What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lockman Chronicles #2
Dark Legion
The Agency taught him how to fight monsters, not a war. How to protect his country, not those he loved. How to kill, not how to live.
Now Craig Lockman faces a legion of vampires led by a self-proclaimed vampire king. Never before have these creatures amassed in such great numbers. Their goal is uncertain. Their reach unknown.
And while Lockman's training can help in the battle against this dark legion, nothing can prepare him for the sacrifice he must make in order to defeat its king.
This thrilling follow-up to Darker Things doesn’t stop delivering wicked twists until the very last page. Don’t wait a second longer. Grab your copy of Dark Legion now!
Now Craig Lockman faces a legion of vampires led by a self-proclaimed vampire king. Never before have these creatures amassed in such great numbers. Their goal is uncertain. Their reach unknown.
And while Lockman's training can help in the battle against this dark legion, nothing can prepare him for the sacrifice he must make in order to defeat its king.
This thrilling follow-up to Darker Things doesn’t stop delivering wicked twists until the very last page. Don’t wait a second longer. Grab your copy of Dark Legion now!
316 pages
First published January 1, 2011
31 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Rob Cornell
28 books111 followersWhether it’s a covert-ops team of vampire assassins or a greedy dragon who lives under Detroit’s MGM Grand Casino, most of Rob Cornell’s stories feature some element of the dark and fantastic. He has written over a dozen published novels, including two dark fantasy sagas—The Lockman Chronicles and the Unturned series. A native of the Detroit area, he spent a handful of years living in both Los Angeles and Chicago before returning to the Midwest, and currently lives with his family in Southeast Michigan.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 11, 2012
Let me tell you about Cornell. This son-of-a-bitch can write. Seriously, pick up the books in the Lockman Chronicles and just try to put them down after you start reading. For me, the first in the series had a couple of holes in it that I wasn't crazy over. But "Dark Legion" is a hoot and a half. The characters are a lot of fun (picture Shrek as an arms dealer) and even though you might get an inkling where Cornell is taking you with some of the plot, it doesn't matter because getting there is all the fun. Breathless is a good way to describe the pace. He'll put in a chapter to slow things down just to give you a tad bit of a rest, but the only way to read these books is to stay home from work, or hang at home on the weekend, and inhale them from start to finish. The only issue with "Dark Legion?" Well, it's getting to an end that sets you up for a sequel that, given the first two books in the series, can only be dynamite. You think I liked this book? Hell yes. Read it!
April 6, 2013
I found this book a painful read - watching the characters try to grow through their traumas left me angry, sad, and frustrated through most of the book. Not in a bad way, just in a "all these people are so broken" kind of way.
Unlike what I've seen in a couple of other reviews, I think the development of characters in this book is consistent with the previous book. Craig is a prejudiced hard-headed bastard, his wife is an overly controlling parent with an unhealthy penchant for denial, and the teen daughter just wishes someone would take her seriously -- all of these basic character flaws are what make the interactions and growth in this book so hard. At times, I found myself wishing, just once, someone would do something out of character to stop my pain.
As a parent, the relationships in Craig's small family kill me. With the parents' prejudices against magic use, the struggles there mirror the pain of a child coming out as homosexual to their parents. "We don't care if that's who you are, just stop doing it." While frustrating, this is again in keeping with the characters as they've been developed.
Craig's mind opens to new possibilities very slowly, as do all stubbornly biased minds. And yet, as I saw him hurting himself with his own hatred, I wished Cornell didn't portray that process so d*mn well. Because he's not done yet, which means there's only more painful growth to come.
As always, Cornell's action is good, his mystery rolls out well, and he tells a tight story. His dialogue is sharp. Being a native of New Orleans, I found his setting to be well-incorporated, avoiding the heavy-handedness many authors bring to vampire stories in that city. And even though I finished this novel about a month ago, I find myself regularly staring off into the distance, thinking about the characters' choices and consequences.
Unlike what I've seen in a couple of other reviews, I think the development of characters in this book is consistent with the previous book. Craig is a prejudiced hard-headed bastard, his wife is an overly controlling parent with an unhealthy penchant for denial, and the teen daughter just wishes someone would take her seriously -- all of these basic character flaws are what make the interactions and growth in this book so hard. At times, I found myself wishing, just once, someone would do something out of character to stop my pain.
As a parent, the relationships in Craig's small family kill me. With the parents' prejudices against magic use, the struggles there mirror the pain of a child coming out as homosexual to their parents. "We don't care if that's who you are, just stop doing it." While frustrating, this is again in keeping with the characters as they've been developed.
Craig's mind opens to new possibilities very slowly, as do all stubbornly biased minds. And yet, as I saw him hurting himself with his own hatred, I wished Cornell didn't portray that process so d*mn well. Because he's not done yet, which means there's only more painful growth to come.
As always, Cornell's action is good, his mystery rolls out well, and he tells a tight story. His dialogue is sharp. Being a native of New Orleans, I found his setting to be well-incorporated, avoiding the heavy-handedness many authors bring to vampire stories in that city. And even though I finished this novel about a month ago, I find myself regularly staring off into the distance, thinking about the characters' choices and consequences.
March 16, 2013
Just when Craig Lockman had defeated the evil mastermind using supernatural creatures in his nefarious plot, allowing Lockman to return to / discover a (relatively) peaceful existence outside of the Agency, an old colleague returns with some harrowing news. Vampires have taken her sister and worse, they have organized into an ever growing army, determined to defeat humanity. I enjoyed this second book of the Lockman Chronicles, which has brought some interesting characters and new perspectives to the urban fantasy genre. The author's style easily allows the imagination to paint the picture of the events in your mind. I am looking forward to finishing the trilogy with Darkest Hour.
January 16, 2019
I’m not sure why everyone in these books thinks they need to manipulate Craig into everything rather than level with him. It would be nice if they’d at least try leveling with him now and then.
I wish Teresa had just been an old and close friend and colleague rather than a former lover. We’re back to that rivals stereotype where women must jealously compete over a man’s affections. On the plus side, when it really comes down to it Teresa doesn’t ultimately screw Kate over, so it could have been worse. Hopefully in future volumes there are women who don’t have a thing for Craig. Kate still could have been angry at Craig for leaving her without the jealousy over Teresa, and Craig still could have cared enough about Teresa to go after her even if they hadn’t been lovers. Also, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of chemistry between Craig and Kate.
There are definitely too many supernaturals in this installment. One of the things that made the first book unusual among urban fantasies was the idea that most humans are still completely unaware of the presence of supernaturals, and there aren’t that many of them in our world. There are so many in this volume that it’s impossible to believe they’re in any way unnoticed. This made the book feel much less unusual or unique.
Trigger warning for some rape mentions (vampires are definitely awful creatures).
I’m still interested in this ongoing prophecy plot involving Jessie and Craig; we get to see a bit more of that here, but it certainly isn’t resolved in any way. Also, Jessie is left with some interesting things going on, so it’ll be good to see where that goes. Hopefully the next book will get back to what made the first book so strong. This one does have a really good raid on a hotel full of vampires, so it has that going for it!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/01/r...
I wish Teresa had just been an old and close friend and colleague rather than a former lover. We’re back to that rivals stereotype where women must jealously compete over a man’s affections. On the plus side, when it really comes down to it Teresa doesn’t ultimately screw Kate over, so it could have been worse. Hopefully in future volumes there are women who don’t have a thing for Craig. Kate still could have been angry at Craig for leaving her without the jealousy over Teresa, and Craig still could have cared enough about Teresa to go after her even if they hadn’t been lovers. Also, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of chemistry between Craig and Kate.
There are definitely too many supernaturals in this installment. One of the things that made the first book unusual among urban fantasies was the idea that most humans are still completely unaware of the presence of supernaturals, and there aren’t that many of them in our world. There are so many in this volume that it’s impossible to believe they’re in any way unnoticed. This made the book feel much less unusual or unique.
Trigger warning for some rape mentions (vampires are definitely awful creatures).
I’m still interested in this ongoing prophecy plot involving Jessie and Craig; we get to see a bit more of that here, but it certainly isn’t resolved in any way. Also, Jessie is left with some interesting things going on, so it’ll be good to see where that goes. Hopefully the next book will get back to what made the first book so strong. This one does have a really good raid on a hotel full of vampires, so it has that going for it!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/01/r...
August 26, 2017
Fun read
It was a good, fun read. Im not quite sure I like the ending. To not give away spoilers, the regrouping part is I guess what it could be called, just after the main climax. I just think it should be better explained exactly what happened for the regrouping. It was implied, but not detailed what and how it exactly was done. Because it seems like the two people should be ... something else but they didn't end up that way. Why didn't they change?
It was a good, fun read. Im not quite sure I like the ending. To not give away spoilers, the regrouping part is I guess what it could be called, just after the main climax. I just think it should be better explained exactly what happened for the regrouping. It was implied, but not detailed what and how it exactly was done. Because it seems like the two people should be ... something else but they didn't end up that way. Why didn't they change?
March 31, 2019
An awesome read. Rob Cornell has a way of making the story come alive.
April 6, 2023
Good pt 2
Continuation of the first, same good quality. Good paranormal story, with alittle of everything. Will be following up with book 3
Continuation of the first, same good quality. Good paranormal story, with alittle of everything. Will be following up with book 3
December 11, 2012
"Dark Legion" is a worthy successor to the first book in the Lockman Chronicles ("Darker Things"). The book catches up with Lockman about a year after the first book ends, opening with a bang. Where the second book created an interesting mix of various legends (werewolves, ogres, vampires, ghosts, and more) "Dark Legion" centers primarily around vampires...and these vampires DO NOT sparkle.
Where "Darker Things" proved Cornell is a talented storyteller, "Dark Legion" really showcases Cornell's strong writing talent. The narrative moves fast and is easy to follow. It's a pleasure to read. Character development is strong and the story allows for suspension of disbelief. "Dark Legion" wraps up the primary story nicely while setting us up for a sequel. No cliffhanger ending while we wait for the next book.
Personally I thought the character development of Craig Lockman was natural and appropriate. After living with his girlfriend and his daughter for a year, his loyalties are bound to shift. He's beginning to feel emotions now and that can jeopardize the mission. To be honest I would have been disappointed had Cornell decided to make this the same old Craig Lockman as in the first book. I think the character would have felt one-sided and flat. Opinion varies of course.
This is a high-quality, professional release. It's well-edited, proofread, properly formatted with a good cover. I found this book engaging and very difficult to put down. It was a quick and easy read. If you enjoy popular fiction with vampires that bite I think you'll enjoy this book.
Where "Darker Things" proved Cornell is a talented storyteller, "Dark Legion" really showcases Cornell's strong writing talent. The narrative moves fast and is easy to follow. It's a pleasure to read. Character development is strong and the story allows for suspension of disbelief. "Dark Legion" wraps up the primary story nicely while setting us up for a sequel. No cliffhanger ending while we wait for the next book.
Personally I thought the character development of Craig Lockman was natural and appropriate. After living with his girlfriend and his daughter for a year, his loyalties are bound to shift. He's beginning to feel emotions now and that can jeopardize the mission. To be honest I would have been disappointed had Cornell decided to make this the same old Craig Lockman as in the first book. I think the character would have felt one-sided and flat. Opinion varies of course.
This is a high-quality, professional release. It's well-edited, proofread, properly formatted with a good cover. I found this book engaging and very difficult to put down. It was a quick and easy read. If you enjoy popular fiction with vampires that bite I think you'll enjoy this book.
February 6, 2017
Started reading this book because I told myself that I had to read something that's been sitting on my shelf for awhile. Felt a little slow at the beginning but it didn't waste much time in kicking the action into high gear. This story renewed my interest in the series , I read this in one sitting and was happy to know the rest of the books in the series were available.
September 2, 2012
So in my last post on "Darker Things" I incorrectly stated that 'Dark Army' was the next book. It is actually Dark Legion. Either way, Rob kept me guessing and actually kept me up reading well past 2 o'clock on some days. Good job, and hurry up with that next book! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ON THE FENCE, READ THIS SERIES!
January 9, 2013
The wild ride continues!! I love this series. I couldn't put it down, I had to finish! This book had almost as much action as the first book with so many unexpected twists. And the ending, that totally blew me away, I totally didn't see it coming! I normally don't read anything close to horror but this series is more like a great action movie and I love it! I can't wait for the third book!!
September 5, 2012
I like the pace, and the characters. I was annoyed by typos and americanisms. Rob used terms I have never heard and could not work out without taking myself out of the story. If there is a third book in the series I will read it.
March 9, 2013
Another excellent book. The Lockman series is great!!!
November 16, 2015
Great plot, but dammit-- the plethora of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors pisses me off. Get a damn proofreader/copyeditor already!
February 10, 2016
extremely annoying children.
otherwise not bad
otherwise not bad
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews