Despite its cancellation after just one season, The Acolyte is still present in the wider galaxy of Star Wars, at least in the realms of publishing. There is plenty to come for fans of the show and its characters, such as the Art of book, a visual dictionary, a young adult book featuring Yord and Jecki, and, of course, the latest adult canon book, The Acolyte: Wayseeker. These books can help keep the show alive even after its cancellation and provide fans and new fans a way to interact with the characters and get behind the show like never before. I still hope for a future for the show and these characters, but The Acolyte being so alive in publishing is great for now.
Justina Ireland returns to the world of the High Republic for The Acolyte: Wayseeker, a book that follows her creation, Vernestra Rwoh, roughly 20 years before the show. This is one of Justina Ireland’s last ever Star Wars books, so it marks a monumental moment in her writing career. The book brings fans an epilogue, in a way, to the High Republic as a publishing initiative, alongside dropping Acolyte crumbs for fans of the Disney+ series.
[Note: While I am reviewing this book independently and honestly, it should be noted a copy of the book was provided to me by Penguin Random House for this review.]
The Acolyte: Wayseeker ties together The High Republic
Wayseeker, by Justina Ireland, one of the creators of the High Republic, follows both Vernestra Rwoh and Indara from the show in the end days of the High Republic era of the galaxy. Indara is sent by the Jedi Council to fetch now Jedi Wayseeker (A Jedi who explores the galaxy free of council intervention) Vernestra back to Coruscant to help both the Order and the Senate with a growing issue in the galaxy. A plot thread from The Rising Storm makes up the bulk of the book as the threat of “Nullifiers” (a device that can stop a lightsaber from working) rears its head across the galaxy again after nearly 80 years.
Wayseeker provides an interesting new dimension to Star Wars as it is one of the few canon books to provide some of the story in first person (that being Vernestra’s chapters). This helps provide us as readers with a new dimension to her character, allowing Ireland to explore her thoughts and emotions throughout the book. I enjoyed reading this aspect very much, getting into the mind of Vernestra, seeing what she thinks of the galaxy, and how her time since being in the Nihil conflict has changed her.
This Star Wars novel brings readers several Jedi from across the era
Indara also gets an interesting arc in this story. Moving away from her years stuck in the Jedi archives, she learns what it means to be a Jedi Knight again under the tutelage of a rather aloof and odd Vernestra, which makes for a great dynamic between the pair as they both struggle to open up to each other and listen and learn from each other. There are other great Jedi within the book too who I won’t spoil here, especially as one of them is a character who will appear in Trials of the Jedi, the last adult High Republic book and the end of the Nihil conflict story which many fans are excited for. They are brought into the story in an interesting way, and provide some conflict, and also friendship over the past to Vernestra. It was great to see them in this book and made for a pleasant surprise.
Wayseeker is almost an epilogue to the High Republic, even if it is set around 80 years after the Nihil conflict has ended. During the course of the story, we get to visit and hear about many of the main and most important High Republic planets to see how they have changed and altered. As we see in The Acolyte, we also notice how the Jedi Order is starting to change for the worst, focusing less on the galaxy at large and mainly keeping to Coruscant. I enjoyed the world-building in this book by Justina Ireland, as she managed to balance the galaxy perfectly in between these two eras, show how the characters are reacting to the Jedi Order and what normal people are beginning to think of the galaxy.
One aspect of the book I wish we got more of was connections to The Acolyte itself, there are teases of a history between Vernestra and Qimir/The Stranger from when he was her padawan, but that is all they are, teases. I imagine this book was being written in mind for future seasons of the show, but as it stands, you may feel a little let down if you were hoping for any substantial connections to the wider plot of the show outside of Vernestra and Indara.
The plot of the book suffers slightly from being a little basic in places, but Ireland manages to make it far more interesting. The story digs deep into Vernestra, and also her relationship with Indara, and the legacy of The High Republic era and what it meant for her to be in the fight so young.
Final thoughts on The Acolyte: Wayseeker
Overall, I think many High Republic and The Acolyte fans will enjoy this book. Getting deep into the mind of Vernestra, a fan-favorite character, is amazing to read and a lot of the book being set in first person adds a new dimension to the writing. Indara gets some great action and helps you see where she ends up in the Acolyte as a seasoned Jedi Master, her backstory is great to find out about in this book. The plot, whilst a little basic in parts, helps tie up a lot of The High Republic, especially as some the main plot comes from a minor part of another High Republic book.
My rating: 7/10
Wayseeker is a worthy read, some fans may wish to wait until after Trials of the Jedi if they so desire, but I would recommend picking up this book when you can to also help support the future of The Acolyte. Wayseeker by Justina Ireland is now available wherever books are sold! Are you picking up this book soon? Let us know what you think on social media @mycosmiccircus or @TheCosmicCircus.com on Bluesky.
Check out: Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 1 Discussion (Cosmic Circle Podcast Ep. 58)
