The Republic army is sending a bunch of its soldiers on a diplomatic mission to the planet of Kublar. The Legionnaires, an elite special fighting force, is sent as well. Ostensibly there to help make peace with the natives and broker an agreement for resource development, the soldiers are there to protect the Republic forces on this mission. Venturing into hostile territory on their vehicles, they get twitchy when they see the natives gathering along their route. But there are rumblings that the Mid-Core Rebels are secretly supporting a sect of the Kublar forces. When a tense situation erupts into violence, will they succeed in their mission or will they die trying?
The Legionnaires are elite soldiers for a reason, as one of them worth a hundred regular men with their training, tactics, and deadliness. Outfitted with custom armor, artificial intelligence in their form fitting helmets, they are a formidable fighting force to be reckoned with. This is proven repeatedly as they fight against odds that are stacked against them. With each battle they engage in, we see why they are the best. Whether it’s against the natives, dealing with strange alliances, powerful weapons, surprise turnabouts and unexpected setbacks, they do their best to adapt and win.
This is not just a straightforward story, as some military science fiction can be. Your typical genre novel can fall into the trap of feeling like a videogame, where you see a gun bounce around your screen as bad guys pop into and out of your field of vision. It’s also easy to be desensitized to the violence on your screen as you blow away bad guys. But this novel is more complex and layered than that simplistic description.
These battles are won by boots on the ground, developing strategies on the fly, working together as a team to take down the enemy. These scenes are intense and riveting, as we experience each struggle to survive through the eyes of Sergeant Chhun as he takes down one enemy after another while trying to avoid being killed. You cannot help but feel your pulse race in these scenes, as your breath quickens and you move your head to avoid getting it shot off your shoulders, as I did while being engrossed by each page I read.
Each battle is different, each one presenting a different challenge for Victory Company to overcome and the quality of the writing here is where the author, Jason Anspach, shines the most. The strategy used to win these battles is multifaceted and fascinating as the problems multiply. Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy but how they adjust to each brutal engagement and try to win is part of the suspense.
By the time you’ve reached the end of the novel, you feel like you’ve served along with their forces, as the story immerses you so deeply into it. You experience the recoil of the weapon in your hand, feel the heat of the battle sear your skin and smell the carnage around you as you face off against the enemy. The brotherhood of your fellow soldiers, bonded together and forged in battle, you don’t just become emotionally involved. You personally experience fighting for each other, your loyalty towards one another and you are inducted into the Legionnaires by proxy as you read. You are of one of them as you feel the weariness and relief as the battle ends, you assess your casualties, check your supplies and figure out what your next step is. Ooah.
What I liked was the main character, Sergeant Chhun, and why he fights and whom he fights for. It’s not just a shoot ‘em up story, it’s about the men you fight with and we clearly see why he feels this way. It’s one thing to say it and another to see that motivation demonstrated effectively in the novel. The soldiers are disillusioned with the politics that surround the officers who serve with them, including the cowardly Captain Devers, who is the man you come to hate for multiple reasons as you will see.
Each soldier, whether minor or major, gets a chance to shine and differentiate themselves from the others. Their pasts, their training, how it all shapes their present worldview and their duty to one another has molded them into Victory Company. Each one of them is an individual but collectively, they are an almost unstoppable force. These soldiers are not just killing machines, they feel when they make mistakes and assess the battlefield for any advantage they can get. You can see how each battle scars them, their determination and grit evident in their plight no matter how bad it gets as tanks battle and air support rains hell down on the battlefield.
The Kublar are also cunning warriors and are not easy to subdue or defeat. Their culture is fleshed out with just enough detail to see what their motivations are, helping you understand their thought processes and see just how alien they really are. From their different clans to alliances they develop, these creatures fight with a ferocity that proves their mettle against the Legionnaires. This is especially apparent in the final battle of the novel, in which everything is thrown at the Legionnaires in the hopes of eradicating them once and for all.
Just when I thought the novel was over and I thought I could relax, it’s punctuated with a spellbinding epilogue written by Nick Cole, adding an exclamation point to the story. It regales us with an enrapturing tale of the military machine wrongly used for political gain and how it affected one soldier for the rest of his life. You viscerally feel the impact of this story deep in your gut at the horrors described here, providing additional context to what it’s like to be a soldier working for a large galactic government.
You know you have a fantastic story on your hands when you start reading faster than your usual speed because you can’t wait to see what happens next. As a result, this novel is military science-fiction at its best.
This story is the first in a series of novels taking place in a universe called Galaxy’s Edge. This universe was developed as a counterpoint to Star Wars and its sprawling saga. For example, stormtroopers in Star Wars has very poor aim and weak armor. However, in this universe, the stormtrooper equivalent is the Legionnaire, with pinpoint aim and strong armor, feeling like a legitimate threat instead of cannon fodder. As a result, it feels like Star Wars with its fresh take on space opera but it’s not Star Wars. It is its own unique entity, with a history and continuity all its own. Written and developed by these two authors, I tremendously look forward to seeing what they write next. This is a universe full of promise and adventure and I will eagerly get on board to see where they take me next.
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Popular Highlights in this book
Reincarnation must be real, because no one could get that stupid in one lifetime.Highlighted by 643 Kindle readers- And if you don’t know how liberating it feels to no longer give a damn, I highly recommend you find out.Highlighted by 345 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher
Hold on, you’re about to make the jump to light-speed in Galaxy’s Edge.
Leap into a living universe of war’s heroes knee-deep in dark intrigues, blasters and bots in blind alley combat, and scoundrel captains looking to coax one more smuggling run out of their broken-down freighters.
Each book in the Galaxy's Edge series is an essential piece of an interconnected whole. Fight alongside Lieutenant Chhun and Victory Company through the deserts of Kublar in Legionnaire. Join the roguish Captain Keel and notorious bounty hunter Tyrus Rechs as they chase the same target in Galactic Outlaws. Continue to Kill Team to see how all these characters find their place on the galactic stage together, along with Legion Commander Keller, Dark Ops, and the mysterious secret agent X... then brace for a civil war initiated by the enigmatic Goth Sullus in Attack of Shadows.
And that's only the beginning.
Gripping Audiobooks!
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Galaxy's Edge Part INarrated by award-winner R.C. Bray, Galaxy's Edge Part I combines the first two books of the series (Legionnaire & Galactic Outlaws) into one riveting listening experience. |
Galaxy's Edge Part IIPart II consists of Kill Team and Attack of Shadows, with R.C. Bray delivering another commanding performance! |
Galaxy's Edge Part IIIPart III continues to provide listeners two books per volume, capturing the moment when the series begins to thread all portions together: Sword of the Legion & Prisoners of Darkness. |
A Self-Contained and Expansive Universe!
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Galaxy's Edge Season OneThe primary story arc detailing how the legionnaires of Victory Company found themselves at the center of a galactic-wide crisis more sinister, violent, and underhanded than they could possibly imagine!
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Tyrus Rechs: Contracts & TerminationsA series of action-adventure thrillers following the Galaxy's most notorious bounty hunter, Tyrus Rechs. This series sheds more light on Rechs's place in the galaxy, and the events leading up to the Battle of Kublar. |
Compelling Stand-AlonesGalaxy's Edge is rich in its own history, with virtually every character having a detailed back story, just waiting to be told. Imperator tells the origins of Goth Sullus, the would-be ruler of the Republic. Tin Man provides a touching tale of a repurposed war bot. |
More to come!The galaxy is a dumpster fire, and that fire still burns! Still scheduled for release are series detailing the SAVAGE WARS, Kill Team Victory, Wraith's Dark Ops Mission, The Order of the Centurion winners and more! |
The first book that made me exited to read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2020
Struggling with dyslexia growing up and still today reading was always a chore to me, that changed when I came across an ad for this book and decided to give it a chance. From the first chapter I found myself involved with a book like I have never been before. Legionnaire is easy to follow and sets the tone for the rest of the series while building the galaxy you will see it play out in. Before I even finished Legionnaire I bought a bookshelf and quickly filled it with the rest of the Galaxy’s Edge series. The universe these authors have created is amazing and has spread off the page into the real world with the fan base that has come to love their work. As I’m sure you can tell I would highly recommend this book/ series. Give it a change for yourself and join the Legion!
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2020
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FallenGrace
Fun but forgettable read.
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Glenn
The new platinum standard in military sci-fi
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 27, 2017JPS
Great even if not original
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 20, 2017
