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Legacies
(The Corean Chronicles Book One) by L.E. Modesitt Jr check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk
Now, however, Madrien is at war with Lanachrona, struggling for
control of the continent and the Iron Valleys are perfectly placed
for strikes into either country, should the other control the land.
Suddenly they are strategically important and it is not long before
there is a Matrite invasion force heading for the border...
However, when war comes and he is recruited into the Militia to
fight the Matrites he finds his abilities blossoming in the battle
to defend his homeland. But the slave-soldiers of Madrien and the
ancient magical engines they use are only the beginning, for something
far darker lurks in the heart of the enemy realm. Something Alucius
and his burgeoning Talent must confront before the stain of its
corruption can spread any further. For the most part, Legacies is a war story. Alucius' training in the Militia and the battles he takes part in fill the vast majority of the book. While the quality of writing is good, it is nothing special. There is nothing here that hasn't been done before and better,
without the rather pedestrian description of every event that occurs,
whether in combat or out of it. The relaying of Alucius' every move
in minute detail as he wanders around camp is particularly tedious
and it often feels as though the author can't think of anything
particularly significant to include and opts for another 'Alucius
has a look around the market' scene. The cause of this novel's rather mundane feel is difficult to pinpoint, as the writing itself is good and eminently readable while the description of each scene is concise and reasonably effective at portraying exactly what is going on, even in the most confusing battle scenes. No, the fault lies not in the writing but in the description of Alucius himself. Our hero is a blank slate of a person, showing little in the way of any actual personality. He does what he is told and never gets angry, has no particular
friends and seems to adapt to a soldier's life with remarkable speed,
killing the enemy with little in the way of remorse. In fact, he
shows no feeling whatsoever and it is Alucius' robotic lack of emotion
that makes it hard for the reader to care even in the slightest
about what he does with his spare time, never mind what happens
to him in battle. Even his family, virtually non-existent in terms
of the amount of page-space dedicated to them, are fleshed out more
fully and possess more in the way of human characteristics. The pacing of 'Legacies' doesn't help to offset its major faults.
In fact, it adds to them. Very little actually happens during most
of the book. The most exciting thing being a few desultory battles
between various sides of the conflict. Alucius spends a great deal
of time wandering around the enemy homeland of Madrien, seemingly
just taking in the sights and indulging in the occasional slaying
before suddenly developing an interest in that country's immortal
ruler the Matrial and spending a few pages sneaking around her mansion. A solid, interesting villain is a must for any fantasy story, but
the Matrial herself is only shown in minute, irrelevant snatches throughout
the story. Indeed, the climatic confrontation almost takes place without
her and she never even utters a word during it! Suffering from catastrophic failures of pace and characterisation as it does, 'Legacies' was never going to be a great book. The above average quality of the writing and Modesitt's smooth style don't even come close to overcoming these huge faults, resulting in a book which isn't bad, it's just...boring, middle of the road, mundane. The reader spends the whole novel turning pages in a zombie-like trance waiting for something interesting to happen, only to find he's reached the back cover. The story passes by in a blur, its events such as they are smearing together into a rather ordinary, uninspired mass and as such I consign 'Legacies' to my 'cure for insomnia' shelf. Martin Jenner
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OTHER REVIEWS - February 2004
BOOKS The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold The Separation by Christopher Priest First Meetings In The Enderverse by Orson Scott Card Dragon Venom by Lawrence Watt-Evans The Dolphins Of Pern by Anne McCaffrey Reach For Tomorrow by Arthur C Clarke The Mammoth Book Of Best New SF # 16 edited by Gardner Dozois 1610: A Sundial In A Grave by Mary Gentle Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss Trading In Danger by Elizabeth Moon Richard Matheson: Collected Stories Vol. 1 edited by Stanley Wiater The Gates To Witchworld by Andre Norton Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma: Lesser Evil by Robert Simpson The Killing Of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld Star Trek: The Original Series: Gemini by Mike W. Barr MUSIC COMPUTER GAMES Wallace and Gromit - Project Zoo RPGs & WARGAMES MAGAZINES On Spec: The Canadian Magazine
Of The Fantastic vol 15 no. 2 & 3
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Things
are tough for the Iron Valleys, a small and poor nation bordering
two vast and powerful ones. It has only survived so far by being
just strong enough that invasion would cost more than it would gain.
Alucius
is a Herder of the Iron Valleys. A young man with the magical Talent
that so often runs in Herder men, though this has been kept secret
from the authorities that would use his skills, taking him away
from the stead his family has worked for generations. 
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