Legacy

Baldwin's Legacy, Book 6

By: Nathan Hystad

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

New allies. New enemies. New life.

Admiral Thomas Baldwin has more to live for after the recent news. All eyes are on him as the biggest war in Concord Space history begins in earnest.

Captain Treena Starling is sent to stop High Elder Wylen's allies from wreaking havoc on their already weakened partners.

Ven Ittix is torn between his people and the Concord, and is offered something he could never have imagined.

Lark Keen makes a decision that will affect the outcome of the Concord forever.

Legacy is the end of an era. But to many, it's just the beginning....

©2020 Nathan Hystad (P)2021 Tantor

Legacy, another great addition to the Baldwin series

Nathan Hystad did it again!! This is an excellent and exciting continuation of this Baldwin series.!’
The characters already deep have continued to grow. There’s a lot of action, twists and turns and drama some romance without any gratuitous sex,

The descriptions if locations and action are vivid and the ending is really satisfying!

The narration was superb the performer brought all the characters snd action alive.

Exceptional End to Sensational Series!!

Legacy is the final book in the series, and sees the end game of High Elder Wylen’s plans, bringing together decades of careful planning to bring down the Concord, and place himself and the Ugna as the leaders of the 40+ worlds of the Concord and its people. This is a book that is not only brings together all the storylines we have been reading in the other books, but it also delves into what it really means to have a name, to be part of a ‘Family Legacy’, such as the Baldwin Legend, and what that entails. But it is not just Baldwin that is part of this tales Legacy, there are several other characters that are a part of the focus for the ‘Legacy’ that this book is named for. I am not going to give away spoilers and list them, you will have to read the book and find out who the others are. Some are very obvious, some not so much, and makes for an intriguing ending to this tale.
This final chapter in the series is one of intrigue and mystery as you watch all the different pieces start to both unravel and come together, and it is fascinating watch the final chess pieces of High Elder Wylen’s plan, one he has been cultivating for decades (much like a dedicated Sith Lord), to bring about the downfall of the Concord.
There are some interesting links in this story to the Star Wars Saga, the Ugna and their psionic abilities being similar in nature to force users, only drawing on the ‘Vastness’ instead of the ‘Force’, and Wylen has a lot in common with Palpatine. Ven however, is a lot different to Luke, in that although he was kept away from Wylen, like Luke from Palpatine, he was trained from an early age, and given the knowledge he needed to defeat the High Elder.
There is another link in this story to the saga, but I really don’t want to give away spoilers, for those that know the Star Wars Saga, especially the latest trilogy, you might see it in the later stages of the book.
Overall though, Hystad has done a far better job of creating his story than the Star Wars series, there are not as many plot holes, and the flow of the story is just so much better, his heroes, Baldwin, Ven, Rene, the Daak Twins, Starling etc are all so much more believable and likeable. Even the enemies, Wylen, Lark (especially Lark, who is just such an exceptional character, willing to do anything not just for him, but for his family. He is so true to himself and his beliefs, all the way through the series, he is just brilliant), and various others, such as elements of those from Earth, and Wylen’s Ugna, are just brilliant. Wylen is so sinister, so evil, and yet, so cunning, so manipulative, so clever, he is stunning as the evil High Elder no one sees coming, until it is far too late. He has every aspect of things planned out, and this is done with such perfection, given his intelligence, and the years of planning, and it makes for a gripping story with a lot of twists and intrigue that leaves you utterly enthralled.
As with the other books, Baldwin’s brilliance is in his ability to cause chaos, through his capacity to bring out the best in those around him, and turn situations that should be utter defeats, into glorious victories that no one could imagine possible – he is the true wild card in any battle. Supported by some of the best people in the Concord, not only on his own ship, Baldwin again at the helm of the aptly named ‘Legacy’, but with the crews of the ‘Constantine’ and the ‘Shu’ to support him. The other extraordinary character, (and surprise), is Constantine, Tom’s Grandfather, who is actually dead, but his memories, and to some extent, his essence, has been captured in a computer and reproduced as a ‘holographic’ representation of him. Whilst the character is meant to be a dumbed down version, it isn’t, actually being more like the real person, and thus the interactions between him, and his Grandson, as well as the crew, are both fascinating, and enthralling. Constantine is easily one of my favourites, and his story is just riveting.
One of the things I have really loved in this book, and this series has been Hystad’s use of imagery and symbolism to bring his story alive. No matter where his characters are standing, there is always this breathtaking and stunning image painted for us, so that we are transported to the location that the characters are in, so that you are really immersed in the story. Hystad’s world building has reached whole new levels with things like ‘The Code’, the guiding principles of the Concord, in which Hystad has gone and written dozens of very powerful and meaningful symbolic ideological values that were originally created by the four founding members of the Concord. It is this depth of world-building that really elevates this story so far above the standard space opera, and lets you really engage with the story, to a degree that this could easily be compared to the Star Trek Universe, and hold its own.
Legacy is such a fitting name for this book, as I previously stated, it is perfect for the Baldwin story, as well as other characters (Such as the inspired story of Treena Starling!), but it is also about the Legacy of the Concord, the Ugna, and this series. Legacy is such a fitting name, as this series is going to be a Legacy of Hystad’s work as it is just such a masterful piece of Mil Sci-Fi/Space Opera. From the moment you start reading or listening, Hystad takes hold of you, and doesn’t let go.
If you love a good character driven story, Sci-Fi, Star Trek, or ‘The Orville’, then you have to read (or listen), to this series, as it is one of the best Mil Sci-Fi I have read, I just wish that there were more books!
James Patrick Cronin is a wonderful Narrator, just an absolute pleasure to listen to. He has a wonderful voice that is clear and concise, and is one you can listen to for hours on end without getting tired of his voice. He does a great job of creating each of the main characters, both male and female voices, so that you can easily distinguish them. Each character gets their own voice so that you can clearly distinguish them. Cronin does a wonderful job of really bringing the characters to life, providing them with emotions so that you know how they are feeling, not just reading the story. He really makes you feel each of the characters, so that you can understand their stories, and it makes the Narration just so much better. Cronin is masterful at Narrating, and makes this just so good to listen to, this is an experience, not just an audiobook, and it is so much better than just reading the book!!