Review: The High Republic Roars Back With ‘Path of Deceit’ by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

The High Republic is back! Justina Ireland, one of the original members of the brilliant Luminous team, has returned. Alongside her is Tessa Gratton–a newcomer to the High Republic era. The two of them bring us the first piece of the Phase Two puzzle for my new favorite era in Star Wars. Path of Deceit is a gripping, suspenseful tale interlaced with betrayal and romance. It was thought-provoking in a way I was not expecting and sets the stage for much of what is to come in the High Republic-Phase Two: Quest of the Jedi.

 

Phase Two of the High Republic launches us back 150 years from the events of Phase One. Path of Deceit is the first novel of Phase Two and the first young adult novel of this phase. This phase begins completely different than the first. Rather than being launched headfirst into a galactic-altering event, Path of Deceit takes its time getting us acquainted with the new characters, ideologies, and settings. Seeing as a major rift in the book is conflicting Force ideologies it makes perfect sense for the authors to get us acquainted with this new way of thinking they introduce. This slow burn in the first third of the novel pays off in all of the best ways. Setting the stage for everything to come, it left me breathless, and provides many “Aha!” moments along the way.

 

The High Republic: Path of Deceit full cover

 

Before we get into the spoiler territory, I want to introduce you to a few new faces. First, we meet Kevmo Zink, a charming Pantoran padawan whose enthusiasm can sometimes get the best of him. He and his master, Zallah Macri, a Soikan, make what at first may seem to be an odd pairing, but trust me they fit together well. Zallah is quite the opposite of Kevmo. Stoic and completely calm in demeanor, she presents a balancing act to the boisterous young padawan. In the early pages, Kevmo reveals he used to wonder why Zallah picked him of all people to be her apprentice. Now, he realizes how much she has helped him find his balance while he also helps breathe a bit of life back into her. The two make a wonderful team. Below is some fan art of Kevmo that I thought was so wonderful I had to include it.

 

https://twitter.com/skywalkerthrawn/status/1573688816069656577?s=20&t=nWNQdFOh6pulXlUhMMviIw

 

Some new characters with familiar names are also brought into the fold. Next, Ireland and Gratton introduce us to Evereni cousins, Marda and Yana Ro. That last name will instantly perk the ears of any High Republic fan. We knew we would get some backstory into the infamous Marchion Ro’s family and they wasted no time in delivering. Marda and Yana belong to a religious Force cult called the Path of the Open Hand. The Path, like the Jedi, seeks to live in balance and harmony with the Force; forever attempting to heed its will. However, there is a stark contrast between the Path and the Jedi. This contrast is a centerpiece for the books conflict, and at the book’s conclusion gives some early insight into why Marchion Ro might feel such animosity towards the Jedi during his time.

 

The Path believes in the Force yes, but not in actively using the Force. For instance, young Kevmo uses the Force to lift some flowers for some children in front of Marda. She is repulsed by this act of “abusing the Force.” The Path believes that using the Force in this way actively takes the Force away from somewhere else. So while the Jedi may be using the Force for good in one area, they are retroactively harming another area. The Force, in the Path’s mind, can be taken away from and therefore shouldn’t be touched. Tapping into the Force in this way is forbidden and considered beyond selfish, beyond irreprehensible. The path believes this, along with some other ideals fulfills their mission of “setting the Force free.” So while the Jedi and Path may agree in many aspects, this clear divide is enough for major potential conflict. The time spent on the Path’s way of life is extensive in the novel, but ultimately essential. There is a certain understanding and appreciation I discerned for their way of life.

 

This tension with the Jedi delivers a great storyline of contrasting beliefs. Kevmo and Marda have both lived nearly all their lives entrenched in the beliefs of those around them. Marda has essentially been raised by the Path and Kevmo, by the Jedi. Neither has been forced to confront a fierce challenge to their belief system. Like many of us, we tend to grow up believing and putting our faith in whatever those around us, the people who raise us do. But at some point, you are confronted with something different, something contrary to what you have thought. You must find your faith, or your belief for yourself and discover the “why” behind it. It’s a critical part of growing up. Both Kevmo and Marda face this and the difficult questions that come with it.

 

While Marda is a devout believer in the Path her cousin Yana is anything but. While being one of “The Children,” (members of the Path who proselytize for the group), she has her doubts. Yana has seen the dark side of the Path and beyond the veil of blissful harmony its leaders put forth. For “The Children,” proselytizing is a front to their true purpose in their “outreach.” The Children are tasked with “liberating” Force imbued artifacts from across the galaxy. The Path believes the use of such objects is abusing the Force, so they take it upon themselves to steal these objects and in doing so they “free the Force.” Yana is one of the most capable thieves in the Path. She cares not for the Path, but only for her cousin Marda, but even more so for her girlfriend Kor. She wants nothing more than to leave the Path behind and travel the stars with Kor.

 

 

This brings us to the Path’s leader: The Mother. The Mother is a prophet. She receives visions and insight from the Force and uses those to guide the Path forward. Like a typical cult leader, she is using the Path and her influence as a means to an end. The Mother isn’t the main character in this tale, but certainly has a looming presence over the entire story.

 

Overall, Ireland and Gratton blaze a brilliant path forward into the next phase of High Republic storytelling with Path of Deceit. The pacing hit just right for me, and the novel played into some really hard-hitting themes. It’s a journey of self-discovery with betrayal and romance nipping at its heels. I was enthralled the entire way and am oh so glad the High Republic is back. For those wanting to get into some spoiler territory, I will do so next. For those wanting to go into Phase Two fresh, I would stop here!

 

SPOILERS AHEAD….

 

Early on in this book, I was enthralled with the Path of the Open Hand. It was intriguing to dive deep into another Force-believing group. The Path was actually founded by a former Guardian of the Whills and the book references other Force groups throughout like the Sorcerers of Tund. Believing the Force is something that can be taken away is a new concept and how it so strongly contradicts what the Jedi believe made for some great drama.

 

The Jedi we follow in this book are the previously mentioned Kevmo Zink and Zallah Macri. The two of them are stationed in the Outer Rim, but after a Force-imbued object is stolen from the planet Hystenia they are sent out to search for it and return it to its owner. The stolen object is called the Rod of Seasons. I didn’t think much of it in the beginning, but its importance is realized in the end. The search for the Rod of Seasons takes them to the planet Dalna, a sparsely populated Outer Rim world that is also home to the Path. After arriving and learning of the Path, the Jedi certainly suspect they may have had a hand in the theft.

 

The Jedi’s instincts are correct. The Rod was stolen by Yana Ro and other members of her team. “The Children,” as they are called, travel out among the galaxy and “liberate” Force-imbued objects from their “abusers.” Under the guise of being proselytizing monks, they sneak in, steal the object in question and get out. The team of Yana, her girlfriend Kor, and one other named Treze — who Yana despises — made up their team. For Yana, this is a job and gets her one step closer to achieving her goal: getting enough credits to leave the Path forever.

 

After arriving on the planet, the Jedi begin to enter into investigative mode. Zallah sends her charming padawan out to do what he does best: make friends. Wandering the village for a few hours he stumbles into none other than Marda Ro and some of the children of the Path under her care. He is instantly taken by the beauty of this Evereni girl and only further smitten after they briefly discuss the Force. Attempting to flirt with her and impress the younglings he uses the Force to lift some flowers. Remember, the members of the Path view this as abusing the Force and consider this an affront to their core beliefs. After seeing the incredulous looks on the faces of Marda and the children Kevmo is taken aback and thinks he has torched this potential relationship before it has even started.

 

Ironically, this actually sparks the beginning of a romantic turn for the two. Marda, who is conflicted about both being interested in the young Jedi but repulsed by his beliefs seeks guidance. Yana and the Mother both encourage her to invite the Jedi into the Path’s home. This will both show they have nothing to hide, but also be a good learning experience for her.

 

Path of Deceit - Marda Ro

 

When invited by Marda into the Path’s home the Jedi eagerly accept. While Zarrah is eager to feel out these Path members and perhaps gain an inkling into the whereabouts of the missing Rod of Seasons, Kevmo is distracted by his eagerness to see Marda again. She leads him away to her favorite spot: a beautiful grassy area filled with flowers. The two grow closer as they discover just how much they have in common. Both are vibrant, passionate young people finding their place in the galaxy and for the first time seem to have found someone else who understands that passion and matches it. The two vehemently disagree on foundational principles of the Force itself, but rather than this being an uncrossable divide they allow it to bring them closer together.

 

Sometimes there are people in your life who you may completely disagree with but are drawn to their ability to construct their argument. There is an intellectual admiration and an appreciation of their devotion that can be attractive. This is some of what is happening between Kevmo and Marda. Each has forced the other to look inwards at what they believe and come out with a deeper understanding. It’s part of everyone’s coming-of-age story. At some point, you will be challenged and forced to answer the “why” behind your belief. This is critical to gaining true perspective. If you are never presented with an opposing viewpoint and continue to dwell in the familiar circle and influence of what you have always known, it actually stifles growth. The authors put this on beautiful display through the Marda and Kevmo dynamic.

 

The two’s relationship and understanding of each other reach their peak when a natural disaster strikes this region of Dalna. The land begins to flood, and the homeland of the Path is directly in the danger zone. Rushing to help those in need, Kevmo and Marda work together to save several younglings. The moment of internal crisis for Marda came about when there was but one option left to save them: Kevmo using the Force.

 

As Kevmo is lifting rocks and holding back the coming flood with the Force, Marda is both horrified and grateful. The effort results in multiple lives being saved, but at what cost? She believes the Force seeks to protect life itself yet how could it be the will of the Force for the younglings to die? If her beliefs are true, then Kevmo’s use of the Force likely resulted in the Force being drained from somewhere else causing potential death for others. Ultimately, she finds it within her heart to reconcile with the incident. She is both grateful to Kevmo for saving her friends, but also fearful of what she believes flagrant abuse of the Force can bring.

 

In the aftermath of the flood, the two grow even closer. Kevmo helps repair the damage to the Path’s property, they take care of the younglings, and she listens as he shares stories of his time in the galaxy. From Kevmo, she learns of a council on Jedha made up of various Force-believing groups from around the galaxy. They meet to discuss the use of the Force and how to best act according to its will. Marda is certain the Path needs to be represented there and further believes she is the one who should lead this charge.

 

For Marda, she has long been searching for her calling. For many years she has yearned to join the Children, like her cousin Yana. She burns with a desire to travel the stars, proselytize on behalf of the Path, and liberate Force objects from the hands of those who would abuse them. So far, her efforts to join have been turned down by the Mother. However, she now believes going to Jedha is where she is called. Unfortunately, her heart is broken when she is denied by The Mother in taking her cousin Yana and going to Jedha. This is happening while the Path is finishing the construction of a ship that will take select members up into the stars to take the message of the Path to the galaxy. This ship is called the Gaze Electric. Yes, THAT Gaze Electric. Marchion Ro’s flagship. Up to this point, Marda has desperately wanted to be on board when it departs.

 

 

Marda’s cousin Yana is planning on going in a different direction. She has finally announced to a select few her intentions to leave the Path. Marda only found out because one of the elite leaders of the Path told her in hopes of Marda convincing Yana to stay. This elite member is the Herald. He is also the father of Kor, Yana’s girlfriend. The Herald is convinced Yana is going to take his daughter away from him and the rest of the family. He only tells Marda as a last-ditch manipulation attempt hoping she can convince Yana to stay. For Marda, she is devastated.

 

Yana sees through this veil of bliss propped up by the Mother. She can sense dark times coming and has a deal with the Mother set in place. One last job and she can leave. Her desire to leave has begun to stir things up a bit with Kor and Marda. Spreading some seeds of distrust of the Mother amongst them.

 

The Mother has been acting strange, well stranger, ever since Yana saw her with this mysterious orb. We see the Mother in a few places throughout the book holding audiences. Each time she holds in her hands this mysterious orb; obsessively caressing it, never letting it out of her grasp. I was so frustrated trying to think of what it could be. Clearly, this was something vital to the story. Little did I know….

 

The last trip Yana has agreed to go on is going to be their most dangerous yet. Their target is none other than the Graf family stronghold. For those familiar with Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland, you will remember the Grafs from that story as being particularly brutal when it comes to protecting what’s theirs. Their fortress is nigh impenetrable, but they have a plan.

 

When Yana’s usual team of Kor and Treze arrive, they are ambushed almost immediately. The Grafs knew who they were and why they were there. The Mother had sent them to their deaths. Perhaps tired of Yana’s questioning and wanting a fresh set of devoted servants, or simply being unwilling to pay the credits Yana was owed, the Mother wanted her dead and everyone else would just be collateral damage.

 

The romance in this novel was not just between Kevmo and Marda, but between Kor and Yana as well. The two’s relationship is a complicated one and reaches a heartbreaking end. In their attempt to escape Kor is shot. Holding her dying love in her arms Yana hears Kor express her love one last time before taking her final breath. Filled with rage and a desire for revenge Yana escapes and plans to kill the Mother upon her return.

 

High Republic Jedi Masters

 

With her cousin gone on a mission and having been denied going to Jedha, Marda is heartbroken. She seeks solace with the one person who might understand: Kevmo. She sees him in the village and the two of them share some drinks as Marda opens up to him. In doing so, she unwittingly shares valuable information as to the whereabouts of the Rod of Seasons and the Path’s potential involvement. When they finish talking the two share a brief moment of silence before, to Kevmo’s amazement, Marda plants a powerful kiss. The two embrace and Kevmo is left speechless. Marda begins to make her way back to camp and Kevmo makes his way back to his master. This led to one of the funniest lines in the book because Kevmo happened to be seen in his entanglement. As he makes his way to his master, she simply asks him to sit so they can “talk about attachments.” I could feel the sigh and embarrassment that presumably came from young Kevmo at that moment.

 

With this new knowledge gained from Marda on the Rod of Season’s potential whereabouts, coupled with what Kevmo sensed in his time amongst the Path the master and apprentice decide the time to move in had come. Before the two begin their secret investigation, Marda pays one last visit to Kevmo. There she learns of a Jedi’s pledge to an attachment-free life and couldn’t help but deliver some playful teasing his way before she departed. This was the moment when all hell broke loose. Yana has returned with vengeance on her mind. The Jedi discover more evidence leading to the Path’s involvement in thievery and Marda hears out what Yana has to say.

 

Marda is in disbelief at the thought of the Mother betraying her own people. She mourns the loss of Kor with Yana, but implores her to rest first before seeking her audience. Not heeding all of the advice from her cousin, Yana sneaks her way into the Mother’s meditation chamber. Instead of finding the Mother, she finds Zarrah and Kevmo. The three engage in a brief discussion before the Mother and a few others make their way onto the scene. Zarrah calls out Mother and proclaims the items will be taken back to their rightful owners. In response, the Mother takes the orb out of her hands as launches it in the direction of the Jedi. In a horrifying scene my worst fears were realized. This was no orb at all, but an egg containing a Jedi’s nightmare: the Leveler.

 

 

It was an egg holding one of the Nameless. The Nameless, or the Leveler, as this particular one is called by the Mother and Marchion Ro hundreds of years later, feeds off of Force-users such as the Jedi. It zaps them of their strength by flooding them with fear; an unbridled fear that paralyzes even the most powerful Jedi. These creatures use that fear to paralyze the Jedi and then after gripping them with one of their tentacles of doom, calcifies them, turning them to stone and before they crush them into dust. It can be deduced that this is the very beast that will kill Loden Greatstorm himself over a hundred years later. In the present, it first takes the life of Jedi Master Zarrah Macri. The usually serene Jedi now overcome with unbreakable fear, screams her last as she meets this same horrifying end. The Leveler is able to graze young Kevmo, but Kevmo is able to run away.

 

 

In agony, the young padawan is desperate to contact anyone. He knows he has to warn the Jedi and the Republic of this threat. Anything that could take out his master with such ease was surely evil. He finds his way into Marda’s arms. As the calcifying structure of the Leveler’s power begins to spread throughout his body, he is only able to get out one word: Mother. With that Kevmo Zink breathed his last. I was awed and horrified at this. When I tell you I couldn’t put the book down. It was horrifying watching the young Jedi whom I felt I could relate to and really enjoyed getting to know to die in such a powerless way.

 

Marda, seeking answers finds her way to the chamber where there is now an audience to what the Leveler has done. She seeks answers and the Mother tells her the Leveler is a balancing act of the Force. Given to them so they can begin to set things right in the galaxy and set the Force free from those who would abuse it. Marda’s worst fears were realized. She had warned Kevmo of his abuse of the Force and she felt like this was the confirmation of her beliefs being true. Rather than blame Kevmo for his own demise, she chooses to blame the Jedi. The Jedi, she believes, must be stopped. The Mother tells them more of these creatures are out there and that they will find them. This plays directly into the line from the Eye of the Storm comics of how Marchion Ro knows the whereabouts of more of these creatures. It also provided us with the origin of how Marchion Ro’s inherited hatred of the Jedi began.

 

 

In the aftermath of what happened, Yana was able to grab hold of The Rod of Seasons. The Leveler is drawn to it and the onlookers mistake this for thinking it has chosen Yana to be its champion. Rather than reveal the Rod to everyone Yana makes her choice. She will bid her time and play the part. When the time is right, however, she will have her vengeance. It wasn’t until this moment I pierced together the importance of the Rod of Seasons. Marchion Ro journeys to find the Leveler in The Rising Storm. There he meets others who have kept the Leveler away for many years because of its destructive power. In order to control the Leveler, he connects two pieces of a rod together. This allows him to control the beast and all of its kind. In the final pages of the book the Mother mentions another: the Rod of Daybreak. The pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall.

 

 

Path of Deceit is an inspired tale written by two incredibly talented authors. It forged a new story forward while doing its job of connecting us to the tales already told. My heart broke at Kevmo’s demise, as I thought that he was going to be a Jedi we might follow around for a while and that him and Marda’s relationship would be explored further. However, it turns out this is Marda and Yana’s story. A story of manipulation and greed; naivety taken advantage of in the worst ways. It made me laugh and cry and fall in love with this era all over again. The High Republic is back. Path of Deceit will be a treasure to rest atop bookshelves for years to come.

 

Some fun name drops or easter eggs from the book:

 

  • One object Yan and her team stole was a rare weapon from Moraband. They didn’t know what or where Moraband was, but my eyebrows raised at that one.
  • The Forever War between Eiram and E’ronoh, which is talked about in Phase One could be a critical point in Phase Two as it is dropped many times, the implications of the war are being felt around the outer rim.
  • Marda keeps Kevmo’s lightsaber at the end. His lightsaber is orange, just like Loden Greatstorms. I thought it was a neat parallel to have Marda take the same-colored lightsaber as Marchion takes from Loden hundreds of years later.
  • I mentioned the Leveler in this book must be the same one who kills Loden. This is alluded to by the Mother saying it make takes a hundred years for it to fully grow and develop. Couple this with the fact we know it ends up with Ro’s people because that is where he goes to get it.
  • Batuu received a namedrop in this one. As a visitor myself to the now famed Disney location, I thought it interesting to note.
  • Port Haileap has been around for a long time. We first encountered it with Ireland’s first High Republic book: A Test of Courage, and it gets referenced here often.
  • The Guardians of the Whills are referenced throughout and a former Guardian even founded the Path. Long live Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus.

 

RATING: 8.5/10

 

Path of Deceit is available where books are sold. Special thanks to Crystal McCoy from Disney Lucasfilm Press for the ARC used in this review! 

 

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Finding ways to nonchalantly incorporate Star Wars quotes into 8th grade classroom, Tyler lives and breathes Star Wars. His morning tradition is sending the latest number in the countdown for different Star Wars projects and loves engaging in uplifting Star Wars dialogue. If you are passionate about Star Wars you can follow him on Twitter at TyBrad5.

Tyler Bradshaw

Finding ways to nonchalantly incorporate Star Wars quotes into 8th grade classroom, Tyler lives and breathes Star Wars. His morning tradition is sending the latest number in the countdown for different Star Wars projects and loves engaging in uplifting Star Wars dialogue. If you are passionate about Star Wars you can follow him on Twitter at TyBrad5.

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