The Man of Legends
Fiction
47North
July 1, 2017
Kindle Edition
428
June 25, 2017
“Johnson takes a big gamble by telling such a complex tale invoking every genre imaginable while juggling distinct and deep characterizations. The bet pays off, resulting in a story that will be popular with book clubs and fun to discuss.” —Associated Press
New York City, New Year’s weekend, 2001. Jillian Guthrie, a troubled young journalist, stumbles onto a tantalizing mystery: the same man, unaged, stands alongside Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and Gandhi in three different photographs spanning eighty-five years of history.
In another part of town, Will—an enigmatic thirty-three-year-old of immense charm, wit, and intelligence—looks forward to the new year with hope and trepidation. Haunted by his secret past and shadowed by a dangerous stranger, he finds himself the object of an intense manhunt spearheaded by an ambitious Vatican emissary and an elderly former UN envoy named Hanna.
During the next forty-eight hours, a catastrophic event unites Will, Jillian, and Hanna—and puts them in the crosshairs of a centuries-old international conspiracy. Together, the three must unravel an ancient curse that stretches back two millennia and beyond, and face a primal evil that threatens their lives and thousands more.
Award-winning science-fiction mastermind Kenneth Johnson blends epic adventure, romance, and evocative drama into an intense supernatural thriller rooted in one of the great untold legends of human history.
I was utterly absorbed in this novel by Kenneth C. Johnson. From cover to cover, I was fully engaged. The storyline was utterly original, and it was written in a way to make it quite compelling!
The storyline bounces between current day New York City and other historical moments, including during the time of Christ. With a plethora of characters, each with their own agenda, the man of legends only has two days to prevent a catastrophic event from taking place. And wouldn’t you know it, but the antagonist seems to be holding all the cards.
I was hooked by the end of the first chapter, but it took several more chapters before we find out who the man of legends is, and why he still is. Once that is know, the story takes on an entirely different level of interest. At least it did for me.
The characters were great! The dialogue was great! Even the description was great and not overdone.
I can see myself going back and giving this a second read – it was that good!
