When Disney bought Star Wars in 2012, the biggest news was the upcoming wave of movies and TV shows to be released as a result. What's received less attention was the fact that Disney chose to do away with any previously-published Star Wars stories- be they in books, magazines, comics, or video games (known as the Expanded Universe, or EU). Their reasoning was valid (though saddening- I've read 150+ stories that no longer count): the hundreds of stories produced over the years limited possibilities for the new tales- it was easier to start from scratch. The first wave of 'canonical' books was announced here, and recently the first came out: A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller.
Because A New Dawn is the first Star Wars tale of the new canon, I was looking forward to reading it, and held out hope that it would be of higher quality than the previous Star Wars literary fare. Alas, I was disappointed. The story was okay, but not overly interesting, and the telling was pretty 'blah.' The tale revolves around Kanan (a former Jedi padawan, driven into concealing his powers since Order 66 in Episode III) and Hera (an alien with mysterious background and hatred for the new regime) as they take on Imperial Count Vidian, who looks to ruthlessly exploit natural resources on planet Gorse and its moon, Cynda. Kanan and Hera are featured characters in Disney's new TV series Rebels, and so this book is basically their introduction- about how they first crossed paths. Not a great start for the new regime- I hope the TV show is better.
Rating: C
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