Review of "Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Volume 3 Force War," by John Ostrander & Jan Duursema

Review of

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Volume 3 Force War, by John Ostrander & Jan Duursema ISBN 9781616553791

Four out of five stars

 In the Star Wars graphic novel timeline, the point of before and after distinction is the time of “Star Trek IV: A New Hope.” The two eras are referred to as BSW4 (before Star Wars 4) and ASW4 (after Star Wars 4). The timeframe of this story is 36,000 years before SW4. It is a time when the users of the force are called the Je’daii, but in general the dark side is ascendant. The Je’daii are aware of the light side and can channel it, but the dark side dominates.

 The reason for this is that the Tython system is under attack by the powerful forces of the Rakata and the most powerful force in opposition is the Je’daii. Outnumbered and generally out manipulated, the Je’daii are in danger of being killed off and the Rakata eat their defeated enemies. Faced with this prospect, they find it hard to keep the dark side in check.

 This book is the story of the climactic battle for control of Tython. It takes place on that planet and there is a lot of forcesaber swinging and death. There is a search for true identity, a nascent love story and some revelation of the past. Yet, all of that is secondary, the focus is on the fighting and killing, as it is a battle for control of a gate for faster than light travel, making it a battle for control of the galaxy.

 The outcome will determine whether the creatures of the galaxy will be conquered and enslaved or remain as they are. With a powerful, gruesome villain, the story has the one feature such stories always need, the evil one. However, with a little more background and a little less humming of the forcesabers, this would have been a better story.