'Star Wars' Book Review: 'Legacy'
Image Source: StarWars.com
Stories set in the Sequel Trilogy released since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019 have often been of limited scope. Usually telling small stories, squeezed into pre-existing moments, it hasn’t been common to see that storytelling take big swings at explaining areas of the Star Wars canon that some fans have had issues with. But, Legacy by Madeline Roux can stand alongside the likes of Charles Soule’s work in comics with Kylo Ren as a key exploration of Sequel Trilogy characters which explain details of the universe while also closing story threads left over from previous storytelling. This is a non-spoiler review.
Legacy sees Rey working to heal the broken crystal and fix Anakin and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber after the events of The Last Jedi. With the Resistance on the run, Rey feels incredible pressure to act and fulfill the promise of her role as a Jedi though much of that pressure is her own, as her friends and Leia are quite understanding. Meanwhile, Leia struggles to connect with Rey, so when an opportunity arrives to locate a Jedi site which might help Rey repair the damaged kyber crystal, Rey and Leia set out for Tython with trusted droids R2-D2 and C-3PO alongside Chewbacca.
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Image Source: StarWars.com
Elsewhere in the galaxy, the First Order seeks to stamp out all traces of rebellion and resistance. In the aftermath of an assassination attempt against her life, Major Brilla Wolstenholme doggedly pursues the perpetrators, while the gang of four outlaws scatter to the winds, eluding her exacting efforts to track them down. But the Major eventually finds more than she bargained for when immersed in her hunt, helping reveal complexities to the event unseen by her, and pushing the woman to her limits.
Roux handles both of these plots very well, balancing their presence in the story even if, for most of the text, they don’t directly cross over with each other. The tones of each story serve as a good contrast too, with darker and lighter moments creating a good flow across the novel, though sometimes both sink to lows to reflect a darker period of the narrative. Even so, it is Star Wars, and there is hope to be found, which helps the story to end on a good note for several characters.
Speaking of characters in the book, those newly created to tell the story and those previously seen in the films or in other media are realized well here. Rey and Leia have an interesting dynamic as Leia tries to help Rey, yet is hindered by her lack of understanding about what happened to the young woman in The Last Jedi. She knows only the bare essentials, and this book explores Leia uncovering those events, expressing annoyance with how her brother handled Rey’s training, and delving into Rey’s vulnerabilities at this time.
Image Source: StarWars.com
Rey’s pressure on herself manifests in her struggle to heal the Skywalker kyber crystal, but also in other ways we won’t spoil here. On the world of Tython, Rey also encounters remnants of the Jedi of old, informing her about ways of living and thinking only read in the sacred Jedi texts she has pored through in the weeks since The Last Jedi. This material helps to set up echoes and contrasts between the past and present as a result, with messaging familiar to many fans in Rey’s resolution of certain problems, but still unique here due to the specific struggles Rey has when compared to others who face what she does.
We’ll have to end discussion of the novel there, as it is difficult to delve into the novel’s B-plot without spoilers. The same is true of the novel’s few faults, which perhaps come down more to personal taste than overt flaws. However, the result is still an excellent Star Wars novel, an excellent Sequel Trilogy story, and a deep exploration of several female characters in vastly different times of their lives. The different locations explored throughout Legacy are highly enjoyable, while the messages that we get from all of the characters, and from the characters, are meaningful both within the story and to a reader.
Rating: 8.5/10
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Source(s): Star Wars: Legacy
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