A New Dawn: Star Wars

John Jackson Miller

Sep 2014 · Sold by Random House Worlds

About this ebook

Discover how Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus, two of the lead characters from Star Wars Rebels, originally met in this thrilling novel set between Episodes III and IV.

“The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.”—Emperor Palpatine

For a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights brought peace and order to the Galactic Republic, aided by their connection to the mystical energy field known as the Force. But they were betrayed—and the entire galaxy has paid the price. It is the Age of the Empire.
 
Now Emperor Palpatine, once chancellor of the Republic and secretly a Sith follower of the dark side of the Force, has brought his own peace and order to the galaxy: peace through brutal repression, and order through increasing control of his subjects’ lives.
 
But even as the Emperor tightens his iron grip, others have begun to question his means and motives. And still others, whose lives were destroyed by Palpatine’s machinations, lay scattered about the galaxy like unexploded bombs, waiting to go off. . . .

Ratings and reviews

Okay. My honest opinion I watched all the movies of star wars, and all the shows, and am reading the books. The reason kanan is not like in rebels is bc he is having alcohol problems and he has been living hard BUT honestly he is not "thirsty" for the barely 18. I can really see the rebels characters in this book, and honestly understand how hera changed kanan for the better. I love shipping them in the show and this book is great for it to. I don't advice it for under 11 year Olds. No gross content except alcohol, and no one goes into rages or anything just, you know, it's alcohol. I really like this book. GREAT JOB to the author and thanks for writing this. There are little references to rebels, and it's awesome. Well written, very funny. Enough new characters other then kanan and hera to really keep u hooked, yet you could take a break at any point and get very invested in it to!!!! I love this. Thank you, John Jackson Miller! Thanks, Dave filoni!

As a book where efficiency is a major theme, it is unsurprising that A New Dawn uses its time efficiently. However, this has the effect of making it quite predictable. When every character and situation that is introduced is important, it becomes very obvious who has secret identities and whatnot. The diverse cast was refreshing, though I was disappointed with Kanan; haven't we seen enough ladies' men with a penchant for drinking who pretend not to care about anyone in Star Wars? I am having a hard time figuring out what age group this book is meant for. The supposed mysteries that were so easy to figure out point towards a younger teen audience. But then Miller goes and uses words like "coruscating" and "perdition" which I have never seen before. There is a very silly notion of what falling in love entails (Kanan hears Hera's voice and immediately his only goal in life is to find out who that lovely voice belongs to). But then there is the savage violence displayed by Count Vidian. I enjoyed the book, but unless you are a diehard Star Wars fan this isn't a must-read.

Fine story, AWFUL character interactions. Reads like bad fanfiction where Kanan is an ex-Jedi constantly thirsting for the “barely 18” Hera—yes, he literally describes her as such. Does not do Hera justice as a character at all. Kanan seems like an entirely different person than in Rebels, too.

About the author

Writer and game designer John Jackson Miller is the author of Star Wars: Kenobi, Star Wars: Knight Errant, and Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, as well as nine Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic graphic novels. His comics work includes writing for Iron Man, Mass Effect, Bart Simpson, and Indiana Jones. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, two children, and far too many comic books.