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The Wizard's Legacy

Ashley Simmons
Outskirts Press (2008)
ISBN 9781432720902
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (11/08)

“The Wizard’s Legacy” by Ashley Simmons is one of the best fantasy books that I have read in some time.  I was instantly hooked in the first few pages of the book and stayed up many late nights reading because I couldn’t find a place that I wanted to stop and put the book down.  The storyline flows very smoothly from start to finish and there is never a dull moment.

The book begins in the village of Sandmier on a stormy night with a knock on the door of Jonas and Thesa’s crude little house.  At the door is a pregnant woman who is in labor.  She gives birth to twins, a boy and girl whom she names Dev and Kylea respectfully.  Knowing that she is not going to survive because of loss of blood, she begs Jonas and Thesa to raise the children as if they were their own.  She also tells them that in her cloak there is a letter for the children from their father and to give it to them when the time is right. 

When they are older, goblins attack and destroy their home.  The twins arrive back just in time for a wounded and dying Jonas to inform them about the letter, and to tell them to seek out their real father’s memory at Wheladon.  After burying Jonas, they head out toward Wheladon and along the way they meet a gnome named Talnik, whom their real father asked to watch over them.  They are told that their father was the wizard Pafrourk and that he had fathered them after he was dead.  Pafrourk had died while trying to defeat Zolun, an evil demon who was trying to destroy the King and all of his followers.  With Talnik, they embark on a journey down “a dangerous road in search of a legacy neither one is prepared for.  Along the way they must face challenges that will test the bond between them to its very limits.”

The characters in the book, especially Dev and Kylea, are extremely well developed.  It was very interesting to be along on the journey to witness their emotional struggles and their resulting personal growth.  Simmons’ well-thought out characters are the foundation of what makes this book great, and the rest of the story falls neatly into place around them.  “The Wizard’s Legacy” is a must-read for any lover of the fantasy genre.  Ashley Simmons’s work is very intriguing, and I will definitely be watching for more books from her in the future.

    

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