And thus, we finally come to the conclusion of the Stargate Atlantis Legacy series, which continues the story past season 5 of the television series. Overall, this novel was both a bittersweet and very satisfying ending to a much larger and more complicated story line.
One of the benefits of media tie-in novels is that the story is not restricted by things like money for special effects budgets or real-life personnel issues, and that is an issue that this entire saga has taken full advantage of. Third Path featured the well-rounded ending to the Wraith saga and solved some unresolved questions regarding the Pegasus universe Asgard that were only so briefly featured in the last season of the show. In addition, the return of a few fan-favorite characters could have felt artificial and self-serving, but were deftly intertwined in the already established plot lines to great effect.
The Legacy series was originally supposed to run six books rather than eight (I believe), and while I was perfectly happy to keep reading about some of my favorite characters in my favorite science-fiction universe, I think some things were given short shrift in this final installment. Book 6 is where I found the the epic space battles, and though reading about a team stranded on a strange planet and the folks on Atlantis battling a plastic-eating virus was exciting, I wanted something a bit more substantial for the wrap-up to such a long series.
I’m not sure whether the Stargate Novels team will continue publishing post-series novels for Atlantis or whether we will see a return to within-show tales. Either way, this publisher’s dedication to the quality and themes of the wider Stargate universe ensure that I will keep reading them.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.
Currently reading: Crucible, edited by Mercedes Lackey (11%)
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