After the first volume of Legacy (Broken, click the link to read my review of that) I was quite excited to get my hands on Vol. 2: Shards. This book is a little different structurally from the first, but it pays off in the end.

You see, this volume collects a scattered group of issues in a different order than their original release, in fact quite of the few of the issues were the issues missing from chronology in the first run. It might seem confusing, but really they’ve gone leaps and bounds to keep the narrative as straightforward as possible. In fact, half of this book jumps around the timeline before the events of the first trade and offers an abject history lesson in how it was, exactly, that the Sith were able to purge the Jedi and work with the Empire to once again take over the Galaxy.

Once the political backstory is out of the way, things are kicked back into high gear and we’re once again offered the continuing saga of the Skywalkers and meet Cade Skywalker trying to drown his sorrows and the voice of the Force with a bevy of Deathsticks. Close to a fatal overdose, he’s visited by the ghosts of a number of his ancestors and basically, they all threaten him to get his act together.

Secrets are revealed, old friends are brought back, and a major confrontation is foreshadowed. The third book looks to be fertile ground for the rich storytelling that permeates the Star Wars universe when things are done right.

I don’t feel like I’m doing the best job convincing you that this is one of the most entertaining pieces of the Star Wars expanded universe I’ve ever had the pleasure of partaking of. But rest assured, if you get into this series, at this point, I don’t see you regretting it.

Click the link to get Shards on Amazon.