With Into the Void, a new time in the Star Wars universe is explored. No lightsabers, no Jedi/Sith factions, how does this hold up as being a “Star Wars” novel?
This review will also cover the audio book, read by January LaVoy.
From the Back: On the planet Tython, the ancient Je’daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force—and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy.
Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key—risking a cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic annihilation, is the decision of her Je’daii Masters to task her with the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved—and whose life she must now fear.
Tim Lebbon is in the unique position of this well known franchise of creating something completely new. He’s given the task of exploring a time in the Star Wars history that hasn’t yet been touched in the novel universe. However to get the full story, it may be important to check out Dawn of the Jedi Issue #0 in the comic books. While it isn’t directly related to this story plot wise, it’s a good primer on the worlds and ways of life.
Tim Lebbon does a good job creating the characters of Lanoree, and her brother Dal. He jumps from the past to the present so that you get a good concept of their relationship when training at the Je’daii temples and learning about the force. It also serves to set up the overall conflict and why Dal is the way he is.
Star Wars has recently done a brother/sister thing with Jacen and Jaina, in their Legacy of the Force series a few years ago, so I was a little disappointed that they went back to it so soon. It ended up working out though as it was an excellent way to set up the difference in people that have or use the force, and those that don’t particularly trust in it.
The thing I found very interesting is that there really is no Jedi/Sith faction. The Je’daii have their own code, and it’s a mix of Jedi and Sith code. The Je’daii also do a lot in acting like a Sith at times. They are selfish, but don’t see what they are doing as problems, but working towards a common goal. They are sort of amoral, and aren’t really the protectors of the universe as they come to be. A lot of times you will see Lanoree just outright kill someone without trying to find a way to do things different. With the fact that she just has a sword, and not a lightsaber (they don’t exist yet), it can get a bit bloody when she severs the heads off of people. It’s a time of great confusion in my opinion. Tim Lebbon plays this up very well. Lanoree and Dal are both conflicted, but about different things. So the insecurities play on them differently and then collide in such a fashion that you get a feel for their motivations regarding the Force early on, and see just how it effects them in the current book timeline.
You’ll find quite a bit of differences in technology. While I would think that there would be outstanding, vast differences between the Dawn of the Jedi era, and the current era, there really isn’t. It’s neat that they don’t have the lightsabers yet, or that they can’t jump to lightspeed, but I expected much more of a variance. I mean, it’s 25,000 years before A New Hope. This isn’t something that is at the fault of the author here though, it’s the universe itself.
There are a lot of nods and foreshadowing to things that are currently happening in the Star Wars universe. There are glimpses of how technology then shapes what is happening now. There is even a little Easter egg, to those that pay attention, to Episode IV. I’m sure that I’ve missed some though and may go back and see if there are any other little tid-bits.
The Bottom Line: It was an interesting book. I enjoyed the story despite the plot device being used again so soon. The tension between Lanoree and Dal are well written and you find yourself sometimes being sympathetic to Dal and possibly even a bit angered towards the actions of Lanoree and the Je’daii council. Anytime an author can invoke anger towards the hero because of actions, I think that is a sign of good writing and characterization. It wasn’t out of place and she didn’t deviate from her motivations. The locations are fresh and new. It’s almost like you are discovering Star Wars all over again. I look forward to more in this Dawn of the Jedi series, I just hope they don’t rely on the comic books for back story as I don’t really read the comics.
You can purchase the book either in hardcover or eBook format by clicking the cover above.
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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW
Star Wars audio books are more of a production than a reading. They incorporate the fantastic music of John Williams, and a lot of sound effects to really enhance the experience. I really appreciate that. Doing things like that adds another layer of tension and excitement to the experience.
The narrator is probably the biggest factor on if I’ll listen or not. Random House Audio does a great job of casting their readers. Usually it’s Marc Thompson, largely heralded as the voice of the Star Wars novels. I was shocked to not see him on this one, in all honesty. Instead it’s January LaVoy. You may recognizer her from the daytime soap operas One Life to Live or All My Children.
This was the right move in my opinion. With a female lead character I think it makes sense to have a female narrator. January does a fantastic job of her enunciation and emotion. When you couple that with the sound effects and music, the entire project comes together for 10 hours of fantastic listening. She is able to effectively separate voices from each other, and lead you into different scenes based on how her voice is presented.
The only thing I noticed that was a bit off putting was that the language was changed in the reading in some instances even though it’s an unabridged production. For instance. the use of the word “fresher” was changed to “restroom”. Little things like that I don’t believe were necessary. I also felt a little insulted that the producers thought that the listener wasn’t smart enough to realize what it was. Even if the word isn’t as well know, the context would have given the definition.
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Tim Lebbon is a New York Times bestselling writer whose recent books include The Secret Journeys of Jack London series (co-authored with Christopher Golden), Echo City, The Island, and Bar None. He has won four British Fantasy Awards, a Bram Stoker Award, and a Scribe Award, and has been a finalist for International Horror Guild, Shirley Jackson, and World Fantasy awards.
January LaVoy has voiced many national commercials, including Toll House, Revlon, Home Depot, Dannon, and United Health Care.
She has recorded dozens of audiobooks for publishing houses such as Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Penguin Audio.
She is most recognized for her role as Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live.