Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Graphic adaptation of popular sci-fi novel seems oddly flat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Perpetually at war with its neighbors, the Colonies, the Republic of America needs young military leaders just like 15-year-old June. A genuine prodigy, June is obedient and committed to her country. But when her beloved brother is killed, she begins to question what she's been taught. When she meets Day, the Republic's most-wanted criminal, she begins to see the brutality of the regime to which she's devoted her life.
Is It Any Good?
Legend was not a novel that lends itself easily to adaptation as a graphic novel. There's plenty of action in LEGEND: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, but the incidents and the characters somehow seem disconnected from each other. Divorced from Lu's prose, the adapted dialogue seems stiff. The manga-influenced artwork by Kaari does depict action scenes with clarity and style, but the story's quieter moments don't always ring true. Fans of the novels may enjoy this adaptation, but readers eager to explore Lu's futuristic setting would be better off starting with the original books.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why dystopian visions of the future are so prevalent in books and movies. What's so compelling about that kind of a society?
If you've read Legend in novel form, how do you think the graphic novel compares? Do you like it as much?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Kaari
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Publication date : April 21, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 160
- Available on : Paperback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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