Star Wars The High Republic Temptation of the Force Book Review

Temptation of the Force continues Phase III with a story that follows the events which occur in The Eye of Darkness and Defy the Storm.

Temptation of the Force is written by Tessa Gratton. It is available in audio, physical, and digital formats. It was released in June, 2024.

This is not an illustrated novel so most of the images you’ll see are for illustrative purposes for this article. Most of them are taken from High Republic media but a few are from other Star Wars sources.

The article contains light spoilers from this book and references events from other stories from this era.

Before reading Temptation of the Force

This is the second Adult 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.

Star Wars The High Republic Reading Guide and Catalog

The next novel won’t be released until August 2024 so you still have plenty of time to catch up!

Overcoming the Stormwall

Marchion Ro and his Nihil marauders are one of the biggest if not the biggest threat the Jedi have faced since the Sith. They are ruthless, numerous, and lack any decency or compassion.

Every time the Jedi and the Republic think they have the upper hand, Marchion Ro reveals a new hidden trick. The force-eating Nameless creatures.

The dark-side carnivore plants known as the Drengir. The ability to disrupt hyperspace traveling with strange technology and more recently, the Stormwall.

The Occlusion Zone created by the Stormwall

The Stormwall is an invincible barrier that covers thousands of systems that became vulnerable to the Nihil. Some systems tried to fight back but it was futile, no one could stand against the Nihil on their own.

The Stormwall was deemed impenetrable without the right codes and a “path engine”. Or at least, that was until Vernestra Rwoh and Avar Kriss managed to escape the so-called Occlusion Zone. What’s crazy is that they did it separately.

Many perished attempting to go in or out but these two remarkable Jedi were able to pull it off. With the little info they possessed, the combined efforts of the Jedi and the Republic Defense Coalition managed to figure out a way to penetrate the barrier.

Republic Cruiser and three Jedi Vector Starfighters

The way I put it might sound easy, but it was a very complicated task that took the efforts of many brilliant minds. At the beginning, I thought that this would be the main plot of the book but that was only the beginning.

It’s like playing a massive side quest mission in a game. The stakes are very high and considering the previous attempts (and failures) there’s a chance that some of the main characters die.

At this point, High Republic fans are no strangers to the heartbreaking deaths of some fantastic characters. With how big the scale of this story is you will never get that “I have a bad feeling” sentiment out of you until the last page of the book. Which is a good and bad thing, depending on how you want to see it.

Where the storylines meet

There are so many main characters that we’ve met in the previous stories. After the attack on Valo and the destruction of the Starlight Beacon things got extremely chaotic.

Many died, others went missing, and those who remained didn’t have a minute to catch their breath. The Nihil struck at every opportunity and while the Republic managed to hold them off, it seemed like it was always them who lost.

It took many months for everything to become “stable”. With the established occlusion zone and the inability of the Republic and Jedi to penetrate it, they could only hope that the Stormwall would not expand any further.

During this time, lots of smaller-scale stories developed. Many Jedi lost hope, but eventually, they managed to find a new motivation to continue. Regular people took many risks to help others in need, even if it appeared to be minimal compared to the grand scheme of things.

While this happened, Marchion Ro was stuck being the leader of a government. The man who only sought chaos finds himself trying to “keep order” inside his own ranks and the planets that are now under his territory.

Star Wars The High Republic The Eye Of Darkness Book Review Featured — Marchion Ro wielding a yellow lightsaber

Unexpectedly, many people saw this opportunity to grab a piece of the cake. Particularly, General Viess, a woman who handed over her planet to the Nihil in exchange for a high position in Marchion Ro’s army, and Ghirra Starros, a former Senator of the Republic who serves as a bridge between the Republic and Marchion Ro.

Marchion Ro doesn’t care about ruling or establishing a government. Instead, he’s more entertained by watching Viess and Starros try to outmaneuver each other in an attempt to gain his favor and therefore, more power.

Temptation of the Force brings together all of these stories. Pretty much every character who’s been important appears in this novel. Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Vernestra Rwoh, Porter Engle, Burryyaga, Xylan Graf, Cair San Tekka, General Viess, Marchion Ro, Ghirra Starros, and Avon Starros are the most prominent names of this list but there are a lot more people involved.

Ghirra Starros, Bell Zettifar, Ember, Vernestra Rwoh, Porter Engle, Avar Kriss, Burryaga (Left to right)

A good example of how it feels would be the final season of Game of Thrones. Regardless of how different their stories and origins are, all stories head to the same shared path.

Love between Jedi

Attachments, specifically romantic attachments, are forbidden for the Jedi during the time of prequels. We all know how the negative emotions that might come out of it are able to destroy the person and everyone around.

However, in the High Republic, the Jedi have slightly more freedom. Otherwise, Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann wouldn’t be so entangled with each other. For many years they have kept their feelings for each other hidden and even buried but after the events of Starlight Beacon these became even stronger.

Watching so many fellow Jedi die and then not knowing if the other one was alive just added weight to the already heavy burden that both Avar and Elzar were carrying.

Surviving Jedi witness the fall of the Starlight Beacon on Eiram’s ocean

This is when it gets interesting. There are very few Jedi who have established a romantic relationship with a colleague. Revan and Bastila during the times of the Old Republic. Iskat and Tualon from the Rise of the Red Blade novel, and now Elzar with Avar.

Both are two of the most prominent Masters of the Jedi Order but they’re still humans. Love can provide strength and courage even in the darkest moments but fear, insecurity, and other negative emotions also threaten to take over.

Elzar Mann is no stranger to this. When the Starlight Beacon was attacked he was overpowered by fear and as a result, he took the life of the only woman capable of saving the station.

This has haunted him for a long time. The fear of giving into the darkness once again made Elzar insecure and doubtful of his own capabilities as a Jedi. Not knowing if he’d be able to resist such emotions almost destroyed his confidence.

Temptation of the Force really shows how difficult and dangerous it is for two individuals to have feelings for each other while being a part of the Jedi Order. Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss are one hell of a team.

Their love for each other might be a weakness, but it’s also a strength that very few things can weaken. However, it seems like the worst is yet to come. The upcoming events are probably going to be their biggest test to date.

Enemy within

The Nihil are a very particular group. While they have a common goal, the interests of their members are diverse. Many soldiers follow the chaotic ideals of Marchion Ro, they just want to see the galaxy burn from a short and personal distance.

Not everyone shares this vision. Many members want something more tangible than just destruction; power, money, or both. Acquiring such privileges can’t be done just by raiding and killing. It requires structure and planning ahead.

That’s why Ghirra Starros is slowly gaining more loyal followers. The woman knows politics like the palm of her hand. She understands that a regime without order is doomed to fail sooner than later.

Ghirra Starros before and after joining the Nihil

General Viess also understands that to build an empire you can’t wage war indiscriminately, as much as she’d enjoy doing so. The Republic is still an extremely formidable opponent with almost endless resources and the backing of the powerful Jedi Order.

The odd thing about this is that Marchion Ro couldn’t care less about building an empire or consolidating himself as a ruler. He only lives for chaos and destruction, ruling and organizing a government isn’t a part of his interests.

Which is why he’s entertained by watching the division of his own forces. He’s more than aware of Viess and Starros’ efforts to gain more followers and influence among the Nihil.

If they could, both Ministers would remove him from power, especially due to his lack of interest in politics, which is required for the expansion of the Nihil empire.

Starros and Viess’ fight for influence is nothing but a silly game that entertains Marchion Ro. The truth is that Ro inspires not only respect but also fear among his own soldiers. He has true raw power, something that Viess and Starros lack.

He could dispose of them in the blink of an eye and no one would even think of opposing them to prevent it.

Ro’s power and confidence have served them well but they can also be a huge weakness to exploit. The fact that he underestimates almost everyone speaks of a huge flaw in his character.

To get to truly known an enemy is an ability that very few possess. The confidence that it brings is huge but if Ro isn’t careful it can backfire. There’s a very fine line between confidence and arrogance and it seems like The Eye doesn’t know the difference.

I believe it’s a matter of time before Viess or Starros make a move against him. The important question is if he’ll be prepared for it.

Marchion’s Ro quest for power

So far, Marchion Ro has proved to be one of the smartest enemies the Jedi have ever faced. No matter what everyone does, he is always multiple steps ahead. The fact that he isn’t Force-sensitive makes it even more amazing.

Since Phase III started, he has been more of an observer. Sitting on his throne and refusing to get involved while the Republic and Nihil forces keep going at each other. I thought that he was just getting bored and just waiting for the Republic to become more challenging. I couldn’t be more wrong.

Even if he appears to be static, Marchion Ro is always planning and thinking of ways to attain more power. An odd manifestation appears in Temptation of the Force, something that can kill entire planets.

This “manifestation” as I call it is related to the Force, but it’s like nothing we’ve seen before. The Jedi can use to interact with it, but it doesn’t seem to be a part of the light or dark. Even creatures like the Nameless and the Drengir are afraid of it.

This “thing”, eats everything and everyone. No one is safe from it, including Jedi and Nihil. In true Marchion Ro fashion, he uses his knowledge and power to figure out what this thing is and most importantly, how to weaponize it.

The last pages of this book are about Marchion Ro using his newly acquired knowledge to make a very strange petition to the Republic. Something that I would have never guessed would happen in Phase III. A strange plot twist that promises to make everything more interesting and chaotic.

The perfect combination

My biggest criticism of some High Republic novels (especially Phase II) is the very slow pace of the stories. So many times I felt like nothing too important had happened after reading half of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love those stories but sometimes it was tough to keep the excitement going.

Temptation of the Force doesn’t have this problem, I got hooked within the first hours. There’s so much happening involving a huge number of characters that it’s almost impossible to get bored.

The story covers so much. What initially looks like the main storyline only leads up to something even greater, maybe not in scale but in terms of impact on the whole story.

There’s a very good balance between meaningful dialogues, descriptive text, dramatic scenes, and action sequences. Out of Phase II and Phase III, Temptation of the Force is my favorite novel so far.

I enjoyed watching so many characters interacting and working together for a bigger goal. The story got me even more invested in the characters. Vernestra Rwoh is gaining more protagonism which is really cool because of how recent The Acolyte is.

The romance between Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss opens a lot of possibilities for the story and Marchion Ro continues to be the most interesting and unpredictable character of the High Republic.

If The High Republic has taught me something, it’s that no one is safe from death or worse. Other than Vernestra Rwoh and Yoda, there’s no guarantee of survival for any character. Which makes everything more nerve-wracking.

If the upcoming novels are as good as Temptation of the Force then we can expect Phase III of the High Republic to be the most fun, heartbreaking, and intense of all three.

Listening to the audio version

I’ve made a habit of listening to the audiobook while also reading High Republic novels and Temptation of the Force is no exception. Music and sound effects always enhance the experience and immersion of the story.

To be honest, I think the tracks chosen for the audio version were not as intense as I would’ve liked to be but it’s still very enjoyable to hear some classic pieces while reading the most dramatic moments of the book.

Burryaga, Avar Kriss, and Elzar Mann before the fall of Starlight Beacon

The entire story is narrated by Marc Thompson who also did The Eye of Darkness, Cataclysm, Convergence, The Fallen Star, and The Rising Storm.

He has a great ability to make so many different voices, even if female ones aren’t easy due to his deep and strong voice he does a good job at making them different from each other.

If you listen to the audiobook at standard speed it will take you around seventeen hours assuming you don’t pause or rewind.

Experiencing Temptation of the Force the way I did requires two separate purchases, one for the audiobook and one for the digital/physical copy. It is a cost that’s going to add considerably up if you do this with every other High Republic novel but if you can afford it I really suggest that you give it a try.

Final thoughts

I love how Temptation of the Force brings so many elements and characters together. There’s action, drama, suspense, and even romance. The best thing is that everything is very well-balanced.

I’m not a fan of romantic stories, but even then I was never bothered by those moments. It never feels that something else is being sacrificed or that it’s being forced. Instead, it develops very naturally and fits perfectly in the plot and growth of the characters involved.

Just when I thought things could get any better Marchion Ro steps up again and proves why he is the one and only leader of the Nihil. His unpredictability opens so many possibilities and keeps me wondering about the future of Phase III.

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.

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Temptation of the force