When one thinks of Los Angeles, California, sunny beaches, multilingual communities, and burdening taxes probably come to mind. In the world of Legend, an apocalyptic fiction book by author Marie Lu, there is barely any of the sprawling metropolis left unaffected by natural disasters.
The United States of America? Pffft. That’s been gone for years. In its place there are three governments fighting for control over the continent. That’s the daring setting of Legend. A dystopian, disease-infested, war-torn Los Angeles governed primarily by The Republic of America but infiltrated by spies from the Colonies and the Patriots.
Reading Legend, the reader follows a 15-year-old, low-class, notorious criminal and fugitive of The Republic named Day. He is taken away from his family before committing any criminal activity, but somehow escaped from the ruthless captors. The angry fugitive spends most of his time wreaking havoc in retaliation all over The Republic with his companion, Tess.
Though his family doesn’t know Day’s whereabouts, or even if Day is alive, he still goes to check on them often. Several years after his escape, a new plague sweeps through Day’s neighborhood, infecting his brother. Desperate to obtain a cure from the upper-class, Day begins his quest to save him.
The narration switches back and forth every chapter between Day and an upper-class, 15-year-old girl who happens to be a rebellious child prodigy who specializes in all things military. Her name is June Iparis. June’s brother, Metias, is a captain in the military of The Republic. During one of Day’s break-ins, Metias received a throwing knife to the chest, killing him. Distraught but determined, June begins her quest of revenge against Day.
From an elevated view, the plot is similar to many dystopian novels; something really bad happens to the world and a new government rises up to take control, a government that may or may not have the community’s best interest at heart *cough cough*. Upon closer inspection, however, the path this novel takes you on is a twisty road with surprises around every corner. It will keep your eyes glued to it. Dystopian novels tend to be either hit or miss; Legend is definitely a hit. On December 2, 2011, Legend received a stunning review from a writer for the New York Times. The book was first released on November 29, 2011, only 4 days before receiving the review.
The amount of straight-up action plus its massive potential to expand as the rest of Lu’s series hits the shelves has already led to the sale of the film rights for Legend. I’m already waiting in anticipation for her next title in the series. If you’d like to read an excerpt from the book, told in Day’s point of view, then you can go to the website of the book series (legendtheseries.com) and select “Read an Excerpt.”
Publishing Information:
Lu, Marie. Legend. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011. Print. #1 in Legend Ser.
ISBN-10: 039925675X
ISBN-13: 978-0399256752
It costs $12.15 to buy a hardcover copy of Legend by Marie Lu from Amazon.
