Starlight Stories

Star Wars: The High Republic

by Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Justina Ireland

Titan Comics, publisher of the official Star Wars Insider magazine, is proud to offer an amazing collection of exclusive short stories for Star Wars: The High Republic.

Written by The New York Times’ best-selling authors Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, and Justina Ireland, with supporting original illustrations by Louie De Martinis.

EXPERIENCE THE GALAXY CENTURIES BEFORE THE STRUGGLE OF THE REBEL ALLIANCE AGAINST THE GALACTIC EMPIRE—AT THE HEIGHT OF THE JEDI ORDER!

A compendium of tales from the High Republic era, told from aboard the incredible satellite station, the Starlight Beacon, collected for the first time from the pages of Star Wars Insider.

All stories are written by The New York Times’ best-selling authors Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, and Justina Ireland.

Also includes in-depth interviews with the story architects behind the best-selling publishing and multimedia initiative.

Stories included:

“Go Together” by Charles Soule

“First Duty” by Cavan Scott

“Hidden Danger” by Justina Ireland

“Past Mistakes” by Cavan Scott

“Shadows Remain” by Justina Ireland

Genres: Star Wars, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Novels, Canon

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2022

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars The High Republic: Starlight Stories is a beautifully-arranged, collector-quality collection of short-stories and behind-the-scenes content for true Star Wars fans.



The short-stories come from veteran Star Wars writers, Charles Soule, Justina Ireland and Caven Scott. All are set on the Starlight Beacon, the incredible satellite station that plays a heavy role in the High Republic era.

I liked the stories a lot. They weren't high stakes, but it was nice to see what life was like on Starlight Beacon and to see some recurring characters from the era.

Starlight Beacon is mentioned a lot in the books that I have read from this era, yet the stories don't actually take place there. It was fun for me to see how the station was functioning and what a typical day would look like there.



The highlight of this, for me, though was actually the interviews with the contributing authors, which in addition to the authors listed above include, Claudia Gray and Daniel Jose Older. I have wondered since it was announced how they actually went about creating this all-new era.

It seems crazy complicated if multiple people are involved, but obviously it's way too much for one person to do alone.



I really loved hearing how they all got involved in the project and the steps that went into creating it. The brainstorming sessions at Skywalker Ranch would be an absolute dream come true for me. Can you even imagine!?

I would definitely recommend this to serious fans, particularly anyone who has been enjoying the High Republic materials as much as I have.

In my opinion though, this is not a great place to start if you are interested in getting into either the High Republic era, or Star Wars in general. This is definitely more for longtime fans of this world.



Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this. The artwork was stunning, the stories fun and I love the insight I was given regarding the creation of this highly-entertaining new era.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go Together, ☆☆☆☆½
First Duty, ☆☆☆½
Hidden Danger, ☆☆☆½
Past Mistakes, ☆☆☆
Shadows Remain, ☆☆☆½

[Sal Perales]

If you can’t stand the wait until the next phase of The High Republic you might enjoy revisiting some familiar faces in this collection of short stories aboard Starlight Beacon!

Starlight Stories is a collection of fiction previously published in Star Wars Insider. In addition to the five short stories, the collection also includes interviews with the authors behind The High Republic!

The stories dig into some of the lesser-known faces from Phase I. Some characters are brand new, some are a bit familiar, and some are major characters with their own books or comics. The stories are each interesting and flesh out many pieces or characters you might recognize. The book includes beautiful illustrations to go along with each story. I’ve always been a fan of anthologies and this one is no different.

The short stories contained in this collection are:

Go Together by Charles Soule
First Duty by Cavan Scott
Hidden Danger by Justina Ireland
Past Mistakes by Cavan Scott
Shadows Remain by Justina Ireland

The interviews from the story architects of Phase I also offer plenty of interesting tidbits and info on the creation of The High Republic. It’s always a treat to hear directly from the creators themselves on their process, inspiration, and even where they may be headed!

If you missed these stories, this is the perfect chance to get them all in one place!

This is a must-read for any High Republic Phase I fan looking for some great stories until we meet our familiar faces again in Phase III!

Sal P.

“Wherever we go, we’ll go together.”

Pikka Adren

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly solid selection of stories taken from the "Star Wars" magazine, including interviews with the authors. The fiction was enjoyable enough, but I did realize two things: (1) the break between Parts & 2 of the stories doesn't really work in an anthology book, and (2) I am definitely enjoying the new phase of The High Republic, set before Starlight Beacon's time, far more than this original phase.

[Coen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this! Fun collection of stories taking place at Starlight over the course of Phase 1. I like how they actually played off the ones that came before and how they featured characters we know from the books.

They better make a collection like this for Phase 2 and 3 too!

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!

This was interesting, but I didn't really feel attached to most of the characters. I also really didn't like how this book was formatted.

[Ahdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starlight Stories is a delightful collection of short stories that immerses readers in the High Republic era, specifically on the intriguing Starlight Beacon. This book is a must-read for any Star Wars fan seeking a blend of adventure and mystery. The tales within are filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing. With a seamless blend of classic Star Wars elements and fresh storytelling, this collection adds depth to the High Republic era. Starlight Stories is a fun and engaging read, offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of the Star Wars universe while delivering a compelling mystery that will leave you turning the pages.

[ashlabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Starlight Stories von Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott & Charles Soule

Neben den zuletzt vorgestellten „Tales of the Enlightenment“ erschien im Jahr 2022 außerdem eine schön inszenierte Hardcover-Sammlung der Kurzgeschichten zur Ersten Phase der Hohen Republik. Die „Starlight Stories“ nehmen den Leser mit auf die Starlight Station!

Der Inhalt:

In „Go Together“ werden die Adrens, ein herzensgutes und einfallsreiches Paar Ingenieure vorgestellt, während Administratorin Velko Jahen in „First Duty“ ihren ersten Arbeitstag an Bord der Raumstation verlebt. In „Hidden Danger“ und „Past Mistakes“ bekommt Velko es sogleich auch mit großen Herausforderungen zu tun, die durch die Nihil und die Drengir ausgelöst werden. Glücklicherweise kann sich die Soikanerin auf die Unterstützung von Sicherheitschefin Ghal Tarpfen verlassen, die in „Shadows Remain“ jedoch eine schreckliche Entdeckung machen muss…

Meine Meinung:

Trotz dessen, dass der Handlungsort mit der Starlight Station stark begrenzt ist, schaffen es die Autoren ein umfassendes und vielseitiges Bild aller Herausforderungen aufzubauen, die an Bord der Station warten gelöst zu werden. Dabei gelingt es eine gute Mischung aus ruhiger Atmosphäre, Action und Spannung zu bieten. Am besten hat mir die Entwicklung der Beziehung zwischen Velko und Ghal über vier Geschichten gefallen. Allen Autoren ist außerdem zugute zu halten, dass sie verständlich und anschaulich schreiben. Der Leser kann sich leicht in die Situation der Figuren einfinden. Die ebenfalls abgedruckten Interviews bieten spannende Einblicke in die Vergangenheit und die Ideen des gesamten Teams der ersten Phase. Louie De Martinis Zeichnungen runden das Leseerlebnis perfekt ab.

Fazit:

Kleine spannende Begebenheiten, die dazu anregen näher in die Erste Phase der Hohen Republik abzutauchen.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars The High Republic: Starlight Stories collects three short stories, an article, and some author interviews that were previously published in the Star Wars Insider magazine. The pieces span a broad timeline of Phase 1 from before Light of the Jedi was published to shortly before the release of The Fallen Star.

I really enjoyed getting to see more of Starlight Beacon through the short stories. The majority of the short stories followed a new character, Administrator Velko Jahen, through her time station on Starlight. Through Velko, we get to see more of how operations on Starlight work and see how the broader events of Phase 1 impacted ordinary people on Starlight. I loved getting to know Velko, who is trying to navigate politics between the Republic officials and the Jedi while also learning her new role. There are also appearances from characters I loved in other media like Master Maru and Pikka and Joss Adren.

The big thing about this collection that did not work for me was the formatting. While I understand the stories were originally published in a magazine, reading them in the small print and three-column layout they were originally published in was a pain. Starlight Stories also kept the part breaks between story installments, which seemed a bit unnecessary. I would've preferred the stories in a traditional book format without a bunch of filler pages between parts one and two.

As a completionist, I'm glad I got the chance to read Starlight Stories and see a bit more of Starlight. For those who don't need to consume every bit of content in Phase 1, you could safely skip this one.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Despite having not read most of The High Republic series, I was initially very excited to get a chance to read Starlight Stories. Unfortunately, the copy I downloaded was very wonky and difficult to read, with passages frequently being truncated mid-sentence. The stories themselves, while light and breezy, aren't very accessible to anyone who isn't well-versed in the expanded Star Wars universe. This is a problem I've had with Star Wars books before--the authors rarely describe what a character looks like, or include much detail about their home planet or organization, instead assuming that the reader will just look it up on Wookiepedia. Star Wars fans may be dedicated, but it's a pain to have to stop reading every few pages to look up details that, in any other fantasy series, would be provided in the text. That said, in addition to a number of short stories and author interviews, Starlight Stories also includes several illustrations. This assortment of storytelling, artwork, and conversation should make Starlight Stories a valuable addition to any hardcore Star Wars fan's collection--so long as it's the print version.

[Victoria Giguère · Rating 3 out of 5]

You’re thrown into the universe without much context, and I had to do a lot of research to understand who the characters and species were, as they were only mentioned by name. However, the interview section was very relevant and intrigued me enough to continue exploring this book series 🪐☄️⭐️

[Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

no stellan gios mention i’m heartbroken

[Don Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

good but largely unnecessary until the end

[Claire Cheatham · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Love seeing how all the tiny story gaps can be filled in and minor characters filled out in these short stories!

[Yanik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading the High Republic from the start and thoroughly love it.
I had been missing out on the short stories published in Star Wars Insider so choose this collection as a in-between until the release of Temptation of the Force in a short month.
I love short stories and I loved the Tales of Light and Life anthology, so was hoping for a smaller scale version of that for this book. It didn’t quite hit the same, but it was a very nice journey and window into the world on Starlight Beacon.

The book starts off with a pre-release interview with the 5 Luminous Authors, there was nothing really new for me in there, but it was a fantastic reliving of the excitement and anticipation we had for the launch of the project. The entire collection is a big nostalgia trip to Phase 1, and this kicks it off nicely.
After this intro, the two-parter short stories start:

Go Together – Charles Soule
Set slightly before and after the events of Light of the Jedi. As with the novels, Soule kicks off the short stories. We follow Joss and Pikka during their time on starlight. They are cute and fun as usual and do a nice job of introducing the station as a whole. The story on itself is okay and this is the only one in the collection that feels like two separate stories instead of a single one divided in two. I liked it, but it wasn’t mind blowing.

First Duty – Cavan Scott
Set during the events of Light of the Jedi. This one kicks off the connected anthology of the rest of the stories. Part one is mainly to introduce its main characters, namely Velko Jahen, Starlight’s new Administrator and Head of Security Ghal Tarpfen. The story itself is a fun little detective whodunit. It was fun, but over too quick to really feel much weight behind the events. The second part starts the habit of starting with a big, wonderful cover illustration.

Hidden Danger – Justina Ireland
Set some time after the Inauguration of Starlight Beacon. This was the first one I really liked. It was fun, well written and involved the Drengir, whom had been relegated mostly to comics after Into the Dark. Ireland proved one again why she’s probably my favorite Luminous author. It shows how Jahen is still struggling with PTSD.

Past Mistakes – Cavan Scott
Set during Operation: Counterstrike after the events of The Rising Storm. Some wonderful exploring of Jahen’s background and character. It has Sskeer and Jedi action figures!

Shadows Remain – Justina Ireland
Set just before the events of The Fallen Star. Another banger by Ireland, this time switching between Jahen and Tarpfen’s POVs. The latter’s Mon Calamari characteristics and needs are especially interesting. Besides that, it’s a very well told and dramatic story adding to the stress and action at the end of Phase 1.

It bookends with 5 interviews with the authors spread across Phase 1. They generally include some background on their career, how they got into Star Wars writing and then into the Project Luminous group. There are nice segments of them diving deeper into their motivations and methods of writing, both personally and as a tightly cooperating group.

As someone who has followed along with the project this felt more like an introduction into what I already was closely connected to. The interviews are very nice and contain lovely details but also a lot of what I already knew. The short stories range from okay to really good, but I enjoyed them all. They are a great representation of how the authors interweave their storytelling and craft while maintaining highly distinguishable styles.
As the parts of the stories were published some time apart there apparently was felt a need to reintroduce every character per issue, which got kind of annoying when reading them back to back.
The stories kind of end on a cliffhanger as we don’t get to see where these characters are during and after the events of The Fallen Star, so I am looking forward to another release of these Insider stories once they are done with them.
Either way this is a wonderful collection for any High Republic fan, new or old.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars The High Republic: Starlight Stories, published December 6, 2022 by Titan Magazines, collects short stories first published in Star Wars Insider magazine by Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule. Additionally, this hardcover collection includes articles and interviews with all of the phase 1 authors, serving as a time capsule in the lead up to and throughout the publishing initiative which began in January 2021.

I’d been really good about keeping up with these short stories when they were first being published in Star Wars Insider. At a certain point I fell behind, and lo and behold, Starlight Stories was announced earlier in 2022, the perfect way for people like me to catch back up! I actually think having all of the stories collected in this manner serves them even better than being spaced out over time. There are cliffhangers and tense moments that are a lot more satisfying to get closure on when read concurrently. Plus, there are a number of characters who are really only present in these stories, so diving in and spending quality time with them makes it a very enjoyable read.

There are five stories in all, each split into two parts— Soule’s “Go Together”, Justina Ireland’s “Hidden Danger” & “Shadows Remain” and Cavan Scott’s “First Duty” & “Past Mistakes”. As the title of the book suggests, these stories all take place on Starlight Beacon, offering a different point of view on a number of High Republic storylines that occur in phase one. There are familiar faces like Avar Kriss and Sskeer, but the protagonists of Starlight Stories are the unsung heroes of the galaxy, security officers, operations aides, and medical personnel.

Pikka and Joss Adren, the husband and wife team who had a big hand in Starlight’s completion, have grit and perseverance, all qualities that serve them well in their respective roles on the station but also grab the attention of the Republic and the Jedi as they join the fight against the Nihil. Their exploits in battle are documented in other published works, but their tales in Starlight Stories highlight who they are as people; the struggles and frustrations of working adults who sometimes just need a vacation.

The majority of the short stories center on Administrator Velko Jahen, a Soikan female assigned as an aide to the Republic head of Starlight Beacon, and Ghal Tarpfen, the Mon Calamari Chief of Security as they face professional and personal challenges amidst the backdrop of the events of The High Republic. Jahen and Tarpfen also represent the everyday denizens of the galaxy and readers get to experience how it feels to have their world and work constantly interrupted by scheming politicians, mysterious Jedi and devious pirates. Scott and Ireland do a tremendous job of introducing these new characters, making them likable and relatable. Focusing on protagonists who aren’t Jedi, don’t have special abilities, and who are just trying to do their best as citizens of the galaxy is a refreshing way to engage with Star Wars. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself quickly falling in love with Velko and Ghal and hope these stories aren’t the last time we interact with them.

My only criticism of Starlight Stories is that the stories and articles are a direct reprinting of how they first appeared in Star Wars Insider magazine. It feels like the magazine pages were copied, pasted, and bound into a hardcover book which I guess was the point. Maybe some updated layouts or paper choice would have made Starlight Stories feel a little more special, more than just a bound collection of magazine articles.

The simple fact that this collection even exists is a huge win for The High Republic fans, it’s a collection I’m proud to own and one I will treasure.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still making my way, slowly, through Phase one of the High Republic, so these stories gave me a little more background into happenings on Starlight Beacon.

Charles Soule’s “Go Together” tells us of two married engineers, Pikka and Joss, who are just finishing up their stint on the station near the end of its commissioning, and who discover a technical glitch. After fixing it, they end up joining the ships dealing with the perpetrators of the Great Disaster in hyperspace. It’s a fun story, especially as it concerns non-Jedi doing amazing things and help keep the peace.
4 stars.

Cavan Scott’s “First Duty” gave me some insight into the types of tensions that could easily occur when so many different people, some actually warring, would be situated in the same wards for medical treatment after where so many injured were taken after the Great Disaster. New administrator Velco Jahen must play detective after a near fatal assassination attempt on an injured diplomat. That the mystery isn’t hard to figure out is immaterial; it was more interesting seeing the slight friction between the Republic-appointed chief administrator and the Jedi liaison, and meet Velco.
3.5 stars.

Justina Ireland brings back Avon Starros in “Hidden Danger” as Velco rushes around Starlight Beacon, dealing with the myriad details and arguments arising from the influx of many for the Galactic Agriculture Alliance conference. Avon manages to set of part of the problem affecting everyone on board, especially as she has a plant with her that reminds Velco of the Drengir and their recent infestation of the station. Velco is an interesting character—a former soldier and now administrator, she is one of those competent people who gets things done and I had no idea I’d enjoy reading about her so much.
4 stars.

“Past Mistakes” by Cavan Scott reunites Velco with a former soldier/lover Vane. He appears on Starlight ready to hawk cheap souvenirs commemmorating Jedi and the station. Velco knows something is off, but it’s not till she throws him in prison that she begins to get closer to the reason for him being on the station. It’s no surprise Sskeer is not impressed with he mercenary when he first meets Vane…Velco continues to intrigue me.
4 stars.

“Shadows Remain” by Justina Ireland makes Ghal Tarpfen, the Mon Cala head of Security for Starlight, a surprisingly sympathetic protagonist of this short. Velco and she have been working together on Starlight since Charles Soule’s short in this collection. Ghal has been having nightmares. Between the increasing numbers of Nihil prisoners and their background and identity checks, and the daily concerns on the station, Ghal’s and Velcro’s workload is becoming exhausting. Then Ghal disappears, and it looks like she's complicit in the attack on a Senator. The story has a melancholic feel to it, and left me worrying about what next, bad thing was going to happen on Starlight.
4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

”That’s the wonderful thing about Starlight Beacon,” Avar Kriss said, turning back to Ceeril. ”The Republic and Jedi working together for the good of all.”

3,5/5!

Starlight Stories is a fun collection of five two-part short stories set on Starlight Beacon that follow the ordinary people working on the station. This book also includes interviews of all of the five main story architects of the High Republic.

This collection was thoroughly enjoyable, although not mind-blowing or anything like that. I liked how the stories were focused on, all apart from one, on Velko Jahen, the new administrator of Starlight, as this allowed for the authors to give Velko her own little arc over the course of multiple individual stories that focus on individual crises. I love my Jedi and Sith and all that, but I do also love it when Star Wars stories focus on people with no powers and nothing "special" about them, regular people we can all relate to, and what I loved about these stories in particular is how they showed how integral people like Velko, or Pikka and Joss Adren, or Ghal Tarpfen were to Starlight being what it was. They kept it running, took care of every-day things, protected it and fought for its values: they were just as important as any Jedi.

Starlight Beacon is an interesting location, and I liked how these stories gave it even more depth, culture and meaning outside of being just a symbolic structure. It's also a home, a hospital, a place where cultures can share their foods and arts and a place where meetings, conferences and events can be held. A detail I liked that Soule's story following the Adrens revealed was that it's not just that there are foods, stores, stalls and staff from all over the galaxy on Starlight - representing the diversity of the Republic - but the whole station is made up of materials from all over the Republic. It's, physically and mentally, a symbol of cooperation and the unity of Soh's government.

I did also love all the cameos and appearances of some of my favorite Jedi, such as Burryaga (my sweet boy) and Avar Kriss (I loved how we got to see her phase 1 fall to aggression and frustration through Velko's eyes as she goes from idolising Avar to seeing her more realistically). I also loved getting a few more scenes with Avon Starros, as she is one of my favorites.

This book is not required reading in order to understand the events of phase 1, but they do give more context to certain events of the books and just make Starlight Beacon feel even more of an important, beloved home and place, which of course will make certain things in wave 3 hit even even harder. I would still recommend this to anyone who loved the High Republic - who doesn't want a little bit more THR content and gorgeous art to admire?

[Vic Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 1: Serves to characterize Joss and Pikka well. I like not knowing when the story is set until the very end, it adds a little tension to the finale. 3/5 stars
Story 2 “Go Together”: this feels like a chapter of a bigger novel, strange to read as a stand alone. It’s entertaining but only a little part of a big story and I think it would have worked better in the actual novel. Good tease of J and P hunting down the Nihil in the future though. 2.5/5
Story 3 “First Duty”: this was a bit much. So many characters, roles, ranks and species introduced at once that I barely knew what was going on. Twist ending with the death of the paranoid Ambassador was appreciated. At least I think it was the Ambassador… 2/5
Story 4 “First Duty Part 2”: predictable ending and still too many characters to follow what’s going on. I don’t think Avar belongs here either, would appreciate more focus on the many new characters so I can finally figure out who’s who. Anyway, 2/5.
Story 5 “Hidden Danger”: I don’t really see where this is going and I’m frustrated by that. Obviously Avon didn’t smuggle Drengir onto the ship. So what’s the point? 1.5/5
Story 6 “Hidden Danger 2”: Got some vaguely interesting flashback about Velko’s past, but otherwise a wash. It was a weird plant that makes people fight. This feels like a DS9 episode with ‘skip’ written all over it. 1.5/5
Story 7 “Past Mistakes”: Okay, a semi-interesting prologue. I suppose I enjoy seeing some non-Jedi characters manage this world and the recent events involving the Nihil. And I liked getting more background on Vel and her past. 2.5/5
Story 8: “Past Mistakes 2”: Always enjoy more Sskeer and a little bit of action. I don’t really buy into Vel’s struggles with choosing between her past and the Starlight Beacon, because we don’t really know enough about her to see an argument for either side. But this was enjoyable enough. 2.5/5
Story 9: “Shadows Remain”: Aw, I loved getting to know Ghal a bit more. Why do I kind of love her now? Hopefully she’s okay… why did we spend so much time following the boring one and not this fascinating Mon Cala 3.5/5
Story 10: “Shadows Remain 2”: Ghal is a legend and I love her. Taken down a point by more time spent on Velko. 4/5

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm happy this book exists because I wanted to read the 5 short stories, but I'm not subscribed to Star Wars Insider. The interviews that come with the short stories are fine, but I'm only rating the short stories because they were the reason I bought this.

Go Together: 3/5
Pikka and Joss are loveable characters and it's nice to have a little bit more time with them after already getting to know them in Light of the Jedi. They have a cool dynamic, but I don't like the message of "Everything will be fine as long as we stay together." It's a romantic thought, but I don't think there's much truth behind it.

First Duty: 4/5
This is the story that introduces Velko Jahen and Ghal Tarpfen, the main characters of this series of short stories. The murder mystery plot was kind of predictable, but I like very much how the characters, especially Velko, start to find their place in the space station and how they develop relationships with each other.

Hidden Danger: 2/5
The central conflict of this story is absurd, which brings some humor with it, but also kept me from being that invested. Also, the solution of the conflict felt boring and anticlimactic to me. We learn more about Velko's past and she has an interesting dynamic with Ghal in this, but apart from that, this story didn't do it for me.

Past Mistakes: 5/5
I love this story, it's very emotional for me. I liked the humor at the beginning, the character dynamics, the villain, the twist and the solution. But most of all, I love the little epilogue at the end, especially the last sentence means a lot to me.

Shadows Remain: 3/5
The angsty end of the series. It's centered around Ghal, and I guess she deserves that, but I'm not that interested in her, so the what happens with her didn't spark that many emotions in me. But I like the gloomy atmosphere.

All in all, I'd end up somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but I give 4 because the book exists and I don't have to buy any magazines.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I already had this checked out, so I figured I might as well read it.

Nope, wasn't any more gripping than the other High Republic book of short stories I read the other day. It wasn't so Jedi focused, but it's still... hmm...

So, it's not uncommon for people who write fanfic, especially longer fanfics, to post excerpts--cut scenes, little background bits, whatever--to their AO3 (or Tumblr or both). They're not really stories, even in the ficlet sense, because they require too much additional knowledge. This and the other High Republic short story book I read are like those excerpts: they're aimed entirely at people who are already invested in these characters and have read the larger stories featuring them.

Also fanfic like is the lack of description of species, even those invented (I think) for the High Republic is. Don't know a Soikan is a purple space elf and not a term for a human of a specific planet (the way Han Solo is a Corellian)? Your only chance to know that is from the art, not the text. (And, look, I'm sympathetic. Character descriptions are my bane. But I'm not a published author working for one of the biggest media empires in existence.)

I know that's nitpicky, but it's part of the problem with fully being drawn into the stories. They feel like they're intended for someone else.

There was also a part of me going, Oh, we could've had Star Wars's Babylon 5 or Deep Space Nine here, but no, we're just going to drawn on those just enough to remind me of them, but not actually do anything with the it. Starlight Station exists to be impressive and be destroyed. (Or so it seems.)

Or maybe I'm just still cranky because "This is the Republic at its best!" isn't actually an exploration of anything new. It's just yet another existential threat from some group. Yeah, yeah, the franchise isn't Star Peace, but my god, can't we do something different ever? (Star Trek got away with doing Star Space Station, after all.)

Meh.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This collection gathers five original short stories from the High Republic era along with several interviews with current Star Wars authors (in a classical 'zine format). The stories are a bit tied together with a common cast: Administrator Velko Jahen of the Starlight Beacon and Security Chief Ghan Tarpfen as well as some other recurring characters).

The stories are a bit of a mixed bag. On one level, they gave me a bit of nostalgia of reading fan-fiction like stories from ezine's of old. Unfortunately, you would really expect a bit better narrative from actual authors. I do like the concept of telling stories from the point of view of 'sideline' characters, but felt they could have done more here. As a collection, not all stories in themselves need to have a full drama arc - we could have had some proper character building thrown in. Of the stories, I liked "Past Mistakes" by Cavan Scott the best.

The interviews are very nice and professional, if only really interesting if you know the authors being interviewed. I like the Christie Golden one, having read her stuff well before her foray into Star Wars novels.

If you're a fan of the High Republic era, this will give a bit of perspective into the overall world but is ultimately forgettable. I usually like short story collections as they give authors the chance to venture into something completely new; there's some of that here but not enough in my opinion. Still, these are not the weakest of Star Wars novels, just average. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arguably, the stories here aren’t exactly required reading. Nothing in them will upend anyone’s understanding of what’s going on in The High Republic. Nevertheless, they’re still entertaining and well-written, and each of them contributes to fleshing out this previously unexplored part of the Star Wars timeline through the perspective of background characters from the novels and comics. Each story is presented just as it ran, in two parts, so a busy person could read it bit by bit – or you could read it all at once in just a few hours.

In addition to the short stories, the book also includes six different interviews from the magazine – a group conversation and one-on-one interviews with each of the five original HIgh Republic authors. The High Republic is a unique and ambitious publishing project, and the interviews give us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together. They’re also about as close to a visit to Skywalker Ranch as most of us will ever get.

To be sure, there’s nothing new here. But, if you’ve been following The High Republic era and don’t subscribe to the magazine (or if, like me, you’ve got a backlog of past issues to work through), it’s a nice way to enjoy the stories. Everything is reproduced in full size, including the original art. In fact, even if I HAD read all the stories and interviews when they initially ran, I’d still enjoy having them collected in one attractive volume. I hope Titan plans to release a similar collection of Phase 2’s short stories.

Definitely recommended for fans of The High Republic! And if you’re unsure if the era is right for you, it’s an easy way to get a feel for the storytelling without committing yourself to a full-length novel.

Review copy courtesy of Netgalley.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.

I received a free copy of Star Wars The High Republic: Starlight Stories from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Star Wars The High Republic is magazine of sorts. In here we have 2 seperate sets of author interviews, the first being a group interview around how they were all brought onboard to this project. The first interview also explains what the plans are for this High Republic setting and how as authors they are planning on making it a interconnects series of events.

After the first set of interviews, each author has a mini 2-part excerpt from their own respective novels. These excerpts are designed to be a tease of what takes place to entice you in to read the full novels. While each of these novels are supposed to show you a glimpse of what it too occur, and each authors different writing style, I found that by the end I could not tell which author had written each excerpt. They all ended up feeling very much the same, with none of the unique flair that I have read in some of the authors previous works, Star Wars or otherwise. Each excerpt had a large amount of crossover with the others, with multiple characters being used in a few of them. The biggest character that crosses over was the space station, Starlight Beacon. I do not know if they plan on continuing to have these novels use this space station as a central point, but I am intrigued as to how pivotal of a role Starlight Beacon will play.

Also included in these excerpts are some artwork around the story. These are stunningly made and were the highlight of my reading experience.

After the excerpts, we get individual author interviews. These interviews I found to be quite boring. I struggle to recollect what each of the 5 authors talked about, and even with the book right beside me I struggle to bring myself to pick it back up again to reread these interviews.

The best part of this magazine were the 5 mini tales. If only they had been included (and been longer) then I would have thoroughly enjoyed this. But unfortunately the author interviews ruined something that otherwise would have gotten me interested in reading these new upcoming books set in the High Republic era of Star Wars.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of five stories set in the High Republic Era and centred around Starlight Beacon, the hub of Republic and Jedi activity in the Outer Rim.

This book was a pretty big disappointment for me. I liked what had been done with the two Star Wars Insider Fiction Collections, collecting around twenty stories each from across the Star Wars saga, both EU ('Legends') and new Canon.
This book, however, is much shorter with only five actual stories and the rest of the book being taken up by behind-the-scenes articles and author interviews. If I wanted that sort of content I'd buy the Star Wars Insider magazine instead of these collections of what are supposed to be stories. For the cover price (£15 here in the UK) I'd expect more than the forty to fifty pages of actual storytelling that we get here.

But it's not just that there's barely any fiction here to read, it's specifically the stories themselves that are a problem.
Don't get me wrong, they're well-written and I liked the idea of telling tales of technicians, security officers and administrators who are just trying to do their jobs amid the chaos of the Jedi and Republic's war against the Nihil, but they're much too limited in scope.
Here there was the opportunity to tell stories from across the galaxy in the High Republic Era but all of these stories are focused on Starlight Beacon, which is a location with almost no character whatsoever. It makes these stories pretty forgettable overall.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Cyberpunkkitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starlight Stories is a collection of short fiction that were originally published in the Star Wars Insider magazine by Titan Magazines.

It features original stories written by three members of the Lucasfilm High Republic team, Charles Soule, Scott Cavan and Justina Ireland. They take place aboard a striking space station named the Starlight Beacon and serve as bite-sized introductions to the larger world of the High Republic.

I’ve been aware of the High Republic novels since 2020, and now I’ve finally dedicated some time to reading them! I’m glad I started with Starlight Stories, since they read like action movies and are a few pages long per segment. I feel invested in some of the characters now and several of them feature in Charles Soule’s first book of the High Republic era, Light of the Jedi which is still sitting near my desk waiting for me to read. The nice thing about these shorts is that you don’t have to invest too much time into a long, drawn out introduction with huge, lore building backgrounds.

Recommended for Star Wars fans of all ages, and yes even EU fans should give it a shot. I’m very glad I never read any of the EU novels as a kid, since they never really resembled anything close to the canon films for me. I don’t feel married to their storylines the way many OG fans do, and I’m delighted to see so much effort being placed into the new canon universe.

In any case, pick up a copy of Starlight Stories if you’ve ever been hesitant about diving into the High Republic Universe!

[Erick M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a finale (for me) of the first phase, that was a pretty good collection of short stories. Must of them wholesome and hopeful and with a tiny bit of dark at the end. For a character that I didn't even know her name, Velko is a really interesting character. I found the additions to her past very cool and left me wanting to read more of her. Ghal was also good. She's more of a supporting character in most of the stories, and sadly, the fifth and final one doesn't give me enough time to like her more, but it was fine. As a side note, a friend recommended that this collection was best read at the end of the phase, and, after finishing it, I think it would have actually been better after Mission to Disaster and before Fallen Star. A nice way to know more of the space station before that... But anyway.

It was fine. This is a mini review of every one:
- Go Together by Charles Soule. It felt more comfortable as a chapter within a longer novel. I'd like a Joss and Pikka novel.
- First Duty by Cavan Scott. Nice little mystery and a easy way to introduce Velko. I definitely didn't expect her to be a retired rebel.
- Hidden Danger by Justina Ireland. I would have liked the concept to be a novella, because it is really interesting.
- Past Mistakes by Cavan Scott. Haha, Clune was funny as villain.
- Shadows Remains by Justina Ireland. Damn, I didn't expect that. I am sorry, Velko :(

[Michael Lee My ComicBook World · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a spoiler free review.

Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Starlight Stories is a fun read. The copy I was given looks like high res screen grabs of the pages from Star Wars Insider magazine. I had trouble reading some of the stories. The images from the magazine were just not that clear for me to read.. At some point I’d like to find the Star Wars Insider magazine these short stories are from and read them again. I think reading a hard copy of the magazine would be much easier and enjoyable to read than trying t0 read a magazine online.

I enjoyed reading some of these short stories. I very much liked reading the story of two mechanics who worked on Starlight beacon. They just finished their work helping to design and build the awesome space station and we’re packing for their vacation when something went wrong on the station…. This mystery story was entertaining to read and really kept my interest.

I’ve read most of the Star Wars The High Republic novels and all the comics. The entire project has been awesome and extremely entertaining to read. The High Republic era is Star Wars fantasy adventure stories at its best. I highly recommend reading any short stories, novels or comics from the Star Wars The High Republic era.

Please give these short stories a try and trust in the force.

Star awesome and keep reading!

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight stories collects 5 short stories from the pages of Insider magazine, along with some creator interviews and articles. I'm sure I have a few reviews of short story books that read something like "books of short stories by various authors are hard to review" and while that's true, it's not so much the case here. All of the stories are well done, even if they are not necessary to the overarching plot of the High Republic. What I have really loved about this whole storyline is that it feels like a throwback to the time when there weren't shows and movies coming out and the novels and comics were the only Star Wars we were getting. We got these great long book series that mixed the movie characters with original ones that had developed in the fiction. Since the High Republic has very few characters we've seen before, they have all been developed in the fiction. These short stories are a great opportunity for the writers to focus on smaller events and characters that don't have any major screen time in the larger narrative. And they are incredibly good character stories. Reading these short stories from Phase One already made me miss the characters, the universe and reminded me of the long wait before we get back to them.

Special Thanks to Titan Books and Edelweiss Plus for a digital ARC.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay right off the bat, I’m giving this five (5) stars. It was such a fun read. Not just because of the Star Wars stories that are inside it but also the different perspectives you get from the people who are currently expanding the Star Wars universe.

I loved all the stories and seeing them broken up into small chunks that were then taken over by other authors. It was nice to see how different author’s handled the same character and to see how even on a small scale, it’s still actually a big universe.

The writing was great, the information was great. You get information and the desires of what the current Star Wars writers are trying to do with their stories, and you can feel their excitement. It’s a short read but I absolutely will be picking this up and recommend it to Star Wars fans. To me, it’s a must have.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher. Go pick this up!