Just a review pack. It was fun and I think I might give both a chance if I saw them on a shelf sooner than later TBH.

Problems in Hyperspace cause issues for all the characters in these two Star Wars High Council novels. After only a couple chapters each, I'm already so interested to find out more about each of these characters and the mystery behind whats going on with Hyperspace. Also, all these problems to get to the Starlight Beacon, why? Is it really going to be 'the ray of hope' for the outer rim? Can't wait to find out when these books are released early 2021.

I really enjoyed these chapter samples and I look forward to reading the finished books! I am definitely looking forward to diving in to the High Republic era of the Star Wars universe and learning more about all of this characters.

The High Republic is an ambitious, collaborative, and exciting project set in a galaxy far, far away and in an era a little farther away from the films we know and love.

With Justina Ireland’s A Test of Courage, it’s interesting to get the perspective of a character who has only recently passed the trials of Jedi Knighthood. Vernestra’s rocky relationship with Avon Starros is entertaining and intriguing. Starros is an especially fun character considering her connection to Han Solo’s and Doctor Aphra’s frenemy/lover from the Marvel comics. At times, the story seemed a little juvenile, a problem I don’t often run into when reading Star Wars books—even middle grade/young readers—but I am hopeful that the story develops and deepens beyond the introductory chapters.

With Into the Dark, Claudia Gray writes the story of bookworm/historian Reath Silas who is dragged into an adventure he would rather not take. Gray has cemented her place among the greatest Star Wars writers with masterpieces such as Lost Stars and Master and Apprentice. After making her home run debut with original characters Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell, star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of the Galactic Civil War, Gray proceeded to write legacy characters for numerous consecutive books—Leia Organa, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. One of Gray’s strengths, however, is her creation of original characters. Drafting her to write a story with all-new characters in an all-new era is rife with possibilities.

A couple of moments in the opening salvo to Into the Dark left me scratching my head, however. There are references to a “singing sensation” Jedi and underage drinking Padawan drinking both stood out as especially odd and abruptly halted the flow of the story for me.

Into the Dark’s strong suits, however, far outweigh my complaints. The incorporation of Padawan relationships similar to what Gray established between Qui-Gon Jinn and Rael Aveross in Master and Apprentice is especially well-done. It’s very interesting to think about all-star, “illustrious” Jedi Dez Rydan through the perspective of Reath Silas. Both shared the same master and have a kinship of sorts, capitalizing on a strong element of Gray’s previous work. Furthermore, the massive cast of diverse Jedi is jaw-dropping, each with their own unique qualities.

Overall, there are a few standout details in the sampler that make for a compelling spark to ignite the fire of intrigue that will leave you itching to get the books in their entirety—along with the other titles in Phase One of the publishing program. It was delightful to see Vernestra mentioned in Into the Dark, especially after having just recently been introduced to the fiery young Jedi in A Test of Courage. The authors’ collaboration is already shining through in the books’ opening chapters. Secondly, several lore elements introduced in the sampler fit into Star Wars wonderfully. The concept of a Wayseeker, a Jedi who operates outside of the authority of the Council, is mentioned in passing reference. I was eager to hear more about such Jedi! There’s clearly enormous potential in this era.

A tantalizing look at what Justina Ireland and Claudia Gray have in store for us when the High Republic books start hitting the shelves. I was already looking forward to the new titles, but now I can't wait to get my hands on them!

I'm really touched by these few pages, this project feels amazing: so fresh and yet so familiar, so well written and carefully crafted. I have already bonded with these new characters, everyone feels special and I care about them so much. Every page contains new and old aliens, new and old locations, lore, and flashbacks. The galaxy truly feels alive.
I'm amazed and so happy with this and cannot really wait to read the books. It's everything I've ever wanted.

The chapters for A Test of Courage were not enough to provide a good sense of the book, the introductions for the characters were made but nothing that advanced any plot.

But for Into the Dark, I found the longer chapters worked better (I understand this is a YA book, so it should have a larger word count), and provided a view of the plot besides the characters themselves.

I think this is a very interesting book, I liked the style and pacing. Based on this book alone, the High Republic era will become an important part of the Star Wars universe. I liked the idea of the new Jedi type, which I won't mention or detail due to spoilers, but I believe these things provide a sense of newness even if we are going back into old times of the Star Wars galaxy.

I am very excited to read the complete books plus other titles available.

these were great teaser chapters for these two books, I had a lot of fun reading them and can't wait to read the full books when they come out.

Justina Ireland’s part wasn’t too informative due to the shortness of the chapters (and we already read the first one), but that novel seems to be interesting as well.

But, oh boy, Into the Dark! Claudia Gray is my favourite writer of the current canon, and she rules in the first chapter of her High Republic novel. Reath Silas will be one of my favourite characters in this era and these chapters also confirmed the info we wrote about in January on Project Luminous (later The High Republic) on our Hungarian fansite Ziro.hu: ”The main Jedi characters would also have different strengths and powers, similar to superheroes”. Well, Reath is so different from the other Jedi in this story, that he will eventually become a fan-favourite. I am really looking forward to reading this whole novel.

I became more hyped about this era than before!

Each of these introductions gives a brief but intriguing peek into the galaxy that the High Republic will encompass. The new characters each exhibit new traits that will be fun to explore in the full versions of each respective book.
The description of the Great Disaster by Claudia Gray is terrifying and mysterious as an event that will challenge the entirety of space and test the limits of the Jedi throughout this 'new' galaxy.
I'm thoroughly engrossed and I have to know more about these stories. Fantastic previews!

Thank you, Disney Lucasfilm Press, for making this chapter sampler available!

I will start by saying that I'm 32 years old. This being a sampler of one junior novel and one young adult novel, I'm obviously not the target demographic for either of these titles, so I had to put on my (very professional) bookseller's glasses for this particular read. Not a problem - those glasses aren't uncomfortable to wear when the books are this good!

Starting with Justina Ireland's A Test of Courage, I think it's great that more junior Star Wars novels are being published. I really like being able to recommend them to younger readers who come into the bookstore asking for their first sci-fi novel. These titles are usually soft enough on the sci-fi elements that they're easy to get into even for the inexperienced reader. Having read only two chapters, I would say this is the case with this novel as well. I see a real difference between how Ireland writes for an older audience (such as in her Dread Nation series, which I - full disclosure - completely adore) and how she writes for junior readers, and it takes skill to be able to edit your author's voice in that manner without it coming across as suddenly "talking down to" the younger readership. Luckily, Ireland has skill coming out of her ears. I will probably not be reading this particular title, but that's okay - it's not really meant for me. I will, however, still happily recommend this to younger readers! I'm very glad that younger fans are getting quality content like this, not only through the excellent animated series like Rebels, Resistance and Clone Wars, but through books as well. If we can get more kids to read by roping them in with Star Wars, that would certainly be a win!

I found Into the Dark to be more in line with what I usually like to read as far as Star Wars fiction goes. This isn't surprising. First off, I'm obviously closer in age to the YA demographic than the juniors, but Claudia Gray also happens to be a personal favourite when it comes to Star Wars canon fiction. She always manages to reel me in with her prose, her captivating character writing and her humor. While I wasn't necessarily deeply invested in all of the characters - I did only get to spend two chapters with them - I still see the humble beginnings of what will probably be an interesting story.
There might come a day when I don't automatically add anything Gray writes to my TBR pile, but it is not this day. And wow, this sampler sure ended on a cliffhanger. This huge, cataclysmic event throwing hyperspace into chaos and leaving everyone (quite literally) in the dark? I'm getting big Legends Yuuzhan Vong vibes just from the sheer uncertainty of this major threat, and I'm so here for it.

Side note: I do wonder if the publication order for the High Republic will also be the recommended reading order. I caught at least one reference to things or characters mentioned in A Test of Courage in Into the Dark, and that's really neat! I hope this connectivity will be properly utilized in the marketing.

Can I also just say how happy I am that both Gray and Ireland are involved with the High Republic project? I love both of them so much as authors. In fact, all of the authors involved (Scott, Older, Soule as well as Gray and Ireland) are some of my favourite Star Wars authors of all time, so I'm very excited to read everything coming out from them in this new and exciting Star Wars era. 2021 will sure be something!

I’ve been dying to read these books for months. This sampler was a nice gift. I really want to keep reading these next year or hopefully I’ll get review copies. What I’ve read of Into the dark and a test of courage has really impressed. The gold and white graphic design is gorgeous. The new timeline at the front was cool. The bad batch is on there! I’m going to be consuming all of the high republic ravenously. I don’t care about age range. I’m a big fan of Claudia Grey and I like Justina Ireland too. I’m Irish.

If these opening chapters are anything to go by, we are in for QUITE A TREAT from the highly anticipated Star Wars The High Republic publishing initiative.

Justina Ireland's Middle Grades novel A Test of Courage is already shaping up to be so much fun. We see bright young characters taking their first strides into a larger world full of confidence and a willingness to prove they belong. We also see hints of the inevitable tragedy that will soon befall the entire galaxy. Already making her mark in Star Wars with the junior novels Lando's Luck and Spark of the Resistance, A Test of Courage is shaping up to be a delightful addition to Ireland's already incredible body of work in that galaxy far far away. I am so excited about this one.

Claudia Gray's Young Adult novel Into the Dark only raised my levels of excitement. The opening three chapters already lay so much groundwork and build this "new" world out in a way that I wasn't quite expecting. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, consuming every word. Brand new characters are flawlessly introduced, complete with personalities and emotional baggage that is believable and wholly welcome. Also, I laughed a lot more than I thought I would when reading this. Geode, a new addition, might even be my new favorite Star Wars character.

If this sampler does anything, it proves how interconnected this new initiative is. If you haven't been reading EVERYTHING, The High Republic releases would be a great time to start.

This sampler gives a taste of Justina Ireland and Claudia Gray's upcoming High Republic novels, and oooh boy are they juicy. January can't come soon enough!

So the Justina Ireland sampler was exciting!
It reminds me of a mix between Lost Stars (with younger protagonists) and Outbound Flight.
It will be interesting to see how these two characters develop.
Overall it definitely has a Star Wars feel, which is great given it’s a whole new era.

Claudia Gray’s Sampler is a joyful punch straight to the heart of each character without having long drawn out build ups. There are little nods here and there to other characters, including Legends, and character traits you see elsewhere in the Galaxy (& beyond) for example Cohmac teaching Reath to study a new species art to learn about them, and Spice sticks (death sticks?) being legal.
Keen to learn more about Wayseekers, this sampler feels like I’m teetering on the edge of an epic Star Wars adventure and I cannot wait!!

These look like great reads for fans of the Star Wars series. This is a unique take that extends the world and I think kids of all ages will enjoy reading these books. Many thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the opportunity to sample these titles.

These samplers for A Test of Courage and Into the Dark were an interesting taste for what's to come in the High Republic. I look forward to reading the full versions of each book!