Legacy

The Saga Begins

By: Michael Pietrack

Narrated by: Michael Pietrack

A mysterious illness plagues the Queen at Primdale Hive. Her cure resides deep within a treacherous forest, where few meadow-bees have ever dared to go. She organizes a race to find the fastest bee in the hive, but the unexpected victor, Abelbee, is a mere adolescent. Should the future of the hive be placed on such an inexperienced bee? When Abel bravely accepts the challenge, he is thrust into a quest to save his civilization. The weight of the world is on Abel’s shoulders, as perils of the forest breathe upon his back. Join Abel on his journey as he learns the meaning of courage, the importance of love, and what it means to be noble.

©2022 Michael Pietrack (P)2023 Michael Pietrack

What a talented writer and narrator. A story for the ages!

I was so impressed by the writing and the story, but equally impressed by the narration and all the voices. I couldn’t believe it was all performed by one person, let alone by a writer and not a voice actor.

An Epic Like No Other!

This work is a wonderful story that should be enjoyed by all! Please listen! Thank you for bringing this work to us all.

Left me wanting more!

I have this book in print, on Kindle, and the Audible version. I give the highest praise and recommendation for it!

The author performs the Audible version, complete with different voices for each character. Listening is a total delight!

I grew up as an avid reader from the age of 5. My parents had a library of classics, which included such collections as Aesop's Fables, Greek mythology, Grimm's fairy tales (the real ones, not Disney's versions), along with hundreds of other books. In building my own library, I have had a sad gap where classic, epic poetry belongs. Legacy now happily fills that gap.

This book is appropriate for children, but still captivating for adults.  It teaches life lessons such as not being held back by fear, being loyal and trustworthy, and how kindness can diffuse hostility. Yet it is completely free of any preachy overtones, and the poetic cadence is delightful. The story is set in an anthropomorphized bee colony, but there are no magical or superhero powers involved - the hero of the story, although a bee, is very "human" and this makes the lessons both relevant and easily comprehended.

The chapters are formatted as if each one is a bedtime story, with a brief "good-night" summary and tease for the next chapter. There are also QR codes throughout which link to live readings by the author.

I appreciate that the author strove to make the book as accessible as possible in pricing. The printed version is in black and white, but the Kindle e-book is in color, so the full beauty of the illustrations can be enjoyed. You can also see color illustrations on the website TheLegacySaga. com. There is also a song that was written for the book, it's on that website and the popular streaming services.

One of my favorite sections (tiny spoiler alert) is about a time when the hero, Ablebee, is soaking wet, exhausted, and miserable, and found by two strangers - fireflies, a father and son. The father is fearful and wants to just leave, "Be careful son, we'll treat it as a threat." But the son extends merciful kindness and helps to revive Ablebee. "Please Dad, just let me warm him up a bit." .....
"The father looked upon his caring son
and saw the act of kindness he had done.
This helpless soul the Wood had left for dead
was basking now in warming light instead."

I'm a complete fan of Legacy, and am eager to see (and hear) the next offering by Michael Pietrack.

Such an inspiring story.

What an inspiration. I can't wait for this to be turned into an animated film. I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Pietrack do a live reading at his launch party and he really brought it to life even more. Following along in my hardcopy and listening to him narrate helps see not only Able Bees story but my own struggles and give me strength to overcome my own fears. I've passed this book along to my family and you'll want to pass it along to yours too. Hats off to Michael for bringing his Father's bedtime stories to life.