Rating: 
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: 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.
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.
Rating: 
Summary: If you liked Recluce you'll like this
Review: L.E. Modesitt Jr's opener in his latest series, The Corean Chronicles is an utter gem, but entirely expected. I confess I didn't find the Spellsong quartet as good as the Recluce novels, but with Legacies, Modesitt is back to his flowing best. The novel is written in that style so unique to Modesitt, where the pace of life seems more languid but inexorable as he grow with our primary character and follow him as he matures into a model citizen with that little extra.
The story concerns a herdsman named Alucius, who lives on the Iron Valleys on his stead with his mother, Lucendra and his grandparents, Royalt and Veryl. From an early age he shows great promise in what is called `Talent' with his healing of his ailing grandmother and uncanny ability to communicate directly with the nightram flock (who supply the wool that become harder than steel under pressure). After learning how to become a crack shot from his grandfather and fighting off the alien sandwolves (and forming a relationship with Wendra, daughter of Kyrial the cooper) he is conscripted into the militia where the next three months form the bulk of the story.
Various military rites of passage and a burgeoning Talent (which he must keep hidden) means a swift recognition in the milita and he is promoted through to First Squad Leader and spends considerable time as a scout. It is soon recognised that not only is Alucius a crack shot but has a gift for a cool head under pressure and tactical acumen. His rise to military stardom seems inevitable until, that is he is captured, unconscious, during a battle with the Matrial forces.
Ever since the cataclysm the Matrial has ended four hundred years of anarchy, but has imposed her own matriarchal society where everyone is collared and linked to her own massive Talent giving her power of life and death over all her peoples. They are better off under her but it comes at the price of freedom. Alucius is conscripted into her army and demonstrates the same acumen fighting the Southerners as he did in his own militia. During his time his Talent powers grow ever more and one day a meeting with the ethereal soarers gives a greater sense of destiny until he walks into the Matrial's palace, locates the source of her `chains' and frees the land of the collar before escaping with nearly a hundred men and returning to the Iron Valleys to become a captain in charge of his own company.
Throughout the book the reader grows alongside Alucius as this perfectly good, easy natured yet inexorable force grows physically, mentally and in Talent to become a formidable warrior. Any reader of Modesitt will recognise this style prevalent in all his lead characters. You know nothing can stop them and they plod slowly through all obstacles to reach the conclusion. There is no moralising as Modesitt makes it clear that whatever our hero decides to do is unequivically right and brooks no argument. Alucius' eventual ability to kill with a single thought actually makes him a very dangerous man and given his professed ambition is simply to learn then there is a keen sense that Alucius' actions, at times, just happen to coincide with the perceived correct moral choice rather than due to careful consideration on his part. Indeed, in the world of Corus he seems almost omnipotent.
Modesitt's world of Corus returns us brilliantly to the tour de force that is Recluce both in characterisation, style and plot. It is three attributes that are unique to the author within the fantasy genre. No other author writes quite like Modesitt and, as ever, his novels are a delight to read. This opener is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: First Time Modesitt Reader
Review: Modesitt seems to have certain themes he returns to in his books. Chief among these themes is a society where women are the strong rulers, and men are the barbaric, but simulataneously competent and unjustly discriminated against, sex. His other important theme is that magic is like engineering is like magic. These themes seem to take prevelance in this new series, albeit not so strongly as they did in the Saga of Recluse. Still, I felt like I was simply reading another Recluse novel -- one simply 10,000 years in the future (which, perhaps this is). In any case, as usual, Modesitt is a gifted writer who interests readers in a story that never really gets going and ends too quickly. Perhaps we will be treated in the next novel to a more thorough development of the world and how "Talent" works. In any case, I've learned how to shear mystical sheep. As I learned woodworking and steam engine creation in Recluse, I'm looking forward to something more substantial in the next book of this series.
Rating:
Summary: A new hero and world
Review: The author has given us a new world and a new hero to combat evil. While there are many themes running through this book, the predominant one is good versus evil and the author's conflict of hurting some for the greater good going awry. Our hero must overcome slavery and battle while protecting his secret talent. In the end he manages to win his freedom over the obstructionism of arrogant men. This one, the first in a series is a definite keeper!
Rating:
Summary: A new hero and world
Review: The author has given us a new world and a new hero to combat evil. While there are many themes running through this book, the predominant one is good versus evil and the author's conflict of hurting some for the greater good going awry. Our hero must overcome slavery and battle while protecting his secret talent. In the end he manages to win his freedom over the obstructionism of arrogant men. This one, the first in a series is a definite keeper!
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: 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.
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