Name: Star Wars Dark Legends
ISBN: 9781368057332

George Mann

Read on if you dare! This unique in-world collection hallows the spooky tales and ghost stories that would have kept young Luke and Leia up at night. Created by George Mann and Grant Griffin--the same team behind the stunning Star Wars: Myths & Fables--these six frightful fables have been carefully woven from the expansive fabric that is the Star Wars galaxy (including the thrilling landscape from Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World), and beautifully painted in a lush illustrative style that feels intergalactic yet innately archetypal and timeless.

Star Wars Dark Legends

C. J. Daley 

So I actually did not read last year’s release by George Mann, SW Myths & Fables. However, after starting this one, I immediately ordered the other and I am now excited for it. 
Each story has a unique and beautiful watercolor painting at the beginning (much the same as, Tales From the Galaxy Far Far Away: Vol. 1: Aliens) and this hardcover does a great job with these giant, wonderfully saturated black title cards that don’t look cheesy or see-through. Another win for Disney Lucasfilm Press honestly. 


The orphanage: 4*
I actually liked this story a lot. I liked that it mentioned several times that it was after the end of the clone wars and the purge. I also like this thing that Disney is doing where they’re rehashing old horrors and putting them into the SW universe like they did in Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Vol. 1: Aliens. This is obviously the phantom in the night, much the same as Dracula, stealing children from the orphanage. Kira, the fallen jedi, is the SW Van Helsing... trust me, it worked for me. This honestly could have been made to be so much scarier though. 

Buyer Beware: 3*
Didn’t like this one as much, I feel like it shared less and also had less potential. Dude buys an evil mask, uses mask for evil, and then gets got... 
(Dok-Ondar and his shop on Batuu once again get name-dropped. This dude is like the most mentioned rando in universe now) 

The Predecessor: 5*
So Denholm is just us as kids whenever Vader would choke someone to death on screen...
This was an enjoyable, creepy, campfire-esque in-universe tale. It was nice to see an imperial losing their sh*t for once. 

Blood Moon: 3*
This was a cool, horror-like werewolf hunting story. It would have been cooler though if it had more of an eerie mystery/thriller feel with a missing person a night or something like that. I did like the idea of a red kyber sun radiating hate/blood-thirst like the moon calls to the werewolf. 

The Dark Mirror: 4*
Honestly, I feel like I’ve said this before about another short story somewhere, but this could have been so sick made into a novella or even novel. First of all, let me say this, “JEDI?!” yes please. Always. Not to mention jedi in a horror-y/murder mystery way? Even cooler. This could have been drawn out into almost a jedi investigative novel, and I don’t know about everyone else, but that is something I most definitely could have gotten behind. 
However, the ending felt rushed and not true to a jedi so I didn’t like that part much. 

The Gilded Cage: 4*
Sith? Yes please. Dathomirian Nightsisters? Hell yes! I mean what’s not to love? 
But I will say it’s unfortunate that I feel like we get these great tales with the characters we really want to see and it’s always legends or fables. Regardless of in-universe or not. That’s why it’s so important for fans that they’re releasing the High Republic stuff. 
I do feel like this is a pretty simple, if not a somewhat unoriginal tale, of a possessor thinking they have the upper hand when in reality, the stronger person, the would-be-possessed, is actually aware and in control the entire time. But whatever, more sith stories please. 

A Life Immortal: 4*
Waitttttttt, Darth Noctyss, a female Sith Lord with a sickle shaped lightsaber? Why can’t we have nice things? Why is this just a fable? Why isn’t this full length, front and center???? An original story about one of the ancient Sith discovering Exegol? Come on can we get this made canon canon, like now?
I guess every story of immense evil needs it’s hunchbacked Igor, it’s Gollum. But even so, it was an enjoyable silly twist. And did we see similar creatures in The Rise of Skywalker? I think we kind of did...

Star Wars Dark Legends

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