Book Review: Legacy – Author JG Faherty

LEGACY
By JG Faherty
Samhain Publishing
71 Pages

Sean Black is not your ordinary, regular, everyday teen growing up in a small town of New Hope, Massachusetts. As ominous, debilitating nightmares of a Lovecraftian type creature devour his rest each night, he struggles to cope within the day light hours. As an impending storm threatens to descend upon the sleepy town he begins to sense his nightmares have begun to eclipse into reality.

Legacy is the latest supernatural themed horror from author JG Faherty. To read Faherty is to immediately become addicted, ravenously consuming one release after another. For those brand new to his efforts, be forewarned there is no turning back and you may wish to sock away a little extra cash for your electric bill from sleeping with the lights on.

Written in first person point of view we get to know main character Sean Black almost instantaneously. Those of us who have felt alienated or a sense of isolation in high school will no question relate to his conundrum. A sense of empathy is reinforced as we get behind his character and vicariously hope he triumphs in his misadventures, righting all of our own personal wrongs.

Reading for many of us is an escape. We search for realms and people who are much like us with seemingly insurmountable conflict and rally for their victories. The supernatural twist is crafted in such stylistic fashion that it seems conceivable to transpire as far-fetched as it seems on the surface.

Faherty’s descriptions of the macabre beckons each of our senses and our imagination directly into the fray of action. Our sense of sight, sound and smell evoke a realistic sense of dreadful unease and apocalyptic type ruin. The nightmares breath a life of their own into our subconscious, making this a certifiable page turner from beginning to end.

The interpersonal relationship between Sean and childhood crush Melissa is heartfelt and accentuates the believability aspects of the tale. As a third party we can clearly see the two belong together and root for Sean’s blundering ways. The subtext or theme of teen alienation will appeal to a mass market and the author has chosen his foundations wisely.

As nightmares begin to eclipse reality some of the visions suffered by young Sean (such as the Latin passages of the unknown creatures) enhance the terror aspects of the plot. The conflict of man vs. supernatural is forever manifesting page by page.

The varying settings in New Hope provide an interlude from the constant unease. A picturesque blue print unravels in our subconscious as we sense something big is coming yet we’re captivated with the beauty around us.

Within the library some exposition provides insight into the history of Sean’s plight. Exposition can be a crafty devil and in some cases can distract from the here and now of a consistently paced plot. Faherty seems to manage it with ease however carefully blending historical circumstances with the tone of the present.

The final act that transpires with Sean’s knowledge of his roots is creepy of an epic proportion. Faherty once again deploys a magical tale that will challenge your beliefs and make this novella a conversational piece among fans of terror for years to come.