‘Star Wars: Legacy’ By Madeliene Roux Book Review
Since 2019, Star Wars has been light on sequel-era content, focusing more on the Mandoverse and High Republic eras. Recently, the publishing side has aimed to rectify and expand the era. The sequels are often the topic of contention within the fandom, but, as with any part of Star Wars. The more the era expands, the better it gets. Author Madeleine Roux brings us Star Wars: Legacy, the third adult canon book to be set between Episodes 8 and 9. Legacy mainly follows Rey and Leia as they travel to find a way to repair the broken Skywalker saber, which split in two at the end of The Last Jedi.
The ancient Jedi books Rey took from the temple on Ahch-To reveal a way to fix the kyber crystal at an ancient Jedi temple on the planet Tython (the planet as seen in The Mandalorian). This quest takes Rey and Leia to the planet where they meet some colourful characters, all with their own reasons for being on the planet. This includes a pair escaping the First Order while they hatch a plan to take down an officer from their past.
The characters and planet test the pair thoroughly, as Rey struggles with being the last of the Jedi and Leia struggles to be able to teach and comfort Rey. Madeleine Roux manages to bring us one of the best new Star Wars books. It turns into a character study as we go on a journey with Rey and Leia at this point in the timeline, serving as a bridge in their relationship between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
[Note: While I am reviewing this book independently and honestly, it should be noted that I was given a copy of the book by Penguin Random House for the purpose of this review. This review of Star Wars: Legacy will be spoiler-free.]
Star Wars: Legacy brings Rey and Leia’s characters to the forefront
Star Wars: Legacy is a phenomenal book in many ways, none more than how it deals with the emotional journeys Rey and Leia go on throughout it. A large part of the book deals with both Rey and Leia on their respective solo journeys, but also how they come to grow so close and bounce off each other as the mentorship grows. Leia offers to become Rey’s new master, using her limited knowledge of teachings from when she trained as a Jedi with her brother to help Rey navigate being the last of the Jedi.
I adore the depth that Roux goes into with these characters under the guise of Tython being so strong with the Force it can unlock the deepest desires and worries. The trickling dreams and nightmares throughout the story help us understand the pair more deeply. Rey has to grapple with the hidden darkness within her, whilst Leia has to deal with the life she could have lived and the family she could still have been with if not for The First Order.
Roux beautifully weaves these revelations and dreams and conversations into the wider story, which also teaches us about the Jedi’s misgivings as well as their power and compassion. The pair explore the temple, going on a physical and mental journey into the Jedi of old. We see how Rey struggles with learning to open herself up to the light after her connection with Kylo Ren and how she has not to go “Straight to the dark.” This is a lesson from Luke that is cross examined within the book. The short time Rey spent with Luke is a big deal to her, and we see how she learns the right and wrong lessons from her time with him, needing Leia to show her kindness and compassion.
Tython, the planet where most of the book is set, is not new to canon by any means, having already been seen in comics and TV. In Legacy, the planet takes on a new life and gets explored deeply. The planet is teeming with the Force, which plays havoc on those people attuned to the Force, such as Rey and Leia, prompting visions of alternate lives for the pair.
Tython offers the key to fixing the damaged crystal in an ancient Jedi temple known as ‘The Forge’, but something in the past went very wrong at the temple. It becomes Rey’s task to find out what happened and why there is a strong sense of darkness.
The temple itself, we find out, hails from the Old Republic, a part of the Star Wars timeline which hasn’t been touched much in canon. Recently, the novels have begun to expand on the era, dealing with long-ruined places and ancient planets and people, using them in the stories.
With Legacy, the Old Republic gets used in a fascinating way as the Jedi of old become a bit of a lifeline to Rey as she struggles to figure out what the temple asks from her. I really like that we see Rey engaging with ancient Jedi teachings, whether through Luke’s old books or the Jedi of the Old Republic, as well as through Luke and Leia respectively. This brings ancient and the most modern Jedi teachings to help her become a better Jedi and leader. They bring their own definitions of what it means to be a Jedi, and it’s another layer to Rey’s character I enjoy seeing develop as she herself chooses what is right and what is wrong from the teachings.
Seeing the Old Republic become more of a prevalent force within this book makes me hope for more stories, hopefully from the era itself (as well as new video games set in the era).
The First Order are still an ever present danger
The non-Tython parts of Legacy deal with The First Order, which has a presence throughout the book. They are not really the villains for Rey and Leia to go up against, but still prove to be a nuisance to other characters I will discuss later.
Major Brilla Wolstenholme is the main villain, and we spend quite a bit of time with her. She is the survivor of an attack on the planet she was stationed at, Hays Minor, a planet completely stripped of its resources by The First Order. The major within Legacy is on the hunt for the perpetrators of the attack, two of whom end up on Tython.
Wolstenholme’s own journey in the book is a very fascinating one as she becomes a mixture of Dedra and Syril from Andor. We get to see her unravel, physically and mentally, as she goes to extremes to bring these perpetrators in. There are some quite gory parts with what she gets up to, proving how ruthless she is. Wolstenholme is a great villain within the book; seeing her change from her mean Major vibe into what she becomes by the end of the book is great to read.
The First Order itself also gets expanded on, seeing more of what they got up to in the unknown regions as well as how they expanded their armies. Legacy truly feels like an expansion of the sequel trilogy as well as the character study elements it gives.
As mentioned, the Major within Star Wars: Legacy is on the hunt for two of the characters responsible for trying to assassinate her. We meet Gavrin and Ziff quite early in the novel as they prove to be both helpful and almost antagonistic towards Rey and Leia, showing the different sides of Resistance and rebellion. Ziff especially so, who we find out has a vendetta against Force users and lightsabers.
Gavrin is another great character in the book, who also goes on a journey on Tython. With the help of Rey, she shows him the true light of the Jedi and the Force. The two men turn out to be the more interesting side characters and show how the quest for revenge can ruin yourself and others if you let it, a good contrast and warning to Rey.
As well as Gavrin and Ziff, there are a whole host of other side characters on Tython. Under the guise of an archeological dig, refugees from across the galaxy escaping the war have gathered near the temple. The dig is headed by the Church of the Force and led by Lijar, Gavrin’s Father. Lijar is inspired by Rey appearing on Tython, as seeing a Jedi again gives him hope for exploring the temple. This also plays into Rey’s journey somewhat, as the Church offers a different view of the Force and the Jedi, giving Rey yet another viewpoint for her to explore.
One of the cheekier and more mischievous characters is a little chadrafan girl named Meepka. She is an absolute delight in the book, and I am sure she will be a fan favourite. She gets into trouble, adores Rey, and plays a crucial role in Rey’s journey in the latter half of the book. I guarantee everyone will fall in love with how adorable she is.
There are plenty of other sequel-era-related characters within this book, helping to fill the world in a little more. Planets, people, and things from both canon and Legends also make appearances or are mentioned. This is always a delight to read and just shows how much work and effort is put into these books to make them feel like Star Wars.
But I know the question a lot of you have been asking, and yes, the book does deal with Kylo Ren (seeing as he is on the cover) and how Rey’s now severed Force connection to him has affected her feelings. Kylo Ren acts as a catalyst for both characters within the book, often becoming the driving wedge between Rey and Leia, as they feel they can’t talk about him as Kylo or as Ben. We see Leia’s emotional relationship and wishing she could have her son back, and how Rey deals with his even further falling into the darkside, and his offer for her to join him.
Kylo Ren is also a foreboding presence within the First Order and Wolstenholme chapters as the now-new supreme leader. We see what some in the First Order really think of him as we hear of his exploits across the galaxy. Roux makes sure that Kylo is a big part of the novel, despite not being part of the story (or is he?), helping add to the connection and dyad of Rey and Ben throughout the sequel trilogy.
Final thoughts on Star Wars: Legacy by Madeleine Roux
Truthfully, I don’t have a bad thing to say about Star Wars: Legacy; I was simply in awe reading it. Even from the outset, you can tell this novel will be something special. We get a deep dive into Rey and Leia as characters, in the journey they go on.
There are certain chapters in the middle of the book that will have you smiling or even dropping your jaw. The book doesn’t outright change the galaxy, and it doesn’t need to. It does exactly what it says and is about Rey and Leia heading to Tython to fix a lightsaber. People complain that canon books serve to fill in gaps rather than shake up the galaxy, but every so often the smaller-scale books like this can be some of the best. You will find yourself rethinking the sequel trilogy, seeing it in a new light after this book, just as Shadow of the Sith also did.
Madeleine Roux has brought us a wonderfully concise book with depth and intrigue. Rey and Leia have never felt more alive as they leap off the page. The other characters in the book are just as fascinating, helping Rey’s journey as well as serving their purposes.
It may be a while until we see Rey on our screens again as Lucasfilm looks to the future of their movie slate, but I strongly believe this book will help alleviate some of that. She learns a lot about herself and about how she would run the Jedi Order, which I hope is transferred into her film. Star Wars: Legacy covers many things, whether of Rey, Leia, the Skywalkers, or the Jedi, but it is all brought beautifully into this book, which I will highly recommend to sequel era lovers as well as the skeptics.
Also check out: Book Review: Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen
