Stephen Leeds and his vast army of invisible friends are back... and this time, they're trying to find a dead body. Very "Stand By Me" of them. 
 But of course, "Legion: Skin Deep" -- the sequel to the original novella "Legion" -- has a lot more going on, and author Brandon Sanderson packs plenty of action, suspense and quirky humor into this slender volume. And besides the twisty thriller involving a corpse that has gone missing, Sanderson sprinkles the story with hints that Stephen's "aspects" may not be exactly what he thought they were. 
 After a disastrous date, Stephen and the aspects encounter Korean businessman Yol Chay, who has a very odd proposition for them -- he wants them to find a missing corpse for the generically-named Innovation Information Incorporated, with company stock as payment. It turns out the dead man (before he died, obviously) had developed a virus that involved writing data into human cells... and he hid the way to create this virus in his own cells. Also, the virus can give you cancer. 
 Since Yol has set him up, Stephen has no choice but to find the body. To make matters worse, he's being followed by Zen Rigby, an assassin who is also hunting for the corpse -- and since she's working for I3's rival Exeltec, she might have a corporate interest in seeing Stephen dead. Will he be able to figure out who stole the the stolen corpse and steal it back, or will the powerful forces searching for it crush him and his aspects? 
 "Legion: Skin Deep" is one of those stories that leaves you thinking, "Well, I wish that had been a lot longer" when you finish it. While the first novella was a solid, straightforward little thriller, the sequel seems to be almost overflowing with twisting, intricate plots and clues -- modern technology companies in cutthroat competition, assassins, family drama and the very nature of religion and belief in God. That's a pretty hefty dose of EVERYTHING for such a slender book. 
 The story sweeps along at a pretty fast pace, weaving together clues expertly -- things as small as a scriptural quote or a person's beliefs in free information -- and then dragging the reader along for a frenetic ride. While it can get quite dark and mystery-driven at times, Sanderson knows when to insert some humor (JC declaring, ""As an Interdimensional Time Ranger, I have code 876 special authorization to ignore local legal statutes in times of emergency"). 
 And Sanderson even manages to weave in a new theory about what causes Stephen to manifest his aspects. While before he was probably just a genius with a splintered mind, now Sanderson hints at something more... science-fictiony. 
 Stephen remains a solid, amiable lead character, and it's easy to be distracted by his merry band of quirky aspects -- JC is particularly fun, as he reimagines himself as a time-hopping ranger who uses "classified" sci-fi slang, but we also get plenty of fun interactions from sweet Kalyani, prickly Ivy, and many others. But Stephen gets his own minutes to shine, such as when he guides and protects Dion, a bright but immature boy who doesn't quite grasp the realities of the whole shebang. 
 With new twists and a high-stakes plot, "Legion: Skin Deep" is a sleek, fast-moving story that still has some depth and pathos woven into its fabric. And of course, it leaves you hoping for even more adventures with the aspects.