Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm Review
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm
Story: John Ostrander & Jan Duursema
Script: John Ostrander
Pencils: Jan Duursema
Inks: Dan Parsons
Colors: Wes Dzioba
Letters: Michael Heisler
Cover Art: Gonzalo Flores
Back Cover Art: Jan Duursema
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Note: I have learned that most of the time that it takes to make a book review is spent trying to write a synopsis for the book and that I would really like the book reviews to get out quicker. So, I've made the executive decision to just use the Wikipedia/Wookieepedia synopsis for a book synopsis. Anyways, enjoy the review.
In the year 36,453 BBY, the Talid monks of the Order of Dai Bendu on the planet Ando Prime feel the call of the Tho Yor, a massive pyramidal starship that has been buried in the Andobi Mountains for centuries. The Dai Bendu monks board the Tho Yor as seven other Tho Yor across the galaxy call out to the natives of the planets upon which they rest; the Tho Yor then travel the galaxy and visit other planets, gathering Wookiees, Humans, Twi'leks, Selkath, Cathar, and a number of other Force-sensitive species, before all eight travel to the planet Tython in the Deep Core. There, the eight Tho Yor gather around the ninth and largest Tho Yor, which floats above a pinnacle of stone, and the starships scatter themselves across Tython as the planet is engulfed in a ferocious Force Storm.
The pilgrims come to realize that they have been brought to Tython to study the Force, and they form the Je'daii Order—an order of warriors and scholars whose name is a Dai Bendu word meaning "mystic center." Tython is a planet that reacts violently to imbalance in the Force, so the Je'daii develop a philosophy of balance between the light and dark sides of the Force, which they name after the twin moons of Tython: bright Ashla and dark Bogan. However, the Je'daii eventually come to realize that Tython is unsafe for those who are not sensitive to the Force, and so all those who cannot touch the Force migrate out across the Tython system, settling the ten other planets in the star system. However, resentment of the Je'daii grows over the millennia, and in 25,805 BBY the Twi'lek Despot Queen Hadiya of the planet Shikaakwa begins the Despot War in an attempt to conquer the Tython system. Hadiya is defeated at Tython, but the scars of the Despot War remain fresh for some even twelve years later in 25,793 BBY.
Across the galaxy, the Infinite Empire of the Rakata species conquers the planet Tatooine, which was discovered by the Force Hound Xesh in the service of his master, Predor Tul'kar. Tul'kar's superior, Predor Skal'nas, requests Xesh's services in locating a Force-strong planet in the Deep Core that his own Force Hound, Trill, is unable to locate. As Xesh leads Tul'kar's warship Devourer to the Tython system, three young Je'daii Journeyers—Shae Koda, Sek'nos Rath, and Tasha Ryo—receive a vision of Xesh, a vision that is also shared by the mad Je'daii Daegen Lok, who has been exiled on Bogan for the last seven years ever since he went insane and fell out of balance. The three Journeyers leave their studies and follow the call of their vision into the wilds of Tython, where the stricken Devourer crashes with Xesh as the only survivor.
The hostile Force Hound briefly battles the three Je'daii, a fight that sees Shae Koda gain possession of Xesh's Forcesaber before he flees into the nearby Rift—an enormous ravine that was saturated with the dark side of the Force and home to strange creatures as well as intense seismic activity. Xesh's presence on Tython, with his strength in the dark side, and the death of so many Force-sensitives among the slaves and crew aboard the Devourer triggers an immense Force Storm that begins to sweep across Tython. Koda, Ryo, and Rath pursue Xesh into the Rift, where the wounded Force Hound is fighting through Force-induced hallucinations and nightmarish beasts. Temple Master Quan-Jang of Anil Kesh, one of the nine Je'daii Temples across Tython, investigates the crash site with Je'daii Rangers Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn, and they pursue the Journeyers into the Rift as Ketu, the Temple Master of Akar Kesh, gathers the other Temple Masters so that the Je'daii Council can counter the Force Storm.
The three Journeyers rescue Xesh from a saarl, an enormous worm creature, but Xesh abandons them to the creature after retrieving his Forcesaber and retreats to watch them fight the saarl. However, Shae Koda's demonstration of the light side of the Force and her determination to protect her friends intrigues the Force Hound, who returns to join Koda in her fight as Rangers Fenn and Ryo arrive to aid them. Xesh succeeds in killing the saarl, but the Force Storm continues to grow in power with the Force Hound at its center. With the aid of the other Temple Masters, Quan-Jang shifts the Force back into balance and ends the storm, though his apparent death in doing so leads an enraged Koda to activate Xesh's Forcesaber—a feat only the Force Hound had been capable of—and to try and kill Xesh in revenge before she comes to her senses. Xesh, Quan-Jang, and the others are healed of their injuries at Mahara Kesh, the Temple of Healing, but despite the Journeyers' protests, the Je'daii Council exiles Xesh to Bogan so that he can find balance.
Overall, this was quite a good book. I felt that the narration at the beginning was a bit unnecessary for a comic book, and would be more at home in a novel. It sort of gave me a bad first impression of the book, which led me to put off reading it, which I quite regret. Once you got past the beginning narration (which, although boring, was also somewhat needed to fill the reader in on how everything came to be up to that point), the story gets much better.
I wasn't a huge fan of the Rakatan Empire, but it was necessary as well to bring Xesh, who is my 2nd favorite character in the book, into the story. Xesh is a Dark-Side user, a Force-Hound. It's still a bit unclear to me what a Force-Hound is, but I would assume it acts as a hound (something, usually a dog) for Force-Sensitive planets or Force-Sensitive beings that inhabit said planet. If they didn't exist, then there wouldn't be much of a story to tell. None of the Je'daii Journeyors would have had any sort of premonition and there would be no Force Storm.
My favorite part was when they fought the saarl. It had quite a bit of suspense and gave the feeling of "Oh my goodness what's going to happen next?!" But when Xesh was sent off-world, I think it invoked a lot of feelings, since it really seemed like he had changed when he saw what Shae Koda could do with the Force.
But anyways, all in all a good book. I chose to read it because it was where the story really began. It tells the tale of how the Jedi were formed, and I'm quite excited to read more. The next review will be of Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil, and then we'll be doing Dawn of the Jedi: Book Two. I cannot remember the name of it off of the top of my head, but oh well. I would give this book 3 stars.
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