Star Wars: A New Dawn

I’m going to get one thing out of the way here. I’ve read just about every Star Wars novel that has been released since the Thrawn Trilogy in the 90′s. I’ve been captivated and emotionally invested in this expanded universe, and while it has always been “non canon”, almost everyone who read the books didn’t take it that way. You have almost 25 years of continuous story, and now, that’s all down the drain. It’s fair to say that I’ve got mixed feelings about this. I mean, Han and Leia could not get married, and they won’t have Jaina, Jacen or Anakin. The Yuuzhan Vong may not even exist, and Chewbacca is still alive!! Mara Jade?? Forget about her, gone the way of the dodo.

The aptly named A New Dawn takes place between the movie episodes III and IV. You won’t have any characters you recognize in this book minus the Emperor, and it sets up the upcoming Star Wars Rebels series on Disney XD nicely. Don’t take that to mean it’s a novel for children, it’s not. There is some truly evil stuff going on in this book, and it definitely sets it self apart from what the show is supposed to be.

John Jackson Miller really gives you a sense of how this new universe is going to be. He shows you the grip that the Empire has in the system, and how people are reacting. He sets up a rag-tag group of people in Kanan, Hera, Skelly, and Zaluna fighting against the Empire to prevent the annihilation of a world. These characters for the most part will play big roles in the upcoming series. What JJM does best is give these characters the dimensions they need that might not come across on the small screen. A look inside the motivations of each character. The book is billed as being the way that Kanan and Hera meet, but it’s very much Kanan’s book.

You’ll find the typical Star Wars fanfare here. Sweeping space battles, exciting ground battles, political intrigue and bits of betrayal. The only thing you won’t find, and honestly, it wouldn’t make sense to have it in this book, is giant lightsaber battles and lots of force use.

You’ll also get an inkling of just how the rebellion started before Leia and the characters you know get involved. While not fully explored, there was a nice little nod to the start of it, and there is plenty left to build upon.

There was an interesting villain in Count Vidian who most certain resembles a Darth Vader, sans force ability. Almost too close for my taste. It was almost like they wanted at least some resemblance to the movie characters in order to draw new readers in. That way there had a sense of familiarity even though it’s a totally new setting with totally new characters.

The plot moves along quite nicely, and slows in all the right places in order to allow you to absorb everything that’s going on and concludes in an exciting and satisfactory way.

The Bottom Line: The book does a good job of initiating those that have never read a Star Wars novel, and provides a great jumping off point so they don’t have to feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of books in the now Legends series. John Jackson Miller did a fantastic job of building the characters and re-enforcing the Star Wars universe without being overly in your face about it to those that are used to expanded universe. It’s well worth the read. It’s pricey at around $12, but is worth the investment.

I'll be the wierdo of the Star Wars fanbase and say outright - I am somewhat relieved that there finally a distinction between fan fiction (EU) and what will be part of official canon (6 movies + Clone wars animated + Rebels animated + these 4 new books being delivered). I have tried to get into other fan fiction novels but soon lost since since there lacked continuity and fear that it'd be contradicted.

The book itself was a very enjoyable run. Nice character development, nice story line great twists and turns. Downside is that the editing should have been cleaner. Found too many grammatical mistakes that were overlooked that would stopp me, unnecessarily, as I had to figure out what was trying to be said. That's a disappointment.

If it was a standalone book I'd only give 3 stars. The story was a fun run but nothing Earth shattering.

But as a setup for the new series I'd give it 4! Knowing the character's thoughts cannot be done in effectively since Magnum PI so this is a great setup for the new season.

What to expect: fun story for all ages, great setup for series, no literary masterpiece.

This really is the start of a new Era of Star Wars, both as the first of the new canon and to help fill the gap between episodes III and IV.
To make it short and sweet, A New Dawn brings together aspects of both episodes III and IV. It's fun at some times, and other times the Empire is shown full fledged evil. It's a great ride all the way through.

This was a good book to start the introduction to the new rebels TV series it developed the characters and was a well written story. It is set between the clone wars and a "New Hope" it shows the promise of some good stories to come

I'm a die hard Star Wars fan, I've dug into just about anything Star Wars. The old EU though was so bogged down with crop that there was no good jumping into place. Disney rebooting the EU with a fresh start was the best thing that could have happened. The author knows Star Wars, pacing, and how to tell a thrilling story.

“Star Wars: A New Dawn” is an important entry into the Star Wars library for a few reasons. First, it is the first book in Disney’s new Star Wars canon. In other words, this book is just as much a part of the Star Wars saga as any of the movies. Second, this book introduces readers to a few of the main characters in the upcoming animated TV show “Star Wars: Rebels.”

To be perfectly honest, I had not been particularly excited about “Rebels.” I had some issues with “The Clone Wars” and the same creative team is heading “Rebels.” From what I’d seen thus far, it seemed like the beginning of the Disneyfication of Star Wars. So I was initially somewhat skeptical of this book. That said, John Jackson Miller is one of my favorite Star Wars authors, so it had that to its credit.

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

I was pleasantly surprised by the main protagonist, Kanan Jarrus. In the trailers for the TV show, Kanan appeared to be just a “cowboy Jedi” (Dave Filoni’s words, not mine). However, in “A New Dawn,” Kanan comes across as a character with real depth. To some extent, he’s another “smuggler with a heart of gold,” but the novel takes that trope much further than we’ve seen in Star Wars before. Kanan is an inveterate womanizer. I am pretty sure that he’s the biggest “player” we’ve ever seen in the Star Wars galaxy. He has some great lines. Yet, it’s also clear that he’s hiding real pain as he tries to cope with the loss of the Jedi Order. JJM uses point of view in interesting ways to contrast Kanan’s self-perception – that he’s hard-edged and cynical – against the reality – that can’t help himself from helping others. I’d go so far as to say that he’s potentially the most interesting Jedi in the current Star Wars canon.

Hera Syndulla, the main pilot of the “Rebels” TV show, also gets some nice characterization. She’s not quite as interesting as Kanan, but I appreciated her competence and wit. I love how she regularly cuts through Kanan’s flirtations and other nonsense with a quick barb. We don’t learn as much about her background, but it’s clear that she has deep and personal reasons for hating the Empire.

Unfortunately, the villains don’t fare nearly as well. The primary antagonist, Count Vidian, is a business executive and management consultant working for Emperor Palpatine. Although having a businessman as a villain could have provided for some unique and interesting scenarios, in practice Count Vidian comes across as mix between Mitt Romney and General Grievous. Like Grievous, Vidian is a cyborg who kills subordinates for flimsy reasons. Unlike Darth Vader, Vidian never really acquires much depth. He is a sadist who uses his brawn rather than his brain. Aside from a few consulting catchphrases (“Forget the old way!”) there’s really nothing that distinguishes him from other generic Star Wars villains.

This is all a bit disappointing because JJM is usually excellent at creating memorable multidimensional villains. The Sith Lords in “Knight Errant” remain some of my favorites in Star Wars. Ironically, the book seems almost self-aware of this problem as several characters comment that they’d expected Vidian to be more reasonable or unlike other Imperials. Given that much of the plot later in the book focuses on Vidian and secrets of his identity, the fact that I just didn’t care about him ended up being a real drag on the book.

We’ve seen a bit of the Dark Times in comics but haven’t had many stories set in this era of Star Wars. JJM does a great job setting up the context, showing readers why it’s called the “Dark Times.” The Empire appears omnipotent and omnipresent. It trammels on individual lives carelessly and casually. JJM clearly took inspiration from real-world dictatorships to describe the Empire’s security state. We even get some insight into the people who work for the government through a Zaluna, a Sullustan who works at a surveillance firm. It’s fascinating hearing her attempting to justify her actions spying on ordinary citizens.

The plot itself is a bit less exciting. In short, Count Vidian wants to mine more resources from a moon, but doing so risks its destruction. The protagonists set out to stop him. Seems like a standard story akin to Avatar or Fern Gully. Yet, the book never really engages with those types of environmental themes. One is never really given a reason to care for the moon (aside from the general fact that we don’t like Imperials blowing up moons). We hear that the moon has a nature reserve but never get a sense of its beauty. I found myself more interested in seeing Kanan and Hera interact than in how the plot unfolded.

If this book were an advertisement for the “Rebels” TV show, I’d say it’s mostly a success. Mostly. The book is stronger on characters and context than on plot. The protagonists are much more interesting than I’d expected and I’ll be interested to see where they go from here. Count Vidian might not appear in “Rebels” so I don’t know if he is typically of the villains we’ll see in the TV show (hopefully not). This is not the best Star Wars novel by JJM, but I’m definitely more excited for the TV show than I was before. I do hope it matches the tone and characterizations found in this book.

[I received an advance version of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

This book intrigued me for a number of reasons, the main being the introduction to the new Canon. The secondary reason was the interest in the back story to some of the characters of the new Star Wars Rebels series. I was concerned going in that because of the cartoon nature of the Rebels series (of which I enjoy watching with my children, all under the age of 10) the book would be more childish in nature, and not up to the deep stories created in the existing EU. Let me first say that if you were concerned about this, you can rest assured that this book fits in with the style of the, now non-canon, EU. There is nothing cartoon like about this book whatsoever. So if that was your concern, feel free to order this book right now.

On to the writing style - I have read quite a number of books from the Star Wars EU, however this was the first book I've read by John Jackson Miller. This book was very well written, and very captivating from the very beginning. It was one of those books that just keeps moving, page after page. The character development is well done, the scene descriptions are perfect, and the action leaps off of the page. I can honestly say that after reading this book I will definitely seek out more John Jackson Miller books in the future.

I don't feel the need to really get into a summary of the story. I feel that the book description does enough to whet anyone's appetite for a book, and I don't like stumbling across spoilers, no matter how small when I'm reading reviews. I prefer to just dive into a book and go along for the ride from the very beginning. I will say that the story was fantastic, and did a great job giving us more insight into the personality of Hera and Kanon.

The character of Kanon was greatly built upon from how he appears in the Rebels show. As many have said, he has much more of a "Han Solo-esque" personality. This look into him really helps give credence and grit to the Kanon character on the Rebels cartoon, all while making him feel more grown up. The character of Hera, while not the main character of this story, is well built upon as well, and you get more of an idea as to her passions and her talents. This again does a great job to build into her character on the cartoon.

I've seen a few people compare the Vidian character to Darth Vader, and even saw one review that said they were almost the same person. I couldn't disagree more. Vidian was a well written villain, and you really got to know his character, and what makes him tick as you read. Outside of the droid type of enhancements, I did not see anything Vader in his character. He was physically a blend of General Grevious and Darth Vader, but that is where any comparisons stop. He is a well written new villain in the Star Wars universe, and his story was well covered in this book to where you really get a deep feeling for the character. He definitely wasn't just thrown in.

To sum this all up, I think that the future of the EU has been pointed in a good direction. I am as bummed as the next person to see all the stories and history that have become home in my personal Star Wars universe wiped away and now declared "Legends". I understand the reasoning, and if this first book is any indication of where the universe is headed, I think we'll be okay. You can read this book and it would fit into the current EU without issues, and that is something that I appreciate.

I would highly recommend this book to those who were fans of the old EU and those who may be directed here because of an interest in the new personalities in the Rebels show. This is a well written story that flows incredibly well from start to finish and feels as much Star Wars as any book I've read in the past.

.. i read star wars books because of the Force. If thats the draw for you too, then this book ranks with the Kenobi novel as "meh", and easily passed over. I cant see bothering with Tarkin either for the same reason.
Wrong direction completely imo.

The first book in the new Star Wars canon is written by author, John Jackson Miller. Miller also wrote a western style Star Wars book that’s now label under the Legends banner: Kenobi (you should really go pick up Kenobi and start reading it today). A New Dawn contains a forward written by Dave Filoni, the creator of Disney’s new animated series, Rebels.

Not so long ago in the galaxy we all dwell in, Star Wars A New Dawn wiped out all existing books that were considered canon in the Expanded Universe, depending on how you personally look at it. This book is the first in the new canon that will correlate with the cinematic canon.

Star Wars A New Dawn takes place years after the Clone Wars but long before A New Hope. Our new characters in this book are Kanan and Hera. We follow them on a crazy mission to defy Count Vivian, a cyborg villain working for the Empire. We see how the Empire is starting to wear on some of the folks in the universe and a glimpse of the beginning of a rebellion. The characters are voiced well, reading much better than they appear on the television show. Overall the book is mediocre and doesn’t add much in my opinion. Let’s hope the new canon brings bigger and better stories. I think this books purpose was really to advertise for Filoni’s cartoon.

“Star Wars: A New Dawn” is an important entry into the Star Wars library for a few reasons. First, it is the first book in Disney’s new Star Wars canon. In other words, this book is just as much a part of the Star Wars saga as any of the movies. Second, this book introduces readers to a few of the main characters in the upcoming animated TV show “Star Wars: Rebels.”

To be perfectly honest, I had not been particularly excited about “Rebels.” I had some issues with “The Clone Wars” and the same creative team is heading “Rebels.” From what I’d seen thus far, it seemed like the beginning of the Disneyfication of Star Wars. So I was initially somewhat skeptical of this book. That said, John Jackson Miller is one of my favorite Star Wars authors, so it had that to its credit.

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

I was pleasantly surprised by the main protagonist, Kanan Jarrus. In the trailers for the TV show, Kanan appeared to be just a “cowboy Jedi” (Dave Filoni’s words, not mine). However, in “A New Dawn,” Kanan comes across as a character with real depth. To some extent, he’s another “smuggler with a heart of gold,” but the novel takes that trope much further than we’ve seen in Star Wars before. Kanan is an inveterate womanizer. I am pretty sure that he’s the biggest “player” we’ve ever seen in the Star Wars galaxy. He has some great lines. Yet, it’s also clear that he’s hiding real pain as he tries to cope with the loss of the Jedi Order. JJM uses point of view in interesting ways to contrast Kanan’s self-perception – that he’s hard-edged and cynical – against the reality – that can’t help himself from helping others. I’d go so far as to say that he’s potentially the most interesting Jedi in the current Star Wars canon.

Hera Syndulla, the main pilot of the “Rebels” TV show, also gets some nice characterization. She’s not quite as interesting as Kanan, but I appreciated her competence and wit. I love how she regularly cuts through Kanan’s flirtations and other nonsense with a quick barb. We don’t learn as much about her background, but it’s clear that she has deep and personal reasons for hating the Empire.

Unfortunately, the villains don’t fare nearly as well. The primary antagonist, Count Vidian, is a business executive and management consultant working for Emperor Palpatine. Although having a businessman as a villain could have provided for some unique and interesting scenarios, in practice Count Vidian comes across as mix between Mitt Romney and General Grievous. Like Grievous, Vidian is a cyborg who kills subordinates for flimsy reasons. Unlike Darth Vader, Vidian never really acquires much depth. He is a sadist who uses his brawn rather than his brain. Aside from a few consulting catchphrases (“Forget the old way!”) there’s really nothing that distinguishes him from other generic Star Wars villains.

This is all a bit disappointing because JJM is usually excellent at creating memorable multidimensional villains. The Sith Lords in “Knight Errant” remain some of my favorites in Star Wars. Ironically, the book seems almost self-aware of this problem as several characters comment that they’d expected Vidian to be more reasonable or unlike other Imperials. Given that much of the plot later in the book focuses on Vidian and secrets of his identity, the fact that I just didn’t care about him ended up being a real drag on the book.

We’ve seen a bit of the Dark Times in comics but haven’t had many stories set in this era of Star Wars. JJM does a great job setting up the context, showing readers why it’s called the “Dark Times.” The Empire appears omnipotent and omnipresent. It trammels on individual lives carelessly and casually. JJM clearly took inspiration from real-world dictatorships to describe the Empire’s security state. We even get some insight into the people who work for the government through a Zaluna, a Sullustan who works at a surveillance firm. It’s fascinating hearing her attempting to justify her actions spying on ordinary citizens.

The plot itself is a bit less exciting. In short, Count Vidian wants to mine more resources from a moon, but doing so risks its destruction. The protagonists set out to stop him. Seems like a standard story akin to Avatar or Fern Gully. Yet, the book never really engages with those types of environmental themes. One is never really given a reason to care for the moon (aside from the general fact that we don’t like Imperials blowing up moons). We hear that the moon has a nature reserve but never get a sense of its beauty. I found myself more interested in seeing Kanan and Hera interact than in how the plot unfolded.

If this book were an advertisement for the “Rebels” TV show, I’d say it’s mostly a success. Mostly. The book is stronger on characters and context than on plot. The protagonists are much more interesting than I’d expected and I’ll be interested to see where they go from here. Count Vidian might not appear in “Rebels” so I don’t know if he is typically of the villains we’ll see in the TV show (hopefully not). This is not the best Star Wars novel by JJM, but I’m definitely more excited for the TV show than I was before. I do hope it matches the tone and characterizations found in this book.

[I received an advance version of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

This book intrigued me for a number of reasons, the main being the introduction to the new Canon. The secondary reason was the interest in the back story to some of the characters of the new Star Wars Rebels series. I was concerned going in that because of the cartoon nature of the Rebels series (of which I enjoy watching with my children, all under the age of 10) the book would be more childish in nature, and not up to the deep stories created in the existing EU. Let me first say that if you were concerned about this, you can rest assured that this book fits in with the style of the, now non-canon, EU. There is nothing cartoon like about this book whatsoever. So if that was your concern, feel free to order this book right now.

On to the writing style - I have read quite a number of books from the Star Wars EU, however this was the first book I've read by John Jackson Miller. This book was very well written, and very captivating from the very beginning. It was one of those books that just keeps moving, page after page. The character development is well done, the scene descriptions are perfect, and the action leaps off of the page. I can honestly say that after reading this book I will definitely seek out more John Jackson Miller books in the future.

I don't feel the need to really get into a summary of the story. I feel that the book description does enough to whet anyone's appetite for a book, and I don't like stumbling across spoilers, no matter how small when I'm reading reviews. I prefer to just dive into a book and go along for the ride from the very beginning. I will say that the story was fantastic, and did a great job giving us more insight into the personality of Hera and Kanon.

The character of Kanon was greatly built upon from how he appears in the Rebels show. As many have said, he has much more of a "Han Solo-esque" personality. This look into him really helps give credence and grit to the Kanon character on the Rebels cartoon, all while making him feel more grown up. The character of Hera, while not the main character of this story, is well built upon as well, and you get more of an idea as to her passions and her talents. This again does a great job to build into her character on the cartoon.

I've seen a few people compare the Vidian character to Darth Vader, and even saw one review that said they were almost the same person. I couldn't disagree more. Vidian was a well written villain, and you really got to know his character, and what makes him tick as you read. Outside of the droid type of enhancements, I did not see anything Vader in his character. He was physically a blend of General Grevious and Darth Vader, but that is where any comparisons stop. He is a well written new villain in the Star Wars universe, and his story was well covered in this book to where you really get a deep feeling for the character. He definitely wasn't just thrown in.

To sum this all up, I think that the future of the EU has been pointed in a good direction. I am as bummed as the next person to see all the stories and history that have become home in my personal Star Wars universe wiped away and now declared "Legends". I understand the reasoning, and if this first book is any indication of where the universe is headed, I think we'll be okay. You can read this book and it would fit into the current EU without issues, and that is something that I appreciate.

I would highly recommend this book to those who were fans of the old EU and those who may be directed here because of an interest in the new personalities in the Rebels show. This is a well written story that flows incredibly well from start to finish and feels as much Star Wars as any book I've read in the past.

While watching Star Wars: Rebels did you ever find yourself wondering how the characters ended up meeting each other in the first place? A New Dawn doesn’t tell us the full story, but it does tell us how Hera and Kanan met, and since they’re both my favorites of the series (cough totally not biased cough) I’m inclined to consider their meeting the most important.
As far as where A New Dawn fits in with the rest of the canon series, I can give you a pretty good estimate for that one. Movie wise it fits in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. As far as the books go it’s tucked between Thrawn and Lost Stars (both are fantastic, in case you were wondering).
A New Dawn is not quite what I was expecting, but I loved it anyway. This was a great prelude to the Rebels series, if I may say so. I for one have always had questions about many of the characters in Rebels, but in particular I’ve been wondering about Kanan and Hera, and this novel finally gives me a few of the answers I’ve been hoping for. Granted, it doesn’t tell me everything, but I’ll take what I can get!
For some reason I had always assumed that Kanan had gotten Hera into the Rebellion, rather than the other way around, but I’ve officially been proven wrong. In this novel we have Kanan essentially in hiding after the fall of the Jedi (for more information on how Kanan survived that, go ahead and read his graphic novels). Meanwhile Hera is the bold and brave agent trying to gather information and make a difference in the galaxy. I wasn’t expecting that twist, and while Kanan immediately steps up to help Hera out, the fact remains that he may not have had she not been there. It’s interesting food for thought.
I loved the character interactions in this story, as well as getting a chance to know the characters without having the others around (not that I don’t love them all – especially Chopper). So often we’ve been forced to see one or both of them guarded, but here they’re a bit more open. Okay, that’s not completely true, as they both have a lot of secrets, but there’s an instant connection between the two that draws them to each other (okay, it’s mostly Kanan being drawn to Hera, but still).
It was interesting to see both characters in a different point in their lives. Hera is confident in her abilities, but she hasn’t hit the point where she feels comfortable working in a team (even thought that is vital for finishing many of the missions she hopes to take on). Meanwhile Kanan is still hurting from his past, and unsure of what he should make of his future. By joining the Rebellion he’s essentially decided to stop sitting on the sideline and instead start fighting for hope. It’s a great change for him, and is wonderful to see it happen.
The antagonist for the series is an interesting one. While he is more physically intimidating than Tarkin, I almost want to put him on the same level. Vidian is a scary dude – and that’s before taking his cyborg body into account. He’s cold and calculating and clearly has no problem coming to lethal conclusions for the sake of business. In short he’s the perfect antagonist for our newly founded team.
I know I’m biased because I love Hera and Kanan (though mostly Hera – she’s one of my favorite characters in all of Star Wars, which is saying something), but I really enjoyed this novel. It’s fast paced and witty and everything else one would hope to find in a Star Wars novel. Even the battle scenes (the few that there were) were pretty great. I know it’s unlikely we’ll see another full novel about any of the Rebels characters, but I would so love it should another one come out. Here’s hoping!

.. i read star wars books because of the Force. If thats the draw for you too, then this book ranks with the Kenobi novel as "meh", and easily passed over. I cant see bothering with Tarkin either for the same reason.
Wrong direction completely imo.

The first book in the new Star Wars canon is written by author, John Jackson Miller. Miller also wrote a western style Star Wars book that’s now label under the Legends banner: Kenobi (you should really go pick up Kenobi and start reading it today). A New Dawn contains a forward written by Dave Filoni, the creator of Disney’s new animated series, Rebels.

Not so long ago in the galaxy we all dwell in, Star Wars A New Dawn wiped out all existing books that were considered canon in the Expanded Universe, depending on how you personally look at it. This book is the first in the new canon that will correlate with the cinematic canon.

Star Wars A New Dawn takes place years after the Clone Wars but long before A New Hope. Our new characters in this book are Kanan and Hera. We follow them on a crazy mission to defy Count Vivian, a cyborg villain working for the Empire. We see how the Empire is starting to wear on some of the folks in the universe and a glimpse of the beginning of a rebellion. The characters are voiced well, reading much better than they appear on the television show. Overall the book is mediocre and doesn’t add much in my opinion. Let’s hope the new canon brings bigger and better stories. I think this books purpose was really to advertise for Filoni’s cartoon.

I believe that this book was actually a precursor to the Star Wars Rebels TV series, so this is the first time we are actually meeting Kanan and Hera. I could be wrong on that, but I think it is very interesting to see them after having known them for so long.

I like origin stories, and I really enjoyed seeing how they first meet. They DID NOT like each other...well Hera didn't really like Kanan, he immediately hit on her. Yes, Kanan! The stoic former Jedi Padawan, hit on Hera! I think this is my favorite part about this novel, because we know Kanan as this very cool and collected guy trying to fight the empire, but when we meet him in this story he's kinda of like every frat dude I avoided in college! Seriously! Dude only cares about flirting with all the ladies, where he's going to get his next credit and just staying out of the empire's way. He's a regular old Han Solo! I loved this about the younger Kanan, and you can kind of see why he thew out the Jedi way so early on. Kanan is a survivor and he knows that he has to be different in order to not be found out. It also really showed his character development, and makes everything he goes through in Rebels mean so much more.

I also really enjoy that it lays the ground work for Kanan and Hera's relationship. She is so mission focused that she doesn't really have time for that, but he is still very much interested. I don't think it was just fans shipping them in the show, I think there is something between them and the seeds are planted in this adventure.

I have to say that I am probably rating this book a little higher than normal because I did the audiobook and Marc Thompson narrated it. I could listen to that dude read the phone book. He always seems to find a way to make these stories interesting to me. Although, I do have one issue, his voice for Zaluna sounded a little too much like Droopy the dog, but she's not a major character so I was able to get over it. Otherwise I think he did a pretty good job with all the other voices. I actually didn't mind his female voice, which I usually have an issue with male narrators.

I have to admit that this book did seem to drag on a little bit, and I just was thinking, "okay, so can we get to the end of this, already??" I also was disappointed we didn't get to see more of the rest of The Ghost crew. I missed Zeb and Sabine. I'm not sure if there are other books with all of them meeting up with Kanan & Hera, but I would be interested in reading those too.

In the end I was satisfied with this book, but I think if you are trying to pick and choose which Star Wars books to read this could be one you could skip. I think Marc Thompson's narration is what really sold me on it, and I don't think I would have liked it as much had I just read this myself.

Mostly a Kanan story, with only a small piece of Kanan before Order 66. The comics I think are filling in the gap between Order 66 and This novel, which is a nice prequel to Star Wars Rebels. I hope that there will be more stories as well, since this still has a few years pre-Ezra.
On a writing point, John Jackson Miller does a good job in creating that Star Wars feel with his characters and world-building, as well as with the story telling. It is not an easy task to be unique and original in a pre-made world, and still remain true to the form. JJM does a good job of this, and I hope that he gets tasked for a future novel in this universe as well.

When I saw this book, I initially had only a slight interest in it. But after watching and enjoying episodes of "Star Wars Rebels", I wanted to get more character depth and context for Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus and their relationship. Boy did I get it! Jack Johnson Miller fantastically recounts Kanan's tragic background and his current drunk, rough, womanizing persona who can't stop himself from helping others. Kanan by far has one of the most interesting personas and history of any jedi to date. His character is so well done and has so many one-liners that it's almost impossibe not to care. Hera is also interesting, but we don't learn much about her background. She is definitey portrayed as the capable, charismatic rebel that she is.

The supporting characters of Skelly and Zaluna also lift up the novel, especially Zaluna who is forced to spy on everyone's activities on the planet Gorse and its mining moon Cynda for the Imperials. There are also several minor characters that are great in this story.

The villain, the efficient and ruthless businessman Count Vidian, is another well-done character, albeit simpler and maybe a little too-closely similar to Darth Vader. His relationship to the top hierarchy of the Empire and the pressures they put on him, including the Emperor himself, gives the reader no dull moment when reading from his point of view.

Despite the many opportunities, Miller thankfully spares us from political lectures on business and environmental issues and instead allows us to enjoy Star Wars politics in its place (along with many other things). While the story does not have all of the action of a typical Star Wars movie, it's got plenty of blaster-fights, operations, and space-ship battles to keep those thirsting for action entertained. This book has something for everyone and is a great addition to Star Wars canon!

Published in 2014, "Star Wars: A New Dawn" served two purposes: to introduce the new canon and to act as a prequel to the animated television show Star Wars: Rebels. Having thrown out all previous novels in the Star Wars canon, "A New Dawn" certainly had a lot riding on it. Author John Jackson Miller had some large shoes to fill, as his predecessors had written some excellent stories. However, Miller had also written several Star Wars novels prior to "Dawn," including the well-received "Kenobi." So how does "Dawn" stack up against its predecessors and does it do justice to the new canon?

"A New Dawn" is set in between the events of Episode III:Revenge of the Sith and a Episode IV: A New Hope. The plot revolves around Kanan Jarrus, a former Jedi who is now in hiding, and the mysterious Hera, an early figure in the rebel movement against the Galactic Empire. Looking to gather information on one of the Emperors enforcer's--the cyborg Count Vidian-- Hera visits the planet Gorse, where she, Kanan, and several other characters are drawn into a light-hearted adventure to save Gorse and defeat the evil Count Vidian. The plot is unoriginal and Miller seems to tread lightly, perhaps so as not to ruin any surprises in future television or movie episodes. The plot contains the requisite number of dogfights and blaster skirmishes with stormtroopers. It is also small in scope and takes place primarily only on the planet Gorse, and never feels like the galaxy-trotting adventure that Star Wars should be.

Where the book shines (and ultimately saves itself from a lower score) is in the characterization. The plot is so derivative I was ready to give the book up, but the robust characterization drew me in, particularly in the last third of the novel. Kanan is a very interesting and complex character, who wants no part of a rebellion, but is ultimately dragged into it when a friend is murdered by the Empire. Hera is mysterious and leaves the reader wanting to know more about her background and ultimate goals. At first glance, Count Vidian is your typical evil science fiction cyborg, but Miller gives him a fascinating backstory, and he ends up becoming one of the more memorable characters in the story.

The style that "A New Dawn" is written in can best be described as light and cartoonish. The book reads like a young adult novel, an apparent (and disappointing) trend in novels of the new canon. Dialogue is often silly and certainly sounds like it is drawn from a cartoon.

Ultimately, "A New Dawn" doesn't pass muster when compared to those Star Wars novels that have gone before it, though it does act as an effective prequel to Rebels. If you're interested in getting some backstory on two lead Rebels characters, "Dawn" is worth the read, especially given its strength of characterization. Just be aware that it isn't the best example of what Star Wars authors are capable of.

In Summation:

The Good:
-an effective Rebels prequel
-strong characterization

The Bad:
-unoriginal plot
-cartoonish writing style
-small scope of action

Miller became one of my favorite SW authors after I read the fantastic “Kenobi”, and he didn't disappoint this time around either. Getting to read Kanan's development throughout the story was endlessly fascinating to me, made even better by his not-so-subtle mooning over Hera. Their relationship is what I'm most looking forward to in “Rebels” and actually getting to see how they met and how they came to eventually fight for the same cause was a treat. Hera isn't given nearly as much background and pagetime as Kanan, but that may be because of later plans for the TV show (who knows, she might get her own separate arc where we, and by extension the other characters, get to learn more about her and how she came to be such a focused activist).

Zaluna became one of my favorites aside from Kanan and Hera. She's another one that we get to see truly grow from a complacent aide of the Empire to someone who's “awakened” to the horrors and injustices around her. Kind of a parallel to several movements in the real world as well. Skelly, while understandable with his single-minded and ceaseless quest to preserve Cynda was, to me, the weakest point of the story. He did indeed serve a number of purposes and did become more sympathetic as the book went on, but every time he got his own sections I was tempted to skip ahead to another character. Thankfully, his overall presence didn't detract from the story as a whole.

Speaking of other characters, Okadiah, Sloane, and Vidian are wonderful (well, not so much Vidian). Okadiah is very much Kanan's conscience without being overbearing (I wouldn't have minded more time spent on him either), and Sloane...well, I just plain loved her. A woman (of color!) in a position of power, albeit “borrowed” for the time being, and maintaining her own sense of self as a character? Yes, please! She's ambitious, clever, and although she's on the side of the Empire, the fact that she doesn't take crap from Kanan (just like Hera) cemented her place in my heart. Vidian...well, typical bad guy who became a bad guy because of being slighted in the past. Only instead of taking up a lightsaber, he took over corporations.

One last point I feel needs to be made: that prologue broke my heart on so many levels! The moment I saw *SPOILER sort of* Depa Bilaba's name I remembered “Shatterpoint” and her fate after that. And of course Obi-Wan's involvement and the foreshadowing of RotS were great.

I know a lot of people are already writing off anything to do with “Rebels” or this new wave of books without giving them a chance, but “A New Dawn” was thoroughly entertaining, emotional, and a wonderful beginning to a new chapter in the Star Wars saga. Now bring on “Rebels”!

Star Wars: A New Dawn is a fantastic book by John Jackson Miller. My friends have been raving to me about the Rebels TV show (I've only watched the first episode) and loaned me the book to read. I've been reading Star Wars books since the Bantam-Spectra era, but lost interest when the plots got stale and involved really only the Big 3, or changing up things so much that they had to wipe out entire universes, kill off major characters, or resurrect old enemies with voodoo magic to make the books readable and interesting. But that's not the case with Star Wars: A New Dawn.

Star Wars: A New Dawn features the two main characters from the Rebels cartoon show: Kanan Jarrus and Hera. In a book that doesn't feature any familiar faces from the movies, I was surprised that the book was still gripping enough to make it interesting. The plot as a whole is not life-shattering, but it gives a glimpse into what we all love about the Star Wars universe: The depth of it. And in A New Dawn, Miller does a great job at sowing the seeds of rebellion on a remote mining planet controlled by the Empire.

In the look at the daily lives of the miners and their cohorts as they are slowly being controlled and oppressed by Imperial interests, Miller does a great job at doing things the organic, human way. You're easily able to connect to Kanan, Hera, and the people around them as their compassion for the average person helps to sow the seeds of rebellion in the Empire, compared to the convoluted way that it was explained in The Force Unleashed video games as yet another complex plot.

In A New Dawn we see the beginning of both Kanan and Hera's way to rebellion against the Empire. Kanan, a former Jedi padawan attempting to forget his past and leave it behind after seeing the magnitude of damage Order 66 had done to the only life he had known, finds himself bouncing from one job to another and ending up on the mining planet Goras and its moon Cyndra, drinking his days away while being a pilot for other miners on the planet. But he's thrown into an Imperial plot when Count Vidian, one of the Emperor's pawns and mining business guru shows up to the planet and puts the Empire's new deathly practices into place. Vidian's crazed tactics and puts the jeopardy of the lives of everyone on Cyndra and Goras. Kanan, with the help of rebel agent Hera, a Shell-Shocked Clone Wars veteran and demolitionist Skelly, and Tullustian imperial monitor Zal, form as a team to stop Vidian's plans to ruin the lives of everyone on the planet.

Vidian, almost entirely machine (In the General Grevious/Darth Vader sense) is not the most original villian in terms of Star Wars, but I thought he was more memorable than most EU villians, who in the past haven't amounted to much more than yet another Star Destroyer general.

Overall, the book is great. It's got political intrigue, interesting and complex characters, enough action in both Space and on-land to make it feel like Star Wars, and most importantly, no Deus Ex Machina moments that suspend your disbelief of "That couldn't really happen, even in the Star Wars universe" that plague lots of other Star Wars novels. The plot is not huge and overarching, yet it's still very important, and the characters are written in a way that they grow on you and you care about what happens to them. Definitely recommended.

A New Dawn is a decent read. It's a bit long and takes a while to heat up, but has a satisfying last 50 pages or so and provides some interesting character moments from Kanan and Hera and one or two of the supporting characters. However, if not for the show, this book is a throwaway book at best. It fits squarely in the middle range of the Star Wars novel catalog. It's hard to imagine there is much of audience for this beyond a person's interest in the show.

The positives:
The introduction of Hera and Kanan is good. Their personalities are touched on but not too deeply. They are likable characters and they both seem to written well together by Miller.
The book has virtually no Jedi-action components. It's nice to see a space story that keeps to the basics of Star Wars - chases, battles, rebellion and a sense of danger for all involved. Despite the cover, the lightsaber is never used.
The ending has a nice pace to it.
The middle of the book contains a street chase that involves TIE fighters and other crafts that is clever and exciting to read.
The opening (in the advanced edition) has a great bit with Kenobi.

The negatives:
The bad guy, Count, is cookie-cutter and borders on a cartoon character. For example, he's introduced as a character that likes to cut people off while their speaking. Very cartoon-like. Combine that with the cover and I started thinking, "ok so this is more of an all ages book like the show" and I was prepared to live with that. Later, he tosses a character into a vat of acid. Only when the scene is relayed in the subsequent chapters did I realize the scene was supposed to be shocking and horrific. I found myself believing the Count to be clown-ish and not a real threat the entire novel. Something was missing between his introduction, behavior and his actions.
Miller has a knack for writing great dialogue. However, the main characters aren't nearly as interesting as the mad bomber. He steals nearly every scene he's in. This can't be his intent but at least he found an engaging voice with one of the characters that are not on the show.
Hera seems to be one step ahead of Kanan. This is odd because he's the force sensitive character whereas she isn't. As a result, I found myself hoping she was also a cast-off Jedi.

The book is a fine read. It would have been better if the page count was cut down to 300 or less. The book isn't memorable but it will probably hold the interest of the die-hard Star Wars fan or curious fan about the show.

I have only really become interested in Rebels since Captain Rex, Commander Wolffe, and Commando Gregor entered the Rebels TV show. I have read Marvel's Kanan Vol. 1 and become interested in Kanan's past so picked this book up at the library. At first I was a bit confused, "Where's Chopper?" Then I realized that Hera didn't have The Ghost with her. It's been a couple of months since I read the book so I don't remember all the characters or their names. The Imperial cyborg guy was scary and creepy. Mr. Miller did an excellent job of dragging the clues of who he really was out over the course of the book. I enjoyed Kanan and Hera's relationship. I loved it when they both worked together to trick the Stormtroopers into not investigating the "Wookie in the closet". The cyborg also was "dunking" a hologram projection of someone into acid filled vats. The holo-person did not know that was happening. I was cracking up at both. The ending was sort of as expected, someone is going to die in a rebellion. The whole crew flying down the chamber on a repulser cart was fun. Hera flying the sky bus or hover bus sounded really cool. I honestly hope this book will be adapted to a movie or a few episodes in Rebels season 3.

I had read a few reviews here on the store before requesting this at my library. I do agree there were some slow parts, but nothing out of the ordinary. I like the book well enough to buy it when it's affordable for me. It's like a spy Star Wars story where the spy (Hera) needs to recruit outside help. I love when Kanan reveals he's a Jedi to her.

SPOILER
There was one part that I would not recommend for young or faint of heart. There was a Besalisk couple who owned a refinery with smelting pits. The creepy Imperial cyborg pushes the female into the pit, killing her. It was really hard to read. I don't remember if descriptions of her death were gruesome or not.

I got the Audible version of this book. I highly recommend listening to Star Wars novels. The sound production is great with all the music and sound effects. The voice talent is always top notch, as well. Its a very immersive experience.
Before listening to A New Dawn I had watched the first season of Rebels. After being a huge fan of the Clone Wars I was initially frustrated with Rebels. It seemed like a slowed down, kiddie friendly Star Wars with cookie cutter characters. It grew on me as the season went on but it still wasn't the Clone Wars.
After reading A New Dawn I "got" Rebels. Got it enough that I have rewatched the first season and enjoyed it much more. Comparing it to the Clone Wars is apples to oranges.
A New Dawn serves to really flesh out Kanaan and Hera and their motivations and relationship. Instead of cookie cutter characters they are complex and compelling. Their reasons for doing things are completely opposite. And in true Star Wars fashion - the lady is in charge.
The book also has a very unoriginal villain. A half man/ half machine cyborg. As a life long Star Wars fan I've seen my share of them. But once again this character is handled in such a way that his motives and machinations make him interesting and unique. And by the end he is a very credible threat to an entire planet.
In the end A New Dawn was an entertaining story that really adds to the experience of watching and enjoying Rebels. Which I believe was it's goal.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Star Wars Rebels is a kid’s show. Star Wars: A New Dawn is not a kid’s book, which was a surprise and provided a bit of interesting cognizant dissonance while I read it. It is not necessary to be familiar with both to enjoy either, but both of them do inform each other.

If you enjoy the character of Kanan in the television show, you’ll probably enjoy this look at his backstory. My favorite Jedi are not the ones who are black and white, and Kanan definitely has some shades of gray, especially during the time period this novel is set.

Hera is the only other familiar face from the crew in Star Wars Rebels to make an appearance. Though she and Kanan are definitely a couple in the show, A New Dawn is not their courtship or love story. I appreciated this representation of Hera has a character in her own right, and not just appearing as Kanan’s love interest.

As a writer, I found Miller’s language clear and the pacing very well done. I was very impressed with his ability to write Kanan and Hera as adult characters that still felt very true to the way they are portrayed in Rebels. As a Star Wars fan, I found the plot of the novel and Kanan’s journey within in it, even as part of the “new canon,” to be in the same spirit as the novels that came before.

Fans of Star Wars: Rebels will have welcomed John Jackson Miller's A New Dawn, the book not only a direct prequel to the series but starring two of its main cast, Twi'Lek pilot and resistance fighter, Hera Syndulla, and reluctant Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. And yet, while younger readers may have gone in expecting a YA feel to the book, as with the recent Ahsoka novel, A New Dawn, if anything, is a little too complex to sit alongside the series; heavy on exposition and slow to get moving. Some will have expected a 'how the band got together' story and A New Dawn isn't that either: sure, it gives us the lowdown on Kanan and Hera's meeting but fan-favourites such as Chopper and Zeb don't feature at all with The Ghost itself only getting rolled out at the very end. For me, this was a missed opportunity, then, for the aforementioned reasons and others, yet an entertaining enough read in its own right.

4.5 out of 5 stars, but I'll round to 5. With the sale of Lucasfilm and the "de-canonization" of the EU there hasn't been much to get excited about in the Star Wars literature realm.

With the introduction of the new Lucasfilm Story Group canon, I, like probably many other fans, was reluctant to get involved in another Star Wars Expanded Universe. With A New Dawn being the entry point into the new canon it was hard to resist for a couple of reasons. First, John Jackson Miller, who blew me away with his last Star Wars novel, Kenobi, was the author. Second, it is set in the Dark Times era, along with the animated show, Rebels. For the longest time this era and its characters were off limits due to the now shelved Live Action Series, and other productions that we are now seeing or may never see. Aside from JJM's Kenobi, the Dark Times comics, and limited other media, not much has been released in this era. After reading A New Dawn, I am glad they held off. It was worth it.

We always knew the "Dark Times" as a time where the the last of the Jedi were hunted down, and the Empire's oppression spread throughout the galaxy. The former is what many fans wanted the Prequels to be, and the latter is being explored in various media now. By addressing this era now, recent real world events can better influence our understanding of how this galactic oppression could occur, and John Jackson Miller expertly weaves this all into a logical narrative.

From the Prequels we are shown how a society is willingly deceived into giving up many of its freedoms during wartime. This spawns the Empire, which during the time of A New Dawn uses surveillance and propaganda to keep its citizens in line as it exploits worlds from the core to the outer rim. These are themes, issues, or ideas that are increasingly relevant in our own world. They are incorporated into the novel by Miller as a way to logically explain the inter-workings and expansion of the Empire, rather than trying to hit the reader over the head with political messages.

The novel develops some interesting characters as well, many of which we have never seen anything like before. The story is well thought out, unpredictable, and moves along at a nice pace. I wouldn't give it an actual 5 star rating, because it is not Kenobi. It introduces new characters, who are interesting enough, but not as highly regarded as Ben. For what this book is it couldn't have been much better. We have a new hope...for Star Wars literature.

I'm not an obsessive fan who tries to fit each little piece of the Star Wars puzzle into position and wets his undies if the pieces don't fit perfectly. Canon, non-canon, new canon, don't really care. All I care about is an entertaining story and A New Dawn delivers that.

A New Dawn features Kanan Jarrus, f/k/a Caleb Dume, "the Jedi who never was." The Force is strong within Caleb -- too strong, in his opinion. He tries to ignore it as he travels through the Galaxy in search of a good party or an entertaining brawl, always endeavoring to blend in with rowdy locals and remain unnoticed by the Empire. After all, the Force didn't save his Jedi friends when the Republic turned against them.

Kanan's travels take him to a moon orbiting Gorse where thorilide is not being mined as efficiently as Count Vidian, one of the Empire's bureaucrats, would like. On the other hand, a demolitions expert named Skelly is convinced that the mining operation is going to blow up the moon.

Star Wars stories usually include at least one heroic female. A New Dawn has two: a Twi'lek named Hera Syndulla and a Sullustan named Zaluna Myder. Both are budding rebels, concerned with just how evil the Empire has become. Zaluna's faith in surveillance is shaken by the uses to which the Empire puts it.

A New Dawn adds some socially relevant intrigue to the usual Star Wars lore. There's a military-industrialist complex angle that helps explain the successful displacement of the Republic by the Empire. There's the surveillance angle that speaks to the tendency of government to misuse its power when it spies on its citizens. And there's an environmentalist angle that involves the willingness of the military-industrial complex to ignore warnings and put workers at risk if environmental protection would harm the production of goods that the military needs. In fact, the story could be viewed as an allegory of strip mining or mountain top removal. Or it could be viewed more simply as an early Empire versus Rebels story. Either way, it works.

There's plenty of the action that should be present in Star Wars but it all fits within the logic of the story. The writing is crisp and laced with the kind of humor that SW invites (Skelly, in particular, seems to exist for comic relief). Character development isn't bad. The characters aren't deep but they aren't shallow. They're the kind of characters casual SW fans will probably enjoy getting to know. At least I did.

So, here we are, at “A New Dawn” of Star Wars. Forget, what you know of the old EU. Thrawn….. He doesn’t exist…… Mara Jade is but a dream. The twins, who are they? I wasn’t an avid fan of the EU after the prequel wrecked a lot of havoc with continuity between the levels of canon, but I still liked what I had read. But now, that is what Disney has deemed “Legends”, but this shouldn’t be looked at as a bad thing, at least not yet. Yes, many are hurt, and mad, and feel that they have been abandoned. But what they don’t see is that, although this washes the slate clean, it brings a bigger connectivity to all the stories that will come from this point forward. The authors of the EU are still on board. They will still bring the elements that you love to the table. This actually gives them a chance to bring things into Star Wars canon that is unquestionable now….. And will see connectivity with all the outlets that Disney uses to tell the story….. You no longer have to wonder what level of canon your dealing with, cause now there is just one canon moving forward….. Take that how you will…..

what I feel this book did right was really capture the grand scale of what the Empire now stands for after the Clone Wars, but at the same time, it really focused on the aspect of how little the actual individual people in each star system really know what is going on, as to the Empire being this huge massive embodiment of corrupted power stemming from the Emperor……. This book definitely brings the “everyman” character in society in to perspective to the current state of affairs….. What people that love Star Wars should take from this is that Disney is not Disney-phying Star War, as many feared they would, and it is seen very graphically in one horrifyingly detailed scene at the mid-way point of the book. Even the planned end game of the antagonist is something only someone in the Empire would even conceive of making practical and foreshadows a very specific, awe inspiring moment in the very first Star Wars. The book has a really good flow to it, even if it takes a little to get going in the beginning. Kanan is a very intriguing character, and they don’t make his past a huge secretive thing, at least not to the reader, which helps to sell his connectivity to the rest of the major plot pots of Star Wars as a whole. Although we don’t get nearly as much background into Hera and her motives, we get enough to make us interested for more.

If you are a Star Wars fan and want to enjoy this new and bold direction that Disney is taking with the franchise, this is definitely the first step on the new path they are paving and an enjoyable, must read. It will give you a better sense of what direction they are taking and give you some insight as to how Kanan and Hera meet and form the partnership that has been going on for years when the Rebels show begins.

As several other reviews has stated, A New Dawn (AND) is the first book of the clean slated Star Wars universe, but it is also a prequel to the upcoming Rebels animated series; introducing the characters Kanan and Hera. A couple of disclaimers: I'm rather nitpicky with what I read and watch, but most of my criticisms should not to be confused with contempt, and I make an effort to treat each piece separately under its own merits. Also, I wasn't particularly looking forward to Rebels before I read this book, as I am outside the show's target audience and a bit put-off by the semi-recent unwillingness to keep SW an integrated continuity, but if the show turns out to be more like AND than the impression it's been giving me that is a plus. Having said that, as a fan of both SW and John Jackson Miller I found this book difficult to resist, and it was nearly as enjoyable as his previous book Kenobi IMHO.

What I liked:
As is typical for a JJM novel, his characterizations are top notch, especially that of Kanan/Caleb. Other characters have varying amounts of depth as well but he definitely has the most solid background. The plot is relatively straightforward and provides a decent glimpse into life under the Empire's rule. The environment is refreshingly new and detailed with semi-modern political concepts seamlessly mixed in. Unlike several recent entries into the SW universe, this one actually felt like it was a SW story to me. The pacing is well balanced with action, suspense, humor, and intrigue each getting an even share in the lime-light.

What otherwise stood out to me:
I praised the characterizations but not necessarily the characters. The antagonist, Count Vidian, was a bit hackneyed, both in motivation and personality. Not only was he another cyborg sociopath who will do what he sees fit for his own agenda, he's also an uninteresting businessman who spouts false efficiency axioms. He essentially becomes what he claims to be against, "the old way" of greed and subterfuge for personal gain. Hera, on the other hand, was very interesting, but her knowledge and skills doesn't seem to fit her limited level of experience. We will likely learn more about her background during the show, but in the grand scheme of things she's little more than another person with a gripe against the Empire. Also, I wouldn't say Kanan is a mirror image of Han Solo, as Dash Rendar was when he made his debut, but their personalities are very similar, and there were several lines in the book that were taken directly from Han in the movies. One minor point about Skelly; he's apparently "a shell shocked Clone Wars veteran" and since he's neither a clone nor droid I thought it would've been a nice touch to include a sentence or two about where he served, becuase those details were left out for some reason.

The plot may be straightforward but the primary purpose of this book is to market for Rebels, and in that regard I think it does well, but this approach also makes for poor drama. Another reviewer mentioned the plot being similar to that of Avatar or Fern Gully (I'll add ST: Insurrection to that list), and I think those are apt comparisons because for the most part I didn't care as much about what was going on with the potential destruction of a moon for an important mineral because I wanted to learn more about who the characters were. I might've been more invested had this mineral the Empire was seeking been used for something more interesting, such as a key component in the Death Star, but the point here was that the Empire can walk over anyone/anything to get what they want, which we either already knew or could surmise.

There were more relatively minor points but in summary, I found A New Dawn to be an entertaining read and a good setup to the upcoming animated series, but even though it's the first book in the 'new EU' don't expect it to be much more than a neatly-constructed vessel to introduce new characters. Older fans, like myself, and newcomers to SW literature alike can enjoy this entry into the now less vast universe, especially if you plan to continue on with the show. However, JJM has written much better SW novels than this IMO, though I'm sure he was limited in many ways when writing AND. Overall I would rate this book around a 3.5, but since that's not an option I'll round up to four stars.

*I received this book as an eARC from Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey Spectra and LucasBooks on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book sets the scene for the new Star Wars canon. It is a prequel to the new tv series Star Wars Rebels. This book shows how two of the main characters in the tv series, Kanan and Hera, met. Since the series is only beginning, the characters don't feel fully fledged out. Hera has almost no backstory. Kanan was only a padawan during the Jedi Purge. I liked learning about his past. I hope for more stories set closer to right after the Purge.

With this whole new era of Star Wars, they're really trying to get back to the feel of the original trilogy. The world present in this novel is a mix of the original trilogy and the prequels. It's mostly the original, but with some more modern things. I liked how a stormtrooper was randomly a female. It was the most subtle thing, but I liked the diversity they are presenting. A primary antagonist is also female captain of a star destroyer.

Usually Star Wars stories are grand and in exotic locales. This novel takes place mainly on a mining planet. This added to the gray tone reminiscent to the original trilogy.

Although Star Wars Rebels may be a children's show, this novel is not. There are some pretty brutal deaths.

Vidian is the main villain of the novel. Unfortunately, he does not seem very original. He is another cyborg Star Wars villain. He does have an interesting background, even though it may be really bureaucratic.

I think a downfall of this novel is that it couldn't make any big changes. The Star Wars story group had a lot of influence on this novel. I think John Jackson Miller was a little restricted. I preferred his Kenobi book.

I give this novel a solid 3/5. If you are a complete Star Wars superfan, you may enjoy this book as a prelude to Rebels. But, if you don't have to read every Star Wars book that comes out then I'd say you can pass on this one.

A refreshing change from previous Star Wars novels, Star Wars: A New Dawn has launched the new Star Wars universe that will include the new novels, the new and existing movies, the new cartoons and The Clone Wars cartoon, some new fiction from Star Wars insider, new comics, and anything else coming out henceforth. It essentially excommunicates almost all previous fiction to the realm of Legend.

A New Dawn does not rely on the bloated universe that existed in all that legendary material before, and while the author had written in that sandbox, this new novel - this new world is fresher. It's still Star Wars. It still expects you, as a fan, to know know what certain races, ships, weapons, and armor look like, it doesn't bother to describe them in much or any detail. The story itself is clearly meant as a setup for the new Rebels cartoon coming out in October 2015 and serves to introduce two of the main characters to each other before the show starts. It's a standalone story though, no need to have any knowledge, or interest, of the Rebels show.

The two main characters are a former Jedi student now grown into adulthood and hiding in the bottle between shifts at a mining operation, and a Twilek pilot looking for civil unrest she can potentially exploit at some point in the future to undermine the Empire. A strong cast of secondary characters also have interesting stories that all intertwine with the main cast and each other. Really, it's more of an ensemble cast that shares the spotlight than focusing mostly on the two mains, though the Jedi Kanan is pretty much the primary character.

If you're a Star Wars fan: read this and get ready for Rebels. If you're looking to jump in to the world of Star Wars novels, this is a good place to start - though I'd suggest you'd have at least seen Star Wars Episode III to share a frame of reference with Kanan's character.

Disclosure: I received an eARC of this novel for review from the publisher through Netgalley. This review originally appeared at http://sporadicbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/09/book-review-star-wars-new-dawn.html

I wanted to give this book a try since I really love the Rebels cartoon series. I read someone's suggestion online to try this book as it was supposed to give insight into how Hera and Kanan met and started a team. I think that the author is a good writer - the text is easy to read and is fairly engaging. He works hard to try and flesh out the characters and make them believable. You can tell that he really enjoys writing Kanan and Vidian as they are the two most solid characters in the book.

In my opinion, Hera gets the short-end of the stick. I was really hoping this story would be more about her but, instead, she suffers from the mysterious, beautiful badass lady trope. When she appears, suddenly the writing is so much more descriptive and we have to hear over and over again how beautiful and amazing she is, and this is really the most we get. We rarely read from her point of view and get into her motivations because everything surrounding her stays surface level. And her attitude is almost contrary to how she is in the TV series. I had also read other reviews where there are, supposedly, many wonderfully written female characters in the story. We have Zaluna, a Sullustan, who is an interesting character with a complex backstory. The emotional conflict surrounding her and her morality is interesting. Unfortunately, not much can be said for the two other female characters that appear in the story.

With that aside, the story also suffers from being somewhat bland. When there is action, it is well written, but the reader spends the most time reading about how characters are skulking around on a mining planet and how there is some impending doom. For a vast majority of the book the characters are stuck on a depressing mining planet which could have more potential but is never really explored.

Overall, the story is readable but I think you could skip it and just enjoy watching REBELS.

"A New Dawn" reminds me of the first "X-Wing" novel - mostly there to give background for all the characters who will appear in the series. Similarly, "A New Dawn" sets the stage for "Star Wars Rebels."

The prologue was my favorite part. I wish the author maintained the tone throughout. From the beginning, I developed a fondness for Caleb. The rest of the book was much lighter and less developed. Our hero Kanan must do battle with Vidian, non-Force wielding version of Darth Vader.

Therein lies the weakness that permeates the book. So much emphasis on his evilness and superhuman cybernetic skills. He's not just like Vader, he's worse than Vader. Vader killed because his underlings failed to bring him the rebels. Vidian kills because a ship is too slow. The guy can live through just about everything. Ya can't kill him. He sees all, doesn't need sleep, has super strength, etc., etc. <yawn> Please tell me more.

What held my attention was the chemistry between Kanan and Hera. Nice couple. I wanted them to get together. She can do some amazing things, which makes me wonder if we really do know all about her. She's a match for Kanan, who mostly suppresses his Force abilities, even under attack . . . mostly.

John Jackson Miller can write. Just read his book, "Kenobi." He made a fan out of me right there. The prologue of "A New Dawn" held so much promise. It was a fun ride, but not what it could have been. I liked it, but I wanted to love it.

_______

The copy I received was an advanced reader copy that was given out to fans at the San Diego Comic Con.

After seeing Rebels on television I decided to give this a try. The thing was, I'm still on the fence with the television program, so I went into this with some trepidation. I'm now glad I bought the audio version of this book and listened to it. I don't want to give the plot away, but it's about the first time Hera and Kanan meet and how Kanan gets roped into fighting the Empire. Hera comes off as the smart one and Kanan comes off at sometimes in for the ride. There are a few extra characters, including Zaluna, a empire version of a NSA worker. I really like what they did with her character. The bad guys are a little weak, but it gets you by enough to enjoy the rest of the book.

A part of the audiobook that shines though is the short story at the end, staring Hera alone. I wish they would expand this side of her to give more potential. All in all, if you like the t.v. show, get this. And for those of you that don't, look at it this way, it doesn't have Ezra if that is your problem with the show.

I got the Exclusive Advance Reader's Edition of "A New Dawn" signed by both the author and cover artist themselves and although it contains a large amount of errors, I know that this doesn't represent the final copy. The story itself is interesting enough and I managed to down it all in six days. Surprisingly, no main characters appear in the book besides a brief appearance by Obi-Wan Kenobi in a segment at the beginning of the book set in the prequel trilogy era. The font is the smallest I've ever read in a Star Wars book and if the text where normal size, the book could well be one hundred pages longer. One thing that I really like is that the story is not too terribly dumbed down and I have hopes that the "Rebels" TV series will also contain a not overly juvenile plot. Rounding out the newness of the novel, Del-Rey's traditional logo is no longer the word "DEL" over the word "REY", but rather a small brown circle with the Random House house inside and the words "DEL REY" spelled out underneath. I guess that kind of helps drive home the rebootyness of "A New Dawn".

It is a new dawn for Star Wars story telling and with the all new Lucasfilm Story Group leading the charge and SW veterans such as John Jackson Miller, James Luceno, Paul S. Kemp and more cranking out their stories to refill the Expanded Universe, things look to be functioning in a far more orderly fashion than ever before.

Entertaining Star Wars book, but the plot was very weak and the characters weren't all that interesting. I bought this book as background material for the Star Wars Rebels cartoon show, but was very disappointed. Kanan and Hera were very boring in this book. They might as well have been secondary characters. In fact, I found myself more interested in the secondary characters than I did the main characters! When I reached the climax of the book, I was pretty let down. The entire conflict throughout the book felt like something that would've been better suited to a comic strip than a full on novel. I give two stars because of how interesting the supportive characters were.

"A New Dawn" takes place between the events of Episode III and A New Hope. Order 66 has been executed, and most of the remaining Jedi knights have been killed. Kanan Jarrus has managed to survive; not by using the Force, but by staying one step ahead of everyone else.

The planet Gorse and its companion moon Cynda contain large quantities of an element needed by the Empire to run its star fleet. Enter Count Vidian, an Imperial supposedly acting on orders from the Emperor. Vidian believes that the best way to secure the needed resources from Cynda is to destroy the moon and harvest the remnants from space. But is this true? Others, including Captain Sloane of the star destroyer Ultimatum, believe that Vidian might be wrong in his assessment. Throw in a beautiful female Twi'lek, an unscrupulous mineral miner, and a tech-savvy Sullustan and Vidian will soon have all the problems he can handle. Will Vidian succeed in destroying Cynda, or will the small band of misfits stop him before it's too late?

I'm a big fan of the Star Wars novels, and "A New Dawn" is a good addition to the series. The characters are well-developed, and the story keeps the reader interested. It will be fun to see where this new series goes.

As one of the few writers to survive the Star Wars sale purge, John Jackson Miller is nothing special.His prose has this amazing lack of emotion, in which he lists the events in a very procedural manner, without giving any subtle clues as to how the reader or other characters should feel about the situation.The only times you do know is when a character comes out and says I don't like that.

In baseball there is statistic known as Wins Above Replacement. Basically the statistic explains how many wins a player is likely to add for the team in comparison with an average replacement player. John Jackson Miller is a replacement level science fiction author.His layout of scenery is okay.His new characters are ok. His grasp of existing characters is OK.I have yet to find anything outstanding In his writing.

Specifically, the character of Count videon could have been really spectacular.But as soon as videon started beating up characters with his own two hands, instead of being a master manipulator, he became a rather boring Imperial thug. Other side characters became similarly two-dimensional.

I wouldn't say his writing is bad, just that its moslty not memorable. Im about to read his entry into StarnTrek, Takedown, and i hope he does better in that universe than in Star Wars.

I received a prerelease e-copy of this book through NetGalley with the expectation that I will post a review on their site and others (my blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Twitter, the store, etc.).

I requested this book as I have another Star Wars book written by John Jackson Miller. This book did not disappoint. I will give you my opinions on this book without giving away the total plot line. I hate it when reviewers do that and if I read the review first I tend not to read it.

This book takes place during the time span between the movies Star Wars III and IV. It is also the background story for two of the main characters, Caleb Dume and Hera Syndulla, in the forthcoming Star Wars animated series Star War Rebels.

The author does a commendable job of developing the story with the two main characters and several others in the vein of many of the other Star Wars novels that do not contain many of the original characters from the movies. It also helps to set the stage for the upcoming animated series.

I recommend this book for anyone who is anticipating watching the animated series and for any Star Wars ethusiast.

Excellent 'prequel' - I'm glad they found a way to work a Jax Paven-esque replacement into the Cannon now that The Last Jedi has become Legends. With the switch, I am glad they chose such a strong writer to work on Cannon - Kenobi is great as well, if you haven't caught it yet, I highly recommend it. I won't talk too much to the story, no spoilers, but the pacing was nice and it's a good lead up to the Rebels storyline, another development I am enjoying. As someone who stood in line 14 times to see Star Wars back in 1977, it is good to know the Disney-fication of the Star Wars Universe is, so far, for the good. Note: I ranked the writing as good, rather than great, because, to be honest, 'great' writing would get in the way of good storytelling, and the latter is by far and away more important to Star Wars, and Mr. Miller and the creative team have it in spades.

I've been a Star Wars fan pretty much since birth with my parents introducing me to the OT as a young child and watching (with disappoint) the prequels in theater as a child. With TFA coming out and having never read any Star Wars novels, I wanted to at least read some of the canon before seeing the new film.

I read A New Dawn immediately following Dark Disciple, Lords of the Sith, and Tarkin. The book came bundled in the "Rise of the Empire" collection with Tarkin and three short stories. This was not my favorite of the novels I've read so far, but the more I reflect on it the more I'm realizing I enjoyed it. Without dropping any spoilers to the plot, I will say that the story dragged very much for me through the middle. It felt that certain characters kept attempting the same futile efforts leading to the same cat and mouse scenarios. It was a little odd. I enjoyed the first and last third of the story much more.

Tarkin has been my favorite of the novels so far and I believe that it was a tough act to follow. The other novels felt very mature in their story telling while A New Dawn felt like a young adult novels in many ways -- not a bad thing at all, but not quite what I was expecting. I felt that while the main characters were fun and cool, they were very static with the exception of Zaluna. I found myself enjoying the chapters about Zaluna and Sloane far more than any of the other primary characters.

I was interested to read this after seeing Rebels. It's been a long time since I read any new Star Wars fiction. The interconnected nonsens of the Yuuzhan Vong, or whatever they were called, drove me scurrying for cover. The adventures of an increasingly elderly crew of politicians and their ridiculous children was too much.

I figured, since this was a new start, it could be a new start for me. There were things that I genuinely liked. There were also things that I was less than thrilled with. The storytelling, at points was very engaging. When I was reading those parts, I was deeply enmeshed in the world and the characters. But the style tended to make me think, frequently, that the author was just about to wrap up his story. I would then read thrugh a section wondering just how long was this story, and how could he make whatever was going on matter? Sections would drag on and I would wonder why I was still coninuing instead of simply deleting it from my Kindle.

Overall, I think the book was a satisfying introduction to 2 characters from Rebels. You get to see who they are and why they do what they do. It was not a satisfying read on its own merits. Without the followup ongoing series, you'd probably be left wondering why we should care about these no names. Nothing truly distinguished them. I kept wondering if they were going to meet Zeb or Sabine, or even find the burnt out husk of a C1-10P droid. But nothing truly made these characters memorable or long lasting on their own.

I wouldn't turn people onto this book as an introduction to the new Star Wars EU. I'd really prefer to recommend it to anyone who likes Star Wars, liked Rebels, and wants to know more.

Honestly, I was not looking forward to reading this book. It seemed corny and childish. But, being an obsessive Star Wars fanatic, I felt obligated to read it. And I'm glad I did, because this book was great.

This book is meant to introduce some of the characters in the new kid's show "Star Wars: Rebels", but it is directed at young adult. I've seen a few episodes of Rebels, and I never like Kanan (this book's main character), until I read this book. It adds so much more depth to him. It makes him seem kind of like a mix between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Kanan's backstory is beautifully written. The rest of the character's developments are great too. The book makes you hate the villain (something most movies/shows/books lack nowadays), because he is completely evil, but still believable. I also loved Skelly. He's annoying and never thinks things through, but he saves the day on multiple occasions, and sacrifices a lot to do what he knows is right, even though everyone thinks he's crazy. And he is kind of crazy, but you get the point. Zaluna's story is just as good as the Kanan's and Skelly's.

This book's plot is a bit The Phantom Menace-esque, which probably makes a lot of Star Wars fans want to put as much distance from themselves and this book as physically possible, but when you are reading it, it is completely believable and enjoyable.

This book surprised me because it's based off of a children's show, but it was much more mature than I expected. Not because of questionable content or anything, but because it was deep and pretty emotional. Not many characters die in this book, but when they do, it's tear-jerking.

The only problem I had with this book was that the dialogue was a bit cheesy at times, but the character development and plot were fantastic. This book is definitely worth reading, especially if you are a Star Wars fan.

[Note: Review is actually based on the Kindle version.]

The first novels to be published in the new Disney era are tasked with establishing the groundwork of the universe. For consumers of the previous Expanded Universe media (novels, comics, etc.), the books have to give readers a sense of just where the universe stands. In this regard, Disney's decision to have none of the non-core materials be canon makes sense; saying some things happened and others didn't just sets the stage for confusion (see DC's New 52).

A New Dawn isn't likely to strike readers as a trailblazing book; indeed, I'd almost categorize it as "safe." That isn't a knock against it, but anyone expecting a game changer will be disappointed. This book serves as a bit of a prequel to the Rebels TV cartoon. If you hate Rebels, you'll likely be disinterested in this book. If you're on the fence about Rebels, I'd recommend you try it. It's a fast, zippy adventure. What it does well is fill out Kanan's character. He seems slightly wooden in the book, but he's miles more animated, as it were, than in the TV series. Credit Miller for taking a character who is largely defined by his circumstance, not his personality, and shaping him into a three-dimensional character.

Where Kanan, and by extension Miller, stumbles is with Hera. Her presence does an adequate job of explaining how Kanan joined the nascent rebellion, but Miller is clearly hampered by what I assume was a limit as to what he could reveal about her. Thus, we primarily learn about her through Kanan's smitten descriptions; these are, quite frankly, embarrassing. If he joined her band of rebels because he couldn't live without her "melodic" voice (so melodic, in fact, that upon hearing it, he decides his mission in life is literally "seeing who it was that could be attached to a voice like that."), the rebels are in trouble. Presumably, they'll tire of his descriptions of women as "magical creatures" and "happy forest nymphs" as quickly as I did.

Where Miller excels is with the secondary characters he presumably has freer rein to create. Vidian is an excellent antagonist in the Grievous vein. His relationship with Captain Sloane is actually very interesting if you're anything like me and have wondered what everyday people who serve the Empire think or feel. Clearly, not every Imperial officer is a villain of Darth Vader--or even Tarkin--proportions. While Vidian is a larger than life villain, Sloane is just a commander temporarily assigned to Vidian's star destroyer and tasked with helping him. I was generally more interested in their somewhat peculiar relationship than I was in Kanan's absurd natterings on about the background-less Hera. In fairness, I did like Kanan's exchanges with the other unwitting participants in the novel's central act of rebellion.

I'd honestly rate this novel closer to four stars than three. It's just that the weakness inherent in the main characters prevented me from giving it that last nudge. The story is pretty standard for a book like this. I doubt any of it will surprise most readers familiar with fantasy tropes and archetypes. But it's also exactly as enjoyable as one finds those things to be. For fans of Star Wars, or even preexisting fans of Miller's other SW novels, I'd imagine they'll find quit a lot to like about it.

My least favorite of the new canon novels to date (for reference BATTLEFRONT: TWILIGHT COMPANY just came out), taking place before the STAR WARS REBELS tv show. I'm a big fan of that show and was looking forward to reading how Kanan met Hera, but... it's just really, really boring and difficult to finish. If there's a sequel, I'd be interested as now the exposition is out of the way between Hera and Kanan and we can get into the meat of how the Ghost crew came together. But this book on its own is rough and very skippable unless you're a REBELS completist.

This is a solid Star Wars story that provides some cool back-story for Star Wars Rebels. John Jackson Miller has a consistently fun writing style, so I'm inclined to like anything that he writes. He does a good job again with this one. He has a talent for creating interesting characters that bring different elements to the story. In this book, I enjoyed the characters again, particularly Skelly and Zaluna. For viewers of Rebels, it is cool to see how Kanan and Hera came together as well. It has added a little depth to watching those episodes, which is cool.

This is a relatively small-scale story, with really only a couple of locations. If you're looking for a galaxy spanning adventure, this won't give you that. But, if you're looking for a good Star Wars story with some interesting characters, you won't go wrong with A New Dawn.

I rank Star Wars books on two main criteria (1) information it contains about that awesome galaxy far, far away and how well it fits in with what we already know, as well as (2) how enjoyable the particular story is. I would give this book 5 stars on the first criteria and 3 on the second (which is the reasoning for my 4 stars overall). I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the back-story of Kanan and Hera, two of the main characters of the new TV show Star Wars Rebels. The story itself was somewhat predictable and slightly dragged out. Here's hoping some writes one about Sabine and Zeb!

I thought all the characters were well developed. I was hoping the team of 4 would stick together for another mission or two but hoping to see more of Hera and Lankan/Caleb. Looking forward to reading another book by John Jackson Miller.

I got this book because I watch Star Wars: Rebels tv show. I was hoping it would be on all the characters, but it was just Kanan and Hera and while I don't mind seeing how those two got together to end the Empire, there was no mention of Zeb or Sabine (which really interest me because she's a Mandalorian).

The first half was tolerable to read, a page turner. But when it got to the 2nd half, it bored me. I was hoping something would happen, I was hoping the character Skelly would just snuff it, and the whole plot just then fell flat as did the characters. I wondered why would this book bore me and then I realized it was the new canon. I'm not against the new canon, but so far it has yet to draw me in. I hope Disney brings back the EU (or Legends it's called now) as we can follow two different timelines. Hey if Marvel fans can do it, so can we!

Since I'm stubborn and have to finish a book, I did finish it but it was just poor. I guess I shouldn't have expected much because I wasn't a fan of the writer's book "Kenobi". I guess I just got my hope up to much that it would have all the characters in the tv show, not just two of them. So this is one to skip unless you like the new timeline.

This is an excellent first novel for the new Star Wars canon. It has a slow build (kind of like A New Hope) which leads to an incredible finale. The main characters grew on me as the book revealed more and more of who they are. I have to say, I wasn't looking forward to watching the Star Wars Rebels TV show, but now I am because Kanan and Hera are going to be the focus of that show. This book didn't try to do too much and managed to stay within its niche, telling a great story within those bounds. Everything John Jackson Miller puts out has been good so far.

It's appropriate that this novel is set in a mining colony as it is pure drudgery. The reader is the miner, and must hammer through a thousand tons of exposition in search of something of interest. Honestly, if a single thing happened in the first 100 pages of this book I must have slept through it. When things finally did start happening, it was tough to determine if they were more boring or predictable. So much ink, so little of interest. The only reason it's not a 1 star review is that there is something I like about Kanan.

A New Dawn is a contained story that introduces us to Kanan and Hera while also telling a tale with high stakes.  John Jackson Miller does a great job with the characters, bringing a diverse team to the forefront in terms of both gender and alien/human.  The main villain may be the weak point of the book but the rapport between Kanan and Hera more than makes up for it as do all the twists and turns that the plot takes.   To back up the main cast and the story, Miller builds a rich and believable world in terms of Gorse filled with people from all walks of life who’ve managed to end up there.  It goes a long way towards upping the stakes once the master plan comes to light and making readers worry about more than just some other planet.  At the end of the day, A New Dawn gets a recommendation from me.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of the book from Del Rey for review purposes.

I feel like this novel was very respectful to "A New Hope," as it borrows a lot of elements from it. A small group of people rising up against the Empire and give it a black eye against the odds with ultimate failure looming overhead. I almost feel like it borrows to much, because they even have to go up against a cyborg who's "more machine than man. Twisted and evil." A must read for any hardcore "Rebels" fans that want to see how the group started off.

A New Dawn is an auspicious beginning to this new era of the Star Wars saga. While not a perfect book I'm willing to cut it some slack as with most books, and shows, the first stories are always a little rough around the edges as introductions are made. However, I'm sure that this new era will be handled as deftly as others have been handed in the past and I can't wait to read more adventures of these characters beyond the Rebels cartoon.

I was a little nervous at first being a fan of the old EU, but this book captures that same feeling that the older books give you. It respects what came before but at the same time you feel a sense of something new. It is a great read for any Star Wars fan and it does tie in with Rebels giving the TV show that extra added depth.

I really enjoy the Rebels cartoon and have been keeping up with the new canon books. I really wanted to like this but I found myself struggling to get through it as it was quite boring. Other than Hera and Kanan the characters were one-dimensional and I did not care about them. If you're looking for a new canon book to read go pick up Lost Stars.

If I could give this 4.5 I would. I truly enjoyed this book. I loved the main characters and the supporting cast. They are all excellent. The adventure story, while very much Star Wars could have just been a tad better. Still really good overall, and a great introduction to two of the main characters in the Rebels TV show. Rest of my review in the link, just don't want to post 800 words in this thread.
http://dowerreviews.blogspot.com/2015/08/star-wars-new-dawn-book-review_17.html

I really liked this book. The pace of the story was fast, the characters very enjoyable, and I liked getting glimpses into this time period of the Star Wars universe. This story also felt like Star Wars, that is no easy feat considering all the characters are new and unknown to us.
For me the book read fast and I liked the short chapter structure. That should not be taken as the book was simple or childish, because it was not. This is an adult Star Wars book.
I've read a lot of Star Wars EU books over the years, and honestly I was not someone who was upset with the announcement that the EU would be relabeled as "Legends". That being said this book did not rewrite anything in the old canon and actually incorporated some things from the EU. So I think those that were upset with the EU changes will be very happy with this first book in the new canon.
After reading this I am really looking forward the other upcoming novels.

I enjoyed the characters in this book. They are flawed and likeable and get much more focus than Jedi and Sith superhuman feats. It really develops some depth behind Rebels that I think will make the series more enjoyable.

The story was okay, but not as engaging as, say, "Tarkin" - I had trouble getting excited about these characters and it wasn't clear where the story was going. The narrator for the audiobook does a great job with different voices for the various characters but his work is overwhelmed by excessive sound effects and seeming random music from the original movies.

I was looking forward to reading some backstory to the Rebels characters. Unfortunately, the book is so poorly written that I just got bored early on, and couldn't force myself to enjoy it. The pace is mind-numbingly slow. The characters are predictable. The plot is unnecessarily bloated. It's simply among the worse Star Wars novels. The only saving grace is that for the audiobook version, the narrator is excellent. That, however, does not save this lackluster first foray into the Rebels expanded story. If you must get it, buy it used...help someone else earn back some of the money they needlessly threw at this sad attempt of a book.

I'm not a fan of the writing styles of almost all the star wars books. They always feel very comic-booky and generic sci-fi-video-game-ish, but not Star Wars. This author really captures the essence of Star Wars in his book though, with believable villains, realistic characters, and more of the wild west meets old nobility essence that is the heart of this setting. The book starts off slow, and could have been sped up more, but once the action picked up I just had to stay up all night until I finished the book. I think this particular novel has bits that can appeal to all ages of the fandom, possessing enough action-adventure for kids, but also depicting real characters that are not carbon-copy-sci fi tropes for adults. I am hoping some of the surviving characters make there way into the Star Wars Rebels cartoon at some point, or perhaps some other media or spin-off novels, but time will tell. Anyways that's just some thoughts from someone who just couldn't get into starwars books since I was a little kid.

A great introduction to the stars of the new television show "Star Wars Rebels". I really enjoyed the backstory for Kanan and Hera, two rather enigmatic characters from the show. The show might be child oriented, but this book most definitely was not. Excellent entry into the new Star Wars canon, and worth a read for any Star Wars fan.

One of the best Star Wars novels I've read. The characters were well rounded, the plot moved quickly, and the finale was fun and intense. I usually find it very tough to enjoy Star Wars related novels, but Mr. Miller has really surprised me. Wholly recommended.

Star Wars novels get bashed for being simplistically written at times, which is occasionally warranted. However, JJM has been my consistently favorite Star Wars author, especially after reading "Kenobi" and "The Lost Tribe of the Sith" short stories. While I'm still recovering from the seemingly erasure of the Expanded Universe at the hands of Mickey Mouse, my irritation was met equally with excitement that the new canon novels would begin with another hopeful gem from JJM.

Unfortunately, while the book is good, the downsides of it are very widely promoted on forums and reviews. For the first 30-40% of the book, the story spends entirely too much time reciting unnecessary details about mining and not enough character development. By the end, some of these complaints are redeemed, specifically understanding of the main characters that will be featured in the Star Wars: Rebels series. However, as I've also read in many places, it just doesn't have the complete feel of a true Star Wars story.

Placement-wise, it's between Episode III and IV. While there are other books that cover how the clones transition into stormtroopers, there are elements of this book that just seem to happen. Eliminating some of cool elements of the former Expanded Universe will eventually be overwhelmed with new material that many younger readers probably won't care, but for those of us in this from the beginning, it seems a bit arrogant to have discarded some elements of the Expanded Universe that were actually interesting storylines.

The characters in this novel seem like altered versions of characters we've already seen before, so attaching emotion or interest in these characters is a little more difficult to achieve. I didn't want to dislike this book because of its importance, especially the expectations of having JJM write it. However. this was also his first book written by committee. The feel, the voice, is more elementary, possibly even generic, which is unlike JJM, so my gut tells me there were too many chiefs involved in its creation.

Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps the older generation is no longer the target audience, which would make more sense after reading this book. Perhaps it will work. There are a line of more interesting novels coming that may help provide some depth to these characters that we are allegedly supposed to embrace. Let's hope so.

A very strong start that dwindles throughout the book. Rather than building to a climax, the story starts string and became more boring to me as it continued. I did enjoy the characters and the fact that we have a Star Wars book without a single lightsaber ignition. The book works great as an introduction into the Rebels cartoon series and adds some depth to the stories of Kanan and Hera. I would like to see more stories like this, but with perhaps more engaging storylines.

Much has been made of the fact that this is the first entry into the Star Wars Expanded Universe since Disney hit the reset button, despite the (apparently unnoticed) publication of several tie-ins to the series Star Wars: Rebels that preceded this. Even the title makes a reference to it. Maybe those don’t count because they’re not geared at adults. Anyway, all that hype is a little misleading. There is very little here that harkens the new era of Star Wars publishing. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but it had very little to do with the reboot. I’m pretty sure the book was mostly written already by the time that edict was handed down. That’s not its function. The place of this book in the ongoing Star Wars canon is to serve as a prelude to Star Wars: Rebels and introduce a couple of the main characters from that show. And it does that, superbly. Just don’t expect a grand departure from what came before, because almost everything therein was consistent with the Legends canon that existed before. There was no reason to foist major structural change on the book just to buck tradition and highlight the fact that there was a new sheriff in town.

The old order is dead. It died eight years ago, and when it fell it took everything Kanan Jarrus knew with it. He was just a Padawan at the time, only starting his journey to becoming a Jedi, but that didn’t matter to the Emperor when he issued Order 66. Kanan’s master sold her life to give him time to escape, and he’s been running ever since, floating from system to system, just avoiding the Empire’s notice, never in one place too long. He’s put his Jedi heritage behind him, and looks out primarily for number one even if he can’t resist sticking his neck out for a friend every once in a while. These days he makes ends meet flying transports loaded with high explosives between the mined-out planet Gorse and it’s still-rich moon Cynda as the companies scramble to meet Imperial quotas. Given how often they fall short, the Emperor has sent an envoy to see what he can do to speed up production. Cyborg businessman Baron Vidian made a fortune during the Clone Wars, and since has been working for the Emperor, smoothing logistical bumps in the rapid expansion of the Imperial Navy. The cost in sentient lives and suffering has been noticeable, and would-be rebel Hera Syndulla has followed him to Gorse in an attempt to learn all she can about Imperial security in general and Vidian in particular. When Vidian launches a coldhearted plan to speed up production at the expense of countless lives, Kanan and Hera will be thrown together in a desperate attempt to stop him. But can the massive might of the Empire really be resisted?

Like I said, I enjoyed this, and I’m if anything more excited for the launch of Rebels. The characters of Hera and Kanan were well-rounded and interesting, as were most of the assorted allies and acquaintances featured here. Unfortunately, the villain Denetrius Vidian was not nearly so nuanced as I’ve grown to expect from Miller’s work. He’s far from the only starkly-evil villain in the Galaxy Far, Far Away, but could have been given some more shades of gray. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment, but its still worth noting. The book was also notable for its inclusion of those incredibly rare creatures, female Imperials. There were several female stormtroopers thrown in (although not by name, and it didn’t make any difference to the story what gender they were), as well as the commander of Vidian’s Star Destroyer. I’m not sure if this is an attempt by the new Lucas Story Group to make the Empire more inclusive, or just Miller trying to even the playing field a bit. The only thing here that really conflicted with previous canon was the inclusion of Depa Billaba as Kanan’s former master when previous canon had established her as lying comatose at that point in the timeline. Obi-Wan makes a pointed comment in the prologue about the various “legends” contained in the Jedi archive, but that’s about the only nod they make to the reboot issue aside from the title. In case anyone’s interested, this is set eight years after Revenge Of The Sith, six years before Rebels and eleven before A New Hope.

CONTENT: Mild language. Some violence, not all that gory or gratuitous. No sexual content, but Kanan flirts with every female he meets–occasionally, as in the case of the Star Destroyer’s captain, just to annoy them and get them to leave him alone.

John Jackson Miller is a great writer, but this is not his best work. The story fails to feel really compelling, though it's otherwise written pretty well. This is a prequel to the Star Wars: Rebels TV show, and fans of that show will be happy to see a slightly younger Kanan perfectly in character. However, they might be disappointed to find that Hera takes a secondary role, there's not much of a romance story, and none of the other characters from the show even make cameos (unless you count Hera's ship the Ghost, which appears only a couple times in the story).

One of the things that really hurt the prequels was a focus on the mundane over the awesome. Episodes 4-6 focused on a smallish band of rebels defeating a galaxywide empire by killing the Emperor and destroying his two most destructive weapons. Good stuff, there. Episodes 1-3 focused on a bureaucrat's manipulation of varying governmental and extragovernmental officials in order to bring about a war that lead to martial law. Has potential, but required an absent finesse to pull off.

Rebels, the new TV show that A New Dawn is the prequel for, is thus far a solid show about a little band of outlaws nipping at the heels of an all-powerful empire. Great, and proven, premise.

A New Dawn is (seriously) about an logistics expert trying to elevate his place in the Imperial court. See the problem here?

The problem with the Lucas prequels, and this one, is a consuming effort to explain everything. This led Lucas to his worst decision ever: the midichlorians (yes, worse than Indy 4 and Howard the Duck). This book should've spent more time filling out histories for Caleb/Kanan (about whom we learn a little) and Hera (about whom we learn nothing) than bothering with a giant backstory for sure-to-be-defeated-bad-guy Count Vidian (about whom we learn plenty, including one hilarious thing for engineers).

Anyway, the story was fine, if Star-Wars-silly. Dialogue, action, etc. were good. The takeaway from this is to trust the readers not to need every detail about why people do things, especially when they are extremely banal reasons.

I listened to the audible version with narration by Marc Thompson who always does great voice acting. The first chapter is interesting but it's mostly a boring book until chapter 25. Chapters are very short and not much happens in them. It's an unfortunate start to the new canon and doesn't add much to enjoyment of Star Wars Rebels either.

Was excited for this book. The first official cannon novel. It was a good audiobook, I listened to it on my morning and afternoon commute. My son and I both enjoyed it very much. The reading was very well done, along with the sound effects and music it was a wonderful Star Wars event!

A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller, is the first Star Wars novel to be written and published since Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, and the creation of the Lucasfilm Story Group. As such, it's the first non-movie adaptation to be considered "canon" in the Star Wars universe. Finally, A New Dawn also functions as a prequel of sorts to the upcoming animated series Star Wars: Rebels. It was with all this in mind that I eagerly, yet cautiously, began reading A New Dawn.

My reaction? It was mixed. I enjoyed getting a glimpse at several of the new characters, and liked the idea that this book will "count", that it's contents will matter in the grand scheme of things. However, I wasn't particularly taken in with any of the new characters, and the villain(s) seem to be the same-old, same-old.

Kanan is a trying to fly below the radar, keeping his head down as he delivers explosives for a mining company. Meanwhile, Count Vidian, Captain Sloane, and the crew of a Star Destroyer arrive to create more efficiency for the Empire's important mining interests on the planet Gorse, and it's moon, Cynda. When an unstable explosives expert, and conspiracy theorist, named Skelly sets off an explosion, nearly killing Count Vidian, the wrath of the Empire is brought to bear on Gorse. Enter Hera, a mysterious woman looking for information on Vidian and for people who are unhappy with the way the Emperor is running things. Stir in several mysterious pasts, and you have the ingredients for Star Wars: A New Dawn.

Kanan and Hera seem to be the characters who will be a key part of the Rebels storyline. They have the potential to be very interesting, but there isn't a whole lot revealed about them in this book, especially Hera. It's a good set-up for Rebels, but not the greatest for a novel. I found that I wasn't really invested in them, because I didn't know anything about them. I kept pressing forward in the hopes more would be revealed, but was not rewarded.

I think this "Dark Times" setting has a ton of potential. There is so much that can be covered between the formation of the Empire and the slaughter of the Jedi, and the opening of the original Star Wars: A New Hope. Again, though, this book served only as an intro to Rebels, so it is tightly focused on its one corner of the galaxy.

Finally, the villains weren't really anything new. Captain Sloane came off as just another Empire/Emperor toady. Count Vidian was the biggest disappointment of the book for me, though. He is just too similar to other bad guys in the official Star Wars universe. He is greedy, selfish, manipulative, and imposing. He is also part man and part machine. He isn't as cool or menacing as Darth Vader, but reminded me a lot of General Grievous, from Attack of the Clones and the Clone Wars series.

My final verdict is that while there is a lot of room for growth, improvement, and cool stories, Star Wars: A New Dawn is just average, not adding a whole lot. If you read it like a prequel to Rebels, it functions okay, but it isn't really that entertaining as a standalone novel.

I received a preview copy of this book from Lucas Books and Del Rey Spectra in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Miller's Lost Tribe of the Sith stories, and he does a great job on this origin story for these Rebels characters. I'd love to read more stories of the pre-TV show adventures of Kanan, Hera, and the origins of Zeb, Chopper, and Sabine as well.

Simply put, this novel is boring. The plot lumbers and lags with no real action until chapter 25, and the character development that you would think is taking place in the meantime is shallow. The book is no classic, but it should have more depth than a one drop rain puddle. It diminishes from the Star Wars legacy.

Pros:
Kanan is very well-developed and complex. His motivations and past experiences are intriguing and make me want to root for him.

The villain is very menacing and dangerous. He is a threat that I was happy to root against.

The tone is balanced with comedic and dramatic moments intertwined.

Sets up Rebels very well and gets me beyond excited for it to happen.

Serves as a perfect entry point for fans new to the EU.

Cons:
Hera and the other protagonists are far less developed than Kanan is. Perhaps this is because they want to leave room for some of them to develop further in Rebels, or perhaps it is because some of the characters will not be appearing in Rebels and got overshadowed.

The first few chapters can feel slow and a bit unimportant. However most of seemingly unimportant aspects become significant in the far superior later half.

A certain character's turn near the end seems rushed and not very clear. It work's in it's place, though. We may see them again in Rebels?

Not Jedi-focused. Without spoiling the twists, don't go in to this book expecting tons of lightsaber duels and big Jedi battles.

Overall, New Dawn is a great set up for the rest of the new EU. It sets a standard for a fun and interesting novel. It also makes me excited for Rebels. If you are interested in Rebels or looking to get in to the Star Wars EU, this is a perfect book for you.

Very good story. The pacing keeps you from setting it down and the use of old EU material from the discontinued "Legends" timeline makes it approachable for both newcomers to the Star Wars galaxy and EU veterans. All in all a very good novel. The reason for 4 out of 5 stars is that for a short period about 2/3 of the way through the story I felt that the pacing slowed and I was just waiting for it to pick up again. In the end it did but something about the chapters in the space station just couldn't hold my attention like those that follow and precede them.

I had not read a Star Wars novel since the old Rogue Squadron books and was not sure what to expect. This book is not only a great Star Wars novel but it qualifies as darn good science fiction in its own right.

The book takes place on the periphery of the movie story line and is in many ways not dependent upon those events (except for the main characters origin). However, the events of the story are enriched by previous events and hopefully the story told here will be a part of the new continuity for the Star Wars Universe..

I thought this was a great Star Wars book. It tied in wonderful with the Rebels cartoon and felt like an episode. Fleshed out the backgrounds of several of the characters. Couldn't ask for much more.

This is not a great Star Wars novel, but it is the first of the new aligned canon that Disney-Lucasfilm is going with so it ties directly to the upcoming Star Wars Rebels animated tv series, and technically it ties to the new films as well -- though nothing in this book felt like it would inform on anything beyond the scope of these two main characters which is a shame since it's very long. It's a decent read, not aiming high enough perhaps but adequate, especially if you are interested in the upcoming Star Wars Rebels tv series.

A New Dawn does heavy lifting building the character of Kanan Jarrus, you get to know him and see where he's coming from, how he's grown and how he has room to continue growing, and it does a very good job of that. The character does feel like an amalgamation of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, but it's an interesting pastiche at least.

This story also does a surprisingly good job giving the audience an idea of why people would begin rebelling at this stage against the Empire, which actually informs both the upcoming show and Luke's and his uncle's comments about the Empire in Episode 4. The modern-day allegory to western society and its abuses are at times heavy-handed and overly modern-day, but the underpinnings here work well.

A lot of the other characters, including SW Rebels main character Hera, don't really get fleshed out enough in this book though. They exist and are defined by their actions and words, but you don't get as much a sense of their histories and what drives them to make the choices they do, they are simply to feel like color and move the plot along. We get hints, but not enough actual development. Those that do, the villain and a few secondary tag-alongs, feel like they are straddling the line, being cautious about not building too much to step on toes.

The story does a good job of worldbuilding, but stays put for the majority of its lengthy read on a small mining planet that's never meant anything to anyone in the Star Wars universe before, and then in the final act goes to a generic space environment for a video game-like ending.

Bottom line, John Jackson Miller's prose is generally easy to read without feeling dumbed-down even at such a long length, the action and scenarios are well spelled-out; but the elements here feel pretty small and lightweight, so you're left with a strong feeling for the characters on the cover and little else.

(My review is of the advance paperback edition given out at San Diego Comic Con 2014.)

I read this after seeing the first season of Rebels and enjoyed it from start to finish. Is it the best Star Wars book out there? Certainly not, but it's everything a Star Wars book should be.

...and at the current price of a few bucks, it's a no brainer if you're a Star Wars fan.

Absolutely wonderful. John Jackson Miller is one of the best Star Wars authors, and he brings great characterization to Kanan, Hera, and the rest of the cast. Its just like his other novels, Knight Errant and Kenobi- you won't be able to put it down. Count Vidian is a great villain as well.

I am a big fan of the Star Wars Rebels television series and was very excited to learn more about the backstories of Hera and Kanaan. A New Dawn did not disappoint! It continued the fast paced action from the show was giving more details on two characters we hadn't previously known. A must read for any Rebels fan!

Overall an enjoyable Star Wars novel. At points I didn't know if it was supposed to be geared towards kids, since it's basically a commercial for the Rebels Disney show, or if it was trying to compete with some of the more gory Star Wars novels of the past, like Death Troopers. They also threw in a few obvious statements trying to make the EU-->Legends hit not feel so bad. I did enjoy it though and definitely recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed about 50% of this book. It started very strong, but somewhere along the way I lost interest. I thought the characters were very well developed, all but Kanan. I would say this book is worth a read, especially if you are a fan of the show Rebels

If you are as obsessed with Star Wars Rebels as I am and you want to know more of Kanan and Hera's backstory, then this is the book for you! It is really well written and contains a great mix of storytelling and action. I absolutely loved this book!

Great entry point into the new star wars canon and for rebels. The book greatly enhances the backstory of Kanan and Hera in Rebels and is a quick read. If your looking for a solid entry point to dive into the new star wars universe this book is for you. It starts a little slow but picks up speed and by the end I was left completely satisfied.

A New Dawn was a fun read where the audience gets to really see how Kanan met Hera and how their relationship started. For the better part of the book Kanan is in a much different place in life than he is in Rebels and it's interesting watching him grow and change. Definitely recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Rebels!

JJM is doing well with the Star Wars universe. I think he is a fitting choice to write the first SW novel in the new era. This book is much like his previous contributions. It enhances each character, fits whether you have read all the novels up to date or are brand new to it, and is fun! The prelude alone is worth a read.

Best Star Wars book I've read or listened to yet out of a dozen or so now. Loved it. I listened to it via audible. Going to listen to it again I liked it so much. John Jackson Miller is my new favorite author because of this book. Fantastic IMO. About as good as it gets.

This is a great foray into the new EU and a wonderful way to get to know the characters before they come alive on television.  This is definitely something that will help me bridge the gap between my mental image of the characters and the readily apparent "Disneyfication" of the characters in the show.

I really loved this book! It had a good story, good characters, and good villain. I felt like the ending didn't really tie in the TV show though. That is the only reason why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 out of 5.

This book is really exciting to read. If you enjoy a good, classic Star Wars book, you'll love it. A New Dawn dives deeper into what happens after Star Wars VI. It's also connected with the new TV series, Star Wars Rebels. I don't want to spoil anything, so go buy the book. You won't regret it.

Have you wondered what happened after Order 66 almost wiped out the Jedi? This book tells of the desperate and chaotic times that followed. This novel will have you wondering what happened to the main characters to make them the way they are now. The novel is fast paced and draws you in deeper with every page. This is a must read for any Star Wars fan

Great read. I was a little leery reading a new expanded universe novel. This book eased my fears. Great story. Great intro to Hera and Kanan! Excited to see more of these characters and how they fit in the new universe.

The title really sums it up in more ways than one. Right off the bat I will say I read this book in one day. My eyes burn as I write this.

I love this book. It just felt like the original trilogy. I felt for the characters and Vidian the villain was familiar yet different. There were some very serious and hard moments but it was mixed well with that classic star wars humor. I could really see the Empires oppression and it was very interesting to see the interworking's of the their methods.

By the end I saw the new dawn rising for star wars. And if this is any indication of the storytelling we are in for. It looks very exciting.

Restarting an entire Star Wars literature line was always going to be a tall task, especially now when there’s only so much information to work with while new films are in development. Despite the challenge, A New Dawn is an accessible and exceedingly entertaining entry point for decades-long veterans of the old Legends universe and fans picking up their first novel set in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. John Jackson Miller succeeds once again in capturing the tone and essence of Star Wars while bringing the universe into the modern era thanks in large part to a diverse cast that will resonate with readers of many backgrounds. The first entry in the new library of Star Wars literature hits all the right notes.

I really loved this book! It had a good story, good characters, and good villain. I felt like the ending didn't really tie in the TV show though. That is the only reason why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 out of 5.

This book is really exciting to read. If you enjoy a good, classic Star Wars book, you'll love it. A New Dawn dives deeper into what happens after Star Wars VI. It's also connected with the new TV series, Star Wars Rebels. I don't want to spoil anything, so go buy the book. You won't regret it.

Have you wondered what happened after Order 66 almost wiped out the Jedi? This book tells of the desperate and chaotic times that followed. This novel will have you wondering what happened to the main characters to make them the way they are now. The novel is fast paced and draws you in deeper with every page. This is a must read for any Star Wars fan

Great read. I was a little leery reading a new expanded universe novel. This book eased my fears. Great story. Great intro to Hera and Kanan! Excited to see more of these characters and how they fit in the new universe.

The title really sums it up in more ways than one. Right off the bat I will say I read this book in one day. My eyes burn as I write this.

I love this book. It just felt like the original trilogy. I felt for the characters and Vidian the villain was familiar yet different. There were some very serious and hard moments but it was mixed well with that classic star wars humor. I could really see the Empires oppression and it was very interesting to see the interworking's of the their methods.

By the end I saw the new dawn rising for star wars. And if this is any indication of the storytelling we are in for. It looks very exciting.

Restarting an entire Star Wars literature line was always going to be a tall task, especially now when there’s only so much information to work with while new films are in development. Despite the challenge, A New Dawn is an accessible and exceedingly entertaining entry point for decades-long veterans of the old Legends universe and fans picking up their first novel set in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. John Jackson Miller succeeds once again in capturing the tone and essence of Star Wars while bringing the universe into the modern era thanks in large part to a diverse cast that will resonate with readers of many backgrounds. The first entry in the new library of Star Wars literature hits all the right notes.

I've been enjoying A New Dawn so far I have both the ARC paperback and The regular Hardcover copy of the book I got from Star Wars Del Ray Books. Good novel so far I have not finished yet I'm currently on chapter 15. A Nice start for The New Story Group Novels of Star Wars Stories.

A NEW DAWN ushers in a new era of publishing for the Sci-Fi franchise being the first novel to be "officially" included in Disney's canon for its Star Wars Universe and serves as an introduction to the animated series Star Wars: Rebels. This book is a decent romp of an adventure for the teen and young adult audience that the Star Wars: Rebels television show is being developed for and marketed to. The tie-in to the Disney XD tv series and Star Wars universe is a great hook to get a young audience, that probably doesn't read literature as much as they should, to pick up and enjoy a book. While the novel isn't designated as a Young Adult (YA) book that should be its key audience as it really is a flop when it comes to providing an enjoyable read for more mature adult Star Wars fans who may be more discerning readers.

For this being the first book to be included in the canon for the overall Star Wars storyline and the introduction to the highly anticipated Rebels, I have to say it was disappointing that the novel didn't contribute anything memorable to either.

I would love to say I enjoyed this book but seeing as how it pretty much ripped off the coruscant nights series with similar characters, plot and themes... It's more frustrating because the original EU was cancelled for this! Was it cancelled simply to mine for ideas to trick new fans into jumping on the Reboot bandwagon? Don't buy this book, but the Coruscant Nights series instead, four great books (that came first) and are much more in depth!

As a Star Wars fan (or freak according to my friends), this novel was the perfect ingredient in starting a new era of Star Wars canon. John Jackson Miller does it again. Buy this, read and enjoy!!!!

Sorry, but I am an old fart that likes things to stick to the old Star Wars canon. I was one of those who stood in long lines in 1977 to get tickets to what was truly the 1st blockbuster movie. Please don't change 40 years of a developing storyline just because Disney owns it now and wants to make more cash....

I'm very puzzled by the grading and positive reviews of this book. As a lifelong Star Wars fan from the original in '77 and a big fan of the Clone Wars animated show and very much looking forward to the Rebels show, I was excited for and wanting to read this novel, however despite receiving a pre-publication reader's copy at Comic-Con, I was incredibly disappointed. It was wordy and therefore overlong, dry and boring, being preoccupied with the minutae of fictional mining and (of all things) business politics in the empire. It spent the majority of the novel bogged down in uninteresting locales such as the mines and miner's dive bars and really only came alive during the finale. Above all else, it was that thing that SW should never be, boring! A disappointing start to the canonical novels.

Just plain crap. A New Dawn is one of the few SW books, like Rogue Squadran, that I couldn't finish. I'm lucky I checked out a library copy as opposed to purchasing. Make Lords of the Sith your new canon starting point instead of this waste. Or, although considered a Legends novel, read Miller's, "Kenobi."

After reading an article written by John Jackson Miller about his journey with Star Wars, I gained a respect for the author and decided that, despite how upset I was with Disney for rebooting Star Wars (yes, the Expanded Universe has always been canon, do your research), I would give this book an honest try to see if Disney's new universe could hold any value for me. Long story short, it doesn't. The simple fact is, I fell in love with the characters and stories set in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, not with the brand name. And this book is really Star Wars in name only. I read the whole thing, but I never cared about the characters or events at any point in the book, because they weren't consistent with the universe I love. The story just never drew me in. If you'd like a great story on the origin of the Rebellion that is consistent with the past 38 years of Star Wars history, check out The Force Unleashed novelization instead.

I love Star Wars, but this book is absolutely horribly written. The characters are dumb and poorly thought out. The only saving grace of this book is that it gives us some backstory to the new series starting. I do wish they kept the old stories and kept them as cannon.

Wow! What a ride. I had only recently started watching Rebels and decided to catch up on the story of how Kaman and Hera met. This book does get a bit dark, as the villain Count Vivian is a true monster you definitely hate by the end of the book. It's also a great introduction to Imperial Captain Rae Sloane, I liked her character a great deal. Kaman is clearly haunted and has a great sense of humor and I loved how he had designs on both Hera and Rae Sloane. The romantic tension between Hers and Kaman was very well written and I would've loved to have seen Rebels as an adult show like Rogue One. While it took a bit to set everything up, it became faster paced towards the end. This is the second book I've read by John Jackson Miller, with Lost Tribe of the Sith being first, I love his character insights. I will be looking forward to reading Kenobi. This book was read using immersion reading, with the audio book version synced to the text. As always, Marc Thompson is outstanding as narrator and voice characterizations.

While watching Star Wars: Rebels did you ever find yourself wondering how the characters ended up meeting each other in the first place? A New Dawn doesn’t tell us the full story, but it does tell us how Hera and Kanan met, and since they’re both my favorites of the series (cough totally not biased cough) I’m inclined to consider their meeting the most important.
As far as where A New Dawn fits in with the rest of the canon series, I can give you a pretty good estimate for that one. Movie wise it fits in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. As far as the books go it’s tucked between Thrawn and Lost Stars (both are fantastic, in case you were wondering).
A New Dawn is not quite what I was expecting, but I loved it anyway. This was a great prelude to the Rebels series, if I may say so. I for one have always had questions about many of the characters in Rebels, but in particular I’ve been wondering about Kanan and Hera, and this novel finally gives me a few of the answers I’ve been hoping for. Granted, it doesn’t tell me everything, but I’ll take what I can get!
For some reason I had always assumed that Kanan had gotten Hera into the Rebellion, rather than the other way around, but I’ve officially been proven wrong. In this novel we have Kanan essentially in hiding after the fall of the Jedi (for more information on how Kanan survived that, go ahead and read his graphic novels). Meanwhile Hera is the bold and brave agent trying to gather information and make a difference in the galaxy. I wasn’t expecting that twist, and while Kanan immediately steps up to help Hera out, the fact remains that he may not have had she not been there. It’s interesting food for thought.
I loved the character interactions in this story, as well as getting a chance to know the characters without having the others around (not that I don’t love them all – especially Chopper). So often we’ve been forced to see one or both of them guarded, but here they’re a bit more open. Okay, that’s not completely true, as they both have a lot of secrets, but there’s an instant connection between the two that draws them to each other (okay, it’s mostly Kanan being drawn to Hera, but still).
It was interesting to see both characters in a different point in their lives. Hera is confident in her abilities, but she hasn’t hit the point where she feels comfortable working in a team (even thought that is vital for finishing many of the missions she hopes to take on). Meanwhile Kanan is still hurting from his past, and unsure of what he should make of his future. By joining the Rebellion he’s essentially decided to stop sitting on the sideline and instead start fighting for hope. It’s a great change for him, and is wonderful to see it happen.
The antagonist for the series is an interesting one. While he is more physically intimidating than Tarkin, I almost want to put him on the same level. Vidian is a scary dude – and that’s before taking his cyborg body into account. He’s cold and calculating and clearly has no problem coming to lethal conclusions for the sake of business. In short he’s the perfect antagonist for our newly founded team.
I know I’m biased because I love Hera and Kanan (though mostly Hera – she’s one of my favorite characters in all of Star Wars, which is saying something), but I really enjoyed this novel. It’s fast paced and witty and everything else one would hope to find in a Star Wars novel. Even the battle scenes (the few that there were) were pretty great. I know it’s unlikely we’ll see another full novel about any of the Rebels characters, but I would so love it should another one come out. Here’s hoping!

My biggest hesitation with Star Wars in the new age of Disney, has been the fact that without the old Expanded Universe, the majority of Star Wars stories are from the Clone Wars and Rebels, both of which are arguably children's shows. I have been among those fans concerned that Star Wars would be reduced to childish stories, but this book put our fears aside. It showed Kanan dealing with memories of his Master and other dead Jedi, but didnt dwell on them to much. It was surprising to see how much Kanan is into drinking and picking up women, and will be interesting to see Freddie Prinze's take on the Cowboy Jedi this fall. It deals with a side of the Empire that we paid much attention to, and I LOVED Count Vidian! Great beginning to the new Expanded Universe!