I Read What?!

Well, fuck. Song of Homana was apparently a fluke, because Legacy of the Sword was fucking awful. I think Shapechangers is still objectively the worst book of the series, but Legacy may well have been the more painful read, because there were parts of it that actually had potential.

So let's start with the plot:

The most frustrating part of the book is that we start off with an amazing premise. We have a Cheysuli man about to inherit the throne of the kingdom that had been actively persecuting his people until about fifteen years ago.

We have some additional factors that make it even spicier!

We have a child villain who uses his deceptive appearance to make the hero trust him, weaving subtle plans that really do trip him up.

We have the impending tragedy, as we hit the major snag of the generational epic: the loss of our original lead characters, one by one.

These are great ideas!

But the execution of everything (except admittedly the Strahan stuff) is just so awful! So much of the plot relied on everybody being stupid! And worse, Roberson actively SHOWING us that they're being stupid. Like okay, if we're going to have so much of the book be about the war with Solinde, in retaliation for their assassination attempt and planned rebellion, WHY THE FUCK would you include a scene where the main character is told that the assassin wasn't Solindish?!

At least have Donal INVESTIGATE this. Or have him believe that Bronwyn was mistaken. Or have him believe that Bronwyn was trying to mislead him. SOMETHING that actually justified an invasion!

The early part of the plot, with Aislinn's mind and Electra's influence, that's not a bad idea. But why the fuck would Carillon send his fourteen year old daughter UNSUPERVISED to live with a fucking regicide for TWO YEARS?!

If the story is supposed to be about Donal being king, then why do we not see any of that until the penultimate chapter?! Why did the racism plotline completely disappear after Carillon's death, even though Donal was gone for half a fucking year?!

If the love triangle is supposed to matter, then why do we get all of one scene with Sorcha as a person? And don't get me started on the misogynistic end to THAT mess.

The prophecy bullshit might have been compelling if they bothered to introduce it earlier in the book. If Donal had ever indicated that he cared about it as opposed to whining about his loss of freedom. But all of a sudden this thing that Donal barely thought about for years is justification for him to cruelly betray his sister?!

It's a fucking mess.

And it's hard not to compare it to Song of Homana. Because certainly there were parts of Song of Homana that were frustrating to read. Carillon was stupid, a LOT. His thing with Electra was fucked up. But that was kind of the point. That's what made the story a tragedy. We were supposed to think that Carillon was being stupid and fucking himself over.

I don't get the same sense from Donal. The stupidity in THIS plot is less epic tragedy and more farce. It's infuriating.

So now let's talk about Characters:

I'm going to talk about every one else, and then get to Donal.

The characters in Legacy are a mixed bag, to be honest. Some of them are exquisitely executed. While others are just abysmal. And it's really jarring.

Like, I've had very high praise for Aislinn as a character throughout the whole book. Don't get me wrong, I'm still upset about the revenge-rape plot element. But if we set that aside for the moment, we can really appreciate how Aislinn is given a narrative prominence and importance that no other female lead has had in this series.

Aislinn is a very vivid character, given a strength, grace and dignity that's uniquely hers. Her fear and anger are given a weight in the story. She's not like poor Alix, whose inconsistent emotional responses served only to fuel the tiny semblance of plot. She's not like Electra or Tourmaline, either. We have time to get to know her.

Hell, arguably even the revenge rape scene reinforces this idea. As awful as it was, it does illustrate the basic idea that Aislinn actually gets to be angry at what Donal did to her and act on her own initiative to get some kind of retribution.

But the downside is that no other female character has anything resembling that prominence. Sorcha is a fanatic caricature, who exists only to give Donal a personal conflict, and so that Ian can end up contributing to the distaff side of this fucked up family tree. And don't get me started on her death.

Bronwyn and Meghan fare a little better, but still. Bronwyn is Alix's daughter, the possible child of an Ihlini. She has the Old Blood! She can shapeshift! Why is she not just as prominent a character as her brother? Meghan is Finn and Tourmaline's daughter! She had a very dramatic appearance at the very end of Song of Homana. So why couldn't she have a more prominent role?

--

We had some great generational moments with Alix and Finn. It was fascinating to see the way their relationship platonically developed. It was fun seeing Finn as a leader, implicitly at least, and Alix as a matriarch. I liked both of them speaking up on Bronwyn's behalf. I liked the complicated dynamic between both characters and Donal. And their deaths were fitting, in a way.

Don't get me wrong, I think Alix deserved a better executed death. But I thought the sequence with Duncan was genuinely horrifying and emotional. Finn got the best death scene of course, complete with monologue.

But then there's Carillon, who has somehow become even worse over the years, to the point where he's advocating the rape of his own daughter. Don't get me started on his complete dismissal of her feelings or comfort either. And I mean, this would be okay if it were on purpose. Maybe he subconsciously resents Aislinn for her resemblance to Electra! But it's not really written that way. We're told Carillon is a doting father. WHEN AND WHERE.

--

Evan is great. As is Rowan. They both bring out the best sides of Donal. Evan, because he cuts through Donal's melodramatic bullshit with simple cheer and friendship. And Rowan, because he calls Donal out on a lot of appropriate topics.

But really, where are Donal's other friends and acquaintances. Where is the castle staff for that matter? Why doesn't Aislinn have ladies in waiting? Why do we not meet Vallis until the last fucking chapter?!

--

Strahan is a spectacular villain, and Osric and Alaric are remarkably vivid for their single scenes each. But the overall conflict is kind of bullshit. Electra and Tynstar are ineffectual at best, and die kind of pathetically. The war with Solinde is both anticlimactic and ridiculous for the reasons I've already said. The most interesting villain was that dude who tried to sacrifice Donal in a tavern, not for himself, but for what he represents.

You know. An idea that never actually comes to fruition (though, to be fair, I think a lot of the Homana vs. Cheysuli stuff does come back for poor Niall, as he has potential rivals that are both more Homanan and more Cheysuli than he is.)

--

(ETA): So that brings us to our lead character. The guy I actually forgot to put in this review! Because I hate him that much!

And I do. I really do. I hate him more than Duncan, even. I hate him more than Carillon. I hate him because he had the potential to be so much more than his predecessors, but in the end, he's the same self-absorbed rapist. He's got the justification of the prophecy, though. Convenient that Donal's fate is to be king, while Bronwyn's is a life of marital rape in a country she's never seen, with no one she knows and no possible means of support. Donal is the "chosen one" in this narrative, the one with the magic sword (and thank the gods, that stupid thing is only of symbolic use later. Niall isn't special enough to wield it properly, I guess), and he does nothing really to earn it. I suppose he suffers, but that's not enough when it doesn't come with growth.

For what it's worth, I do remember liking Donal's sons far better as characters than Donal himself. But we'll see when we get there.

So yeah, in the end Legacy of the Sword fails miserably. It's just a wretched book. And if there is ONE consolation, it's that I remember it being the worst of them. It's only upward from here...which is good, because it's impossible to get lower without a fucking shovel.

Fantasy and science fiction can contain a lot of acts that really have no real world equivalent. Back when I reviewed Lifeblood, the second book in the Vampire Files series, I ended up reviewing a chapter that contained a scene where the main character is forced to turn another into a vampire. This was portrayed as a terrible violation, using language and imagery that was very reminiscent, to me, of a sexual assault. Even though obviously, no literal rape took place.

Because of the disturbing nature of the scene, I devised a special warning tag: "content warning: rape (symbolic)". This tag is primarily meant for the kind of magical or supernatural or otherwise impossible in the real world acts that evoke similar feelings as a rape scene would.

I bring this up, because for the second time ever in this blog, I am using that tag. Brace yourself.

( This will not be fun )

So there's like five more chapters to this thing, which surprises me because I don't remember there being five more chapters worth of memorable moments. But then, it's been a while. And to be honest, I'm not really looking forward to some of the bits I do remember. You'll see them when we get to them.

To be honest, I'm just looking forward to being done with this book.

( So anyway, onwards! )

So last time, Donal was rescued from captivity and now they're escaping. Fortunately, they were also able to rescue his lir, Lorn.

He was also fairly tolerable for an entire chapter. I suppose suffering does that.

( Maybe he'll have grown from the experience )

So last time, Carillon went down, leaving us with only one major character from Shapechangers left alive.

So...yeah. Let's get going.

Content warning for this one, folks. Here be rape. Though perhaps not in the way that you might expect.

( In which I sympathize with the wrong person )

So last time, both of our villains died. I can't call it anti-climactic, seeing as how it was pretty eventful. But, we've got ten chapters left. So...what now?

( Normal kings aren't quite as scary as powerful sorcerers )

So last time, Tynstar made a dramatic appearance and gave an appropriately villainous monologue. It didn't make a lot of sense, mind you, but points for style.

( honestly, this book needs all the points it can get )

So here's my confession. I really did not want to write this review. I'm not sure if I just forgot about this chapter or put it out of my mind. But I got here and I just...ugh.

I don't even really know how to warn for this. I mean, content warning: rape (or at least VERY dubious consent) is appropriate but...

It's more than that, somehow. Content warning: you are about to lose the last shred of respect you may have had for a particular character? Possibly more than that?

Content warning: character assassination? Because even at his worst, and there's been a lot, I can't imagine this character SAYING what he does in this chapter?

I don't even fucking know. I suppose the one thing I'm grateful for is that if you're reading these reviews, you've already seen some pretty fucked up shit. So maybe that'll help.

But enough stalling. Let's go.

( Fuck everything )

So last time, Donal was a dick to his sister, got married and made a friend. Also we saw Lachlan! HI LACHLAN! I wish this book were about you instead!

( I mean really, who looks at a death harpist and says 'actually you're the least interesting part of the story' )

So I've been thinking hard about how to introduce this part. I feel like I owe you a warning of some kind, but I'm not really sure what to say.

Maybe just this: I'm sorry Alix, you deserved better.

( Here we go. )