Hot on the heels of the 13th Legion review comes the sequel Kill Team. I was surprised by how quick I was able to read this, not sure if it was a sign of an enjoyable book or if my reading is actually starting to improve. What it does signal is the completion of book thirteen of my Books of 2018 series. So with five months left of 2018 I need to complete five more books. I feel energised and ready to do this.
With the Sunday morning motivation completed let's get into the review.
Book Stats
Title: Kill Team
Author: Gav Thorpe
Publisher: Black Library.
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 256 pages
Commercial 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 back to back the first thing I notice is the shift in storytelling. In the first book we have short style missions, characters that we grow to like and then a epic final showdown. In this one we get one big prison break, some training montage and then a final showdown. I found myself rooting for Kage and even feeling a bit sorry for him, dumped by the colonel and left to rot in a 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):
Sure it wasn't a perfect book, with some sections feeling more like an 80's action movie and what should have been a scary villain being defeated with ease. But I really enjoyed it. 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!
With the Sunday morning motivation completed let's get into the review.
Title: Kill Team
Author: Gav Thorpe
Publisher: Black Library.
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 256 pages
Commercial 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 back to back the first thing I notice is the shift in storytelling. In the first book we have short style missions, characters that we grow to like and then a epic final showdown. In this one we get one big prison break, some training montage and then a final showdown. I found myself rooting for Kage and even feeling a bit sorry for him, dumped by the colonel and left to rot in a 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 view point. 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, feel like Gav was watching some Star Wars whilst writing this. Loved all the different aliens described in this scene. I just 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 - nice tie in to the Farsight release that was happening at the time. Though he died to easy it was nice to a villian taken down. Time for the Tau to get cloning again.
Sure it wasn't a perfect book, with some sections feeling more like an 80's action movie and what should have been a scary villain being defeated with ease. But I really enjoyed it. 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!
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