The High Republic media project continues to expand. Convergence is the first adult novel in Phase II of the High republic. It takes place 150 years before the Great Disaster aka Phase I.
Convergence is an adult novel written by Zoraida Córdova. It was released on December 4th, 2022.
This is not an illustrated book but I’ll try to use as many images as I can to help you visualize important things like characters and places.
This review contains spoilers.
Convergence Plot
Eiram and E’ronoh have been at war for far too long. The conflict has scared every commercial partner and both planets urgently need relief supplies. Eiram’s covered in salt water while E’ronoh is a giant desert, without these supplies the population of both planets will starve.
Eiram asks for the Republic’s aide and Chancellor Mollo himself gets to the conflict zone. With a group of Jedi aboard the Paxion, the Chancellor wants to find a way to put an end to the Forever War.
Things don’t go as expected. Right when the relief supplies are being delivered an E’ronoh starfighter shoots at Eiram’s ships and chaos unleashes. But this was not intentional, the pilot can’t control the ship and is now heading towards Eirams surface. If it reaches the surface it could be considered an open attack and put an end to the ceasefire.
Jedi Knight Gella Nattai and E’ronoh’s princess Xiri A’lbaran attempt to prevent this from happening but the starfighter explodes. Xiri’s ship is badly damaged and she ends up crashing in Eiram’s waters.
A man rescues her from certain death. Her rescuer happens to be Phan-tu Zenn, prince of Eiram. With the Princess of E’ronoh in her hands, Queen Adrialla and the Jedi call for a peace summit. Delivering the princess to the Monarch of E’ronoh will show goodwill and true interest in putting an end to this long, dreadful war.
Chancellor Greylark finds out about everything and sends her son, Axel Greylark. A young man that spends most of his time getting in trouble.
The circumstances bring Xiri A’lbaran, Phan-tu Zenn, Gella Nattai, and Axel Greylark to work together on a mission that will define the future of E’ronoh and Eiram. The nature of their endeavor is already difficult by itself but things will get even more complicated when a known cult strikes from the shadows.
Introducing more characters
As it is with many of the High Republic stories, Convergence introduces new characters. The main characters are three heirs and a Jedi who I think will become very important in the not-so-distant future.
Xiri A’lbaran
Xiri A’lbaran is a fearsome warrior, leader of the Thylefire Squadron, and heir to the throne of E’ronoh. Children in E’ronoh are trained to be warriors since the early stages of their life, and Xiri is no exception. The dry lands of E’ronoh and the Forever War made the young princess one of the tougher women of E’ronoh, if not the toughest.
Whether it’s aboard a starfighter or in hand-to-hand combat Xiri is a brave fighter that can push the mightiest enemies to their limits.
Unlike Phan-tu, Gella, and Axel, Xiri is already a “complete” character. In the early pages, we see her displaying huge amounts of courage and devotion to her E’ronoh and her people. Despite being in a war that has lasted for decades, she’s an honorable warrior that puts others first.
Xiri doesn’t need to become braver, stronger, or more powerful. In fact, she doesn’t want to. All Xiri A’lbaran wants is for the war to be over before there’s nothing left to fight for.
Of course, a conflict that has lasted for generations can’t end by doing something that was tried before. Xiri and Phan-tu show what true commitment to a cause really looks like without it turning into fanatism.
Phan-tu Zenn
Eiram also has an heir to the throne, the son of Queen Adrialla Phan-tu Zenn. Phan-tu knows how to fight but tries to avoid violence if possible. Unlike Xiri, he wasn’t born as a member of the royal family. Phan-tu was adopted by Queen Adrialla after he lost his mother and sister to the devastating monsoons of Eiram.
Phan-tu has learned how to act as a prince but his calm nature makes the heir of Eiram’s throne unprepared to rule a planet that’s on the brink of annihilation.
He starts as a passive character that acts depending on what others do or say but as things get more and more complicated Phan-tu Zenn quickly matures into a man capable of making hard decisions. Decisions that matter and impact everyone in Eiram and E’ronoh.
Gella Nattai
A Jedi Knight assigned to aid Chancellor Mollo and Jedi Masters Char-Ryl-Roy and Creighton Sun. Their mission is to facilitate peace talks between Eiram and E’ronoh so that the Forever War can finally come to an end.
Gella Nattai failed her previous mission and people got hurt. Because of this, Gella’s trust in her own abilities has diminished. The young Jedi Knight continuously wonders about her future and where is the Force going to take her.
She’s in charge of both Xiri and Phan-tu’s security, there can be no sign of fear or doubt when things get dangerous. Gella must re-learn to trust her abilities and leadership so that the heirs of Eiram and E’ronoh can restore peace and rebuild their planets.
Gella Nattai reminds me of both two of my favorite Jedi. She’s smart, impulsive, and skillful like Anakin Skywalker while also possessing a brave but kind spirit like Ahsoka Tano. I have no doubt that she’s going to be a key character in Phase Two of the High Republic.
Axel Greylark
Axel Greylark is Republic royalty, the son of one of the two Chancellors. He went to the better schools, had the best tutors, and is connected with some of the most powerful and wealthiest individuals in the galaxy, and yet, he’s desperate to show that he’s much more than what everybody else (especially his mother) wants him to be.
After getting himself into many problems and embarrassing the Greylark name, his mother decides to send him as her representative to the peace summit that is taking place on the moon between Eiram and E’ronoh.
Axel is an unpredictable man with many inner conflicts. This makes him a person incredibly hard to read and understand, even someone like Gella Nattai struggles to see what’s behind the many masks that Axel has developed over the years.
The cocky and spoiled attitude of a rich kid hides more than just pain and sorrow, something that makes him very dangerous for everyone close to him.
Secondary characters
There are more characters that make this story rich and interesting, their roles might be smaller but that doesn’t mean that they’re less important. Here are some of the most notable ones.
Queen Adrialla
Ruler of Eiram and mother of Phan-tu Zenn. A cunning leader that never shows any sign of weakness when speaking to anyone other than her wife or son. She has the best intentions, but these intentions made the queen do a deal that might threaten what she loves most.
The Monarch
Leader of E’ronoh and father of Xiri A’lbaran. A man that lets his anger take the best of him, anger that over the years has been fed by his own subordinates. Like Queen Adrialla, he deeply cares for his people and is willing to do almost anything to protect them.
Viceroy Ferrol
The Monarch’s most trusted advisor. His resentment against Eiram is so strong that he actually thinks that endless war is the only acceptable outcome. Viceroy Ferrol will make anything to keep the war going, including betraying his own people.
Kyong Greylark
One of the two Chancellors of the Republic and mother of Axel Greylark. Despite what his son has done in the past she still thinks that he’s capable of doing good and trusts him enough to make him her representative. As you could expect from a woman in her position, she doesn’t make any move without considering all outcomes beforehand.
Orlen Mollo
The second Chancellor of the Republic. This Quarren loves to travel across the galaxy and be directly involved in the aid that the Republic offers to the systems in need. He’s calm and very genuine which makes other leaders listen to him and respect his opinions.
Jerrod Segaru
A loyal soldier of E’ronoh. He trained princess Xiri A’lbaran since she was a young girl and is her second in command.
Enya Keen
A Padawan that still has much to learn about the Force. She might be young and sometimes even annoying for someone like Gella Nattai but her mindfulness and skill are considerable. She’s the person that lightens the ambient when things are tense, more often than not this is involuntary.
Jedi Masters Char-Ryl-Roy and Creighton Sun
The two Jedi Masters aboard the Paxion. They are wise, smart and always look for a peaceful solution. Their patience and guidance allow Enya and Gella to find their own answers.
An important step in the future of the High Republic
Between Path of Deceit and Convergence, the first one has been my favorite novel in the High Republic’s Phase Two. Convergence doesn’t take many risks and it’s overall a more “stable” story, this makes it feel somewhat slow and even bland. Normally I’d use these two words with a negative connotation but with Convergence, I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt.
The reason is that this book is setting up many things for the future. Not all stories can be the most epic thing to ever exist. To get to that point things must be properly set up with caution and attention to detail, I can’t care about the outcome of something without knowing the context and background behind it.
After Path of Deceit, I started to despise the Path of the Open Hand and just reading that The Mother has something to do with the events of Convergence made me care more about it. Similar to how she affected this story I can’t wait to see how Axel, Xiri, Phan-tu, Gella, and Enya develop and affect other stories.
With so many books and comics we’re getting the necessary information to really get emotionally invested in the characters and their fates. I’m not gonna lie, considering how everything has unfolded so far I’m certain that most of us are going to suffer a lot, especially with Phase Three but that makes it more exciting in a bittersweet way.
An unexpected love story
Star Wars has iconic couples like Han Solo-Leia, Anakin-Padmé, or Revan-Bastila. However, it’s not that common to see a relationship of this nature develop and evolve in an “organic way”, a good example of this is what they tried to do with Rey and Ben Solo. I didn’t have any issues with them developing feelings for each other but how it happened felt too forced and unnatural, or at least that’s my impression.
Love stories can make everything in a story feel more intense; the joy of watching two characters falling in love, the grief when they can’t be together, the sadness when one of them dies, and the nervousness as the involved characters risk their lives.
Convergence reminded me how good the development of a story can be when the relationship of two characters adds so many elements to the plot rather than the plot revolving around the love story.
Xiri A’lbaran and Phan-tu Zenn are very different from each other. She’s fierce, smart, loyal and a natural leader while he’s cold-headed, kind, and trustworthy. Both of them genuinely love and care for their people and are excellent leaders in their own ways.
Agreeing to marry someone that has been your enemy since you were born isn’t an easy decision. But Xiri and Phan-tu are able to see past the prejudices and hate that their ancestors have cultivated for so many generations.
In the beginning, it’s just a formal agreement to end the war between E’ronoh and Eiram but as they know each other and learn the true character they can’t help but fall in love with each other.
I won’t spoil too much but the ceremony reminded me so much of the battle of Geonosis. It was full of action, with some funny moments and it culminated with a scene that’s very similar to the Anakin-Padmé kiss in the arena.
Love stories aren’t something that I feel drawn to but this one was a very good one to read and learn how it developed. A surprise to be sure, but a welcomed one.
Overall Thoughts
Phase Two of the High Republic is just beginning, many stories and characters’ fates are going to be altered by the events of this book, for better or worse.
My favorite thing about this book was learning how everything and everyone is connected one way or another; Gella Nattai has found her place in The Force, the Mother is more dangerous and resourceful than I would’ve imagined and Axel Greylark is going to be a very interesting antagonist in the upcoming book Cataclysm.
I’m excited to learn what the future has prepared for Phan-tu and Xiri. But my hopes won’t be too high, considering how the High Republic can make you love a character and then kill it in the final chapter I’ll be reasonably cautious about it.
Convergence only takes place in three different places: E’ronoh, Eiram, and The Paxion. With all the details given, I was able to imagine how each place looks; the environment, weather, architecture, terrain, and even the people. Since the High Republic is a relatively new project there are many things and places that haven’t been illustrated yet so I appreciate that the world-building is so well done.
After Path of Deceit I thought that Convergence would hit me harder but the tone of the book was pretty neutral. This might be a good or a bad thing depending on what your expectations but as I stated above, this is setting many stories up so I don’t think it’s a big deal. I’m sure we’ll get more chaos and destruction in upcoming novels.
Final Verdict
Convergence is an easy-to-digest reading, with well-defined characters and a plot that could be considered ordinary for a Star Wars book. For the most part, it has a slow pace but it never feels boring or tedious.
Zoraida Córdova made a really good job describing the characters and the political context of the story so that I get to actually care about what happens with everyone. I got surprisingly invested in a story that doesn’t have as many highs or lows as others but this just talks about how well everything is described.
So far, the High Republic has been very entertaining and Convergence doesn’t disappoint. Even if the events that happen aren’t as catastrophic as the destruction of the Starlight Beacon it’s still a very enjoyable experience.
If you haven’t checked out Path of Deceit I’d recommend you do it before reading Convergence. You’ll be more immersed in the story and have a better understanding of the implications that some characters might have in the future.
Next in line to progress the main story of these characters is The Battle of Jedha. You can read my review of it as well.
This entire review as well as the summary in the review card below are all based on our own opinions as fans of the franchise. We would love it if you shared your thoughts.
Full Title:
Convergence
Author
Zoraida Córdova
Genre
Adult Novel
Release
November 22, 2022
November 22, 2022
Length
340 pages
13 hrs, 28 min
For
Fans of Star Wars politics
The Good
Highly political
Lots of characters and perspectives
Sets up the biggest plot of Phase II
Big conspiracy to unveil
The Bad
Very slow
Some parts are boring
Ratings
Story
Character Depth
Surprise factor
Descriptiveness
Pace
Audio Version
Final Verdict
3.4
Average of the first 5 categories
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