The first adult novel of the second phase of The High Republic was fairly weak. Maybe it is because I do not like the idea of going back 150 years (yep, I will continue complaining about this), instead of continuing the story from phase one. There will be some spoilers.
The big twist was not really all that surprising. Axel Greylark being the bad guy? Yeah, it was obvious from like the moment we met him. His connection to the Path and the Mother was slightly interesting. The Path is the precursor to the Nihil (or the Nihil are an offshoot?), but why is this interesting? They have a beef with the Jedi because they think the Jedi use the Force improperly? I guess finding out who the Mother is will be cool…
Actually, thinking about that, here is a theory. The Mother is connected to the Sith somehow. Either she is/was an apprentice, OR she is being manipulated by the Sith to help bring down the Jedi. I know the Darth Bane books are not canon, but what if they incorporate some of that stuff. The Sith stayed hidden during this period, but they were working to achieve Bane’s goal of eventually bringing down the Jedi. So maybe the Path of the Open Hand is manipulated into causing people to distrust the Jedi. Obviously the Sith would not foresee (or maybe they did), the Nihil being the end-result. Hmmm, something to think about.
Is Gella Nattai going to be one of the main characters in this phase? If so, I hope they flesh her out some more. I feel like her decision to become a Wayseeker was a little weird. Like did she really learn anything about herself and her failure leading the Pathfinder team?
I am ready for phase three, haha.
