The Legion of the Lost (The Spellbinders and The Gunslingers #3), by Joseph John Lee
29 Jun 2024The Book
![The Legion of the Lost](https://cdn.jamreads.com/images/a992cd9b-6657-406b-9d6c-51fbaf73c666.jpg)
Synopsis:
All gods bleed.
All gods die.
Even those of our own making.
The flames of war have left a scar through the Heart of the Land, and its once-pristine landscapes have been stained with divine blood. After a battle that has cast a shadow larger than anything the Tribes have ever seen, who memory permits to endure shall be determined by the hand to pen the tale, and for whom it may be penned:
For Kamataa, who continues her centuries-long search for revenge, regardless of the cost.
For Tez, who must find her place after being stripped of her greatest talent.
For Aritz, who will stop at nothing to complete his conquest, and at any means necessary.
And for Sen, who must rise above her gravest mistakes to carve a path for her people.
But whether for friend or foe, memory shall ever remain a fickle thing, but it shall not forget the Harvests . . . and the legion who survived them.
My Review
The Legion of the Lost is the third and final novel in the historical fantasy series The Spellbinders and The Gunslingers series, written by Joseph John Lee. This book means the closing point to the excellent story inspired by colonization, portraying how the indigenous voices struggle to not be annihilated, while it shows the extent of Aritz's ambition, who won't stop against anything to reach his goals.
The tribes, and even their gods, are losing this war and getting exterminated by the invaders; Aritz is close to get the glory he has always craved, and with the help of Kamataa, the victory is inevitable.
Sen is struggling with her own guilt feeling, but she needs to overcome it if she wants to give some hope to the remaining survivors of the tribes; she also wants revenge against Kamataa, but destiny will put in front of her difficult decisions.
Probably we have the darkest book in the whole series, as Lee is not afraid of bringing uncomfortable themes to the table that are even relevant today, such as the suppression of native inhabitants and the genocide that many times is attached to the conquest process in the name of progress.
We get to explore much of Aritz's past through the interludes, completing that portrait of an ambitious and power craving man, who can be manipulated to execute the worst actions if he is convinced that it will take him closer to his final goal. He aims to create a legacy, to inscribe his name into history books, and to become immortal with his acts in the eyes of other men. In that particular aspect, we can see how Kamataa craftily plays her cards to manipulate Aritz, executing her vengeance through the devastation brought by the own conquerors.
I don't really want to enter into spoilers, but I find this book to be the most emotionally impactful of the three, as it is the culmination of a story whose end we might have guessed, but that doesn't make it less painful to spectate it. Lee's prose only enhances the gravity of the events of the book, creating many memorable phrases and moments that fit perfectly the nature of the story.
The Legion of the Lost is the ending needed by this historical fantasy series, the culmination brought by the events of the two previous books; a dark and impactful book that elevates The Spellbinders and The Gunslingers series to a must-read status if you want to read an excellent historical inspired fantasy series which is not afraid to tell the POV of the losers. Can't wait to read what Joseph John Lee will write in the future, but definitely this series has become one of my favourite ones.
The Author/s
![Joseph John Lee](https://cdn.jamreads.com/images/8c8a8ae6-43c3-46e0-9e75-57b726b1e60f.jpg)
Joseph John Lee
I am an author of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and whatever other strokes of creative genius (“genius” is a relative term, I guess) come to me at the time.
I was born November 14, 1991 in Attleboro, Massachusetts and have never set foot in that town since. I’ve lived most of my life in or near Boston (as I do currently with my fiance, our imaginary dog, and our robot vacuum who we named Crumb), except for the years when I didn’t. I’ve also lived in Scotland, a fact I use as party tricks that don’t particularly go anywhere. I’m great at socializing.
I’m something of a lapsed academic. I originally pursued a career in academia, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and two Master of Science degrees from the University of Edinburgh - one in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies; and the other in Religious Studies - before I realized that the life of an academic scholar was not for me. (Burnouts will do that to a guy.)
That being said, I enjoy integrating historical study into my own fictional writing that still creates a tapestry of my historical interests - just with more fireballs and less syphilis.
My literary influences include Brandon Sanderson, John Gwynne, Joe Abercrombie, Yoko Taro, Tetsuya Takahashi, and others. I’m as much drawn to huge, epic fantasy as I am to more grounded, grimdark settings.
Outside of my own writing, I am an avid reader (duh) and gamer, a certified Simpsons quote machine, a bad hiker, and either a happy or miserable Red Sox fan, varying from season to season. I spend too much time looking at dog accounts on Instagram.
If anyone’s looking to start a Wikipedia page for me, this should be enough to get you started.