If this were an episode of a television series, it would have been considered “transitional” at best. For all that the various scenes were interesting and well written, the book passed quickly and without much of a bang. Ben was tested as a potential candidate for Sith apprenticeship, but that never felt as complex and important as it should have been.
Part of the problem is that this is a very familiar story. It’s almost as if the novels are bringing the Star Wars saga full circle. Jacen’s descent into the “dark side” is awfully similar to the descent of Anakin Skywalker, even if it does make a lot more sense in the long run. The writers for “Legacy of the Force” are telling the same kind of story with more complexity and more trust in the readers. But it’s still a very familiar story.
Of course, one could argue that the point is to bring the galaxy back to the brink of the former situation, with Jacen at the center of the whirlwind, so that Luke’s Jedi Order can avoid the same mistakes and end the cycle once and for all. I just wonder if it was necessary to drag that out over the course of nine novels. As a whole, it’s coming together well enough, but ever since the first volume, the story has felt padded and decompressed.
Rating: 6/10
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