Messenger’s Legacy

The Demon Cycle #3.5

by Peter V. Brett, Colin Mace (Narrator)

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons—bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.

Briar Damaj is a boy of six in the small village of Bogton. Half Krasian, the village children call him Mudboy for his dark skin. When tragedy strikes, Briar decides the town is better off without him, fleeing into the bog with nothing but his wits and a bit of herb lore to protect him.

After twenty years, Ragen Messenger has agreed to retire and pass on his route to his protégé, Arlen Bales. But for all that he’s earned the rest, he has no idea what to do with the rest of his life. When he learns Briar, the son of an old friend, is missing, Ragen is willing to risk any danger to bring him safely home.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Short Stories, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Novella

3 pages, Audible Audio

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Peter V. Brett is the internationally bestselling author of the Demon Cycle series, which has sold over four million copies in 27 languages worldwide. Novels include The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, and The Core. Other works include the Red Sonja: Unchained graphic novel and the Demon Cycle novellas The Great Bazaar, Brayan's Gold, Messenger's Legacy, and Barren. The Desert Prince, the first installment of his Nightfall Saga, published in August 2021. The sequel, The Hidden Queen, is due early 2024. He lives in Brooklyn.

www.petervbrett.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PVBrett
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pvbrett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PVBrett/
TikTok: @PVBrett

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm given to understand that Brair is a PoV character in the next novel, and since Brett is following his usual method of drilling down deep into the world and life of different characters in the first third of each, but not necessarily starting with the character's childhood, this novella fills in some of the gaps.

I'm not usually a reader of in-between novellas, but in these cases, for this author, I'm very glad I'm making the exception.

They actually stand on their own and build the world wonderfully. It's a story of survival, being an outcast, an in-between child of two cultures, and of heroically going after the kid at all costs. And we even tie in Arlen's childhood master of the Messengers. It's pretty powerful. :)

It also sets me up pretty perfectly for book 4, as well. :)

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: After reading The Skull Throne, the story in Messenger's Legacy feels more poignant because Briar makes his main series debut in The Skull Throne without a real back story other than this book.)

Messenger's Legacy is an essential read for any fan of The Demon Cycle series. The book revolves around a new character Briar as well as Ragen and Elissa. Briar will be a point of a view character in The Skull Throne.

There is some tie in to the earlier Demon Cycle novella Brayan's Gold. The most notable tie in is Derek from the mountain waystation.

The book follows Peter V. Brett's model throughout the series by showing the characters back story and then bringing us back to the current timeline. Briar's back story is even more tragic than Rojer's and we get to see how he copes with the tragedy.

After racing through Messenger's Legacy, I can't wait to read The Skull Throne!

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Demon Cycle novella gave a glimpse into the lives of a few familiar secondary characters in the form of Arlen's adoptive parents Ragen and Alissa and introduced a new character in Briar Damaj.

It was good to get a glimpse of how things are going for Ragen and Alissa and I enjoyed their learning of the shock happenings that happened at the end of The Daylight War.

Briar Damaj's story made up the bulk of the novella. His father was a Krasian warrior who fled to the greenlands and married a local woman in the Lactan village of Bogton. The family face the usual troubles with racism and demons before an incident results in Briar having to survive in the open night alone at the age of 6!

The story was enjoyable without being anything special. It was good to catch up with Ragen and Alissa and also good to see how the local Lactan hamlets are faring with the Krasian invasion forces. Briar's story is fairly interesting. He seems like a formidable new character in his own right.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Audio Note: I listened to the Graphic Audio version of this one but did not enjoy it as much as the Pete Bradury narrated Demon Cycle books I've read in the past. Maybe it was simply the new voices for the characters that threw me out of the story.

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briar and Ragan's story was fast-paced and immersive, presumably setting up Briar as a new character for book 4. I enjoyed it a lot!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read Messenger's Legacy. As a long time fan of Brett's Demon Cycle Saga I looked forward to jumping back into a world where humanity is on the brink of disaster. And boy was I not disappointed! Messenger's Legacy tells the tale of Briar Damaj, a half Krasian boy in the village of Bogton, who flees into the wild when tragedy strikes at the very heart of his family. With nothing but his wits and some basic herb lore he must brave the darkness and survive.

Sporting a beautiful hardback cover and binding, Messenger's Legacy represents everything I love about Peter V. Brett's writing. Fast paced and action packed, with tragedy and soul woven in. Like previous works by Brett, Messenger's Legacy is an extremely readable and accessible story that had me gripped from the start. I simply adored the introduction of Briar Damaj (who apparently will have a role to play in The Skull Throne), and I loved how his point of view evolved throughout the story. I also enjoyed learning more about Ragen and his wife Elissa, and their relationship with Briar was both moving and fascinating. The conflict in Messenger's Legacy (like in other works by Brett) was both well written and extremely tragic, especially the scenes where people turn on each other despite the fact that they are facing extinction from the demons.

Messenger's Legacy also highlight's Brett's ability to create a rich and textured world that seems authentic and real to the reader. There is nothing verbose about the people, creatures, or land in a Messenger's Legacy, and it is simply beautiful to read.

If I had one small criticism it would be that I wanted to know more about Briar. The early chapters of this novella were simply mesmerising, and showcased Brett's ability to write simple yet soulful prose filled with sad innocence.

All in all Messenger's Legacy was a really great return to the Demon Cycle universe. I cannot recommended this novella highly enough to fans of fantasy, and I can't wait to see what befalls Briar and the others in The Skull Throne.

4 out of 5 stars.

smashdragons.blogspot.com.au

A review copy was provided

[Milda Page Runner · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story and introduction of the new character Briar. I believe he appears in the following books.

[Krbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pročitao samo zato što bi Briar trebao biti novi lik u 4. nastavku, a, kako kažu, ovo je jedino mjesto gdje je opisana njegova prošlost.

Sam Brett u uvodu navodi kako je prvo poglavlje ove novele trebalo biti u 3. nastavku no onda je drukčije odlučio i očito nadopisao još pa izdao kao zasebno.

To nadopisano je nadopisano samo da bi imao stranica i ništa više, čista nepotrebnost, a 4. dio je mogao početi s uvodom u Briarova stradanja. Ima nešto Arlena kao kalfe pa Arlena s kraja treće, još pokoji poznati lik i nikakva priča.

Tako bi izbjegao efekt mužnje fanova jer ova mala sprdnja se prodaje za ni manje ni više nego 20.38$ što je ne samo bezobrazluk (4. nastavak za Kindle je 12.99$ , a ima 769 stranica u "p" obliku) nego i svinjarija.

Pročitati no ne kupovati.

[Kristalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final rating: 4.25/5 stars

My heart cried for the young Briar... Now I am really interested in what his role will be in the The Skull Throne - i have yet to read it but I am waiting for the translators for that.

Overall, characters appearing here had been seen in Brayan's Gold short story - another one I recommend. When i put it this way it turns out I recommend all stories. Actually I do - they were interesting enough. I rarely give short stories more than 3 stars so... this rating speaks words.

Do not read this before The Daylight War - very big spoiler as it happens after that huge freaking cliffhanger >_<

► REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:

◈ The Warded Man (Demon Cycle, #1)
◈ Brayan's Gold (Demon Cycle, #1.5)
◈ The Great Bazaar and Other Stories (Demon Cycle, #1.6)
◈ The Daylight War (Demon Cycle, #3)
◈ Messenger’s Legacy (The Demon Cycle #3.5)

[Jefi Sevilay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Brett'in Warded Man novellalarını okumak artık benim için bir seyahat klasiği oldu. İş için seyahate gittiğim günlerde bu buçukluk kitaplardan birini açıyorum ve en azından kendimi bir nebze başka bir dünyada buluyorum. Messenger's Legacy'de ortama bir de ekleme yaparak Witcher müzikleriyle dinledim. Gerçekten o atmosfere daha uygun bir müzik olabilir mi bilmiyorum.

Bir serinin başarısı bence ana karakterler haricindekilerin de kendi başına hikaye yürütebilmesiyle doğrudan bağlantılı. Ana serinin ara, ara kitabın ana karakteri Briar son kitapta hikayeye dahil olmuş ve ne yalan söyleyeyim kim olduğunu unutmuştum. Muhtemelen de bir backstory ile hayatımıza girmemiş olmasındandır. O yüzden bu minik kitapçık Arlen'siz, Leesha'sız, Rojer'siz de çok güzel gitti.

Bu kitapta Krasia kültürünün %100 (%99 bile değil) Arap kültürü olması beni çok rahatsız ediyor. Eğer bu fantastik bir evrense gerçek dünyadan bir kültüre bu kadar benzememeli. Hatta Peter Brett keşke Inevera'ya, Abban'a koskoca bir kitap ayırmasaydı da daha fazla Miln sokaklarında, Lakton'da gezseydik.

O yüzden siz ne yapıyorsunuz? Dövmeli Adam'ı okuyup serinin gerisini okumuyorsunuz :)

Herkese keyifli okumalar!

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DLACZEGO JA SOBIE TO Z NOWU ZROBILAM?!

To absolutnie nic nie wnosi do fabuły. Nic. O ile pierwsze opowiadanie natchnęło mnie nadzieją, tak cała reszta to kompletna strata czasu. Jakbym wydała na to pieniądze, płakałabym rzewnymi łzami.

Te dwie gwiazdki to za lektora 🤩.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a total sucker for in-world novellas (meaning ones that are related to a storyline I am in the middle of that give some kind of world content). Peat has actually written some of my favorites, with his shorter tales of messenger quests and adventures, which I think add to his already rich world and characters. Messenger's Legacy is even more fun, because it follows two in-story characters, several in-world locations, AND is inline with the upcoming sequel. I really enjoyed this little book.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story, and thought it was almost as good as the first book. It seemed that this short embraced the emotion that caught my attention.
Briar Patch is an amazing character, and is a perfect example of present day refugee children. Many could take a lesson from this child.
An excellent series, and I highly recommend.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

This is a novella that is part of a series. This takes place in between the third and fourth book. In this one, we visit Briar and his family. Briar's father is Krasian and their family deals with discrimination. Tragedy befalls Briar's family and Briar is soon on his own.

This book surprised me as I wasn't expecting much. I don't expect much from a novella because it seems like it is difficult to convey much in a limited amount of pages. This author did a good job with this story as he packed a lot into this story. We deal with discrimination, guilt, and how good people exist and try to help the less unfortunate. I guess Briar is an important character in the next novel and this was a nice introduction for him. There were several illustrations in this story and they were a delight to look at. It was a little slow at the beginning but I loved the final act and that is the reason I bumped up my rating the half star.

This story was a nice connection from book three and into book four. After reading this story I am looking forward to the next book and learning more about the character Briar.

[Sheridan Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the fans

Peter asked the fans if we'd like to read the rest of, Mudboys' story on Facebook. He received a resounding, yes! I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and as with all of his stories, wish for more. Tyvm, Peter, for making it happen.

[DaJa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein schönes Zwischenspiel über Dorn, den wir dann erst in Teil 4 treffen.
Man taucht sofort wieder in Peter V. Brett´s Welt unter, leider erleichtert es einem nicht die Wartezeit, bis dann nun endlich der fünfte Teil erscheint. Es dauert noch so verdammt lange ..... *heul*

[Daniela Rosas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Messenger's Legacy" é uma novela pertencente à saga Demon Cycle, do autor Peter V. Brett. Enquanto fã das obras do autor e principalmente gostando tanto desta saga não podia deixar de ler esta novela incrível.
Neste livro ficamos a conhecer melhor a história de Briar, durante todo o enredo vamos percebendo que Briar teve de ultrapassar muitos obstáculos para sobreviver durante muitos anos ao relento, onde durante a noite aparecem demónios que estão prontos a matar.
Briar após ter sido vítima de uma autêntica desgraça na família, vê-se sozinho, sem ninguém e sem um teto para se proteger. Desta forma ele aprende a sobreviver e desaparece, apesar de continuar na sua terra.
Regan, um mensageiro amigo do pai de Briar, quando soube da tragédia que tinha acontecido naquela vila, começa a procurar o pequeno Briar, que na altura só tinha 6 anos, mas não o consegue encontrar. Passados cerca de 16 anos, Ragen recebe uma carta do padre da vila a informá-lo que tinha visto Briar a roubar as oferendas na igreja e que precisava da sua ajuda para o encontrar.
E Ragen decide, junto com a sua esposa Elissa, irem à procura do rapaz.

Esta é uma pequena história dentro de todo um novo universo literário. A escrita de Peter V. Brett é incrivelmente tocante, ficamos imediatamente agarrados ao livro e só temos vontade de o ler num ápice.
Toda a descrição tanto dos demónios, como dos acontecimentos e das próprias runas, faz-nos imaginar aquilo que os personagens estão a ver e a passar. Gostei muito desta leitura, da forma como toda a história foi contada e principalmente do final. Acho que este final deixou as portas abertas para qualquer pessoa que ainda não tenha lido nada da saga Demon Cycle, possa finalmente pegar no primeiro livro da saga "O Homem Pintado" e consiga facilmente entender este mundo e tudo o que vai acontecendo.

A minha classificação é de 4 estrelas

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short story as usual but I guess I'll have to read onwards to book four to know what it will end up to.
What I like with Peter's writing are that he is good of showing the complexness of ordinary lives and how that affect and hurt stays on still straining people's wiev s of eatch others.

Now I've read all the short stories there is in this world but still have not enough started on the main books.

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Briar won't appear again in the next two books, I'll riot.

So far this might have been my favorite short story in this series, I love reading about the culture clashes and here we got a new perspective; someone who escaped Krasia and found a new life somewhere far away.

But Briar, and what he had become, could bring many changes to our main storyline, I really hope he'll get this chance.

[molcia_czyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️. Na pewno lepsze od poprzednich tomów-o wiele mniej erotyzmu więcej walki z demonami

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this as The Demon Cycle is my favourite fantasy series at the moment. This book tells the story of Briar, whose life really does seem to parallel that of Arlen's, The Warded Man. A young boy who looses his family to the Corelings and left to fend for himself. We also see an appearance of Ragan, the messenger who saved Arlen all those years ago. I wouldn't read this book if you haven't read the first two books at least in the series. I loved it!

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter V. Brett's best novella to date. A microscopic look at life in the hamlets that comprise Brett's Demon Cycle World-- the interaction between people of different ethnic backgrounds, local town politics and religion, various responses to the fear of corelings. While not necessary reading for a complete understanding of the series, it does provide little details that add substance to the entire story.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read with some truly tantalising teasers for what's to come in The Skull Throne.

[Philip | Book Walk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toll durchdachte Zusatzgeschichte mit Arlen's Ziehvater Ragen im Mittelpunkt. Packend erzählt und toll zu lesen

[Nixanea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kolejna świetna książka w wykonaniu Petera Bretta🫶

Pod koniec miałam jeden wielki rollercoaster emocjonalny, emocje bohaterów były moimi emocjami🥺

[Khari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today I went to Shinjuku for a wedding. After said wedding I went on a book store hopping date with a lady from my church.

Who knew that there was a bookstore in downtown Shinjuku, five minutes from the station, chock full of English books?! Heaven on earth. Praise God for bookstores. I mean really. There's none of this 'you have to buy it' feeling there. No. You can just plop yourself down, open it up and start reading. That is the one thing I don't like about Amazon, you can't really peruse stuff on Amazon. You have to judge from the cover blurbs, you can't actually crack open a book and skim through to get a feel for the author. A real bookstore, though, you can really have some fun in.

Anyway. I found a dozen or so want-to-reads randomly in the sci-fi section and then stumbled across this little novella. My friend had a bunch of errands to run, so like a saint, left me to read. I finished this little gem 45 minutes or so later.

It was fun. I enjoyed it. Quite short, but it got me back into the mood to read fantasy. Yesterday I was in Urban Fantasy Chicago. Today I was in post-apocalyptic monster-infected Earth. Huzzah. Where will I be tomorrow?

[Miku · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dodatek do "Cyklu" to zbiór trzech opowiadań. Pierwsze z nich przybliża nam postać Briara. Zaczynamy od momentu, kiedy chłopak ma 6 lat, a jego cała rodzina ginie. Briar zostaje zupełnie sam i musi odnaleźć się w nowej, brutalnej rzeczywistości. Pojawia się również Raven, który dowiedział się co spotkało Briara i rusza, żeby mu pomóc. Drugie opowiadanie dotyczy samego Arlena z czasów dzieciństwa. Trzecie to historia dwóch kobiet, między którymi zawiązuje się relacja miłosna. Z tym, że jednej już bliżej do grobu, a druga dopiero wkroczyła w dorosłość.

Szczerze? No szału ten zbiór nie robi. Pierwsze opowiadanie broni się w całości, ale dwa pozostałe to kompletna strata czasu.

Doceniam to pierwsze opowiadanie, ale w całokształtcie jest to pozycja całkowicie do pominięcia. Także zostawiam tylko 1 gwiazdkę.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right as I was starting to read The Core, I discovered that Brett had another novella that fell between books three and four of his Demon Cycle. Since I was finishing out the series, I figured I needed to read it, too, but since I had already started The Core, I decided to wait to read this one. That was both a good idea and a bad idea.

It was a good idea, because I didn't remember Briar from the previous books, and The Core helped jog my memory and let me know who he was. It was a bad idea, though, because by the time I finished this book, I knew what had happened to him when he was younger, albeit just in the broad sense. Messenger's Legacy feels superfluous afterward, since all it does is flesh out the details. Had I read the book in its right place, it might have had a different effect on me, and it's certainly not fair to judge the novella on my own failure to stick to the timeline, but it definitely makes a difference.

I don't think the book is necessary to read if you've already finished the series, but if you're reading the series fresh, make sure you drop this volume into its right place. It will be new to you there, and will set the ground for the character when he enters the story as a key player. Not having read it didn't detract from my enjoyment of The Core, but it would have made a difference had I read it in its proper place in the chronology.

[Jason Waltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

just discovered this when reserving THE SKULL THRONE, hadn't read the short story chapter one was previously published as. great reintroduction to slide back into the series, but also a solid tale all of its own. introduces a character we're told we'll see more of, so this was a clever way to get his backstory. not necessary to read in the grand scheme, but for a completist like I, great to have read. rather nice YA tale too, though it is the usual bloody, demon and prejudice filled story of this series.

[Steve Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.0

The only reason this review is not rated higher is because it was too short. There was the time when he was a child when his family was lost, then there was a time when he was 16 and he was found by Regan. He was reported to be a very good fighter in book 4 and book 5 but there is not a great explanation of how that came to be since he was so young when his father passed away. Still, I like anything from this universe so it is a very good read.

[Renato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the rest of Peter V. Brett's interstitials, Messenger's Legacy is not an Arlen Bales story, but rather one of Briar Damaj - son of Relar Damaj - a Krasian that had taken residence in the northern town of Bogton to start a family after training as a messenger with Regan.

We know the fate of the Damaj family from the events of The Skull Throne, but it makes things no less dramatic when we bear witness to the events ourselves. This title does an excellent job of introducing Briar (as the Skull Throne makes little effort to do so).

I had made complaints elsewhere regarding the stupidity of the humans in The Demon Cycle series, and their in-fighting when there is a more cosmic threat pressing upon them all. Messenger’s Legacy has this as well, but it also does a great job of showing individuals and families coming together in the shared aim of survival.