A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Title: Star Wars: The Rise Of Kylo Ren (2019-) #1 (of 4)
Author: Charles Soule, Will Sliney (Illustrations)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.8/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: December 26, 2019
Book Summary: WITH BEN SOLO’S FALL… COMES KYLO REN’S RISE! Young Ben Solo is legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker’s most promising pupil. As the son of Rebel Alliance heroes Leia Organa and Han Solo, as well as Luke’s own nephew, Ben has the potential to be a great force for light in the galaxy. But the Skywalker legacy casts a long shadow, the currents of the dark side run deep, and Darth Vader’s blood runs in Ben’s veins. Voices call from both his past and his future, telling him who he must be. He will shatter, he will be reforged, his destiny will be revealed. Snoke awaits. The Knights of Ren await. Ben Solo’s path to his true self begins here.
Book Review: Before I begin, always note that there will be spoilers ahead. If you have not read the comic yet than please take a moment to stop here and continue no further. Otherwise you are going to be spoiled completely and any complaints about it will be ignored.

For years, there has been questions of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren and now the wait is no more. Here we are about to learn the story of how it all came to be.

Before Ben being the Leader of the Knights, there was a man called Ren. We find him and his knights on a snowy planet looking for two brothers. Apparently these two brothers have killed quite a number of people. The reason behind their search is because Ren has heard that these two have the ability to use "The Shadow", another name for the Force. It is apparent that Ren is seeking these brothers because of their ability of being Force sensitive. Unfortunately one of the brothers kills the other but the problem with that is that the killer brother kills the one who is Force sensitive. Ren ends up killing him.

Our scene changes to Ben. We find Luke's temple on fire. Ben is watching the fire engulf the main Temple building. It is at this moment three of Luke's students appear having returned from a mission. They sense Ben and feel that the destruction of the Temple has taken their mentor. The three of them each take on Ben but find themselves easily defeated by Ben. Ben could easily have killed them but decides to leave them all alive. It seems to be at this point that Ben leaves. He is met by his droid, GeeGee, whom inquires of his destination. The droid makes the suggestion of Hosnian Prime but Ben doesn't want to face his mother.

Once more we get a flashback and this takes place prior to the destruction of Luke's Temple. Luke has attacked Ben and Ben has brought down the hut they were in. We learn Ben has been "spoken to" by the disembodied voice of Snoke. Yep all this time we are learning that it Ben's seduction to the Dark Side has been going for quite some time. Snoke then takes it upon himself to kill all the students of Luke's Temple and destroy the Temple itself. So it was never Ben whom did the killing nor the destruction. It had been Snoke all along. But Snoke blames Luke for it and Ben ends up believing this lie.

As we return to the present Ben, his ship lands on a mysterious garden planet. Here is where he meets Snoke. Here Snoke appears to Ben as a simple farmer. It is at this moment we find that Ben has an interest in the Knights of Ren.

So we are finally going to get to see what exactly happened to Ben and how he becomes the person he is in the Force Awakens. I always liked knowing the backstory to a character and Ben's character has been one I would have loved to know. How is he got his hands on Vader's burnt mask and why his sudden interest in the Knights of Ren? I am hoping we do get a lot of answers. I have always enjoyed Charles Soule's incredible ability to weave a story. His Vader stories have been a favorite of mine to date and I hoping that this will continue in this one.