Legacies

Corean Chronicles #1

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Millennia ago, a magical disaster caused the fall of a great civilization that spanned a continent, and ended a golden age. Corus today is a world of contending countries, of struggling humans, strange animals and elusive supernatural creatures. Though much has been forgotten, it is still a place of magical powers, and of a few people who are Talented enough to use them.

Even as a child, Alucius showed very strong Talent. He was warned never to reveal it, lest others seek to exploit it. But as he grows to young manhood, Alucius must serve in the Militia like his father before him. When his country is invaded by the slave armies of the Matrial, immortal ruler of a nearby land, Alucius is captured and magically enslaved.

A time of changes has come upon all of the world of Corus. If the evil surrounding the Matrial is not ended, those changes will not be happy ones. Alucius and his Talent have a central role to play.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy, Magic

597 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.

He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey, real estate agent, market research analyst, director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant for a Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.
In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first short story, "The Great American Economy", was published in 1973 in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one sort of "snuck up on me". I've liked most of the books I've read by L E Modesitt Jr. Years ago I read many of the Recluse series. After that I found the Soprano Sorceress series. The latest books I read by him were the Imager books. All good.

Now I've had this one on my to be read shelf for some time...finally got to it.

We open with book with a lady seeing a Soarer...of course we don't know what that is. We do get a description and we're beginning to put things together by the book's end as to what's going on there. But we have a way to go there.

Soon our hero is born, after his father is dead. That happens a lot on fantasy novels. So, we begin to learn a little about the world where the story takes place. There's history here and as we progress, geopolitics...magic geopolitics.

There are elements of other fantasy worlds here and ideas we've seen before but as I've noted often after a few thousand years of oral and written stories I doubt there is a completely unique storyline out there. Mostly it depends on how the ideas, the plot-points, the characters are used.

Here they are used well.

But...for a while when I started the book, I found it a bit slow. I'd lay the book aside and not get back to it. At first it didn't stay with me, I wasn't dying to get back to it. But at some point it did draw me in and I burned through it.

I like it, I can recommend it and I've already bought the next.

Enjoy.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I last read this about a decade ago & didn't think it was quite as good as his Recluce series. I've changed my mind. I think it's every bit as good. He's got quite a complex world that he introduces here without fully explaining it. That comes later in the series, much as he did with Recluce although this system is a bit stranger.

As usual, the politics & economics are very well done. The hero is caught up in circumstances beyond his control & does the best he can. He's fairly ruthless in protecting himself & his own, but reasonably so. He doesn't go out of his way to cause death & destruction, but if either are required, he just gets on with the job & doesn't whine about it.

I really liked the way the political systems are compared in their effects on their people. A fascist regime sports a prosperous & contented populace while a free society governed by a merchant council is decidedly less prosperous & possibly not as contented. Both have their good & bad points including sexism & other injustices, yet the hero sees one as 'evil' while the other is 'bad in some ways'. My own prejudices agree with his, but I can't say that it is a rational assessment.

As in the Recluce books, men & women aren't treated equally in any land. Most have men reigning over women with a few exceptions. It's interesting that when the roles are reversed, there is as little 'justice', although the system might be more rational.

IIRC, this trilogy is followed by another plus a duology, but I believe it is the latest chronologically. The next one jumps way back in time & the duology does occur afterward. Very entertaining & well narrated. I'm going to listen to the next one soon.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this considerably more on this reread than on first read some years ago - it is a "typical" LE Modesitt fantasy (coming of age, magical powers, overcoming challenges and enemies) with the usual realistic flavor (someone has to pay for things, logistics count a lot etc) that has been making his fantasies (at least those from recent years as the older ones are closer to the superhero kind of the 90's fantasies) more interesting and readable as opposed to the usual ones which i rarely go beyond a few pages these days

[Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written battle scenes and a fantasy setting that doesn't revolve around the standard fantasy cliches. Unfortunately those are the only things interesting about this book. The main character is perfect, never questions his judgment and never makes the wrong choice. This makes for a boring book.

[Rook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed to say, I did enjoy reading this book, in the same way I enjoy sitting on the couch and eating ice cream while watching a crap television show. I hadn't let myself get lost in a poorly constructed, formulaic fantasy story in a while, and it was due. However:

-An alternate title for this book might've been "Gender Wars: Payback Time, Bitches." For all his hedging with the (eminently male) main character considering all sides of the central conflict, this was still a book about women capturing and pacifying men, and how innately evil a feminist society would be. Not that Madrien is an accurate representation of a feminist society, but rather a kind of anti-feminist nightmare society where men are shackled like animals. Not cool, Mr. Modesitt.
-The characters had no depth, at all, whatsoever. There was the magic guy who just wants to live the simple life, and the one-dimensional girl who pines for him. There's the gruff old man, and the nameless soldiers, and the evil queen, and blah blah blah characters ad infinitum with nothing going on below the surface.
-The plot has a similar problem to most fantasy genre fiction. It goes something like folksycharm-folksycharm-war-war-war-war-war-war-war-war-magic-folksycharm-end.
-The dialogue at the conclusion was *painful.* I mean dialogue wasn't the strong suit here in general, but once there was no more conflict to be had, there was just no blood flowing to it anymore.

If you want a piece of fluff that you don't have to think about (assuming you can ignore the rampant genderfail), involving some magic, some fighting, and a bland, emotionless badass, then this book might be for you.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Don’t you feel trapped? It doesn’t matter what we feel. It doesn’t matter what we want.” “That’s life. Someone always wants what someone else has. If you don’t fight for it, you lose what you have. If you do, some people die and lose anyway.”

Formulaic, but well done. Here is a master of epic fantasy starting a new series. World- and character-building two generations of fans love.

“…The brave, the craven, those who do not care, will all look back, in awe, and fail to see, whether rich, or poor, or young or old and frail, what was, what is, and what is yet to be…”

Heavy on stage directions and over-telling, but enjoyable nonetheless. It’s all too easy; never conveys a sense of existential crisis.

“What else could I say? What did you say?” “Same thing. I also told them you were part of the attack.” “That…and a bullet…will get them the same grave.” “You and I know that, but you’ve got a reputation.”

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm somewhere between 3 and 4 stars with this book, so I'll be slightly generous and round up.

I did enjoy this book very much. It was my first book by Modesitt and I plan on continuing the series. However, I saw three flaws that kept my rating from being a strong 4 stars:

First, his description of geographical features is over-the-top and confusing at times. He devotes entire paragraphs to describing roads, hills, etc. It gets old after awhile. I don't need that much detail to get a visual image of the setting.

Second, while there is a lot of military-type action, by the end of the book I felt like the story could have been told more concisely.

Third, Modesitt never really explains the source of the magic/power in the book. Where does "Talent" come from"?? Where do the life threads come from? What is the source of the crystals power??

Still a very good book that I recommend.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well its my first time reading any of Modesitt Jr's work and I must say im suitably impressed, Loved this book, it could'nt put a foot wrong, good amount of action, great character development and storytelling, the magic system was interestingly done, and there was a romantic plot within the story but not taking over from the main plot, and the world is well drawn with many diverse cultures and belief's.

Ill be certainly getting the next book in this series as soon as I can and id recommend it to anyone who likes a High Fantasy story.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corus was ripped asunder generations ago and war rages through the lands. Herder trainee Alucius is called up to serve in the militia of the Iron Stem valley. Captured by the forces of the Matrial, he is forced to serve in their military as he struggles to hide his talent, stay alive, and return home. Modesitt has spun another fine tale.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Modesitt! I keep saying this every time I read a new Modesitt novel: This is the best one yet! An utterly satisfying heroic adventure tale. Gave me everything I want in a fantasy novel.

[Rain Külm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the series about 10 years ago... really liked it, could not remember who wrote it and now remembered... still good... some ppl cry that the main char is a mary sue who is perfect from the beginning but I would remind that first the guy is "blessed" by fairies, trained hard by ex-military grampa and overall if you are a herder u ride and shoot from an early age... yeah sure he had more luck than most and the "magical" powers grow maybe too fast but we do have some geniuses among us also... so its a good 4 book series and ill finish it this year again!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband: read this book, you'll like it.
Me: ugh, Modesitt scares me.

Also me: I fricken loved this book 🙃

[Petra Eriksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to give this book about 4.5 becuase it's close but not that close to being a favorite, I think, I can't seem to decide. For starters I love this book becuse it's focus is on one character, always a big point for me. Second I like the magic and the plot and the surroundings it takes place in. I also like his feelings he has when capptive and the stuggle he has to not just follow the flow of what has happened to him. It seemes so easy to just stay where he is and just work hard and like that times goes. And then the question of doing anything at all. The land Madrien had grown and becmae prosperous becuase the enslavment of men and the women had gotten better positions in life, was it the right thing to destroy that, with the risk for it all to fall apart and perhaps bring a worse situation than ever? Who would get the free will, men or women? It seemed impossible for them both to have it. It will be exciting to see how the situation in Madrien developed after the men was freed.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alucius lives in the land of Corus which used to be ruled by a great civilization until some sort of cataclysm occurred. Now the continent is divided into several countries that are on the verge of war. Alucius, who we see grow from a young boy to a young man, just wants to get married to a nice girl and live as a peaceful herder on his family’s stead. But war comes and Alucius is drafted into the army where he rises rapidly in the ranks.

As a herder, Alucius has inherited the “Talent” which allows him to sense the presence of others and underlies some of his uncanny battle skills. But he must hide the Talent and try to make his successes seem natural because most people who aren’t herders either fear or would like to exploit him. This becomes especially true when he gets captured by the army of the Matrial, an evil woman who rules over an empire that enslaves men. Alucius knows he must escape ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alucius lives in the land of Corus which used to be ruled by a great civilization until some sort of cataclysm occurred. Now the continent is divided into several countries that are on the verge of war. Alucius, who we see grow from a young boy to a young man, just wants to get married to a nice girl and live as a peaceful herder on his family’s stead. But war comes and Alucius is drafted into the army where he rises rapidly in the ranks.

As a herder, Alucius has inherited the “Talent” which allows him to sense the presence of others and underlies some of his uncanny battle skills. But he must hide the Talent and try to make his successes seem natural because most people who aren’t herders either fear or would like to exploit him. This becomes especially true when he gets captured by the army of the Matrial, an evil woman who rules over an empire that enslaves men. Alucius knows he must escape ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some interesting ideas here,(nineteenth century technology mixed with magic, interesting creatures) but interesting ideas don't carry a story. Unfortunately it seemed, for the most part, that Modesitt was tyring to do just that.
The characters here are all pretty flat. The hero is practically infallible. For me, that's boring.
Also, Modesitt places too much importance on sounds. As reader, I didn't feel like I gained any benefit from the overabundance of descriptions of sounds.
I suppose if you're a fantasy addict and you've read through all your other options, you might not regret reading this- it is mildly entertaining. But if you've got other options, don't bother with this one.

[J L's Bibliomania · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the mood for some L E Modesitt Jr., so I started the Corean Chronicles series. This book is formula fiction, but sometime what you want is to settle down to the story of a Talented young man (or woman) with a Destiny to fulfill.

It was a pleasant read, though full of the food tropes common to all books written by Modesitt (granted while there was egg toast to be had and meat in gravy, there was far less discussion of the cheese than sometimes).

I was a bit disturbed by the women as oppressors/evil overlord theme, but I guess it's time for some turnabout.

[Laura Gilfillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant and enjoyable read, I loved the details, and the simple yearning of the very accomplished protagonist to do nothing more than get back home on the range. Alucius has a way with night sheep, dangerous and odd sheep-like animals that are a hazard to be around unless you have enough Talent. Which Alucius does, enough to make him a one-man fighting squad, after he ends up commissioned to serve in the militia. He gets captured by the Matrial forces, and pressed into slavery, with an inescapable torque around his neck. No one has ever returned from captivity with the Matials, but Alucius does manage. Eventually.

[Darcy Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

This fantasy book was a big thumbs down. This book too long to get going. I didn't find it very interesting. I was hoping it would get to the point like Terry Goodkind's novels. This book lacks good content. I was bored while I was reading this. I felt no urge to keep continuing. I felt like nothing exciting was happening. This book is too big, and too long. Everything they do doesn't interest me like the Sword of Truth series. There isn't a whole lot difference between the characters. They are pretty bland. I didn't like one character more than another.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The author was setting up the background for a new 'world' so it was somewhat slower than his other books. The 'legacies' referred to in the title are what the world has inherited from earlier ages which are burdens for the current generation.

This is another good vs. evil story, which is one of the things I like about most of this author's novels. It is also a story of family, loyalty and love, and of overcoming challenging situations.

[Tom Gregorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary Review:
* Slow in parts, pages upon pages of sheepherding. The relationship with Werdna was preposterously prolonged.
* The nemesis perished without much fanfare, seemed like there was wasted development. Interestingly, no body, perhaps a reappearance in a later book?
* Interesting battle scenes, realistic, at least until the magic 'stuff' took over.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of one of his fantasy series not set in Recluse. Set in the after times of a collapsed civilization, technology is a curious mixture of medieval and early industrial along with some magic. Aluscius is drafted by the Militia, thus begins his career, filled with danger. A fun read if you enjoy military fiction.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this trilogy a fair amount 3.5 stars. Not as good as his Recluse series, but better than the Soprano Sorceress series. There is another trilogy set in the same world that comes before this chronologically.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm actually on the second book of this series. Interesting side story of fantastic creatures that all the battle strategy isn't too hard to take. Writes with nice compact sentences without excessive descriptions of everyday crap. No padding.

update: up to book 5. OK nothing great

[Christian Freed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little similar to the Recluce series, Modesitt does a great job introducing this new world with new characters. The writing is easy to read. The story flows, and the action is often intense. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good fantasy with magic ingrained in it.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesantna knjiga ali sa jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaako sporim pocetkom. Moze da prodje ali nista posebno.

Imager erija je dosta zabavnija :P

[H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few times am i excited enough about getting back to a book as i have been about this. I am a slow reader--given that so many people in sites like this are always reading a book a day for years at a time--so finishing a 600-page book in a week is about my limit; that, I can do. This is a book to which i ached to return to every day. A young man in a foreign planet with two moons is the protagonist. I mention that because, given that this is considered science fiction, this is the most important and obvious bow to the genre. The rest is more fantasy. From infancy, this youth has had the ability to commune with the various "magical" beings and feelings of this planet, which ultimately grant him an ability to be above average in terms of feelings and physical capacities. The writing is wonderful in that in spite of granting the protagonist certain abilities, he is by no means some kind of silly, cheap super hero, but could be seen as no more than a specially endowed person were he in our own world. As Mary Stewart never goes overboard in likening the Merlin of her King Arthur books to a wildly colorful magician as in Disney's Sword in the Stone, or The Once and Future King, so does Modesitt convince in his ability to make this hero nothing more than a man with certain more pronounced awarenesses.
Alucius is then thrust into a recent iteration of a world that at one point in the distant past had had its own kinds of technologies, magic, and by now, mythical beings. He lives in a current wold, devoid of its original characteristics, and in which only certain people, like him, have the ability to engage the remnants of the lost magics. in this new world, the nations are still trying to recapture the magic and individual powers of old, while warring with one another to win the race to world conquest. Alucius becomes a soldier in his local militia and is captured by the enemy. By the end, he has fought for different armies against enemies equipped with fantastic military and killing capacities and eventually goes back home. In real life, no one actually lives happily ever after, and neither do they here, which is why trilogies are so entertaining when they are done well, as this one is. Eventually a second and a third book is written and the adventure of this believably capable soldier with a life, a family and a past continues. I suppose that "in the end" the story must end and everyone live "happily ever after", but i look forward to Modesitt's continuation of the adventure.
In the end, the entire book moves along well, is developed believably, with characters that are generally at lest two dimensional and Modesitt's voice is seldom heard. His book is well told and not only "well-crafted" and boring from its self-consciousness. A truly exciting adventure. I'm surprised this was never so well-known as other much less capable fictions. Like Twilight! or the entire Belgariad, which was quite badly written garbage.

[Klobetime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modesitt is a prolific author, and I've read literally dozens of his novels—and enjoyed them all. Legacies is the first (of eight so far) of yet another series, and it follows the same basic pattern as most of his work: young man discovers he has a once-in-a-lifetime magical talent, teaches himself how to use said talent while keeping it hidden from everyone, learns to be an exceptional soldier and leader, and single-handedly disposes of a horrible oppressor that was threatening the world at large. That said, the pattern is still quite entertaining and compelling enough I read this nearly 600 page book in a single day. One thing I don't remember in other Modesitt novels is how the music is so recognizable; in several places people sing and the lyrics are clearly all based on popular tunes such as "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" and "Seven Drunken Nights". When reading "Saddled, and booted, / and bridled rode they..." it was easy to picture the mournful tune and the loneliness of the vocalist. This extra dimension allowed the songs to be performed rather than just read, bring that much more impact to these scenes.

While the villain is obvious, the effects of her villainy are not as blatantly evil as in most fantasy tropes. The Matrial has enslaved all men (and uncooperative women) in her lands with a magical collar; free will still exists, but the all-female ruling class can punish or kill anyone with a collar that has been accused of a crime. The overseers can also tell when someone is lying, so theoretically justice is harsh but fair. As a result, the land is largely peaceful (but aggressive towards its neighbors) and both scarcity and abuse have largely been eliminated. However, men aren't given a choice about wearing collars (the situation of children isn't addressed; unclear when a boy is equipped) and POWs are all forcibly fitted and made to serve in the army. The ruling women aren't all bastions of honor either; in one scene two accused criminals are put to death, when it was clear to the judge and executioner that one was innocent. After living in this world (with a collar) for a year or so, our hero is conflicted, wondering if the end justifies the means as this land is seemingly much more equitable than his homeland, where poverty and vice is common, and the rich have unbalanced power over the poor. Urban and rural, rich and poor, male and female, freedom and slavery, right and wrong—all these dualities are examined and the results are thoughtfully not always black and white.

First Sentence:

In the quiet of the early twilight of a late summer day, a woman sat in a rocking chair under the eaves of the porch, facing east, rocking gently.

[Gray Mouser · Rating 5 out of 5]

M. Modesitt has his weaknesses and strengths as an author. His Corean Chronicles series is one, IMO, where the strengths more than compensate for the weaknesses.

There is a certain "read one, read all" in Mr. Modesitt's books. I. e., they are a bit repetitive in the characters. As in most of his books, the protagonist is a "Heinleinian" young man, overly serious, thoughtful and what we would call virtuous. This "moral conviction" combined with a rather ruthless approach to violence (à la "I will not start a fight, but if you do I will end it.") is something I find rather problematic. In real life, people simply are not always right and his consistent glorification of uncompromising solutions is not something I am comfortable with.

But Mr. Modesitt is a writer, not running for office and as a story the Corean Chronicels are superb, even on my now 4th or 5th re-read. The world-building is excellent. Not only deep and interesting, but slowly evolves over the trilogy when our protagonist learns more himself. The battle scenes are realistic. Some might find the continuous following of the protagonist's (Alucius) thoughts annoying, but I personally like the measured space between the action scenes. The latter seem realistic, without either overly glorifying violence or ignoring it. The main characters, particularly Alucius and his family, are well developed and - discounting a bit the overly perfect character of Alucius - realistic and lovable. A lot of the side characters, however, are clearly side characters. Several of them, such as the main general of the opposing forces, are not even named, driving home the message that they are really just filling a slot here.

If you can live with the slight super-hero character of Alucius, that's a wonderful book. If you cannot, you might want to avoid Mr. Modesitt as an author in general.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only a gifted storyteller, but also a gifted teacher, Modesitt layers his adventures, always offering the reader a glimpse of the economic and philosophical underpinnings of the worlds he creates. In LEGACIES: THE FIRST BOOK OF THE COREAN CHRONICLES, he portrays a post-Cataclysm world, slowly developing an economic and social base that will ease the lives of its inhabitants. The young protagonist, Alucius, is a psychically gifted farm boy, growing up in his grandfather's house after his father's death in military service. His grandfather, a retired colonel, raises mutant Nightsheep, aggressive black beasts with razor-sharp horns and hooves, whose diet of metallic salt renders their meat inedible but their wool of great value. Alucius wants only to be a herder like his grandfather, but is called up for military service. His grandfather's training and his psychic ability help him survive until he is captured by the slave soldiers of the Madrien, a neighboring matriarchy. Enslaved with a lethal collar, Alucius must learn about his captors in order to survive and escape to his beloved home and fiancee. One aspect of Modesitt's continuing appeal is his ability to offer a fast-paced adventure (usually a "hero's journey") where the protagonist's growth in understanding helps his moral development. Alucius must question why, in the slave-owning matriarchy, the majority of the population is happier, wealthier, and healthier than in his own republic of small farming villages and merchant centers. Each Modesitt adventure is a disguised mini-course in moral philosophy--an attribute that makes them of inestimable value to high school libraries. Highly recommended.