I recently read through Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs! It was such a joy to read! It helped me get even more excited to play Jedi: Survivor, perfectly captured the voices of characters I spent hours with in the first game, and as I've played the second game it's really been cemented as a perfect middle point between the two games. All of this, while also being a great Star Wars story in its own right! I definitely recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of the Jedi game series.
If you want to see me talk about the book with Sal Perales of the Rogue Rebels, you can listen to our podcast about it on the Rogue Rebels podcast channels!
Spoilers ahead for Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs.
Merrin's arc in this book was my favorite. She was such a stand-out character in the game, and getting to see things from her perspective and go through an arc about reconnecting with herself and her power was a real treat in this book. She had a very steamy romance with a new character as well, and their interactions were as interesting as they were sweet. If you are a Merrin fan, then I think this book is definitely a must-read for you!
Cal and Cere were also big parts of what I liked in this book. Seeing them both go on their so similar, yet so different paths that eventually led to where we see them in Jedi: Survivor was really interesting. We can see the seeds of Cal becoming more and more focused on the missions that they're doing, and losing himself to that. Meanwhile, Cere is growing more tired of the fight, and looking for other ways to resist the Empire as the violent approach doesn't always feel impactful. Mainly, through collecting and archiving important Jedi artifacts and pieces of their history.
Greez is another highlight of the book. His lines in the games always provide much-needed levity, and getting to finally let him take the narrative pilot seat rather than just the Mantis' was just as fun as you'd hope. The parts of the book from his perspective were hilarious, but also gave us a window into the sadder, quieter parts of Greez that we often overlook. We also learn about how he loses his arm as seen in Jedi: Survivor, which was as interesting as it was sad- though naturally, Greez takes it like a champ!
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