The Legionaries of Moros have been annihilated by an evil force known as the Deathwing. There is one survivor, Keill Randor, who searches the galaxy for the Warlord, creator of the Deathwing. This is the second book in the "Last Legionary" series.
Douglas 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.
This sequel to Galactic Warlord is another surprisingly entertaining instalment in the Last Legionary quartet. Keill Randor, the last remaining Legionary, leads an eventful existence. For one thing, he is hot on the trail of the killer of every living being on his planet of birth. Needless to say, he is somewhat ticked off. Sound cheesy yet? It sure is, and all the better for it.
After the first book in the series, we know that the person responsible for the destruction of Moros is the shadowy entity known as The Galactic Warlord. Randor knows this too, and is hell-bent on finding this particular worthy, while working for an organisation of galactic peacekeepers (for lack of a better name) known as The Overseers.
Again, I enjoyed this book more than I was probably supposed to. It is an uncomplicated romp in a fun science fiction universe where the lines between good and evil are clearly defined. This time round, Randor and his feisty alien companion Glr (a telepathic bat-like creature with some serious skills) suspect Warlord involvement when a revolution is instigated on a mining planetoid. The Legionary joins up under the guise of mercenary, the reason being that the Warlord’s agent (the Deathwing of the title) may be able to lead him to the elusive Galactic Warlord himself, who is basically to Randor what Ming the Merciless is to Flash Gordon and what the Emperor is to Luke Skywalker. Unsurprisingly, things don’t quite work out that way and, well, before you know it you’ve read the whole thing.
Part two of the Last Legionary Quartet, Deathwing Over Veynaa continues the adventures of Keill Randor and Glr in the same style as Galactic Warlord.
For a children's SF novel, this is surprisingly tense - a kickpunching adventure in a star system where remote mineral-workers are being stoked into rebellion by an agent provocateur. It's not highbrow by any means, but it absolutely does not condescend to its intended audience in the slightest.
I am reminded of the very best of Tom Baker '70s-era Doctor Who, where reasonably adult themes of warfare and injustice and political manipulation can be presented in a format that is gripping to a young audience, and at a level that enables the themes to make sense without egregious over-simplification (but also where the imagination can fully realise the space battles and winged aliens).
I read the first when I was 7. It was the first book I was ever allowed to buy and the first science fiction book I ever read. My love of Galactic Warlord as a child coloured the rest of my life.
As an adult the magic of Amazon and Ebay allowed me to see the rest of the series that I never knew existed and now I'm going to read all the series again. Just for a quick nostalgia rush.
Another short book, not difficult to read at all but for such a short book there is too much exposition. That is a shame.
The tale is simple enough, it has a twist in it and is a fun read but never more than that. This many years later I never expected it to rock my world however. I don't think me at this age was the intended audience. To be fair it is high action, has a moral center and 2 cool main characters. I like it for that.
SO its a really short adventure of a character I loved as a child. I like the fact it know what it is and sticks to its own rules.
I'll never feel the utter magic I felt when I first tried science fiction. Its not there now for this book but if I was 7 again, it would be.
Middle-grade science fiction. Book two of Hill’s Last Legionary quartet/quintet succeeds admirably as both a standalone novel and a progression of the series. Hill’s characterisation may be unambiguous but he knows how to keep a story moving. An exciting single-sitting action adventure.
I liked this book because it has a perfect mix of drama and humour. I would recommend this to 9-11 year olds who like fiction and space. Best book EVER!!!