Legacy

Thomas E. Sniegoski's LEGACY tells of a deadbeat father who is a superhero and the discovery of a teen who has to choose between a father who's never been a part of his life and his comfortable life as a high school dropout and auto mechanic. His involvement in his father's 'heroic' behaviors will change his life and cause him to re-examine differences between good intentions and evil deeds in this winner.

Seraph City is crumbling. Masked criminals are running rampant, wreaking havoc on innocent people. Superheroes are few and far between, especially since the Raptor hung up his cape. 18-year-old Lucas Moore is far removed from this life. Lucas, a high school drop-out, is content working as an auto mechanic at Big Lou's Gas Up and Go, but there is much more in store for this young man. A wealthy billionaire, Clayton Hartwell, reveals himself to Lucas as his biological father. Lucas is stunned that after eighteen years his father would finally attempt to track him down, let alone him being THE Clayton Hartwell. Hartwell also reveals a secret - a secret that leads to a legacy - a legacy that Lucas will be forced to accept, whether he likes it or not. I have always been a fan of comic book lore, so I was glad that I got my hands on LEGACY. It is your basic good versus evil story, with a few twists and turns thrown in for good measure. The superheroes are trying to overthrow the bad guys, but eventually, that line becomes blurred. Where does good stop and evil start? Why would someone cross that line? All of these questions are answered, and so much more. The ending left me wanting more, so I hope that many sequels will follow! Reviewed by: LadyJay

Finding an enjoyable superhero fiction book that's good is a challenge. But Tom S hits the bulls-eye with this page-turner right off the bat. He instantly creates a closeness with the hero and characters, creating a believable scenario, city, bad guys and love. Easy reading by a master.

Legacy by Tom Sniegoski explores good and evil and that murky gray area in-between. At the age of 18, Lucas, a high school dropout learns that his estranged, dying father is a superhero - and expects his son to take up his mantle. Lucas is understandably reluctant to do so, not only because the world of superheroes (and villains) is so different from his own, but because he doesn't want to connect with his deadbeat dad. He's never been there for Lucas before -- why should Lucas be there for him now? Meanwhile, Lucas is content with his life as an auto mechanic, and while he's not lazy or ignorant, he doesn't really have any aspirations to do more or less than what he's already doing. These universal themes transcend the sci-fi aspect of the story and will pull in readers who like stories about family struggles and characters who feel lost after high school, while the superhero storyline will attract those after action and adventure, good guys versus bad guys, and climatic showdowns. Tom Sniegoski always does a great job with reluctant heroes, especially those who are teenaged. There's a lot of shaky ground you have to navigate when you're stuck in that limbo period when you're not a kid any more but you don't feel like an adult yet. In Legacy, Sniegoski uses that to his advantage, contrasting Lucas' admittedly dead-end but comfortable life and lack of motivation with that of his father, an ailing billionaire who is secretly acting as a vigilante superhero known as the Raptor. If you enjoyed Sniegoski's previous books, especially The Fallen books, you should definitely check out Legacy.