Book Review: Escape From Valo
If you’ve ever read one of my reviews for the Star Wars: The High Republic middle grade books, then you know what I’m about to say: if you’re not reading them, you are missing out. As Phase III gets into full swing, Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong’s Escape From Valo proves it is well worth your time by being equal parts a wild adventure, a pure distillation of the heart of Star Wars.
The book follows younglings Gavi, Tep Tep and Kildo, all of whom live on Valo and are the last remaining Jedi there after the fall of the Starlight Beacon. Well, the last apart from one Ram Jomaram, who also returned and is now making life a living hell for the Nihil that have taken over the planet. Along the way, they meet teenage pirate Zyle Keem, and Driggit Parse, a Valo local, and new Nihil recruit who has an old connection to one of the younglings.
The cast are all so adorable, and so funny, and have this specific brand of chaos about them that could only be achieved by Older and Wong working together, with their respective voices blending together so seamlessly. Each of them, Gavi, Driggit and Zyle in particular, bring their own something special to the story, and serve as differing perspectives on the same conflict, truly showing how rich this story is. It’s also so wonderful to see how far Ram Jomaram has come, without ever losing what made him such a unique character in the first place. He’s really come into his own, and I feel like a proud auntie watching him grow up.
Wong stated on their Twitter that Escape From Valo can serve as an introduction to the High Republic, and this is actually the first time I’ve found that to be extremely true. Apart from Ram, and a few side characters, the cast is made up of an almost entirely brand-new crew, and any references to past events are explained with just enough context to set the scene.
For all it’s called Escape From Valo, there isn’t a ton of time devoted to the actual escaping from the planet. Instead, Older and Wong take the story down vastly more interesting avenues as the kids instead band together to protect Valo from the Nihil threat. What the story becomes, instead, is a reflection on what it means to be a Jedi, attachments, and how everyone defines their connection to the Force. The story never shies away from the difficult questions or conversations, particularly those that might have been treated as black and white in books aimed at older audiences. Trying to survive in a time of crisis is never a cut and dried thing, and different characters’ “right answers” come into contact in so heart-wrenchingly beautiful a way, it serves as yet another reminder of why The High Republic is truly some of the best Star Wars storytelling happening right now.
Escape From Valo hits shelves on January 30. Special thank you to Disney Books for the advance copy for review purposes.
