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Last Legionary #3
Day of the Starwind
Keill Randor, the surviving legionary of Moros, and Glr, his alien companion, go the the uninhabited planet of Rilyn to investigate the operations of the sinister Warlord and his agents, the Deathwing
123 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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About the author
Douglas Arthur Hill
81 books33 followersDouglas Arthur Hill (6 April 1935 – 21 June 2007) was a Canadian science fiction author, editor and reviewer. He was born in Brandon, Manitoba, the son of a railroad engineer, and was raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. An avid science fiction reader from an early age, he studied English at the University of Saskatchewan (where he earned an Honours B.A. in 1957) and at the University of Toronto. He married fellow writer and U. of S. alumna Gail Robinson in 1958; they moved to Britain in 1959, where he worked as a freelance writer and editor for Aldus Books. In 1967–1968 he served as Assistant Editor of the controversial New Worlds science fiction magazine under Michael Moorcock.
A lifetime leftist, he served from 1971 to 1984 as the Literary Editor of the socialist weekly Tribune (a position once held by George Orwell), where he regularly reviewed science fiction despite the continued refusal of the literary world to take it seriously. Before starting to write fiction in 1978, he wrote many books on history, science and folklore. Using the pseudonym Martin Hillman, he also worked as an editor of several anthologies, among them Window on the Future (1966), The Shape of Sex to Come (1978), Out of Time (1984), and Hidden Turnings (1988). He is probably best known for The Last Legionary quartet of novels, supposedly produced as the result of a challenge by a publisher to Hill's complaints about the lack of good science fiction for younger readers.
Hill and his wife had one child, a son. They were divorced in 1978. He lived in Wood Green, London, and died in London after being struck by a bus at a zebra crossing. His death occurred one day after he completed his last trilogy, Demon Stalkers.
A lifetime leftist, he served from 1971 to 1984 as the Literary Editor of the socialist weekly Tribune (a position once held by George Orwell), where he regularly reviewed science fiction despite the continued refusal of the literary world to take it seriously. Before starting to write fiction in 1978, he wrote many books on history, science and folklore. Using the pseudonym Martin Hillman, he also worked as an editor of several anthologies, among them Window on the Future (1966), The Shape of Sex to Come (1978), Out of Time (1984), and Hidden Turnings (1988). He is probably best known for The Last Legionary quartet of novels, supposedly produced as the result of a challenge by a publisher to Hill's complaints about the lack of good science fiction for younger readers.
Hill and his wife had one child, a son. They were divorced in 1978. He lived in Wood Green, London, and died in London after being struck by a bus at a zebra crossing. His death occurred one day after he completed his last trilogy, Demon Stalkers.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 13, 2012
Before looking too closely into the merits of this book, and indeed the whole Last Legionary series, it is probably important to note the intended audience of these novels. This is a series that is written for younger readers, as such the novels aren’t doorstops and the characterisation is pretty sparse. Despite that, there are some enticing technical tidbits, and the “starwind” in this book is actually a pretty spectacular inclusion. As adventure stories set in a futuristic setting, these books fare admirably, and even older readers who are willing to set literary snobbishness and cynicism aside will have a good time reading them.
The focus here is on action. This novel, in particular, contains some of the most exciting hand-to-hand combat scenes I have ever read in Science Fiction, albeit a bit one sided. Keill Randor is a one-man villain-thumping machine and this is the kind of thing that he does really well. As the last survivor of a martial race he is trained to put the hurt on folk in a variety of ways. He is also out for justice, which translates uniformly to “capital punishment”. The novels also, arguably, read like levels of a video game, with the inevitable Boss Fight at the end of each. None of this is meant as criticism. It’s actually an extremely fun series, and the novels are real page-turners. It’s also not quite as violent as I’ve been making it sound. It has that old-school feel you’ve been yearning for but haven’t been able to recapture with any of the more serious Science Fiction novels you’ve been reading. I also like the locations and settings that Hill uses, it just feels kind of “right”.
The only down-side here, I suppose, is that you’ll find yourself debating the reasons why the antagonists don’t just kill Randor and be done with it. They often have the opportunity, but like any James Bond villain worth his salt the gloating speeches, torture devices and other means of potential escape inevitably get in the way.
The series concludes in Planet of the Warlord.
The focus here is on action. This novel, in particular, contains some of the most exciting hand-to-hand combat scenes I have ever read in Science Fiction, albeit a bit one sided. Keill Randor is a one-man villain-thumping machine and this is the kind of thing that he does really well. As the last survivor of a martial race he is trained to put the hurt on folk in a variety of ways. He is also out for justice, which translates uniformly to “capital punishment”. The novels also, arguably, read like levels of a video game, with the inevitable Boss Fight at the end of each. None of this is meant as criticism. It’s actually an extremely fun series, and the novels are real page-turners. It’s also not quite as violent as I’ve been making it sound. It has that old-school feel you’ve been yearning for but haven’t been able to recapture with any of the more serious Science Fiction novels you’ve been reading. I also like the locations and settings that Hill uses, it just feels kind of “right”.
The only down-side here, I suppose, is that you’ll find yourself debating the reasons why the antagonists don’t just kill Randor and be done with it. They often have the opportunity, but like any James Bond villain worth his salt the gloating speeches, torture devices and other means of potential escape inevitably get in the way.
The series concludes in Planet of the Warlord.
June 1, 2020
Another incident in Keill Randor's quest to avenge the death of his entire homeworld. Day of the Starwind is the only one of this sequence that I read as a child, and I am pleased to say that it still holds up as a story, albeit with not quite the depth of a book aimed at adults.
It begins with a bloody bang - a terrorist attack on a remote world's spaceport - that attracts the investigative attention of Randor and Glr, and leads them to discover a training facility on an unpopulated nearby planet whose only distinguishing feature is a periodic weather effect that scours the surface clear of any settlements: the titular Starwind.
Something about this story feels almost prototypical for videogames (I get strong Turrican vibes from it), or perhaps a throwback to Tolkien's wizards growing an army whilst sitting atop tall towers.
Perhaps there is something of the late-'70s early-'80s zeitgeist about clone armies, or Hill was inspired by Leia's remark in Star Wars - this could have been a secret cloning facility from the Star Wars universe of our imagination before it was ever portrayed onscreen in Attack of the Clones.
Character development is not what we are here for - this is a genre story with the stoic warrior and his sidekick - and Randor is the same man at the beginning of the story as he is at the end, although perhaps a little bit closer to his goal than before.
No, the readership should be expecting action, and the author piles it high on the plate before serving it with a flourish. Hill pulls no punches in his descriptions of combat and its outcomes, and the result feels all the more visceral for it.
Hugely entertaining SF action for YA readers.
It begins with a bloody bang - a terrorist attack on a remote world's spaceport - that attracts the investigative attention of Randor and Glr, and leads them to discover a training facility on an unpopulated nearby planet whose only distinguishing feature is a periodic weather effect that scours the surface clear of any settlements: the titular Starwind.
Something about this story feels almost prototypical for videogames (I get strong Turrican vibes from it), or perhaps a throwback to Tolkien's wizards growing an army whilst sitting atop tall towers.
Perhaps there is something of the late-'70s early-'80s zeitgeist about clone armies, or Hill was inspired by Leia's remark in Star Wars - this could have been a secret cloning facility from the Star Wars universe of our imagination before it was ever portrayed onscreen in Attack of the Clones.
Character development is not what we are here for - this is a genre story with the stoic warrior and his sidekick - and Randor is the same man at the beginning of the story as he is at the end, although perhaps a little bit closer to his goal than before.
No, the readership should be expecting action, and the author piles it high on the plate before serving it with a flourish. Hill pulls no punches in his descriptions of combat and its outcomes, and the result feels all the more visceral for it.
Hugely entertaining SF action for YA readers.
August 24, 2021
Short and sweet. Before the books go to a charity shop I am just finishing this series again. Given that the first book on the series was the first book I ever bought and it was now 44 years ago I thought it would be nice to read through the story a last time before the books go.
These are easy books to read. About 130 pages so its a couple of hours reading to get through. The stories are simple enough and hit the action immediately.
These books are clearly designed for the younger reader but who cares, the adventure is there and it is nice to get in, get it done and get out again. The writing is solid, there is no purple prose here but the pace and the action is well handled. The plot again is functionary and easy to follow and after this book I'm hitting the last one.
The titles are relatively awful.
I will always have a soft spot for the first book. It is the book that got me into sci-fi and opened my eyes to a whole universe of worlds. When I first read the books I did not realise it was a series and it was only as an adult that I found out there were other (very hard to get) books out there from the same series.
I enjoyed it. It was a lovely couple of hours during a day off work. Books are a joy.
These are easy books to read. About 130 pages so its a couple of hours reading to get through. The stories are simple enough and hit the action immediately.
These books are clearly designed for the younger reader but who cares, the adventure is there and it is nice to get in, get it done and get out again. The writing is solid, there is no purple prose here but the pace and the action is well handled. The plot again is functionary and easy to follow and after this book I'm hitting the last one.
The titles are relatively awful.
I will always have a soft spot for the first book. It is the book that got me into sci-fi and opened my eyes to a whole universe of worlds. When I first read the books I did not realise it was a series and it was only as an adult that I found out there were other (very hard to get) books out there from the same series.
I enjoyed it. It was a lovely couple of hours during a day off work. Books are a joy.
June 5, 2012
It's not without its flaws, but this book shaped so much of my sci-fi tastes that I'm almost embarrassed about it.
It was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read, and it will have a special place in my heart as a result. Through this one small tome, I began to read Isaac Asimov and Peter F. Hamilton. I was drawn to Star Trek and Star Wars. I'm playing Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War 3 right now.
It fired my imagination when I was only 12. Surely that is worth five stars.
It was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read, and it will have a special place in my heart as a result. Through this one small tome, I began to read Isaac Asimov and Peter F. Hamilton. I was drawn to Star Trek and Star Wars. I'm playing Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War 3 right now.
It fired my imagination when I was only 12. Surely that is worth five stars.
July 19, 2021
Book three of the Last Legionary quartet sees Keill Randor edge closer to the shadowy Warlord who masterminded his planet’s destruction. Hill has a knack for upping the stakes, pitting his protagonist against ever more serious threats. Clear, fast-moving middle-grade action SF.
March 12, 2018
This was the very first Sci-fi book I ever read. I was in 6th grade and looking through the school library for something to read and the cover had a handsome man in an assassin-like suit and it said at the top, The Last Legionary. Up til then I had read a lot of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Some Agatha Christie Novels, and The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Mostly I was into the mystery novels though. I didn't know what this was, nor realized it was book 3 of a series, but checked it out and when I read it, it changed my reading interests forever.
To my 12 yr old self the Legionary, who was last of his race desperately looking for any other survivors and unique in his combat skills, was a character to pull at my young heartstrings and ache at the brutal beatings he took. The sci-fi part of it was secondary, just background setting. However, once I realized there were more books telling his story, I had to read them all.
What I remember most about this book is the Legionary's determination, the pain he was put through, the yearning he felt to find anymore of his people, and his hate toward those who destroyed his planet. 35 years later I still remember the story fondly and am glad they started me down the part of discovering more sci-fi; that of Issac Asimov and other great sci-fi authors.
To my 12 yr old self the Legionary, who was last of his race desperately looking for any other survivors and unique in his combat skills, was a character to pull at my young heartstrings and ache at the brutal beatings he took. The sci-fi part of it was secondary, just background setting. However, once I realized there were more books telling his story, I had to read them all.
What I remember most about this book is the Legionary's determination, the pain he was put through, the yearning he felt to find anymore of his people, and his hate toward those who destroyed his planet. 35 years later I still remember the story fondly and am glad they started me down the part of discovering more sci-fi; that of Issac Asimov and other great sci-fi authors.
April 9, 2009
The last legionary is on the trail of the element responsible for annihilating life on his planet and for killing the legionaries. He runs into clones of old legionaries who are controlled by his enemy.
February 23, 2012
Less cool than the first two, but still a fast read.
October 22, 2018
Still Great
Read this book as a teen and loved it and now in the beginnings of middle age it is still as good as I remember
Read this book as a teen and loved it and now in the beginnings of middle age it is still as good as I remember
June 23, 2014
One of my all time favorite authors and one of my Top 10 Book Series!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews