Star Wars: Cataclysm is the second adult novel of Phase II of Star Wars: The High Republic series, written by Lydia Kang.
Following the disastrous peace talks between Eiram and E'ronoh on Jedah devolving into a massive battle, the Jedi and Republic are scrambling to determine what happened and who the true culprits behind the battle were, with all signs pointing to the increasingly powerful Path of the Open Hand. As Chancellor Mollo, Jedi Master Char-Ryl-Roy and his Padawan Enya Keen, and the heirs Phan-tu Zenn and Xiri A'lbaran seek to keep peace, Jedi Knight Gella Nattai is joined by Master Orin Darhga in going to interrogate the disgraced and imprisoned Axel Greylark, whose links to the Path may prove the key to exposing the cults plots.
On Coruscant, Chancellor Kyong Greylark and Yoda seek their own answers, dispatching a team led by Jedi Master Creighton Sun and Knight Aida Forte to Dalna to investigate the Path's headquarters. Meanwhile, Yaddle and the youngling Cippa Tarko find their own way to Dalna, drawn by the Force. There, the Mother and the Path are putting their plans into motion, preparing for war against the Jedi and Republic and to unleash the Levelers upon their Force-using foes.
It was released on April 4, 2023.
Tropes in this novel include:
- Big Damn Heroes: The Jedi and Dalnans who oppose the Path are on the verge of being completely overrun when Yoda and Kyong arrive with reinforcements from the Jedi, Republic, and the militaries of Eiram and E'ronoh.
- Bittersweet Ending: As is typical with High Republic novels. The Path is routed, and the majority of their strength spent, with the Mother's plans of using Axel to control Kyong's Chancellorship ruined. However, dozens of Jedi including Char-Ryl-Roy, Aida, and Orin are dead, hundreds of Dalnans perished in the fighting, and an ecological disaster on Dalna due to the explosives that collapsed the cave system and flooded the area. On another positive note, the Forever War between Eiram and E'ronoh seems to have ended for good.
- Deadly Environment Prison: The high-security prison on Pipyyr where Axel is serving his time is located very deep in a toxic ocean, making escaping alive next-to-impossible without assistance. Axel is only able to get out on account of Binnot hijacking a comms buoy, forging a prison-transfer arrangement for him, and then intercepting the ship he's on in transit.
- Human Shield: A few of the Jedi investigating Dalna discover to their horror that while most of the Path is going underground into the caves, they are sending their elderly who cannot fight into the huts above the cave system to serve as shields against an assault by the Jedi or the Republic, who the Path hope to blame for a massacre. Many of the elderly consider this an honor and their only way to contribute to the fight.
- Lost in Transmission: Yoda's orders to Yaddle to return to Coruscant and forget about Dalna for the moment are garbled due to the Path's comm interference, leading Yaddle to believe she is being ordered to Dalan to investigate. As the Force was drawing her there anyway, Yaddle complies.
- Recorded Spliced Conversation: The Path's slicing of comms buoys allows them not only to intercept and block transmissions, but also modify them. One of those modified transmissions orders the transfer of Axel to a lower-security prison, giving them the chance to break him free in transit.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Once the battle breaks out, the Elders of the Path who always had issues with the Mother's usurpation of leadership flee on shuttles with a handful of other moderate members, viewing the Path of the Closed Fist as madness and suicidal.
- Simultaneous Arcs: This story's events overlap with Quest for Planet X, The Nameless Terror, Path of Vengeance and The Edge of Balance: Precedent, all of which lead up to the Battle of Dalna from different perspectives.
- Spoiler Cover: The cover features Axel Greylark out of prison and wielding one of Gella's lightsabers.
