Book Review // Kill Team by Gav Thorpe
The sequel Kill Team follows the 13th Legion review last week. I was surprised by how quickly I could read this; I'm not sure if it was a sign of an enjoyable book or if my reading is starting to improve. With the self-motivation completed on Monday morning, let's get into the review.
Book Stats
Title: Kill Team
Author: Gav Thorpe
Publisher: Black Library.
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 256 pages
Fluff:
"In the second volume of Thorpe's Last Chancers series, Lieutenant Kage, a convict soldier of the 13th Penal Legion, languishes in an Imperial detention center when his old commanding officer returns with a deadly assignment. Kage must whip into shape a new team of the very worst the Imperial Guard has to offer before leading them on a mission to assassinate a warmongering enemy general."
Review
As I read the Last Chancer series almost back to back, I first noticed the shift in storytelling. The first book has short-style missions, characters we grow to like, and an epic final showdown. This one includes a giant prison break, a training montage, and a showdown. I found myself rooting for Kage and feeling a bit sorry for him, who was dumped by the colonel and left to rot in prison. Kage becomes a desperate and broken man. This all changes when the Colonel returns to his life and puts him in charge of a ragtag team of misfits. Here enters a cast of characters that, to be honest, weren't worth learning the names of.
Highlights of this book for me in no particular order are (watch for spoilers):
|| Kage, broken beyond repair, no chance of redemption in the Emperor's/Colonel's eyes and now possibly psychic?
|| The Tau Empire from an Imperial viewpoint. It was great to see inside their crafts and ride along in the cities. Doesn't seem this Greater Good is all that Good (see what I did there!)
|| The Alien bar, I feel like Gav was watching some Star Wars whilst writing this. Loved all the different aliens described in this scene. I wish GW would explore these options more often.
|| The death of Brains- as the saying goes, curiosity kills the cat.
|| The Inquisitor, what is he up to? Did he manage to save some characters from book one? Will we find out?
|| Commander Brightsword - a nice tie-in to the Farsight release that was happening then. Though he died too quickly, seeing a proper villain taken down was excellent. It's time for the Tau to get cloning again.
Sure, it wasn't a perfect book, with some sections feeling more like an 80s action movie and what should have been a scary villain being defeated with ease. But I enjoyed it. It is one of the quickest books I've read, and it's filled me with excitement for Annihilation Squad and the chance to visit one of the most iconic Worlds in 40k - Armageddon! Bring on the Orks Waaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
