Scan barcode
hoppy500's review against another edition
3.0
This title is a little difficult to review. I found myself enjoying it, and then suddenly feeling it was tediuous, and then getting absorbed again. Firstly, the storytelling itself is quite go0d, and the female protagonist is very likeable. The original book, A Tale of Two Clocks, was written in 1962, and was reissued as Legacy in 1979. The story holds up quite well considering that it was written more than half a century ago. Of course, there are attitudes which reflect the time in which it was written, mainly sexist ones, which would not go down so well today. But that is part of the fascination with reading vintage novels. So although the main character is a strong-willed and independent girl, gender roles are very traditional. What I found a little irksome was that the plot moves along too slowly. I think there is a lot of dialogue in the book which could have been omitted or condensed to make the pacing more brisk. Also, although we are introduced to the Plasmoids which have been left over from a vanished ancient galactic civilization, no serious attempt is made to evoke a sense of wonder about what they are and what secrets they may conceal. In some ways Legacy reminded me of Charles Sheffield's Heritage Universe series, but Sheffield created that sense of wonder very successfully. Legacy was an interesting read, and there were some imaginative ideas and technologies described in it. It is however essentially a rather two-dimensional action novel which includes little of an introspective nature in its narrative.
tome15's review against another edition
3.0
These stories are still very readable. His heroines were liberated for their time. None of them rise to the level of Heinlein's best female characters but not many do.
More...