Review: 'The High Republic: Seeds of Starlight' audio original
The Audible exclusive is a middle-grade story set after "Beware the Nameless" and "Tears of the Nameless."
Seeds of Starlight: A High Republic slice of life mystery
As The High Republic era barrels toward what is likely to be an epic conclusion, there are still plenty of stories left to tell. The latest arrived this week in the form of an audio original — Seeds of Starlight.
The middle-grade story is the latest story on The High Republic timeline, set firmly after the events of Beware the Nameless and Tears of the Nameless. The audiobook — released exclusively on Audible — stars Jedi younglings Kildo and Tep Tep and new Jedi Padawan Cam Lindon. George Mann pens Seeds of Starlight, so it’s a character-forward, kid-friendly story with a touch of horror.
The audiobook follows the three young Jedi as they work to solve a mystery and save the people of Eiram — the planet Starlight Beacon crashed into in The Fallen Star. Something dark and dangerous appears to have emerged from the space station’s wreckage, and it’s up to Kildo, Tep Tep, and Cam to unravel the mystery before it hurts more people.
A mild spoiler: This is a Drengir story. It builds upon the lore established in Into the Dark and The High Republic comics, bringing the sentient carnivorous plants back into the forefront of the Jedi’s minds.
At this point, though, don’t the Jedi and the Republic have enough to deal with? The same can be said for Master Eve Byrne, who appears in Seeds of Starlight not long after her extremely traumatic experiences in Tears of the Nameless. In this story, she’s taken a new Padawan, Cam Lindon, who is the best part of Seeds of Starlight.
Teenage Cam speaks with a vocoder after a speeder accident on Coruscant permanently damaged his vocal cords. In an audiobook format, it’s great to hear his new voice — and those of the other characters. It makes for a more immersive experience. Unfortunately, Cam’s voice sounds too close to a nasally droid rather than a human utilizing the advanced sci-fi tech we know Star Wars has.
At four and a half hours long, Seeds of Starlight has the condensed, action-forward story beats of all Star Wars middle-grade stories. It’s all about the characters’ journeys and growth rather than pushing the overall plot forward. There are clear messages for readers: the importance of looking past the desire to play the blame game and promoting empathy and understanding even with your “enemies.”
Also present are more examples of regular galactic citizens being understandably tired of seeing the Jedi. To many, the Jedi have brought chaos and danger — despite the Jedi’s dedication to preserving light and life. These perspectives are important to establishing connections between this era of Star Wars and the era of the prequels.
Overall, Seeds of Starlight was…fine. It wasn’t super memorable for me, but Cam Lindon was absolutely a standout. I do hope we see more of him and Eve in future High Republic books even though there are only a few left.
The first and second acts were all about building the mystery and the characters. While the ending was action-packed and engaging, much of the book’s pacing was off and the story dragged in the middle. As a slice-of-life middle-grade story, Seeds of Starlight is very much geared toward younger readers. But at this point in The High Republic, it’s odd to introduce a new character and bring back a “villain” whose story arc in this era concluded.
Yes, I know the Drengir and their Amaxine Station prison reappear later in the Star Wars timeline.
Part 2 of Seeds of Starlight is set to arrive sometime next year, so I’m hopeful I’ll enjoy the whole story more once I read the whole thing.
My other issue with Seeds of Starlight is the same one I had for Padawan’s Pride — the release method and lack of marketing.
Like Padawan’s Pride, Seeds of Starlight is an Audible Original and part of the “Star Wars Adventures Audible Originals” series. That means it’s only available in audiobook format and only to Audible subscribers. There’s been zero promotion of these stories beyond reviewers and readers like me. The lack of a physical book and marketing makes me sad, especially since middle-grade and young adult stories already face an uphill battle to appeal to adult Star Wars fans.
Still, no matter my issues with Seeds of Starlight, I’m glad there’s one more High Republic story out there.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Seeds of Starlight is available now for Audible subscribers.
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