Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan
There’s something out there: a juggernaut of evil bearing down to crush the Republic – unless one lone Jedi, shunned and reviled, can stop it.
Revan: hero, traitor, conqueror, villain, savior. A Jedi who left Coruscant to defeat Mandalorians—and returned a disciple of the dark side, bent on destroying the Republic. The Jedi Council gave Revan his life back, but the price of redemption was high. His memories have been erased. All that’s left are nightmares—and deep, abiding fear.
What exactly happened beyond the Outer Rim? Revan can’t quite remember, yet can’t entirely forget. Somehow he stumbled across a terrible secret that threatens the very existence of the Republic. With no idea what it is, or how to stop it, Revan may very well fail, for he’s never faced a more powerful and diabolic enemy. But only death can stop him from trying.
Author: Drew Karpyshyn
Cover artist: Dominik Mayer
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: November 1, 2022
Pages: 298
ISBN: 9780593498934
What’s it’s about?
Set two years after the events of Knights of the Old Republic (and thousands of years before the movies), Revan has now settled on Coruscant with wife Bastila Shan. Whilst returned to the light and known galaxy wide as a hero of the Republic, Revan has a tenuous and distant relationship with the Jedi Order and is haunted by his lost memories from his time as a Sith Lord. Revan embarks on a quest for answers with his old Mandalorian ally Canderous Ordo as they search for the missing mask of Mandalore the Ultimate which was believed to have been hidden by Revan in his darker days.
Elsewhere in the galaxy a secret Sith Empire presides on the planet of Dromund Kaas where it has been growing in power for the last thousand years, biding it’s time to reveal itself and consume the galaxy. Lord Scourge becomes embroiled in the politics and posturing of the Empire as he attempts to navigate and survive the treacherous machinations of his peers.
Should I read this book?
From what I understand, the book is somewhat polarising with the Star Wars readers. Those that haven’t played the games tend to enjoy it a lot more than those that have. Separated from any other media it’s an enjoyable Star Wars adventure that has a lot going for it. If you’re a fan of the games, comics or have a passing interest in the Old Republic then definitely give it a go and make up your own mind. Author Drew Karphyshan is one of Legends best, and whilst it doesn’t reach the heights of his incredible Darth Bane trilogy it’s definitely a good time, relatively speaking.
What did you like?
I found the Sith Empire storyline, in particular, to be captivating with the world building, history and the character of Scourge to be the highlights of the entire book. Some may take exception to this era’s dark Emperor being so powerful he makes Palpatine look like a naughty child but honestly it’s one of the books strengths in my opinion. Legends has always worked better when it sits firmly in the ridiculous, compared to the more conservative canon works (The High Republic notwithstanding). The character of Scourge is also a delight to read as he’s not the sharpest laser-tool in the space-box so it’s almost endearing to follow him as he wades through the plotting of Sith far more clever and powerful than him. The supporting cast of characters are also surprisingly memorable, from the snivelling Wormtongue-esque Sith aide Sechel to the wayward band of defeated Mandalorians we meet and their kick-ass leader Veela.
What did you not like?
The lead character Revan, strangely enough. I found his character to be empty, especially compared to the others in the book. It’s understandable because in the games where he was introduced the character was an avatar for the player. It’s also worth noting that game let’s you create your own Revan, choosing gender, skin colour and class. It’s disappointing then that this book canonises Revan as a white male, as if we needed more of those. For thousands of players this isn’t their Revan so I can see why a lot of fans are lukewarm on the book. I’ve also heard that the character of Meetra Surik is characterised poorly here too but as she was new to me I quite enjoyed her sections of the story. I do wish we had more of Revan’s wife Bastila too as her portions of the story were interesting enough to make me want more.
What’s next?
This book lays the seeds for the MMO PC game The Old Republic. I believe a lot of the threads woven here are picked up there so if you want more of the Emperor and Scourge then be sure to check that out. In terms of literature the next Old Republic book, Deceived, is set a couple of hundred years later and is only tangentially linked to this one but definitely worth a read. The comic series Knights of the Old Republic by John Jackson Miller is set before the book and the games but it’s a great read and really gave me an understanding of this new section of the universe so I’d definitely recommend checking that out.
Anything else to add?
If you’re like me you’ve been put off from Revan/Old Republic in the past because the character is used as a poster boy for the more toxic sections of the fanbase but be rest assured, none of that ridiculousness is coming from the material so don’t let that stop you anymore.