Disappointing
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Well, it was almost inevitable after sacrafice (which was one of the best EU novels ever written IMO). But i felt slightly let down by this one.
In this book jacen came over as rather two dimensional again (he seems to fluctuate) returning to evil-for-the-hell-off-it rather than a tortured and reluctant hero trying to put others first.
Ben, by contrast, seems to have been written with a good deal of maturity and the handling of luke and the other jedi is good to excellant. The saber scraps are well written and there are the usual plot twists to enjoy. One thing to be said for legacy, its rarely predictable.
So its a sound book. It Ok. But it is very much in the shadow of KT's masterpiece. I do hope jacen regains some depth in the next one. For me the best part of this series is the ambiguity of the sides which makes a welcome change from the usual goodies vs badies duality we see in star wars. It was this ambiguity which made "traitor" and "sacrafice" so amazing. But its missing here.
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Troy Denning delivers a firestorm with Inferno
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Here we are, the sixth book of the series and we are dealing with the aftermath of Sacrifices shocking events. This books story clocks in at just about 300 pages and while it is the shortest book of Legacy of the Force so far Troy Denning does not waste a single word. The Galactic Alliance is being controlled by Jacen Solo and Cha Niathal who have gained power through a bloodless military coup and Luke Skywalker struggles with grief over his tragic loss. It is here that Inferno begins and the war between the Galactic Alliance and the rebel Confederation really heats up.
Inferno really delivers in terms of plot development and it really needed to after the excellent fifth book Sacrifice. The series needed to keep up its momentum and in this regard Inferno is amazing with numerous massive fleet battles, lightsaber duels and shocking twists that continue to move the series forward. The real fallout of Jacens coup becomes clear as the Jedi Order and others declare their intention to stop him. This is done very well with the Jedi Order not just swapping sides to the rebel Confederation but with them drawing the distinction between the Galactic Alliance and the Galactic Alliance controlled by Jacen Solo. The Wookiees play a pivotal role in the book and we get to see old faces that haven't been seen in a while such as Lumpy (Chewbacca's son), Lowbacca, Jae Juung and Tarfang in and around the planet Kashyykk as everyone tries to get the support of the Wookiees Assault Fleet. Luke's role in the book could not have been handled better. He leads the Jedi Order well with the Jedi Council, he has some amazing fight scenes while still being portrayed in a way that takes into account his recent loss. Jaina Solo also gets a much deserved heroic role in the story with her and the Alema Rar Task Force of Zekk and Jag Fel being pitted against an unstable Galactic Alliance Guard Major who has been assigned to hold the Jedi Academy on Ossus under "protective" custody.
We also get a great and mysterious tie in to the fabulous Star Wars Legacy comic series that gives us some shocking backstory to the antagonists of the Dark Nest Trilogy Lomi Plo and Welk as well. This involves the insane Dark Jedi Alema Rar and her quest for knowledge to help Jacen Solo leading her into a surprise encounter on the Sith burial world of Korriban. This is an element that should not be spoiled but I will say that it has repercussions for the rest of Legacy of the Force that I had not considered.
Great work again by Troy Denning across the board in terms of plot and characterization and now that we enter the final three books of the series it's great news that when the final book Invincible rolls around it will be Troy Denning who will be writing it. Very highly recommended.
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