Last time (before I ran out of words) I talked a little about what you can expect from the Legacy Trilogy overall. Now we can dive into the topic I meant to get to before: What is Legacy of Steel?
Very, very spoiler-light here. No plot points you’ll not pick up from the promotional copy (but I’m sure I can weave a few surprises in here and there).
A Tale of War
“The thing about arrows – the truly important thing – is that they’re finite.”
Let’s start with the basics. Legacy of Steel is the sequel to Legacy of Ash and the second volume in the Legacy Trilogy. It’s set roughly a year on from the first volume, and our characters (heroes, villains and … ‘don’t know’) are still dealing with the consequences of Legacy of Ash.
While life has gone on in the Tressian Republic and the Hadari Empire, that part of the world has largely been holding its breath. Until now.
As ambition rises, factions in both governments seek new opportunity. From the shadows of Dregmeet, the Crowmarket stretches forth a withered hand.
Oh, and the gods are returning to the world. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Even with the fate of nations hanging in the balance.
Expect war, politics, scheming, doomed love, broken friendships, unlikely allies and tough choices. But then, you probably already did.
A Tale of Redemption
“And we do forget so well in the Republic. Our mistakes, our families and even our purpose.”
Once again, we have characters living in the shadow of the past, struggling to break free. Choices made in Legacy of Ash ripple through Legacy of Steel – often in ways hidden from the folk who made those choices in the first place. You know the expression ‘no good deed goes unpunished?’ well, that’s about the size of it.
If your favourite character made it out of the first book alive(ish), you’ll be reunited with them here. One or two have a lot more to do than before, though I won’t say who as I made that promise about spoilers.
All have rights to wrong, decisions to make and consequences to face. But I’m sure it’ll work out for most of them almost all of the time.
A Tale Alone
“Moments are simply moments. Eternity is for ever.”
All that said, Legacy of Steel tells a very self-contained story. Certainly, you’ll get a lot more out of it if you read Legacy of Ash (and I’d certainly recommend you do so), but newcomers should be able to dive right into Legacy of Steel and not feel lost.
(This is probably a holdover from my teenage years where my local library could be relied upon to have strange gaps – normally starting with ‘Book One’ of any given series. It was years before I finally read the Scions of Shannara – I started with The Elf Queen of Shannara, which I don’t recommend as an onboarding point.)
A Tale Waiting to Be Told
“It takes courage to grow beyond the past.”
So what else can I say without breaking my ‘no spoilers’ promise?
First of all, you’re going to see a lot more of the world, with glimpses into the realms bordering the Tressian Republic. We’ll see a little more of the internal workings of the Hadari Empire, and answer some pivotal mysteries from the first book (yes, including that one).
With the gods involved, there are more peculiar creatures stalking the world, as well as magic pressed to fair means and foul. We’ll bid farewell to some old characters, and welcome one or two new ones …
… that is, assuming anyone survives what’s coming.
I hope you’ll join me in finding out.
Legacy of Steel is available on November 3rd (USA) and November 5th (UK). Legacy of Ash is available now from all good bookstores. Skip the queues by ordering your copies using the links below.
Follow @thetowerofstars on Twitter for more news, updates and ephemera about the Legacy Trilogy.
LEGACY OF ASH (available now)
A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.
Ruling families plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives, heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire.
The Republic faces its darkest hour. Yet as Tressia falls, heroes rise.
‘A hugely entertaining debut’ John Gwynne
LEGACY OF STEEL (pre-order)
A year has passed since an unlikely alliance saved the Tressian Republic from fire and darkness – at great cost. Thousands perished, and Viktor Akadra – the Republic’s champion – has disappeared.
While the ruling council struggles to mend old wounds, other factions sense opportunity. The insidious Parliament of Crows schemes in the shadows, while to the east the Hadari Emperor gathers his armies. As turmoil spreads across the Republic, its ripples are felt in the realms of the divine.
War is coming… and this time the gods themselves will take sides
