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narcissia's review against another edition
4.0
This is an entertaining little novella. I'm not entirely certain what I was expecting, but what I got was fun, fun, fun.
mightyjor's review against another edition
4.0
Fun and quick read. There’s an interesting little mystery here, but takes a bit of a turn for the more boring near the end I think. There were a lot of really cool ideas that didn’t really get fleshed out all that much regarding the powers of the camera. No idea if this is continued in future books, but I hope so. Overall I’d say it was definitely worth the read.
zenduck's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
aceinit's review against another edition
2.0
I seem to be in the minority opinion, judging by the high Goodreads rating and stellar reviews, but “Legion” is a story that didn’t quite do it for me. I have read masterful short fiction from Sanderson, such as “Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell,” which prove that the man doesn’t need several hundred pages to breathe life into story, but this particular work never escaped the feeling of first draft status.
“Legion” is a technically proficient story. It has all the things you need. Eccentric characters, an interesting premise, action, intrigue, hints at a broader story to set up for that inevitable sequel. But, for me, that’s all “Legion” was: technically proficient.
Despite a strong opening paragraph, the characteristic life that Sanderson can breathe into his stories and characters barely exists here. The story is moved along primarily by dialogue which, again, is just enough to get you where you need to go. Even the action sequences involving gunfights and grenades don’t thrill. From beginning to end, the story barely ventures beyond dry prose.
What I read feels like a rushed, rough draft; a bare-bones story jotted down as a “get it out on paper” draft to be fleshed out into a full story later. But that fleshing out never happens and despite being readable, “Legion,” never moves beyond that into “good” or “great” territory.
“Legion” is a technically proficient story. It has all the things you need. Eccentric characters, an interesting premise, action, intrigue, hints at a broader story to set up for that inevitable sequel. But, for me, that’s all “Legion” was: technically proficient.
Despite a strong opening paragraph, the characteristic life that Sanderson can breathe into his stories and characters barely exists here. The story is moved along primarily by dialogue which, again, is just enough to get you where you need to go. Even the action sequences involving gunfights and grenades don’t thrill. From beginning to end, the story barely ventures beyond dry prose.
What I read feels like a rushed, rough draft; a bare-bones story jotted down as a “get it out on paper” draft to be fleshed out into a full story later. But that fleshing out never happens and despite being readable, “Legion,” never moves beyond that into “good” or “great” territory.
bluejaybooks's review against another edition
4.0
This novella was a lot of fun, and very creative. The Emperor’s Soul remains my favorite of Sanderson’s novellas, but I’m interested to see what direction the sequel takes.
unfortunatesoul's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
whimsymusings's review against another edition
3.0
The characters in this novella are quite remarkable. The plot itself was interesting and fast paced, but it was the characters that drew me in from page one and kept me turning page after page until I have finished the whole novella. I was left feeling the need to know more, to read more about those characters. Thus, I would certainly hunt down any books that are released as part of this series just so I can spend more time with those characters.
raychel923's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
davesroka's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting character concept, but didn't do as much with it as he could. Probably too much to try to squeeze into a short story.