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.

Not what I was expecting but I liked it anyway

I don't have much experience with Sanderson, and I'm not a fan of fantasy so I wanted to try some of his scifi. This was different. Our hero has a legion of alter egos... but they aren't multiple personalities; they are people in his head he hallucinates, and he knows they are hallucinations. Each aspect has a different kind of genius, and it's fantastic to see how genuinely intelligent this man is. Quite a fascinating, and short, read.

DOOR GUN

The concept is great. The story is wonderful. The characters or character is or are intriguing. The length was perfect, especially if it means more stories starring Legion. I already have book 2 in my library. This is going to be like The Fugitive, but instead of chasing the one armed man, he will be chasing his former lover. Guess I have not said anything different from anyone else, just wanted to add my two cents.

If you are a Sanderson fan, this is a must, if you are not, this is a good place to start.

I Wish It Was Longer!

Legion is simply yet another example of Brandon Sanderson's immense talent. The guy is clearly one of the best fantasy writers today and Legion just shows how far that talent extends. I have no idea how Sanderson can publish so many works so quickly.

Legion is a short novella set in the modern day about a guy who sees and interacts with a host of imaginary individuals. These individuals each possess unique skills or knowledge, which they ultimately pass onto Steve, the protagonist.

I was immediately drawn in by this concept. I mean, Steve is basically a genius, but his genius requires him to interact with hallucinations. What an awesome concept. I was totally sucked in right from the start.

The story itself is pretty neat, involving a camera that can take pictures of the past, but the best parts are the interactions between Steve and his hallucinations.

The only real complaint that I have is that it was too short! I really hope that Sanderson intends to revisit this world, because I am eager to read more. I found Legion to be a very creative and entertaining story and I would recommend it highly to any fantasy reader.

I hope there will be more of Stephen Leeds

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

I’m a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s vivid imagination, so I was happy to get a copy of Legion, his new 88 page stand-alone novella. It’s about Stephen Leeds, a man who’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia because he sees and hears people who don’t exist. The thing about Stephen, though, is that unlike most schizophrenics’ hallucinations, the people in Stephen’s head actually help him. They all have their own talents and areas of expertise (and their own mental illnesses) and if Stephen needs to know something they don’t know, some other “aspect” is likely to show up to offer some help. This makes him valuable to anyone who needs help — it’s like hiring a “legion” instead of just one guy. Therefore, Stephen is highly paid and lives in a mansion with enough rooms to house all his special friends.

Stephen’s current petitioner is unusual. Monica, and the people she works for, have lost a camera that can take photographs of the past. It seems to be an inside job and they need Stephen and his aspects to find the guy who stole it. Intrigued, they take the job when they realize that the thief hopes to produce photographs that will change the world, or at least the worldview, of millions of people. They know the photos will have a huge impact, but they don’t know if it will bring world peace or world war.

As I mentioned, I love Brandon Sanderson’s imagination, and he doesn’t disappoint in Legion. Stephen and his crew are unique characters — each of the aspects has its own personality and is a character in his or her own right. Due to the shortness of this novella, they don’t get developed as much as we’d like, and some of their dialog is a bit stilted, but I certainly hope we’ll be seeing more of them in future stories. They’re all interesting and the hallucinatory nature of Stephen’s aspects’ existence offers plenty of opportunities for humor.

I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, especially in so short a story, but I will say that, like Stephen and his friends, I was intrigued and excited by the possibilities the camera offered, though I had to work harder than usual to suspend my disbelief because I couldn’t figure out how the camera could take a picture of the exact historical person or object desired when there would be so much “noise” from all the history that a single place would hold.

Legion asks us to consider past and current world events (especially in the area of religion and politics) and our own personal religious beliefs. What would our world be like if we had scientific evidence to back up our faith? Or if religious beliefs other than our own could be empirically verified? And if we could prove our beliefs, what is the meaning of faith?

Legion is a quick exciting read. This concept and plot is worthy of many more pages, though, so I sincerely hope that Brandon Sanderson will be writing more stories about Stephen Leeds and his legion.

Great Short Story!

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

Amazing Short Story

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The book wasn't very long, so it was easy to listen to it all at once

Any additional comments?

I Highly recommend this book.

What an enjoyable romp!!!

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

I loved the wry humor observing/listening to the aspects interacting with one another and their host person/mind. Good pace, good twists and turns, great fantasy... A ton of fun.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Legion?

Don't want to be a spoiler, but when two of the aspects become romantically interested in each other, I literally laughed out loud!!! Loved this story!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely. I looked forward to the times I was able to listen to more and hear the story advance... Great reading.

Any additional comments?

I really recommend this to fun loving people who enjoy science, science fiction, psychology, fantasy, and a great paced story!

Original but Too Short and Too Shallow

This is a short detective novella with psychological and sci-fi twists. The psychological twist is the detective has a legion of highly skilled hallucinatory aspects of himself that aid him in his detective work. The sci-fi twist is the mystery involves a camera that photographs the past. Perhaps if this had been a much longer, deeper and twistier story I would have found it more appealing. The characters and mechanics are barely introduced and the story is over. Although the setup is novel and narration was excellent, the story was too linear, and the characterization too shallow, to be deeply enjoyable.

Philosotainment

Short, but sweet, this little book is a prime example of why Brandon Sanderson is one of Audible's most-listened-to authors.

Appealing, interesting characters, in strange, yet geniously crafted situations, and then mixed in with the philosophical and theological musings of a very interesting mind.

Brandon is one of the few authors who has been able to successfully craft a ripping tale of excitement, and intrigue, while at the same time - almost subconsciously - raising interesting, philosophical questions that get under your skin.

A great story, preformed flawlessly!

If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out The Mistborn Series as well.

Great story

What did you love best about Legion?

An inside view into mental illness!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, you have to listen to this book very carefully, or else you could have a hard time
Following the story.

Any additional comments?

This book is worth the money. I would suggest it.

Fantastic.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. A) difficult to go wrong with free. B) captivating concept, and fun characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen in one sitting. Twice.