Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Secrets revealed, 5 Mar 2008
The first three books in the Heresy series focused on Horus and his immediate retinue. The last few books have focused on individual legions seemingly on the periphery of the main event. In some ways this is interesting, but spinning out the story is becoming rather expensive. Thus, until I reached the end of the latest book I might have rated it less highly, Abnett or not, simply because it didn't seem to be particularly relevant.
Then I finished the book.
I think most Black Library readers appreciate that Dan Abnett has a particular flare for characterisation and description. This is used fully in Legion where he concentrates on the efforts of the Imperial Army as it assaults a technologically inferior world. Some of the flavour comes from the way he combines the south-west Asian ancestry of the soldiers with the military structures of a regiment that survived the pre-Imperium unification wars on Earth, which is a story in itself. This story tells of the troubles faced by a foe that uses the powers of Chaos to thwart the military might of the 670th Expeditionary Fleet and how the Alpha Legion is engaged to defeat them. A third party takes the form of a mysterious agent sent to contact the Primarch of the Legion against his will.
The tale is carefully plotted, as one would expect, but it is not until the end that two twists reveal themselves; one of them being quite intriguing, one of them quite tragic. Although the story ends at this point, a lot of the post-heresy history of this legion begins to make more sense and entirely justifies why this book is included in the series.
Of course, the ending leaves more questions than answers - what's a secret and what's a lie? - but that's entirely appropriate for this subject.
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More rounded than earlier books, 5 Mar 2008
Having read all of teh previous books in the Horus Heresy series and found them all to be excellent roller coaster rides of future war i was expecting more of the same from legion.
Instead Dan Abnett has written a book which would be well placed with the thriller genre. Recent books have focused on the individual traits of the space marine legions, but none have been written in a style and manner which actually fits those traits.
Legion has a wheels within wheels plot which at first can be a little difficult to follow, especially when the alpha legion first appear but it quickly becomes clear that it is the authors intention to make the reader think and for the first time we see another side of the space marines. Instead of glorious battle as seen in earlier books we see deviousness and cunning.
This is definately a book that is worthy of the series and well worth the read, if nothing else for the revelations made about the alpha legion and alpharius, about whom games workshop have given lttle information.
|
|
|
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Heressy back on track, 13 Mar 2008
Finally, after the huge disappointment of the previous book in this excellent series, Descent of Angels (which was poorly written and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Heresy), Dan Abnett returns to create what I consider to be the best book in the series so far.
Set on the world of Nurth, two years before the Heresy and before Horus becomes Warmaster, the book follows the exploits of Alpha Legion's role within a war of compliance. However, unlike previous books, Legion is told from the point of view of the Imperial Army. Don't let this fool you though; Alpha Legion is very much the central theme, specifically the question of whether they can be trusted. The novel weaves a tale of suspicion and intrigue with plot twists and turns at every step of the way. Everybody suspects everyone else and it's not until the very end that it all becomes clear, yet you're still left with enough questions unanswered to drive the story forward.
Dan Abnett's character development is second to none in this series and he particularly excels within this story. The characters are three dimensional and engaging. Some are charming and likeable while others are egotistical yet are so well rounded you love to hate them. As a newcomer to the 40K universe, I definitely found Alpha Legion to be the most interesting and complex Astartes Legion written about so far and one could argue that they were not explored enough within the book. However, to do so would be to miss the point of the book. Alpha Legion is an enigma and remains so throughout so that you're kept on the edge of your seat, wanting to know who exactly is playing who. The ending is also the best there's been in the series to-date showing Alpha Legion's choice to follow Horus to be, unlike the other traitor Legions, not quite so black and white and just like the choices we have to make in real life, far more complex than would appear upon the surface.
If I have to make a complaint about this book, it would be that there was a couple of instances where continuity with the previous books was broken but like the complaint, they are just a minor issue and don't spoil your enjoyment. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read and definite page turner unlike the previous book which I struggled to get through. The Heresy is back on track and I can't wait to read the next instalment.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Ben Counter
by Mitchel Scanlon
by Graham McNeill
by Graham McNeill
by James Swallow
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home