If you’re a fan of Green Arrow and his small-screen colleagues (including Felicity Smoak, John Diggle, Rene Ramirez, Curtis Holt, and Dinah Drake), you already know that Season 5 ended with a big bang cliffhanger. When the TV show resumed five months later, Gang Green was back in Star City with lingering PTSD. Arrow: Fatal Legacies is a novel that purports to fill in the details between Season 5 and Season 6 of the series.
Unfortunately, there isn’t anything particularly substantial going on in Season 5.5. A lot of the intel in this tie-in novel is being hashed out week-by-week in the current season.
There is, however, one very compelling reason to read Fatal Legacies. Sara Lance, the White Canary, returns to Star City to reunite with Oliver Queen. As a former member of the League of Assassins and a current member of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, she’s one of our favorite characters in the DCEU television lineup. Taking a short break from her Waverider duties, this is probably the closest thing we’ll ever get to a White Canary novel.
It’s a good thing Sara shows up in Star City when she does. Not only is Oliver struggling with the aftermath from Season 5, but he’s also trying to wrap up three ongoing storylines. Frankly, he needs all the help he can get. “I’ll stick around as long as you need me,” promises Sara.
Together the pair dismantles an escalating drug network, they confront a new (and pesky) vigilante, and foil the mad plans of a psychotic explosives expert. Fans of the TV show know that Oliver and Sara share a long history with each other so it’s no surprise to discover they make a great team. Felicity calls them Team White Arrow, but we prefer Team Green Canary because it implies an extended Canary Universe. Hey @DCComics, what do you think? Give us a call and we’ll work out the details.
The novel isn’t all about Oliver and Sara, however. The entire cast (including Oliver’s son, William) is involved in some way. Fans of Olicity will especially enjoy an extended scene where Felicity sneaks a peek at Oliver doing his early morning workout. Her body buzzes with adrenaline watching her former lover on the salmon ladder. It makes her head “go a little wonky,” says the author(s).
But honestly the only reason to read Fatal Legacies is because of Sara Lance. She and Oliver are close in a profound way – former lovers, fellow warriors, and closest friends. They share the same losses and triumphs, and it bonds the two of them forever. It’s good to see them back together again. Long live Team Green Canary!
[Arrow: Fatal Legacies / By James R. Tuck and Marc Guggenheim / First Printing: January 2018 / ISBN: 9781783295210]
Superhero Novels 