Legacy of the Force

I didn't know how many people were so outraged about the new cast for Law and Order Criminal Intent.  On the USA forums, there is tons of outrage and many are refusing to watch next week's show.  And then there are rumors that Goldblum and Burrows are having problems making this new team work, and then there is word that Erbe may even return after they made her leave.  So much speculation. 

Okay, enough of that for now.  For now I wanted to do my review on the Legacy of the Force series that I just finished reading not too long ago.  This series takes place after the time of the New Jedi Order Series and the Dark Nest trilogy.  It is a 9 book series, a lot smaller than the 19-21 book series that NJO offered. 

Spoilers!!!

Mainly this series consists of the downfall of Jacen Solo, later to be titled as Darth Caedus.  When the planet Corellia refuses to accept terms by the Galatic Alliance government, they rebel, causing a new civil war.  The Jedi get involved, then the mysterious Sith Lady, Lumiya, makes contact with Jacen, and tells him of the way to bring peace to the galaxy.  The sith way. 

He uses the sith way to help him imagine a galaxy full of peace, and a safe place for his lover, Tenal Ka, and his secret daughter, Allana solo. 

From the beginning you begin to see his rise to fame from just normal Jedi Knight to colonel, head of Galactic Alliance Guard, to Joint Cheif-of-State.  Within each book, he falls closer to the dark side until he reaches the climax point, and kills Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker's wife, after she discovers what he has become. 

That then makes things personal for Luke and his son, Ben.  They are focused on finding Mara's killer, while having to face the opposition of Jacen's guard, and fighting a war and trying to maintain a Jedi Order.  Ben is certain that Jacen is the killer, while Luke is too consumed by his grief to see the truth.  Later on closer to the end, Ben has the necessary proof to show Luke and is able to point the finger at Jacen. 

By this point, Jacen is now Joint Chief-of-State, and has proclaimed himself Darth Caedus.  The Jedi have lost whatever control that they had on Jacen, making him almost unstoppable.  Jaina, Jacen's twin sister, then realizes that she is the one that must bring him down, and she cannot do it with the Jedi techniques that she is so used to.  So she travels to the world of Mandalore, and seeks teachings from the Mandalore, the one and only, Boba Fett. 

After training and regrouping with the order, Jaina and her family team up with the Madalorians and other parsts of the galaxy to take down Jacen Solo once and for all.  And after a very grusome battle, she finally defeats him and kills him.  They are consumed by brief, but there is a shining star left that ends the story nicely.  We see that Allana Solo has survived the final battle and is put into Leia and Han Solo's care.  The one happy thought of a very heartbreaking tale. 

Overall, I thought the story was great!!  It shows you that even the best can fall for what seems like the right reasons.  You get to see the Jedi at it's peak in years, and you get to see them struggle to maintain what they have fought for for so many years!!  A very nice series to read, although I think you need to read NJO and Dark Nest before you can dig into this one. 

Well that seems to be my review for today.  Stay tuned for my opinion of yesterday's American Idol results, and the continuing controversy of the Law and Order Criminal Intent series!

-Tyler