Reading orders 1 & 2: The whole story
Much like the Star Wars movies, The High Republic gives readers a prequel series for its second phase, before flashing forward to the future for its third phase. This brings us 2 distinct reading orders if you want to enjoy everything within the High Republic.
If you liked learning that (spoiler alert) Vader is Luke’s father before seeing Vader as young Anakin, and want to experience The High Republic in the same way that readers who began reading in 2021 did, release order is for you. You’ll learn about the fall of Starlight Beacon (no spoilers here, it’s a bit like watching the Titanic movie…you know the iceberg is coming!), then see how all the conflict began 150 years earlier, and then meet back up with your favorite Phase 1 characters in the aftermath of Starlight Beacon. As someone who has been reading The High Republic since 2021, this is how I’ve read it! It’s a solid choice, and the perk of starting this reading order now is that you don’t have to wait a year to get back to the Phase 1 characters after reading Phase 2! You'll want to read Phase 1, then Phase 2, and finally Phase 3 to follow the story in release order.
Alternatively, if you still want to experience it all, but want to experience a more linear story, chronological order is the way to go. In this order, you first dive into force cult the Path of the Open Hand and see the birth of the Nihil, and then flash forward 100+ years to The Great Hyperspace disaster and the fall of Starlight Beacon and its aftermath a year later in Phase 3. There are no downsides to chronological order - you get a linear story and have a sense of the big picture. If you’re just diving into the High Republic and want to read it all, this is a good way to go! To read in chronological order, start with Phase 2, and then read Phase 1 and Phase 3.
