Set two years after the events of the Legacy of the Force saga, Outcast sees a Star Wars universe that seems to have settled into its status quo a little too soon.

Two major events kick off this book, one begins a mystery that seems to be the crux of the series and another that sends Luke Skywalker, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order into exile with his son.

The mystery comes in the form of an affliction of some sort that first manifests itself in Jedi that makes them seem to think that those around them are all imposters and forces them to lash out violently, even with civilians around. The first victim of this oddity is Corran Horn’s son and he tries to kill his parents, thinking them to be fakes. Sadly, his malady seems to have no discernible cause and is inexplicable both to the attending doctors of the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi Healers.

With all of this confusion surrounding the Jedi, Chief of State Daala seems to find this the perfect time to have Luke Skywalker arrested. As Grand Master of the Jedi Order, they deem the horrific actions of Jacen Solo his responsibility and are charging him for all of the war crimes of his nephew.

In a plea deal, Luke agrees to go into a self-imposed exile, offering to not return until he’s discovered what it was that turned Jacen to the Dark Side and what mysterious disease is affecting the mind of the young Jedi Horn.

Aaron Allston has crafted an entertaining and engaging tale that advances the Expanded Universe one step closer to the future written of in the Dark Horse comics series Legacy (of which I’ll be reviewing the first to trades of that series over the next two weeks). His writing is alternately action-packed and funny, making a very good mix that is sure to please fans of the series.

Would I have wanted to read this before I read the Legacy of the Force series? No. Would I have been able to glean enough information about past events to jump in here if I hadn’t? Absolutely. Allston is decidedly capable at weaving exposition into the fabric of the story to keep you up to speed without making you feel like you’re taking a history lesson.

Oh, one other thing. The Sith are back.

Big surprise, huh?

It’s amazing reading these books to think that the galaxy is tossed into disarray because of the constant warring of the Jedi and the Sith.

And to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pick this book up. I doubt you’ll regret it.

(To get it on Amazon, click this Outcast link.)