Review – ‘Star Wars: The Last Order’ Delivers a Mixed Bag of Emotions
Last week saw the release of _The Last Order_, the first _Star Wars_ novel set after the events of _The Rise of Skywalker_. I’ll be honest, this will be the strangest review of a story I have written. On one hand, _The Last Order_ is a run-of-the-mill, average _Star Wars_ book. On the other hand, I’ve felt the most misled and disappointed I’ve been by a _Star Wars_ novel. The story spends most of its time in the past, following Finn and Jannah’s experiences as stormtroopers of the First Order. The time spent in the present is few and far between, but centered around a new character named Coy Tria, who accompanies Finn and Jannah on a mission around the possible resurgence of Major Gohl of the First Order.
Let’s start with the positives. Author Kwame Mbalia perfectly captures Finn’s spirit. It’s not easy to step into this space and write about a central movie character, but Mbalia does this so well. In fact, this is the story’s brightest spot. I’d welcome Mbalia’s return and more stories featuring Finn. The chapters centered around his time as a stormtrooper do a fantastic job of delivering us a better idea of who Finn is during this time, setting up his eventual turn on the First Order, and showing us that the real Finn is there the entire time.
Suppose you’ve spent any time wondering how the First Order was successfully able to brainwash good people like Finn and Jannah for so long into service. Of course, starting this process from birth or an extremely young age helps, but, through Finn’s eyes, we see how he is led to believe, through his training and many “morale sessions,” that the First Order is a force for good, bringing the galaxy back to a place of unification. Finn sees firsthand in the story the malice, cruelty, and corruption of First Order leaders, but still holds on to the belief that it stands for something greater.
I’ll be sincere, this book does an incredible job of setting up the Finn we finally meet at the end of _The Last Jedi._ One who is hell bent on not “letting the First Order win”, but receives a valuable lesson from Rose Tico on what winning will actually look like. Finn’s rage towards the First Order has always made sense, but when you’re able to see the layers to it that Mbalia lays out for us here, it makes for a satisfying read.
To continue the positivity train, Mbalia had me emotionally invested in Jannah’s character, which I wasn’t expecting. Nothing against her as a character; I actually enjoyed Naomi Ackie’s portrayal in _The Rise of Skywalker_. Still, it’s more of my beef with the movie than anything else. With all the chaos in that movie, it was difficult to be seriously invested in her. Still, this book has me ready for an inevitable Lando/Jannah adventure novel searching for where she came from.
Jannah is a squad leader for the First Order, and her leadership style is a wonderful juxtaposition of how the First Order operates. Mbalia infuses her leadership style with kindness, tenderness, and compassion, interlaced with the fierceness we know she has. She’s bonded to her squad more than her First Order superiors care for. She ignores orders in accomplishing her missions and seeks to eliminate unnecessary casualties in ways that… You guessed it… Ruffle First Order feathers.
Everything around her builds up to their mutiny at the Battle of Ansett Island, which we hear about in _The Rise of Skywalker_. Mbalia writes this well. The story doesn’t feel like a checklist of items we know Jannah has to complete before she arrives on Kif Bur, but instead flows in a natural progression towards a high point.
Mbalia handled these characters’ backstories well. Finn’s story was where I spent most of my time, completely enveloped in what was happening, but I enjoyed Jannah’s journey. I’d welcome a return to _Star Wars_ publishing for Mbalia, as they demonstrated an ability to deliver a nuanced character-driven story that digs deeper into a character than a traditional _Star Wars_ novel. However, this is where we arrive at the glaring negatives.
As previously stated, this was the most disappointed I’ve been with a _Star Wars_ novel in my life. Mostly, it has nothing to do with the story itself, but rather the story _Star Wars_ was selling us. The synopsis for this book was clear: it’s a post-TROS story, and Finn and Jannah are looking to finish off the First Order while reconciling with their pasts as Stormtroopers. On a baseline level, this is technically a story taking place after Episode IX, but in spirit, it’s not this in any way, shape, or form. I couldn’t contain my excitement to read about what was going on in Finn’s mind after the Battle of Exegol. Has he been pondering his newfound acceptance of the Force and his own acuity to it? Has he spoken to Rey at all since she departed for Tatooine? There were so many questions I had, but it delivered no answers or meaningful moments with this character.
Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac is Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley is Rey, and John Boyega is Finn in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
During the present timeline, the book follows a new character, Coy Tria, and you’ll be hard-pressed to continue caring about the character, given the massive gaps between present timeline chapters. There’s just simply not enough time spent there for the conclusion between Coy and our villain to give the reader any sort of satisfactory payoff. The real ending is felt at the end of the flashbacks for Finn and Jannah. This is a disservice to Coy, whose backstory is rather interesting: a regular person who joined the citizens’ fleet to fight on Exegol. There’s room for a much more exciting character here, but I’m left wondering what their purpose was.
The present timeline doesn’t offer us any inner monologue for Finn and Jannah, or even Lando, in the few moments he is around. There’s no mention of Rey, a present-day reflection or inclination of the Force sensitivity to the main characters, or even a glimpse into how they have processed the magnitude of what’s happened. When I began reading, I was grinning ear-to-ear when I saw Finn’s name or when Lando showed up. Eventually, however, I grew depressed, as I realized this was simply not going to be the story we were led to believe, or at the very least, hope for.
Now, as far as the story itself, it wasn’t flawless. The balance between past and present is so stark that it makes more sense to eliminate the present timeline and have this simply be a Finn-and-Jannah-as-stormtroopers story. Throughout, I thought to myself, why didn’t they just reframe it in that way and release it right before the film? It can be a bit of a dense read at times as you’re trying to remember stormtrooper ID numbers, squad members, and others that Mbalia doesn’t dive deep enough into for me to feel a strong connection, but they linger on throughout the entire story.
The pacing of the story leaves a little to be desired, as it can seem to linger in the minutiae for pages at a time and then sprint through the vital moments of a character’s development, or through the most prevalent rising action. Again, the story was solid, just not stellar.
In conclusion, how this story made me feel can be summed up in these words: a story worth reading, but not the one needed or wanted right now. I hope to look back on _The Last Order_ with fond memories. I will once the sequel era and beyond become more fleshed out, but this feels disappointing for the time being. If you want to dive into Finn and Jannah’s time as stormtroopers, you won’t be disappointed at all. In fact, you will probably enjoy it. However, if you enter expecting anything more from that, you will walk away dissatisfied. The highs don’t exceed the lows, and the resolution of the present timeline doesn’t do anything substantive for you either. Still, I do want Mbalia to have the reins to a Finn story that doesn’t involve _Star Wars_ handicapping them with what they are allowed to do.
**Rating: 5.5/10**
Star Wars: The Last Order _is available now wherever books are sold. Thank you to Random House Children’s Books for the copy used in this review._
##### Tyler Bradshaw
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Finding ways to nonchalantly incorporate Star Wars quotes into 8th grade classroom, Tyler lives and breathes Star Wars. His morning tradition is sending the latest number in the countdown for different Star Wars projects and loves engaging in uplifting Star Wars dialogue. If you are passionate about Star Wars you can follow him on Twitter at TyBrad5.
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Review – ‘Star Wars: The Last Order’ Delivers a Mixed Bag of Emotions Last week saw the release of The Last Order, the first Star Wars novel set after the events of The The post Review – ...
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