I don’t listen to audiobooks. Often. I should say “often,” because every once in a while, an audiobook will catch my attention, and I will listen to the entire thing. Legion by Brandon Sanderson was one of these books. The audiobook for Legion is actually three books in one, but the transitions are seamless enough that it feels like one book. My review for the audiobook isn’t very long, but if I were to ever buy an audiobook, instead of look on the library website, Legion is one I’d like to own. I could see myself listening to it again.
My Thoughts on Legion by Brandon Sanderson
“Stephen isn’t insane. His hallucinations are.”
This is how the story begins of Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds. Stephen has the ability to learn and retain vast amounts of information, simply by reading a book or watching a film. This information is stored in his subconscious, as “Aspects.” These aspects of Stephen’s personality embody the information, and Stephen can “imagine” them in order to access the information they retain.
No one else can see these aspects, but Stephen talks to them and interacts with them, as he would with any real human being. Because he has such a unique skill set, and has access to enormous stores of information, scientists the world over want to study him and interview him. In order to avoid being a lab rat, Stephen has charged more and more money over the years, all of which has been paid no problem, so now Stephen is enormously wealthy. He has to be, in order to afford the house that holds all his subconscious aspects. They each have a different personality, so require their own space.
Audiobook vs. Physical Book
Sounds cool, right? I agree. This book was awesome. The audiobook I listened to was 3 different stories in one, so I didn’t have to wait for the next story. The narrator of the audio book was AWESOME. When he read as a woman, I could only barely tell he was speaking in falsetto, and when he read as each different man, his voice changed so much it was impossible to tell it was the same person reading. Anyone with a smidgen of psychology knowledge will be fascinated with this unique take on schizophrenia and identity disorders.
The story is told at a fast enough pace that I never felt bogged down, but the author used enough description that I knew where the story was at all times. I never felt lost, unless I tuned out the story. Listening at work isn’t always the best idea. But I rewound, and got caught up in just a few seconds. Listening to an audio book also helped me catch the emotion of the book. It felt real. I didn’t have to use as much of my imagination to figure out what each character sounds like. The narrator did that for me, and DANG did he do a good job!
Conclusion
I’m a psychology major, so books like Legion by Brandon Sanderson are totally in my wheelhouse. I love reading them, I love reviewing them, and I love sharing about them. If you have a psychological thriller that you think I might enjoy, please drop a note below! I’d love to hear your thoughts. I also want to know if you’ve read this or listened to it. What did you think? If you’re pickier than me when it comes to books, introduce yourself! I’m pretty picky about what I spend my time reading or listening to, so I need people like you in my life!
Until Next Time, Friends!
