Legacy of Ash: Limited Signed Edition (Legacy Trilogy, #1)

by Matthew Ward

**Special limited edition signed by author**

'A hugely entertaining debut' John Gwynne

'An incredibly impressive piece of fantasy fiction' The Fantasy Inn

'A great romp in a brilliantly realised setting . . . I have lost sleep, forgotten food and made this the thing I pick up every moment I can get' SFFWorld

A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.

Ruling families - once protectors of justice and democracy - now plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives. Blinded by ambition, they remain heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire.

Yet as Tressia falls, heroes rise.

Viktor Akadra is the Republic's champion. A warrior without equal, he hides a secret that would see him burned as a heretic.

Josiri Trelan is Viktor's sworn enemy. A political prisoner, he dreams of reigniting his mother's failed rebellion.

Calenne Trelan doesn't share her brother's desire for revolution. Instead she seeks only to break free of their shared legacy and forge a new life for herself.

As war spreads across the Republic, these three must set aside their differences in order to save their homeland. However, decades of bad blood are not easily forgotten - victory will demand a darker price than any of them could have imagined.

Legacy of Ash is an epic tale of war and revolution, packed with vicious intrigue, ancient magic and a host of memorable characters - an unmissable fantasy debut from an exciting new British talent.

• ISBN10: 0356513351
• ISBN13: 9780356513355
• Publish Date: 7 November 2019 (first published 5 November 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 5 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 784
• Language: English
• Special: Numbered Signed

Reviews

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This is available now.

I’ve seen recommendations for Legacy of Ash everywhere and I am delighted to report that this book lives up to the hype. It’s a vast, complicated fantasy, the kind that sucks you in and keeps you interested. It has been compared to Game of Thrones (let’s be honest; hasn’t pretty much every new fantasy book been by now?) and I am not a huge fan of the comparison, simply because Legacy of Ash is way better.

The world is complex and fully realized. The history and politics, in particular, are realistically complicated. This falls under the epic fantasy umbrella, and I can’t think of a more apt description for the book than “epic.” There were plots and subplots, everything woven together into an amazing narrative.

There is a ton to this book, but author Matthew Ward avoids the “info dump” that I loathe so much, instead letting the knowledge come to the reader organically. It made the experience that much more enjoyable. I got a new “wow” moment every couple of pages.

While all of the characters were layered and fantastic, my favorite was Viktor. He was kind and caring, with quite the secret. I’m not going to say any more for fear of giving something away. Suffice it to say, he was a joy to read.

I love it when a fantasy book takes all rules and throws them out the window. The fantasy genre is really only constrained by the ability of the author to use their imagination, and this book was fantastically unique. The way magic worked in this world was brilliant! Actually, the entire book is brilliant. I really should just write “whoa” and leave it at that. So….whoa!

Read this one.

[Ashley]

Maybe 3.5 stars.

This was like three books in one. There were three plots that easily could have each been their own book. They were interesting, but it was also kind of exhausting.

You really had to pay attention to every single page in this book, and sadly I couldn't manage that and as a result was often confused. After almost 800 pages, I'm still not sure I know what all these are:

Kernclaw
Kraikon
Simarka
Vranakin

There was just a lot going on and it was so easy to get lost or miss a detail that would end up being important but never again explained. So if you missed that one quick explanation, you were on your own.

I was interested in the story, but it started to lose me around the last half or third or so.