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Legion

by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 5,214 ratings · 838 reviews

A novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Legion is a fast-paced, witty, and supremely fun thriller with a psychological bent.

Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It’s his hallucinations who are mad.

A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this, his mind creat...more

ebook, 88 pages

Published September 10th 2012 by Dragonsteel Entertainment (first published August 31st 2012)

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Sep 26, 2012 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

With Brandon Sanderson, you can always expect something unique and well thought out. It's not even a question. Well, maybe a bit because of that whole finishing the Wheel of Time thing...but otherwise, you can expect what I just said.

That's one of the best parts about reading Sanderson. Yeah, he's got great characters, compelling plot twists and stuff. But what makes him a pleasure to read is the way he makes something like epic fantasy vibrant and new. His unique ideas and magic systems become...more With Brandon Sanderson, you can always expect something unique and well thought out. It's not even a question. Well, maybe a bit because of that whole finishing the Wheel of Time thing...but otherwise, you can expect what I just said.

That's one of the best parts about reading Sanderson. Yeah, he's got great characters, compelling plot twists and stuff. But what makes him a pleasure to read is the way he makes something like epic fantasy vibrant and new. His unique ideas and magic systems become characters of their own and half the reason I continue to read is because I want to experience more of it.

Legion is no exception. As the novella begins, "My Name is Stephen Leeds, and I am perfectly sane. My hallucinations, however, are all quite mad."

Leeds lives in a 47 bedroom mansion inhabited by himself...and his hallucinations. They are each unique, we're lead to believe, but we only deal with a few of them for this story.

His hallucinations tend to specialize in different things that help Leeds to be quite the problem solver, which lends well to detective work, not to mention the desire for every shrink in the world to want to study him.

The uniqueness to this story is that the hallucinations essentially make Leeds a genius. In some way that is not explained, as long as Leeds takes some time (a very short time actually) to familiarize himself with a particular discipline (such as weapons or linguistics), he will immediately create a hallucination that is an expert in that subject.

Having recently read The Hollow City, I can't help but wonder who had the idea first. I know Wells and Sanderson are friends. Not that they're exactly the same conept, they just both deal with a protagonist who has hallucinations. This one's much more Sandersonized (of course) with the well thought-out system whereas Wells' seems to be closer to actual schizophrenia.

In the end, it's a really fun concept and tons of fun to read, especially when for instance the hallucinations are tied up along with Leeds and one of them frees himself up to untie the rest. Or, when they drive, each of the hallucinations needs their own seat.

As if you needed any impetus to read this novella, just do it, have fun, be happy. :)

4 out of 5 Stars

Note on Rating: While a fun concept (I know, I can't stop saying "fun"), it's not my favorite of his. I can see this concept expanding into more, but I think it really worked well with this shortened format. I think I would have tired of it were it any more. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to find out.(less)

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Sep 15, 2012 Brandon Zarzyczny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this last night, and I absolutely loved it. The writing is of course great, and the ideas present are very interesting. My only problem with his concept of a camera seeing into the past is that at one point he debunks it, but then when it works he just kind of goes "oh well". It seemed slightly lazy for a master in magic systems, however there are hints that Leeds is trying to figure it out at the end. At the same time, I enjoyed how the possibility of the different unlikely factors in th...more I read this last night, and I absolutely loved it. The writing is of course great, and the ideas present are very interesting. My only problem with his concept of a camera seeing into the past is that at one point he debunks it, but then when it works he just kind of goes "oh well". It seemed slightly lazy for a master in magic systems, however there are hints that Leeds is trying to figure it out at the end. At the same time, I enjoyed how the possibility of the different unlikely factors in the book were examined, it was very interesting. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, and not just the real ones. I loved how Leed's different aspects are all fully formed characters and are very interesting as well. The interactions between the imaginary characters are all just very enjoyable, and it's not only with the real character of Leeds, but also with each other. The concept is great too, he's not just a schizophrenic, it is implied that the character is a genius, but to compensate for his brain's immense intellect, his imagination creates these fully formed people that are masters of various subjects. Then he acts as almost a sort of middle man since no one else can hear or see his aspects. I also think there is an immense potential in this character, not only is he a fully formed character with a riddled past, there's also so much you can do with him in the future. Apparently he can only have 5 or so aspects around him at a time without causing problems, but there are an unlimited amount of possible aspects as long as his mansion has enough rooms to accommodate them. I would absolutely love to see a full novel with all of these different character, or a TV show which is actually a strong possibility (though it was slightly lessened with the release of the slightly similar show Perception). For this novel, I was really getting into the character and the story, only to be kicked out rather abruptly. Not only did I want to see more cases for Leeds to solve, I also thought that this case came to a halt a little prematurely. I mean it is an awesome ending, but I kind of expected more of a chase, or more of a mystery to be solved.

I would definitely recommend this novella, and I'm giving it 5 stars because I really loved it, but I would say that you should try not to get too involved as it ends way too soon.
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Dec 16, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, read-2012

This is a short novella, so I'm forgoing my usual format for a short review.

I equate this to a drug dealer. First one is free, and then you're hooked! I snagged the free auidible audio book and I will happily buy any more stories Mr. Sanderson chooses to write with this character.

The main character is some kind of crazy genius. In at attempt to keep a hold of his sanity, he has created all these imaginary people who act as sort of knowledge specialists. He has one who is an ex-Navy seal who give...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a novella written by Sanderson that was released by Subterranean press. It is different from other things we’ve seen from Sanderson...more of a sci-fi paranormal thriller of sorts. The premise is very creative and the novella just scratches the surface of what could be a very interesting full-length novel.

Leed is a man who can summon multiple aspects to his personality as people to assist him. The people are only visible to him and he calls them as he needs their expertise. The fact that...more This is a novella written by Sanderson that was released by Subterranean press. It is different from other things we’ve seen from Sanderson...more of a sci-fi paranormal thriller of sorts. The premise is very creative and the novella just scratches the surface of what could be a very interesting full-length novel.

Leed is a man who can summon multiple aspects to his personality as people to assist him. The people are only visible to him and he calls them as he needs their expertise. The fact that he demands full resources for all the “people” assisting him make him appear to be quite mad. But nothing can change the fact that Leed is excellent at getting the job done. In this novella Leed is contacted to investigate the disappearance of a scientist who has made a camera that can take pictures of what has happened in the past in a given location.

The idea of a person who can summon an aspect of their personality that knows whatever they need to know is interesting. The concept is a bit ambiguous, but to Leed these people or aspects who assist him are real and to the people around Leed these aspects don’t exist. The question of whether these aspects are Leed’s way of dealing with genius, a paranormal phenomena, or something else is never really resolved.

As if the idea behind a person with Leed’s abilities isn’t interesting enough, Sanderson has thrown an intriguing mystery into the story as well. Leed is investigating the disappearance of a scientist who made a camera who can take pictures of the past. There is much discussion on the ramifications of such an invention. There are so many questions in history that could finally be answered if such a device existed and the implications on aspects of humanity are large.

In addition to this mystery Leed’s has lost someone important in his life where the camera would be a very useful thing for him to have. This only adds to the twists and turns in this thriller mystery as you try to figure out who is on who’s side and what is really going on.

As you can tell from the above that is a lot of story packed into a small space. It is very well done, full of intriguing ideas, humor, and some very intellectual things to consider. Honestly the only problem I have with this novella is that it would have made an excellent novel. There are so many things left unresolved and so many ways these ideas could be expanded upon. I would love to see more to this story in the future.

Overall an excellent read. More of an urban fantasy or paranormal thriller than Sanderson’s normal fare. It is very cool to see that Sanderson does something so different so well. Lots of creative ideas in here and lots of food for thought as well. I would love to see this expanded into multiple novellas or a full length story. Recommended to fans of Sanderson and fans of paranormal mysteries.(less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Blue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audio-books, sci-fi

That was fun! This book had such a cool concept - possibly the smartest man in the world with hallucinations that had their own specializations and even their own hallucinations - that the ending felt too soon. Sanderson could have done so much more with Mr. Leeds and his hallucinations, and there were only a handful of them from the 47 mentioned. I wish he would write more about this character, because I'd very much love to meet the other hallucinations.

Also, I was so entertained with all the F...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Osho rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Very disappointing. The problem isn't the basic idea, which is fun and interesting to explore. It's that this isn't a novella. It isn't even a long short story. Rather, it reads like an excerpt of a longer work. Despite the fun ideas, there turns out to be no plot. Oh, there's action--things happen, and they're engaging. Then Sanderson just stops. I had to double-check online to make sure I didn't have a defective copy. When I say there's no plot, I mean that the action doesn't resolve. This is...more

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May 04, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Once again Sanderson delivers a tight, action packed, and innovative novella that will leave you aching for at least a trilogy based upon the characters and ideas Lergion offers up. Sanderson is able to breathe more vitality and depth into these characters across 88 pages than some authors do in entire books.

Sanderson is (rightfully) known for coming up with unique and original magic systems in his fantasy work. While this work is not explicitly fantasy, the protaganist's "condition" behaves in...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-audiobook, freebie, favorite-authors, urban-fantasy, novella

An Audible Audiobook freebie!

This was a wonderful, quick, original story. The main character, Stephen, has a unique condition. he has hallucinations of various other people--his "aspects." Each of his aspects has its own personality and skill set--skill sets that Stephen doesn't have on his own. With his aspects in tow, Stephen has a huge range of skills.

When Monica (not an aspect) tells Stephen she had a camera that could see into the future, and her camera was stolen, she and Stephen go on a j...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Leon Aldrich rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, horror-paranormal-fiction, favorites

A long time fan of Sanderson's, I reserved this book from my local library. A novella of less than 100 pages, this paranormal fare should be read by anyone who likes: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal fiction, thrillers, and the authors Stephen King, Dean Koontz, & Anne Rice (just for starters).

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May 27, 2013 Evgeny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi

Stephen Leeds also known as Legion has multiple personality disorder. He would be a schizophrenic, but actually he is a genius, most probably the smartest currently living person. People ask him for help in two cases: either to study him, or to solve a very difficult problem - like an inventor disappearing with his invention and all related notes.

It is Brandon Sanderson. What else needs to be said? Good writing, interesting story. My only problem is that I could swear I read about exactly the sa...more

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May 16, 2013 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to the audiobook the 2nd time around and I'm really glad I did. The narrator had a unique voice for each of Stephen's hallucinations. This is such a creative idea. I wish it would have been a full-length novel, but it does work well as a short story. Stephen Leeds generates personae/hallucinations that each have different strengths and abilities. He has conversations with his hallucinations when making decisions and they also make him an analytical genius. After a while you almost for...more

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Jun 10, 2013 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's no secret that I love Brandon Sanderson's work. If you have spent any time around me whatsoever, you've probably heard me rave about his characters, settings, and especially his magic systems. While all of my favorite authors are pretty well-rounded in their storytelling abilities, each also stands out in a certain area. R.A. Salvatore is a master at fight-scene choreography, for example. Robin Hobb creates characters that are so deep, nuanced, and humanly flawed that they feel extraordinar...more It's no secret that I love Brandon Sanderson's work. If you have spent any time around me whatsoever, you've probably heard me rave about his characters, settings, and especially his magic systems. While all of my favorite authors are pretty well-rounded in their storytelling abilities, each also stands out in a certain area. R.A. Salvatore is a master at fight-scene choreography, for example. Robin Hobb creates characters that are so deep, nuanced, and humanly flawed that they feel extraordinarily real. The list goes on. This isn't to say that they excel in only that area and that the other parts of their stories aren't good (or they probably wouldn't be my favorites), but those are the areas where they shine particularly bright. And with Brandon Sanderson, I would say this area is definitely his magic systems. He manages to make them complex (but not confusing), unique, and very well thought-out each and every time. Not just the system in and of itself, but the cultural ramifications of how the system interacts with the world and personal ramifications of how it affects the characters. You can tell he takes the time to think these things through, and I love him for it. And in this area, Legion is no different.

(This paragraph will contain mild spoilers.) Now, while the whole camera(view spoiler) idea and its ramifications are likewise well-explored, unique, and intriguing, the truly interesting system in this world is the protagonist's mental condition. Stephen Leeds is one of those protagonists who is genius to the point of madness (har har) like Sherlock Holmes or Artemis Fowl. Like them, he sees these minute details no one else ever could and his tactical intellect is his greatest weapon (view spoiler). And such characters are interesting enough to follow in and of themselves, but Leeds goes a step further. His intellect manifests itself into different hallucinations or "aspects" of people who all have different specializations. One is a photography specialist. Another is a history expert. A gun specialist. And so on. And each of them have their own personality and character quirks. So it is Leeds' interactions with them, their interactions with each other, their interactions with the world, and real people's interactions to Leeds that take an already interesting character and turn him into a very unique one and creates a very interesting magic system (well, it isn't exactly magic here, but the same rules apply). That awesome concept combined with a fascinating exploration of time-travel really had me fangirling.

However, while this novella was certainly good, it is probably my least favorite of Sanderson's work that I have read. It just felt…short, I guess. This is just a novella, so I think that is somewhat the point. Because it is supposed to be somewhat short by nature, I expected that we wouldn't be able to delve as deep into the characters and themes as we could in a full length novel, especially in a story like this that just has so many good things going on and being examined. And while we didn't delve quite as deep into these themes, etc. as we could have otherwise, they were still handled in a thoughtful manner and we were given tantalizing hints at yet more depth, which is the correct way to add layers to any issue, character, etc. in such a short amount of space. So I was satisfied for the most part, and part of the reason it felt so short was admittedly that I merely wanted more, which certainly speaks for how much I enjoyed myself. But another part of the problem was that it also felt short. The ending, in particular, sort of felt rushed. It wasn't a bad ending, but it just kind of felt like: "Climax. BOOM! One month later…all is resolved." It felt like a lot of build-up for a somewhat quick resolution, I guess. (view spoiler)

All in all, this was a fun little story. It was fast-paced, well-written, and introduced a lot of interesting themes, ideas, and characters. But it is probably my least favorite of all his stories I have read; it just felt a tad rushed and lacked a good resolution in a couple of areas.
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Jun 03, 2013 Seth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not gonna lie, I was ready to get on this train and never look back. It took me a while to get into the quirks of the concept, but the quality of the author's attention to detail made the decision for me in the end. But as soon as I finally left the station, punched my ticket, and began appreciating the novelty...the ride was over.

I don't know. I really honestly can't remember a story (novel or otherwise) that ended so abruptly (and I'm including prose poetry here). It was incredibly dissatisfyi...more

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May 13, 2013 David Radspinner rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-fantasy, urban-fantasy

Legion is a short story by author Brandon Sanderson whom I know as writing the Mistborn Series. It's an interesting concept; it follows a man who has a kind of multiple-personality disorder in the form of individual hallucinations. However, he fully believes that he is perfectly normal and his hallucinations are entirely on their own. So much so, he can conjure up a linguist and suddenly learn an entirely new language, or learn military tactics from a trigger happy hallucination. He uses these m...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Misty Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The best thing about short stories is the ability to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time. There is a beginning, a middle, and an END (aka no cliffhangers) and they are great for wasting short periods of time. For example: while waiting for a doctors appointment. I love this about them. Their shortness that is, and it is very VERY rare that I ever hunger for more once I’ve flipped that last page and found everyone nestled up nicely in their beds. This is not one of those times.

I have re...more The best thing about short stories is the ability to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time. There is a beginning, a middle, and an END (aka no cliffhangers) and they are great for wasting short periods of time. For example: while waiting for a doctors appointment. I love this about them. Their shortness that is, and it is very VERY rare that I ever hunger for more once I’ve flipped that last page and found everyone nestled up nicely in their beds. This is not one of those times.

I have read several full-length Sanderson novels and been impressed each and every time. There is just something about the way his characters interact that suck me in like a moth to a flame. But I wasn’t sure he could pull off the same pizazz with such limited space. I was wrong. (*smacks hand for being naive*)

“Legion” was unique in a way I had never experienced before. While the story read as if it was bursting at the seams with characters and their many nuances, the fact of the matter was…it wasn’t. In short…Leeds is a little bit whack. (That’s code for: there’s a very good chance he’s a schizophrenic.) And the majority of the characters in Legion are figments (or hallucinations as they are referred to in this instance) of his imagination.

Who here has seen the movie “A Beautiful Mind” and understands the saying “there is a very thin line between brilliance and insanity.?” That is where Leeds lives. That very thin line. HE claims to be an ordinary guy. “Me? Pfft. I’m nothing special.” But to everyone else he is a genius. A very eccentric genius, but a genius all the same. The truth is…he IS ordinary, it’s the characters he hallucinates (in full on technicolor) that are the smart/skilled ones. He just (for all intents and purposes) passes on that wisdom whenever the timing is appropriate. So, in the end, what you get is a story that is full of lively, smart and well fetted out characters. When in REALITY (are you still following me?) there are maybe only 3 or 4 “real” people in the entire book. (Does that make sense?)

I promise you, as completely illogical (and brain numbing) as the entire scenario sounds (or my complete lack of talent describing it) it is completely and utterly fascinating to read. I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to piece it all together.

In other words…2 hours well spent.

Favorite Quote: “My name is Steven Leeds and I am perfectly sane. My hallucinations however are all quite mad.”(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Legion by Brandon Sanderson was a great novella. Even though this is short don’t let its size put you off. It was probably one of the best books that I have ever read. Stephen Leeds is the main character of this book and he is sort of a genius. The only reason I say sort of is because he is actually just an average person but he can create hallucinations that are experts in a certain subject after he becomes barely acquainted with a subject. These “people” help him with his job which is being a...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Awesome. Brandon Sanderson is quickly making his way to the top of my favorite authors list. All of his ideas are so different and interesting, which is incredibly refreshing in a genre that can somtimes be a bit...stagnant. Say it with me: "There was once a young boy/girl/hobbit who was more than meets the eye, had untold powers, and was destined for greatness..." Some of my favorites fall into that category, but it's so nice to read something different for a change. I've read almost all of his...more Awesome. Brandon Sanderson is quickly making his way to the top of my favorite authors list. All of his ideas are so different and interesting, which is incredibly refreshing in a genre that can somtimes be a bit...stagnant. Say it with me: "There was once a young boy/girl/hobbit who was more than meets the eye, had untold powers, and was destined for greatness..." Some of my favorites fall into that category, but it's so nice to read something different for a change. I've read almost all of his work, and have yet to find something that I didn't really love.

This novella is something different, even for him. I guess it'd be more Sci-Fi than Fantasy, but I'm having trouble even categorizing it as that since it deals with a Schizophrenic man with hallucinations, rather than any sort of conventional Sci-Fi elements. Hallucinations that talk to him and help him work out problems, and are all brilliant and funny. And they solve crimes! It could have gone to a really goofy place, but he manages to keep it from getting there. Everything seems normal within the context of the story, and all of the hallucinations (that we meet) are fully realized characters with their own distinct personalities. I think my favorite was Tobias, the Schizophrenic hallucination who has Schizophrenic hallucinations of his own, and was wont to spout random bits of historical knowledge at any given opportunity. In my head, he looks like Sidney Poitier.

Random note: I really like that religion is such a dominant theme in Brandon's work (the "case" they solve and the main action of the book revolve around religion). I like that he has a fascination with religions of all kinds, and is able to step aside from his own beliefs to explore that interest. Not many people seem to be able to do that, and as I find religions fascinating as well, I appreciate that he is able to and continues to do so throughout his work.

I'd love to see him write more of this story, but I don't know that I'd want to see it turned into a full-length novel (or more than one). I think it works well as shorter fiction, and I'd like to see it continue in that vein, ala Martin's Dunk and Egg stories. Seeing as he likes to work on little short pieces in between the longer epics, I think that's pretty likely. I'm excited to see where it goes!(less)

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Dec 11, 2012 CoffeeBook Chick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For my full review, please click here: http://www.coffeeandabookchick.com/20...

When a trusted fellow blogger of audiobooks, The Guilded Earlobe, writes that he loved an audio so much he'd give it "a manly bear hug without bothering to take a moment to glance awkwardly around for witnesses," I pretty much knew that I'd have to download Legion, a two-hour audiobook (free on Audible.com until the end of 2012) immediately. And he was so right!

I've not experienced Brandon Sanderson's work previously,...more For my full review, please click here: http://www.coffeeandabookchick.com/20...

When a trusted fellow blogger of audiobooks, The Guilded Earlobe, writes that he loved an audio so much he'd give it "a manly bear hug without bothering to take a moment to glance awkwardly around for witnesses," I pretty much knew that I'd have to download Legion, a two-hour audiobook (free on Audible.com until the end of 2012) immediately. And he was so right!

I've not experienced Brandon Sanderson's work previously, but his epic fantasy novels are ones that I have on my list and cannot wait to dive into. In Legion, Stephen Leeds is a fixer of many things and is well-paid to do so. What separates him from the rest of the fixers and investigators in this sci-fi/time travel tale is that Stephen has the help of an excellent team who are experts in everything from psychology, body language, military survival tactics, history, and linguistics. The only thing is that each member of his crack team are all parts of his multiple personalities, or as he calls them, aspects. He can see them, they talk to him, they are fully developed characters, and they are awesome. When Stephen is hired to find a missing person who has taken something that could have greater implications for all of humanity, the truth behind all religion, science, and more, the race is on, and Stephen and his aspects travel all the way to Israel to uncover the truth.

At only two hours long and narrated by one of the best audiobook narrators I've ever listened to, Legion is escapism literature at its finest. When the aspects are much more fully developed characters than in chunkster books I've read, you know it's going to be one of those stories that you make excuses to spend one-on-one time with, and no breaks to stop the flow. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in trying sci-fi, time travel, and speculative fiction, but don't want one that is highly confusing with a lot of separate story lines that you have to keep track of. This was a perfectly easy story to listen to, with such a unique approach that I, like The Guilded Earlobe, just wanted more. I wonder if he'll ever branch this out into a full book? I can only hope.(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Benjamin added it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I enjoy the writing advice podcast Writing Excuses, which is pretty much shepherded by Brandon Sanderson. (It's a panel discussion with Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor, but Brandon Sanderson is the one who usually says, "Let's stick with this idea for now.") So when Audible offered this novella for free, I thought it was a quick way to see how he put into practice the theory of writing that he outlines on the podcast. How will Sanderson write a story about a superhero with dis...more I enjoy the writing advice podcast Writing Excuses, which is pretty much shepherded by Brandon Sanderson. (It's a panel discussion with Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor, but Brandon Sanderson is the one who usually says, "Let's stick with this idea for now.") So when Audible offered this novella for free, I thought it was a quick way to see how he put into practice the theory of writing that he outlines on the podcast. How will Sanderson write a story about a superhero with distinct personalities that each master some discipline and his search for a camera that can take pictures of the past, which has been smuggled into Jerusalem to capture images of Jesus?

Because I listen to Writing Excuses, I'm not terribly disappointed with this even while I didn't particularly enjoy this novella. On Writing Excuses, Sanderson talks about his strengths (world-building, humor) and process (outlining, writing unincluded chapters from major characters' POVs to get in their heads), which are interestingly distorted since he's writing outside of his comfort zone (which is doorstopper fantasy).

So maybe, since he was only writing a novella, Sanderson skipped out on writing a chapter from the Filipino extremist Muslim villain's POV or from the POV of the disappeared scientist Razon. Consequently, these characters come off a little thin. The villain wants to destabilize the Philippines by proving that Christianity is a lie? Aren't there easier ways to destabilize governments? And Razon is imagined as a man caught between faith and reason (wonder how long Sanderson took to go with Razon as a last name instead of Confianza), but his actions don't entirely make sense.

I'll offer a similar complaint about Stephen Leeds, the main character with his various expert personalities. (Just as an example, on a plane ride to Israel, Leeds flips through a Hebrew textbook and, poof, he develops a new personality who is a gifted translator.) These aspects all have some sliver of personality, which is fine since they aren't meant to be real people. But my main problem here is that Stephen is tortured over this woman who got away ten years ago--and yet he never seems to think of inventing a "Great Detective" personality who could help track her down. The only real reason for him never to have come up with this solution is that the story needs him to have some motivation to work for the corporation trying to retrieve the magical camera.

Which gets me to my main disappointment in this, which is that the plot seems very by-the-numbers and characters move along as if on a track: Stephen doesn't want to help people, as demonstrated in the opening scene--so we need to give him some motivation (the company hiring him has pictures of the woman he lost); Stephen shows some hesitation, so we need to have a pinch where the villains capture him so he can't go back; etc. Ultimately, besides Stephen's jerky, not-so-funny personality, what's most disappointing about him is that he seems passive, pushed around by the corporation, the scientist, and the terrorist.

But one unexpected pleasure here is how Sanderson ties in his crazy-superhero theme (how crazy are you? what do you believe and what do you have evidence for) with the plot theme of the camera that takes pictures of the past and may be used to "disprove" Christianity. Of course, that connection is another disappointment: Stephen knows he's hallucinating but treats those hallucinations as real, so why can't we imagine people dealing with evidence that Christianity wasn't real, but still believing and acting as if it were real? The fact that this story ends with a photo of a Christ-like figure staring into the camera across 2000 years--Jesus is magic, as Sarah Silverman teaches--just makes me think that this story seriously underestimates faith.(less)

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Nov 28, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, audio, crime, sci-fi, short, time-travel

This was a very interesting book, short story really. The main character see people who aren't there. Whenever he needs to know something a new aspect, as he calls them, shows up to share the knowledge. One very interesting fact here was that Sanderson is very careful to leave just enough doubt about whether the aspects are figments of the hero's imagination or something more. (view spoiler)...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Candice Trebus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Clearly a character study, this short story lends itself to pure genius in both idea and execution. I enjoyed the world we were introduced to almost as much as I enjoyed meeting Stephen Leeds, our main character. The very "science" behind taking pictures of the historical past is thrilling and flawed in all the ways that make it good science fiction (in a suspended-belief sort of way).

But it was Mr. Leeds, "Legion," as he is loathed to be nicknamed, that I truly fell in love with. He has an awes...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Lavezzij rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I just read Legion by Brandon Sanderson, and thought that it was a great little Novella. I had never read Mr. Sandersons books before, and this was a great introduction. His characters were amusing, intriguing, and more importantly, I never got bored with his Novella as he developed interesting questions for his characters to ponder, important questions about privacy, moral responsibility for ones actions, the use of technology; acceptance of weirdness is assumed.

His main protagonist is a man wh...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Melani rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-story, urban-fantasy

Legion is a decent novella. It’s a quick fun read, however I has a couple of problems. The first being that there are far too many open threads left dangling unanswered. Things get introduced in the story and never really wrapped up, so that the novella feels like the start to a longer story. However what I really wanted to talk about was the religion stuff. Legion is pretty clearly Sanderson’s attempt to work through the faith vs. science dilemma that plagues modern believers. Though couched in...more Legion is a decent novella. It’s a quick fun read, however I has a couple of problems. The first being that there are far too many open threads left dangling unanswered. Things get introduced in the story and never really wrapped up, so that the novella feels like the start to a longer story. However what I really wanted to talk about was the religion stuff. Legion is pretty clearly Sanderson’s attempt to work through the faith vs. science dilemma that plagues modern believers. Though couched in a story about a man with many personalities, the main question I got from the story is; if you could prove without a shadow of a doubt that one religion was the true religion, would you. And are the ramifications of that proof worth it? See, someone has created a camera capable of taking pictures of the past, and as a faithful Catholic this person has decided to try and prove that Christ really did rise from the dead by taking a picture of him shortly after the resurrection. And yes we’re supposed to ignore the idea that though we don’t have an exact date for the crucifixion, somehow just having a picture of the resurrected Christ would be proof enough that he did in fact rise from the dead.

One problem I had with the story is that the main opponent to this idea was an extreme Muslim group. The Muslim group wanted to use the camera to prove the opposite, that Christ did not rise from the dead. And since this was a violent Muslim group the climax of the story pitted American Christian (or atheist), prisoners against violent Muslims, in the Holy Land no less. So, so problematic. And I think Sanderson knew that himself because he tried to explain that this group was an extreme splinter group from a more peaceful group of Muslims. However, it doesn’t change the fact that the only Muslims to actually appear in the story were terrorists and extremely violent ones at that. Add in the fact that the Jewish claim to this question was ignored entirely and well… there’s a big problem there.(less)

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Nov 01, 2012 Advait Borate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2012

A couple of firsts here for me...my first audible and also my first novella.
*****SPOILER ALERT*********************************
Its an interesting plot..a protagonist who's hallucinations accompany him and interact with him like any human beings each having a distinct quality. Every new need summons a hallucination also known as an aspect which then tags along with his other hallucinations. A handy trait to have if you ask ofcourse handy if you are in total control of all of them. The premise at...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Bryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Legion is Sanderson at his best and his worst. Stephen Leeds, nicknamed Legion, is a man of many talents and the ability to learn new ones at a moments notice, but to cope with his remarkable ability he has to put those talents into mental personalities he calls aspects. Aspects are hallucinations that Legion realizes aren't real but he still treats them as if they are, even going so far as to buy a house big enough for all of them to live in and buying plane tickets for the ones he wants to tak...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Jojo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite

As expected from one of my favorite authors, it's another splendid book!

The story is about a man who has a LEGION (Oh, see what I did there? Hehehe...sorry) of aspects or hallucinations, each with a specialty. He uses them to help him solve mysteries that no one else can. Now he's been offered a case involving a time-travelling camera. Intrigued (eventually), he goes on to look for the inventor. If you couldn't tell from the summaries, Sanderson has taken a stab at something more urban. Do not f...more As expected from one of my favorite authors, it's another splendid book!

The story is about a man who has a LEGION (Oh, see what I did there? Hehehe...sorry) of aspects or hallucinations, each with a specialty. He uses them to help him solve mysteries that no one else can. Now he's been offered a case involving a time-travelling camera. Intrigued (eventually), he goes on to look for the inventor. If you couldn't tell from the summaries, Sanderson has taken a stab at something more urban. Do not fret, fans, as this has had no impact on his drool-worthy writing style.

I enjoyed the quirky aspects and how they have such distinctive personalities. Sanderson does a fine job of making them realistic and intelligent and yet not real. This is no mean feat. I don't think anyone else can get away with writing something so potentially ridiculous. Seriously, try writing about hallucinations that everyone, including themselves, know are not real and then have them still manage to interact with the world. And everyone still seems reasonably sane. If you manage that, I'll accuse you of copyright infringement.

Anyway! My only complaint is that, as with all good novellas, it's too short! The book is 88 pages. As much as I enjoyed this book, I do not know if it's worth the price. I personally think it was a well-spent morning read but I'll have to leave that for you to decide for yourself. It's your money after all.

I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of Brandon Sanderson or just anyone at all! Overall, this novella seems to be an introduction or a prequel to a hopefully future book. As such, it seems like he devoted a lot more time to fleshing out the various characters than the plot itself. So don't expect a deliciously intricate plot as you'd get from most of his works. The story also ends with plenty of questions that begs for a sequel. Still, this book is a refreshing change from the urban literature that litter the bookshelves nowadays. A writer who's willing to try new things and go beyond the standard is always welcome on my to-read list!(less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Bryce Evans rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"No one man should have all that power".Kanye West's song "Power" can be applied to this book's underlying themes that drive to the core of what one man's ability to create or destroy can ultimately do for this world.Brandon Sanderson delivers a short story that presents it's morale and leaves you up to decide what's right or wrong in a suprisingly 87 pages,which can be swiflty read through in one sitting as I did.Legion presents the questions of what would you do if you had this power?And if yo...more "No one man should have all that power".Kanye West's song "Power" can be applied to this book's underlying themes that drive to the core of what one man's ability to create or destroy can ultimately do for this world.Brandon Sanderson delivers a short story that presents it's morale and leaves you up to decide what's right or wrong in a suprisingly 87 pages,which can be swiflty read through in one sitting as I did.Legion presents the questions of what would you do if you had this power?And if you did would you destroy or would you help create?
One cannot read this book and not think of these choices,when the protagonist(and his many variations of perspectives and morale standings,but we'll get to that later) is facing a conflict that is unique and entertaining to see unfold.

Stephen Leeds is a man who has a condition,but due to it's unique syndromes cannot be accurately diagnosed.But if one were to try to diagnose Stephen,then it would be multiple personality disorder,schizophrenia,or simply insane.According to Stephen that person would be wrong because he not only sees and hears other people,he can also accumalate knowledge and ideas from the many people he is able to interact with;which in turn is actually able to keep Stephen sane from everyday hapzhards and conundrums.Do you speak Hebrew?If so,Stepehen would ask his Linguistically talented friend Kanlyani to intepret your words for him.Do you need help with that bomb over there by you?Well,hopefully Stephen's engineer friend is nearby to give him directions to disarm it or else he probably cant help you.Characters with varied opinions and skills are apart of Stephen's wonderul cast,who are there to aid him in his adventures.This condition that Stephen happily lives with is really entertaining to read and leads him to a conflict that if it were not handled by Stephen himself would most likely result in World-Devastating repurcussions.I'll let you discover what Stephen is hired to investigate because it's truly creative and written well by Mr.Sanderson and I can spend days writing an article covering my opinion on it.

Legion is the best short science-fiction story I have ever read in my long career of reading such books.But not one book I've read has lived up to this story's creative plot and cast of characters.The reader is left with many options to interpret what is really right or wrong in the conflict and choices the characters make.The plot device is successfully presented by Brandon Sanderson and continually asks the reader "What would you do with this kind of power?".Not only is the character Stephen unique in his investigative abilities,likeable charm,and witty dialogue,but the conflict is really entertaining to be read in Stephen's eyes.The book doesn't answer all your questions,but it will ultimately grant you a new perspective on the idea of having the power to create or destroy.(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Books-treasureortrash rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, reviewed

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes

Stephen Leeds is insane, but he is also a genius. He specializes in solving the unsolvable and now he is needed to find a stolen camera that can take pictures of the past.

Brandon Sanderson has written numerous books and series in the fantasy genre including the Mistborn Series, the Alcatraz Series, The Stormlight Archive series, several stand alone novels and he completed the last three books in the Wheel of Time series working with Robert Jordan’s notes. Legion is a...more Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes

Stephen Leeds is insane, but he is also a genius. He specializes in solving the unsolvable and now he is needed to find a stolen camera that can take pictures of the past.

Brandon Sanderson has written numerous books and series in the fantasy genre including the Mistborn Series, the Alcatraz Series, The Stormlight Archive series, several stand alone novels and he completed the last three books in the Wheel of Time series working with Robert Jordan’s notes. Legion is a novella and it is also in a completely different genre, primarily crime drama but with a twist. The main protagonist, Stephen Leeds, is a genius, but the only way he can access his mental abilities is through hallucinations. He creates numerous aspects of himself that he communicates with to help him solve mysteries. The story is told in a first person narrative strictly from Stephen’s point of view, excluding any of his aspects. Instead the thoughts of these other personae are only shared through their conversation with Stephen.

The cover is awesome and it says it all; it shows a black and white faceless Stephen with silhouettes of his different personae trailing him. The story was intriguing from the first line where Stephen claims he is quite sane, but his hallucinations are all mad. Stephen’s genius is fragmented, and he can only access it through the different personalities that he has created. He treats each aspect of his personality like a real person and each has their own bedroom in his large mansion, (representing his mind) although no one else can see them. This story addresses several themes including mental illness, the fragility of faith, the self-serving needs of terrorist groups and the potential for harm that spring from new technologies.

The story introduces an interesting new concept, and begs the question, what if a picture could be taken of any place or event in the past? What potential damage could this cause? Conversely what potential good could it cause?

Legion is a standalone novella that immediately grabs the reader’s interest and then quickly builds up steam with plenty of action. The ending is satisfying and plausible. I recommend this novella as a good quick read, and it is only 88 pages. I am hoping Mr. Sanderson will create some new cases for Stephen and crew in the future.

Question to Ponder:

If you could take a picture of a any past event, what would you like to take a picture of?

For more of my reviews go to http://books-treasureortrash.com (less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Jeff Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Legion is a new novella by Brandon Sanderson who is best know for his epic fantasy novels. I’ve been quite impressed by his storytelling but usually his novels also have epic page counts. So when I first saw this novella I wondered how he would perform in a medium where you don’t have hundreds of pages for character development. Right now the audiobook version on Audible is available free for members, though the Kindle price is about right for a novella.

The story follows Stephen Leeds a man with...more Legion is a new novella by Brandon Sanderson who is best know for his epic fantasy novels. I’ve been quite impressed by his storytelling but usually his novels also have epic page counts. So when I first saw this novella I wondered how he would perform in a medium where you don’t have hundreds of pages for character development. Right now the audiobook version on Audible is available free for members, though the Kindle price is about right for a novella.

The story follows Stephen Leeds a man with multiple personalities that somewhat live together. He acts as a detective of sorts and converses with his inner characters who all have different skill sets. These personalities also seem to have their own problems and phobias and communication difficulties among them. For those familiar with Michael Flynn’s Spiral Arm series that started with “The January Dance” the character of Stephen Leeds reminds me of Flynn’s character Donavan in many ways. Leeds is quite aware that he is not sane and that these inner personalities are not real, he has just learned to use his problem to good effect. His understanding of his problem and how he interacts with others also provides some light humor throughout.
Part of the plot involves a scientific method that is to be used to prove/disprove Jesus’ resurrection. This plot line has certainly been seen before in regards to time machines going back to Jerusalem, though this plot does not involve this method. When I first realized the direction the plot would be heading I wondered just how annoying it was going to be. The subject of faith and science does come up in a bit of a ham-fisted way, but it seems this was more out of a problem articulating this than a sock-puppet attempt to lay the anti-science meme. I was happy to find that I was not annoyed by how this was resolved.

The novella certainly left me with wanting to hear more from this character and the ending certainly lead to further development. Though also I just want Brian Sanderson to put away all of his numerous side project and just get to work on the next book in The Stormlight Archive which is suppose to come out next year.(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Von Sowards rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lds-author

In Mark 5 and Luke 8 in the New Testament, Jesus Christ come to the country of Gadarenes, and there He is met by a demonic maniac. Jesus asked him "What is thy name?" and the maniac answered by saying "My name is Legion, for we are many." This man had been possessed by not one but many evil spirits. When the Savior was going to cast the devils out of the man they pleaded with him to not to send them away but to cast them into the bodies of pigs that were nearby.

This biblical account of the demo...more

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About Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson was born in 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a child Brandon enjoyed reading, but he lost interest in the types of titles often suggested to him, and by junior high he never cracked a book if he could help it. This changed when an eighth grade teacher gave him Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly.

Brandon was working on his thirteenth novel when Moshe Feder at Tor Books bought the sixth he...more

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Books by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

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Quotes from Legion

“My name is Stephen Leeds, and I am perfectly sane. My hallucinations, however, are all quite mad.” — 7 people liked it

“You aren't insane, then."

"Heavens no," I said. I eyed her. "You don't accept that."

You see people that aren't there Mr. Leeds. It's a difficult fact to get around.

"And, yet, I live a good life," I said. "Tell me. Why would you consider me insane, but the man who can't hold a job, who cheats on his wife, who can't keep his temper in check, you call him sane?” — 1 person liked it

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