Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds
By: Brandon Sanderson / Narrated By: Oliver Wyman
Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
Good, but I’m glad I didn’t buy the first two separately…
I’m going to start this audiobook review of Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by saying that I think Brandon Sanderson is a simply awesome writer (tho’ Oathbringer was sorely skipping my favorite character in that series, The Stormlight Archive), and he’s definitely prolific as all get-out. That said, his earlier works very much show the lack of skill, the lack of style that he now possesses.
This book is a trilogy of novellas and the first novella within, Legion, show these lacks to their utmost disadvantage. The characters are rather extreme (but I get it: They’re not hallucinations, they’re “Aspects”. Aspects of Stephen’s personality? You don’t really know as they are so completely and unutterably real to him), showing their own personalities in such definitely different ways that they’re almost caricatures. The plot moves along with silly twists and turns—it’s a rather ho-hum ride.
The second novella is better, but the latest novella is where Sanderson’s writing really shines. There is such angst, such tragedy, such real emotion with REAL twists and turns that you don’t see coming but that leave you thinking, “Aaaah, yes! I should’ve thought of that!” What’s more delightful than feeling you’re part of the motion of the story? And by that time, you’ll really have come to know the Aspects and will honestly care about their motivations, their fates.
Oliver Wyman does a fantastic job with a cast of super-multicultural characters, but I dunno—sometimes I thought he went in for the easiest accents, making me think that some listeners might be offended by his delivery of a few of them. But he narrates with real feeling, real sensitivity, and when it all hits the fan in the last novella, his voice sometimes cracks with sadness or crackles with angst.
A good way to spend just over 10 hours, but the last, oh, I’d say 3-4, are the ones that are worthy of a second listen.
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