Star Wars The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha Review

The High Republic media project keeps growing. The Battle of Jedha is the second adult novel in Phase II of the High republic. It takes place 150 years before the Great Disaster aka Phase I.

The Battle of Jedha is written by George Mann. The book is available in two versions. The Audio Drama was released on January 3rd, while the written version in digital and physical format was released on February 14th, 2023.

This is not an illustrated novel so most of the images you’ll see are for illustrative purposes.

Things to know before reading The Battle of Jedha

As mentioned above, this is part of High Republic’s Phase Two. The events that happen in these stories are one hundred and fifty years before Phase One.

There are three books prior to The Battle of Jedha: Path of Deceit, Convergence, and Quest for the Hidden City. I consider Convergence the only essential book to read before The Battle of Jedha, but Path of Deceit will allow you to appreciate some of the backstories of characters that also appear in this novel.

Convergence is all about the Republic helping the worlds of E’ronoh and Eiram sign a peace treaty that has decimated their populations and resources. Many interesting characters are introduced and some of them are the protagonists of The Battle of Jedha while others will return in the upcoming novel Cataclysm.

To be perfectly clear, I don’t recommend getting into the High Republic with The Battle of Jedha. Unless you’ve read Convergence or at least know to a reasonable extent what happened there, you’re going to be pretty lost and confused with so many characters and plots.

The next segment of this review contains spoilers.

Star Wars The High Republic The Battle of Jedha Book Cover

The Aftermath

On Convergence, Phan-tu Zenn and Xiri A’lbaran risked everything to end the long-lasting conflict between their planets. With the help of the Republic and Jedi Order, the young heirs of Eiram and E’ronoh were not only to maintain the ceasefire but to unite their families and finally put an end to the war.

But the union of both royal families isn’t enough to erase all the pain and losses that both worlds have suffered. Family members, lovers, and friends were killed on both sides. The hate and resentment towards each other grew stronger with each attack and the rulers of both worlds only reinforced this endless cycle of death and suffering.

Star Wars The Battle of Jedha Review (The High Republic Novel)

When the peace treaty was announced, the hearts of the people of Eiram and E’ronoh were full of mixed feelings. The conflict that destroyed many lives was finally over but the ones responsible for so many deaths are now allies and some might even suggest the word “friends”.

Phan-Tu and Xiri are two very brave leaders that genuinely want the best for their people but in the end, they’re still royalty. None of them had to enlist in the army just to be able to eat. Their palaces were full of servants with every commodity available to them.

“How could they be living so peacefully in their luxurious palaces while the rest of the people have lost their homes and are starving to death?” This is a question that is harsh but fair. There’s no doubt that the leaders of Eiram and E’ronoh have suffered a great deal but in the eyes of their people, it’s nothing compared to what they had to endure.

How can these Kings and Queens now simply tell them that it’s time to move on to more prosperous times? This is unacceptable for many people in both systems. Even the ambassadors sent to sign the peace treaty didn’t believe that their counterparts were trustworthy. As soon as something went bad, none of them hesitated to accuse the other of conspiring against them.

Peace is something that everyone wanted, yes. But, they also want their former enemies to suffer as much as they have. This never-ending cycle of violence and revenge has destroyed many civilizations and it’s going to take more than Phan Tu and Xiri’s marriage for the people of Eiram and E’ronoh to let go of all the pain and hate that has grown in their hearts.

In an attempt to formalize the conclusion of the war, a peace summit is hosted by the Jedi and the Republic on the moon of Jedha. This happens simultaneously with the Festival of Balance, a celebration that brings together many Force-related religions like the Jedi Order, the Guardians of the Whills, the Path of the Open Hand, or The Brotherhood of the Ninth Door.

Jedi can’t save everyone

For years we’ve seen how Jedi can successfully avoid conflicts from escalating. Their role in the Clone Wars was crucial for many systems that couldn’t afford to get into an armed conflict. However, there are different factors to account for in the peace treaty that both Eiram and E’ronoh want to sign.

The first and most important one is that Eiram and E’ronoh are independent systems, the Republic and the Jedi Order’s presence is just for diplomatic purposes. If, for any reason the war resumes there’s nothing that the Jedi or Republic forces could do without risking their neutrality.

In other words, the Jedi’s hands are pretty much tied. Representing the Republic and protecting those involved is their only job there. But this book’s title wouldn’t be “The Battle of Jedha” if things went according to plan.

If there’s anything we’ve learned from watching so many wars in the Star Wars universe is that for every faction that wants peace, there’s at least another group that desires for the conflict to continue. Power, money, personal benefit, or any reason you could think of. And this war is no exception.

The best example is the Path of the Open Hand, they’ve infiltrated so many organizations and groups that The Mother has leverage over many influential figures of the galaxy, wether they know it or not is a different story. Things get very interesting when we learn that the Mother isn’t the only one plotting to sabotage the summit on Jedha.

Absolute chaos

One of my favorite things about The Battle of Jedha is how many characters are involved in a meaningful way. There are many books where there are many characters but they’re pretty irrelevant in the outcome of the story.

George Mann did a very good job giving many of the secondary characters important and memorable roles even if they only appeared for a few pages. This makes everything easier to digest especially if you’re listening to the audio drama.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been overwhelmed when reading a book that has many characters, it’s not easy to keep track of all of them especially when there’s something chaotic going on. The Battle of Jedha made it so easy for me to identify, empathize with and understand everyone’s perspectives.

Once everything goes wrong it becomes an all-out war where no one is safe and everyone is fighting for their lives.

Eiram and E’ronoh forces abandon any idea of peace, their “new” purpose is to destroy their mortal enemies. Jedi Knights join forces with the Guardians of the Whills in an attempt to protect the population and the temple from Eiram and E’ronoh’s rogue soldiers. The Brotherhood of the Ninth Door plots with Tilson Graft. The Prophet incites the people at the Festival of Balance to rebel while The Mother releases the Leveler.

The best way I can describe it would be something like Attack of the Clones meets The Battle of the Five Armies (The Hobbit trilogy).

There are so many groups and factions involved in this conflict, all of them with a clear objective. Reading how everything is turned upside down in a matter of minutes makes it impossible to stop reading.

We’ve seen how chaos is the perfect opportunity for people with hidden intentions to move in the shadows while everyone else is focused

The Battle of Jedha: Audio drama vs Text Format

Every Star Wars The High Republic young adult and adult novels are available in audiobook versions. This format is special not only because of the narrators but also due to the music and sound effects that give an extra layer of immersion.

The Battle of Jedha was taken to the next level, as you might have noticed the title of this section is “Audio drama” and not “Audiobook”. An audio drama has a full cast of voice actors. While there are other Star Wars audio dramas, this is the first one that I’ve experienced and it’s just as good as you’d expect.

In a story where there are so many politics involved it’s super helpful to hear the characters’ voice tone. This allows having a better read of the situation when conversations and interactions happen between all the people involved, no matter how brief they are.

Being able to hear each character makes it easier to identify their personalities, care about them and most importantly learn who is who. This might not be a problem for some of you but when reading a Star Wars novel I often have to re-read a couple of pages to properly learn their names.

Characters like Tilson Graft, Ambassador Cerox, and Mytion would pass as minor antagonists but actually hearing their voices elevated to a whole new level. I really can’t emphasize how good the voice actor’s job is.

It was also very nice to finally be able to hear characters like The Mother, Master Creighton Sun, Aida Forte, The Herald, Silandra Sho, and Gella Nattai. Since their stories in Phase Two of the High Republic aren’t over it’s nice to have voices to match their faces.

However, there are some things that you should consider before getting the audio version over the physical/digital one. If you are someone that gets easily distracted then this might not be the format for you. A few seconds of not paying attention might be enough for you to lose track of something important.

For me, it’s important to know how the names of characters and places are written. I imagine that not everyone cares about this but it’s still important to mention it.

One of my favorite features of listening to an audiobook is that you know exactly how much time you’re going to spend on the said book. It makes it easier to manage your time. If you’re curious about it, The Battle of Jedha audio version lasts five hours and twenty-seven minutes.

Having a physical copy is the most appealing option to many people (including myself) but keep in mind that there are still many novels coming out and that’s without even considering the Phase Three books. Personally, I’d rather have that space filled with Star Wars collectibles rather than books.

If you can afford it, I’d suggest that you get the audio version and listen to it while reading the physical or digital book. That’s what I’ve done with multiple Star Wars books and it’s a very enjoyable experience.

Final Verdict

The Battle of Jedha feels like it’s part two of Convergence rather than its own story, but that doesn’t make it less enjoyable.

There are so many storylines happening at the same time, interesting characters that add a lot of depth to the plot and the stakes feel very real. If you want the next immersion level, I strongly recommend getting the audio version.

Getting to know a little about all the different groups that live in Jedha was one of my favorite things about this novel. I always enjoy learning about different cultures with noticeable differences coexisting.

The idea of a celebration like the Festival of Balance bringing them all together despite their different points of view regarding the Force was something that I wish the author would have exploited more. Nonetheless, it was something very interesting that hopefully is brought back in more stories.

While there are some plot twists, most of the story falls into being predictable. It’s not a deal breaker for me but considering how Path of Deceit and Convergence caught me off guard it would have been fun getting the same treatment in this book. It doesn’t bother me too much, I’m sure there are still many plot twists left in the upcoming novels.

All the voice actors did an incredible job. Every single one of them gave its best to make the audiobook feel like listening to a movie. I only had to imagine what was happening to exponentially increase how much I enjoyed it.

This was a super fun read/listen. The High Republic continues to deliver good stories that keep you intrigued until the last page. As expected, The Battle of Jedha only raised more questions.

What’s going to happen with Eiram and E’ronoh? Where’s the leveler? Did The Mother’s encounter with Jedi Master Silandra Sho change anything about her ultimate goals?

If the High Republic stories have taught us something, it’s that things can always get worse. I’m very excited and also worried about learning what happens on Cataclysm!

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:

The Battle of Jedha