Customer Reviews

Legacy

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As a child, I loved watching superhero cartoons and movies. Batman, Darkwing Duck, Justice League... the list goes on and, in-fact, continues to this day. It's a rare privilage, however, to encounter the traditional superhero fiction in novel form that is completely original. Here's a pretty good example.

One should first note that the title "Legacy" is a reference to an element of comic fiction; "Legacy Heroes". Legacy Heroes are heroes that have taken their name and overall statis from a predicessor who either dies or retires. Notable examples include the Blue Beetle, Robin, The Flash and many others. It should be stipulated that just because characters share names with a preexisting character, they aren't nessisarily legacy heroes. For instance, Hal Jordan isn't a legacy hero, despite taking the Green Lantern identity following Alan Scott. The difference is intent. A Legacy Hero must not just share a name with his predicessor. He must become his predicessor and truely replace him. And this, fair readers, is the core premise of this book.

Spoiler Warning
The following summary may contain Plotpoints not covered by the books cover which may qualify as spoilers. Read at your discretion.

Lucas Moore is a Highschoool dropout living in a trailer park in Texas with his mother. He knows nothing of his father, save for the fact that he contributed to his mother leaving Seraph City, this world's equivolent to Gotham City. However, one day, a man comes to the Autoshop where Lucas works, claiming to be the boy's father. The man, Clayton Hartwell, also reveals that he is The Raptor, the Batman-esque superhero of Seraph City. He wants Lucas to replace him as Raptor because he is dying. Lucas refuses, not wanting to risk his life for a man he never knew.

However, things quickly shift to the worst when a group of supervillains attack Lucas' home and kill his neighbors and his mother. Driven by a want for justice, Lucas joins his father and begins his training. However, things quickly begin to fade from a clear black and white to a grey area when Lucas sees just what lengths his father goes to to fight crime. Coupled with a rather unnerving encounter with his father's former sidekick and a series of mysterious deaths, and our protagonist is suddenly unsure of who to trust.

As an analysis of the Legacy hero concept, "Legacy" performs above average in terms of its story. The ideas about what makes a Legacy Hero, coupled with a rather troubling look into the psyche of a superhero pushed over the edge by life, makes this a very introspective read for superhero fans. If I have one complaint, it's the details, or rather, the lack thereof. Seriously, you have to wait until he actually reveals his identity to Lucas before you learn the Raptor's symbol is a bird's claw. You also never learn what Talon's (previously mentioned sidekick) costume looks like in any significant detail. I can understand how a comic writer can fail to note such things, since details like design are usually left for the artist to interpret. Still, in a novel, especially a superhero novel where the images have to be formed in the reader's mind, details delivered timely and en-masse are preferred.

In all, I totally recommend this to fans of superheroes. It's a worthwhile little read that will definity make you ready to tackle an army of gang members in Zombie Makeup.

(Personal note: Who the *&@$ designed the hardcover? I mean, I'll admit the paperback is kinda dated with the 90's style rubber-suited superhero, but at least it makes sense. The Hardcover is so random, I can't possibly guess what the book is about. Good call Bluefire for picking a more traditional cover. WTTW though; the book says Raptor wears a cowl, not a domino mask. And, again, actual design details would have eleviated our author's mistake in the book by making Raptor's appearance clear on the cover.)

Legacy by Tom Sniegoski explores good and evil and that murky gray area in-between. At the age of 18, Lucas, a high school dropout learns that his estranged, dying father is a superhero - and expects his son to take up his mantle. Lucas is understandably reluctant to do so, not only because the world of superheroes (and villains) is so different from his own, but because he doesn't want to connect with his deadbeat dad. He's never been there for Lucas before -- why should Lucas be there for him now? Meanwhile, Lucas is content with his life as an auto mechanic, and while he's not lazy or ignorant, he doesn't really have any aspirations to do more or less than what he's already doing. These universal themes transcend the sci-fi aspect of the story and will pull in readers who like stories about family struggles and characters who feel lost after high school, while the superhero storyline will attract those after action and adventure, good guys versus bad guys, and climatic showdowns.

Tom Sniegoski always does a great job with reluctant heroes, especially those who are teenaged. There's a lot of shaky ground you have to navigate when you're stuck in that limbo period when you're not a kid any more but you don't feel like an adult yet. In Legacy, Sniegoski uses that to his advantage, contrasting Lucas' admittedly dead-end but comfortable life and lack of motivation with that of his father, an ailing billionaire who is secretly acting as a vigilante superhero known as the Raptor. If you enjoyed Sniegoski's previous books, especially The Fallen books, you should definitely check out Legacy.

Imagine finding out that the man that you thought was a dead-beat dad - a man who has never been a part of your life and whose identity you don't even know - is a billionaire. And - wait for it- the legendary superhero The Raptor. When Lucas is pulled from his small-town life to become The Raptor's protégé, he has no idea what he's getting into - especially when he starts to suspect that The Raptor is not the man - or hero - he used to be. This fast-paced, action-packed novel is perfect for fans of classic superhero comics and older readers who enjoyed Sniegoski's Owlboy series.

Thomas E. Sniegoski started his career in comics, and it shows. He's familiar with the tropes and uses one of my least favorite - the disposable woman. (LEGACY, specifically, is an instance of Doomed Hometown, which is far preferable to Women in Refrigerators. Please not that the Women in Refrigerators site is not appropriate for children as it catalogues "superheroines who have been either depowered, raped, or cut up and stuck in the refrigerator.") Lucas Moore's mom raised him alone, working as a waitress. One day a man shows up at his job, claiming to be his father - billionaire Clayton Hartwell and superhero Raptor. Pretty soon, Raptor's enemies have killed Lucas's mother and neighbors. Lucas is inspired to defeat those responsible for his mother's death, but other than that he shows no signs of grief and barely thinks about her.

But the plot does move quickly, which is essential in a short novel like LEGACY. Lucas encounters a former protege of Raptor and begins to realize that his dying father is concealing dark secrets. Sniegoski develops an entertaining origin for Lucas, and I like his helpers - a teenaged girl and a crippled old man. I'd be enthusiastically recommending it to comic book fans if it weren't for that pesky use of a hated trope.

Thomas E. Sniegoski's LEGACY tells of a deadbeat father who is a superhero and the discovery of a teen who has to choose between a father who's never been a part of his life and his comfortable life as a high school dropout and auto mechanic. His involvement in his father's 'heroic' behaviors will change his life and cause him to re-examine differences between good intentions and evil deeds in this winner.

Seraph City is crumbling. Masked criminals are running rampant, wreaking havoc on innocent people. Superheroes are few and far between, especially since the Raptor hung up his cape.

18-year-old Lucas Moore is far removed from this life. Lucas, a high school drop-out, is content working as an auto mechanic at Big Lou's Gas Up and Go, but there is much more in store for this young man.

A wealthy billionaire, Clayton Hartwell, reveals himself to Lucas as his biological father. Lucas is stunned that after eighteen years his father would finally attempt to track him down, let alone him being THE Clayton Hartwell. Hartwell also reveals a secret - a secret that leads to a legacy - a legacy that Lucas will be forced to accept, whether he likes it or not.

I have always been a fan of comic book lore, so I was glad that I got my hands on LEGACY. It is your basic good versus evil story, with a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure. The superheroes are trying to overthrow the bad guys, but eventually, that line becomes blurred.

Where does good stop and evil start? Why would someone cross that line? All of these questions are answered, and so much more. The ending left me wanting more, so I hope that many sequels will follow!

Reviewed by: LadyJay

Finding an enjoyable superhero fiction book that's good is a challenge. But Tom S hits the bulls-eye with this page-turner right off the bat.
He instantly creates a closeness with the hero and characters, creating a believable scenario, city, bad guys and love. Easy reading by a
master.