Intro
In the present, Lanoree is hunting a ghost, a rumor of the brother she believed to be dead. In the past, she is learning and growing in the Force while watching her brother withdraw further and further from both her and the Force. In both, the sibling bond is constantly strained. Will Lanoree be able both to redeem her brother and to stop the system-wide threat of destruction?
I received a bookstore gift card for Christmas and used it to buy two new Star Wars books. I realized then that I owned about half of the Expanded Universe novels, and I decided to start on a multi-year journey through the ~160 novels in the pre-Disney canon. I am reading through the books in the in-universe timeframe order, and Dawn of the Jedi was the first in that list. Expect to see even more Star Wars books reviewed here soon!
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void was written by Tim Lebbon (author’s website and Amazon page with other books) released on May 7, 2013. The paperback comes in at 320 pages long so it is distinctly lighter fare than the Sanderson books I have been reading recently. It was written as an introduction for the Dawn of the Jedi comic books and leads into the stories in those comics.
Read on for a detailed breakdown, or click here to jump to the conclusion.
“A Je’daii needs darkness and light, shadow and illumination, because without the two there can be no balance. Veer to Bogan, and Ashla feels too constraining, too pure; edge toward Ashla, and Bogan becomes a monstrous myth. A Je’daii without balance between both is no Je’daii at all. He, or she, is simply lost.”
Plot
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void alternates between two different plot lines, one in the characters’ past and one in their present. The events take place about 25,000 years before the events of the original movie trilogy, and technology is noticeably less developed. At this time, lightspeed travel does not exist (at least in the section of the galaxy that we are exposed to), and the lack of that tech drives the plot.
In the present, the Je’daii masters assign Lanoree Brock the task of investigating some mysterious rumors that claim her brother, Dalien, is seeking a Hypergate to activate instantaneous travel through a wormhole in an attempt to escape the solar system where the story takes place. The masters knew it was a danger and could destroy the entire system. In the past, Lanoree and Dalien are traveling across the planet Tython, facing dangers together, and progressing through their Jedi training.
I found both plot lines to be a bit boring. In the present, the McGuffin (the dangerous Hypergate) is simply not built up enough to make the reader care. McGuffins are not bad simply because they are McGuffins, but they can be a turn off if their significance is not established well.
In the past, the personal growth storyline missed the mark. Typically, I enjoy these “learning the skills” storylines (think Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker in A New Hope), but this particular story failed to engage me. I think it was the lack of struggle on the part of Lanoree, the lack of personal connection/respect for any of the mentors, and the lack of compelling classmates learning at the same time. Overall, the plot lines were a bit dead and boring.
Worldbuilding/Series Connection
Worldbuilding was another area that was a little bit of a miss for this book. Whenever a new creature or location is introduced, it is almost always described in a plain exposition dump rather than having the details gradually revealed. The non-human beings in the story were all common Star Wars aliens like Wookiees and Twi’leks. I would like to have seen some different aliens or some distinctly different cultures shown–considering these events did take place so long before the events we know from the movies.
However, not all of the worldbuilding was terrible. The dangers faced during the quest story were pretty intriguing, and the slightly different take on the Force was neat. I also liked the constraint of having everything stuck in a single system. However, I felt that not enough was done with any of these aspects and they could all have been used in a better way to enhance the story.
The connection to the larger Star Wars story has some ups and downs too. The unique take on the Force in this book was interesting. Lanoree is seeking more of a balance between the light and the dark than trying to rid herself of the dark entirely. However, the book neither draws good connections between this time period and later time periods nor plants seeds for the growth from here until the story picks up again in The Old Republic.
I have not read the comic books so I cannot speak for how well it sets them up, but it definitely does not do a great job of setting things up for the larger Star Wars series. In many ways, this story feels entirely detached from Star Wars.
Characters
The characters do not often stray far from basic archetypes. Lanoree fits into the mold of the female warrior. Dalien fits in the mold of the broody loner. Both characters have aspects that could make them more intriguing if those aspects were explored further, but they stay pretty plain.
Lanoree’s situation as basically a “gray” Je’daii straddling the line between light and dark would be interesting if more conflict between those impulses was shown. Dalien’s desire to reach beyond his current circumstances and not be pushed into the mold of an up-and-coming Je’daii would also be relatable and interesting. However, those threads are not really pursued. Their sibling relationship could also have been built up deeper, but it also fell flat. A much better story of sibling love and conflict can be found in the latter part of the Jacen and Jaina Solo storylines in other Star Wars books.
Probably the most interesting character was Tre Sana, a former criminal and secret carrier whose memories were sealed off by a Je’daii master to prevent other criminals from trying to torture the information out of him. I thought that backstory was really interesting and could have been explored more in his actions; however, Tre Sana also fell into a basic archetype and ended up being just a vanilla “man of the streets” who provided Lanoree with guidance on street smarts and gang relations.
Prose
The main point to call out for the prose was the exposition dumps I mentioned earlier in the worldbuilding section. Lebbon had some neat ideas (like the Chasm and some other areas Lanoree and Dalien pass through on their journey), but they are rarely described in a way to make them feel truly memorable. The prose is not unreadable, but it also does nothing to enhance the story.
Conclusion
The theme of Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void for me was definitely “unfulfilled promises”. In plot, worldbuilding, and characters, Lebbon had some great ideas, but the execution simply was not there. His best ideas were not explored deeper, and what results is a fairly plain adventure story. It is not necessarily bad and can be a good distraction if you just want a quick read. However, I would suggest checking out other Star Wars books–especially since this one does not contribute anything of much importance to the larger canon.
You should read this if …
- You are a completionist trying to finish the entirety of the Star Wars canon
- You want to know some of the backstory of the Dawn of the Jedi characters before reading the comics
- You happen to have it on your shelf and you want a light read without worrying about having the absolute highest quality
Otherwise, I would avoid this one. It is not terrible or miserable to read. It simply is not fun enough or important enough to justify the time.
