The Eye of Darkness marks the beginning of the third and last phase of The High Republic multimedia project. This Adult Novel takes place one year after the destruction of the Starlight Beacon.
The Eye of Darkness is written by George Mann. It is available in audio, physical, and digital formats. It was released on November 14th, 2023.
This is not an illustrated novel so most of the images you’ll see are for illustrative purposes. Most of them are taken from High Republic books and comics but a few are from other Star Wars media.
This review doesn’t spoil the fate of any character or any major event of the book.
Before reading The Eye of Darkness
This is the first novel of Phase III of the High Republic. If you’re new to The High Republic era this is not the best story to begin with. There are so many characters, planets, and stories that have been developing for quite some time, it would be extremely confusing.
In true Star Wars fashion, Phase I happens right before Phase III and Phase II takes place 150 years before Phase I. The release order would be Phase I, Phase II, Phase III. While the chronological order is Phase II, Phase I, Phase III. You can learn more about this in our High Republic Reading Order Guide and Catalog.
The next novel won’t be released until January 31st so you still have plenty of time to catch up!
Back To Big-Scale Conflict
Phase II of The High Republic focused on relatively small stories, with very few moments being on a big scale. This heavily contrasts with everything that we experienced during Phase I, where the Nihil and the Republic fought on many occasions with incredibly high stakes.
The Eye Of Darkness brings back the high-stakes missions in the best way possible, knowing what’s at risk makes everything a lot more entertaining and nerve-wracking. Don’t get me wrong, Phase II is a lot of fun and even “intimate” but learning what happened after the destruction of the Starlight Beacon is just on a different level.
Marchion Ro continues to be one of the most memorable villains in recent Star Wars, it’s amazing how he has managed to make everyone in the Republic despair. Diplomats, Jedi, Republic Generals, Scientists, it doesn’t really matter, all of them are almost clueless about what can be done to stop their seemingly invincible enemy.
The Nihil have “incorporated” many systems into their territory and there’s nothing that the Jedi or The Republic can do about it. The deployment of the “Stormwall” prevents any Republic from going in or out, communications can’t get through and it’s not possible to destroy it due to its amazing self-repair capabilities.
On top of that, Marchion still has the Nameless creatures at his disposal. Since its first appearance on Path of Deceit, this monster has been a complete mystery. No one knows how to deal with it and the fact that even the most experienced Jedi Masters succumb so easily to it speaks volumes about its horrific nature.
I think that an all-out war is inevitable at this point, the entire Republic will have to work hard and smart if they hope to survive the ruthless onslaught of Marchion Ro and his marauders.
The Greatest Trial
This story takes place almost a year after the fall of the Starlight Beacon, and we’re able to see the consequences that such an event had in the Republic and mostly in the Jedi. Not only did it change the political and economic aspects of the galaxy, but the entire perception of the Republic’s leaders and those who were supposed to protect it.
Sure, many of its citizens might not feel safe anymore (rightfully so), but that’s not what I’m referring to. Being helpless against an enemy is a feeling that I don’t think the Jedi have ever felt. There have been times when the odds were certainly against them, but almost every time hope has been a key factor that continues to push everyone forward.
The low morale of everyone becomes tangible within the first few chapters of the book. Millions of lives have been lost, the Nihil do as they please and the eternal protectors of the Republic are incapable of even protecting themselves.
Despair, anguish, rage, and loneliness are feelings that almost every Jedi is experiencing. The idea of a creature that was made specifically to kill them, and is extremely capable of doing so, is a threat to the very concept of what a Jedi is.
The Nameless is already a big thing to worry about, adding the fact that the Stormwall is an impenetrable barrier and that many Jedi are still missing fills the hearts of everyone with doubt and fear.
So many Jedi that seemed almost invincible are either dead or missing. If Stellan Gios, Avar Kriss, and Porter Engle couldn’t defeat the enemy then who can? I pictured almost every Jedi looking as defeated as Obi-Wan Kenobi during the first episodes of his series.
It’s certainly not pleasant, but watching the Jedi be on the losing side event after event after event is super interesting. It’s easy to remain calm and focused when things go fairly well, but this is a true test of the determination of the Jedi Order as a whole.
We all know that the Jedi Order will survive this conflict, but Phase III of The High Republic will change the Jedi forever. I’m certain that after this series of events are over we’ll understand why Palpatine and Plagueis were able to infiltrate the Republic and corrupt it from its core.
The New Face Marchion Ro
The leader of the Nihil has proved an extremely ruthless man with a lust for violence and chaos. That part of him remains intact, but what I’ve found very interesting is how he seems “lost”. He worked for so long to bring the Republic and the Jedi to their knees, but now that he has achieved that it seems that his purpose is gone.
He’s still very focused and calculates every movement carefully but his position has changed and it appears like he doesn’t know what to do with this new power. He’s the ruler of a territory that’s home to millions of lives, but the irony is that he refuses to rule.
In fact, he doesn’t care about acquiring legitimacy for the Nihil regime. In his mind, doing anything that resembles the Republic/Jedi automatically makes him like them. Ro isn’t interested in being the equivalent of a Chancellor to the people under his control, chaos, and destruction is the only thing that truly motivates him.
For someone so smart and calculated this is a very strange behavior. He planned every step to make his enemies crumble, but not what he would do after achieving victory. This apparent flaw in Marchion’s Ro character doesn’t make him any less brutal, in fact, it’s the opposite. He does something incredibly gruesome while broadcasting it to the entire galaxy just to show his power.
Trouble In Paradise
This lack of purpose might be okay for him, but that’s not a perspective every member of the Nihil shares. There’s no way to provide food to all the systems that are part of “Nihil space”, this will eventually lead to uprisings but for Marchion Ro this doesn’t matter. It’s all fuel for the never-ending chaos that he wishes to unleash.
Marchion Ro fails to understand that not all of his followers are part of the Nihil simply because they share the same philosophy. Power, money, hate, and glory are just some of the motivations that people have. Failing to acknowledge this is already causing division among the Nihil members.
Ghirra Starros used to be a Senator for Hosnian Prime but she betrayed the Republic and joined Marchion Ro as his “Minister of Information”. Ghirra craves power more than anything, but obviously, she can’t simply remove The Eye from his throne.
She has been slowly trying to give structure to the Nihil and forge a plan to ensure that their victory lasts. This isn’t something that he agrees with but other members share her ideas. I think Marchion Ro underestimates what she can do simply because Starros is not a warrior, but words can cause more damage than an entire fleet.
If Starros wants to overthrow Marchion by turning his followers against him she’s probably to be disappointed when things don’t go as planned. Creating such a division within their ranks will only produce disorder, and while Ro will probably rejoice with this, it can also give the Republic a weakness to exploit and turn the tide.
Without a solid strategy for the next steps, I’m almost certain that the Nihil will start to destroy themselves. Assuming Marchion Ro lets this happen, he’s everything but a fool and I’m sure there are still many aces under his sleeve. Starros is playing with fire, I believe her ambition will be the cause of her demise.
A Beacon Of Hope
As you would expect, there are many returning characters from Phase I. I want to keep this as spoiler-free as possible so the names of said characters won’t be mentioned but what I can say is that it was very alleviating to see who is still alive.
It’s so cool to see how after failing to protect the Starlight Beacon these characters have managed not only to survive but also to remain true to themselves. Self-doubt and fear were constant thoughts in their minds but what kept them going forward was the will to help people in need, and return home.
There are three characters in particular that I was so happy to see again. Two of them are incredibly meaningful to the Jedi Order, their mere presence raises the morale of their peers and inspires fear in the hearts of their enemies.
After what happened to Stellan Gios, figures of such importance are vital to maintaining hope. This is one of the few High Republic novels that have a “happy” ending, it’s relative because such a thing requires some sort of sacrifice.
I can say that I’m very satisfied with how The Eye Of Darkness ends. The sad thing is that knowing how The High Republic plays with our emotions, this small victory won’t last long. Marchion Ro played a pretty passive role in this novel, I have the feeling that the worst is yet to come.
Listening To The Audiobook
Just as with almost any other Star Wars book, I highly recommend the audiobook version. The effects and music improve the immersion significantly. Marc Thompson does fantastic work when doing the voices of characters like Marchion Ro, Yoda, and Elzar Mann.
My only complaint is that the audio and words didn’t match when referring to two planets, but this doesn’t affect the understanding of the story so it’s not a big deal. The epic music is also less present in The Eye Of Darkness compared to most of the main novels of Phases I and II.
If you listen to The Eye Of Darkness’ audiobook it will take a little over fifteen hours to finish it. For me, it’s more enjoyable to read the digital/physical book while also listening to the audio version but this requires two different purchases for a single book which is something that might not be friendly for your wallet. If it’s within your possibilities I highly recommend that you experience The Eye of Darkness this way.
Final Thoughts
The Eye of Darkness is a very good way to get back into The High Republic. I missed having so many stories and characters tied so closely to each other. The stakes are at their highest point ever and it looks like it’s getting even worse for The Republic.
The action scenes are very entertaining and the amount of described details is more than enough to picture the characters and their environment without feeling that’s “too much”. This happened a lot on Phase II novels so it’s nice that it’s no longer the case.
We’re able to see deeply into many of the characters, watching Jedi Masters in such a vulnerable state is always interesting. But also learning more about Marchion Ro and how his motives might not be aligned with other members of the Nihil was probably one of my favorite elements of the story.
I couldn’t think of a better way to start Phase III of The High Republic. It’s going to be very fun to learn what happens in the upcoming but I’m sure that our hearts will also break in the process.
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 eye of darkness
Author
George Mann
Genre
Adult Novel
Release
November 14, 2023
November 14, 2023
Length
416 pages
15 hrs, 22 min
For
Marchion Ro Fans
Anyone who has read Phase I
The Good
Good mix of action and dialogue
Dives deep into the Nihil power structure
Shows both heroes and villains in a vulnerable state
Great audio version
The Bad
On the slower side
Ratings
Story
Character Depth
Surprise factor
Descriptiveness
Pace
Audio Version
Final Verdict
4.4
Average of the first 5 categories
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