A New Dawn: Star Wars

As someone online on tvtropes noted, *A New Dawn* is a good title for this book in a meta-sense. In-story, this is about the beginnings of rebellion against the Empire, and of Kanan Jarrus taking his life in a new direction, but as a the first book in the new *Star Wars* "canon" since Disney took over, the title is quite apt.The story takes place about eight years after *Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith*, and about six years prior to the start of the *Star Wars: Rebels* animated series. Since Kanan and Hera, the two main protagonists of the novel are two of the characters on *Rebels*, this is obviously more of a prequel novel than anything else.The novel follows the exploits of Kanan Jarrus, who holds a secret - he is the Jedi Caleb Dume, a Padawan of Jedi Master Depa Bilaba, who gave her life to save Kanan from the clones who turned on them at Palpatine's orders.A quick note here. It should be stated that, according to one of the showrunners of *Rebels*, the clones had no choice in the matter due to stuff implanted in them at birth. They HAD to kill the Jedi when given the code by Palpatine. As of this time the book takes place, not just volunteers like Skelly, but actual clone troopers are not just dealing with clone illnesses like those dealt with in the also Canon *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* series, but also immense guilt over murdering the Jedi against their own will. Moreover, with his grip on the galaxy seemingly solidified, Palpatine's Empire is starting to show it's true colors. The galaxy is a hugely horrific, brutal place to live under the Empire.Anyways, as of the moment the story opens, Kanan is in a sorry state. He is a cynic who hates his past life and wants to just hop from place to place to avoid detection and survive. Having been on the run for nearly a decade has turned him into a womanizing, selfish man. At least, that is what he *wants* it to make him. Underneath that cold, self-centered exterior is the idealistic super-hero wannabe, Caleb.When a troublemaker forces Kanan to use the Force to save himself and others, he decides to leave his current planet of choice, Gorse, and go find work elsewhere. He already has stayed longer than he should have, he muses, and so on his way he goes. Then he sees a beautiful Twilek woman named Hera, and is swept up in an insane adventure with her, and other characters, doing a very "Caleb" thing, much to his chagrin.Hera is the second main character, and she manages to get under Kanan's skin, much to her amusement, chagrin, and (when Kanan proves to be useful for stopping the plans of the Empire) pleasure. It's funny to see her go from someone who is annoyed, but amused, at Kanan's flirting, to someone who is intrigued, though not romantically interested, with him.What made Hera cool is that she is badass. She is not to Kanan's level, given Kanan's old training and access to the Force, but she is skilled enough that you might conclude she'd outstrip him if he wasn't a Jedi. She is more idealistic than Kanan, but has a strange cynicism in her own way. It's hard to explain how without being too spoilery, but just suffice it to say that she must learn that not everything in life can be second-fiddle to her crusade.I said earlier that Kanan has the super-hero wannabe inside in his old "Caleb Dume" identity. I can kinda empathize. When I went in the Army, I was the uber-patriotic guy, and still am I would argue, but I had rose-colored blinders on then that have since been lifted. I thought it would be heroic and being the "good guy". Actual war dissuaded me of that notion. It's hard, harsh, difficult, nerve-wracking, guilt inducing, so on. Real-world war heroes are not like comic book folks, but they are fallible because they are real. I am more jaded now, and I didn't have a galaxy-spanning Empire try to murder me.The story was half-introductory adventure and half-mystery. Since the bad guy is a political servant of the Emperor trying to gain more influence on Coruscant (the capital world), he naturally has others nipping at his heels. The heroes end up exploiting this to make headway in stopping the bad guy. Some might find the ending kinda sudden, but if they view it as political intrigue and study how such things go in real-life authoritarian or totalitarian regimes, it actually has some realism... uh, other than the sci-fi/fantasy stuff, I mean.The reason I didn't give this book the highest rating, despite enjoying it so much was because the story started out a tad slow. It picked up in interest about a hundred pages through or so. Then it was fun.The only problem I have with the bad guy is that he is almost cartoonish in his villainy. I almost expected him to grow a cybernetic mustache to twirl. He was a bit cliched, and that hurt the novel. Other than that, the characters were fun and kinda realistic to who they were in this environment. If you stripped away the fantastical elements, they make sense given their histories and what not.I loved this first entry in the new, integrated (movies, television, books, so on) *Star Wars* Canon, and I heartily recommend it and the *Star Wars: Rebels* series, by the by. Good stuff.

“The stories we love may not always fit neatly into a single timeline, but they will always matter.”-John Jackson MillerA New Dawn marks the beginning of a new era for Star Wars books as the first novel in the new canon. Yet it also lays the groundwork for the new television series Star Wars Rebels. While some fans are worried about all the changes, be it the change in canon or the shift from Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Star Wars Rebels, the good news is that things don’t seem to be changing all that much. Take away all the hype and expectations, and A New Dawn reads just like many of the other great Star Wars adventures that have come before. John Jackson Miller takes readers on a journey to the Outer Rim, introduces them to Kanan and Hera, and sets them up against the corrupt violence of the Empire. There are blaster fights, stormtroopers, dogfights in space, a villainous cyborg and daring missions that push the characters to their limits. It’s all the fun elements you would expect from a Star Wars novel with a few surprises left in store.Firing a manager inspired only the ambitious who wanted to take his or her place. But murder motivated everyone. It belonged in every supervisor’s tool kit.-Count Vidian’s musingsOne of those surprises is the villain of the story. Unlike Grand Admiral Thrawn, he’s not a tactical genius. He’s also not a powerful Force user like Darth Vader. Instead, he’s one part Count Dooku, one part General Grievous, and about eight parts of something totally new. The result is Count Vidian, a business mogul who has become the Emperor’s “fixer”, a go-to man who can bail out flailing enterprises essential to the Empire’s war machine. Beneath the surface, Vidian is a cyborg. His eyes, hearing and strength are all far superior to any normal human. With various implants, he’s able to communicate and see things instantaneously. But business isn’t the only thing Vidian is good at. He’s also a kilt wearing psychopath who isn’t hesitant about using violence to solve a problem, or to keep a secret hidden.“We just met. I don’t even know what you are.”“Ask anyone.” Kanan waved over the heads of the drunken mob. “Okadiah! Tell her about me.”Unseen amid the drunken crowd, Okadiah called out, “A fine pilot, an occasional humanitarian, and a somewhat tolerable houseguest. Marry him, my darling!”“That’s an endorsement?” Hera asked, straining to see where the voice had come from. “Can he even see me?”-Kanan and HeraCounterbalancing the darkness of Vidian is Kanan and Hera, two of the stars of Star Wars Rebels. We’ve been told that Kanan is a “cowboy Jedi”, a padawan whose training was incomplete. Hera, on the other hand, is the owner and pilot of the Ghost. A New Dawn thankfully sheds a lot more light on these two characters. Kanan is revealed to be a troubled, wandering Force user. He’s an individual with a great gift but consequently doomed by it. To use the Force to help others is what Jedi do, but to be a Jedi is to be a enemy of the galactic Empire. Hera is in a very similar situation, but without the Force. She’s seen the corruption of the Empire and its dirty deeds. More than anything, she would like to stop it, but like Kanan, she is outnumbered. However, she is hopeful that one day there will be enough people like her to make a difference. The book gives glimpses of their back stories and does a lot to show off their personalities.“I need you to fly like a Wookiee whose hair is on fire—and who thinks everybody lit the match. Can you do that?”-KananMost of the story takes place on the planet Gorse, a mining planet crucial to the Empire. Hera and Kanan both wind up there, and Vidian is sent to crank up the production facilities. One thing leads to another, and that leads to a whole lot of fun. From witty dialog worthy of The Empire Strikes Back, to mad bombers, a crazy cyborg, escalating violence and well placed humor, there’s a little bit of everything. John Jackson Miller keeps readers guessing with an unpredictable plot, and ensnares their attention with a cast of heroes that mix laughter with intriguing depths of character. It makes for an entertaining adventure.“Have a look around, if your spy’s here tonight, he’s blasted off his boosters!”The female stormtrooper surveyed the cheering crowd. A blitzed Ugnaught, snout-faced and only a meter tall, was riding drunkenly around on the head of a similarly soused Ithorian. The brown-hided, hammer-headed titan had a pitcher in each long-fingered hand and was lumbering around trying to serve both himself and his small passenger at the same time without spilling any ale.A normal night for The Asteroid Belt, in all respects.When you boil it all down, A New Dawn is a tiny adventure with memorable characters. It’s not an earth shattering, galaxy ending plot and we all know Hera and Kanan will come out unscathed. The point is spinning a tale that entertains readers and A New Dawn does that well. The book has a lot of humor in it, from the descriptions of wild bar scenes to Kanan’s failed pick-up lines. Yet that humor is also mixed with drama. Count Vidian is not some cowardly, mustache twirling villain. He’s an intelligent, motivated individual with secrets and his brutal murder of anyone who gets in his way brings a very dark atmosphere to the story. While Kanan and Hera might be safe, that doesn’t mean everyone else is, and John Jackson Miller does a good job of making those other characters people you care about. By mixing those dark and light aspects of the story, it heightens each. The funny moments become funnier when juxtaposed to the dark state of the galaxy. On the other hand, the deaths and violence strike an emotional chord when set against those light hearted moments. It’s a great balance.As a Star Wars story, A New Dawn is a lot of fun and a very enjoyable read. The characters are entertaining and some of the dialog will have you laughing out loud. As the first book to be considered Star Wars canon, I think it does a great job of kicking things off. This is our introduction to the characters of Star Wars Rebels, thus it ties into the greater picture. Yet the feel of the book is not something that will turn off long time Star Wars readers. It’s a natural fit with all those stories that have come before. John Jackson Miller packs in plenty of action and surprises. For a book with no lightsaber fights, A New Dawn still feels like the Star Wars we know and love. I give it a five out of five.

This is an excellent Star Wars novel - and it wonderfully captures the sense of adventure presented in the "Rebels" TV series. The story is set about 10 years after the events of Episode 3, and the Empire now rules the galaxy under the harsh dictatorship of Palpatine. And the plot involves the emergence of the rebellion against the Empire. The focus in on Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla - both of whom are key characters in "Rebels".This book offers their backstory, explaining how they first meet. Kanan is a former Jedi, who as an apprentice managed to escape Order 66. He's repressed his Force abilities, and tends to live a reckless and self-centred life. Hera is a revolutionary, and she's interested in recruiting new members to her cause ... and it's in this context that Kanan comes to her rescue. He realises that his purpose in life is to help those in need, yet by assisting others so he poses a threat to the Empire.Besides presenting an entertaining backstory, the book introduces a great new villain - in the form of cyborg Count Vidian, who's interested in gaining favour with the Emperor. This Count is truly ruthless and cruel, and the story is so engaging that as you progress through it you're keen to see justice served against him. This book functions as a foundation for the TV series - and I highly recommend it to fans of the show.It's a well-written story, and represents the first entry in the new 'canon' offered by Disney - since their acquisition of Lucasfilm. While I'm not on the whole fond of Disney, this is nonetheless a good book. I'm looking forward to further novels set within the "Rebels" storyline.

The first "Disney canon" book to be released after the takeover, A New Dawn introduces the future heroes of Rebels, Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla about 8/9 years after the rise of the Empire. Miller's writing is very good (not as poetic as Stover, but not as technical as Luceno) but the story itself is not one I would willingly read again. I take no issue with how they introduce the characters -- everything is plausible and makes sense within the universe -- it's just... dull IMO. The prologue is definitely worth reading, however, for some pre-Purge stuff, and if Disney is doing what I think they are doing in their long narrative game/obsession with the Death Star, then buried deep inside Cynda and deep inside this novel is a rather bizarre character with a conspiracy-theory fixation that may change the history of the Galaxy...

This book is well composed and written in a fairly entertaining and sensible style. The book was action packed and featured a good deal of drama. It was great to read about Kanan and Hera of Star Wars Rebels. It was original and innovative.

Arrived quickly and in perfect condition and after reading it I can say it’s a great Star Wars book to explore the rebels characters (Kanan and Hera at least) a little bit further

I quite enjoyed this book although it never really took off. The storyline kept me entertained almost to the end, though I felt it did start to drag slightly. Its clear that there is more to come in this series detailing how we meet the rest of the 'Rebels' team and I look forward to reading those books. I preferred this to others in the new canon of books (I'm looking at you Aftermath!) as it retained more of the light hearted feel of the accompanying television series and felt more 'Star Wars'Not a classic by any means and it will win no awards for writing, but a thoroughly enjoyable holiday read.