The King’s Legacy

Jim Stovall
David C. Cook (2009)
ISBN 9781434765932
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/09)

“The King’s Legacy” tells the tale of a wise king who desired to leave the greatest possible legacy to his people before he ended his reign. He wanted this legacy to last through future generations as well.  He also desired to step out of the realm of the materialistic and leave something behind that would have greater meaning. He settled upon the idea of finding the best possible piece of wisdom that would affect all people. He wanted them to apply this wisdom to their lives so that they could better themselves with it. 

In order to find this piece of wisdom, the king decides to interview people from all walks of life, from jester to judge, he listened to what everyone had to say. Each person who spoke offered a piece of wisdom that was taken from what they learned based upon their work.  Each piece was incredibly valuable, but the king still searched for the perfect piece of wisdom that could be imparted to all.  Finally, on the last day, he receives this wisdom.  He shares it with his people, and their lives are enriched.

I won’t give it away by sharing it with you.  You will have to read for yourself. I will say that the journey that the king took to gather this wisdom was incredibly enriching to me as a reader.  I think that what each person had to offer was of great value and cause for introspection.  I highly recommend reading this novel through, and then going back and taking a day to journal about the wisdom that each contributor offers. By applying it to your life, I think that you will find more meaning in everything.  There is a section in the back of the book specifically for putting your thoughts.

“The King’s Legacy” by Jim Stovall is written and illustrated in a fairy tale style.  While the story appears to be simple, there is an incredible amount of depth to it.  At first glance, I felt like I had my hands on a real treat. After reading through it and thoroughly enjoying it, I felt that it would make a perfect gift for others.  It would also make an excellent selection for a reader’s group.

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