The High Republic: The Battle for Starlight - Book Review

Wrapping up Phase I of The High Republic for the younglings is The Battle for Starlight, the third chapter of the all-new era of Star Wars storytelling in storybook format. Just like the previous two books, The Great Jedi Rescue and Showdown at the Fair, The Battle for Starlight is a visual retelling of the Del Rey adult novel The Fallen Star. Author George Mann (who has now officially joined The High Republic team, working on the next phase) does a monumental job at filtering out the tragedy and heartbreak that The Fallen Star has given the more mature readers, instead focusing on the bravery of Bell Zettifar, Elzar Mann (finally, more artwork featuring the fan favorite), and especially Burryaga who has been the poster boy for these storybooks.

Surprisingly, Icelandic artist Petur Antonsson, who has created the iconic visual look for both the storybooks and middle grade novels, passed the baton to Tomato Farm for The Battle for Starlight. The style somewhat resembles Antonsson’s, with the difference that Tomato Farm used stronger inks for character contours with simpler backgrounds. Compared to the other books, this one’s physical quality feels a bit less premium—the cover with no glossy accents besides The High Republic logo and borders and the paper used for the internal pages coarser to the touch. However, this does not take anything away from the fun and emotional storybook, which once again collects some wizard stickers, featuring Burryaga, Bell Zettifar, Stellan Gios, Starlight Beacon, and much more.

The High Republic: The Battle for Starlight is a fun and emotional conclusion to the first phase of the all-new era of Star Wars, and the perfect way for the young generation to enjoy this amazing storytelling in a safe and accessible format. Are you ready to visually (re)experience the events of The Fallen Star? Then make sure to grab a copy today and let us know your thoughts on our social media channels.