Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. How does the first book of the new overarching canon and the tie-in to the forthcoming Rebels series hold up?  To mission control for the verdict!

TELMU Bria:  A New Dawn is a contained story that introduces us to Kanan and Hera while also telling a tale with high stakes.  John Jackson Miller does a great job with the characters, bringing a diverse team to the forefront in terms of both gender and alien/human.  The main villain may be the weak point of the book but the rapport between Kanan and Hera more than makes up for it as do all the twists and turns that the plot takes.   To back up the main cast and the story, Miller builds a rich and believable world in terms of Gorse filled with people from all walks of life who’ve managed to end up there.  It goes a long way towards upping the stakes once the master plan comes to light and making readers worry about more than just some other planet.  At the end of the day, A New Dawn gets a GO from me.

CAPCOM Brian: Restarting an entire Star Wars literature line was always going to be a tall task, especially now when there’s only so much information to work with while new films are in development. Despite the challenge, A New Dawn is an accessible and exceedingly entertaining entry point for decades-long veterans of the old Legends universe and fans picking up their first novel set in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. John Jackson Miller succeeds once again in capturing the tone and essence of Star Wars while bringing the universe into the modern era thanks in large part to a diverse cast that will resonate with readers of many backgrounds. The first entry in the new library of Star Wars literature hits all the right notes and is a definite GO from me.

Flight Director’s Ruling: A New Dawn kicks off a whole new era of Star Wars literature in tremendous fashion. This book is GO for launch. Pick up your copy September 2nd.

Note: Advance copies were provided by Del Rey and Random House for review.