When The High Republic series was announced and the list of authors involved was revealed, I was not familiar with Justina Ireland. Since then, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that her books have actually been the some of the best and thankfully that trend continues in Mission to Disaster.
One of the best things about Ireland’s work for The High Republic is her use of characters she introduced in her first book, A Test of Courage. This has had two effects, first, it has allowed readers to connect to the characters, in ways some of the other books haven’t, because of their expansive casts and plots. Second, it has allowed her stories to be more focused in their scope, telling smaller stories while still fitting them in with the over-all narrative of the series. Mission to Disaster continues to build the characters of Vernestra Rwoh, her padawan Imri Cantaros and inventor wunderkind Avon Starros. Ireland also brings back the Dalna people and expands on them, adding to the tapestry of this era in rewarding ways. Like most Star Wars books, there is a lot more to the plot but why spoil that in a review.
Mission to Disaster has a fun Temple of Doom vibe, some good themes and a focused story. The only true issue I have has nothing to do with the story itself, but the release order. I wish these books were being released in a more chronological fashion since this book takes place before what we saw in The Fallen Star. Mission to Disaster is a good adventure and it is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars.
This review was completed using a copy of Mission to Disaster provided by Disney Lucasfilm Press.
