Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 10 Great (Canon) Books To Read While You Wait

9. A New Dawn

Though Rebels was never the successor to The Clone Wars we hoped it would be, it has done a more than admirable job in examining the formative years of the Rebel Alliance. Central to the show's relative success is, one would argue, the partnership between former Jedi Kanan Jarrus and ace pilot Hera Syndula. By a mile they're the best thing about the show (bar Chop), so it should come as no surprise that they too have been given the literary treatment.

John Jackson Miller is one of the best Star Wars writers going, with 'Kenobi' - a westernised take on Old Ben's nomadic years spent on Tatooine - solidifying his position at the forefront of the franchise's literary endeavours. In 'A New Dawn', however, the writer yet again brings his A-game, producing a piece of work that, by all means, goes above and beyond what Rebels has been able to give fans during its three or so years on the air.

Taking place five or so years before the events of the show, the book follows Kanan and Hera in their first encounter together, and does a great job on exploring Kanan's reluctance to reconcile a then fledgling smuggling career with his Jedi past. It's a grim time for the Outer Rim, and one of Miller's greatest strengths is his ability to convey that atmosphere in the rawest sense. Of course, it still possesses much of the charm of the show it precedes, but - tonally at least - it depicts a much darker galaxy than we've seen on animation.

A New Dawn makes great strides in the construction of the Star Wars timeline, but it does so within the context of an engaging, character driven narrative. Fans of the show will find plenty to love with the book in this case, but, even if you're not accustomed to the exploits of Phoenix Squadron, it's more than worth a shot. Do it.