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Rating:  -
The first few books of this series start off spectacularly. We see new and old characters and new action. We see a seemingly new plot development with a good character starting to be lured to the dark side because of love...oh wait, that's been done already.
What's so bad about this series is it was seemingly written for shock value alone and nothing else. No thought is truly given to the characters motivations, they're just made up by the authors to fit a new series. The only EU that was consulted to derive how a character would be behave in a given situation was the dark nest trilogy. Other than that, everything just feels bad: glaring plot holes, everyone overlooks extremely simple solutions for the sake of keeping the series going and the previously mentioned fake character behavior to fit the series.
I don't want to mention specifics in the case of people who do decide to read the series. However, be prepared for the end. Or rather, the lack their of. The so called "conclusion" resolved almost nothing and introduces far more questions that it even tried to answer. What a great "ending."
Rating:  -
Well I guess I better start out by clearly stating that this review is based upon the entire "Legacy of the Force" series and not solely on this particular book. With that in mind, this same review will be posted on each book in the series under the same guidelines, as a review on the entire series, not just a single book in the series. With that in mind, here goes...
My first comment is that the overall feel for this series seems to be a bit off. Now I don't know if it is me, or if other readers got the same impression. I have the tendency to believe that it was due in part to having more than one author writing the series, rather than having just a single author write all nine (9) books in the series. There are definitely some books in the series that are much better written than others, not that any of these authors are bad by any means, it just feels like something got lost somewhere in the shuffle. Like I said, maybe it's just me.
The plot of the series is pretty good, with Jacen Solo turning over to the dark side and following in his grandfather's footsteps, while at the same time cementing his hold on the galaxy itself and attempting to get Luke and Mara's son Ben to become his apprentice. This of course put everyone on a collision course that makes it even more interesting because of the family ties involved.
However, did any other readers feel like Jacen was merely a punk trying to be Sith Lord? Or once again is it just me. I felt that the other Sith in the story, were much better portrayed as true Sith and that Jacen was merely being used as a puppet to an even greater Sith who has of yet been unrevealed. Which would make the story much better with that back-story alone instead of the predominant one.
I did really enjoy Jaina's relationship with Boba Fett and the Mandalorians and that alone brought the whole series an extra star and a half in my book.
I was saddened to see the demise of one of my favorite characters as I felt that this character had so much more to offer than the pipsqueak wannabee Sith, Jacen Solo.
I would recommend this series as it is "Star Wars," and therefore, a definite must read for those of us who are one with the force. However, please be forewarned that the various books in the series seem to have a rollercoaster of up and down moments and the whole series as a whole could have been much better if written by only one author rather than several.
Here are the links for each individual book in the series starting with the first one.
Betrayal (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 1)
Bloodlines (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 2)
Tempest (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 3)
Exile (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 4)
Sacrifice (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 5)
Inferno (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 6)
Fury (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 7)
Revelation (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 8)
Invincible (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force)
Shawn Kovacich
Star Wars Fan and Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.
Rating: -
I've enjoyed so many of the Expanded Universe novels for Star Wars. Some are definitely much better than others. Unfortunately, there is a downward trend of good material that will hold my interest. I enjoy new characters and broadening away from the original trilogy heroes. However, not every new book needs to include some new facet of those old heroes or their involvement in the stories. I feel that newer characters are strong enough to hold up a plot and their own stories. We don't need to see Luke, Han, Leia, and now Mara Jade in every new book.
In this book, the Corellian system is unwilling to officially join the new Galactic Alliance which has formed after the Yuuzhan Vong invasion storyline. A sad attempt at trying to capture the uninteresting Centerpoint Station story has emerged. Jedi are again being used to uphold the Galactic Alliance mandates ala the Clone Wars. What we end up with is 430+ pages of junk that truly could have been reduced to a 60 page story. There is so much blathering and now, surprise, a new development in the Force arises with Force Phantoms controlling things star systems away. There is virtually no focus on any characters for a sustaining story. About the only really redeeming faction of this is that the author has pretty much ignored the equally terrible Joiner War series that precedes this one.
The title is fitting as what we get in the end is a betrayal of what a Star Wars story is supposed to be as this lacks any meaningful interest other than a set up for Jacen to become the new Sith - but not an evil Sith mind you but a peaceful Sith.
Rating:  -
Being a geeky Star Wars fan, there's a couple of things I'll always envy about its universe: I'll never be able to wield a (real) lightsaber. I'll never be able to use the force (everyone's tried once, right?) And, new to the list - I'll never be able to outwit assassins and go on space adventures when I'm pushing 60 and beyond.
Ages issues aside (Luke, Leia, Wedge are coming up on 60, Han's a few years older, Pellaeon has to be mid-80s), "Betrayal" is a strong beginning to a new chapter in the Star Wars saga. There is political turmoil - Corellia's rebelling (again), and the Galactic Alliance counters strong arm tactics with strong arm tactics. If the politics seem fuzzy, it's at least successful in creating good drama that divides our characters and places them in conflict that hasn't been explored before. Luke's backing the Alliance, Han's backing his homeworld, Leia's caught in the middle, and the Solo kids (and Skywalker son) get to carry out the dirty work. Beyond all this, a sinister force sets a trail for Jacen Solo to follow that will ultimately lead him on a very dark path.
Allston's trademark characterizations and humor really come through. The man's written some of my favourite books in the canon, and he's matured these characters in a way that makes them true to their film origins and expanded universe history. Ben Skywalker, a character I haven't read much on, is believable and likable as the 13 year-old son to a Jedi dynasty. There is the expected humor in the lines of dialogue, some darker humor when Jacen and Ben face a string of bizzare encounters on Lorrd, and one hilarious 4th wall gag that made me do a double-take. On top of that, Allston gets the action/adventure quota right. Jacen and Ben's opening adventure on Adumar recalls Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's failed negotiations, while Jacen decoding the tassel is much like Obi-Wan and the saber dart. There is a tangle with assassins, lightsaber duels, and an intricate space battle rounds out the finale. What didn't work? Unfortunately, much of Jacen's turn to darkness in the final chapters. There's some revelations on Vergere that aren't really developed, and Jacen accepts his new destiny too easily. Considering the pacing of the next few books (I'm currently on 4/9), the events here mostly work on a shock value level. Probably to setup the overall series and get readers interested in buying the following installments.
Flaws aside, I enjoyed Betrayal. I can't speak for where this series will go, but book one mixes classic Star Wars elements with new conflicts while developing the new generation of characters alongside the old. And maybe if I'd survived a galactic civil war, alien invasion and countless life-and-death situations I'd be pretty fit at 60 too.
Rating: -
I had not read a Star Wars novel in quite a while, which is exactly why I decided to pick up the first book in the Legacy of the Force series. However, this beginning seemed quite bland. If not for my big interest in the Star Wars universe, I probably would have put the book down as uninteresting. The problem with this book was that it did not seem to have a decent plot. Sure this is the kick-start to the series, but the two main story-lines that were explored did not seem to have much of a point to them. It seemed more like a history book than a novel. I found myself liking it in a couple places, but left very unsatisfied overall. I hope the rest of the series makes up for this one.
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