Legacy by Chris Coppel
Craig Edmonds and his young family are awoken at 2 AM by someone banging at their front door. On their doorstep they find an unexpected delivery… a large crate with a generic label addressed to his family.
Their remote house, the lateness of the hour, the unexpectedness of the delivery… something feels wrong to Craig, a sheriff in the high desert of southern Utah. It has taken him years to recover from the psychological trauma he’d undergone as an elite Marine sniper, but his life was now simple and complete.
But then he opens the crate to discover an intricately carved wooden mirror. Now Craig must fight an enemy far worse than any he’d encountered in the Middle East. Only this time he is battling against time and the embodiment of evil in a desperate attempt to save his family. His mission will take him twenty five years into the past and six thousand miles from home in order to defeat the reanimation of a 16th century English witch in this spine-chilling time travelling horror.
4 out of 4 star review: ‘An amazing suspense thriller’ ~ A strange and fascinating tale “Have you ever wondered why there are so many missing person reports in the world? Why do so many disappearances end up being mysteries that turn into cold cases, with no evidence? It is as if the missing person just vanishes into thin air. Everyone’s first thoughts are serial killers, but what if there was a different explanation? In Legacy by Chis Coppel, these unexplainable disappearances seem to have a very likely explanation.
This fictional novel is written about how Craig Edmond's simple, predictable, and family-oriented life is turned upside down, starting with a 2 AM delivery of a mysterious package, that is then followed by a series of unexplainable events, that causes Craig to challenge his logical way of thinking and to start considering alternative realms that can impact Earth and the Laws of Physics.
Craig, a small-town sheriff, is presented with a problem that is unlike anything else he has ever encountered. He now has to overcome his internal demons from his childhood and his PTSD, which are a result of his years as a Marine sniper, in order to save his family. He puts his trust in an old Native American Indian man, Ahote, and a team of special forces, who themselves are left wondering if Craig has what it takes to complete a difficult and almost impossible mission.
Chris Coppel has written an amazing suspense thriller that holds the reader’s attention and keeps you wondering what the next chapter will bring. I was captivated by Legacy and thoroughly enjoyed the parts where the novel refers to Craig’s life as a child and the events that helped shape him in becoming the man that he needs to be to save his family from the unexpected dangers of different realms. As Craig, with the help of the specialized team, make plans to prevent an event that occurred twenty-five years earlier and, as a result, change their present-day circumstances. The risks involved are high and Craig realizes that he may never see his family again.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. Despite the few errors, it was overall well edited and written. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a captivating book that incorporates a bit of sci-fi, thriller and mystery. There was a very good balance between the different genres, with just enough sci-fi to make the storyline seem realistic. This book definitely challenges your way of thinking and you can not help wondering, ‘What if this is what is really happening?’
FIVE STARS: An Exercise in Genre-Busting “Legacy,’ by Chris Coppel, is a mind-bending, edge-of-your-seat page-turner that blends sci-fi, fantasy, and horror with a refreshing, unique premise.
The novel begins when Craig Edwards, stirred awake by a loud knocking, discovers a mysterious package sitting outside his front door. Inside the crate, the former sniper-turned-small-town-sheriff finds an antique mirror that holds a centuries-old secret. What follows is a twist-laden tale of good vs. evil pitting a reluctant, time-traveling everyman against a maniacal 16th-century witch bent on evil and revenge.
For fans of Coppel’s previous novel, 2020’s ‘The Lodge,’ ‘Legacy’ offers more of the author’s trademark tightly-wound prose. The California-based author writes with an admirable sense of efficiency, doling out scene-stopping action and bursts of wit-laced prose with impressive ease. While I often roll my eyes whenever ‘time-travel’ comes into play while reading, unable to muster the required suspension of disbelief, in this instance, Coppel skilfully utilizes this element.
While ‘Legacy’ is probably better classified as a novella, the story reaches a natural, albeit, abrupt conclusion that completely works. As a reader, I always appreciate it when an author chooses to resist the temptation to ‘inflate’ a tight, self-contained idea, and in this regard, ‘Legacy’ is a win.
From the pacing to the plot to the handful of truly ‘wtf’ moments, ‘Legacy’ is an exercise in genre-busting. For fans of provocative, nightmare-inducing fiction in the vein of Tim Clare’s ‘The Ice House,’ ‘Legacy’ is highly recommended.”
FIVE STARS: ‘The spirits of our ancestors will protect us’ - A strange and fascinating tale “California author Chris Coppel is the author of many screenplays and has taught advanced screenwriting at UCLA. He is also an accomplished drummer and guitarist. His chosen genre for this novels is horror stories and to date he has published FAR FROM BURDEN DELL, LUCK, THE LODGE, LAKEBED, and now LEGACY. In this novel Chris ventures into time travel – and succeeds in extending his stature.
As is becoming apparent in each of the author’s novels, beginning his stories with a bizarre, even puzzling manner of creative writing opens a portal seductively: ‘She sat in the pitch-dark trying to expend as little energy as possible. She was very weak. She had almost left it too long this time. She had allowed her life force to wane dangerously. She had permitted too much time to pass since her last feeding. She knew that she had to feed the light at least every quarter century for her to continue her existence, even when not in human form. Despite spending most of her time in the alternate realm where her spirit didn’t need to take on the appearance of a solid shape, she still expended energy. To feed the light, she knew she had to again take on her original mortal form, even though it was now so ancient and decrepit she hated every second spent within its aged confines. She wished her powers had given her the ability to occupy the youthful bodies of her bloodline once she had taken their life force, but she had never been granted that level of physical dominance.’
This strange entre introduces a story that is spellbinding, as the plot summery suggests: ‘Craig Edmonds and his young family are awoken at 2 AM by someone banging at their front door. On their doorstep they find an unexpected delivery… a large crate with a generic label addressed to his family. Their remote house, the lateness of the hour, the unexpectedness of the delivery… something feels wrong to Craig, a sheriff in the high desert of southern Utah. It has taken him years to recover from the psychological trauma he’d undergone as an elite Marine sniper, but his life was now simple and complete. But then he opens the crate to discover an intricately carved wooden mirror. Now Craig must fight an enemy far worse than any he’d encountered in the Middle East. Only this time he is battling against time and the embodiment of evil in a desperate attempt to save his family. His mission will take him twenty five years into the past and six thousand miles from home in order to defeat the reanimation of a 16th century English witch in this spine-chilling time travelling horror.’
Fast paced and well sculpted, this is a horror story that rises to the top of the genre. Chris Coppel is an author with the gift! Recommended.”
FIVE STARS: Multi-genre Page Turner “I really enjoyed "Legacy" by Chris Coppel. It mixed multiple genres, like science fiction and horror, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I found it hard to put the book down, as I wanted to see what would happen next.
The story begins by introducing the main character, Craig Edmonds, a sheriff in southern Utah, and his family, who is awoken at 2 am by a loud knocking at his door. When he reaches the door, a strange package was left there and a truck is seen leaving the property. Thus ensues a strange adventure that Edmonds was not ready for. With time travel, mystery, lore, witches, and more, this book was a very interesting read.
I enjoyed how Coppel gave description to all the characters and the settings, even bringing a backstory to Edmonds that was very interesting and made him more real. This was a great read and introduced a lot of my favorite genres into one book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction, time travel, mystery, and a little horror.”
FIVE STARS: Scary time travel fun “Legacy by Chris Coppel is a science fiction horror that grabs you from the beginning and holds on all the way to the end. A loud knock on the front door late at night wakes Craig Edmonds up. He is startled because it is 2 am, but also because he lives in a very remote location. Who could and would possibly be here at this time of the night? When Craig opens the door he finds a large box waiting for him and a truck vanishing in the distance. Upon opening the box, he discovers a very very old mirror in a carved frame. Soon, Craig finds out that his past as a Marine Sniper is coming back to haunt him in the form of a witch that is bent on revenge. The only way to stop the witch is to travel back in time and face her before the curse brings an end to Craig's peaceful life.
This is a great combination of multiple genres into one great story. The intro grabs the reader and gets them wanting to know what will happen next. Craig is a well developed character with a great back story, and I really liked how he had to rely on his training as well as his intelligence to get him through. He comes across as a very relatable character that the reader wants to see succeed. I think that fans of horror, suspense, and science fiction will all find this to be a great read.”
FIVE STARS: Amazing book “My father recommended me this amazing book, so I picked it up to read while traveling to Mexico. I'm not much of a reader and have been known to start books and lose interest quickly. Legacy was definitely not in that category!
I read almost half of this suspense horror novel during my flight and finished the book within the first couple of days of my trip. The author quickly captured and kept my attention throughout the book.
I found myself completely immersed and would often think about how the story was going to end. It’s one of those stories that come along once in a while that makes readers want to read it non-stop until the satisfying ending. I’m giving nothing further away here. I wish I had another book from Chris Coppel to read!”
FIVE STARS: Great Blending of genres “Retired Marine Sniper Craig Edmonds likes his peace. He fought hard and long for it and even accepted a sheriff posting in the remote wilderness of Utah. One late evening, he gets a mysterious delivery addressed to him that is certainly not anything he was expecting. Once he opens the crate and reveals the ornate mirror, horrible forces are unleashed and only Craig will be able to banish these evil forces to where they came from. Travelling 25 years into the past, Craig will have to learn to rely on his marine training once more as well as a resurgence of his nightmares and PTSD.
A blending of genres, paranormal, sci-fi, mystery and even thriller, this book transcends many stereotypical notions and uses descriptive language to bring the novel to life in a horrifyingly tangible way. The ending, while foreshadowed comes about in an unexpected manner which is always great in these types of stories. Very well done!”
FIVE STARS: Another hit! “Wow! What an adventure! I found Legacy full of surprises and twists. Chris Coppel is an author that weaves deep layers of deceit, espionage, and secrets within his novel, adding an atmosphere of suspense, horror and thrills.
This book is well written, with complex characters and events. Most science-fiction fans will love this novel in the exactly same way I did.
The protagonist, Craig Edmonds, really fulfilled my expectations and I adored him. Fighting for survival and trying to keep his family safe, he caught all my attention and I dare to say that in most than one moment I felt sorry for him.
I think this masterpiece has potential although it did feel a bit rushed in the end, like it could be a little longer to flesh out some more of the story, but this could just be because I really enjoyed long and detailed novels. All in all, I really recommend it!”
FIVE STARS: An engaging horror book “Legacy” by author Chris Coppel is an engaging horror book that kept me biting my nails until the end!
This novel is fascinating, well-paced, and full of surprises. Its compelling plot is about Craig Edmonds, a sheriff and former elite Marine sniper, and his family, who he tries to save against time and the embodiment of evil. This storyline was completely intriguing, entertaining and cohesive for me, and as a consequence, difficult to put down.
Coppel did an excellent job establishing a mysterious tone and a thrilling atmosphere for the characters and their frightening story. I like his narrative style very much, and I am willing to read more by this author.”
FIVE STARS: Scary and compelling horror “Nowadays there are way too many clichéd horror stories on the market. Well, this one was definitely NOT one of them.
With its intricate plot and ancient secrets, it made for a terrifying, albeit a bit short read. But then again, when a book is this good, I would never want it to end.”
— Amazon review
FIVE STARS: Excellent novel ““Legacy" is a horror mystery book, written by Chris Coppel. In this fiction the author introduces us to Craig Edmonds, a sheriff in the high desert of southern Utah. Years before, he had been an elite Marines sniper. After fighting for a long time against the damage left by his years with the Marines, his life is now quiet. But everything changes when a package arrives at the door.
In my opinion, “Legacy” is an excellent novel. Not only the plot is executed brilliantly, but the book is also so fast paced that kept me at the edge of my seat all the time. With impeccable prose, the author immerses us in this scary story, which I undoubtedly recommend.”
FIVE STARS: A MUST READ “I found this book riveting. This was a completely original concept that had me hooked from the very beginning. Well written with an excellent plot and well-rounded characters. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to break up the tedium of lockdown.”
FIVE STARS: Chilling and unique “It's so difficult to come up with anything new that hasn't already been overdone. Chris Coppel has managed to blend old and new ideas to create a unique and chilling story (especially if spiders and rodents scare you).
The book was fairly short, but it's much better to leave the reader wanting more, than to drag on the story beyond its natural end.”
