Rating: 
Summary: Excellent beginning to new fantasy series
Review: A herder needs a certain amount of the 'talent,' the psychic ability that puts him apart from other men. Young herder Alucius has more talent than most--and he fully expects to put it to use on his family's ranch. When war breaks out, he is drafted into the local militia. His talent, together with his grandfather's training, serves him well there, but the Matrites are too numerous and too strong for even his psychic powers. Alucius finds himself enslaved into the very army he had attempted to defeat. Author L. E. Modesitt Jr. creates a compelling future world--devastated by ancient magic battles and still struggling to recover. Each of the nations that are now clawing themselves into existence believe that they have learned the reason for the ancient destruction and that their path is the only way to prevent its recurrence. Unfortunately, each solution stands in opposition to one another. Modesitt delivers a highly sympathetic character in Alucius, but also lets the reader sympathise with other nations' goals and fears. Modesitt delivers plenty of action, with an emphasis on the personal rather than large scale troop movements. Alucius's battles with himself, his personal discoveries and his gradual coming of age, form the basis for this compelling novel. Fans of Modesitt's fine Recluse series will add LEGACIES to their must-read list.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, but lacks anything new
Review: Although I enjoy any book be L.E. Modesitt, this one seems to be just another Recluse novel, with slightly different geology. The same all-female country that has down-trodden males, the small society of magic/talent/special hidden power users. Also, the magic structure was not as well explained as in the Recluse novels. However, it was still entertaining and well worth a read to those familiar or unfamiliar with previous books by Modesitt.
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Summary: Very enjoyable read
Review: Alucius is a herder of nightsheep in the Iron Valleys. He lives with his mother and grandfather who is also a herder. His father was killed during his compulsory enlistment in the Iron Valley's militia. This sets the scene for a wonderful adventure. Herders are men and women apart in that they have Talent with a capital T. They need this special mind power to keep their flocks safe from sandwolves on the Quarosote plains. These creatures are deadly dangerous and swift, so herders have to be crack shots too. Alucius is VERY Talenented indeed, which as with all herders, he is at pains to hide. If it became known, the traders of the Iron Valley Council would stop at nothing to claim him for their use. He would never be free of them. When it is time for his enlistment in the militia, he puts on his nightsilk underwear (bullet proof silks that are woven from the fleece of Nightsheep) takes his horse (Wildebeast) and his rifle, and walks into history. The above is only a very sketchy description of the beginning of this excellent book. Alucius becomes first a scout, something his grandfather advised him to try for so that he could use his talent to protect himself without being obvious about it, then later after many battles, he becomes a squad leader, a prisoner, a Maitrite soldier forced to fight for his enemy, and finally a captain of escaped prisoners bent on returning to the Iron Valleys. Wonderful book! Mark E. Cooper
Author of The Warrior Within (ISBN: 0954512200)
Rating:
Summary: More like Recluce than Spellsong
Review: And thank gosh for that! I really have always enjoyed the Recluce novels, but got bogged down by the social theory in Spellsong, so I'm relieved to announce that this seems a return to the slightly more plot-enabled land of Recluce. I liked the idea of the herders and their families and I'm interested in the post-apocolyptic hints buried between the lines. I'm genuinely curious to see where the next one will go. There won't be many surprises for the die-hard Modesitt fan--
Power is still balanced or imbalanced. The military history depicted is still believable. The details are still right on. But I guess if you've made it through the entire of the Modesitt offerings set, then you aren't reading them for the variety anyways, are you?
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: Good story but alot like his Magi of Cydor series. Worth a read though.
Rating:
Summary: LEGACIES
Review: GREAT BOOK!!! STORY LINE WAS WELL DEVELOPED. HARD TO PUT DOWN. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SECOND BOOK IN THE CORLEAN CHRONICLES TO COME OUT BY L.E. MODESITT JR.
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Summary: Coming of Age in Corus
Review: I like Modesitt. His characters - his young characters, in particular - are well drawn and vivid. His narrative is good, particularly in battle scenes. His handling of romance is less elegant, perhaps betraying some of his religious beliefs. But as much as I like him, I really, really wish he could come up with a new plot. He seems to have read or watched Bill Moyers' interviews of Joseph Campbell, and never gotten beyond the part about the Young Hero. Alucius is a young man growing up in a fairly obscure part of the continent of Corus. He is a Herder, a part of a family that raises Nightsheep, and spins their wool into a kind of low-tech, flexible body armor. A natural nemourlon, if you will. Early on Alucius discovers he has magical/psychic powers, Talent. "Legacies" is the story of his growth as a young man and his growth in his ability to use his Talent. It is also the story of awkward, ambiguous good against comfortable, complacent and even seductive evil. If the adjoining country of Madrien is founded on an evil use of Talent, and enslaves men, but let's its people live comfortable and safe lives, should the evil use of Talent be destroyed? If all of this sounds an awful lot like the Legend of Recluce, well, yes, it is. There's an added element of an earlier, more technological, collapsed culture whose powerful artifacts still litter the landscape, some to deadly effect. And no one will confuse Alucius's home, the Iron Valley, with the Black Island of Recluce. But here, as in Recluce, a specially Talented youngster is dragged against his will into war, with dramatic consequences for everyone involved. As other reviewers have noted, we only get confusing glimpses of the earlier cultures and history of this land, and the events of the book take place on the westernmost part of the continent. Presumably, most of the loose ends will get cleared up over the next two books of this projected trilogy. The writing is better than it was in the Recluce books (especially the early books), but the basis of the Talent isn't as well explained as the Order/Chaos of Recluce. There's a plethora of very strange creatures around: sanders, sand wolves, soarers and more. Perhaps all this will get explained later. For now, I guess readers are to take it as an annoying kind of foreshadowing. The pacing is far better, although as has been the case since "The Magic of Recluce," there's not much question of what is going to happen, only how it is going to happen. I just wish Modesitt could bring his considerable talents to new plots.
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Summary: Spellbinding novel
Review: I picked this book because I like the author from other novels. I couldn't put the book down once I started. The main character is a very down to earth likable person, who does extraordinary things. The book reads well and keeps you interested all the way through. Once I finished this book I went out and purchased the second volume in the series in hard cover because there was no way I could wait for the paperback to come out.
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Summary: Modesitt's best yet
Review: I read a few of his Recluse books, and they are very light, formulaic, and highly predictable. This one is wonderfully written. You really grow to care about the main character, Alucius. I can't wait to read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Wild West Hero
Review: L. E. Modesitt, Jr. first explored the fantasy worlds of Recluse and Spellsong. Now, Modesitt has opened another world with his new series The Corean Chronicles. In the distant past, the land of Corus suffered a mysterious magical catastrophe of apocryphal proportions. Unfortunately, what has replaced political and social nirvana is a collage of minor nation-states that are constantly seeking to expand their ways of life through war. Caught in the middle is the territory of the Iron Valleys. Enter into the fray a young man called Alucius, heralded by mysterious beings known as Soarers. Alucius is a herder of nightsheep. As a character, Alucius is an interesting cross between Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame and Stephen King's Roland. The first part of the book deals with Alucius's development and his growth into manhood. As with most herders, Alucius has Talent, magical abilities that are largely used to defend nightsheep from Iron Valley predators. Because of threatening rogue nation-states, Alucius finds himself conscripted into the Iron Valley militia. He evolves into an competent scout, able to use his Talent to locate the invading enemy and escape detection. Unfortunately, disaster strikes and Alucius finds himself a prisoner of war forced to serve in the enemy army. The world of Corus is fascinating with a wild west flavor tainted by magic and intrigue. Modesitt does not fully explore his new world, obviously leaving that for future volumes. He does, however, leave enough intriguing concepts dangling to whet one's appetite for future adventures. Legacies is an excellent book filled with well-developed characters that wonder through a tightly wielded plot. Anyone who has enjoyed past Modesitt fantasy works will find Legacies a marvelous read.
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