The publishing side of the Star Wars franchise includes some of the best parts of the universe that George Lucas created—I say this as Mara Jade’s biggest fan. The most recent boom in fandom comes from the High Republic era of books currently being released.
When talking about the eras of the Jedi, the High Republic is an exciting time because it is set long before the Skywalker saga took over the galaxy, beginning roughly a few centuries before the events of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Though The High Republic originally began as a publishing initiative, shows like The Acolyte, which is set at the tail end of the High Republic, are ramping up interest in this pivotal Star Wars era. Be warned, though—it is not an easy journey to go on. At this point, The High Republic consists of 32 titles and counting, with a lot of characters to learn about and fall in love with. The High Republic has produced an array of comic books, picture books, MG books, and YA and adult novels. There’s truly something for everyone.
But hey, if you love Star Wars and want some great titles to add to your reading list, our High Republic reading order guide is here to help. Now, there are two ways you can read the High Republic books, but we’ll be talking about them in chronological order. You can tackle them in release order as well—the High Republic has been divided into three phases, with Phase II functioning as a prequel to Phases I and III, and Phase III set as a sequel to Phase I—but if you read these stories chronologically, you’ll have the story laid out before you, and you won’t have to go back to try and remember what happened.
Quest of the Jedi (Phase II)
“Quest of the Jedi” was the second release phase of the High Republic era. It is filled with stories that came out after Phase I, “Light of the Jedi,” but it is set prior to those tales. Chronologically, this is where you should begin. You can dive into a turbulent and unusual love story like Convergence by Zoraida Córdova, or maybe the Star Wars: The High Republic comics written by Cavan Scott with artist Ario Anindito are more your speed.
It is an era filled with characters that help to color the High Republic era 150 years prior to the “Light of the Jedi” era (and roughly 350 years before The Phantom Menace) and, honestly, it’s a perfect place to start.
The chronological list for “Quest of the Jedi” is as follows:
- Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann
- Convergence by Zoraida Córdova
- Path of Deceit by Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton
- Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures by Daniel José Older with artist Toni Bruno
- Star Wars: The High Republic by Cavan Scott with artist Ario Anindito
- Tales of Enlightenment by George Mann
- Star Wars: The High Republic – The Blade by Charles Soule with artist Marco Castiello
- The Battle of Jedha by George Mann
- Quest of the Jedi by Claudia Gray with artist Fico Ossio
- Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton
- The Nameless Terror by George Mann with artists Eduardo Mello and Ornella Savarese
- Cataclysm by Lydia Kang
- Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott
- The Edge of Balance: Precedent by Daniel Jośe Older with illustrator Tomio Ogata
Light of the Jedi (Phase I)
The “Light of the Jedi” section of the High Republic era includes some of the first books released in this series. Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule was the book that kicked everything off, and you will find the stories are set 150 years after the “Quest of the Jedi” era and 200 years before the Star Wars prequel trilogy. There are some books I would already label as classics in this section, including Claudia Gray’s Into the Dark.
This was, for many, what started their love of this series of books, and you can start here if you want to experience the High Republic’s narrative in release order. Here are the “Light of the Jedi” books in chronological order.
- Starlight Stories by Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule
- Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
- The Great Jedi Rescue by Cavan Scott
- Into the Dark by Claudia Gray
- Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures by Daniel José Older with artist Harvey Tolibao
- A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland
- Star Wars: The High Republic Era by Cavan Scott with artist Ario Anindito
- The High Republic Adventures: The Monster of Temple Peak by Cavan Scott with artist Rachel Stott
- The Edge of Balance, Vol. 1 by Shima Shinya and Justina Ireland with artist Mizuki Sakakibara
- The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott
- Showdown at the Fair by George Mann
- Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older
- Trail of Shadows by Daniel José Older with artist David Wachter
- Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland
- Tempest Runner by Cavan Scott
- Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland
- The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray
- Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older
- The Battle for Starlight by George Mann
- The Edge of Balance, Vol. 2 by Shima Shinya and Daniel José Older with artist Mizuki Sakakibara
- Eye of the Storm by Charles Soule with artist Guillermo Sanna
Trials of the Jedi (Phase III)
The stories in “Trials of the Jedi” take place in the aftermath of the “Light of the Jedi” era and one of the most devastating attacks in the Republic’s history. If you’re not in the mood for going in chronological order, you’ll be reading this after “Quest of the Jedi” instead. “Trials of the Jedi” includes titles like the Shadows of Starlight miniseries by Charles Soule, which has our boy Yoda in it!
There is a lot to love in the “Trials of the Jedi”! Here are each of those stories in chronological order (so far, a few more novels are still to be published):
- Tales of Light & Life by Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, and Alyssa Wong
- Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight by Charles Soule with artists Ibraim Roberson, Marika Cresta, and Jethro Morales
- Chronicles from the Occlusion Zone by Lydia Kang
- Escape from Valo by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong
- The Eye of Darkness by George Mann
- Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures by Daniel José Older with artist Harvey Tolibao
- Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland
- Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures — Crash Landing by Daniel José Older with artist Rachele Aragno
- Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures — Saber for Hire by Cavan Scott with artist Rachael Stott
- Star Wars: The High Republic by Cavan Scott with artist Ario Anindito
- Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton
- The Edge of Balance, Vol. 3 by Shima Shinya and Daniel José Older with artist Mizuki Sakakibara
- Tempest Breaker by Cavan Scott
So, where will you begin your High Republic journey?
(featured image: Del Rey/Lucasfilm)
