A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

 



I should have read this book a long time ago. Star Wars: Rebels had been and gone before I did.

The reason I did get around to read it was that my partner booked a surprise holiday to Rhodes for my birthday. A week in the sun sat by the pool with all the beer i could drink. What more could a man ask for?

Now, when I say surprise, I had literally 36 hours to get ready for the flight. Everything was ready to go...apart from one thing. What was I going to read on the flight and by the pool? At the last minute I got it down to three books. A New Dawn won out. I am so glad it did. We flew out on the Saturday and, after a few beautiful days by the pool, I had finished it. I didn't have a tan because I burn, but I had read the whole book.

The story is set in the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The dark times of Emperor Palpatine's reign. More importantly the book covers the first meeting of the Rebels characters Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla.

If you haven't seen Rebels at this point, why not? It's brilliant. Much like The Clone Wars before it, Rebels starts off very child orientated. As time goes by it gets deeper and more mature. There are only 4 seasons. Go on! Watch it and enjoy.

Kanan is a former Jedi padawan, born Caleb Dume, who survived Order 66 thanks to his master, Depa Billaba. Kanan is trying to get by in a hostile galaxy without betraying himself or any surviving Jedi. Hera is a Twi'lek female who is a central figure in the early rebellion againt the Galactic Empire. She's a pretty awesome pilot too.

It didn't take long for me to get into this book. Like i said a few days solid reading and enjoying a nice cool beer in the sun and it was all done and dusted. John Jackson Miller (hereafter referred to as JJM) does a great job of writing Kanan at this early stage of his life. He's a drifter. Drinking and womanising his way from planet to planet. Never getting close to anyone and always moving on before he does. Moving on as the Empire moves in and before anyone finds out his true identity. I like Kanan at this point of his life. He feels real, not like the other Jedi from the prequels. He's not perfect and he knows it. Other than a few life threatening situations, he doesn't use the Force unless he has to and his lightsaber is kept out of sight and out of mind.

Hera is pretty much as we see her in Rebels. Now, I don't mean she doesn't have a plot of her own but she doesn't grow within the story the way Kanan does. For me, Hera is the anchor of this story. She's one of the great female characters of the new canon. She knows what she is doing and does it well. I am struggling to really explain, but if you have seen Rebels, you will know what I mean.

Unsurprisingly, the villain of the piece is the cyborg Count Vidian. Boy, does Star Wars like cyborgs as villains. Unlike Vader or Grievous, Vidian isn't just evil for evil's sake. He's a wealthy mining industry mogul of the mining industry and one of the Empire's most best efficiency experts. After catching a degenerative disease, starts upgrading his body to help raise his stock within the New Order. As a result, he is brutal. Time is money and all that. Some of the most brutal deaths in the book are as a result of Vidian's temper and ambition.

The other most significant character, who makes her debut in this book, is Imperial Caption Rae Sloane. In the old Expanded Universe canon, females within the hierarchy of the Empire were few and far between. The new canon, whether in book, on film or television, has introduced more female characters with the Empire. Immediately you would assume any Imperial officer is evil, but Sloane doesn't come across like that. In the shadow of Vidian, she is not quite a villain and not quite a hero. I have only come across her in this book so far, but I know she is in a few more books to come and look forward to see how she develops.

I don't want to go into the plot too much, as it will spoil it for anyone seeking to read this book. I will say I really enjoyed it. JJM does a great job of portraying Kanan & Hera and I really like what he does with the new and original characters. The story is well paced and there are plenty of action scenes as well. I cannot recommend this book enough. Here's hoping JJM gets to write for the crew of the Ghost again.