A novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Legion is a fast-paced, witty, and supremely fun thriller with a psychological bent.Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It’s his hallucinations who are mad.A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this, his mind creates hallucinatory … hallucinatory people—Stephen calls them aspects—to hold and manifest the information. Wherever he goes, he is joined by a team of imaginary experts to give advice, interpretation, and explanation. He uses them to solve problems…for a price.
His brain is getting a little crowded, however, and the aspects have a tendency of taking on lives of their own. When a company hires him to recover stolen property—a camera that can allegedly take pictures of the past—Stephen finds himself in an adventure crossing oceans and fighting terrorists. What he discovers may upend the foundation of three major world religions—and, perhaps, give him a vital clue into the true nature of his aspects.
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I always love the creative twists liberally sprinkled in Brandon Sanderson’s stories. The premise for this one was so unique, and I loved the mysteries!
I love it when great writers take a breath from epic trilogies to write short-stories. Brandon Sanderson penned an innovative, seducing short about a extraordinary man who’s actually quite bland — except for the almost fifty imaginary people he has living in his mansion. From a psychologist to a historian, from a hitman to a computer technician, they’re actually the extraordinary parts of his personality. Our protagonist uses them (he knows they’re figments of his imagination) to solve problems — and earn a copious amount of money in the process.
We only get to see half a dozen of those “aspects” (it’s a short story after all) but their interaction amongst themselves and with their maker is engrossing enough. Also, the good thing of short stories is that the characters have to get interesting fast, and the climax comes quickly.
I can’t say much about this story, because I don’t want to risk any spoilers. Just read it: you’re going like it, no matter what type of novel you normally read. I guarantee it.
Legion by Brandon Sanderson is the first in a novella series that follows the life of Steven Leeds, a man who utilizes many “aspects” to help him solve mysteries in a Science Fiction setting. Each of the three novellas has a conclusive ending so that they can be read independently or together. However, there are also details about the characters and events in the novellas that carry through the series.
The first novella introduces the reader to Steven Leeds and his crew of hallucinations. These “aspects” of himself have their own personalities and skills that they lend to him in his everyday life. So when he is approached to help find a stolen camera that can take pictures of the past, Steven takes them on a journey all the way to Israel, looking for clues. However, he soon finds that more than one person has been lying to him and is confronted with the potential ramifications the camera could have on the world if it falls into the wrong hands.
The characters crafted in the story are a mix of static and dynamic characters that serve a beneficial purpose in the plot. The main character, Steven Leeds, grows and changes throughout the first novella and has a larger arc over the full trilogy. He moves from being a reluctant recluse to a man motivated by his passion for helping and connecting with others. The key aspects in the story, Ivy, J.C., and Tobias, have unique voices from the main character and enough depth for readers to form attachments to their parts in the journey.
Brandon Sanderson is well-known for crafting unique and compelling worlds in his Fantasy and Science Fiction stories. Legion has a real-world style setting, but the ways the characters interact with the environment and the elements of Science Fiction give the world-building of this novella a fresh feeling and makes the mundane compelling.
Legion is a demonstration of well-crafted writing with a down-to-earth feel. The tropes utilized subtly and freshly, such as how Sanderson bends the Science Fiction “psychics” trope by having Steven Leeds’ aspects take the place of a physical or technological psychic type ability.
A discerning reader should be aware of certain elements in this novella, such as addressing mental health and its treatment. Some of the characters also have limited swear words, sexual innuendos, and racial bais’.
So this is a little darker than my normal fair, but I love Sanderson’s writing style and couldn’t put it down. I loved all of Stephen Leeds hallucinations. I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say that after I put the book down, I cussed. Not because I hated it, but because it both blindsided me and was perfect at the same time.
Such a fascinating tale. I love this series. Such a fantastic write, Brandon Sanderson swept it out of the park with this one.
All3 = Legion, Skin Deep, Beerholder. A good romp, fun to see this side of his imagination. We’re all a little crazy. A great break from ‘normal’ fantasies, thrillers, who don-its
This is a blast. Had me fist pumping the air sometimes.
How has this not been adapted to a Netflix or HBO or Hulu series? — such fertile ground for episodic/case oriented story telling.
Find the omnibus of the trilogy and read through them all. Highly recommended.
A fantastically original story premise. Brandon Sanderson always has brilliant ideas, but this one shines even brighter than usual
the possable idea of creating a population of random generic mutation of human beings is a scary thought which could lead to endless combinations.Good read makes you think.
So this was my first read of a book written by the famous Brandon Sanderson, and it was awesome.
This is the story about Stephen aka Legion, a genius that has hallucinations and can interact with this hallucinations.
Legion accept a job, where he must uncover a mystery about the missing of a scientist and a very particular camera that can take pictures of different times in every place…
So if you’re looking for a very quick and entertaining read, I recommend this book.