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Her power is unmeasured. Her abilities untested. Her destiny inescapable. Faria Phiraco is a resonator, a manipulator of the elements via rare crystals. It is an extraordinary and secret power which she and her father, the Emperor of Xayall, guard with their lives. The Dhraka, malicious red-scaled dragons, have discovered an ancient artefact; a mysterious relic from the mythical, aeons-lost city of Nazreal. With their plan already set in motion, they besiege Xayall, pummelling the city to find Faria and rip more of Nazreal's secrets from her. When her father goes missing, Faria has to rely on her own strength to brave the world that attacks her at every turn. Friends and guardians rally by her to help save her father and reveal the mysteries of the ruined city, while the dark legacy of an ancient cataclysm wraps its claws around her fate... and her past. She soon realises that this is not the beginning, nor anywhere near the end. A titanic war spanning thousands of years unfolds around her, one that could yet cost the lives of everyone on Eeres. Legacy is character-driven epic fantasy action forged in an exciting and intricate plot that reaches deep into the Resonance world's history.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 13, 2015
Post-nuclear-apocalypse furries wielding magic crystals.
Honestly. I'm struggling to talk about this book without just... pointing to that sentence up there and raising my eyebrows. I should probably play nice because this was a Kindle freebie but really. Post-nuclear-apocalypse furries, I swear, what the actual hell.
Okay, okay. An attempt at a real review, in some form.
- Plot: Balanced between 'completely transparent' and 'where the fuck did that come from and why didn't you bother to foreshadow it', with the former dominating the earlier portions of the book and the latter taking up much of the conclusion. Note that when I say 'balanced' I don't mean that it all came out well, 'cause it didn't: the stuff that was completely obvious was often ignored by the characters, which left them looking stupid, and the things that came out of left field were crucial to the plot, which meant pretty much the whole conclusion of the book just had to be swallowed whole. Also, the epilogue jumps two years and just roughly summarizes the interval, in which all kinds of interesting things and developments happened, in a few paragraphs. Really?
- Setting: Grandiose self-aware infodumps that really, honestly, read like a child's history essay at points. Completely inconsistent technology/awareness thereof - no one is confused when ancient secrets about nuclear physics become a topic of discussion, yet they're still predominantly wielding swords and bows. Is this supposed to be a medieval-tech society? Is it industrial? Is it electronic? I HAVE NO IDEA, and apparently neither did the author.
- Writing: Started off on a bad foot with countries being referred to as "sovereigns" (that means ruler, not nation) and carried on from there with words that were either incorrectly applied or just plain made up. "Malefically" remains my favorite of the ones that don't actually exist.
- Characters: Stock fantasy tropes, occasionally with a side of annoying (whatsisface the raccoon) or just plain dumb (the guy who, given the opportunity to kill his lifelong rival and one of the major antagonists, FAILED TO STAB THE DUDE AND NECESSITATED YET ANOTHER LONG DRAWN-OUT SWORDFIGHT WHICH ALMOST KILLED HIM). Relationships were predictable and uncomplicated, and I just generally don't give a fuck.
Basically: If you want sword and sorcery with woodland creatures, read Redwall. If you want innovative epic fantasy, read any number of other series - if it's the young female protagonist who must learn to master her powers that gets you, I suggest The Final Empire. But at the end of the day there isn't enough originality in the concept nor quality in the execution to make this one worth your while.
Honestly. I'm struggling to talk about this book without just... pointing to that sentence up there and raising my eyebrows. I should probably play nice because this was a Kindle freebie but really. Post-nuclear-apocalypse furries, I swear, what the actual hell.
Okay, okay. An attempt at a real review, in some form.
- Plot: Balanced between 'completely transparent' and 'where the fuck did that come from and why didn't you bother to foreshadow it', with the former dominating the earlier portions of the book and the latter taking up much of the conclusion. Note that when I say 'balanced' I don't mean that it all came out well, 'cause it didn't: the stuff that was completely obvious was often ignored by the characters, which left them looking stupid, and the things that came out of left field were crucial to the plot, which meant pretty much the whole conclusion of the book just had to be swallowed whole. Also, the epilogue jumps two years and just roughly summarizes the interval, in which all kinds of interesting things and developments happened, in a few paragraphs. Really?
- Setting: Grandiose self-aware infodumps that really, honestly, read like a child's history essay at points. Completely inconsistent technology/awareness thereof - no one is confused when ancient secrets about nuclear physics become a topic of discussion, yet they're still predominantly wielding swords and bows. Is this supposed to be a medieval-tech society? Is it industrial? Is it electronic? I HAVE NO IDEA, and apparently neither did the author.
- Writing: Started off on a bad foot with countries being referred to as "sovereigns" (that means ruler, not nation) and carried on from there with words that were either incorrectly applied or just plain made up. "Malefically" remains my favorite of the ones that don't actually exist.
- Characters: Stock fantasy tropes, occasionally with a side of annoying (whatsisface the raccoon) or just plain dumb (the guy who, given the opportunity to kill his lifelong rival and one of the major antagonists, FAILED TO STAB THE DUDE AND NECESSITATED YET ANOTHER LONG DRAWN-OUT SWORDFIGHT WHICH ALMOST KILLED HIM). Relationships were predictable and uncomplicated, and I just generally don't give a fuck.
Basically: If you want sword and sorcery with woodland creatures, read Redwall. If you want innovative epic fantasy, read any number of other series - if it's the young female protagonist who must learn to master her powers that gets you, I suggest The Final Empire. But at the end of the day there isn't enough originality in the concept nor quality in the execution to make this one worth your while.
September 4, 2014
High fantasy, epic action, seriously cool world-building, and not a dwarf or an elf in sight; Hugo Jackson’s Legacy begins what I’m sure will be a great fantasy saga, but it stands alone as a thoroughly enjoyable novel for teens, young adults, and all other fans of the genre. The characters are humanoid animals, and the author imbues them with an almost perfect mix of human and animal traits, from wild raccoon to wary fox to fierce and loyal wolf and more, plus dragons! Gorgeous clothes, fast action, cool steampunk technology, and plenty of mystery fuel this tale as a future Empress sets off on a quest to save her father, gathering allies and strangers along the way.
Legacy is a classic quest tale, rich with history and mystery, nicely character-driven and filled with possibilities. Forgiveness and friendship are both powerful forces, ranged against betrayal and mistrust. But the most powerful, and dangerous of all, might be the curious resonance of crystals with nature. If only Faria could learn to control and understand her gift.
Fierce battles are fought in strange new lands. Scary technology comes to bear. And history’s secrets are slowly revealed, together with their hidden surprises, as this tale draws to an end. I will certainly be eager to read more of this curious place.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy and I offer my honest, and very satisfied review.
Legacy is a classic quest tale, rich with history and mystery, nicely character-driven and filled with possibilities. Forgiveness and friendship are both powerful forces, ranged against betrayal and mistrust. But the most powerful, and dangerous of all, might be the curious resonance of crystals with nature. If only Faria could learn to control and understand her gift.
Fierce battles are fought in strange new lands. Scary technology comes to bear. And history’s secrets are slowly revealed, together with their hidden surprises, as this tale draws to an end. I will certainly be eager to read more of this curious place.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy and I offer my honest, and very satisfied review.
December 3, 2017
Writing any Fantasy Tetralogy is an ambitious project. I haven't even been able to write a full fantasy yet. To commit to ten books, you have to have an epic story, set in an epic landscape, with engaging characters with strengths and weaknesses enough to get them to and through the rough spots.
Hugo Jackson achieves most of this easily. His heroes are likable people with relatable issues and strengths. The tale is told in a G rated without being trite. The fight and battle scenes are usually nicely described and easy to follow.
In Faria's flight across Eeres, we get a lot of species diversity, but we don't get much cultural or topographic diversity. Where are the farms? Where is the livestock? Where are the wheat and rice fields? Not that I expect a travelogue, but I do like to see what our heroes are fighting for.
Our band of characters drive the plot. While I found the political structure vague (Aidan is the Emperor of a walled city?), political intrigue is rather a small focus. At this point, our heroine, doesn't need to be next in line to rule her country (empire?). It's rather more important that she's a resonator of power, as yet not realized or perfected. Her faith in her father's decisions and righteousness hardly wavers during her discoveries of his history (and especially his role in making Nazreal the mysterious legend that it is in this installment). And while she grows, and proves herself a fighter, I feel like she could have grown more.
Or rather, I wanted to see more of her thinking as growth. When we first meet Faria, she is obsessed with honing her power and doing something with it. Being a resonator makes her something of an elemental mage. She can shape things, throw bolts of lighting, etc, but her power is limited. Her power is also a secret and she's forbidden to help her people with her powers. She is frustrated.
When her home is attacked, she escapes to freedom, but also to a larger responsibility.
I'm rather surprised and pleased when Faria recognizes unrequited love between two of her friends. I'm delighted that she takes action to help bring them together, but it sort of came out of nowhere. It could have been a moment in her growth, but it feels underplayed because this romantic insight doesn't speak to her past. Was she lonely in her royal role? Was she hungry for the gossip of the servants? I know it was probably a decision by the author to keep moving forward, but I liked her enough to want more.
Speaking of wanting more; my favorite character is probably the cyborg Raccoon, Tierenan. He's very childlike and it makes me wonder how long he was part of the enemy's army, under some sort of mind control. His interactions at every level was precious... but I really wanted to know more of his tragedy. The enemy changed him... put things in his head, gave him new arms, a new ear... to improve him as a weapon and (I assuming) because he grew under their "care."
I was looking forward to seeing his reactions once they got to civilization and had a chance to look into the mirror. Tierenan was effectively raped and enslaved when he crosses Faria's path. The narrative glosses over the impact of abduction. He says that he doesn't remember anything, yet a hole in one's mind can be as terrifying as a horror haunting. For me, he's the character I have the most connection to, the character I feel the most sympathy for.
Again, probably a decision to keep moving forward. Hugo Jackson has a lot of balls in the air in this book.
There are two wolves who help Faria and Tierenan along, bonding with them almost instantly in what I might have called a "PC Glow Moment" in a pub if it hadn't been written so well. It had a feeling of destiny rather than just forced coincidence. They are good companions and make for a nice subplot that helps makes the story and other characters more grounded in the affairs of the "normal" people.
I feel like I got to know these two the best of our merry little band.
I do have two issues, and these are things are the sort of furry things that I often hit against when the author is comfortable with a multi-species setting that's relatively without intra-species strife.
The first is emotional expressions. The Gryphon, Osiris, blushes at least twice... I'm thinking his face is at least 30% beak and the rest are feathers, so how does that work? Gryphons are noted as unusual to our heroine, so it feels odd that she can read his facial emotions so well if its some sort of feather ruffling. Maybe Avians aren't so unusual, but we only see one other beakface. Anyway, it threw me out of the story a little. Might not throw out any other Furry, but I think it might throw out a regular fantasy fan.
Another problem I had was with species assumptions. While I assumed that everyone else was bipedal, I didn't make that assumption for Osiris, because I pictured... a Gryphon. That might just be me, but I'd honestly do the same thing if a Centaur, a Unicorn, snake, or a spider showed up hiding under a cloak. It didn't even occur to me that Osiris was supposed to be standing on his hind legs until I wrote some notes for this review. This didn't quite throw me out of the story, but it gave me trouble picturing some of the intense fight scenes.
Perhaps in the next installments of the Resonance Tetralogy we will learn more of the world, its politics and its peoples. Perhaps Faria will grow more. Perhaps we will learn more of Tierenan's depths. Maybe there might even be a wedding or two?
Right now, there's more than enough to draw me back for Book Two of the Resonance Tetralogy.
Hugo Jackson achieves most of this easily. His heroes are likable people with relatable issues and strengths. The tale is told in a G rated without being trite. The fight and battle scenes are usually nicely described and easy to follow.
In Faria's flight across Eeres, we get a lot of species diversity, but we don't get much cultural or topographic diversity. Where are the farms? Where is the livestock? Where are the wheat and rice fields? Not that I expect a travelogue, but I do like to see what our heroes are fighting for.
Our band of characters drive the plot. While I found the political structure vague (Aidan is the Emperor of a walled city?), political intrigue is rather a small focus. At this point, our heroine, doesn't need to be next in line to rule her country (empire?). It's rather more important that she's a resonator of power, as yet not realized or perfected. Her faith in her father's decisions and righteousness hardly wavers during her discoveries of his history (and especially his role in making Nazreal the mysterious legend that it is in this installment). And while she grows, and proves herself a fighter, I feel like she could have grown more.
Or rather, I wanted to see more of her thinking as growth. When we first meet Faria, she is obsessed with honing her power and doing something with it. Being a resonator makes her something of an elemental mage. She can shape things, throw bolts of lighting, etc, but her power is limited. Her power is also a secret and she's forbidden to help her people with her powers. She is frustrated.
When her home is attacked, she escapes to freedom, but also to a larger responsibility.
I'm rather surprised and pleased when Faria recognizes unrequited love between two of her friends. I'm delighted that she takes action to help bring them together, but it sort of came out of nowhere. It could have been a moment in her growth, but it feels underplayed because this romantic insight doesn't speak to her past. Was she lonely in her royal role? Was she hungry for the gossip of the servants? I know it was probably a decision by the author to keep moving forward, but I liked her enough to want more.
Speaking of wanting more; my favorite character is probably the cyborg Raccoon, Tierenan. He's very childlike and it makes me wonder how long he was part of the enemy's army, under some sort of mind control. His interactions at every level was precious... but I really wanted to know more of his tragedy. The enemy changed him... put things in his head, gave him new arms, a new ear... to improve him as a weapon and (I assuming) because he grew under their "care."
I was looking forward to seeing his reactions once they got to civilization and had a chance to look into the mirror. Tierenan was effectively raped and enslaved when he crosses Faria's path. The narrative glosses over the impact of abduction. He says that he doesn't remember anything, yet a hole in one's mind can be as terrifying as a horror haunting. For me, he's the character I have the most connection to, the character I feel the most sympathy for.
Again, probably a decision to keep moving forward. Hugo Jackson has a lot of balls in the air in this book.
There are two wolves who help Faria and Tierenan along, bonding with them almost instantly in what I might have called a "PC Glow Moment" in a pub if it hadn't been written so well. It had a feeling of destiny rather than just forced coincidence. They are good companions and make for a nice subplot that helps makes the story and other characters more grounded in the affairs of the "normal" people.
I feel like I got to know these two the best of our merry little band.
I do have two issues, and these are things are the sort of furry things that I often hit against when the author is comfortable with a multi-species setting that's relatively without intra-species strife.
The first is emotional expressions. The Gryphon, Osiris, blushes at least twice... I'm thinking his face is at least 30% beak and the rest are feathers, so how does that work? Gryphons are noted as unusual to our heroine, so it feels odd that she can read his facial emotions so well if its some sort of feather ruffling. Maybe Avians aren't so unusual, but we only see one other beakface. Anyway, it threw me out of the story a little. Might not throw out any other Furry, but I think it might throw out a regular fantasy fan.
Another problem I had was with species assumptions. While I assumed that everyone else was bipedal, I didn't make that assumption for Osiris, because I pictured... a Gryphon. That might just be me, but I'd honestly do the same thing if a Centaur, a Unicorn, snake, or a spider showed up hiding under a cloak. It didn't even occur to me that Osiris was supposed to be standing on his hind legs until I wrote some notes for this review. This didn't quite throw me out of the story, but it gave me trouble picturing some of the intense fight scenes.
Perhaps in the next installments of the Resonance Tetralogy we will learn more of the world, its politics and its peoples. Perhaps Faria will grow more. Perhaps we will learn more of Tierenan's depths. Maybe there might even be a wedding or two?
Right now, there's more than enough to draw me back for Book Two of the Resonance Tetralogy.
December 1, 2018
Disclaimer: I am not a furry. That said, this book of humanoid animals was a pretty unique read for me. What I thought was going to be some good ole' medieval fantasy (which is good stuff) with animal characters turned into a battle between the advancements of ancient (and mildly confusing) technology and the peaceful ways of life that the characters lived.
The characters were all fairly interesting, and the world was vast and well described. My only complaint about the world is that it's perhaps so vast that I needed even more description to fully establish the character's relations to the surroundings. But I also could have just been distracted trying to keep track of the fact that the characters were not humans but animals, even though sometimes this got me held up for a second. Especially when it came to a humanoid griffin; not so sure what that would look like.
Because I'm trash for unique fantasy, I'll probably read the rest of this series. Then maybe I can get a better grasp of why some characters lived so so so long (and no one questioned it) and why some animals were regular or used for food and others were sapient.
The characters were all fairly interesting, and the world was vast and well described. My only complaint about the world is that it's perhaps so vast that I needed even more description to fully establish the character's relations to the surroundings. But I also could have just been distracted trying to keep track of the fact that the characters were not humans but animals, even though sometimes this got me held up for a second. Especially when it came to a humanoid griffin; not so sure what that would look like.
Because I'm trash for unique fantasy, I'll probably read the rest of this series. Then maybe I can get a better grasp of why some characters lived so so so long (and no one questioned it) and why some animals were regular or used for food and others were sapient.
July 17, 2011
An unusual fantasty story that leaves the reader wanting more!
I received a copy of this novel from the author who simply wanted an unbiased opinion on his work. A free fantasy story? Who was I to pass that up! I will honestly say that I saw the cover and instantly thought to myself, hmmm, a book with humanoid animals. Not sure about this...
Luckily, I settled back to read this on my iPad and was very, and I do mean VERY, pleasantly surprised. Well defined characters interacting with one another on a world that must (IMO) have taken some time plan out that methodically. It was a world rich with history and culture, with a wide variety of sentient beings. As a first novel, Jackson does an impeccable job with imagery and descriptive narrative, immersing the reader so deep in the world he created that it doesn't let go until you've read the last page.
This world has 'resonators', those who have the ability to manipulate the energies from certain crystals and use them to either help or hinder others. Naturally there's good and bad resonators. This story follows the daughter of the Xayall emperor, and the friends who stand by to help and protect her. I won't give away spoilers, by the way. After suffering a major traumatic event, Faria tries to find her father, who she believes is in danger. Hot on her tail, however, is an evil faction bent on tracking her down to find an ancient city to restore it to the power it once wielded. The bad guys somehow believe that Faria is the key to unlocking this power. And to top it all off, if this lost city happens to 'reawaken', then the rest of the world is in serious trouble. Therefore the epic battle between good and evil begins.
The fight/action scenes were very well written, the emotions the characters were feeling were very believable, and the story flowed along very nicely. The only critiques I could find were very minor. I was simply curious how with a world populated by sentient animal beings could have domesticated dinos as their "oxen", so to speak. I was also unsure at times when a new character/species was introduced, if it was humanoid in appearance or more animal-like in appearance. Other reviewers mentioned pacing problems, but I really didn't notice. Maybe I was too swept up in the story?
Overall, a very well written story that kept me entertained from start to finish. This just goes to show why I really enjoy indie fantasy stories. Every once in a while you stumble across an amazing gem, and this is one of those. Good job, Mr. Jackson!
I received a copy of this novel from the author who simply wanted an unbiased opinion on his work. A free fantasy story? Who was I to pass that up! I will honestly say that I saw the cover and instantly thought to myself, hmmm, a book with humanoid animals. Not sure about this...
Luckily, I settled back to read this on my iPad and was very, and I do mean VERY, pleasantly surprised. Well defined characters interacting with one another on a world that must (IMO) have taken some time plan out that methodically. It was a world rich with history and culture, with a wide variety of sentient beings. As a first novel, Jackson does an impeccable job with imagery and descriptive narrative, immersing the reader so deep in the world he created that it doesn't let go until you've read the last page.
This world has 'resonators', those who have the ability to manipulate the energies from certain crystals and use them to either help or hinder others. Naturally there's good and bad resonators. This story follows the daughter of the Xayall emperor, and the friends who stand by to help and protect her. I won't give away spoilers, by the way. After suffering a major traumatic event, Faria tries to find her father, who she believes is in danger. Hot on her tail, however, is an evil faction bent on tracking her down to find an ancient city to restore it to the power it once wielded. The bad guys somehow believe that Faria is the key to unlocking this power. And to top it all off, if this lost city happens to 'reawaken', then the rest of the world is in serious trouble. Therefore the epic battle between good and evil begins.
The fight/action scenes were very well written, the emotions the characters were feeling were very believable, and the story flowed along very nicely. The only critiques I could find were very minor. I was simply curious how with a world populated by sentient animal beings could have domesticated dinos as their "oxen", so to speak. I was also unsure at times when a new character/species was introduced, if it was humanoid in appearance or more animal-like in appearance. Other reviewers mentioned pacing problems, but I really didn't notice. Maybe I was too swept up in the story?
Overall, a very well written story that kept me entertained from start to finish. This just goes to show why I really enjoy indie fantasy stories. Every once in a while you stumble across an amazing gem, and this is one of those. Good job, Mr. Jackson!
June 30, 2020
This book has one of the more interesting magic systems I’ve read. It blends the approaches of having a hard magic system tied to the mysterious and rare crystals scattered throughout the lands with a type of soft magic in the perseverance and will of the wielder of said crystal. The reason I bring this up at the start of the review is to establish that the crystals and their effects on people who can use them, called resonators, are a major plot point of this book. Not only that, but I think it does a good job at describing Hugo’s writing style and what they set out to accomplish in writing this fantasy adventure. There are immutable and unchangeable things in this world, it’s past, and it’s people. But there is just enough give to have hope and strive for good. The main character, Faria, is a daughter of Aidan the Emperor of Xayall. As she is the main character, the reader will spend the most time with her during the book. Her voice and how she develops as a character is a journey that is fraught with equal parts danger and growth. The supporting cast do a good job of playing off of her and each other and getting to see them warm up to each other was a highlight for me. Reminded me of all the times that my group in a tabletop game got on the same page with our goals. The story itself spends a good chunk of time searching the continent for Faria’s father to prepare for some as yet unknown cataclysmic event. Vionaika is definitely one of those villains that is written in that way where you love to hate them. Her and that damn crossbow made me tense up more times than I’d care to count during the course of the story. Being the first book in a series of four, a good deal of time is spent in setting up the world and what inhabits it. My biggest complaint is that the ending felt like it broke away from the pace of the rest of the book. Suddenly there was a threat to Nazreal and the group of protagonists needed to race there to keep the villains from enacting their evil schemes. Everything came together by the end, especially in the big battle between the protagonists and the antagonists though. I think a lot of why this seemed jarring at first to me was that at this part of the story the characters, and by proxy the reader, are just being told about the location of Nazreal. So I had assumed that a large scale fight taking place within that area would be something reserved for one of the later books in the series, as a cap to the story as a whole. I believe that it works well to cap off this particular entry in the series but a reader might be left wondering where the series goes from here. Hugo does an amazing job picking it up in the second book, but I felt it prudent to talk about what I was thinking before I dove into the next entry. Overall, Legacy does a great job of setting up a fantasy world with a rich history that takes the reader on an adventure that’s well worth your time to check out.
If you’d like to support the publisher directly, then might I suggest ordering your copy through: https://www.inspired-quill.com/produc...
If you’d like to support the publisher directly, then might I suggest ordering your copy through: https://www.inspired-quill.com/produc...
July 29, 2018
In the world of Eeres, sovereign kingdoms dot the two largest continents, but there used to only be one large sovereign: Nazrael, a city where the impossible was possible through resonance crystals that grant magical power, before it disappeared during an ancient apocalypse.
Millennia later, the war-hungry Dhrakan Empire has found an artifact of the ancient city, and brutally invaded their neighboring sovereign Xayall. Barely escaping with her life & her father’s resonance staff, the kingdom’s Empress-to-be Faria must find her father and alert the world of what the Dhrakans have done. Joining her on this dangerous journey are a playfully optimistic raccoon with cyborg enhancements and amnesia, a renegade wolf with a temper and his companion, a she-wolf who used to be a foreign soldier.
Jackson’s unique fantasy world succeeds in standing out compared to other furry-themed novels with medieval settings, taking influence from great works like Tolkien, RWBY, anime-I’d be shocked if Miyazaki or his film Castle in the Sky didn’t play inspiration in writing-yet has the charming characters to make it one of a kind. Unlike other fictional realms of magic & fantasy creatures that tend to blend, copy & mirror each other, there can only be one Eeres.
All of the characters are likable, and each have their own distinct personality. Faria is a determined character I enjoyed reading as she carefully juggled her lineage role as the surviving Empress of a kingdom with her ambitions to be more than a figurehead in the battlefield, as well as find her lost father amid all this turmoil for an ancient city.
All of the side characters are fun and have great interactions, but there’s one I swear is in his town separate story: Tierenan, the cyborg raccoon I mentioned. I love this character! He’s polite and kind and compassionate to others despite his dark past, but also like a child on a sugar rush; he’s boisterous, he’s loud, he’s eccentric, he’s super-curious, energetic & odd. Tierenan is a huge highlight of this novel.
The writing in “Legacy” is great too! It’s dynamic and strategic at the same time, giving way for great action scenes that make use of what resonance crystals can do. Sure the narrative can be overly detailed at times, but you feel the weight and energy the characters feel when they’re in a scene either fighting enemies or trying to escape a threat. By the end of the book you feel like you need to take a nap.
Overall, “Legacy” is a great start to a book series with promise. The characters are simple yet excellently complex, the work enriched with its own history & the writing fluid yet dynamic. Like I said before, there will only be one Resonance Tetralogy, and I cannot wait to read the next novel!
Millennia later, the war-hungry Dhrakan Empire has found an artifact of the ancient city, and brutally invaded their neighboring sovereign Xayall. Barely escaping with her life & her father’s resonance staff, the kingdom’s Empress-to-be Faria must find her father and alert the world of what the Dhrakans have done. Joining her on this dangerous journey are a playfully optimistic raccoon with cyborg enhancements and amnesia, a renegade wolf with a temper and his companion, a she-wolf who used to be a foreign soldier.
Jackson’s unique fantasy world succeeds in standing out compared to other furry-themed novels with medieval settings, taking influence from great works like Tolkien, RWBY, anime-I’d be shocked if Miyazaki or his film Castle in the Sky didn’t play inspiration in writing-yet has the charming characters to make it one of a kind. Unlike other fictional realms of magic & fantasy creatures that tend to blend, copy & mirror each other, there can only be one Eeres.
All of the characters are likable, and each have their own distinct personality. Faria is a determined character I enjoyed reading as she carefully juggled her lineage role as the surviving Empress of a kingdom with her ambitions to be more than a figurehead in the battlefield, as well as find her lost father amid all this turmoil for an ancient city.
All of the side characters are fun and have great interactions, but there’s one I swear is in his town separate story: Tierenan, the cyborg raccoon I mentioned. I love this character! He’s polite and kind and compassionate to others despite his dark past, but also like a child on a sugar rush; he’s boisterous, he’s loud, he’s eccentric, he’s super-curious, energetic & odd. Tierenan is a huge highlight of this novel.
The writing in “Legacy” is great too! It’s dynamic and strategic at the same time, giving way for great action scenes that make use of what resonance crystals can do. Sure the narrative can be overly detailed at times, but you feel the weight and energy the characters feel when they’re in a scene either fighting enemies or trying to escape a threat. By the end of the book you feel like you need to take a nap.
Overall, “Legacy” is a great start to a book series with promise. The characters are simple yet excellently complex, the work enriched with its own history & the writing fluid yet dynamic. Like I said before, there will only be one Resonance Tetralogy, and I cannot wait to read the next novel!
July 17, 2018
At its core, “Legacy” is a fairly standard coming-of-age journey with a couple dashes of unique elements tossed in for flavor. It’s not bad by any means, but I do think that the author has made significant improvement with the next book in the series, “Fracture”.
I apologize that this review is a bit more rambling than my others. What I have to say regarding “Fracture” will be more structured than this.
One thing that I want to pay particular mind to is that while Faria acts as a competent protagonist, she is unfortunately eclipsed by her cybernetic raccoon sidekick. Tierenan steals the show in whatever scene he’s in and is easily the most memorable part of the story for me. As for the two wolf mercenaries, I admittedly really wasn’t too into the whole “lady archer falls in love with master swordsman” deal, if only because I’ve seen it done before.
While I found the story relatively predictable, I did find it actively engaging. Jackson has a knack for pacing, and his method of writing action scenes really makes his work all the more likable. For lack of a better way to phrase it, I was never bored.
I do really enjoy how, for a YA novel, there’s more of a lens centered on the politics than daily life. It’s nice when authors don’t talk down to their younger audiences, and it makes me wish I had been able to read this book as a teen and not at the grizzled grey-muzzled age of 25.
On the technical side of things, I did notice a few obvious typos in the book’s first half (these occasional errors extend to the most recent entry in the series as well).
I have to commend Jackson for embarking on something as ambitious as a tetralogy project, and I’ll be sure to read each entry as it comes. The sequel has already shown a very promising leap of quality in the writing.
I apologize that this review is a bit more rambling than my others. What I have to say regarding “Fracture” will be more structured than this.
One thing that I want to pay particular mind to is that while Faria acts as a competent protagonist, she is unfortunately eclipsed by her cybernetic raccoon sidekick. Tierenan steals the show in whatever scene he’s in and is easily the most memorable part of the story for me. As for the two wolf mercenaries, I admittedly really wasn’t too into the whole “lady archer falls in love with master swordsman” deal, if only because I’ve seen it done before.
While I found the story relatively predictable, I did find it actively engaging. Jackson has a knack for pacing, and his method of writing action scenes really makes his work all the more likable. For lack of a better way to phrase it, I was never bored.
I do really enjoy how, for a YA novel, there’s more of a lens centered on the politics than daily life. It’s nice when authors don’t talk down to their younger audiences, and it makes me wish I had been able to read this book as a teen and not at the grizzled grey-muzzled age of 25.
On the technical side of things, I did notice a few obvious typos in the book’s first half (these occasional errors extend to the most recent entry in the series as well).
I have to commend Jackson for embarking on something as ambitious as a tetralogy project, and I’ll be sure to read each entry as it comes. The sequel has already shown a very promising leap of quality in the writing.
September 12, 2025
I wanted to like this book. i really did. i like the author's social media presence, i want to know more furry authors but good lord this is a bad case of both 'not for me' but also has other issues. Until this year and i standed reading Brandon Sanderson i kind of thought i hated high fantasy as a whole, i'm changing on that now but this book has all the tropes i don't like about high fantasy, poorly developed coming of age, overly focused on nobility, the main character being a special chosen one with an unusal power she was born with, the weird 'this entire race was born evil' thing that i hope the sequals don't continue with, it's all here and it's all stuff i can't stand.
near the end i realised that it's SNES RPG core. the tone, the 'find the macguffen/damsel' structure, the cast, the pretty generic magic system. This is not a style i have really any nostialgia for, i wasn't born untill well after that stopped being a thing, and i have little interest in most of those games.
i also realissed through this that i rarely care for traveling fantasy stories, i've always had a preference for stories that stay in one setting that get's really developed as opposed to a bunch of small towns that king of feel like one street like in this, i'll take Ankh-Morpork over a big quest any day of the week.
from a writing perspective there is some issues, some stuff's way too overexplained, the dialogue can be a bit too exposition heavy and there's quite a bit of repetition (i never want to read 'the young vixen' ever again). but it's a style has promise to impove.
Will i read the sequals, maybe.
near the end i realised that it's SNES RPG core. the tone, the 'find the macguffen/damsel' structure, the cast, the pretty generic magic system. This is not a style i have really any nostialgia for, i wasn't born untill well after that stopped being a thing, and i have little interest in most of those games.
i also realissed through this that i rarely care for traveling fantasy stories, i've always had a preference for stories that stay in one setting that get's really developed as opposed to a bunch of small towns that king of feel like one street like in this, i'll take Ankh-Morpork over a big quest any day of the week.
from a writing perspective there is some issues, some stuff's way too overexplained, the dialogue can be a bit too exposition heavy and there's quite a bit of repetition (i never want to read 'the young vixen' ever again). but it's a style has promise to impove.
Will i read the sequals, maybe.
June 20, 2021
For whatever reason, I had a desire to read some high fantasy, so I picked this up. This is sort of that, but I guess it's more a funky hodgepodge of fantasy and steampunk ideas: magic crystals, cyborgs, ancient technology, a vanished civilization, and the like, which I dig. It's also one of those stories where the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad, so if you're in the mood for that it's a good pick (honestly, one of the better examples of that I've come across in recent memory). The writing felt perfectly solid, things keep moving right along, and the ending felt appropriately epic for what was built up throughout.
Would mostly recommend to a younger audience, I think, although even in my cynical current state I found myself enjoying it as it used what ideas it might have borrowed in a cool, original way. My only real complaint is that the work does indulge in the rather unfortunate trope of having the one "evil" race of creatures (dragons, in this case), which in this day and age feels pretty dated. But I didn't let that hamper my own enjoyment of it.
Would mostly recommend to a younger audience, I think, although even in my cynical current state I found myself enjoying it as it used what ideas it might have borrowed in a cool, original way. My only real complaint is that the work does indulge in the rather unfortunate trope of having the one "evil" race of creatures (dragons, in this case), which in this day and age feels pretty dated. But I didn't let that hamper my own enjoyment of it.
August 29, 2017
Delightful coming-of-age fantasy epic, anthro style. This coming-of-age fantasy epic offers a lot to like besides anthropomorphic characters. Young empress-in-training Faria comes to find her power and her purpose, galvanized by tragedies befalling her, her friends, her nation. With help from her stalwart companions she evolves from a listless neophyte into a warrior--strong, capable and savage. And not a moment too soon to lead them against horrific villains who come bearing a centuries-old grudge. Lighthearted banter between Faria and her companions near the book's beginning contrasts sharply with the cataclysmic battle at the end, the future of their entire world hanging in the balance.
Likeable and relatable characters, heart-pounding action sequences, and a slow reveal of Eeres' dark, convoluted history make this book a worthwhile read. Looking forward to the next book, if only to learn the fates of Faria and her intrepid band of fighters!
Likeable and relatable characters, heart-pounding action sequences, and a slow reveal of Eeres' dark, convoluted history make this book a worthwhile read. Looking forward to the next book, if only to learn the fates of Faria and her intrepid band of fighters!
April 11, 2021
This one's a fun fantasy adventure with a Redwall-meets-anime vibe, worth a read for the gorgeous descriptions and detailed worldbuilding alone. (The cover is great, too - and why I picked up the book in the first place, but don't let it fool you into thinking it's just another furry book. It's better than that.) The characters are quite fun as well, and more than once as I read their adventures, I felt like a schoolkid reading a new favorite book for the first time.
My only complaint is that, toward the end, the conflict becomes disproportionately epic for a first in series - the main characters suddenly go from running and hiding from the bad guys to a climax so dramatic that it reads like the climax of a *series* rather than a first book. But at the same time, it does have me curious to see where book two will pick up after an ending that crazy.
Overall, an exciting, imaginative, and elegantly-written read, recommended especially for fans of talking/anthro animal stories.
My only complaint is that, toward the end, the conflict becomes disproportionately epic for a first in series - the main characters suddenly go from running and hiding from the bad guys to a climax so dramatic that it reads like the climax of a *series* rather than a first book. But at the same time, it does have me curious to see where book two will pick up after an ending that crazy.
Overall, an exciting, imaginative, and elegantly-written read, recommended especially for fans of talking/anthro animal stories.
March 21, 2018
Full review can be found on Matthew's Bookshelf!
Oh my gosh, this was definitely something that I am glad I read! So when I was looking for a new and interesting fantasy to read, I stumbled across this one. I really liked the cover and the synopsis seemed like a really cool story, so I jumped right in. I'm happy to report that I absolutely loved every moment of it! Legacy had practically everything I could want.
I found myself fully submerged into the world that Hugo Jackson creates. Not only that, but I was also pleased by the big variety of different creatures that can be found within the writing as well.
I would recommend this to fans of epic fantasy books, or anyone looking for an interesting new fantasy to read. So in short, I can't wait to read more from Hugo Jackson!
Oh my gosh, this was definitely something that I am glad I read! So when I was looking for a new and interesting fantasy to read, I stumbled across this one. I really liked the cover and the synopsis seemed like a really cool story, so I jumped right in. I'm happy to report that I absolutely loved every moment of it! Legacy had practically everything I could want.
I found myself fully submerged into the world that Hugo Jackson creates. Not only that, but I was also pleased by the big variety of different creatures that can be found within the writing as well.
I would recommend this to fans of epic fantasy books, or anyone looking for an interesting new fantasy to read. So in short, I can't wait to read more from Hugo Jackson!
August 23, 2017
This was an enjoyable first book, set in a furry-populated world. There are remnants of high technology still left, though most of the culture is medieval. The magic system is soft, with not a lot of explanation how it works, but it seems to harness elemental powers.
Some of the characters are a bit 2-D, especially when using some cliched dialogue during fight scenes, but I can see good potential for this author.
Some of the characters are a bit 2-D, especially when using some cliched dialogue during fight scenes, but I can see good potential for this author.
March 17, 2019
This book is a fun read for any fantasy fan, especially if you're a furry. Let's not beat around the bush about that.
September 23, 2015
I've seen this book on Amazon a few time when I was browsing books for my kindle. It wasn't until I was on Youtube watching the review on David Popovich's bookworm reviews. which finally got me to buy this for my kindle.
After, Aiden Phiraco, the fox emperor of Xayall left for Skyia so he could research the lost city of Nazreal. He leaves his daughter, Faria, behind. Then the Dhrakan attack so they can capture her. She is then forced to flee the city in order to get to Skyia to warn her father, but she will not go on this journey alone gaining friends and allies. All the while being pursued by hyena hybrid, Commander Vionaika.
The characters are little bit of a mixed bag. Faria the empress-in-line is a resonator like her father. (resonators are pretty much the wizards of this world). I like her she starts out thinking she will never be as good as her father and has a strong sense of duty and when the chips are down she won't shy away from a fight.
Tierenan, is a cyborg raccoon that was originally sent to capture her But, after Faria hits him in the head. Which he reveals that he had his memories removed, and joins up with her. While his abilities are cool... I just found him to be annoying, I couldn't stand him.
Kyru, the wolf swordsman. He is gruff and serious minded and has a dark past. Out of the group he is my favorite in the group.
Aeryn She's pretty much the ranger of the group. She is very compassionate and skilled of the group. She was okay but kind of forgettable .
Out of all the villains, Commander Vionaika is the most interesting of them. She is using the Dharkan for her own ends. You would think she would be the big bad but she ends up as a lackey. I hope that Hugo Jackson, gives her more development in later books.
The other villains are not as good as Commander Vionaika. They are kind of flat and there motivations are a little on the thin side. The real big bad is revealed in the last few chapters. While she is menacing, she comes in so late that it ends up making her forgettable.
So far as I can tell the is Hugo Jackson's first book that has been published on Amazon, and it shows. The dialog between characters is very lively and engaging and the story does move at a good pace. However, the prose at times can feel kind of clunky and awkward. Not helped by some word choices that just feel wrong. Hugo, you may want to consider cutting back a little on the thesaurus on your next book.
If you come in expecting, something, that will rival the works of Brandon Sanderson, then you may want to look elsewhere But, If you love anthropomorphic animals (i.e. furries) I'd recommend this story. If you want a fun high fantasy story that's fast read. I would highly recommend this
After, Aiden Phiraco, the fox emperor of Xayall left for Skyia so he could research the lost city of Nazreal. He leaves his daughter, Faria, behind. Then the Dhrakan attack so they can capture her. She is then forced to flee the city in order to get to Skyia to warn her father, but she will not go on this journey alone gaining friends and allies. All the while being pursued by hyena hybrid, Commander Vionaika.
The characters are little bit of a mixed bag. Faria the empress-in-line is a resonator like her father. (resonators are pretty much the wizards of this world). I like her she starts out thinking she will never be as good as her father and has a strong sense of duty and when the chips are down she won't shy away from a fight.
Tierenan, is a cyborg raccoon that was originally sent to capture her But, after Faria hits him in the head. Which he reveals that he had his memories removed, and joins up with her. While his abilities are cool... I just found him to be annoying, I couldn't stand him.
Kyru, the wolf swordsman. He is gruff and serious minded and has a dark past. Out of the group he is my favorite in the group.
Aeryn She's pretty much the ranger of the group. She is very compassionate and skilled of the group. She was okay but kind of forgettable .
Out of all the villains, Commander Vionaika is the most interesting of them. She is using the Dharkan for her own ends. You would think she would be the big bad but she ends up as a lackey. I hope that Hugo Jackson, gives her more development in later books.
The other villains are not as good as Commander Vionaika. They are kind of flat and there motivations are a little on the thin side. The real big bad is revealed in the last few chapters. While she is menacing, she comes in so late that it ends up making her forgettable.
So far as I can tell the is Hugo Jackson's first book that has been published on Amazon, and it shows. The dialog between characters is very lively and engaging and the story does move at a good pace. However, the prose at times can feel kind of clunky and awkward. Not helped by some word choices that just feel wrong. Hugo, you may want to consider cutting back a little on the thesaurus on your next book.
If you come in expecting, something, that will rival the works of Brandon Sanderson, then you may want to look elsewhere But, If you love anthropomorphic animals (i.e. furries) I'd recommend this story. If you want a fun high fantasy story that's fast read. I would highly recommend this
August 6, 2016
Eeres is a world haunted by the memory of a city long lost in the great cataclysm of centuries ago. Of it mythos, most is legend. No one remembers where it lay, how it vanished from the world, or if its inhabitants had suffered the same fate of the millions outside of the city who had died in the calamity. The only certainty is that it was called Nazreal, and its technologies were to this day still able to change the world.
Legacy is the story of the Phiraco family, a father and daughter at the head of the peaceful Xayall empire. When the nearby warring nation of Dhraka finds an artifact from Nazreal, Xayall is attacked and in the aftermath, Aidan goes missing. Alone and shaken, Faria is left to rely on her own strength and find the friends and guardians who will help her save her father and her world. It is her destiny, for reasons even she has only just begun to understand.
If you're looking for the next epic fantasy with a lot action and great, strong characters, Legacy is definitely the book for you. In this Game of Thrones age, it's so nice to engage with a story where the characters are challenged and put in danger but no injury or death is arbitrary. Every action has a meaning and every character has a reason.
This is one of those stories that really surprised me with its characters, I must say. Faria, for example, ran the risk of being the classic damsel in distress from her first appearance. Her progression from sheltered "princess" to capable Empress, however, felt very natural, and at the end, she still felt like a well-rounded character. Even in the points when she was protected by her companions, it wasn't because she couldn't fight. Instead, it was because if she were to be kidnapped or killed, the whole world would be in danger. Tierenan Cloud, meanwhile, is so refreshingly unique in his hopeful, eccentric youth - a perfect balance to the maturity of Aidan, Aeryn, and Kyru, and the dark depth of Osiris and Alaris.
I can't say enough good things about this book. The writing is great. The world is fascinating. The heroes are intriguing and lovable. The villains are terrifying, and the fight scenes are written as if by a fight choreographer - every punch, every swing, every weapon in its place. I cannot complain about a single element, and I'm so excited to read the next books in the series as they come out.
To make a long comment short... I loved it. A perfect book for adults, teens, and children alike. Easily readable but open to deep discussion. Great book!
Legacy is the story of the Phiraco family, a father and daughter at the head of the peaceful Xayall empire. When the nearby warring nation of Dhraka finds an artifact from Nazreal, Xayall is attacked and in the aftermath, Aidan goes missing. Alone and shaken, Faria is left to rely on her own strength and find the friends and guardians who will help her save her father and her world. It is her destiny, for reasons even she has only just begun to understand.
If you're looking for the next epic fantasy with a lot action and great, strong characters, Legacy is definitely the book for you. In this Game of Thrones age, it's so nice to engage with a story where the characters are challenged and put in danger but no injury or death is arbitrary. Every action has a meaning and every character has a reason.
This is one of those stories that really surprised me with its characters, I must say. Faria, for example, ran the risk of being the classic damsel in distress from her first appearance. Her progression from sheltered "princess" to capable Empress, however, felt very natural, and at the end, she still felt like a well-rounded character. Even in the points when she was protected by her companions, it wasn't because she couldn't fight. Instead, it was because if she were to be kidnapped or killed, the whole world would be in danger. Tierenan Cloud, meanwhile, is so refreshingly unique in his hopeful, eccentric youth - a perfect balance to the maturity of Aidan, Aeryn, and Kyru, and the dark depth of Osiris and Alaris.
I can't say enough good things about this book. The writing is great. The world is fascinating. The heroes are intriguing and lovable. The villains are terrifying, and the fight scenes are written as if by a fight choreographer - every punch, every swing, every weapon in its place. I cannot complain about a single element, and I'm so excited to read the next books in the series as they come out.
To make a long comment short... I loved it. A perfect book for adults, teens, and children alike. Easily readable but open to deep discussion. Great book!
October 31, 2016
Legacy was an interesting read for me. Overall I enjoyed the story very much. The writing was very well done and descriptive, and I found myself genuinely enjoying the characters. By the end of the book I was left with several questions, but as this is the first installment of a series there is certainly room for those to be addressed later.
Minor quibbles:
-The magic doesn't seem to have much in the way of rules or limits that are shared with us. I'm not especially opposed with that, but one limit was that using it too much ends up being painful for the user. Later in the story this seems to be forgotten without much of a comment on why. Was really expecting it to play a bigger role in the story.
-I personally found the action scenes to be the least interesting parts, largely because they sometimes devolved into simple he did this then he did that type accounts. I don't really mind so much, but some of the fights are key to the story climax.
-Some story plot points seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm not sure if they weren't foreshadowed enough or if I just missed the foreshadowing, but there were a few too many developments that came without warning.
If any of those three things sound like something that would annoy you then be aware they may be an issue for you here, but all that aside I was very satisfied with the story as a whole.
Minor quibbles:
-The magic doesn't seem to have much in the way of rules or limits that are shared with us. I'm not especially opposed with that, but one limit was that using it too much ends up being painful for the user. Later in the story this seems to be forgotten without much of a comment on why. Was really expecting it to play a bigger role in the story.
-I personally found the action scenes to be the least interesting parts, largely because they sometimes devolved into simple he did this then he did that type accounts. I don't really mind so much, but some of the fights are key to the story climax.
-Some story plot points seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm not sure if they weren't foreshadowed enough or if I just missed the foreshadowing, but there were a few too many developments that came without warning.
If any of those three things sound like something that would annoy you then be aware they may be an issue for you here, but all that aside I was very satisfied with the story as a whole.
Want to read
August 2, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13667174
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13667174
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