Caffeinated Reviewer

Please give Sophia Rose a warm welcome as she shares the space opera, I Was Legion by Evan Currie, narrated by Shawn Compton. Political intrigue, dashing action, and a cunning cast of characters await you….

Earth is not the cradle of humanity. It is the Throne.

Almost 400 years the Terran Imperium has languished, an Empire in name only. The young colonies exploded out of the Diaspora Era, supplanting the homeworld in importance as they left a broken world in their wake. Earth's people, guided by the Conwin line, have clawed and climbed from the darkness left the night the lights went out. They built and rebuilt the weary and weakened world they inherited, even when it seemed bent on killing them from sheer spite.
For the new generation, such as Young Eryn Aubrey, a new day seems set to dawn with the Empress' Tri-Centennial surprise announcement of hope and empowerment to the people. There are others, however, who are not nearly so enthused with what The Conwin has to say.
The Empire is a sleeping giant, goaded awake amidst tragedy, betrayal, and the machinations of conspiracy.
Loyalties will be tested, oaths broken, and bonds reforged. And into the galaxy a confused, angry, woken giant is set loose upon those long used to mocking its existence.

Sophia Rose’s Review

Space Opera full of political intrigue, dashing action, cunning cast of characters, and a sci-fi world that is stellar is exactly what I was looking for when I happened upon Evan Currie’s Imperium of Terra series.  I’ve had my eye on this author for some time so was tickled to come across this new series start.  I happily strapped in and got ready for a ride to the stars.

I Was Legion introduces a galaxy that expands out from old earth into the surrounding galaxy, where colonies were formed after earth started wearing out. The brightest, the best, and the most useful resources were carted off world leaving the dregs. But earth didn’t die. An empire formed and a powerful family led it until a revitalized earth starts to shine through the tarnish.

Change is in the air. The galaxy has been worked like a chessboard so that the time is ripe for a hidden power to come out of the shadows and break down the old ways including the empress, her Legionnaires, and those who would live free.

Eyrn is a new Legionnaire and his first big assignment is to guard the empress’ youngest daughter, Jinsha. As they are out enjoying the royal festival, all hell breaks loose. He sees the Legion get mowed down, and those he thought were the empress’ most loyal take her out. It is his job to keep the last remaining free royal from capture.  It is a mad race to stay ahead of the disloyal nobles, the military, and his former Legionnaire mentor. But, Eyrn is untried and Jin is sheltered. How can they possibly stay in the wind?

I Was Legion launches into quite the action-packed and intense storyline that grabs the interest and doesn’t let go.  It went by quickly, and I had no desire to stop listening once I got started. It was utterly familiar in feel and it was not long before I realized it gave more than a subtle nod to Star Wars right down to swords made of light energy, a princess on the run, and a youthful hero who must battle his former mentor. But, that said, it had its own storyline and plenty of original world-building going on.

There wasn’t much time given to character development- at least at this point- with the focus being on the opening salvo of action and introduction to the world and the series. That said, I like what I’ve seen so far of Eyrn, Jin, and a few other colorful secondary characters, especially Jan and the enigmatic villain Sylban.

Shawn Compton did the narration work, and I thought he voiced the book so that it engaged me from the start. His Eyrn and Jin voices were pretty good, and he did the older male voices even better. He narrated rather than voice acted the dramatic scenes, so he let the words of the book speak for themselves. I hope he is the series narrator.

So, all in all, this was a bang up start to a series and well worth my earlier enthusiasm to try the author’s writing. Those who enjoy military space opera with all the descriptions of ships, weaponry, military tactics and jargon will probably enjoy it the most. However, with the political intrigue and variety of sci-fi settings along with compelling characters, the broader sci-fi crowd will also do well to pick this one up.

Amazon | Audible

About Evan Currie

van is a Canadian author who has been writing both original and fan fiction works for more than a decade, and finally decided to make the jump to self-publishing with his techno-thriller "Thermals." Since then, Evan has turned out novels in the Silver Wings series, the Odyssey One series, and the first book in an alternate history series set during the height of the Roman Era. From ancient Rome to the far flung future, Evan enjoys exploring the possibilities inherent when you change technology or culture.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

About Shawn Compton

Shawn Compton is a professional voice actor and audiobook narrator. He is also a seventeen-year veteran of the Air Force, and has a strong creative background from which to draw inspiration for his narration.

Twitter | Facebook

About Sophia Rose

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Twitter | Goodreads

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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