Legend - Champion

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

REPUBLIC OF AMERICA

* * *

POPULATION: 24,646,320
 OUT OF ALL THE DISGUISES I VE WORN, THIS ONE might be my favorite.

Dark red hair, different enough from my usual white-blond, cut to just past my shoulders and pulled back into a tail. Green contacts that look natural when layered over my blue eyes. A crumpled, half-tucked collar shirt, its tiny silver but­tons shining in the dark, a thin military jacket, black pants and steel-toed boots, a thick gray scarf wrapped around my neck, chin, and mouth. A dark soldier cap is pulled low over my forehead, and a crimson, painted tattoo stretches all over the left half of my face, changing me into someone unfamiliar. Aside from this, I wear an ever-present earpiece and mike. The Republic insists on it.

In most other cities, I d probably get even more stares than I usually do because of that giant goddy tattoo not exactly a subtle marker, I gotta admit. But here in San Francisco, I blend right in with the others. The first thing I noticed when Eden and I moved to Frisco eight months ago was the local trend: young people painting black or red pat­terns on their faces, some small and delicate, like Republic seals on their temples or something similar, others huge and sprawling, like giant patterns of the Republic s land shape. I chose a pretty generic tattoo tonight, because I m not loyal enough to the Republic to stamp that loyalty right on my face. Leave that to June. Instead, I have stylized flames. Good enough.

My insomnia s acting up tonight, so instead of sleeping, I m walking alone through a sector called Marina, which as far as I can tell is the hillier, Frisco equivalent of LA s Lake sector. The night s cool and pretty quiet, and a light drizzle is blowing in from the city s bay. The streets are narrow, glistening wet, and riddled with potholes, and the buildings that rise up on both sides most of them tall enough to van­ish into tonight s low-lying clouds are

Marie Lu (www.marielu.org) is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Legend and Prodigy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one boyfriend, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

Praise and Accolades for Marie Lu s New York Times bestselling LEGEND series: 

New York Times bestseller
2012 YALSA BFYA
ALA Top 10 nominee
Chicago Public Library Best Book
VOYA YA Perfect Ten List
Bank Street Best Book
Featured on Entertainment Weekly s Must-List
 
From ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:
Fine writing and excellent execution. Sequel, please!

From THE NEW YORK TIMES:
Legend doesn t merely survive the hype, it deserves it.
 
From USA TODAY:
Marie Lu s dystopian novel is a Legend in the making.
  
From THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:
an action-packed love story full of inventive details.
 
STARRED REVIEW from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:
Lu s debut is a stunner. . . raises hopes high for the sequels to come.
 
STARRED REVIEW from KIRKUS REVIEWS:
  A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles. This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes.
 
STARRED REVIEW from BOOKLIST:
  [D]elicious details keep pages turning . . . you ve got the makings for a potent sequel.
 
STARRED REVIEW from VOYA:
  A fast-paced blend of action and science fiction (with only a hint of potential romance) means that this one will likely appeal to male and female readers alike.  Debut author Lu has managed a great feat emulating a highly successful young adult series while staying true to her own voice. Legend will give Hunger Games fans something worthwhile to read.
 
STARRED REVIEW from LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION:
  This book stands out . . .

From THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:
Marie Lu has beaten the curse with Prodigy. . . it has all the chivalry of Robin Hood and