Legacy: Awakening

Legacy #2

by Bradley Elliott

He survived the future. Now he must learn how to live in it.

William Jackson has come a long way from the ordinary man who disappeared from Earth in 2023.

But surviving humanity's distant future and belonging in it are two very different things.

Assigned to the Algeron, a powerful GCH warship, Jackson is thrown into the complex world of starship operations. Serving aboard the advanced combat vessel is no easy task, but with Bits helping him, Jackson begins to master his new role—and the tactics, systems, and skills needed to survive in a hostile galaxy.
And for the first time since losing everything he knew, Jackson begins building a new life.

But the mystery surrounding his arrival in the future hasn't gone away.
When Jackson is recruited for a highly classified mission with a black ops team into hostile territory, his secret ability to activate Ancient technology makes him essential to the operation. Their objective is a lost city, buried hundreds of thousands of years ago—and a possible discovery that could transform humanity's understanding of the civilization that once ruled the stars.

But all is not as it seems.

There, Jackson encounters a mysterious new enemy unlike anything the GCH has faced before—and terrifyingly, they seem to know about him.
Jackson returns with more questions than answers—and the disturbing realization that the forces responsible for bringing him to this time haven't given up on finding him.

Faced with this new threat, GCH Command makes a decision: Jackson needs to disappear.

Reassigned to Search and Rescue, Jackson meets Verris, a gifted former fighter pilot who becomes his partner as they take on some of the most dangerous rescue missions in known space. From hostile worlds and combat zones to disasters where every second means the difference between life and death, Jackson finally discovers something he never expected to find in the future:

A place where he belongs.

But beyond the frontier, Ancient secrets are stirring, old enemies are preparing for war, and Jackson's unique connection to the past may soon pull him—and everyone he cares about—into something far greater.

Legacy: Awakening is the second book in the seven-book Legacy series, continuing William Jackson's journey through starship missions, covert operations, dangerous alien worlds, advanced technology, Ancient mysteries, and the relationships that finally give him something in the future worth fighting for.

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2025

About the author

Bradley Elliott is a Canadian writer of science fiction.

When not writing, he enjoys the great outdoors in the summer, along with skiing, snowmobiling and playing hockey in the winter. An avid board game fan, he's always up for a game of cards, a round of Catan, or something a little more complex if the time permits.

As a reader, he enjoys a variety of genres including sci fi, fantasy, a good thriller or mystery from time to time, and occasionally non-fiction, especially true-life adventure tales.

You can find him online at:
www.bradleyelliott.ca
bradleyelliottca.bsky.social

Reviews

[Dennis Wise]

First off, This was an Outstanding Book. It kept me wanting more and now I need to go back and read the 1st book, to help fill in a few blank spots for me, which is Great since I Loved the writing and want more. Bravo Zulu!

[Heather W.]

I don’t do spoilers.
Thank you for the free book!! In order to fully appreciate this book I needed to read book one. Smart move!! I really enjoyed both books too. I liked the characters and the action was unbelievable. I am not a space action hero kinda girl. However this was an amazing adventure. Jackson is a well formed character and the story was believable. There was adventure, love, drama, and death. It exercised my imagination and made me think about what the future and space holds. Thank you for the book and for expanding my literary genres.

[Eddie S.]

The second book in the Legacy series, like its predecessor, is an absolute page-turner! I’m devouring this book just as quickly as the last one. Each chapter leaves me yearning to turn the page and continue reading. There’s no perfect spot to pause and put the book down, which is fantastic!

We follow Jackson a few years after his traumatic mission and graduation. His first two missions were great. The author’s description of the space warship mission was so vivid that I mentally visualized it and felt like I was on the ship with Jackson.

At little over the 30% mark, I’m starting to have a few concerns. The plot has become somewhat repetitive. Jackson is sent on a mission, and after that, he’s either sent to combative training or covert ops training.

Around the 40% mark, he’s placed in a mission where they discover an Ancient technology probe. (My review of the first book mentioned that there wasn’t any Ancient technology after realizing he could use it.) It was a great chapter, but guess what happened after the mission? More training…

So far, our protagonist has emerged victorious in every mission, one mission having minimal casualties. However, nothing significant has transpired to him yet. It’s essential to introduce some ups and downs, like a rollercoaster, to create a more dynamic narrative. It’s perfectly acceptable for the protagonist to face setbacks, recover, and continue on. In reality, nothing is ever perfect, and Jackson’s life is no exception.

I’ve noticed a significant change in the dialogue between Jackson and his AI implant, Bits. In the first book, they were incredibly chatty, friendly, and even humorous. However, in the current book, the conversation feels very transactional and lacks the personal touch it had in the previous one.

Jackson, now just over the 50% mark, embarked on a SaR mission (Search and Rescue). He emerged unscathed, but this time, he did not have a training session this time.

Now just hitting the 64% mark, the storyline is experiencing a slight time-hopping. We’re fast-forwarding, but there’s no action? It doesn’t seem to be contributing to the plot; it feels forced. I keep asking myself, where is this going? How many more missions is he going to be on before something new happens? You can only write so many search and rescues…I’m eagerly waiting for another chapter featuring Jackson and his primary mission of understanding or utilizing Ancient technology.

69% into the book, guess what? Another search and rescue mission where the distressed ship has a malfunction that’s hindering the mission. It’s like a never-ending cycle of the same mission.

Even on the book’s synapses it states:
Hunted by those who brought him to the future, desperately seeking to use his gift for their own mysterious ends, he must stay hidden, while preparing for the day that he’ll be called upon to fulfill his destiny. Yet there is only ONE chapter dedicated to his primary objective!?

I’m disappointed that the second mention of ancient technology is in the last six pages.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book. It began well, but then it became repetitive and lacked the central plot of the first installment. Even in the first book, the central plot was secondary, but I dismissed it in hopes that it would be more prominent in the sequel. However, it barely made a difference. This book fell short of being average for the second installment in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but this sequel failed to replicate its impact.

I’m not entirely sure if I’ll read the third book in the series. I apologize, Mr. Elliot. I had high hopes and wanted to enjoy it, but I was disappointed.

[Kevin Chambers]

Legacy: Awakening continues to do something I find surprisingly rare in sci-fi: it lets the hero grow without constantly grinding him into dust.

Too many great series fall into the “beat the protagonist down, then let them claw their way back” cycle. I enjoy series like Red Rising, Sun Eater, and Expeditionary Force, but they can sometimes feel like a relentless sequence of setbacks. Legacy takes a different path. William Jackson’s challenge is not that he is perpetually broken or outmatched. It is that he is fundamentally a man out of time, dragged centuries into the future and forced to learn how to function in a society, military, and culture that no longer make intuitive sense.

Some readers criticize book two for focusing heavily on training and missions. For me, that was actually a strength. A regular human should not wake up hundreds of years in the future and instantly become elite at everything. The training arc makes the progression feel earned rather than magical.

I also appreciated how the opening mystery from book one gets meaningful explanation by the end of book two. That payoff felt satisfying while still leaving plenty of unanswered questions. At the same time, this book does an excellent job setting up book three, especially around the classified emerging threat. (Though I could happily do with fewer creepy spider-adjacent species. 😅)

If I am rating the books individually, I would call them a strong 4 stars. But taken together as a series so far? This is an easy 5 stars for me because of the direction, character growth, and long-game storytelling potential.

[Barbara Pendleton]

It wasn’t my typical go to genre but I won it in a giveaway so I’m providing my review.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I especially enjoyed seeing how the crews maneuvered the situation they found themselves in and how working together and trusting each other they were able to handle the job at hand.

I enjoyed the main character and his dedication to the ops he was assigned to and the mystery surrounding his past.

At times the explanation of the all the steps taken seemed really long but it does have its purpose.

There’s a book before and one after that I’m planning on reading to gain more insight to some unanswered questions which I find intriguing.

If sci-fi is your go to or you want to try it out I’d recommend this book.

[Bob]

Definitely Worth a Read

A good story and something many indie authors don't have, or bother with, is a team that backs them. It's a pleasure to read a book where spelling, punctuation, and the basic rules of writing are followed. Thank you, Mr. Elliott.

My opinion, as an older reader, is that this Legacy series reminds me of early Heinlein stories. You don't need to worry about hard science, it's just there and supplements the telling of the story.


I definitely recommend you read these two books. I'm going to download the next book.

[Kelly Burns]

Great mistake

I downloaded the first book, Emergence, by mistake. What a wonderful mistake it turned out to be.

The adventures of Jackson when he's thrust into a world hundreds of years in the future is so much fun and ever changing.

I love that Bradley Elliot is a Canadian author as well.

I've read Emergence and Awakening in a week, and am about to head into the next phase of Jackson's new world in Shadows of War.

[Gary Davis]

Excellent

And I specifically enjoyed the fact that it wasn't more of the boring blood and guts, death and destruction that too many sci-fi authors use to fill up the pages. Although I must say, bugs with brains and monsters also turn me off. So, even though I gave it 5 stars I'm not convinced that I should keep reading.... 🙂

[James Westphal]

Exciting and enjoyable read

[Lacie]

This is an excellent sci-fi series! I love how this one flows seamlessly from the first. I’m very eager to read the third installment in the series.

[Scott McKenzie]

Great read, love the action

[Jeff]

Loving this series, can’t wait to see where this all goes for Jackson!