Star Wars: The High Republic - Cataclysm Book Review

[@21stcenturydead96]

Please do an in depth spoiler review too, I loved this book and want to hear more of your thoughts!

[@carlporrazzo1237]

Just finished reading The battle of Jedha last week and liked it as much as the other books in phase 2 can’t wait to get my hands on this one 😅. Great works on the channel you two made me rediscover my love for Star wars and you are the ones that got me to start reading the books also Thanks ❤

[@gentlemanlygeeky4088]

Have you read any High Republic comics? I recommend any thing by Charles Soule & Cavan Scott.

[@Kubinda12345]

I must say that I love the High Republic era. I wonder if they would ever turn these books into movies.

[@Flettwin]

Convergence was one of my favourite Star Wars novels of the last decade, so hyped for the sequel and over the moon that Alex dug it so much! 🤗

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

Last decade? The book released in 2022, that's in the current decade.

[@Flettwin]

@@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445 The last decade of my life. Sorry I should have taken into account that there might Chadra-Fan reading and that they have a different understanding of time than us dull long-lived humans. I’ll use different wording next time.

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

​@@Flettwin I'm a human, don't worry, I'm just a fan of the species. I misunderstood you there, so thanks for the enlightenment.

[@aokennison]

Just finished Cataclysm. Amazing read! Might be the most intense Star Wars book I read. A true Jedi battle where you don’t know which side the battle lean. And yes, what’s going on with Marda Ro?

[@gabesimmons7209]

My only issue with the high republic is that each book has had a massive disaster movie set piece other than convergence (my favourite of the books so far) which makes each one feel more and more hollow - I feel like the tension should be ramping up, not just disaster over and over

[@Verdant11686]

I would say for this later stage of the high republic, it's the mystery of the Nameless as the big ramp up

[@Sounds_And_Vistas]

I loved Path of Deceit the most from phase 2. Looking forward for this one...

[@Kishan2213]

Im one of the few people that really enjoyed Convergence so i'm so excited to dive into Cataclysm! Phase 2 on a whole has been very strong ; Path of Deceit and The Battle of Jedha were excellent entries and I know wave 2 is gonna pay off the stakes set up in the first wave

[@jaredlocke4300]

I loved Convergence. And Path of Deciet. Cataclysm actually felt a bit long and drawn out for what it was. The Night of Sorrows is almost half the book? Really enjoyed it, but we were there for a long time. I have Path of Vengeance right next to me and I can't wait to get back to Marda Ro and see what she's been doing since Path of Deceit.

[@Kishan2213]

Path of Vengeance is crazyyy you're in for a good time! @@jaredlocke4300

[@everweld]

In your ad you mentioned it sounding like a movie on audible and as someone who almost exclusively listens to books these days I can confirm that’s 100% true, I have so much fun with all the Star Wars audiobooks.

[@Jakenw001]

Yaddle was in the book. 10/10

[@ColdCobra84]

Looking forward to it, as usual with the High Republic. I still have to finish Battle Scars first though! You wait around for a Star Wars novel and then two come along at once!

[@jaredlocke4300]

So happy your channel is here reviewing these books. I'm the only person I know reading the High Republic and it's nice to talk about it with other fans. I enjoyed Cataclysm! I thought the Night of Sorrows was too long, and some dialog at the end was really cheesy but I agree it felt more like phase 1. I like Path of Deceit and Convergence more, but that's by no means a slam on this one. Lydia Kang nailed it, and I loved her acknowledgements at the end, true fan 😊

[@gavinsmith9871]

Okay, thank you for soothing my fears about this book. I didn't like Convergence much but loved Path of Deceit so if this is a great follow-up to those I'm in.

[@aaronmichael6792]

I couldn’t finish convergence. Way too many characters I could not keep up lol

[@gavinsmith9871]

@@aaronmichael6792 That is perfectly fair. Graylark and Mollo were the only ones I liked.

[@eltoroluckypatientzero1355]

Haven seen you in a while you everywhere

[@gavinsmith9871]

@@eltoroluckypatientzero1355 Everywhere? I guess we must watch a lot of the same videos.

[@artfact2]

I was absolutely in love with Path of Deceit and really liked Convergence. Looking forward to this!

[@TheMaskedJedi999]

Convergence is far and away my favourite so far - one of my favourites outside Star Wars - so wow!. Incidentally, I don't think we'll spend more time with the Bell and Avar etc - my money's on phase 3 jumping at least 50 years ahead

[@cameronringle6419]

I hope not. That would mean no more Marchion Ro! I don't think he had a kid either so, likely no Ro in general. That'll be a no for me dog. Respectfully, of course.

[@petertedonefilm]

@@cameronringle6419 Just seeing this comment now and I am sure you are aware but it was announced that Phase 3 will take place one year after the destruction of Starlight. So, yes we will continue with the people and stories we left at the end of Phase 1 like Avar and Bell. To skip over all of that unresolved story would have made no sense at all anyhow.

[@cameronringle6419]

@@petertedonefilm Phase three will be FIRE!

[@lucabestea6844]

​@@cameronringle6419 honestly, if we were to jump 50 years, Marchion would still live. He was pretty much a child in The Eye of the Storm comics, when his grandmother died in 252 BBY. So he'd be about in his late 20s in 232 BBY and would be in his 80s if we were to jump that high. Thankfully not! Though he may have a child as in the Imperial Era there was guy called Burnium Ro who used references to the Nihil.

[@harveyyy1113]

So glad to see more high republic content I miss it a lot

[@aaronmichael6792]

Stoked for the Path sequel. They are who I’m most interested in in Phase 2.

[@gavinsmith9871]

Be Path of Vengence Have Caven Scott as your author Be over five hundred pages Have a dope ass cover Be about the Ro family and possibly involve the founding of the Nihil Oh ya, it's going to be a banger.

[@bkhunter8438]

Just read it and really enjoyed it. Haven’t read the YA novels as of yet. But I picked up the pieces pretty quick of who they were.

[@alessandromela5552]

Hi, is your t-shirt on sale anywhere? I love how it's not overly clear it's a Star wars t-shirt

[@thomasharrington1386]

Agreed, definitely my favorite book of Phase 2

[@ahsokarules2369]

Without spoiling anything, does Cataclysm take place before or after Path of Vengeance?

[@evancowles7101]

I've only read the adult novels (and Into the Dark) and was a little confused at times. The Open Hand story still was able to make sense, but I definitely felt like I was missing some things. Same with what happened on Jedha. Guess I have time to catch up before phase 3 lol.

[@taylorhine2962]

Yeah unfortunately you have to read the young adult novel in phase 2. Imo they're more important than the adult novels, which makes no sense

[@Ryguy0707]

Since I imagine you've read both, does Quest for Planet X spoike ANYTHING from Cataclysm? I feel like Quest for the Hidden City spoiled the end of Convergence

[@fionamurray3313]

i want to get into reading the high republic books but do i need to read the comics aswell as the books

[@JoshEssex]

Absolutely not necessary to read the comics. I've read some, skipped others, and aside from a name mention here and there, I don't feel like i've missed or gained anything in the book reading experience

[@legallyillegal2314]

@@JoshEssex Wdym? The Marvel comics are absolutely necessary for the main story, the IDW ones are obviously supplementary material.

[@austinkoch444]

Do I have to finish convergence to understand cataclysm?

[@cameronringle6419]

It's important that you do, yes. This whole Phase 2 is more narratively linear, with each book, regardless of type, (Adult, young adult, script) all flowing together one after the other. Path of Deceit (YA) is really just book 1, and Convergence (Adult) is really just book 2, and Battle of Jeda (Script) is really just book 3. The story moves forward to some capacity with each installment building up to what comes next. Star Wars Explained just confirmed that Cataclysm is the pay off for all of the books previously listed, (so basically book 4). I prefer this method for Phase 2. Not so much the Pick Your Own Lane (Adult, YA, Middle Grade, Script side story) approach from Phase 1.

[@austinkoch444]

@@cameronringle6419 thanks man. I read all of phase one, and path of deceit. Loving it all so far except convergence I just can’t get through. I’ll give it another go though!

[@cameronringle6419]

@@austinkoch444 You got this! By the time you start Battle of Jeda, it'll be all worth it! That one is up there with Light of the Jedi for me! Hope you love it too!

[@ALake98]

I was already looking forward to this, but after reading most of battle scars, this is going to feel like Shakespeare in comparison

[@justinjeffries1554]

Does the battle of jedha connect to the comic?

[@Verdant11686]

Sure does! In the normal run of the high republic, wave 2! It has connections to the battle

[@justinjeffries1554]

@@Verdant11686 bet. Cause it didn't feel like the comic was leading up to anything as big as a "battle for Jedha" I'm pretty sure Porter is supposed to be there too and his comic isnt lining up for there either :/

[@vincentgronek2296]

Whats the official reading order of phase two i stopped reading right before it came out and now im lost

[@jamesarnold7253]

This Jedi looks a lot like DK from Tokyo Drift

[@Flettwin]

He’s Axel Greylark, the Chancellor’s son, otherwise known as the Prince Of Coruscant and yes, he’s actually a lot like DK from Tokyo Drift! 😂

[@JoeyPeligro69]

Do you think someone could jump into cataclysm without reading anything else from phase 2? None of it has interested me but this seems cool

[@str1k3r_67]

I hope you see a variety of different races and not just the standard humans, orcs, and Elves. I want Goliaths, War Forges, Drenai(I know the spelling is wrong).

[@daviddadamo2290]

I really liked Cataclysm, but I agree with you the High Republic books feel disjointed. When I read the New Jedi Order, it was clear and linear, books 1 to 19. I find it very difficult to keep track which High Republic books to read and in which order. I try to read the Adult books, but not all of the YA books. Anything by Claudia Gray I will read, but the other YA books I find are hit or miss in quality. Lucasfilm could do a much better job explaining the timeline and suggested reading order.

[@jamesongillen1608]

Just this, exactly my thoughts man I agree completely. Nothing else to say, you’re just correct 😂

[@knoober3756]

I still think Path Of Deceit is my favorite Phase 2 book, but this is the kind of novel I was hoping we’d get in phase 2. I still didn’t really like the characters introduced (to me) in Battle Of Jedha. I also loved the inclusion of a certain Jedi getting a lot of time in this novel as I feel they’re very underrepresented.

[@veronicavaes4581]

You are out of your damn gourd by releasing this instead of at least acknowledging Hunters: Battle for the Arena.

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

Why does Axel have a lightsaber here? I'm sorry, but I just hardly can follow the second phase right now.

[@madisonwhovian943]

It's one of Gella's... That's all I'll say.

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

@@madisonwhovian943 Thanks for the info, so I don't have to fear of losing track with Star Wars.

[@jackbrodie7147]

Thoughts on Damon Lindelofs film now being cancelled as of today

[@romangamingboy6083]

How do you get this so early I don’t understand

[@kylejohnson6281]

I'm glad that someone likes phase 2 but convergence turned me off of Star Wars books for a while. I'm going to skip this one until we go back to the characters of phase 1. Thank you for your review.

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

I didn't read it, but my least favourite High Republic-story is still The Rising Storm.

[@michaelmccarstle4527]

It breaks my heart that I simply have not been able to keep up. I started falling behind towards the end of Phase 1, and I just haven't been able to read any of the Phase 2 books. I've been able to keep up with the comics, but that's so much less of a time investment. I kind of wish all of the novels could receive a comic adaptation.

[@familiadah]

Don’t worry too much about it, take your time eventually you’ll catch up and think I wish i have the next books available right now

[@letterbox7]

Please say the novels are staying strong 🙏

[@letterbox7]

Ok let's goooooo

[@Iwillone]

@@letterbox7 Where?

[@indoorplant2392]

@@Iwillone yo mom’s nightstand

[@Ryguy0707]

Who is that on the cover?

[@madisonwhovian943]

Axel Greylark

[@damiandekker474]

I'm glad phase 2 apparently finished strong, cuz Fallen Star was a massive disappointment after how brilliant the first 2 novels were

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

To be fair, I was already disappointed in The Rising Storm.

[@taylorhine2962]

​@@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445 damn that's interesting, I really enjoyed rising storm the most but found light of the Jedi and fallen star were okay

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

@@taylorhine2962 I can defenetly respect that opinion, even if I think, that Light of the Jedi is objectively the best Star Wars-novel.

[@TCRIPE]

Great to hear Cataclysm is an improvement because I thought Convergence was awful.

[@Lr.Laecro.Lirus3445]

Because there's a Hassk in it?

[@groge511]

Ok so this is going to be a rant about Phase 2 because I am hugely disappointed about how we went from a fantastic phase 1 to whatever this was. I have finally managed to make it through this. Was marginally better than Convergence which isn't saying much given it was so boring. The only saving grace of phase 2 has been the comics which although still not as good as Phase 1 have been more interesting than the novels. I think going back a hundred odd years just after being introduced to this new era and these countless upon countless new characters was a massive mistake. It has upset the momentum completely and has taken me right out of the THR era which I was really enjoying. What's more is what was the point in this prequel phase? None of these characters save maybe 3 actually appear in the Phase 1. There's not even any Nihil. The prequel films serve a huge impactful purpose that is clear to see. Phase 2 gives us nothing but a few of the nameless. All I can say is I hope that phase 3 continues the quality of phase 1 (with the characters that we had just started to love that were then quickly stripped away) but at least brings in something from phase 2 to make it all seem worthwhile. I'm angry but only cause I'm so gutted 😭

[@ahsokarules2369]

I enjoyed Convergence more. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Gella, Axel, Xiri, and Phan-Tu and missed them working together in this book. The batte on Dalna also went on longer then i think it should have. And i may have missed something, but it felt like the Parh's base was way larger than depicted in Path of Deciet. I really enjoyed Gella and Axel and while it gave a good conclusion to their story, i was a little disappointed there wasn't more of their chapters. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book, but found the last act drawn out with to much to keep track of.

[@GuyGr33n]

I’m just glad it’s over. I found Cataclysm to be the worst written and hardest to finish.