The Last Legion [Mass Market Paperback]

Good book, quite engaging. Not a derivitive of the Sten books, but essentially built with the same technical know how. The characters are not saints, but are people. People whose story and actions quickly grab you and draw you into the story. Character development that doesn't bore you, but actually helps to let you get to know the characters. Bunch proves that he has the know how to write good, believable action. He also proves that the good guys do not always win (at least on the first try). He is a master of incorporating everyday politics (ie, backstabbing and stupidity) of human beings into his characters. All in all a good effort, I really enjoyed reading this book!

Chris Bunch certainly knows how to mould his heroes and capture the essence of science-fiction at its very best. Fans of `Transformers' and `X-Men' will absolutely love this thrilling tale, full of fast-paced action and intergalactic happenings. The world, split into factions, reminded me of Young Adult novel `Divergent' in which law and order is split into separate segments under various ruling. The Last Legion: book 1 is the first installment within a four book series (firemask, stormforce and homefall) which transports you to a world wrought with war, heated conflict and terrible battles. Character-driven and fueled by electric tension and explosive drama, I plunged into a dynamic tale at a run and which maintained its momentum throughout hence leaving you breathless. If you delight in danger, compelling drama and gripping storylines then I cannot recommend a better author.

Last stand between hope and chaos...

In the turbulent age of the human confederation empire, a forgotten branch of the army patrols the farthest reaches of civilization. And as the volatile confederation begins to implode, they become humanity's hope for the future - the men and women of the last legion.

A fresh batch of recruits are shipped to the frontier planets of the Cumbre system. Their job is to keep the peace - among the ruling class, the local aliens, and a terrorist faction bent on revolution. But when the confederation falls silent - and the hit-and-run violence of the rebels escalates - the army becomes the law. And a planet on the edge of nowhere will set the stage for the crumbling empire's final stand...

This apocalyptic, end-of-the-world sci-fi spectacular which spans across the galaxies through time and space is simply astonishing. The nail-biting tension between the different races is so intense that you will be sat on the edge of your seat in suspense, glued to the pages as such unexpected drama unfolds. It is a tale of domineering power where planets inhabitants collide in order to either oppose one another, or fight for control, or to join ranks and fight for freedom as they make their last stand. Nothing is sure and knowing whom to trust, what to believe and what action to take is never clear...but the moral implication behind this book is entrenched within its roots.

This thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced, action-packed story is sci-fi at its best.

The genre of this book is apparently "Military Sci-Fi". I'll agree that it is definitely military, but the story may as well have been set on Earth during the 21st century. It seems people in the far future, who have colonised countless planets and created the ultimate inter-stellar empire have advanced no further in technological terms than being able to travel long distances through space rather quickly. They still use post offices in this future for Christ's sake!

Some people may welcome this as it's always good to have something to relate to in any tale. But for me, as only a casual reader of Sci-Fi, I like to be transported to a completely different universe for a couple of hours when I pick up a book of this genre.

The story is full of unimaginative names and even more unimaginative sex scenes (which are rediculous and seem like they were written only to amuse and satisfy the authors personal sexual fantasies rather than being an asset to the plot). Couple with this horrendous typos and spelling mistakes throughout the entire book and we're almost heading for disaster. Bunch is not the most descriptive of writers; whenever a military vehicle of any sort was mentioned I just imagined a box with four legs. Not that I lack imagination, but I just thought if the author couldn't be bothered to elaborate then why should I make the effort.

After a dreary and confusing first act, things start to pick up but there is still a sufficient lack of depth in the characters themselves to actually care about them. The two main protagonists may as well have been the same person as far as I was concerned. And Bunch tries a little too hard sometimes with his attempts at humour and slick action sequences.

If you can look past all this though then you'll have a better experience than I did. It's not a bad book, but it's not brilliant either and I can't help feeling that it could have been so much better, particularly with Bunch's way with military terminology and procedures which I thought were excellent. I'll probably see it through to the end of the series. Who knows? It could be a slow burner...