A Badass Reviews - "Epic: Legacy"

"Epic: Legacy" by resident Badass Author, Justin Osborne
As Reviewed by resident Badass Author, J. L. Hickey


(This review is a two-parter. The Short-short version, and the Long Way Around version)


-"The Short-short version"

"Epic: Legacy by Justin Paul Osborne is fantasy adventure written with some sly humor, excellent dialogue, and a lovable main character named Deacon.

Sure, Epic is filled with fantasy clichés, (let's keep in mind, there is nothing new under the sun) however, what stands Epic apart from your traditional fantasy narrative is its ability to use Deacon's sly banter as a way to sort of play off the cliché's in a unique, and almost "non-clichéd" way. I almost wish the author used Deacon as this sort of "metafictional" voice more dominantly.

This book is damn good.It offers a fun teen-aged fueled fantasy adventure with a witty and sly protagonist that never fails to deliver.

Toss in a very intriguing bad ass villian, and we are onto to something.

One of my only complaints, I really wanted to see more of this villain in the first book. There are some very cool scenes with him, when the narrative switches viewpoints to him.

Do yourself a favor and pick this book up and give it a chance, it's worth it."
Five out of Five Stars!
*****


-"Taking the Long way around version"

"Epic: Legacy" by resident Badass Author, Justin Osborne
As Reviewed by Badass Author, J.L. Hickey.


"Epic: Legacy by Justin Paul Osborne is fantasy adventure written with some sly humor, excellent dialogue, and a lovable main character named Deacon.

Sure, Epic is filled with fantasy cliché’s, (let’s keep in mind, there is nothing new under the sun) however, what stands Epic apart from your traditional fantasy narrative is its ability to use Deacon’s sly banter as a way to sort of play off the cliché’s in a unique, and almost “non-clichéd” way. I almost wish the author used Deacon as this sort of “metafictional” voice more dominantly.

So, as I read and critique books, I know authors want to know whether or not I liked the book. My critiques are not your standard affair, I do not write reviews, (there good, yes, and we all need them, I know…) however, I want to offer something with more substance for their narrative than just a one to five star rating and a synopsis of what I read.

But, I will answer one simple question when I finish a book.

Would I recommend this book to others?

The answer is a simple, yet fairly dominant, yes.

However the second question remains, who would I offer this book to? What is Epic’s audience?

Simply put, I would offer it up to middle school and high school boys ages 13 and up. Sure there are a few violent parts, some “shits” and other colorful language, but this book is an action first, punch the bully in the face and ask questions later, sort of narrative. I find boys enjoying the action a lot more. Yes, there is a splash of love interest in the mix, but alas, I find my nephew keeping interest longer than my niece.

So, is that a good or bad thing? Well, it depends on the target audience the author was intending. I will leave that up for him to answer.

So let’s get to the interesting stuff, what worked for me, what didn’t, and the overall critique of the narrative.

I will be brutally honest, if the author had any other main character, other than the humor infused, witty teenage boy named Deacon, I would not have liked this narrative at all. It works without him… it just doesn’t stand out in any significant way. However! Once you add this delightful character into this magic infused world he created, that is where the personality and tone of this book shine. I truly think Justin created a character that is the “ash from evil dead” version of a fantasy novel…. And a little more PG-13. Sweeeeeeeeet.

Deacon is a flawed character (this is a good thing, no one likes a perfect person who does not evolve, and adapt) who struggles with acceptance. In fact, if you break down the higher story arc, this is simply a book about being accepted into a new social structure and dealing with those who discriminate against.

It’s a modern spin on culture shock, and how people tend to dislike others who are different from themselves.

Something we as people have struggled with since the beginning of time. It’s a powerful read when you pull that lens into the mix. Could it have been implemented stronger, I think so, and I wish it had been. However, this read may never have been intended by the author. So, to say I wish it were developed more is neither here or there. That’s why I offer critiques; it brings up elements of author’s narratives that they may have not known existed.

That’s the cool thing about critiques. All books offer numerous lenses for a reader to read from. Many times the reader pulls from their own lives and bring out an entirely different deconstruction of what the author ever intended.

Justin may never have thought that his book had to do with society and how people view outsiders, the social adaptation of a person looking from the outside in, the evil that resides in so many people when they are forced to deal with someone different invading their space, que the bully. But, alas it is there, and it works extremely well.

I did have some qualms with the pacing, there were parts where I was glued to the book, and others where I was interested, but lost some of that magic.

I think it was because I was expecting the antagonist to be someone specific, and it really never materialized, instead the only real antagonist was the bully who Deacon was forced to square off with.

This is largely due to the fact that this book is the first in a series, which is fine, but the big bad ass evil doer only had small cameos. One that comes fairly early in the narrative that sets you up for a specific story-line that fails to deliver in the first book.

I wanted either less of his character or more, maybe hints at who he was but leave me in suspense… or a larger role in this specific story-line of the series.

Because, let’s face it, this bad guy is pretty freaking cool. I won’t get into details, but he may be a better character than Deacon himself.

I don’t need a big one-on-one battle, but I don’t know… as a reader I wanted something else to cement this man’s evilness and Deacon’s goodness, and that they are aware of each other, and that at some point there will be a battle.

The book is almost written as two different stories going on at the same time, from two different viewpoints. 90% of these are given to Deacon, the other 10% to the villain. I would have liked it more 60/40, or at least 70/30.

The setting of the book is done well, very well actually. The two worlds and how they differ are (as I mentioned before) fairly clichéd (I wrote a similar book lol) but it’s the way Justin uses the streamline of consciousness of Deacon to make this world so exciting. It works so well. It’s a modern view of the sometimes overly-done fantasy world.  Kudos!

Loved the dialogue. However, it was so very hard to read without the proper formatting. In fact, before I began reading the book, I started it months earlier, and was immediately turned off by the formatting issues and put it aside. It’s rough to say because once you get passed the awkwardness, it is a wonderful tale, but I think it will turn off many readers.

I would fix that asap.

Epic: Legacy is a blast of a read, fun, exciting, and filled with adventure. Please keep in mind, critiques are 90% opinion based, and what I offer are merely ideas that I think could add more to the narrative. As all authors know, take them or leave them, it is their manuscript after all.

To end, and to put a bit more simply, Epic: Legacy is worthy of it’s 1.99  price tag, and then some. Go support an indie author and give this book a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised!"
Five out of Five Stars!
*****