Legion

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 2 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Brandon Sanderson is one of the most significant fantasists to enter the field in a good many years. His ambitious, multi-volume epics (Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive) and his stellar continuation of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series have earned both critical acclaim and a substantial popular following. In Legion, a distinctly contemporary novella filled with suspense, humor, and an endless flow of invention, Sanderson reveals a startling new facet of his singular narrative talent, read by Audie Award-winning narrator Oliver Wyman.

Stephen Leeds, AKA 'Legion,' is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his 'aspects' are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. The action ranges from the familiar environs of America to the ancient, divided city of Jerusalem. Along the way, Sanderson touches on a formidable assortment of complex questions: the nature of time, the mysteries of the human mind, the potential uses of technology, and the volatile connection between politics and faith. Resonant, intelligent, and thoroughly absorbing, Legion is a provocative entertainment from a writer of great originality and seemingly limitless gifts.

©2012 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Another great book even a short one!

I have read Mistborn and the way of kings.... and i'm reading the wheel of time as well.
But this novella is different than the ones i read by Brandon Sanderson. its in the present time for once and its amazing.

The narration is amazing, Oliver is one of my favorit narrators and he did a great job with this book.

A 2 hour book is short but is a really really good one. i want to write what i liked here but then you will hate this review. So i suggest you go and have a listen to this book and every book that comes in the future by Brandon Sanderson.

Enjoy!

Well done, interesting, fun, and believable!

This was a very strange story. As I first started listening to the book, I was thinking, what the heck is this book about. After about 10 minutes of listening I was hooked on the story and enjoyed it very much.
The narration was well done, talk about somebody doing multiple voices well, this narrator had to do a great job to make the book work. He did. Nailed it. Good Job!
The story great. The author managed to get a complete story into a short format. You will like this book because both aspects, narration and content are both excellent.

I liked this story more than I thought. Want more!

Would you consider the audio edition of Legion to be better than the print version?

Yes. the voice of each character really added another layer to the story. Well done

Delightful-I hope it's the start of a new series

After finishing the never ending Wheel Of Time series, which Brandon Sanderson heroically rescued from the doldrums that Jordan had written himself into, it was absolutely refreshing to listen to this novella by Sanderson.

He seems to have a broad spectrum of ability in writing...from angst ridden series drama to adult novels with wonderfully wry humor.

I got this free (thanks Audible) but it's worth buying. Sanderson has developed a wonderful protagonist and set up the start of a potential multi book series should he decide to do so.

However I see he's recently released the first of a series of quest/hero fantasy books. Perhaps he's able to write both types of novels, alternating between the two...we can hope.

Congratulations Sanderson...I'm very impressed with your work and it seems most of the listeners and readers on Amazon reviews feel the same.

Oliver Wyman did a credible job of voicing the different identities that the protagonist has-he reads well an has the ability to voice wry humor.

Unusual Partners in Crime

Would you listen to Legion again? Why?

I'm sure I will and actually have already listened twice. The idea of someones psychosis aiding in the solving of a crime was intriguing and I needed to see if I had missed anything the first time.

What other book might you compare Legion to and why?

I don't ever read this type of fantasy so I can't say.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

They were all good, but I think the woman psychiatrist was the most intriguing and held the most questions - the main character analyzing himself, as it were.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't call it extreme, but I did laugh a lot.

Any additional comments?

This book was an unexpected happy surprise and I went right away to see what else the author had written. I think I was well-introduced into a new genre for me!

I want more, please

If you could sum up Legion in three words, what would they be?

I find the concept behind this story to be fascinating, and I hope there is more!

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

I am utterly impressed. This has got to be the most difficult book to narrate ever.

Powerful short Story

This is one of the most powerful short stories that I have ever read. Brandon Sanderson was already one of my favorite authors, but this story blew even me away.
Some of the things that were interesting to me:

The hints of the main character's back story.
The exploration of multiple personalities in one person.
The interaction between faith and science.

The last one of these is the most fascination to me. As a man of faith myself I have read books that tackle the seeming discrepancy between science and faith, but none which do it so powerfully.

And, since this book is free, You should definitely get it.
It will not be a waste of your time.

Needs a sequal! best free book ever!

What made the experience of listening to Legion the most enjoyable?

It was fantasy, but didn't have 500,000 characters with made-up names that you have to keep straight, rather the novella followed only a few characters. The writing style and the reader worked great together! I lost count of the number of times i was listening to the story as i was running around the house cleaning and my family would shout at me to shut up because i was laughing so hard. If your a fan of clever, witty writing you'll totally love this short but wonderfully written and told story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Legion?

Just about any moment the main character had an argument with his invisible figments.

Which scene was your favorite?

At the start of the story the main character, Stephen Leeds, uses his own unique brand of detective work and it was that part of that totally hooked me!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed multiple times throughout the book, its not a comedy and there were serious parts in the book of course, but i just totally have a soft spot for clever banter.

Any additional comments?

Great, free(!), and short! totally recommend it!

Fun. Wish it was a full book/series

Enjoyable little work. Bought it on sale (wouldn't have paid full price for such a short work) and it was worth it. Fun idea, that I'd like to see developed into a more polished full book or series.

Clever!

If you could sum up Legion in three words, what would they be?

A different concept for a detective and very clever. Imagining the scenes with many characters interacting actually involving one person was fun.