Star Wars: Midnight Horizon By Daniel José Older Book Review & Plot Overview – Reath Silas, Kantam Sy, Cohmac Vitus, Ram Jomaram, Corellia, Nihil & More – High Republic Phase 1’s End (Wave 3)

**Please accept Mike’s apologies; in this review he misgendered Kantam Sy, he occasionally refers to them as a he and other times as them. Kantam is a non-binary individual and goes by they/them – Mike apologises for any offence caused!**

AS THE NIHIL SCHEME ON CORELLIA, A GROUP OF JEDI INVESTIGATE! This ep is the final spoiler-free book review from Phase 1 of the High Republic era; the young adult novel Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older! As with all of Mike’s book reviews, he starts by giving his spoiler-free thoughts, then provides some minor plot details and confirms the book’s themes & the characters, then nearer the end he provides a brief description of the whole plot, confirming characters who appear, more detailed arcs, and more spoiler-y information! He also provides his full ranking of all 9 High Republic books. This review is perfect for any fans of The High Republic!

This episode was first released on the feed of Comics In Motion, in November 2022.

This book is better if you know The High Republic Adventures comics (by Daniel José Older), which Mike tackled in episodes 86, 90 & 93.

Midnight Horizon is the final of the High Republic’s first phase – Mike has tackled every piece of the content from Phase 1 of the High Republic, the first being Light Of The Jedi on March 2021. For Starlight Stories, check episode 113 -all episodes, including comic episodes, are in a YouTube playlist, found here: ⁠https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcO1Ib_BGD8bsER_4sqfhNFfd5aoWT_YX⁠

Mike spoke with fellow High Republic architect Cavan Scott in April 2022 & George Mann in June 2023, both can be found on this feed or on YouTube, where their conversations have video!

In ep 112, Mike delved into the final 5 “Vader’s Castle” horror stories; Ghosts Of Vader’s Castle, each story shows familiar faces from the original & prequel eras along with plenty of references, shocks and even a surprise appearance or two! This is a must-listen for any horror fans, or those wanting to hear the finale of Lina Graf’s entanglement with the iconic Sith Lord & his Fortress on Mustafar!

More Content:

2 episodes of Mike, Maff & Dave’s show; Rebels Reviewed is out now, so listen to their thoughts on seasons 1 & 2 (as we get nearer to the Ahsoka series for the #RoadToAhsoka) on any podcast app or watch on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pod.fo/e/186b55⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/Kk99oyK06ho⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mike also appeared on Star Wars Timeline to talk about Ahsoka, as part of the #RoadToAhsoka: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/-qo3tVHyC1U⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  

Mike was also the judge on a recent Comics On Trial where Tony Farina & Scott Weatherly each give their stance on Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull; listen or watch here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pod.fo/e/187e09⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/8bPSFoOJ4yc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

To support Mike, you can share or rate/review the show, or support financially. You can give a one-off payment at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/genuinechitchat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or you can subscribe monthly at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Patreon.com/GenuineChitChat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – both options will give you access to “Afterthoughts” episodes!

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Collective Newsletter for weekly updates on both of Mike’s shows and many other incredible creators: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pccnewsletter.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

All of Mike’s social media & links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/GenuineChitChat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Outro read by BZ The Voice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.bzthevoice.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Intro theme arranged by Mike Burton, backing music by Eric Matyas at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soundimage.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro & Prior Reviews
02:18 Phase I&II
03:41 Review Intro
04:42 Timeline & Background
06:45 Spoiler-Free Thoughts
17:25 Blurb & Info
19:18 Opening Crawl
20:39 Mild Spoilers, Themes, Trivia & Characters
36:09 The Book’s Layout
38:51 A Passage About Detachment
42:28 Plot & Spoiler-Filled Thoughts
54:38 THR Book Rankings
56:18 Final Thoughts
59:23 Support
01:05:24 Outro

Star Wars: Comics In Canon – Out Of The Shadows by Justina Ireland Review & Overview – Vernestra Rwoh, Sylvestri Yarrow, Reath Silas, Cohmac Vitus & Hyperspace Lore – The High Republic (Phase 1, Wave 2)

This ep is another spoiler-free book review from the High Republic era, with the final book in the second wave (of the first phase); Out Of The Shadows by Justina Ireland – the young adult novel which is set shortly after The Rising Storm & Race to Crashpoint Tower, with a bunch of new and familiar characters from Into The Dark, A Test Of Courage and more!

In more detail, Mike confirms OOTS sits in the timeline and what other SW content Justina Ireland has released, before providing his fully spoiler-free review of the book. Mike then reads the blurb & crawl of the book and gives his thoughts on the themes & characters which features some very minor spoilers, including some interesting lore on Hyperspace. After providing these thoughts, Mike finishes his review by providing more-detailed thoughts on the book and confirms the general plot (including the ending) of the book.

This episode was first released on the feed of Comics In Motion, in March 2022.

Out Of The Shadows was released July 27th 2021 and is by Justina Ireland. For The High Republic, she also wrote the junior novel A Test Of Courage, the manga Edge of Balance and Mission To Disaster (Phase 1, Wave 3). She also wrote the non-High-Republic SW books Lando’s Luck, Spark Of The Resistance and the one-shot comic War Of The Bounty Hunters: Jabba The Hutt 1.

Out Of The Shadows is the young adult novel of the second wave of the High Republic’s first phase along with the “adult” novel The Rising Storm (reviewed in November 2021) and the junior novel Race To Crashpoint Tower (reviewed in February 2022), all set in 231BBY. Wave 3 (due early 2022) will include Claudia Gray’s “adult” novel The Fallen Star plus junior-novel Mission To Disaster by Justina Ireland and Daniel José Older’s young-adult novel Midnight Horizon.

Mike has reviewed all books from the first wave of phase 1 in 2021, which are Light Of The Jedi (reviewed March), A Test Of Courage (August) & Into The Dark (October), all of which take place in 232BBY.

In ep 90, Mike tackled the 2nd volume of High Republic Adventures comics, where two padawans & an ancient jedi master head to Nal Hutta along with crew from The Vessel – this journey brings plenty of reflection and lessons learned. Plus after Race To Crashpoint Tower, some characters are reunited all while Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana is attacked by the Nihil with only a single jedi there to defend! Plus Mike delves into the Parwan, Kyuzo and Rancor species & more!

To support Mike, you can rate/review the show on podcast apps, share the show with friends, or support financially. You can give a one-off payment at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/genuinechitchat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or you can subscribe monthly at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Patreon.com/GenuineChitChat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – either option will give you access to the exclusive “Afterthoughts” episodes. Patreons get access to weekly episodes plus every past episode (even when paying £1 a month) while Ko-fi tippers will be able to choose some episodes – Afterthoughts includes several Star Wars Legends book reviews/plot overviews including the Darth Bane Trilogy, Darth Plagueis & more!

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Collective Newsletter for weekly updates on both of Mike’s shows and many other incredible creators: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pccnewsletter.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  

All of Mike’s social media & links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/GenuineChitChat⁠⁠⁠⁠

Outro read by BZ The Voice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.bzthevoice.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Intro theme arranged by Mike Burton, backing music by Eric Matyas at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soundimage.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:21 Timeline & Other Releases
03:03 Justina Ireland’s Other Works
04:08 Recommended Reading
07:08 Spoiler-Free Thoughts
13:46 Blurb & Opening Crawl
17:56 Themes & Characters
36:11 Trivia & Hyperspace Info
46:17 The Book’s Plot (Spoilers)
58:56 Mike’s Other Content
01:06:16 Coming Up

Star Wars THR: Into The Dark by Claudia Gray Review & Overview – Reath Silas, Orla Jareni, Cohmac Vitus, Drengir Origins & More – The High Republic (Phase 1, Wave 1)

In this episode, Mike is doing another spoiler-free book review from the High Republic era; Into The Dark by Claudia Gray! Although the book is a “young adult” novel, it’s still an excellent read for teenagers & adults alike and is part of the first wave of the first phase of High Republic content, focusing primarily on padawan Reath Silas & the Drengir!

In more detail, for the first half of the episode, Mike gives a bit of information on the other releases for The High Republic (the first two waves within Phase 1) and then delves into his spoiler-free review; primarily providing information from the blurb and within the first few pages; talking about the book’s themes, what he enjoyed about it and how it impacts the rest of The High Republic. In the second half, Mike provides more details on the characters within the story and gives examples on how the book’s themes work with the story being told and how it fits in with other High Republic material, which falls into light-spoiler territory. He gives plenty of warning before delving into his more detailed review, so you can listen to as little or as much info about Into The Dark before picking it up yourself – Mike ends the review with a general overview of the other High Republic books and talking about where they fit chronologically with the comics & other High Republic content.

Into The Dark was released February 2nd 2021 by Claudia Gray. She has also written the young adult novels Lost Stars and Leia: Princess Of Alderaan, as well as the “adult” novels Master & Apprentice and Bloodline. She has also recently announced The Fallen Star; the third “adult” book in The High Republic era.

Please note this episode was originally released in October 2021 on the feed of Comics In Motion.

Into The Dark is from Phase 1, Wave 1 of The High Republic, also in Wave 1 is Light Of The Jedi and A Test Of Courage. Phase 1, Wave 2 includes The Rising Storm, Out Of The Shadows and Race To Crashpoint Tower and Wave 3 (due early 2022) will include Claudia Gray’s “adult” novel The Fallen Star plus junior-novel Mission To Disaster and young-adult novel Midnight Horizon.

Mike also interviewed Claudia Gray on December 12th 2020, so make sure you check that out if you haven’t already!

Check out the last episode of SWCIC for the third full chapter in the War Of The Bounty Hunters crossover, with a ton of action, characters & connections! Join Mike as he takes you through the 6 issues where Valance & Dengar are hunted by Deathstick, Zuckuss gets more canon backstory, Qi’ra takes on Darth Vader, Boba Fett fights everyone’s favourite wookiee and Luke reflects on his time against the dark lord all while Aphra & Sana Starros try to hide from the action while stealing some high-value artifacts – all of this plus many facts & connections from Mike!

Other SW Content:

Make sure you check out Dave & Chris’ discussion on the finale of The Mandalorian (Mike pops in at the end) here: ⁠⁠⁠https://pod.fo/e/175c72 ⁠⁠⁠– ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/MSd14cbQ_qE⁠⁠⁠

Mike, Maff & Dave’s new show; Rebels Reviewed is out now, listen on any podcast app or watch on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pod.fo/e/166659⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  – ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/oVXItTYLe68⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Collective Newsletter for weekly updates on both of Mike’s shows and plenty of other incredible creators, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pccnewsletter.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Find all of Mike’s social media & links at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/GenuineChitChat⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Outro read by BZ The Voice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.bzthevoice.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Intro theme arranged by Mike Burton, backing music by Eric Matyas at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soundimage.org

⁠⁠

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
01:55 THR Background Information
08:45 Spoiler-Free Plot Brief
12:44 Spoiler-Free Review
23:04 Light Spoiler Review
30:38 More Spoiler-y Details
37:55 More Plot Details
43:08 Final Thoughts & Recommendations
48:33 Outro