The Book Plank

Legion of the Damned by William C. Dietz, Legion #1 Far in the future, condemned criminals and the fatally ill have two choices: to die, or to join the Legion of the Damned, an elite fighting force made up of human legionnaires and cyborg soldiers. If they enlist, their bodies will be destroyed and their minds implanted in gigantic armored killing machines, programmed to fight for the Human Empire. As trouble brews among the Confederacy of Sentient Beings, the aggressive Hudathan aliens are turning their attentions towards Earth. Ruled by an insane emperor and a corrupt government, it’s up to the Legion to save the planet and the Empire from total destruction. Earlier this year I started reading the Prequel Legion series of William C. Dietz, two of the three books, Andromeda's Fall and Andromeda's Choice have been published so far with Andromeda's War to follow soon. I am a big fan of military SF, who doesn't like modified soldiers with heavy guns...

(p)review forecast October part one Which books will you be reading in the coming weeks? Cheers,  Jasper ------------------------------ 1. Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna, Pyr Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground. Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back. This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events ...

Andromeda's Fall by William C. Dietz, The Prequel Legion Series #1 The roots of the Legion of the Damned lie deep within the mythology of the future. But now, national bestselling author William C. Dietz goes back to the Legion’s early days with the story of one recruit’s rebirth and redemption… Hundreds of years in the future, much has changed. Advances in medicine, technology, and science abound. Humanity has gone to the stars, found alien life, and established an empire. But some things never change... All her life, Lady Catherine Carletto (called Cat) has lived for nothing but the next party, the next lover, the next expensive toy. Until, in a bloodthirsty power grab, Imperial Princess Ophelia and her cadre of synth assassins murder her brother the emperor, and go on to purge the galaxy of his friends and supporters—including Cat’s family. The Carlettos are known to be staunch supporters of the Emperor and Carletto Industries has been in the forefront of his pet p...