How to read Star Wars: The High Republic books
A continuously updated guide to The High Republic books and comics, including release order, timeline spots, and reviews.
Hello there! If you’re here, you’re probably interested in Star Wars books, specifically, those set in the era of The High Republic.
As of this writing (June 7, 2024), Phase 3 of The High Republic is fully underway. There are two main High Republic comic series (the Marvel run and the Dark Horse Adventures run), a breakout Adventures: Saber for Hire series, and a couple more new limited-run comics coming soon.
The first wave of Phase 3 books has also been released — The Eye of Darkness, Escape from Valo, and Defy the Storm. The next adult book, Temptation of the Force, comes out on June 11.
This handy guide was originally published in December 2022, but I wanted to give it more room for expansion and updates in its own post. If you have more questions not answered below, share them in the comments.
How to read The High Republic
The High Republic is a major publishing endeavor that’s been churning out books and comics over the last three years. With more than a dozen novels and dozens more comics, it can be intimidating to start reading.
Some of the most common questions I get include, Where do I start? In what order should I read these books? Do I have to read X before I read Y? and Do I have to read the YA or middle-grade books to “get” the story?
With The Acolyte premiering, I also get asked: Do I have to read The High Republic to understand the show’s story?
Well, I answer all those questions and more in this guide.
What is The High Republic?
The High Republic era of Star Wars is the golden age of the Jedi Order and the Republic system of government and planets. It began as Project Luminous, and in January 2021, the first novel was published — Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.
The High Republic is set about 200 years before the prequel movies and the beginning of the Skywalker saga. There are certainly familiar planets and characters like Coruscant and Master Yoda, but The High Republic is full of brand-new characters, creatures, and conflicts, and is the most diverse era of Star Wars ever.
Where should I start reading The High Republic?
While everyone may have a different reading order recommendation, I believe all of us High Republic fans can agree that you should start with Light of the Jedi.
That’s it. That’s the tweet.
Do I have to read The High Republic books to understand The Acolyte?
Nope! That’s one of the great things about the new Disney+ series.
The Acolyte is set about 100 years after The High Republic books and about 100 years before the beginning of the Skywalker saga. Like The High Republic, the series is set on an untapped point on the timeline and is ripe for new characters and stories.
For more information on The Acolyte, including the timeline, character bios, High Republic connections, and book recommendations, check out my guide below.
What’s the best reading order for The High Republic books?
Here’s where it can get a little complicated.
I’ve been reading and reviewing every new Star Wars book released since Light of the Jedi — The High Republic and others. While publishers send me advanced copies to read and review ahead of release, I luckily still get to read these stories in the order the creators intended them to be read.
Here’s how I read these books, a.k.a. the release order:
Phase 1 (200 years before The Phantom Menace)
Light of the Jedi
A Test of Courage
Into the Dark
The Rising Storm
Race to Crashpoint Tower
Out of the Shadows
Tempest Runner
Mission to Disaster
The Fallen Star
Midnight Horizon
Phase 2 (prequel; 150 years before Phase 1)
Path of Deceit
Quest for the Hidden City
Convergence
The Battle of Jedha
Cataclysm
Quest for Planet X
Path of Vengeance
Phase 3 (Back to Phase 1 storyline; 1 year after the end of The Fallen Star)*
The Eye of Darkness — adult
Escape from Valo — middle-grade
Defy the Storm — young adult
Temptation of the Force (Jun 11, 2024) — adult
Beware the Nameless (Aug. 27, 2024) — middle-grade
Tears of the Nameless (Sept. 24, 2024) — young adult
Tempest Breaker (Dec. 3, 2024) — audio drama
Trials of the Jedi (spring 2025)
A Valiant Vow (spring 2025)
Into the Light (spring 2025)
*Phase 3 is the final phase in The High Republic, and is set to be spread out over a couple of years through 2025.
—> StarWars.com also has a handy guide to all of these books and the comics in timeline/chronological order.
Wait, what the heck is Phase 1 and Phase 2? Do I have to read all of Phase 1 first?
Phase 1 of The High Republic came out first, but Phase 2 occurred 150 years before the events of Phase 1. Stay with me here.
Star Wars pulled a Star Wars and released prequel stories to the first phase of The High Republic.
Here’s Phase 2 in release order:
Path of Deceit (review)
Quest for the Hidden City (review)
Convergence (review)
The Battle of Jedha (review)
Quest for Planet X (review)
Cataclysm (review)
Path of Vengeance (review)
Technically, you don’t have to be caught up with Phase 1 to get into Phase 2. That was intentional. The authors and story creators at Lucasfilm crafted these stories in such a way that you can jump in almost at any time and understand what’s going on.
So, if you haven’t read all of Phase 1 yet, you can still start reading Phase 2 books.
Do I have to read the YA and middle-grade books to understand the story?
Yes and no. Could you just read the adult novels and understand the story? Sure. But you’d be missing out on some of the best stories and brightest characters in all of Star Wars.
Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland is a beautiful and heartbreaking tale of star-crossed young love and religious fanaticism. Daniel Jose Older’s Midnight Horizon is an incredible, action-packed thriller with a gutwrenching yet hopeful ending that had me in tears. Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann is a fun, quick read full of fresh Star Wars lore and a touch of horror that makes it perfect for readers of all ages.
The young adult and middle-grade books in particular feature some of the best diversity, inclusiveness, and LGBTQ representation in all of Star Wars.
So, no, you don’t have to read these books. But you definitely should.
What about the comics?
Same answer as above. You don’t have to, but I think you should. I know not everyone has access to single-issue comics from their local comic shop, but luckily you won’t be missing out if you choose to wait for the trade paperback collections — either buying them or getting them from your local library.
Here are the TPBs available so far:
What’s Phase 3 of The High Republic?
Phase 3 of The High Republic kicked off in the fall of 2023 with an adult book and several comic series. In Phase 3, we return to the characters and stories of Phase 1, one year after the destruction of Starlight Beacon and the tragedies of The Fallen Star.
In Phase 3, the Jedi and the Republic are grieving and struggling to get a leg up on Marchion Ro and his Nihil. It’s been a year since Starlight’s fall, and Ro has forcefully annexed a large swath of the galaxy into his Occlusion Zone. No one’s allowed in or out, and it’s the most dangerous place in the galaxy to be a Jedi.
Phase 3 is about what the Jedi do next — fighting back and fighting for light and life.
The books of Phase 3, Wave 1:
Escape from Valo by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong (review) — middle-grade novel
Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland (review) — young adult novel
For comics:
The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight — Marvel Comics
The High Republic main series— Marvel Comics
The High Republic Adventures — Dark Horse Comics
The High Republic Adventures: Saber for Hire — Dark Horse Comics
The High Republic Adventures: Echoes of Fear (Aug. 21, 2024) — Dark Horse Comics
The Acolyte: Kelnacca #1 (Sept. 4, 2024) — Marvel Comics
Phase 3, Wave 2 and beyond:
Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton (June 11, 2024) — adult novel
Beware the Nameless (Aug. 27, 2024) — middle-grade
Tears of the Nameless (Sept. 24, 2024) — young adult
Tempest Breaker (Dec. 3, 2024) — audio drama
Trials of the Jedi (spring 2025)
A Valiant Vow (spring 2025)
Into the Light (spring 2025)
What is Tales of Light and Life, and when should I read it?
Outside of the main books and comics, there is an anthology of short stories set during all three phases of storytelling. Tales of Light and Life features 10 authors and 10 stories offering different perspectives of major events through the eyes of characters big and small. The anthology was published in September 2023 by Disney Books.
I highly recommend reading Tales of Light and Life after you’re caught up with Phases 1 and 2. The anthology contains major spoilers for both phases’ storylines.
Really appreciated this post. Thank you!