Star Wars High Republic Reading Order: Books, Comics & Timeline

The High Republic reading order covers one of the biggest publishing eras in modern Star Wars. It takes place centuries before the Skywalker saga and follows the Jedi Order, the Republic, the Nihil, Starlight Beacon, the Path of the Open Hand, and the major conflicts that shape this earlier part of the canon timeline.

The High Republic also spans a lot of formats, including adult novels, young adult books, middle grade books, children’s books, audio dramas, scripts, short-story collections, comics, and manga. That’s why this guide keeps the main book list front and center, then includes the comic and manga trades separately for readers who want the fuller version of the era.

If you want to zoom out beyond this era, I also have a full Star Wars books in order guide that combines Canon and Legends, plus a separate Star Wars canon books in order guide for the current official timeline.

Jump to:

High Republic Books by Release Date
High Republic Books by Format and Reading Level
High Republic Comics and Manga Trade Reading Order
High Republic Books in Chronological Order
High Republic Reference and Art Books
What is the High Republic Era?

High Republic Books by Release Date

This is the main High Republic book order I’d use for a complete first read. I’ve labeled each title by format or age range so you can decide how deep you want to go.

Light of the Jedi (January 5, 2021) – Adult
A Test of Courage (January 5, 2021) – Middle Grade
The Great Jedi Rescue (January 5, 2021) – Children
Into the Dark (February 2, 2021) – Young Adult
The Rising Storm (June 29, 2021) – Adult
Race to Crashpoint Tower (June 29, 2021) – Middle Grade
Out of the Shadows (July 27, 2021) – Young Adult
Tempest Runner (August 31, 2021) – Audio Drama, later released as a script
Showdown at the Fair (October 5, 2021) – Children
Mission to Disaster (January 4, 2022) – Middle Grade
The Fallen Star (January 4, 2022) – Adult
The Battle for Starlight (February 1, 2022) – Children
Midnight Horizon (February 1, 2022) – Young Adult
Path of Deceit (October 4, 2022) – Young Adult
Quest for the Hidden City (November 1, 2022) – Middle Grade
Convergence (November 22, 2022) – Adult
Starlight Stories (December 6, 2022) – Short Story Collection
The Battle of Jedha (January 3, 2023) – Audio Drama, later released as a script
Cataclysm (April 4, 2023) – Adult
Quest for Planet X (April 4, 2023) – Middle Grade
Path of Vengeance (May 2, 2023) – Young Adult
Tales of Light and Life (September 5, 2023) – Young Adult Anthology
Jedi Brave in Every Way (October 10, 2023) – Children
The Eye of Darkness (November 14, 2023) – Adult
Escape from Valo (January 30, 2024) – Middle Grade
Defy the Storm (March 5, 2024) – Young Adult
Tales of Enlightenment (April 2, 2024) – Short Story Collection
Temptation of the Force (June 11, 2024) – Adult
Beware the Nameless (August 27, 2024) – Middle Grade
Tears of the Nameless (September 24, 2024) – Young Adult
Seeds of Starlight (November 14, 2024) – Audible Original
Tempest Breaker (December 3, 2024) – Audio Drama, later released as a script
Haunted Starlight (March 6, 2025) – Audible Original
Into the Light (April 1, 2025) – Young Adult
A Valiant Vow (May 6, 2025) – Middle Grade
Trials of the Jedi (June 17, 2025) – Adult
Survivors of the Stormwall (July 7, 2026) – Short Story Collection

High Republic Books by Format and Reading Level

The High Republic is easier to sort once you separate the books by format. Adult and young adult titles carry most of the central story. Middle grade and children’s books add side adventures, younger Jedi, and extra context.

Star Wars: The High Republic Young Adult Books

Into the Dark by Claudia Gray (February 2, 2021)
Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland (July 27, 2021)
Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older (February 1, 2022)
Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland (October 4, 2022)
Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott (May 2, 2023)
Tales of Light and Life by Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, and Alyssa Wong (September 5, 2023)
Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland (March 5, 2024)
Tears of the Nameless by George Mann (September 24, 2024)
Into the Light by Claudia Gray (April 1, 2025)

Star Wars: The High Republic Middle Grade Books

A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland (January 5, 2021)
Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older (June 29, 2021)
Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland (January 4, 2022)
Quest for the Hidden City by George Mann (November 1, 2022)
Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton (April 4, 2023)
Escape from Valo by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong (January 30, 2024)
Beware the Nameless by Zoraida Córdova (August 27, 2024)
A Valiant Vow by Justina Ireland (May 6, 2025)

Star Wars: The High Republic Children’s Books

The Great Jedi Rescue by Cavan Scott (January 5, 2021)
Showdown at the Fair by George Mann (October 5, 2021)
The Battle for Starlight by George Mann (February 1, 2022)
Jedi Brave in Every Way by Rosemary Soule and Charles Soule (October 10, 2023)

Audio Dramas, Scripts, and Story Collections

These are the easiest High Republic books to miss. Some began as audio originals, some later received scripts, and some collect stories that first appeared in Star Wars Insider.

Tempest Runner by Cavan Scott (August 31, 2021)
Starlight Stories by Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule (December 6, 2022)
The Battle of Jedha by George Mann (January 3, 2023)
Tales of Enlightenment by George Mann (April 2, 2024)
Seeds of Starlight by George Mann (November 14, 2024)
Tempest Breaker by Cavan Scott (December 3, 2024)
Haunted Starlight by George Mann (March 6, 2025)
Survivors of the Stormwall by Lydia Kang and Alyssa Wong (July 7, 2026)

High Republic Comics and Manga Trade Reading Order

The High Republic comics are important. They introduce characters, continue arcs, and sometimes show events that the books only reference. I still wouldn’t start here, but I also wouldn’t treat them like throwaway extras.

The simplest way to add the comics is through collected editions, omnibuses, and manga volumes. This keeps you out of the weeds of individual issue numbers while still giving you the fuller story.

Phase I Comics and Manga

Phase II Comics and Manga

Phase III Comics and Manga

For a first pass, I’d read the book list first, then add the comic and manga collections once you know which characters and arcs you care about most. For a fuller read, mix the trades into the release order by phase.

High Republic Books in Chronological Order

The High Republic was not published in strict timeline order. Phase II takes place generations before Phase I, while Phase III returns to the aftermath of Starlight Beacon and the Nihil’s Stormwall.

I still recommend release order for a first read. Chronological order works better once you already know the era and want to see how the phases line up inside the Star Wars timeline.

Quest for the Hidden City (Phase II)
Convergence (Phase II)
Path of Deceit (Phase II)
Tales of Enlightenment (Phase II)
The Battle of Jedha (Phase II)
Quest for Planet X (Phase II)
Cataclysm (Phase II)
Path of Vengeance (Phase II)
Light of the Jedi (Phase I)
Starlight Stories (Phase I)
The Great Jedi Rescue (Phase I)
Into the Dark (Phase I)
A Test of Courage (Phase I)
Jedi Brave in Every Way (Phase I)
The Rising Storm (Phase I)
Showdown at the Fair (Phase I)
Race to Crashpoint Tower (Phase I)
Out of the Shadows (Phase I)
Tempest Runner (Phase I)
Mission to Disaster (Phase I)
The Fallen Star (Phase I)
Midnight Horizon (Phase I)
The Battle for Starlight (Phase I)
Tales of Light and Life (Phase III / Anthology)
The Eye of Darkness (Phase III)
Escape from Valo (Phase III)
Defy the Storm (Phase III)
Temptation of the Force (Phase III)
Beware the Nameless (Phase III)
Tears of the Nameless (Phase III)
Seeds of Starlight (Phase III)
Tempest Breaker (Phase III)
Haunted Starlight (Phase III)
Into the Light (Phase III)
A Valiant Vow (Phase III)
Trials of the Jedi (Phase III)
Survivors of the Stormwall (Phase III)

High Republic Reference and Art Books

These are optional. You don’t need them for the story, but they’re useful if you want character details, lightsaber designs, art, lore, and behind-the-scenes material from the High Republic publishing era.

Chronicles of the Jedi: An Illustrated Guide to the Galaxy’s Golden Age (March 21, 2023)
Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia (December 5, 2023)
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collection (November 12, 2024)
The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic, Volume I (November 8, 2022)
The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic, Volume II (August 19, 2025)

What is the High Republic Era?

The High Republic is a canon Star Wars era set centuries before the Skywalker saga, when the Jedi Order and the Republic are closer to their peak. It is not the Old Republic, but it scratches a similar itch if you like Jedi-heavy stories, frontier worlds, Republic politics, and threats that feel bigger than one movie trilogy.

The story begins with the Republic expanding into the Outer Rim and the Jedi serving as its protectors. Then the Great Disaster hits, the Nihil become a major threat, and the era expands into a much larger conflict across books, comics, audio dramas, and short fiction.

The High Republic is divided into three major publishing phases. Phase I begins with Light of the Jedi. Phase II jumps backward in time to show an earlier crisis. And Phase III returns to the aftermath of Phase I and pushes the main conflict toward its conclusion.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more science fiction authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Science Fiction Books in Order index.

2 thoughts on “Star Wars High Republic Reading Order: Books, Comics & Timeline”

Elizabeth McMillan says:

October 26, 2022 at 12:21 pm

Thank you so much for publishing this, it was really helpful! I’ve been so confused trying to figure out the adult-oriented high republic books that follow the storyline of the Nihil. The lists I’ve found have every single piece of media from the high republic, which is pretty overwhelming.

Kora says:

June 12, 2024 at 7:40 am

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this post! Now I know I am all caught up! 🙂