The (Improved) Legendary Adventures

Starting in 2018, the Legendary Adventures are going to look a bit different! Read on to see what changes are being made to make them the most exciting literary trek you’ll take through 2018!

One of the things that I wanted to do in the Legendary Adventures, on the outset of the journey, was learn to appreciate the Legends canon for what it was. It did not have a Story Group, but editors and LFL employees worked to make sure the Legends canon stayed somewhat consistent. It was not published in chronological order, leaving many different eras open for exploration at any single time. This left the Legends canon a wonderful mess: stories from the PT were linked to books that took place 45 years later, some series adapted to fit other ongoing projects half-way through, and more.

The Legendary Adventures is my opportunity to trek through the Legends canon, in chronological order, and appreciate it for all it is worth. Being a closed canon, nothing will add or subtract from the Legends. I think there’s something special about having an entirely closed corpus of novels, everything at my fingertips. I can truly take it all in at my own pace, knowing nothing can really disrupt my reading. In reading the novels chronologically, I can see the connections that were attempted, see how many characters may have carried forward, and seen how books fit together (or, were made to fit together).

But you knew all of that! So far, I’ve already adventured through the Old Republic timeline, and I’ve briefly started into the Prequel Trilogy. But I thought the Adventures could use more, so in 2018, look for these changes:

A bi-weekly schedule. Every other Friday, starting on the 12th, look out for the latest Legendary Adventure installment. This helps me deliver Legendary Adventure content on a regular basis, and nobody has to guess when the next one is coming. I have already written a few, so the first three months are covered for uninterrupted service. This also makes sure that I have time to read ahead, making sure that there is no real gap in the presentation!
A revamped Milestone. Miletones, in my original plan, were a good chance to look back at what we have just read on the Adventure. But now, I would like to focus those: each Milestone will be the movies, and it will look back on the ways in which the previous Legends novels helped me understand the movie differently. These won’t really review the movies as much as focus on specific aspects that the Legends canon contributed to them.
Each review will now be two-fold: half-review, half-outlook on the entire canon. I don’t think we need to review books that may be pushing decades old. The interesting bit about reading these books will be where they fit into the grander Legends timeline. Do they stand on their own? Do they join a trilogy? Or do they accidentally form a trilogy? For example, the Clone Wars era Medstar novels complete a story left open from Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. Or, did you know, the Republic Commando series only has two books that take place consecutively? And you may be shocked how many books take place before Anakin and Ahsoka meet.
Finally, I will be adding more content from the Essential Reader’s Companion. Written by lore guru Pablo Hildago, the Companion brings every piece of Legends canon into chronological order. Not only will I follow it to order my novels, but I can gain a wealth of insights from the book. Pablo can show me characters that I did not notice (or pay much mind to) who may appear later. The Companion also shows which comics, short stories, and more fit into the timeline, so watch for those nuggets, too.

All of this has you in mind, to create a fuller, more robust Adventure. I want each review to be jam-packed with information to help you find a story you may love, see how it fits into the Legends canon, and how it broadly affects the galaxy we hold so dearly. So follow along as we travel on the Legendary Adventures! We will encounter living planets, Thrawn, tales of bravery and camaraderie, shape shifters, trade disputes, and a lot more in 2018 – we’d love to have you join in on the excitement!

Chris is the Sous Chef at the Mynock Manor. To keep up to date with the Legendary Adventures, you can follow him on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, follow the Manor.