Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
36th out of 356 books
—
406 voters
Legion of the Damned (Legion #1)
There is one final choice for the hopeless--the terminally ill, the condemned criminals, the victims who cannot be saved: becoming cyborg soldiers in the Legion. Their human bodies are destroyed and they are reborn as living weapons. But when aliens attack the Empire, the Legion must choose sides.
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
August 1st 1993
by Ace
(first published March 8th 1993)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
999)
Before I begin my mostly positive review, a quick "open letter" to SCIENCE FICTION...
DEAR SF:
TOO MUCH BAD SEX. I don’t mean filthy, kinky or nasty sex (you should know me better than that by now). No, I mean clunky, horribly written schlock that makes your loins shrivel (GUYS...who needs that). Lately, I am finding that this is pretty much par for the course and that finding a writer who can do an effective sex scene is rarer than governmental honesty...YET YOU KEEP TRYING...JUST STOP ALREADY....more
DEAR SF:
TOO MUCH BAD SEX. I don’t mean filthy, kinky or nasty sex (you should know me better than that by now). No, I mean clunky, horribly written schlock that makes your loins shrivel (GUYS...who needs that). Lately, I am finding that this is pretty much par for the course and that finding a writer who can do an effective sex scene is rarer than governmental honesty...YET YOU KEEP TRYING...JUST STOP ALREADY....more
I have to be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction. I'm more of a fantasy lover. Yes, there is a difference in my opinion between the two subjects. This book was therefore grudgingly accepted from my boyfriend when he was looking for something for me to read instead of spending more of my tight budget. At first it took some time for me to figure out what was going on because, as I mentioned, this isn't my typical genre of choice; however, by the third chapter I was hooked. I thought...more
Aug 17, 2011
Keith
added it
finished Legion of the Damned sci-fi/warfare about a future when you don't die- your brain is downloaded to a case- and installed into cyborg warriors- they are the Legion-a future foreign legion- and stationed on a planet Algeron. This idiot playboy emperor on earth- instead of using his resources against an enemy (Hudathans-giant frogs) he turned divisions (marines) to fight the legion- and lost. And the legion led by a little businessman Chien-Chou + a soldier (Booly) who engaged the Naa(anot...more
Picked up this book since I'd been playing an iPad game based on the events of the book, and wanted to see what the source material was. Also discovered that this is listed as one of the better military SciFi books out there - or at least someone had it in a list of that genre of books.
Overall the story was pretty good, though I was somewhat surprised at the amount of sex throughout the book. It seemed that pretty much every character from the Emperor of the Human Empire down to the lowest priva...more
Overall the story was pretty good, though I was somewhat surprised at the amount of sex throughout the book. It seemed that pretty much every character from the Emperor of the Human Empire down to the lowest priva...more
Dietz has a lot of ideas in this book, but none of them were particularly well done except the action - when he actually wrote it. As a fun, quick space opera, it's not bad, though. If he had made this into a trilogy, he could have made it quite a good story. As it was, there just wasn't enough meat to really be satisfying. He'd jump from one place to another, do a quick flashback on what could have been an awesome scene, but it was just a quick synopsis. Maybe that was my big problem - a lot of...more
Nov 28, 2008
Jesse
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of David Webber and Military Sci-fi in general
Recommended to Jesse by:
no one, I found it and tried it
Shelves:
sci-fi,
military-sci-fi
I finally finished this book, and I have to say I ended it pleased with where it went. Its got flaws, as a lot of Military Sci-fi seems to have, sacrificing certain levels of depth of plot and richness of character, to focus on more action packed battles and technical details. But its Mil. Sci-fi, so I expect that. I started out not liking it in the begining. See the cover presents it as this book about a whole futuristic military force composed of people who had to be turned into Cyborgs due to...more
Legion of the Damned by William C. Dietz definitely falls into the 'does what is says on the tin' category of a book. it is basically a story about the French Foreign Legion in Space with Cyborgs. Put like that, it sounds sort of silly, but in reality, the premise is quite interesting and the tale that Dietz weaves is a good ol' ripping yarn worthy of a gander by anyone who doesn’t dislike Military Science Fiction. Though characters are a bit lacking in depth, the setting is fascinating and the...more
The book seemed to start slowly, but developed into a real page-turner. Many of the incidents would be familiar to someone familiar with the history of the French Foreign Legion, moved to the future by the author. For me, this added flavor to, rather than detracted from, the narrative. I found the different levels of soldier/ cyborg confusing initially, but this sorted itself out as the story progressed. This book is not advertised as the first in a series of "Legion" books, but it is. There are...more
I have read thousands of books and all the top rated Sci fi and Military Sci Fi. This author ranks among my top 5. You can't go wrong with any book he wrote or will write. This is big for me. Seldom do I write a review on any book or author. I have read many good Sci fi, but few Greats. All of Dietz book qualify as Greats. I find myself wishing he would write faster. And I am certain that his work will stand the test of time. (ah, no. Don't know the author personally, in case you were wondering....more
Hmmm, I'm not sure what to say about this one. About half-way through I was convinced the entire book was going to be one long setup for a "To Be Continued" ending. I was wrong about that. The amount of loose-ends that got tidied up in the last few chapters was pretty phenomenal, although there's still plenty of scope for the sequels. Without straying into spoiler territory let's just say I was surprised at who was and wasn't standing at the end.
My main issue with the story is that it's a little...more
My main issue with the story is that it's a little...more
Legion of the Damnedby William C. Dietz is the first installment of the completed nine book series of the same name. The book is set in a far future version of our universe where humanity has colonized parts of the galaxy militarily typically tries to subjugate any indigenous sentient species and exploits the planet's natural resources. But there are other powerful technologically advanced races out there and the humans are about to encounter one of them.
The earth military is broken into three...more
The earth military is broken into three...more
I have to be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction. I'm more of a fantasy lover. Yes, there is a difference in my opinion between the two subjects. This book was therefore grudgingly accepted from my boyfriend when he was looking for something for me to read instead of spending more of my tight budget. At first it took some time for me to figure out what was going on because, as I mentioned, this isn't my typical genre of choice; however, by the third chapter I was hooked. I thought...more
May 31, 2011
Jason
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Sci fi fans, Military SF fans, French Foreign Legion fans, conservatives
I have been meaning to rewrite this review for a long time now... but I am never going to get around to it (until I read the book again), so here is what I did write shortly after reading it...
I learned of Legion of the Damned by reading about the French Foreign Legion. I liked the idea of the Legion put in a science fiction setting, and the author’s name rang a bell. Later I would remember that William Dietz also wrote a short series of books based on the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight video game...more
I learned of Legion of the Damned by reading about the French Foreign Legion. I liked the idea of the Legion put in a science fiction setting, and the author’s name rang a bell. Later I would remember that William Dietz also wrote a short series of books based on the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight video game...more
That was a bit pants really. All in all, it was rather two-dimensional. Two-dimensional characters, invariably in positions of power and either at a party, having sex or engaged in grand tactical warfare. Hollow ill-conceived future-tech. And a plot as thin as the atmosphere on Mars (as depicted by Viking rather than Burroughs).
If you still have spots, wear short trousers and are a virgin you'll probably like this. If your brain cells have reached double figures, reach for some decent writers in...more
If you still have spots, wear short trousers and are a virgin you'll probably like this. If your brain cells have reached double figures, reach for some decent writers in...more
Good idea and good book (if you like straight up military science fiction, which I usually do). The synopsis pretty much gives you the idea the novel (and it's sequels) are built around. Condemned criminals, among others will have their brains transplanted into mechanical bodies. These cyborgs can range from appearing human to being giant military machines tanks etc. with human brains.
And there is very little need for the human looking cyborgs...get it? Generally you end up plugged into somethi...more
And there is very little need for the human looking cyborgs...get it? Generally you end up plugged into somethi...more
This was the third time that I read this book and I still find it to be an enjoyable read.
Although there are a large number of characters, they each get developed enough for you to care what happens to them. The book moves along at a good pace keeping the adrenaline up while not losing track of the story.
Military action, intrigue, and an interesting premise for crime and punishment.
The whole series is an interesting, exciting read that I will return to again and again over the years.
Although there are a large number of characters, they each get developed enough for you to care what happens to them. The book moves along at a good pace keeping the adrenaline up while not losing track of the story.
Military action, intrigue, and an interesting premise for crime and punishment.
The whole series is an interesting, exciting read that I will return to again and again over the years.
(audiobook) First half of the book is slow at times switches between story lines much to quickly little annoying. When you get past the middle of the book, the story line comes together action gets better and characters become more entertaining. Well worth the read if you like sci-fi and can get past the poor first half. Will be giving the next books in series a look.
Legion of the Damned took me a Damned long time to read for such a relatively short book. It looks like it is now the first book in a series - I'm going to choose to ignore that, and just avoid the rest of the series. Life's too short for even "ok" books.
Very, very good. Great military sci-fi, action sequences. I don't remember it getting bogged down in any areas. Despite spanning several battles across several planets, the story doesn't spread itself too thin. I'll definitely check out the rest of the series.
I neither liked nor disliked this book. I am completely neutral to it. I don't care one way or another. It makes no difference to me. Stuff happened in this book. I remember some of it, but it is not important enough for me to comment on.
Would have gotten another star if it wasn't for the silly ridicolous and totally unnecessary plot element with the idiotic horny emperor and the plotting admiral.
Why does so many authors have to add these silly soap opera elements to their books?
Why does so many authors have to add these silly soap opera elements to their books?
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
It had some really good parts and some really slow parts. I was not inspired to pick up the next one.
Top notch military sci fi. Some character development issues, but very enjoyable overall. Dietz has been added to my short list of must read sci fi authors.
Decent military sci-fi; enjoyed it a lot when I was 15, it is quite fascist in hindsight.
Although I liked a couple of Dietz's previous books, I found this one slow going. The writing was good but there were too many characters, I thought, and the book jumped around a lot from character to character. The idea was sound but I just didn't really get into the story. Could be just me.
I liked the book, it had an intereseting concept and a good story line.
(Recommendation from the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club group.)
Mostly decent, with a couple moments that didn't ring true. Recommend for military sci/fi fans.
Creative in parts, but mostly boring and repetitive
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
William C. Dietz grew up in the Seattle area, spent time with the Navy and Marine Corps as a corpsman, graduated from the University of Washington and worked as a surgical technician, college instructor, and news writer. Later he worked for US West in a number of different marketing communications and public relations related positions, before leaving to accept a job as Director of Public Relation...more
More about William C. Dietz...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Sep 04, 2011 07:50am
Sep 04, 2011 09:35am