Star Wars: Trials of the Jedi (The High Republic)

By: Charles Soule

Narrated by: Marc Thompson

In this epic conclusion to Star Wars: The High Republic, the Jedi face a final confrontation against the Nihil and Marchion Ro.

The Force is everything. A single life connected to all life. All things connected to all other things. This is what the Jedi believe, and this is why they fight. For life . . . and the light.

For too long, the light has been threatened by Marchion Ro, a sinister despot who will stop at nothing in his quest for power. The conflict with Ro and his marauding Nihil forces has left scars across the galaxy and held the Republic hostage. Countless lives have been lost, beacons of hope have fallen, and the collective courage and resolve of the Republic have been tested like never before. Through it all the Jedi Order has endured, an unwavering candle against the encroaching darkness.

But the Jedi have yet to solve the mystery of the Nameless creatures who feed on the Force. Ro has loosed them upon the galaxy, striking fear into the heart of even the most stalwart Jedi. And yet with every life saved and world freed from Nihil control, the all-consuming blight, which devours everything wherever it appears, threatens to wipe it all away.

Everything now depends on nine brave Jedi, led by Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann, who embark on a treacherous journey to the Nameless homeworld. Their quest: to finally solve the mystery of the Nameless and their connection to the Force, and to stop the blight before its damage becomes irreversible.

But a final confrontation with Marchion Ro awaits. Ro, who is willing to sacrifice everything he’s achieved to secure a final victory against the Jedi and carve his name into the very stars for all time.

Nothing less than the fate of everything, perhaps even the Force itself, is at stake.

The ending

I hate how the audio is loud at times and a whisper at other times

Marc Thompson is a legend

An overall satisfying finale and an even better performance. Listening to Marc's narration for the charhound's POV chapter was worth the credit alone.

I still have to remove a star because of the story though. Just as he has been the entire series, Marchion Ro is such a poor and unconvincing villain. He's always given off those immature teenage angst vibes. He has consistently had some of the most cringe-worthy dialog, and Marc Thompson's voice he uses for Ro does not help.

The High Republic book series as a whole would have been a lot better if they knew how to write a convincing bad guy. Instead what we got is a cardboard caricature of a villain. It can be difficult to take the High Republic seriously at times with just how cringe the Nihil are as an antagonist.

Decent end to the series.

Big portion of story included characters not necessary for story progression. Anticlimactic ending to Marchion Ro arc. Bittersweet ending for Elzar and Avar.

No LGBGTQ agenda

Nice to enjoy a good story line without the LGBTQ agenda being pushed on us

Beautifully Thorough

Does it really have to end? Can we get a trilogy of Porter Engle? The Blade deserves more time!