Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Quest for Planet X is a fun, action-packed, adventurous Junior Star Wars novel set in the era of the High Republic; known as the golden age of the Jedi.
If you aren’t aware, the High Republic materials take place hundreds of years before The Phantom Menace and explore the set-up and development of the galaxy.
This is Canon and is part of Phase II of the High Republic materials release. Specifically, Phase II takes place 150-years prior to the first release from Phase I, Light of the Jedi.
This is a time before the Republic has fully developed it’s vast communications network. Planets and various star systems aren’t as connected as they one day become. It’s really the Wild West time in space exploration.
This story mainly follows three characters: Dass, Jedi Padawan Rooper and Sky. They enter the great Hyperspace Chase with the goal of mapping a course to Planet X.
Planet X is a mysterious planet that many do not believe exists. 12-year old, Dass, has been there before with his Dad. In fact, their ship, the Silverstreak, is still there. Dass would like to reclaim it.
15-year old, Sky, will captain their mission. They have their own reasons for wanting to find Planet X, which is slowly revealed over the course of the story.
Dass convinces Padawan Rooper to join them on the mission for two weeks. He feels like Rooper’s Jedi status will only help them on their way; perhaps keep them safe.
It’s a stressful adventure from the start as it becomes clear that their ship, the Brightbird, was perhaps taken from Sky’s brother, Helis, by less than upfront means. Helis claims Sky stole the ship and he wants it back, by any means necessary.
The kids are flying against the odds, but nevertheless they are determined to find Planet X. The stakes get higher though when they have a run in with members from the ominous shadow group, The Path of the Open Hand.
The members of The Path are Force-Users who oppose the Jedi. They try to get Rooper to join their cause, claiming the Jedi are corrupt.
There is so much happening in this story. The characters are great and I loved that amidst all the chaos, we really got to know them and their motivations.
While they were all trying to forge their own path in the best ways they know how, I liked that they grew to trust and rely on one another. They showed great personal growth and teamwork over the course of the story.
The fun thing about Middle Grade, or Junior, Star Wars novels is that it is really one event start to finish. You see the problem and solution. While it doesn’t add as much to the building of the world as say the Young Adult, or Adult novels, it’s still a satisfying and engaging read.
Don’t get me wrong, you do learn things in here that contribute to the larger picture, it’s just lesser in scope than the more advanced novels.
I listened to the audiobook of this story and again was struck by the overall production. If you have never listened to a Star Wars novel released by Disney Audio, I highly recommend it. It’s an entire listening experience.
The narration is always phenomenal and don’t even get me started on the music and sound effects. It’s so freaking fun, truly bringing the stories to life.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a ton of fun. I have been loving the High Republic materials and am looking forward to picking up many, many more.