Rewind way past all the Star Wars stuff you know. There, you'll find the Jede'aii a bunch of races that shouldn't be there and a star system that is closed to inter space travel. Welcome to the Dawn of the Jedi.
Star Wars: Into the Void
Dawn of the Jedi
by Timothy Lebbon
read by January LeVoy
LucasArts / Randomhouse Audio
May 2013
Lanoree Brock is a young Jede’daii ranger, flying her ship between the planets of the only known or accessible system keeping order at all costs. On planet Tython, she is told of an unimaginably powerful technology that could destroy the system if accessed. She is also told that the one trying to access this forbidden technology is someone very close to her who she thought was dead.
For Star Wars readers this book may come as a shock. It did to me. Why are these races all in one system? Why can't they travel between systems? Why are the Jedi called Jede'aii and why are they more grey than white or black (Jedi or Sith)? It's not clear as this book serves as a start point to this new series of characters and rules. A complete rethinking of Star Wars. And that is both good and bad.
As a fan of the universe as-is, this book veers farther off course than I was comfortable with. But then I settled in to a science fiction tale that was fun, energetic and fast paced. When I stopped comparing it to the Star Wars I knew I enjoyed this book quite a bit. But that is the hurdle that the average reader may have to jump over.
A note about the audiobook: January LeVoy is an excellent reader. Her voice control, empathy, and characters are well defined and entertaining. We never lose track of who is who. And Star Wars is renowned for their excellent productions with sound effects and music. This is a very well done production.
