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kynan's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmm, I'm not sure what to say about this one. About half-way through I was convinced the entire book was going to be one long setup for a "To Be Continued" ending. I was wrong about that. The amount of loose-ends that got tidied up in the last few chapters was pretty phenomenal, although there's still plenty of scope for the sequels. Without straying into spoiler territory let's just say I was surprised at who was and wasn't standing at the end.
My main issue with the story is that it's a little trite and reads somewhat like early 50's sci-fi. On the pro side, I enjoyed the general plot, the chapter-starting quotes added nicely to the story. It's a fun, sometimes humorous read with an acceptable pace and the story never gets bogged down, although that is somewhat due to a lack of detail, which segues into the cons. There's obvious care gone into the depiction of some of the characters, but others are all but one-dimensional. Also, the constant stream of people falling in love (that I'm sure are a setup for later stories) was really starting to annoy me.
Overall, I'd say check it out if you're a Space Opera fan.
I listened to the Audible Frontiers version of the story narrated by Donald Corren and found it mostly acceptable. It commits the cardinal sin of inserting music between chunks of narration although, thankfully, it only happens once about midway through the story (perhaps there's a Part I/Part II split?). Mr Corren did a great job and my only issues are with editing, as soon as the last word of a chapter is spoken there's almost no gap before "Chapter X" is announced, which can be a little jarring.
My main issue with the story is that it's a little trite and reads somewhat like early 50's sci-fi. On the pro side, I enjoyed the general plot, the chapter-starting quotes added nicely to the story. It's a fun, sometimes humorous read with an acceptable pace and the story never gets bogged down, although that is somewhat due to a lack of detail, which segues into the cons. There's obvious care gone into the depiction of some of the characters, but others are all but one-dimensional. Also, the constant stream of people falling in love (that I'm sure are a setup for later stories) was really starting to annoy me.
Overall, I'd say check it out if you're a Space Opera fan.
I listened to the Audible Frontiers version of the story narrated by Donald Corren and found it mostly acceptable. It commits the cardinal sin of inserting music between chunks of narration although, thankfully, it only happens once about midway through the story (perhaps there's a Part I/Part II split?). Mr Corren did a great job and my only issues are with editing, as soon as the last word of a chapter is spoken there's almost no gap before "Chapter X" is announced, which can be a little jarring.
hawkeyegough's review against another edition
5.0
Once again William C. Dietz has produced an excellent yarn. As usual for Dietz, this is a well thought-out and interesting concept surrounded by fairly deep characters. The characterization is especially deep for a genre (Sci-Fi) that isn't usually known for character depth or vibrancy. The Big Idea behind Legion of the Damned includes a sort of afterlife for folks who have died for various reasons, or been executed in some instances. This afterlife involves a term serving in a branch of the military known as the Legion, and it is interesting to see how a shot at a second lease on life has shaped the culture that produced it. Humanity has taken on some similarities with the ancient Roman Empire in structure and also in tone. There is a sense of bread and circuses that parallels the Romans in their latter days as the empire was failing, and it's interesting to see how the various players in this story react to what some perceive as the end times of the empire.
Many characters have complex motivations, including the antagonists. This is refreshing and very well structured, as we only learn some of these motivations over the course of the story.
This book starts with a bang, comes out swinging, maintains a high-energy but unrushed pace, and doesn't overstay its welcome after making its point. Dietz also managed to create a very interesting set of alien cultures that the humans encounter and has a wonderful way of describing planets and space settings that is concise and powerful. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Sci-Fi or space operas. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series as soon as I can get my hands on it.
Many characters have complex motivations, including the antagonists. This is refreshing and very well structured, as we only learn some of these motivations over the course of the story.
This book starts with a bang, comes out swinging, maintains a high-energy but unrushed pace, and doesn't overstay its welcome after making its point. Dietz also managed to create a very interesting set of alien cultures that the humans encounter and has a wonderful way of describing planets and space settings that is concise and powerful. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Sci-Fi or space operas. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series as soon as I can get my hands on it.
pjonsson's review against another edition
3.0
Would have gotten another star if it wasn't for the silly ridicolous and totally unnecessary plot element with the idiotic horny emperor and the plotting admiral.
Why does so many authors have to add these silly soap opera elements to their books?
Why does so many authors have to add these silly soap opera elements to their books?
gingerreader99's review against another edition
1.0
I made it over 100 pages in and I rarely , very rarely quit a book before I finish. I even slogged through The Girl on the Train but holy cow this is god awful. So the premise is far future French Foreign Legion is populated by biological volunteers and dead prisoners/criminals who become cyborgs after Death to stay alive - kinda cool. Except for the non stop sexual escapades this book goes on. Practically every character is motivated by their sexual desires. I stopped after I read the words "shapely body" or some variation consistently every few pages for over a 100. This shouldn't be called Legion of the Damned it should be called Legion of the Horny and you shouldn't read it!
mbrown13669's review against another edition
5.0
I have to be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction. I'm more of a fantasy lover. Yes, there is a difference in my opinion between the two subjects. This book was therefore grudgingly accepted from my boyfriend when he was looking for something for me to read instead of spending more of my tight budget. At first it took some time for me to figure out what was going on because, as I mentioned, this isn't my typical genre of choice; however, by the third chapter I was hooked. I thought that Mr. Dietz did a good job of balancing the reliable plot that the reader expects with the plot twists that truly shocked me at times. I found myself rooting for some characters and wishing I could attack a few others--isn't that part of what makes a writer a good writer?
I also appreciated that the future Mr. Dietz created was easy to envision--detailed enough to understand, but not so detailed that you get bogged down in it. There's also the fact that in my opinion it was realistic enough to be believed and far-fetched enough to lay any personal concerns to rest. Is it possible that this would be similar to the true future? Yes, anything is possible. Is it probable? Not in my opinion, but it is a wonderful fiction.
To say the least, when I found that I was approximately thirty pages from the end of this book I looked through my boyfriend's books, found the next volume and squirreled it away to begin reading the moment I finished the first.
I also appreciated that the future Mr. Dietz created was easy to envision--detailed enough to understand, but not so detailed that you get bogged down in it. There's also the fact that in my opinion it was realistic enough to be believed and far-fetched enough to lay any personal concerns to rest. Is it possible that this would be similar to the true future? Yes, anything is possible. Is it probable? Not in my opinion, but it is a wonderful fiction.
To say the least, when I found that I was approximately thirty pages from the end of this book I looked through my boyfriend's books, found the next volume and squirreled it away to begin reading the moment I finished the first.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
3.0
I neither liked nor disliked this book. I am completely neutral to it. I don't care one way or another. It makes no difference to me. Stuff happened in this book. I remember some of it, but it is not important enough for me to comment on.
ravenwood1984's review against another edition
5.0
I have to be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction. I'm more of a fantasy lover. Yes, there is a difference in my opinion between the two subjects. This book was therefore grudgingly accepted from my boyfriend when he was looking for something for me to read instead of spending more of my tight budget. At first it took some time for me to figure out what was going on because, as I mentioned, this isn't my typical genre of choice; however, by the third chapter I was hooked. I thought that Mr. Dietz did a good job of balancing the reliable plot that the reader expects with the plot twists that truly shocked me at times. I found myself rooting for some characters and wishing I could attack a few others--isn't that part of what makes a writer a good writer?
I also appreciated that the future Mr. Dietz created was easy to envision--detailed enough to understand, but not so detailed that you get bogged down in it. There's also the fact that in my opinion it was realistic enough to be believed and far-fetched enough to lay any personal concerns to rest. Is it possible that this would be similar to the true future? Yes, anything is possible. Is it probable? Not in my opinion, but it is a wonderful fiction.
To say the least, when I found that I was approximately thirty pages from the end of this book I looked through my boyfriend's books, found the next volume and squirreled it away to begin reading the moment I finished the first.
I also appreciated that the future Mr. Dietz created was easy to envision--detailed enough to understand, but not so detailed that you get bogged down in it. There's also the fact that in my opinion it was realistic enough to be believed and far-fetched enough to lay any personal concerns to rest. Is it possible that this would be similar to the true future? Yes, anything is possible. Is it probable? Not in my opinion, but it is a wonderful fiction.
To say the least, when I found that I was approximately thirty pages from the end of this book I looked through my boyfriend's books, found the next volume and squirreled it away to begin reading the moment I finished the first.
jbmcgraw's review against another edition
3.0
I love the concept and the characters are well done. The Hudathans have too similar names for me to keep straight though so at times it is confusing. Overall an excellent read and I already bought the other books in this universe.
adunten's review against another edition
3.0
2016 vreading challenge: A book and its prequel (with [b:Andromeda's Fall|13588158|Andromeda's Fall (The Prequel Legion Series, #1)|William C. Dietz|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1354599066s/13588158.jpg|19175556])
The history of the Legion, fictional descendant of the real-life French Foreign Legion, is quite real. The Battle of Camaron, which took place in Mexico in 1863, is an actual defining moment in the history of the French Foreign Legion - it helped cement the Legion's reputation as a bunch of crazy bastards who will go down fighting rather than surrender, even if there's no good reason for it. In Dietz's imagined future, that fearsome reputation has only grown. The Legion is also famous for its loyalty and dedication to mission, with one infamous exception – the mutiny of Algiers in 1961, which the FFL tried to overthrow the de Gaulle government.
I don't usually do plot recaps in book reviews, but in this case I think it's helpful because the story is told through so many disparate viewpoints and storylines, and it takes so long to start making sense of them in a larger context. In a nutshell, Legion of the Damned primarily tells the story of the second mutiny in the Legion's history. The human empire is being invaded by a ruthless, rapacious race of aliens bent on utter domination of every sentient race they encounter. As a result of palace politics, the Emperor orders a war strategy that the Legion violently disagrees with. A palace coup begins to take shape, and when ordered to implement the Emperor's war plan, the Legion openly revolts and joins the revolutionaries. This main storyline is told through a fairly large cast of characters and viewpoints that shift rapidly and don't start coming together until pretty late. Planet Algeron, home of the Legion's headquarters, will become the hinge of fate as the Legion battles for both its own future and that of humanity.
Then there are subplots that provide a more slice-of-life view of life in the Empire and the Legion: one involving a legionnaire who falls in love with a member of an indigenous sentient race on Algeron and goes native; one involving a business magnate whose son is killed by the invaders on a distant space station, and ends up; and one involving a convicted murderer who is executed, and then resurrected as a member of the Legion's cyborg cavalry. I was expecting sparks to really fly when he encountered , but that mini-plot didn't deliver at all. I would have liked to see that sub-plot developed a lot more, especially given how much effort was devoted to introducing us to Angel Perez.
The characters and writing are pretty forgettable, but it's not really about any of the individual characters. The Legion is more than the sum of its parts, and maybe that's part of the point of the story. It absolutely bristles with themes of loyalty and treachery and how the line between friend and foe can shift, told primarily through the relationships between the humans and the invading Hudatha, and between the humans and the native Na people of Algeron. The Na and the Hudatha also allow Dietz to subtly highlight how the role of the humans shifts - to the Na, we are the rapacious invaders, but to the Hudatha, we are little more than troublesome vermin to be exterminated.
In nearly every thread of the story, the characters are confronted with terrible choices – follow orders and watch billions be enslaved or massacred, or revolt and put your own life on the line? Cooperate with the enemy to save lives now and risk going down in history as a villain, or stand on principle, knowing it will be an empty gesture and will condemn an entire planet? Forever abandon the person you love, or go AWOL and know you'll be branded a deserter for life? Fight unstintingly to free your home world from all outsiders, or accept that the enemy you know on your home planet may really be your best ally against worse enemies? Fight the invaders for every planet and system, knowing resources may be spread too thin, or pull back and protect the empire's core, knowing you're abandoning billions of Imperial citizens?
Does it pass the Bechdel test? Yes, although just barely. Populating his stories with believable women who aren't window dressing seems to be one of Dietz's strengths. But for the most part, they're still outnumbered enough that there's rarely any plausible reason for two women to talk to each other in a scene. The reason the Bechdel test is a good litmus test is that it requires you to do more than just put one woman in every scene.
“Ever hear of a battle called Camaron? No? Well, it's a big deal in the Legion. Sort of Mosada, the Alamo, and the Battle of Four Moons all rolled into one. What it boils down to is that this guy named Danjou stumbled into some Mexicans, was outnumbered thousands to one, and refused to surrender. He was killed, as were most of his men, and that's the way legionnaires are supposed to go.”
“Surely there was more. A purpose, a reason, an objective.”
“Nope. Nothing more than pride, glory, and honor. Danjou and his men died for nothing. And that, my friend is both the horror and the beauty of it.”
The history of the Legion, fictional descendant of the real-life French Foreign Legion, is quite real. The Battle of Camaron, which took place in Mexico in 1863, is an actual defining moment in the history of the French Foreign Legion - it helped cement the Legion's reputation as a bunch of crazy bastards who will go down fighting rather than surrender, even if there's no good reason for it. In Dietz's imagined future, that fearsome reputation has only grown. The Legion is also famous for its loyalty and dedication to mission, with one infamous exception – the mutiny of Algiers in 1961, which the FFL tried to overthrow the de Gaulle government.
I don't usually do plot recaps in book reviews, but in this case I think it's helpful because the story is told through so many disparate viewpoints and storylines, and it takes so long to start making sense of them in a larger context. In a nutshell, Legion of the Damned primarily tells the story of the second mutiny in the Legion's history. The human empire is being invaded by a ruthless, rapacious race of aliens bent on utter domination of every sentient race they encounter. As a result of palace politics, the Emperor orders a war strategy that the Legion violently disagrees with. A palace coup begins to take shape, and when ordered to implement the Emperor's war plan, the Legion openly revolts and joins the revolutionaries. This main storyline is told through a fairly large cast of characters and viewpoints that shift rapidly and don't start coming together until pretty late. Planet Algeron, home of the Legion's headquarters, will become the hinge of fate as the Legion battles for both its own future and that of humanity.
Then there are subplots that provide a more slice-of-life view of life in the Empire and the Legion: one involving a legionnaire who falls in love with a member of an indigenous sentient race on Algeron and goes native; one involving a business magnate whose son is killed by the invaders on a distant space station, and ends up
Spoiler
leading the coupSpoiler
the woman he murdered, also resurrected as a cyborg and now a fellow trooperThe characters and writing are pretty forgettable, but it's not really about any of the individual characters. The Legion is more than the sum of its parts, and maybe that's part of the point of the story. It absolutely bristles with themes of loyalty and treachery and how the line between friend and foe can shift, told primarily through the relationships between the humans and the invading Hudatha, and between the humans and the native Na people of Algeron. The Na and the Hudatha also allow Dietz to subtly highlight how the role of the humans shifts - to the Na, we are the rapacious invaders, but to the Hudatha, we are little more than troublesome vermin to be exterminated.
In nearly every thread of the story, the characters are confronted with terrible choices – follow orders and watch billions be enslaved or massacred, or revolt and put your own life on the line? Cooperate with the enemy to save lives now and risk going down in history as a villain, or stand on principle, knowing it will be an empty gesture and will condemn an entire planet? Forever abandon the person you love, or go AWOL and know you'll be branded a deserter for life? Fight unstintingly to free your home world from all outsiders, or accept that the enemy you know on your home planet may really be your best ally against worse enemies? Fight the invaders for every planet and system, knowing resources may be spread too thin, or pull back and protect the empire's core, knowing you're abandoning billions of Imperial citizens?
Does it pass the Bechdel test? Yes, although just barely. Populating his stories with believable women who aren't window dressing seems to be one of Dietz's strengths. But for the most part, they're still outnumbered enough that there's rarely any plausible reason for two women to talk to each other in a scene. The reason the Bechdel test is a good litmus test is that it requires you to do more than just put one woman in every scene.
cathepsut's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. Still, two stars instead of one, as there are a lot of good ideas and the beginnings of some interesting plotlines. However, none of them deliver. I was hooked enough to want to know the end of the book and ended up skimming the majority of it, as I just couldn't stomach reading it properly.
My issues with this book, in no particular order:
Very short paragraphs, that jump from one storyline to the next and never allow you to properly develop a connection to the story or the characters. It just feel jumbled and jerky.
Each of the paragraphs seem to start with a new character. All of them get names, even if they die after two pages. Which makes for an overkill of names, that I had difficulties keeping straight. Especially, because the names of the aliens were very alike. As the characterizations were also very flat and there was not much character development, connecting to any of them was very difficult. There were maybe three or four characters in the whole book, that I cared about at all.
The first half of the book feels like an endless introduction to the story. I kept waiting for the story to take off and become more involved, for some threads to come together, for some suspense, but it just muddled on like that till the end.
Many of the characters are just too silly to be believable. The emperor ist just a joke. And Admiral Scolari ist just so one-dimensional and stupid that I cringed every time she showed up. Silly and stupid characters are fair enough, if they are well written, but this was just so infantile, it threw me out of the story in disbelief every time.
Other readers complained about the awkward sex. Well, it was just as mediocre and uninspired as the rest of the story. And the love stories that popped up -- the last one was so unlikely, I just went WTF and kept reading. Instalove. No build-up, no development of relationships, they just pop up out of the woodworks and are in love. Whatever.
Most of the characers felt the same, completely interchangeable. Some with the mental landscape of teenagers. Booly and Windsweet were exceptions and could have made for a entertaining read, but were just as peripheral as all others.
If aliens attacked you with overwhelming force and no mercy, killing millions, would you concentrate your energy on fighting your own troops? No, me neither. What the hell was that about? As plot gimmicks go, it sucked. Totally pointless.
Wow, perhaps I should downgrade this to one star after all.
My issues with this book, in no particular order:
Very short paragraphs, that jump from one storyline to the next and never allow you to properly develop a connection to the story or the characters. It just feel jumbled and jerky.
Each of the paragraphs seem to start with a new character. All of them get names, even if they die after two pages. Which makes for an overkill of names, that I had difficulties keeping straight. Especially, because the names of the aliens were very alike. As the characterizations were also very flat and there was not much character development, connecting to any of them was very difficult. There were maybe three or four characters in the whole book, that I cared about at all.
The first half of the book feels like an endless introduction to the story. I kept waiting for the story to take off and become more involved, for some threads to come together, for some suspense, but it just muddled on like that till the end.
Many of the characters are just too silly to be believable. The emperor ist just a joke. And Admiral Scolari ist just so one-dimensional and stupid that I cringed every time she showed up. Silly and stupid characters are fair enough, if they are well written, but this was just so infantile, it threw me out of the story in disbelief every time.
Other readers complained about the awkward sex. Well, it was just as mediocre and uninspired as the rest of the story. And the love stories that popped up -- the last one was so unlikely, I just went WTF and kept reading. Instalove. No build-up, no development of relationships, they just pop up out of the woodworks and are in love. Whatever.
Most of the characers felt the same, completely interchangeable. Some with the mental landscape of teenagers. Booly and Windsweet were exceptions and could have made for a entertaining read, but were just as peripheral as all others.
If aliens attacked you with overwhelming force and no mercy, killing millions, would you concentrate your energy on fighting your own troops? No, me neither. What the hell was that about? As plot gimmicks go, it sucked. Totally pointless.
Wow, perhaps I should downgrade this to one star after all.