Join the Resistance by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker

This novel is a cute romp through the world of some young recruits in The Resistance. While definitely geared for middle grade readers, it's worth a foray to get a glimpse of another side of this Republic splinter group. I enjoyed the frivolity and cheer the young recruits brought to the page. And even the tough squad leader, Jo, grew on me as the book neared its conclusion. I'll just say there are definitely some surprises along the way. The main character, Mattis, and his underdog air had me under his sway from the beginning and I was rooting for him as each page turned to the next.

While the book does start a little slow, it quickly picks up the pace and becomes quite difficult to put down. One really neat thing about the opening chapters though is our glimpse into the
Saurin homeworld Durkteel where the Phirmist religion holds sway. This is really our deepest glimpse into the Saurins and their culture thus far and so was a welcome addition. We know they frequented Chalmun's Cantina on Tatooine and Jabba the Hutt's palace but little is known of them compared to their more well known Trandoshan cousins. Unfortunately, the biggest reference to Saurins is a jerk named Fikk who is a child at Mattis' orphanage.

We get a glimpse of one new planet in this novel - Vodran (Harra the Hutt's old haunt) - where a menagerie of animals run wild and an array of broken down vehicles, both land and space, speckle the surface. Once the book gets to Vodran, the action picks up exponentially and we are thrown into the thick of it. But the intrigue and speculation starts well before then.

Since this is a brand new story set in the Star Wars universe and is also canon - I of course recommend it to any Star Wars fan interested in going beyond the movies. But if you have a middle reader at home - this is definitely the book for them. And its sequel Escape from Vodran comes out soon!!