The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence

By: Stan Lee, Stuart Moore

Narrated by: Feodor Chin

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Stan Lee presents a brand-new, magical, super-powered adventure!

When 12 magical superpowers are unleashed on the world, an Asian-American teenager named Steven is thrown into the middle of an epic global chase. He'll have to master strange powers, outrun super-powered mercenaries, and ultimately unlock the hidden secrets of the Zodiac Legacy.

©2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

An entertaining story,

perfect if you like stories where the underdog comes out on top, I enjoyed the little twist at the end. No disrespect to the narrator Mr. Chin, he is a talented performer, however I would have been more captivated if they would have used a second narrator do split up the dialog between the characters. This of course is just a personal preference of mine.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

fun book for anyone that enjoys a 'Super' story

I enjoyed this book. and my kids 8-14 thought it was fantastic! (We also bought the hard copy for my son so he could read along.) This is a great springboard for what I hope will be a great 'super' series.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

the climax is worth the wait

Upon reading the description of this book I was immediately interested in the novel. It's no surprise considering I'm a sucker for people with powers. Whether they are a mutation, mystical, otherworldly, or the result of science; they have a place in my heart. With Stan Lee attached, and having read and enjoyed some of Stuart Moore's comic book work, I was really ready to jump in.

Steven is on a class field trip when he decides to follow a young woman into a restricted area. He quickly discovers it is somewhere he should not have ventured. A fight breaks out between the woman Steven had been following, he later learned was named Jasmine, and a mysterious and intimidating man, who goes by Maxwell. During the fight something strange happens and Steven ends up with strange powers that reflect that of a tiger. He soon learns select people have been imbued with power of the the Chinese Zodiac based on the year in which they were born. Steven has the power of the Tiger, while Jasmine and Maxwell share the power of the dragon. After the battle Steven is proposed by Jasmine to join their fight against Maxwell. It turns out he wants all of the zodiac power for himself and has recruited other powered individuals to his cause. Using them to coerce or, if that doesn't work, even kidnap by force others with the power. When he learns of Maxwell's intentions and true nature, the new team quickly sets out in search of others with the power in hopes of building their defenses.

This was an enjoyable read. It takes a while for the story to gain momentum, but the climax is worth the wait. While there is some character building for the protagonists, Maxwell seems very two dimensional, even stereotypical. With this being book one of a series, Moore probably wanted to focus on getting to know the good guys. With plenty of time to flush out the villains in a later volume, why rush? I really enjoyed the diversity the authors brought with the characters. They are from all across the globe ranging from Ireland, China, France and more; with personality types just as diverse as their countries of origin, there is something for everyone to relate to. I look forward to book two for a few reasons, but a couple in particular. Primarily, as I said before, I'm a sucker for super powers and I want to know more about them and the world they have been released into. Also, I think the narrator has potential and I am anxious to see how he develops as a voice talent.

The same eclectic set of characters that makes this story so broad in view, was a great way for the narrator to flex his range. Feodor Chin, I must admit, felt a bit choppy in the beginning but he quickly found his voice(s), delivering a very good performance overall. He has very good range and juggled the male and female voices well. The accents for each character were also done well. Chin also has a firm grasp on voices for a wide range of ages; the teens sound like teens, the adults sound like adults.  I am always excited when I listen to a new, talented narrator. It, after all, is one of the biggest draws for me to audio books. While the stories are typically what draw me in initially, a good narrator can keep me invested. And Feodor Chin keeps me interested.

Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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60 of 70 people found this review helpful

Amazing

The book is so great and so interesting. A great fictional thriller. Can't wait to read the next book

13 of 18 people found this review helpful

This reads like a bad Chinese sterotype

Didn't know Stan Lee could have written such a bad storyline, maybe I'm expecting too much from a comic book writer. 2 hours in and I was done, maybe should have stop after the first hour.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Idea, poor execution.

The idea of the book is great, but it just doesn't really come together. Random people with the oddest powers that you really fail to ever care about.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

soooo disappointing

Despite the negative reviews I bought the book anywAy. I mean it's Stan Lee. It's Stuart Moore. How bad could their book be?

I found out. Bad. I have to agree with an earlier reviewer. The characters are poorly introduced and developed. Same for the plot. I tried to give the story credit by thinking that 10 year olds might enjoy the story, but as it dragged on and on and I kept having to back the recordingng up to listen to lengthy segments I'd missed because my attention wandered, I decided younger children would have an even harder time staying with the plot.

A minor point, but another annoying aspect was the narrator's using an Australian accent for the Irish character's voice, occasionally (very occasionally) switching to an Irish or British accent. Quite distracting.

The premise is a good one and could have been used to teach the readers about Chinese culture and customs as well as the other cultures that are introduced. A missed opportunity.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Way too formulaic to be taken seriously

The story goes the normal:
1) Kids get super powers
2) Kids meet and greet
3) Kids get beat to near death
4) A miracle solution shows up just in time
5) Kids overcome attackers

Rinse repeat.

Note I am using the general "Kids" here because you do not get to know any of them well or even moderately. So much potential but it is all wasted on the formula and the "drama". I know this formula supposedly works but you have to actually make the story interesting too.

Thankfully Feodor made the listen easy on the ear otherwise I would have dumped the book halfway through.

Maybe I am spoiled by the no-nonsense unpretentious story telling of Michael Anderle and the other authors in and around his Kurtherian gambit books that I have a hard time putting up with this... Na, who am I kidding, if you read my other reviews you will know I don't like drama without a story. TV is full of that mind numbing stupidity that you don't need it in our books too.

OK, I will get off my soapbox for now...

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I'm not the target audience.

I stopped about halfway through. The young heroes are likable, but the story just plods along. And the villains are just plain boring and unoriginal.

as good as a marvel movie or TV? TV

it was bad. predictable, uninspired, nothing NOTHING new or original about it. wasted my time and money. don't buy it even if you get it as a freebie.