Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not that good either
Review: This book appears to be a sort of condensed, less-interesting version of a number of Modesitt's other books (those with Lorn and Ceryl as main characters come to mind in particular). It's not a bad book, exactly. However, Alucius is a less-interesting character than either Lorn or Ceryl, the magic is more undefined, but in an annoying rather than mysterious way, the characters and events in general are less compelling... Also, the action at times is rather forced and seems as though long sections were left out that really should have been there, the end of the book especially but by no means exclusively. The romance subplot is pushed at an absurd rate, and while I'm not much of a fan of reading long romance sequences, this seems to go straight from a sort of "Hi, what's your name?" sequence to a "I love you madly" sequence, with nothing in between, which is annoying. In any case... As I said, it's not actually a bad book, as such. It's decently written, though not as well as many of Modesitt's Recluse novels, the plot could certainly be worse, although it's not up to that of many of the Recluse novels, the characters aren't *that* bad, although again not at the level of those in many of the Recluse books... Essentially, if you're expecting something on par wit, say, The White Order or Magi'i of Cyador, you're out of luck, because this doesn't reach those standards. Otherwise, however, it's essentially just a decent but not great book.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 Star Book
Review: This is a an excellent book in the best Modesitt tradition. I had to force myself to put it down or I would have read it in one sitting.I'd rank it as his best since The Magic of Recluce and The Magic Engineer. He does a great job of creating a character that you can easily empathize with. I haven't been able to do this since his characters in those two books, and that is not just because I'm male. As always his setting is well developed without any internal or external contradictions. The one thing that has annoyed me about several of his books is the constant male bashing. All of his books are very good, but it does get wearisome continually reading about how evil men are and how we can only resort to violence. This seems to be the central theme in several of his Recluce books and the Spellsong Cycle. I've often wondered if Modesitt is a woman writing under a pseudonym. However, putting aside this one fault, anyone can enjoy his works. He is one of the few authors who can effectively go back and forth between fantasy and scifi. Lois McMaster Bujold and David Weber are also in that select few.
Rating: 
Summary: Seek depth elsewhere
Review: This is childish fantasy in the tradition of the later work of David and Leigh Eddings. The characters and their motivations are naive and simplistic, to the point of being unbelievable.
If you're a parent, this may be suitable for kids 14 years old or younger.
If you're looking for a page-turner filled with gritty realism, try J. V. Jones or Steven Erikson.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: This is the first time I have read this author and his writing is fantastic. The story follows a Hearder named Alucius and his life from boy to man. It tells us about how he has a speical "Talent" (magic) which is unusal. Most of the time he uses his talent in subtle ways form hearding to beng in the milita then being captured by the enemy. He eventually uses his ability to save the day. This book is a great read. It starts a little slow but is worth it to get through the beinging to what turns out to be a great story and some very intresting characters. In my opinon it is more than worth it to read "Legacies" and I am highly excitied to read the next book "Darknesses" which from the reviews sound even better then the first book.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: This is the first time I have read this author and his writing is fantastic. The story follows a Hearder named Alucius and his life from boy to man. It tells us about how he has a speical "Talent" (magic) which is unusal. Most of the time he uses his talent in subtle ways form hearding to beng in the milita then being captured by the enemy. He eventually uses his ability to save the day. This book is a great read. It starts a little slow but is worth it to get through the beinging to what turns out to be a great story and some very intresting characters. In my opinon it is more than worth it to read "Legacies" and I am highly excitied to read the next book "Darknesses" which from the reviews sound even better then the first book.
Rating:
Summary: Modesitt finally gets the fantasy coming of age story right.
Review: Throughout his plethoric catalog (42 going on 44 as of this writing), the majority of Modesitt's work repeatedly returns to the good-old-teenager-coming-of-age novel. Sometimes it works. Several of the Recluce novels, the two Timegod books, the first Parafaith War book, the first book of the Forever Hero are all good novels. Other times they're awful. Unless you are filling out a collection, several of the later Recluce novels, Spellsong III, and a couple of his other stand alones are just not good work. However, in Legacies he comes up with his best fantasy coming of age novel, period. The plot revolves around a simple country boy with the ubiquitous gifts you'd expect in a world-saving hero - in this case, Talent to use nature's magic. Essentially, the plot has him get drafted, get captured, and figure out how to escape. Nothing terribly extraordinary; in fact, Recluce and the world revolving around concepts of order and chaos is probably a more original creation. Where Modesitt gets it right is his exploration of how this character, Alucius, really starts thinking about what makes right and wrong in his world and taking consequences for his actions and leadership. As usual, Modesitt isn't afraid to preach a bit, but unlike say the Ethos Effect it works. Rural versus urban, women versus men, slavery versus freedom all get a fairly balanced treatment. What makes this different is usually Modesitt will touch on one or the other but not to the degree that any real teen in that situation would have to deal with; here, this kid has to confront them all. As usual, unfortunately Modesitt has a few plot and worldbuilding holes. I found the former to be annoying - the motivation of his characters, especially the development of romance, often makes no sense. Unlike other reviewers, I actually found the worldbuilding holes to be intriguing; perhaps it was a book-selling trick (the second book, Darknesses, contains many of the answers) but you really get a sense that while Modesitt may know, Alucius doesn't and shouldn't yet. By now, you either hate Modesitt's style or love it; if you hate it, this won't change things. Still, Modesitt's best fantasy novel in years, and probably his best coming of age story ever. Recommended especially for teens given the topics.
Rating:
Summary: Modesitt finally gets the fantasy coming of age story right.
Review: Throughout his plethoric catalog (42 going on 44 as of this writing), the majority of Modesitt's work repeatedly returns to the good-old-teenager-coming-of-age novel. Sometimes it works. Several of the Recluce novels, the two Timegod books, the first Parafaith War book, the first book of the Forever Hero are all good novels. Other times they're awful. Unless you are filling out a collection, several of the later Recluce novels, Spellsong III, and a couple of his other stand alones are just not good work. However, in Legacies he comes up with his best fantasy coming of age novel, period. The plot revolves around a simple country boy with the ubiquitous gifts you'd expect in a world-saving hero - in this case, Talent to use nature's magic. Essentially, the plot has him get drafted, get captured, and figure out how to escape. Nothing terribly extraordinary; in fact, Recluce and the world revolving around concepts of order and chaos is probably a more original creation. Where Modesitt gets it right is his exploration of how this character, Alucius, really starts thinking about what makes right and wrong in his world and taking consequences for his actions and leadership. As usual, Modesitt isn't afraid to preach a bit, but unlike say the Ethos Effect it works. Rural versus urban, women versus men, slavery versus freedom all get a fairly balanced treatment. What makes this different is usually Modesitt will touch on one or the other but not to the degree that any real teen in that situation would have to deal with; here, this kid has to confront them all. As usual, unfortunately Modesitt has a few plot and worldbuilding holes. I found the former to be annoying - the motivation of his characters, especially the development of romance, often makes no sense. Unlike other reviewers, I actually found the worldbuilding holes to be intriguing; perhaps it was a book-selling trick (the second book, Darknesses, contains many of the answers) but you really get a sense that while Modesitt may know, Alucius doesn't and shouldn't yet. By now, you either hate Modesitt's style or love it; if you hate it, this won't change things. Still, Modesitt's best fantasy novel in years, and probably his best coming of age story ever. Recommended especially for teens given the topics.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent Read - Lacks Depth
Review: Very predictable story, fairly flat characters, but strangly still solid. Lots of action and still fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great New Series
Review: Yet again L.E. Modesitt Jr. has started the makings for a great series. It definitely has the potential to rival the Recluse series. Like in the Recluse series you get a sense of a vast history, in which you start to learn about as you get further into the books. I can't wait to read the next one.
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