Book Review // 13th Legion by Gav Thorpe
Wow, it's a steamy, hot, humid day here in the Ottawa capital; last night, the temperatures soared! What it meant for me was the ability to finish the book as I was not sleeping! As the recurring theme continues, I have completed another sci-fi novel set in the Warhammer 40k Universe, written by one of my favourite authors, Gav Thorpe. Gav Thorpe has a unique ability to bring these worlds to life for me and help me escape my own for a while. So, let us jump into an early title of Mr. Thorpes.
Title: 13th Legion
Author: Gav Thorpe
Publisher: Black Library
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 288
Fluff: Across a hundred blasted war zones, upon a dozen bloody worlds, the convict soldiers of the Thirteenth Legion fight a desperate battle for redemption in the eyes of the immortal Emperor. In this endless war against savage orks, merciless eldar and the insidious threat of Chaos, Kage and the Last Chancers penal battalion must fight to win and survive!
Review
Even for the grim, dark future of 40k, this book is gloomy and dark! No noble one-dimensioned Space Marines here or even a lovable rogue of the Imperial Guard. Instead, we follow a bunch of murders, traitors and scum of the 13th Penal Legion, led into battle by Colonel Schaeffer. Throughout the tale, we see them fighting aliens and each other, as their only true friends are themselves. You'll sometimes find yourself rooting for an alien to off certain characters, but I feel that was what the author wanted you to feel. But ultimately, they aren't all bad, and you start to even like some of them for a bit, that is until you are reminded that they are murderous criminals who don't deserve the Emperor’s forgiveness.
This story has a great base, a penal legion led by a zealous commander who would rather see his chargers dead than be given a pardon. Think Dirty Dozen with lasguns, and you will not be far off. The author was also free to play with characters from many different backgrounds, as the legion is collected from different prison worlds scattered throughout this sector. This leads to an exciting array of characters, be they corrupt nobles, hive scum or even genetically modified soldiers. The story itself is written from the viewpoint of Lt. Kage, a hardass Hive Worlder who murdered his way into the Penal Legion and refuses to die in a pointless suicide mission. Through his telling of events, we learn the 13th Legion fought in the Second Tyrannic War. It is also hinted that the legion consisted of nearly 4,000 troops at the start, but by the time of this tale, only 250 are left, and most are now mentally unhinged.
Once settled into the main cast of characters, we bounce from a flavorful warzone to a flavourful warzone, watching the body count rise until we are only left with 12 members. It is then disclosed that the Inquisition organized all the fighting and suicide missions to find the most badass troops. It is also now that we have discovered their final mission. Infiltrate and destroy the City of Coritanorum. This once proud Imperial city has fallen to the insidious control of a Genestealer Cult! I don't want to ruin the ending, so grab a copy and read it yourself.
Overall, it is a great read. I enjoyed the detailed fight scenes and unusual locations we visited throughout the story. The interactions between cellmates seemed realistic and not forced, and the final twist at the end, though expected, was well worth the wait (you'll see). It's also worth mentioning that it is great to see how far Gav Thorpe's writing has come since then. I enjoyed the book so much that I have begun the next book in the series, Kill Team - which concerns sneaky Tau!
Until next time.
