Star Wars: The Acolyte – Wayseeker | Review

The latest Star Wars novel takes us back to the time period of The Acolyte to tell a new prequel story that works entirely on its own.

Set decades after the events of The High Republic and roughly 20-ish years before The Acolyte series, Wayseeker gives us a fresh look at two familiar characters at very different points in their life: Vernestra Rwoh and Indara. Vernestra, since her introduction in The High Republic five years ago, has been among my favorite Jedi characters, and Indara is easily the one I was most intrigued by in The Acolyte series. As such, I was eager to dive into Wayseeker, which turned out to be a much different type of story than I was expecting…in a good way.

With the Nihil threat long behind her, Vernestra spends her days working as a Wayseeker; a Jedi who sits somewhat outside the Jedi chain of command and wanders the galaxy wherever the Force takes her. Which is great considering she’s a little bit more jaded about the Jedi council these days, or at least their role in galactic politics and how/who they choose to help. This leads her to be a little more flippant about the rules regarding council summons, but after ignoring a few messages to return, the council sends out Jedi Knight Indara to bring Vernestra back.

At this point in time, the two Jedi could not be anymore different. Vernestra, being significantly older and a hero of the war against the Nihil, is something of a legend with the younger generations in the Temple. She can also be super direct, and her views on certain things may seem counter to popular doctrine. This comes as something of a shock to the more straight-laced Indara who, following a traumatic mission with her former Master, is now something of a recluse within the archives.

This aspect, along with their differing views on how the Jedi should serve causes some clashes. They’ll have to find a way to work through it, however, as they’re thrust into an unexpected mystery. A new weapon (or should I say, resurfaced?) begins circulating around the galaxy’s underworld, one which could drastically impact the Jedi and their ability to help others. Together, Indara and Vernestra must figure out how the device is being made, where it’s coming from, and how to stop it. They’ll have to contend with deadly beasts and criminal syndicates while they unravel a plot that links back to the galactic senate itself.

In an effort to avoid spoilers, I’ll leave the plot details at there. There’s much going on between the overarching plot and the more personal struggles we see between Vernestra and Indara. It’s good. In fact, the longer I’ve sat with the novel (having had well over a month to enjoy it), the more impressed I’ve become with it. Not only because the story being told is different than expected, but also in how Justina Ireland presented it.

When Wayseeker was first announced and presented as a tie-in to The Acolyte, I figured that’s pretty much what we’d be getting, something with more direct connections to the show. Throw on top the general High Republic connections (where Vernestra is also a main character), and I was expecting a novel that would connect the dots between the two time periods. Wayseeker isn’t concerned with bridging the gaps, however, and works so much better because of it.

That’s not to say those types of stories are a bad thing. There are plenty of good Star Wars books which do exactly that. For this book, however, given the overall timeframe, connecting all the dots would stretch things way too thin. There’s just no way to do it satisfactorily, while telling its own story. There are some moments that make those more direct connections, but they flow pretty naturally from the story being told.

It was impressive to see how expertly Ireland threaded the story elements between the High Republic and the show itself. Despite this story taking place well after the conclusion of The High Republic initiative (which doesn’t release until the Summer), the story deftly avoids anything that could be construed as a spoiler to those things. As Wayseeker weaves in plot points from those other novels, and even a few characters, it never delves into any true specifics.

For fans who’ve ardently kept up with all things High Republic, they come across as loving nods to the story without giving anything away. Conversely, these aspects are handled in a way that doesn’t leave newcomers behind either. Certain things are vague, implying a deeper history without requiring full knowledge of it.

Even as a “prequel” to The Acolyte, the main connection to the show is largely that it centers on characters who both appear in it. It’s not concerned with showing exactly how these characters go from where they are to where they wind up when we see them in the show. We see tidbits of this; hints at how they ultimately become the people we know from the context of the show, without feeling beholden to it either. The result is a novel that’s just a damn good Star Wars book that any fan, regardless of their knowledge of either The High Republic or The Acolyte, can enjoy.

As I mentioned, how Ireland writes the novel plays a big part in why it works and is able to carefully balance these elements. Wayseeker bounces back and forth as Vernestra’s part in the story is told via first-person prose, while everything else is in the traditional third-person perspective. To be honest, the switching back and forth was fairly jarring for me, and it definitely took a few chapters to get used to it. It’s utilization, however, does an phenomenal job of setting the two primary characters, and how they look at stuff, apart.

Vernestra is the more experienced Jedi. The confidence in her actions and reasoning come through strongly thanks to the first-person POV. By taking the opposite approach with Indara, it forces us as the readers to view her actions a bit more detached. From there we can see the self-doubt that plague her, along with the shift in mentality as their journey opens her to more experiences. The dueling perspectives also allow readers the chance to check in on the villain and his machinations without feeling out of place.

Weird as it seemed at first, how Wayseeker is written offers the best of both worlds. We get the more personal, introspective story inherent to the first-person story structure, while still getting the “full” picture from all the other characters in play. It’s a style that could just have easily not worked, but Ireland’s skillful writing makes it an asset.

All in all, Wayseeker is a fantastic new Star Wars adventure. It brings together all the action and adventure you associate with stories set in the galaxy far, far away, while keeping things character driven. For fans who’ve read The High Republic and/or watched The Acolyte, the novel brings engaging new facets to these characters; deepening our connection to them. And yet, it remains completely accessible to readers without any knowledge of those other stories. As such, there’s no reason to skip out on this one.