Legion: Skin Deep

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 4 hrs and 23 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 short, distinctly contemporary novella filled with suspense, humor, and an endless flow of invention, Sanderson revealed a startling new facet of his singular narrative talent. In the stunning sequel, Legion: Skin Deep, that talent is on full display.

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 new story begins, Leeds and his "aspects" are hired by I3 (Innovative Information Incorporated) to recover a corpse stolen from the local morgue. But there's a catch. The corpse is that of a pioneer in the field of experimental biotechnology, a man whose work concerned the use of the human body as a massive storage device. He may have embedded something in the cells of his now dead body. And that something might be dangerous... What follows is a visionary thriller about the potential uses of technology, the mysteries of the human personality, and the ancient human need to believe that death is not the end. Legion: Skin Deep is speculative fiction at its most highly developed. It reaffirms Sanderson's place as one of contemporary fiction's most intelligent - and unpredictable - voices.

©2014 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2014 Audible Inc.

ASK HIM ABOUT THE ZOMBIES

SARCASM WAS KIND OF HER NATIVE TONGUE.
This is listed as story 2, yet does more to explain the main character and why he is the way he is, then the first story. Don't hesitate to get this for free. Their is one line in the book that refers back to story one and it is just a passing remark. Having said that, I liked story one better. I am not that big into sleuthing and that is what this series is about. The concept of creating imaginary characters who interact to help solve mysteries is unique and done well. This should be enjoyed by both Sci-Fi fans and Mystery/Detective fans. This story had a slower start to it then the first story, which is why I enjoyed story one better.

I HATE ZOMBIES
There is a theory that William Shakespeare was not one man. That one man could not have the wide range of knowledge that is covered in Shakespeare's work. Sort of like today's Jack Campbell, in which several writers write under that name. Some day in the future the same may be said about Brandon Sanderson. His work is wide and varied, yet usually of high standard. This series reminded me a lot of Robert J. Sawyer. Sawyer is probably kicking himself that he did not come up with this idea.

Wyman has been around for awhile and does good work. I did think for this story he read very slow, really dragging it out.

Skin Deep = Not Deep at All

The first entry in Legion had a couple of great ideas that were, for me, not fleshed out enough, too quickly resolved, too many missed opportunities. Skin Deep, the second installment in the series, is more than twice as long, but it is still no more than a novella that reads as an afterthought rather than a concept that has been fully thought out.

There is still the excellent central idea of an investigator with multiple personalities -- fully realized characters with areas of specialization that help solve the mystery. That remains an engaging premise. But it still goes nowhere (fast) because the short form is too restrictive. The secondary idea of human cells being used as high capacity flash drives is not as good a springboard for speculation and plot development as the history camera was in Legion.

So despite the brevity of the novella, I quickly lost interest, perking up only when the inner personalities took center stage. I stuck it out to the end because of them, but I was patently underwhelmed by the meager plot. No problem, on the other hand, with Oliver Wyman's narration, which as good as it was in Legion, and helps us appreciate the characters.

Legion... Soooo WOW!!!!

This is such a good series. Brandon is really a gifted writer, so many different books, so many different ideas. Legion is just crazy!!! love all these characters, and wonder how the future of this series will be like.. In this book interesting character development (fake characters (or imagined characters) and the real one).. wonder how the next book will be like...
It must be not easy to have all these different personalities living in your mind and interacting with them... And just think of all the money our friend Steve is spending on all these different personalities when they join him... like the first class tickets in the last book.

Brandon Sanderson, bring the next book ASAP.... But first bring the 3rd addition of the Stormlight Archive... Can't wait.

Multiple personalities detective agency

Fun who hid the body kind of book. Light weight but enjoyable.

Fast listen.

Not much else to add.

Why won't Audible take short reviews?

Another good story

If you liked the first you'll like this one too. Looks like he's setting up an interesting follow up as well.

Another cool SF novella from Sanderson

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

“I’m not crazy. I’m compartmentalized.”

Legion: Skin Deep is the second novella in Brandon Sanderson’s series about Stephen Leeds, a man whose psyche has spawned a “legion” of extra personalities that he thinks of as “aspects.” Stephen is the only person who can see his aspects — each is a separate personality who lives with him and can follow him around and help him solve problems. Everyone else thinks Stephen has schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, but it’s not the same thing. Stephen doesn’t know why he has all these aspects or why he creates new ones when he learns something new. There’s one woman (Sandra) who can help him understand, but she has disappeared.

When we met Stephen in the first LEGION story (simply called Legion), he was helping a client find a camera that can take pictures of past events. This had interesting ramifications for politics and religion. In Skin Deep, Stephen and his aspects have been hired to find a missing corpse that contains some innovative biotechnology — part of the body might have been used to store some deadly data. If the body is not recovered and cremated soon, that information might get into the wrong hands and could cause a worldwide epidemic.
Like the first LEGION story, Skin Deep is creative and exciting. In this case, it’s cool to think about the capabilities (and security risks) of biotechnology as scientists work to find more efficient and flexible ways to store large amounts of data. What would happen if we started using the body’s DNA, which naturally holds a vast amount of information, as basically a really big flash drive? Sanderson uses the opportunity to briefly discuss topics such as Open Source and Wetware.

Skin Deep is also partly a mystery — who stole the corpse, and how did they do it? Where is the keycode? I was in the dark until the last pages, though Sanderson gave me a few clues that I missed (I love it when that happens).

I mentioned in my review of Legion that the shortness of these stories means that we don’t get to know Stephen’s aspects very well, but in Skin Deep we get to spend a lot of time with three of them — Tobias is a historian, Ivy is a psychologist, and J.C. is an ex-Navy Seal. Ivy and J.C. have an on-again-off-again romance which adds some humor and some extra weirdness. J.C. doesn’t want to admit he’s not real, so he thinks of himself as an inter-dimensional time traveler who comes to help people in need. (Each of the aspects has their own personality quirks and maybe even mental illnesses.) The aspects can eat, go to the bathroom, and talk to each other on imaginary cell phones. I’m not really sure it always works, but it’s entertaining and it does solve the problem for Sanderson of how to make his hero have so much knowledge and skill without making him seem like a god.

There’s so much more that Sanderson can do with Stephen and his “friends” and it seems clear that more LEGION stories are planned. I’m glad. The print versions are being published by Subterranean Press and the audio versions are produced by Audible Studios. I have and can recommend both. As I write this, the audio version of Skin Deep is free. Oliver Wyman does a great job with the narration.

A great continuation for the series.

What made the experience of listening to Free: Legion: Skin Deep the most enjoyable?

The characters, whether they be real or imaginary, makes this book worth it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Free: Legion: Skin Deep?

The main character's aspect JC believing that he was a "Time Ranger" was quite entertaining and memorable.

Have you listened to any of Oliver Wyman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Oliver Wyman is the narrator for the first book in this series, Legion, and does a stellar job all around.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Near the end, the protagonist gives a memorable speech to a character while locked in a cellar that I found both moving and memorable.

Any additional comments?

An interesting and quirky read by author Brandon Sanderson, Legion: Skin Deep continues the story of Steven and his mental imbalances (known as Aspects) as he tries to find a body that may contain horrible possibilities for the general population. The book may be short, but I found it was packed full of fun for all ages. The characters, story, and narration are all top notch and I highly recommend this book to anyone.

A Pleasure

I got the "first" book -- Skin Deep -- free from Audible and realized within fifteen minutes of listening that I needed -- and would enjoy -- Book 1 of the series, "Legion". The main character is unique in all I've read, and Sanderson does a great job with the gifts and the tensions and tells a good story in the meantime. Oliver Wyman handles the difficult material very well. A real pleasure to listen to these books.

Great story plus a free title. Awesome!

Legion Skin Deep by Brandon Sanderson and narrated by Oliver Wyman is a great story and it is free, what more can I say except, Awesome!

Fantastic!!!!

I was deeply impressed with Legion: Skin Deep and the level of technical expertise that went into writing it. I have loved all of Sanderson's books, and yet I feel that this is something special. My only complaint is that it is not longer.
The narrator for this, Oliver Wyman, is on of my favorites, and I was ecstatic to hear his voice when I turned the audiobook on.
If you are on the fence I highly recommend this book. It is awesome.