An act of defiance that sows the seeds of rebellion. A man long gone from home, returned with foreign weapons and skills. A young woman possessing otherworldly blood and visions of the unknown. These are the elements which will throw the land of Sileria, a hostile and unwelcoming island nation made up of feuding, disparate ethnic elements, into utter chaos, and revolution against the decadent Valdani, who are but the latest people to hold proud Sileria under their thumb. A thousand years of Outlander control is about to be challenged, and it all starts with simple acts, and long-held prophecies.

Mirabar is a Guardian, part of an outlawed yet indispensable cult which uses fire to contact the Otherworld, and speak with the dead. Her fire-colored hair marks her as demon-blooded, outcast and distrusted even among her few friends. Plagued with visions of the future and contacted by enigmatic manifestations of what might be a god or long-dead hero, she is given a task to see a prophecy fulfilled.

Tansen, though one of the clannish and stubborn shillah, has returned to his homeland after years away, in the garb of a Moorlander and carrying the swords of a Kintish warrior, marking him as a truly dangerous man. Unwilling to surrender his weapons, unable to surrender, he comes under the scrutiny of the local Valdani commander, a man by the name of Koroll, who sees in this strange man the opportunity to rid himself of another problem.

Josarian, also of the shillah, is a man for whom the breaking point meant no longer giving in to the Valdani. Killing two of their Outlookers while on a routine black marketeering mission, he becomes an outlaw overnight, and soon parlays that status into something of a folk hero, a guerrilla fighter dedicated to nothing less than driving the Valdani out once and for all.

Sent to kill Josarian, Tansen swiftly chooses to switch loyalties, siding with his race over the unwanted Valdani. And when the two unite, they become the figureheads of a swiftly-growing movement born of vengeance and liberation. If they can unite the scattered peoples of Sileria: the mountain-dwelling shallaheen, the aristocratic toreni, the suspicious Guardians, the mighty and arrogant wizards of the Water Society, the lowlanders, and the seafolk, they just might stand a chance against the Valdani Empire, which now fights a war on several fronts and has little time or patience for the Silerian uprising.

As the story unfolds, the rebellion grows and the stakes rise. Can the disparate elements of the uprising stand together long enough to drive the Valdani out, or will infighting, treachery, long-held hatreds and distrust rend them asunder first? Jealousy will threaten Josarian; vengeance will threaten Tansen. And love will bind Mirabar to one of them, but not in the way anyone expects. And someone will undergo the ultimate test of faith, devotion, and sacrifice to fulfill a prophecy and become the instrument of a jealous goddess. But what happens when the long-awaited leader of prophecy has been dead for years?

In Legend Born weaves together a dozen different threads to tell a truly epic story of a land oppressed, a people in revolt, and would-be heroes caught up in the middle. Love, treachery, loyalty, honor, vengeance and betrayal form the basis for a story in which one man can make a difference, but it’ll take an army to make a lasting change. Sprawling, beautiful, and complex, it presents three-dimensional characters with true strength and damning flaws. Mistakes of the past will come back to haunt some, fear of the future will guide others, and only the desire to see their land free will unite them all. Picking up the pace as it proceeds, In Legend Born ends in a gripping climax that leaves no one untouched, and the way open for more tales told in this world.

While highly recommended, the book does come with this caveat: pay attention. It’s easy to get characters confused, as many of the Valdani have similar names, as do the Silerians. While these names are often indicative of their particular ethnicity or allegiance, it makes it sometimes hard to remember who’s who. That, and a constantly changing set of loyalties mixed with multi-leveled plots and conspiracies and agreements makes this book somewhat on the dense side. Plotted on a wide scale, though, it delivers a fascinating and entertaining story that will appeal to anyone who likes widescreen fantasy mixed with the Byzantine politics of such a mixed alliance. Give this one a shot.