Star Wars: Cataclysm (the High Republic) - (Star Wars: The High Republic: Prequel Era) by Lydia Kang

Book Synopsis

After the thrilling events of The High Republic: Convergence, the Jedi race to confront the Path of the Open Hand and end the Forever War.

After five years of conflict, the planets Eiram and E'ronoh are on the cusp of real peace. But when news breaks of a disaster at the treaty signing on Jedha, violence reignites on the beleaguered worlds. Together, the royal heirs of both planets--Phan-tu Zenn and Xiri A'lbaran--working alongside the Jedi, have uncovered evidence that the conflict is being orchestrated by outside forces, and all signs point to the mysterious Path of the Open Hand, whom the Jedi also suspect of causing the disaster on Jedha.

With time--and answers--in short supply, the Jedi must divide their focus between helping quell the renewed violence on Eiram and E'ronoh and investigating the Path. Among them is Gella Nattai, who turns to the one person she believes can unravel the mystery but the last person she wants to trust: Axel Greylark. The chancellor's son, imprisoned for his crimes, has always sought to unburden himself of the weight of his family name. Will he reconcile with the Jedi and aid in their quest for justice and peace, or embrace the Path's promise of true freedom?

As all roads lead to Dalna, Gella and her allies prepare to take on a foe unlike any they've ever faced. And it will take all of their trust in the Force, and in one another, to survive.

Review Quotes

"While part of a larger story, Cataclysm has all the traits of the best Star Wars books--courageous Jedi, fearsome villains, and love powerful enough to change the fate of the galaxy."--Dork Side of the Force

"Lydia Kang delivers a High Republic masterpiece. . . . Happy and sad tears will drip from your face onto the pages, but the heart of Cataclysm is as pure as Star Wars can be. The fight for survival, love, and a future fuels a book that will leave your heart racing."--Star Wars News Net

"Cataclysm is definitely the must-read climactic finale of this arc."--Laughing Place

About the Author

Lydia Kang is an author of adult and young adult fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. She is also a doctor and practices internal medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. She became a Star Wars author with the short story "Right-Hand Man" in the 2020 anthology From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, which describes the critical scene in which 2-1B attaches Luke Skywalker's prosthetic hand. Her historical fiction includes the bestselling titles Opium and Absinthe, A Beautiful Poison, The Impossible Girl, and The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding. She is the co-author of Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, an NPR Science Friday Best Science Book of 2017, as well as Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases. She lives with her three kids, physician husband, and two very codependent dogs, one of which looks uncannily like an Ewok.