Legion

Stephen Leeds, a man with multiple personalities which he can harness to help him with various aspects of his life, has to locate a missing scientist who holds the key to seeing back into the past. Even though he knows his additional personalities aren’t real, he is able to see and speak with them. My favourite personality was definitely J.C., a Rambo-type character who is convinced he is a real person. Others range from a psychiatrist and a philosopher to a quickly generated Hebrew interpreter. The snappy dialogue made this come alive for me, the personalities don’t always get along, and some get along too well!

The Emperor’s Soul

Shai is a Forger, an artisan who has the ability to change the very nature of objects into other versions of themselves. She is caught stealing a painting and in return for her freedom, she has to create a new soul for the Emperor Ashravan who has been deprived of consciousness by an assassin. She has to work out the motives of those who hold her captive, while creating the perfect replacement soul and devising an escape plan – and all in less than 100 days…

I love Shai’s integrity and her refusal to be compromised. I also enjoyed getting a deep look into the Emperor and finding out what made him who he was.

There is a wealth of ideas in this novella, ranging from a truly awful Bloodsealer to the way that the essence of things can be changed. This novella is set in Sel, which is where Elantris is set. I shall definitely track a copy down!