

There is absolutely no reason for a foreword to be in this book, let alone from Dave Filoni. The foreword: This was very, very interesting. This will be a “building the foundation” novel. As a crisis of apocalyptic proportions unfolds on the planet Gorse, they must stand together against one of the Emperor’s most fearsome enforcers–for the sake of a world and its people.” This novel reveals how the two leads met and came to work together. Unlikely allies, including a bomb-throwing radical, a former Imperial surveillance agent, a vengeful security officer, and the mysterious Hera Syndulla–an agent provocateur with motives of her own–team up with Jarrus to challenge the Empire. Then the brutal death of a friend at the Empire’s hands forces the ex-Jedi to make a choice: bow down to fear, or stand up and fight. So when he discovers a deadly conflict brewing between ruthless Imperial forces and desperate revolutionaries, he’s not about to get caught in the crossfire. Wandering the galaxy alone, from one anonymous job to another, he avoids trouble–especially with the Empire–at all costs. The premise: From the back cover, “Ever since the Jedi were marked for death and forced to flee Coruscant, Kanan Jarrus has devoted himself to staying alive rather than serving the Force.

This cover seems like Wheatley was holding back or was restrained. The Imperial troopers and their hardware look fine, but the two leads don’t gel well. I’m not keen on Hera’s face, it doesn’t seem as real as Kanan’s. This is an okay image from the incredibly talented artist Douglas Wheatley, who illustrated many of Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: Dark Times. Below them is a Star Destroyer, three TIE Fighters, and several stormtroopers. He has his lightsaber and she her pistol. The cover: Kanan Jarrus stands back to back with Hera Syndulla. Any part of the book may have changed by publication. Note: I read an “Exclusive Advance Reader’s Edition” that was given out at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
