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Legacy of Ash

Book One of the Legacy Trilogy

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Legacy of Ash

By: Matthew Ward
Narrated by: Suzannah Hampton
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'A hugely entertaining debut' John Gwynne

'Epic fantasy as it should be; big, bold and very addictive' Starburst

'A great romp in a brilliantly realised setting . . . I have lost sleep, forgotten food and made this the thing I pick up every moment I can get' SFFWorld

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.

Game of Thrones meets the Last Kingdom in Matthew Ward's Legacy of Ash - an unmissable epic fantasy debut of vicious intrigue, ancient magic and the eternal clash of empires.

'Incredible action scenes' Fantasy Hive

'Magnificent and epic' Grimdark magazine

'An impressive series opener' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Legacy Trilogy
Legacy of Ash
Legacy of Steel (November '20)
Legacy Book Three (August '21)©2019 Matthew Ward Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Military
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Legacy of Steel cover art
Legacy of Steel By: Matthew Ward

Critic reviews

A hugely entertaining debut (John Gwynne)
Epic fantasy as it should be; big, bold and very addictive
An incredibly impressive piece of fantasy fiction (The Fantasy Inn)
Rivals Brandon Sanderson's Words of Radiance. It's really good
Packed with big battles, shadowy intrigue and a large cast of characters, Legacy of Ash is an absorbing debut (James Islington)
[An] excellent debut
This is the first epic fantasy book I've enjoying getting immersed in for ages . . . a great romp in a brilliantly realised setting . . . I have lost sleep, forgotten food and made this the thing I pick up every moment I can get (SFFWorld)
A perfect blend of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom
Absolutely incredible action scenes . . . so freaking epic
Vivid action sequences . . . an impressive series opener
Intrigue, betrayal, and massive bloody battles . . . reading heaven
Epic in scale and complexity
A monumental fantasy achievement . . . It will leave you stunned and wanting much, much more
A perfect example of modern epic fantasy
Brings back that feeling of excitement fantasy readers felt when discovering masters like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis . . .
A grand tale of intrigue and battle
An expertly crafted fantasy tale . . . incredibly compelling
All stars
Most relevant
This was a very hard book to get into, which wasn't helped by the narration. Unfortunately, I do not think Suzannah Hampton was the right narrator for this particular trilogy as the voice was low and flat and the characters' names seem to all blend into one, which was confusing with so many characters. If you can persevere and stay with it, the story itself was pretty good.

Phoenix of Prophecy

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the narrator has a very low sound level when in discriptive mode. Then jumps to way to loud in conversation and action sequences

bad production

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That was a ride and a half. Kept my interest right to the end. Thought the author had written herself into a corner but no nothing like removing the walls to free oneself. Excellent book.

Very Good

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struggled to get in to the story, not the best choice of narrator. performance was a bit flat and I struggled to pay attention. real shame as I thought I'd enjoy it and haven't been able to finish it

not the best narrator

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Ah, and it's just as good as a reread than it was the first time around.

Legacy of Ash has everything I could want from a fantasy novel. A well-developed world with distinctive locations, history, and culture. Characters that feel believable, who make mistakes and hurt those they love even when they try and do the right thing. Countries at war, with neither one being better than the other. It is twisty and political with some of the most horrible characters playing games that entangle everyone around them. And the magic! The magic system is vast and yet it also makes sense to the reader.

Matthew Ward has written a masterpiece. This book is long, a whole 28 hours in audio, but every word of it is worth it.

An outstanding start to a series.

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