losing it and being shown how to come back from that. It’s uplifting in that respect but there’s little escape from the harsh reality from the consequences of the destruction of the star ship on all the characters as well as a mini end twist showing just how bad the Nihi can be.