Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 a really good book July 16, 2008
R. laws
this is a good book to give your teenagers . to make them read more the rest of there lifes .
 A different perspective to freshen the series July 9, 2008
Charles Phillips (Radford, VA USA)
Legion is the first book in the Horus Heresy series that is not centered either on the perspective of a future Space Marine or current Space Marine. The story is told from the perspective of an Imperial Army detachment, created very similarly to the Space Marines.
Like most most reviewers have stated, this book does get off to a slow start, but that is only because this book introduces new terms that are specific to the this Imperial Army detachment. There isn't any straight forward explanation for the new terms, so the reader pretty much has to figure it out as they go. Dan Abnett does help the reader out along the way, just not immediately. Once the reader's got the terms' meanings down, there is nothing else hindering the reader's comprehension.
Legion has alot to do with duplicity as it does with straight forward action scenes. The action scenes are few and far between but the events between the battles will keep any reader coming back for more. I highly recommend this book for readers of the Horus Heresy series and for Warhammer 40k fans alike.
Slow start, fast finish June 26, 2008
Kirk L. (Maryland, USA)
I agree with several reviewers who say the book starts out slowly. I had this book waiting for me when I returned from a tour overseas and immediately started reading, only to put it down about two chapters in. I admit that I was disappointed, as it was not a typical Dan Abnett story which normally begins with a quick and furious pace. I was intrigued by the setting- a desolate planet called Nurth, target of the 670th Expeditionary Fleet, led by Lord General Namatjira, a martinet whose success, like many weak but overly ambitious commanders, had been secured through the skill and blood of his subordinate units and their leadership.
I resolved to pick the book up a few days ago and give it another try, and it did not disappoint as the story went beyond what has become the norm for most of the Horus Heresy books: the descent of the Legiones Astartes into the depths of Chaos and their ultimate betrayal of the Emperor of Mankind.
Other reviewers have discussed the book's strengths and weaknesses effectively enough, so I will just say that despite the slow start, Abnett recovers well and finishes with a flourish. I must say that I did not see the ending coming, and the Alpha Legion's reasons for joining with Warmaster Horus Lupercal are the stuff of what Abnett's great writing and imagination brings to the series. He's does well with his depiction of the Imperial Guard units, and I think his work with the Gaunt's Ghosts series serves him well. I also found his take on the Alpha Legion interesting and compelling; they are one of the traitor legions that little is known about, but after reading this book, you'll have a greater perspective and depth of knowledge about the legion and its primarch, Alpharius (not to mention the neat twist Abnett throws in about the primarch that I won't spoil here).
While a good book for the series, I don't feel it is 5-star worthy, but is nonetheless a worthwhile read. I like it infinitely better than the previous book in the series, "Descent of Angels", but is not quite as good as Abnett's first book in the series "Horus Rising", or Ben Counter's "Galaxy In Flames."
Abnett shows again why he is the best. June 16, 2008
Mr. T. B. Mcsweeny (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is by far the best Horus Heresy novel to date. Aside from highlighting Dan Abnett's skills as a storyteller once again, this book shakes the history of the 40k universe down to the core in an unforeseen way.
As a huge fan of the Alpha Legion (whose activities this book includes) I was overjoyed with the twists, turns and exploits involved in this novel and couldn't stop smiling once i'd finished it.
5 stars, no question.
Best Horus Heresy So Far June 15, 2008
SpamSpamSpam (Richardson, TX United States)
Warhammer 40k can be a mixed bag, but you always know you are getting something worthwhile from Abnett. I have to give him a lot of credit for breaking the mold of the HH books with this one. The whole remembrancer concept was shaky to start with and was very well worn after a handful of books. I mean this is 40k, lets play to the strengths of the authors here...poetry and art are a bit out of scope. Abnet comes along and decides to give the outside view of the heresy from both the Imperial Army and a psycker spy. This basically blends Abnets' strengths from the Gaunt's Ghosts and Eisenhorn series and mixes them in with the Space Marines. Throw in the Alpha Legion and you have a very interesting story, and I really hope he revisits it for a sequel.
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