In Legacy, we're introduced to a sheriff's deputy and his family who've received an unexpected package in the middle of the night and soon face equally unexpected consequences for accepting it. On the face of things, this is a novel about the supernatural but I'd actually say this ends up being more of an adventure or thriller novel with supernatural elements mixed in for good measure. One might be able to call it a blend of the classic House horror film from the eighties and the equally campy Trancers series of the nineties featuring Jack Death only with the intent to tackle supernatural intruders from other worlds via time jumps. Fans of either of these film series may find a nice little b movie read in this book. Personally, I felt like there was still some work to do.
This story and its presentation have some solid points and a validly unique premise to work with but I think this one, the first in an intended series of books about our hero, really needed more time to percolate before it went into the cup. There are some grammar issues off and on and the narrative isn't always smooth, but I think the larger problems lie with the story. It's a bit all over between discussions of trauma that are in turns either very stark or very detached and often feel unused for character development or establishing. Not only are these trauma points suddenly dropped in our laps, but we're also just as suddenly jerked back to the main narrative without the two being fully connected. There are some really loose characterizations for everyone besides Craig, leaving most of the characters two-dimensional at best particularly because there is so much telling going on for parts of the story when we should be shown instead. Several points occur where gender stereotypes or cultural depictions interrupt our connection to these other characters too, up to an I including both Ahote, a magical Indian, and Craig's wife, Jenny. I have to be honest and say that these things detracted enough from the story that I wasn't able to fully enjoy it. I hope the author is able to work out some improvements with his novel and later installments of the series before he goes forward, there is some real promise and unique ideas here.
This story and its presentation have some solid points and a validly unique premise to work with but I think this one, the first in an intended series of books about our hero, really needed more time to percolate before it went into the cup. There are some grammar issues off and on and the narrative isn't always smooth, but I think the larger problems lie with the story. It's a bit all over between discussions of trauma that are in turns either very stark or very detached and often feel unused for character development or establishing. Not only are these trauma points suddenly dropped in our laps, but we're also just as suddenly jerked back to the main narrative without the two being fully connected. There are some really loose characterizations for everyone besides Craig, leaving most of the characters two-dimensional at best particularly because there is so much telling going on for parts of the story when we should be shown instead. Several points occur where gender stereotypes or cultural depictions interrupt our connection to these other characters too, up to an I including both Ahote, a magical Indian, and Craig's wife, Jenny. I have to be honest and say that these things detracted enough from the story that I wasn't able to fully enjoy it. I hope the author is able to work out some improvements with his novel and later installments of the series before he goes forward, there is some real promise and unique ideas here.
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