Booklog

Just when I was about to give up on the expanded universe once and for all! Right? Who are we kidding? Star Wars is like my soap operas, I know a lot of it's terrible, but I can't help myself. And yet....every once in a while, there's a gem like Legacy. But seriously, this series brings out the meganerd in me when I thought that all that remained in the Star Wars universe was melodramatic hogwash. Ostrander brings these new characters to life and creates a universe and a story all his own while maintaining a loose continuity to the other works of the EU. The brilliance is that he's free to do as he pleases. This isn't Shakespeare, but it's on a completely different level than a lot of the drivel that's come out of the genre since Zahn departed it. The bottom line is that this series is just plain fun, innovative, and exciting. It's interesting to see the Skywalker legacy and a Force-using anti-hero who's, brooding and dark, but not dark-side. Ostrander has Cade walk the fine line that has been hitherto unexplored by other authors. It's something that they tried to pull with Jacen, but Force-users always end up being so one dimensional. Sure, they have their struggles, but they're either light or dark. Period. Ostrander sets up an interesting duality in Cade Skywalker. He has an incredible power to heal and bring people back from the edge of death, but there's a catch: every time he uses it, it calls upon the dark side in him, in his desire to impose his will upon the universe and prevent people from dying or meeting their fates. It's an interesting concept and, I know this sounds really lame given this is a Star Wars story (and in comic format no less!), but Cade is an amazingly well-rounded character. At times, you hate him and his self-pity and arrogance, at others, you feel genuine sympathy for him and want to see his fortunes change, he disappoints you and you exult in his triumphs - things I'd never thought I'd feel as I flipped through the pages of a Star Wars comic. And the supporting cast is awesome too! Admiral Stazi is brilliant and amazing, a poster child for wisdom, solid leadership, goodness and sacrifice in the mire that is Ostrander's galaxy. Roan Fel, deposed emperor, is generally noble and honor-bound with streaks of impersonal viciousness that sometimes leave you with your mouth hanging open. And these are just the big-shots.

Legacy has got it all. Solid, dynamic characters given due time to develop, an intricate and interesting political plot, and wickedly awesome space operatic battles. To get the most out of this series, you need to have read the EU, but it's not strictly necessary. Ostrander provides background information in dialogue without it standing out as an awkward signpost, and characters from the original films make occasional appearances in visions and flashbacks to ground even the casual Star Wars fan. Looking forward to where this series goes in the future because it's a long way from being done.