“It is the aftermath of battle. Scattered and struggling to regroup, Colonel Sheppard’s team face their darkest days yet in the war against the Wraith Queen, Death.  Continuing her perilous masquerade as Queen Steelflower, Teyla Emmagan’s friendship with Guide grows stronger.  With his help she must journey into the Wraith’s distant past to uncover the shocking truth about their origin – and the key to Queen Death’s defeat.

Meanwhile, Rodney McKay has a different battle to fight as he struggles to regain his humanity in the face of the atrocity the Wraith have committed against him.  With his life hanging in the balance, will Rodney be forced to do the unthinkable in order to survive…?”


The previous volume of the Stargate Atlantis: Legacy series, “The Furies”, felt a bit thin on action, even if the characterization work was as solid as it has ever been for the post-finale epic.  As it turns out, there was a very good reason for that: it serves as a prelude to all of the tension and revelation in this novel.

Teyla’s turn as Steelflower is not just a way to explore the oft-mentioned Wraith elements of her DNA; it becomes the conduit for certain genetic memories that factor into some important discoveries.  While it was made very clear in the series that the Wraith were the product of the Ancients’ experiments with cross-breeding humans with the iratus insects, the motivations behind the experiments were always left unclear.  It was enough, in that context, to know that the Ancients had a bad habit of taking scientific inquiry and research a bit too far.

This novel ties a number of lingering questions and effectively ties them all together, detailing the origins of the Wraith, why it was done, and how it all went horribly wrong.  It all makes a great deal of sense, and also points the way to a game-changing discovery that brings up a fitting moral quandary.

Meanwhile, there is a bit of a scramble to figure out how to restore Rodney, now that he has been rescued.  The writers of the Legacy novels have been very good about foreshadowing just how difficult the process would be, and more importantly, how incomplete.  They pull the trigger on just about every consequence they’ve ever hinted at, plus quite a few more.  Characters make difficult decisions that, while entirely supported by who they are and the circumstances, will still no doubt drive many readers to rage.

It all culminates in a scenario designed to bring the Atlantis crew and their allies into one final confrontation with Queen Death’s legions.  By the time that one gets to the end of the book, it feels exactly as it should: as if the past five novels have been leading to the impending “season finale”.  It certainly promises to be a more fitting conclusion than the one we were prematurely given on-screen.

Acquisition Method: Amazon Kindle Version Price: $4.99