Review for The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson

The Man of Legends by Kenneth C. Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is for The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson

This book, written by Kenneth Johnson, but in the style of being told after an ‘event’ has happened, by one of the characters that were there, is a bit difficult for me to give an easy review. Here’s why…

Okay, so right off the bat, we get the impression we’re dealing with a long-lived Immortal being. Who is he? What’s his story? And why does the author/ (character telling it) hate Mexicans? The plot unfolds over many chapters and scenes, some from ‘now’ and some from when the ‘event’ happened, as well as some from this Immortal’s origin days… all told by many, many characters, in the 1st person POV.

Each character is unique-ish, with the couple of M/Cs being fairly fleshed out. The supporting characters are really all just there to lend a viewpoint to the final/ Main Event. The writing was fragmented, and the slang/accents were WAAayy overdone. From reading other reviews before choosing to read this, I can say that YES, it CAN be perceived as racist and unnecessary, and the “writer’s” justification* of why it was written that way, to me, still does not make it acceptable.
*See 1st page/ Intro of book

I was expecting to be wowed a bit… Kenneth Johnson wrote “V”, one of my FAVORITE series to watch when I was a kid too young to watch it, but I did anyway. This book read much like a movie/TV episode/ documentary. Which, in any case, I guess it was supposed to since it’s written by one of the characters, right?

I HATED the slang/ ignorant speak of some of the minorities; like, REALLY HATED it. It was unnecessary and often distracting from the details/ the story because I had to try REALLY hard to figure out what was even being said. I stuck with the book, only because I had a ‘hunch’ who “he” might be, knowing early on who it was that he was connected to. I have read stories & seen movies etc. based off of that time period’s key players, so I had no problem reading another rendition of an old, old tale.

I managed to make it through this book, despite the annoyances, semi-quickly. I don’t bore easily. Actually, I just really hate not finishing something. Up until the very, very end, I enjoyed The Man of Legends, despite the abundance of “ignorant- can’t speak right- racial” dialogue. YES, there is THAT much of it! But, I did grow up with a racist father, whom I had no problem ignoring, so I just did my best to ignore what I felt was often the type of vernacular you’d find in a book written by a white person that didn’t like Black/Mexican people etc. living in the 1800s.

Another “problem” I have is the way the women characters think & act; which, unless you’re a woman (or someone in touch with their feminine side?) reading this review, I don’t know if you’ll understand. Let’s just say that it is obvious the women’s voices are written by a man. Okay, like how in some Biker Romance novels with the guy’s POV written, you know a woman wrote it? Or like, how most men in real life aren’t typically abusive jerks & killers; well, not all women should be written as damsels in distress that can’t walk & talk & chew gum. Just saying.

I wouldn’t read this book again, nor would I recommend it, mostly because it was a long-ish book, and the direction I thought it was going wasn’t where it went, but that’s my own issue.

Gosh, looking at what I’ve written, I feel like I’ve been over the top scathing, which was not my intention. I DO actually feel that even if I didn’t LIKE it, personally, there’s no reason I should give it less than 4 stars. The plot WAS solid. It read (somewhat) easily. The backstory has been done before, but I like new takes on old ideas… There were no loose threads left at the end… It was/is a well-written novel.

But, I think ultimately, for me, the ending is what makes this a 4 at best. The Man of Legends is a 414 pg. “Forrest Gump” sojourn through the last 2000 years of human history, filled with Metaphysical musings, but ending in overly religious undertones… which for me, was the biggest disappointment.

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