Dawn of the Jedi : Into the Void by Tim Lebbon opens up a whole new era. Before there was a Republic, the precursors to Jedi were confined to the Tython system, taken there by the Tho Yor for unknown (to them) reasons. This is the story of one Jedaii Ranger, Lanoree Brock and her pursuit of her brother, who is on a dangerous quest that could destroy them all. It includes the short story ‘Eruption’ set immediately before and the last chapters mention the opening events of the comics.
I’ll admit first off the storytelling in Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void has jerky transitions. It shifts from present events (Lanoree’s mission to find her brother) to past (regarding her final days traveling with them as part of their coming of age). It works far better on audio than standard visual reading. I’ve read other books that do this but they tend to announce which era they are in at the start of the chapter. This one doesn’t. I think it would’ve been better if it had, instead of leaving the reader trying to mentally adjust.
The world, or the system building, is excellent in Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void. As one travels with Lanoree and her brother through the perils of Tython it’s like being there. As she pursues him across the star system, one gets an overview of the world’s they visit and they have the usual Star Wars weight of the past. These people didn’t just arrive here, there have been many generations and plenty of time to build up or ruin entire worlds.
Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void has two main characters. Dalien Brock’s hatred of the Force and determination to break free of the Tython system knows absolutely no limits. Lanoree initially didn’t impress me, it’s only as the story of the present & past unfolds that I started to get to like her and the challenges she’d have to overcome to try and win over her brother, and if needed, stop him. A third character, Tre, is a twilek with a very dark past but is allied with Lanoree.
At first, I thought Lanoree was some perfect hero and that didn’t impress me. But as the story goes on, between flashbacks to her and Dalien’s past to her pursuit of him in the present, it becomes more clear that her desperate need to save her brother, her intense focus on steering him into a life he didn’t want, is a weakness. She also is trained in and pursues a path that borders the dark side, as even other Jedaii consider it controversial according to Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void.
The Jedaii of Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void and the comics have a different view of the Force. Essentially for them personified by the moons Ashla and Bogan. The light and the dark, and they risk experiments Jedi of later eras would not. This makes them a fascinating subject and it’s a shame the era was ended by the buyout prematurely. These stories, left to continue, would’ve led to the split between the Jedi and eventually, those that were called fallen or ‘Sith’ (although at this point in time, Sith was a species).
Ultimately, this story is hard to get into do to the flashback style and being in a new era. But once I did I enjoyed it, and regret that there are unlikely to be further stories about Lanoree or Tre, either to follow up on the things they discovered in this novel, or to discover their fate during the comics.
Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void Continuity
Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void right after the short story Eruption, by John Ostrander, and with the end chapters meeting up with the comics and graphic novel Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm. Both the hardcover and the audiobook (which is unabridged) contain the short story as well as the main one. The hardcover also contains an excerpt from the comics. There are three graphic novels or comic story arcs to Dawn of the Jedi era, which Dark Horse rushed to wrap up after the announcement that former Expanded Universe content would be relabeled Legends, and they were losing the Star Wars license January 1, 2015.
Unfortunately, do to this relabeling as well as Dark Horse losing the license we never got a follow up of any character or situation in Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void.
At this point in time, lightsabers were not invented. The first weapon of similar type will be seen in Dawn of the Jedi comics, but is powered by the dark side.
The Gree are mentioned. The first mention of Gree was in West End Games Adventure Journals as once being the most technically advanced society but were in decline in the Imperial era. They also are involved in Star Wars the Old Republic, with the implication they helped design Coruscant’s infrastructure but haven’t been active in the galaxy for many years. There is a recurring event involving them on Ilum, with technology including matter transport.
The Sith referred to in this novel are the pureblood Sith, not those descended of and belonging to those that practice the Dark Side after being conqured by fallen Jedi. They are of the same kind, but these have been cut off from Korriban and those worlds.
The abilities displayed by these ancient Jedaii are precursors to what is seen much later, some by the Sith and occasionally by the Jedi, though for the Jedi they were often controversial. A few examples are below.
- Tampering with a creature’s DNA and the alchemy of flesh are more likely to have ended up with the Sith. The DNA of metallurgy might well have ended with the Sith as well, as there is far more record of them having swords of this type, than of the Jedi who preferred the later invented lightsaber even when it had to be powered by a cord attached to a powerpack.
- Tampering with someone’s memories is a controversial thing we know happened to Revan, which years later the Jedi looked back on with distaste and disapproval.
Those who are completely disconnected by the Force, also have been brought up before. In Jedi Quest by Jude Watson, they are called ‘Voids’. Of course, there are also the Yuuzhan Vong of the New Jedi Order era, which are completely cut off.
It’s pretty clear from Dawn of the Jedi Into the Void and the comics that it was leading into events depicted as being rediscovered in Star Wars The Old Republic‘s game on Tython, both in side quests but especially in the Jedi Consular story, that redefined who they were and how they’d use the force. The end of this story aside from tying into Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm and the events involving the outside galaxy breaking in, also leaves some loose ends. The implication of certain people involved in events is left an unknown and I have little doubt was left that way in hopes of follow up stories.
