Book Reviews Blog #1 Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void

Lanoree Brock and Tre Sana

Hello and welcome to my Star Wars book reviews, it will be different than other book reviews as I will go into an depth look at the characters, their behaviors, what you can learn from these characters and how it can be applicable to your own life. Yes it's a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away - but the principles of success are the same throughout the universe. So strap in and get prepared to learn something. If you haven't read the book I'd advise you to pick up your copy here -

Dawn of the Jedi is set 25,000 years Before the Battle of Yavin and about 20,000 years before any other book in the Star Wars EU. They are in the Tython System which seems to consist of a few different planets including Tython, with its 2 moons Ashla and Bogan, representing the light and the dark side of the force, Kalimahr and Nox. We follow a Je'Daii Ranger named Lanoree Brock as she has to uncover a plot by her, believed to be deceased, little brother, Dalien Brock, who is attempting to open a hypergate by using Dark Matter that will connect them to their system to the rest of the galaxy, but at the risk of destroying the whole system. The Je'Daii council has tasked her with investigating and stopping her brother with little information. All they give her is a non-force user, scoundrel Tre Sana, as her guide for information. The Je'Daii are a understood to have later evolved into the Jedi, but they are different than the Jedi in a few ways, they are closer to following the balance of the force, avoiding extremes to any one side, Ashla or Bogan, (light or dark), they say the Force is not dark or light, mast nor slave but a balance between extremes. Almost comparable to the Gray Jedi, if you've heard anything about them on your Star Wars journey. The Je'Daii are also brought up with their families, learning from their parents who are force users, giving the opportunity to still have love and attachment to loved ones (which clouds Lanoree's and her parent's judgement of Dalien).

The book follows 2 different timelines, 9 years apart. Lanoree's and Dalien's journey to learn the ways of the Je'Daii and also 9 years later of Lanoree's quest to find and stop Dalien. These two characters are interesting because one has completely embraced the force teachings and Dalien completely denies it, he wants nothing to do with it. Lanoree is constantly trying to show Dalien the benefits of the force, and the more that she tries, the more Dalien pushes himself away from the force. Isn't this something that feels familiar, have you ever tried to convince a friend that something was funny, or to a family member that a certain lifestyle could be toxic? It can be frustrating, and the more you try, the further away from your intention you will get. It's like trying to grip a bar of soap, the tighter you squeeze, the more it slips out of your grip. Of course we are all motivated to want what is best for those we love, but at the end of the day, the ones we love choose their own path, as we all must and have the responsibility to do. It is our responsibility to discern our options and follow our heart.

In this story Dalien has no love for the force. He resents it, he claims that by not using the force he is his "Own Man", who relies on his own strength, his own fight, his own will. Though I can agree with him, it was my understanding that the future is always in motion, based on the will of one who is wielding the force. They watch the chaos and violence of the ocean waves at one point and Dalien mocks the power of the force but Lanoree understands the connectivity of all things through the force. Where Lanoree is always calm and focused, in the moment - Dalien is constantly full of fear (or anxiety), leading him to deny the force! Dalien can write his own will, but the force is going to work no matter what, the Law of Attraction supersedes all other laws. It is not the belief in the Law of the Attraction that makes it work just as it is not the belief in the Law of Gravity that makes it work! By letting go of the "How" and just let things work out in the best way possible, you remove yourself from any sort of negative feeling that you may have towards anything. You become thankful for adversity because it strengthens you, you become thankful for failures because they teach you, you become thankful for misgivings because it gives you gratitude to the abundance that is already ever present in your lives.

On her way to Kalimahr, we get to see some of the Habits of Lanoree. I think the most important one was that she is constantly exercising and meditating to keep her focus sharp. She speaks with the Je'Daii Council member who assigned her the mission gives her a short brief about the help she will rendevous with, Tre Sana. She describes Tre Sana as "greed drives him and I pay", his own interests drive his actions. That is a key fundamental of leadership, you must use peoples own interests to drive their actions! Think about the military, a soldier's motivations are to complete the mission and to stay alive, the soldier will follow the leader that they think will best give them the opportunity to be successful. You must tap in to what will motivate action out of those who you are in charge of, and if that's money, than that is money.

There was a moment on Kalimahr that Lanoree is dealing with a veteran Chief of Security, who had obvious dislike for the Je'Daii as a whole, and was letting that dislike dictate the way that he was dealing with Lanoree. Lanoree recognizing the distrust attempted to peel back the onion and determine the source of the issue. This is something that you see among all successful leaders - they get right to the root of the discomfort and they make amends, without lying or pandering. The Security guy was upset, because while working alongside a Je'Daii ranger in the past and his pride was hurt when the Je'Daii ranger used the force to pick up the Security and physically move him out of the way. People want to feel important and feel that they matter, you can not ask the world to make sure that they feel that way but you are able to make sure that YOU make them feel that way. They always say people will not remember what you say, they will not remember what you do, they will only remember the way you make them FEEL. That is a profound statement and I think that is a lesson that all readers can take with them.

The story gets interesting as the anticipation rises, in one time-line as the you know the demise of Dalien Brock is coming and in the other as you get closer and closer on his trail to finding him. It's cool seeing the roots of the Jedi order and wondering how Dalien plans to pull of his treachery. I think that anyone interested in Star Wars would find a lot of enjoyment out of this Book and the beginning of the Star Wars (Legends) EU. I think there is a lot to keep in mind about the differences between the Je'Daii and the Jedi - mainly being that the Je'Daii do not ignore the presence of the Dark Side, or what they call Bogan, and if it means doing what is right, to use Bogan for the good of all. Like I said, the Je'Daii are almost comparable to the Gray Jedi that sometimes get referenced in Star Wars Lore.

That is all the further I'm going to delve into with this story. There are a number of different talking points but for the sake of this being a quick read for you on your daily Star Wars exploration, I will keep it short. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, if you want to support the Corporate Jedi, please click the image with the book cover and purchase your own copy of "Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void" or click this image below to shop for ANYTHING at Amazon, Amazon will thank us for you going through our doors into their store. If you would like to communicate with us, send an email to corporatejedi@gmail.com or leave us a comment, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any more of our teachings or book reviews. May the Force be with you.

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