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The Prequel Legion Series #2
Andromeda's Choice
Andromeda McKee rebuilt her life in the violent embrace of the Legion of the Damned in the days when cyborgs were first being introduced. Now she must choose between her conscience and her desire for vengeance...
In a different world, Lady Catherine “Cat” Carletto would never have left her pampered life behind. But when Princess Ophelia became Empress Ophelia in a coup that claimed the lives of the princess’s brother and all who supported him, including the Carletto family, Cat had to hide—or die.
She became Legionnaire Andromeda McKee, and now she’s a battle-scarred veteran who knows how to kill.
Summoned to Earth to receive the Imperial Order of Merit from the empress herself, Andromeda learns that she isn’t the sole surviving Carletto—her uncle Rex is not only still alive but also the leader of a resistance group determined to overthrow Ophelia.
Caught up in a web of intrigue, Andromeda realizes that the moment is coming when her revenge will be at hand. But will she be able to act, or will she be betrayed by those she has come to trust?
In a different world, Lady Catherine “Cat” Carletto would never have left her pampered life behind. But when Princess Ophelia became Empress Ophelia in a coup that claimed the lives of the princess’s brother and all who supported him, including the Carletto family, Cat had to hide—or die.
She became Legionnaire Andromeda McKee, and now she’s a battle-scarred veteran who knows how to kill.
Summoned to Earth to receive the Imperial Order of Merit from the empress herself, Andromeda learns that she isn’t the sole surviving Carletto—her uncle Rex is not only still alive but also the leader of a resistance group determined to overthrow Ophelia.
Caught up in a web of intrigue, Andromeda realizes that the moment is coming when her revenge will be at hand. But will she be able to act, or will she be betrayed by those she has come to trust?
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2013
22 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
About the author
William C. Dietz
124 books453 followersNew York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
March 10, 2016
This was interesting. More of it was about the military operations than resisting the Empress. I will continue on in the series to see where it goes
December 4, 2013
It's not often that a sequel exceeds the first in a series, but Andromeda's Choice is such a book. William C. Dietz's new novel follows on from Andromeda's Fall and so serves as the second volume in the Legion of the Damned. Effectively, if you liked Andromeda's Fall (which I did), you will love Andromeda's Choice.
Following on the story of 'Cat' Carletto (a.k.a. Andromeda McKee) this book not only ratchets up the tension, but builds upon the characters already introduced while adding new characters that I quickly came to care about. It is definitely a 'does what it says on the tin' adventure book, but also has some hidden depth that includes a new kind of female action hero, lots of shades of grey and gives the reader something to think about. It pulled me in and I was sorry when it was over.
for my full review please go to www.sophyanempire.wordpress.com or short link directly to the article at http://wp.me/pWa2h-Ef
Following on the story of 'Cat' Carletto (a.k.a. Andromeda McKee) this book not only ratchets up the tension, but builds upon the characters already introduced while adding new characters that I quickly came to care about. It is definitely a 'does what it says on the tin' adventure book, but also has some hidden depth that includes a new kind of female action hero, lots of shades of grey and gives the reader something to think about. It pulled me in and I was sorry when it was over.
for my full review please go to www.sophyanempire.wordpress.com or short link directly to the article at http://wp.me/pWa2h-Ef
September 3, 2014
originally [posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...
Earlier this year Titan Books published the first book in The Prequel Legion series by William C. Dietz: Andromeda's Fall. This series tell the events that lead up to the eventual nine book series Legion of William C. Dietz. I have head my eyes on this series for a while, read some very solid military Science Fiction: the Rogue Clone series by Steven L. Kent. Andromeda's Fall was a great start of the prequel series, William C. Dietz introduced a very cool promise for his prequel series and his original series, and further more he showed that he knew how to tell a story, from building the world, creating the right setting and showing what his characters are all about, it was a very solid start.
Andromeda's Choice picks up directly where Andromeda's Fall was left. In the first book William C. Dietz introduced Lady Catherine Carletto who grew up with quite a lot of wealth and basically lived the dream, until one of her family members Princess Ophelia staged a bloody coup and rose to power as Empress Ophelia. During the coup, Ophelia got rid of all of Catherine's family, in a last attempt to stay alive Catherine took serious actions changed her name and joined the Legion, similar to the French Foreign Army. Catherine survived everything in the end but her problems were far from over, plus she also wants her revenge of Empress Ophelia for everything that she did. She cannot go unpunished. With Catherine having found refuge in the Legion, she has also other obligations and that is working for the Legion as a soldier. In the first book you learned that she is determined and this has caused her to preform better than some other soldiers and in recent events she has quite set herself apart, Andromeda is called back to Earth to receive a Imperial Order of Merit. But while she is back on Earth she get confronted by people from her past. She finds out that her uncle Rex survived and that he now runs a group of rebels to get rid of Ophelia. During her ceremony, Andromeda is suddenly confronted by two sides, and has to make a tough decision whether to let her revenge take the upper hand or let her conscience play out. But his isn't all to the story of Andromeda's Choice as Andromeda does find herself battleing once again for the Legion and their plans... and yes there is still more to it. Andromeda put everything to desperately keep her new identity a secret, but you know with old acquaintances... a scar cannot keep you hidden forever.
The story just as what was written in Andromeda's Fall, was very gripping and as I mentioned in that review William C. Dietz knows how to create an engaging and dynamic surrounding in his story. Though there is enough talking and intrigue taking place, this doesn't pose a drag on the story at all, instead by all the rapid fire action that also takes place during these scenes there is a good pacing to it all, really making the pages fly by. The synopsis of Andromeda's Choice might sound like a simple one, with Andromeda collection her award, but this only makes up the start, afterwards the story is thrown in quite a much bigger picture and makes you wonder what the Legion is actually all about...
As for the main protagonist Andromeda McKee, I don't think there is a more stronger yet just as emotional a character around. William C. Dietz impressed me with the picture he created with Andromeda. She went in the first book from a rich young women living the high life to a bottom position ending up in the Legion. This transformation was shown in a very nice way, not all of a sudden but really seeing how hard ti was for Andromeda to cope with it all. Now in this sequel, Andromeda has accepted her new position and has come to terms with it. But she still has a devotion of getting her revenge. Even that she is growing up in the ranks of the Legion life still isn't easy for her, she constantly has to learn new things and adapt accordingly and this is something that makes her character so interesting. She knows what is right and what is wrong, but she also is a loyal soldier who carries out what is asked of her. Her own contemplations whether it is all ok what she and her teams does, does make you think and wonder about many other though. William C. Dietz made his whole series that more thought provoking by showing Andromeda the way he does. She is far by a standard protagonist.
What would military Science Fiction be without some heated battles? Well look no further and dig into Andromeda's Choice right away, the action is rapid fire and non stop. Even when Andromeda and Larking make their way to Earth action seems to hide behind each corner. Though on Earth it is all on a much smaller scale but nonetheless lacking anything as when the it is transferred to the planet of the Naa, Algernon, when it goes down on this planet, William C. Dietz really pulls all the plugs and shows some very fine writing that get you to the edge of your seat within the first few moment. Though I am not that familiar with a lot of military gear and tech, the descriptions of the machinery that the Legion uses produced very clear pictures in my mind. It was really, really good!
Just as with Andromeda's Fall, William C. Dietz has written a very strong story with Andromeda's Choice, further building on the strong character of Andromeda showing just how determined she is to get her right over Ophelia but also making her emotional when it comes down to making decisions, she isn't just a robot to order around but has her own opinion and thoughts that make her actions unpredictable. Where William C. Dietz introduced us most to Andromeda in the first book, he now delves deeper with his story in the action of the Legion itself putting already quite a few questions marks behind several of their actions. Next to the main plot revolving Andromeda and her quest for revenge, there are also some great sidetracks being introduced early on, regarding Andromeda's character that when you reach the final page of the book really leaves it all on a cliffhanger. I know I will be rooting for Andromeda to kick some more ass. The last book in the prequel series will be released in December later this year, but in the meanwhile Titan Books has already published several books in the original Legion series, be sure to check them out!
Earlier this year Titan Books published the first book in The Prequel Legion series by William C. Dietz: Andromeda's Fall. This series tell the events that lead up to the eventual nine book series Legion of William C. Dietz. I have head my eyes on this series for a while, read some very solid military Science Fiction: the Rogue Clone series by Steven L. Kent. Andromeda's Fall was a great start of the prequel series, William C. Dietz introduced a very cool promise for his prequel series and his original series, and further more he showed that he knew how to tell a story, from building the world, creating the right setting and showing what his characters are all about, it was a very solid start.
Andromeda's Choice picks up directly where Andromeda's Fall was left. In the first book William C. Dietz introduced Lady Catherine Carletto who grew up with quite a lot of wealth and basically lived the dream, until one of her family members Princess Ophelia staged a bloody coup and rose to power as Empress Ophelia. During the coup, Ophelia got rid of all of Catherine's family, in a last attempt to stay alive Catherine took serious actions changed her name and joined the Legion, similar to the French Foreign Army. Catherine survived everything in the end but her problems were far from over, plus she also wants her revenge of Empress Ophelia for everything that she did. She cannot go unpunished. With Catherine having found refuge in the Legion, she has also other obligations and that is working for the Legion as a soldier. In the first book you learned that she is determined and this has caused her to preform better than some other soldiers and in recent events she has quite set herself apart, Andromeda is called back to Earth to receive a Imperial Order of Merit. But while she is back on Earth she get confronted by people from her past. She finds out that her uncle Rex survived and that he now runs a group of rebels to get rid of Ophelia. During her ceremony, Andromeda is suddenly confronted by two sides, and has to make a tough decision whether to let her revenge take the upper hand or let her conscience play out. But his isn't all to the story of Andromeda's Choice as Andromeda does find herself battleing once again for the Legion and their plans... and yes there is still more to it. Andromeda put everything to desperately keep her new identity a secret, but you know with old acquaintances... a scar cannot keep you hidden forever.
The story just as what was written in Andromeda's Fall, was very gripping and as I mentioned in that review William C. Dietz knows how to create an engaging and dynamic surrounding in his story. Though there is enough talking and intrigue taking place, this doesn't pose a drag on the story at all, instead by all the rapid fire action that also takes place during these scenes there is a good pacing to it all, really making the pages fly by. The synopsis of Andromeda's Choice might sound like a simple one, with Andromeda collection her award, but this only makes up the start, afterwards the story is thrown in quite a much bigger picture and makes you wonder what the Legion is actually all about...
As for the main protagonist Andromeda McKee, I don't think there is a more stronger yet just as emotional a character around. William C. Dietz impressed me with the picture he created with Andromeda. She went in the first book from a rich young women living the high life to a bottom position ending up in the Legion. This transformation was shown in a very nice way, not all of a sudden but really seeing how hard ti was for Andromeda to cope with it all. Now in this sequel, Andromeda has accepted her new position and has come to terms with it. But she still has a devotion of getting her revenge. Even that she is growing up in the ranks of the Legion life still isn't easy for her, she constantly has to learn new things and adapt accordingly and this is something that makes her character so interesting. She knows what is right and what is wrong, but she also is a loyal soldier who carries out what is asked of her. Her own contemplations whether it is all ok what she and her teams does, does make you think and wonder about many other though. William C. Dietz made his whole series that more thought provoking by showing Andromeda the way he does. She is far by a standard protagonist.
What would military Science Fiction be without some heated battles? Well look no further and dig into Andromeda's Choice right away, the action is rapid fire and non stop. Even when Andromeda and Larking make their way to Earth action seems to hide behind each corner. Though on Earth it is all on a much smaller scale but nonetheless lacking anything as when the it is transferred to the planet of the Naa, Algernon, when it goes down on this planet, William C. Dietz really pulls all the plugs and shows some very fine writing that get you to the edge of your seat within the first few moment. Though I am not that familiar with a lot of military gear and tech, the descriptions of the machinery that the Legion uses produced very clear pictures in my mind. It was really, really good!
Just as with Andromeda's Fall, William C. Dietz has written a very strong story with Andromeda's Choice, further building on the strong character of Andromeda showing just how determined she is to get her right over Ophelia but also making her emotional when it comes down to making decisions, she isn't just a robot to order around but has her own opinion and thoughts that make her actions unpredictable. Where William C. Dietz introduced us most to Andromeda in the first book, he now delves deeper with his story in the action of the Legion itself putting already quite a few questions marks behind several of their actions. Next to the main plot revolving Andromeda and her quest for revenge, there are also some great sidetracks being introduced early on, regarding Andromeda's character that when you reach the final page of the book really leaves it all on a cliffhanger. I know I will be rooting for Andromeda to kick some more ass. The last book in the prequel series will be released in December later this year, but in the meanwhile Titan Books has already published several books in the original Legion series, be sure to check them out!
May 31, 2018
4.5 stars
It’s only been a year since debutante Cat Carletto’s family was assassinated and she was forced to go on the run, joining the Legion military force under the name Andromeda McKee. But staying off the royal radar is proving to be no small task; her accomplishments in the Legion have earned her plenty of attention, putting her in the path of several enemies, including the merciless queen, Ophelia, who ordered the murder of McKee’s entire family. With precious few allies, including lover Captain John Avery and perpetual troublemaker Corporal Larkin, McKee struggles with her commitment to her squad and her desire to see Ophelia — and the Empire — taken down.
Andromeda McKee is one hell of a heroine. Dietz is a rarity among male science fiction authors: He can write a steely, badass female protagonist without making her seem unreasonably stoic. He allows McKee a bit (but just a bit!) of softness and vulnerability, making this debutante-turned-army sergeant into a completely engaging three-dimensional character. Fans of military sci-fi will especially appreciate McKee’s head for strategy and the cleverness she shows in dealing with nemeses (like ruthless empress Ophelia and vindictive superior Heacox) and allies (like ne’er-do-well buddy Larkin) alike. If you don’t root for “the Steel Bitch,” I just don’t know what to do with you.
*originally appeared in the December 2013 edition of RT Book Reviews
It’s only been a year since debutante Cat Carletto’s family was assassinated and she was forced to go on the run, joining the Legion military force under the name Andromeda McKee. But staying off the royal radar is proving to be no small task; her accomplishments in the Legion have earned her plenty of attention, putting her in the path of several enemies, including the merciless queen, Ophelia, who ordered the murder of McKee’s entire family. With precious few allies, including lover Captain John Avery and perpetual troublemaker Corporal Larkin, McKee struggles with her commitment to her squad and her desire to see Ophelia — and the Empire — taken down.
Andromeda McKee is one hell of a heroine. Dietz is a rarity among male science fiction authors: He can write a steely, badass female protagonist without making her seem unreasonably stoic. He allows McKee a bit (but just a bit!) of softness and vulnerability, making this debutante-turned-army sergeant into a completely engaging three-dimensional character. Fans of military sci-fi will especially appreciate McKee’s head for strategy and the cleverness she shows in dealing with nemeses (like ruthless empress Ophelia and vindictive superior Heacox) and allies (like ne’er-do-well buddy Larkin) alike. If you don’t root for “the Steel Bitch,” I just don’t know what to do with you.
*originally appeared in the December 2013 edition of RT Book Reviews
August 8, 2015
It is very rare that I pick up a second book min a series, when I wasn't impressed by the first one, well Andromeda's choice is an exemption. I didn't know what to read at B&N so i started to look into this book, and was very pleasantly surprised. The book is full of action, and has a compelling character struggling now not only with her hiding in the legion, but also building a career. The template for the Andromeda McKee stories might be Richard Sharpe (by Bernhard Cornwell), but there are really worse templates an Author could chose for military Sci Fi.
the thing I disliked most about the first book, was the use the author makes of the cyborgs constantly reminding us that they are legionaries too, but that didn't use that effectively. He finally drops this reminding, he is using both bio bods and mechs as fully working characters, and I forgot occasional what each legionnaire was.
Overall Andromeda's choice is a vast improvement over Andromeda's fall, I think I will now have a look at the next part of the series.
the thing I disliked most about the first book, was the use the author makes of the cyborgs constantly reminding us that they are legionaries too, but that didn't use that effectively. He finally drops this reminding, he is using both bio bods and mechs as fully working characters, and I forgot occasional what each legionnaire was.
Overall Andromeda's choice is a vast improvement over Andromeda's fall, I think I will now have a look at the next part of the series.
September 21, 2014
c2014: FWFTB: cyborg, spy, rebellion, Algeron, Naa. Yes, well, I seemed to recall having read the first in the series and remembering that I quite enjoyed it but wasn't sure why I had not put out a reminder for the next in the series. After finishing this book, I think I remember why. Its not that the story or plot is bad nor is the style of writing. It is just the character of Andromeda McGee just does not ring true in any sense of the word. I think there are books out there with more convincing protagonists and so I can't really recommend to the normal crew. "The result was thousands of homes and businesses that sat on terraces carved out of the hillsides, lots of twisting streets, and citizens with strong thighs."
June 24, 2016
Another kick ass military sci-fi novel from William C Dietz. The continuing adventures of Andromeda McKee (Cat Carletto) in the Legion of the Damned as she fights to stay alive in on-going missions with the legion while also trying to keep the Empress from finding out she is still alive. If you are into military sci-fi at all, this is one you are going to want to read. I am really looking forward to picking up the final book in this trilogy to get all the answers to open questions.
5 stars for a really entertaining read and recommended to all fans of the genre.
5 stars for a really entertaining read and recommended to all fans of the genre.
October 22, 2015
I think I've taken a fatherly interest in our tough as nails socialite turned legionnaire. We see a slightly grayer side of Cat this time around as she continues to wrestle with her secrets. The military action has improved since the first book and I felt like I was fighting alongside the legion on an awesome landscape. I'll close out the trilogy but I'm still not sure if I'll read the main sequence novels of the larger series.
July 31, 2017
Not too bad military sf. Lots of war. Not a lot of original sf. Basically a lot of fairly small scale combat and one scrappy Sergeant keeping ahead of the evil empire, along with her trusty bad-penny sidekick. At least it was a pretty quick read.
July 31, 2017
Another Dollar Store Find.
This is part of a series. I don't have the first, or later, books, and perhaps because this is book 2 (though I'm not sure if it's "part 2 of a series part of a longer series," I haven't looked) it was fairly easy to jump into.
It's military sci-fi with the main character having gone into hiding in the Legion. From what I gather, she happened to be away when the new Empress's forces found and killed her family (being a threat to the new regime.) She'd gotten a warning and joined the Legion, which is a fairly typical "accepts everyone, doesn't ask questions because you'll either make it or die" space-marine-force.
It doesn't assume you know everything from the first book, but doesn't really get annoying with feeding you the important bits of information about what happened there. It doesn't get in the way of the story. And, frankly, does it well enough that I'm going to be looking for the first (and next) books.
Some military sci-fi series get kind of over the top with the main character being an invulnerable mary-sue who walks out of nuclear blasts having to have their hair redone but otherwise fine. This, so far, doesn't feel that way. The character advances rapidly, but does feel like "Yeah, they're still able to get killed and do still have other threats to deal with." Could it get worse later? Sure. But right now there's a fairly decent balance to the character.
This is a hardcover. Would I have spent $26 on it? Blindly... no. But I almost feel like I stole it having paid for it at the dollar store. This is definitely something to hunt down on ebook or paperback. And maybe I'll like the series enough to start snagging hardcovers.
This is part of a series. I don't have the first, or later, books, and perhaps because this is book 2 (though I'm not sure if it's "part 2 of a series part of a longer series," I haven't looked) it was fairly easy to jump into.
It's military sci-fi with the main character having gone into hiding in the Legion. From what I gather, she happened to be away when the new Empress's forces found and killed her family (being a threat to the new regime.) She'd gotten a warning and joined the Legion, which is a fairly typical "accepts everyone, doesn't ask questions because you'll either make it or die" space-marine-force.
It doesn't assume you know everything from the first book, but doesn't really get annoying with feeding you the important bits of information about what happened there. It doesn't get in the way of the story. And, frankly, does it well enough that I'm going to be looking for the first (and next) books.
Some military sci-fi series get kind of over the top with the main character being an invulnerable mary-sue who walks out of nuclear blasts having to have their hair redone but otherwise fine. This, so far, doesn't feel that way. The character advances rapidly, but does feel like "Yeah, they're still able to get killed and do still have other threats to deal with." Could it get worse later? Sure. But right now there's a fairly decent balance to the character.
This is a hardcover. Would I have spent $26 on it? Blindly... no. But I almost feel like I stole it having paid for it at the dollar store. This is definitely something to hunt down on ebook or paperback. And maybe I'll like the series enough to start snagging hardcovers.
June 23, 2014
First off, this review is going to cover the first two books in the new series by William C. Dietz. I read them one right after the other and I have pretty much the same thing to say about both of them, so separate reviews is just a waste of kilobytes. The first book of the series is Andromeda’s Fall and the second is Andromeda’s Choice.
I have been a long-time fan of Dietz’ work and have a high opinion of him as a person and writer also. One reason is that he is also a former Navy Corpsman as I am, and there is a certain brotherhood that goes along with that shared history. The other reason is that many years ago while I was working on my first book, I wrote Dietz a letter about my aspirations as an author. This was a real letter, you know, on paper. He took the time to write me back and did so promptly. I was so excited to get a letter from him and equally impressed that he took the time to respond to a fan and offer words of encouragement and even advice on becoming an author. I have only received a few emails from fans of my first book, and I replied to those the same day, and I will always strive to do so in the future. But before the digital age took hold, I think it’s more impressive that someone would take the time and effort to grab some paper, throw it into a typewriter, compose a letter, address an envelope, pay for a stamp, walk to the end of their driveway, and mail that letter off. So Kudos to Mr. Dietz for being a loyal author.
I have read all of the books in the Legion of the Damned series and I was excited to see the start of a new series with a new character. Though I must admit, I will miss Santana if that character is never written about again. In this new series, we go back to a time when the human government is in upheaval and was in fact a monarchy. Princess Ophelia overthrows her brother in the first chapter of the first book, becoming Empress Ophelia. Lady Catherine Carletto’s parents and family, along with thousands of other influential people, are a threat to Ophelia’s new reign and must be wiped out.
On the night of the initial purge, Catherine is tipped off to the oncoming attack and she escapes, barely, to live and fight another day. Her only choice to escape the planet she is on is to join the Legion under a false name. But Catherine is a dolled-up socialite who has never had to care about or want for anything. Will she make it in the ranks of the Legion?
Well of course she will! Otherwise there wouldn’t be a story now would there? The first two books in this new series are a great addition to the Legion of the Damned. I’ve always liked the series but these books depart a little from the others in that they are more about the people and the situation rather than the fighting and the machines. The other Legion series have a very large story arc that spans the series with smaller story arcs that are more or less finished within each book. The Andromeda books have their share of combat moments as well but it isn’t the dominating factor in the story.
To me, when Catherine turns into Andromeda, it seems more like Catherine had always really been Andromeda and just needed to shed her Catherine skin. The character really comes into her own in the stories but in a believable way. She is not an instant bad-ass that wins every fight and is superb in everything she does. In fact, she gets her ass kicked on several occasions and sees it coming; her talent lies in her ability to see the ass kicking coming and take actions to mitigate how bad the outcome will be. In short, she’s a very plausible character.
I gave the book only 4-Stars because I have just a couple of nitpicky things about the story.
First off, in every single Legion book, Dietz tells the story of Cameron. It is a famous and real battle from the history of the French Foreign Legion from 1863 when they fought against the Mexican army. It is a defining moment for the Legion and it became their famous battle cry “CAMERON!“. He has gone from his first books of taking a page to discuss the battle, and now can sum it up in a paragraph, but I’m honestly tired of reading it after so many books in the series. I understand that not all of his books will be read by every reader so someone could pick up a book in the middle series and not know about Cameron. However, there has to be a better way to deal with this. Please find a better way.
**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH**
Secondly, there is one piece of tech in the story that seems to not work the way it should and it is a major plot device, at least in my opinion. And I think this piece of tech will be used at some point in the series to unravel Andromeda’s identity and then, POOF, the tech will work the way it’s supposed to. You see, there are these forensic droids that are described as looking much like the interrogator droid from Star Wars. They can match DNA in seconds from their almost unlimited database. They are masters of facial recognition. They are every CSI show put together and then to the tenth power of that. So why in the hell can they not see that Andromeda is Catherine?! I know that she was given a huge and deep scar across her face early on in the first book as a plot device to fool these scanners later in the book, however, even current facial recognition software wouldn’t be fooled by the scar. The software measures static points on a person’s face such as from the corners of the eyes to the corner of the nose or ears. Lips to the nose or ears. A scar across the face would not mess up every data point in the software. And when a droid comes up with a close match, another droid does a brief interrogation of her and is easily swayed from continuing the questioning. And I think that when the story finishes it’s Ophelia arc, one of these droids is going to have an “ah-ha” moment and recognize Andromeda and then the fight will be on. But they should have done that by now in my opinion. Anyway…
***SPOILERS NO MORE***
Even with the two things I didn’t like about the books, I would definitely recommend them to anyone who enjoys military science fiction stories, or even just plain old action stories. Dietz’ books are mostly science fiction but the Legion books aren’t like Star Trek science fiction which are dependent on high tech gadgets and wiz-bang explanations. There are futuristic concepts that put these books in the SF genre, but they are more story driven rather than SF driven. Take a look at them, you won’t be disappointed.
I have been a long-time fan of Dietz’ work and have a high opinion of him as a person and writer also. One reason is that he is also a former Navy Corpsman as I am, and there is a certain brotherhood that goes along with that shared history. The other reason is that many years ago while I was working on my first book, I wrote Dietz a letter about my aspirations as an author. This was a real letter, you know, on paper. He took the time to write me back and did so promptly. I was so excited to get a letter from him and equally impressed that he took the time to respond to a fan and offer words of encouragement and even advice on becoming an author. I have only received a few emails from fans of my first book, and I replied to those the same day, and I will always strive to do so in the future. But before the digital age took hold, I think it’s more impressive that someone would take the time and effort to grab some paper, throw it into a typewriter, compose a letter, address an envelope, pay for a stamp, walk to the end of their driveway, and mail that letter off. So Kudos to Mr. Dietz for being a loyal author.
I have read all of the books in the Legion of the Damned series and I was excited to see the start of a new series with a new character. Though I must admit, I will miss Santana if that character is never written about again. In this new series, we go back to a time when the human government is in upheaval and was in fact a monarchy. Princess Ophelia overthrows her brother in the first chapter of the first book, becoming Empress Ophelia. Lady Catherine Carletto’s parents and family, along with thousands of other influential people, are a threat to Ophelia’s new reign and must be wiped out.
On the night of the initial purge, Catherine is tipped off to the oncoming attack and she escapes, barely, to live and fight another day. Her only choice to escape the planet she is on is to join the Legion under a false name. But Catherine is a dolled-up socialite who has never had to care about or want for anything. Will she make it in the ranks of the Legion?
Well of course she will! Otherwise there wouldn’t be a story now would there? The first two books in this new series are a great addition to the Legion of the Damned. I’ve always liked the series but these books depart a little from the others in that they are more about the people and the situation rather than the fighting and the machines. The other Legion series have a very large story arc that spans the series with smaller story arcs that are more or less finished within each book. The Andromeda books have their share of combat moments as well but it isn’t the dominating factor in the story.
To me, when Catherine turns into Andromeda, it seems more like Catherine had always really been Andromeda and just needed to shed her Catherine skin. The character really comes into her own in the stories but in a believable way. She is not an instant bad-ass that wins every fight and is superb in everything she does. In fact, she gets her ass kicked on several occasions and sees it coming; her talent lies in her ability to see the ass kicking coming and take actions to mitigate how bad the outcome will be. In short, she’s a very plausible character.
I gave the book only 4-Stars because I have just a couple of nitpicky things about the story.
First off, in every single Legion book, Dietz tells the story of Cameron. It is a famous and real battle from the history of the French Foreign Legion from 1863 when they fought against the Mexican army. It is a defining moment for the Legion and it became their famous battle cry “CAMERON!“. He has gone from his first books of taking a page to discuss the battle, and now can sum it up in a paragraph, but I’m honestly tired of reading it after so many books in the series. I understand that not all of his books will be read by every reader so someone could pick up a book in the middle series and not know about Cameron. However, there has to be a better way to deal with this. Please find a better way.
**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH**
Secondly, there is one piece of tech in the story that seems to not work the way it should and it is a major plot device, at least in my opinion. And I think this piece of tech will be used at some point in the series to unravel Andromeda’s identity and then, POOF, the tech will work the way it’s supposed to. You see, there are these forensic droids that are described as looking much like the interrogator droid from Star Wars. They can match DNA in seconds from their almost unlimited database. They are masters of facial recognition. They are every CSI show put together and then to the tenth power of that. So why in the hell can they not see that Andromeda is Catherine?! I know that she was given a huge and deep scar across her face early on in the first book as a plot device to fool these scanners later in the book, however, even current facial recognition software wouldn’t be fooled by the scar. The software measures static points on a person’s face such as from the corners of the eyes to the corner of the nose or ears. Lips to the nose or ears. A scar across the face would not mess up every data point in the software. And when a droid comes up with a close match, another droid does a brief interrogation of her and is easily swayed from continuing the questioning. And I think that when the story finishes it’s Ophelia arc, one of these droids is going to have an “ah-ha” moment and recognize Andromeda and then the fight will be on. But they should have done that by now in my opinion. Anyway…
***SPOILERS NO MORE***
Even with the two things I didn’t like about the books, I would definitely recommend them to anyone who enjoys military science fiction stories, or even just plain old action stories. Dietz’ books are mostly science fiction but the Legion books aren’t like Star Trek science fiction which are dependent on high tech gadgets and wiz-bang explanations. There are futuristic concepts that put these books in the SF genre, but they are more story driven rather than SF driven. Take a look at them, you won’t be disappointed.
November 24, 2020
Andromeda McKee is a fighter. On the run for her life, Cat Carletto created the persona to protect herself while she plotted revenge for the murder of her family. She joined the Legion and learned to kill, and that's a skill she'll use to protect her secret.
ANDROMEDA'S CHOICE is the follow-up to William C. Dietz's novel, Andromeda's Fall. It's also part of his larger Legion of the Damned series.
Andromeda makes many choices in the new book. She has to choose what she's willing to do to protect her secret identity. What she's willing to risk to find her only living relative. And in a split second, she'll have to decide in what direction to take her personal rebellion. Dietz takes us inside Andromeda's head to help us understand those decisions, even the ones she doesn't fully understand herself. He also takes us into the heat of battle as Andromeda leads her squad through skirmishes and battles on a frozen alien world.
If you enjoy science fiction, I highly recommend the Andromeda McKee Legion prequel series. Dietz does a fine job of explaining the military terminology, so even if you're not well-versed in that lingo, you'll get it. His books are highly detailed and very visual, with strong and distinct characters. You won't be disappointed with ANDROMEDA's CHOICE.
ANDROMEDA'S CHOICE is the follow-up to William C. Dietz's novel, Andromeda's Fall. It's also part of his larger Legion of the Damned series.
Andromeda makes many choices in the new book. She has to choose what she's willing to do to protect her secret identity. What she's willing to risk to find her only living relative. And in a split second, she'll have to decide in what direction to take her personal rebellion. Dietz takes us inside Andromeda's head to help us understand those decisions, even the ones she doesn't fully understand herself. He also takes us into the heat of battle as Andromeda leads her squad through skirmishes and battles on a frozen alien world.
If you enjoy science fiction, I highly recommend the Andromeda McKee Legion prequel series. Dietz does a fine job of explaining the military terminology, so even if you're not well-versed in that lingo, you'll get it. His books are highly detailed and very visual, with strong and distinct characters. You won't be disappointed with ANDROMEDA's CHOICE.
June 5, 2018
The second in quite a fun trilogy. When a coup kills most of her family, Lady Cat Carletto barely escapes with her life, she joins the Legion in the hope that its famed anonymity will protect her as she takes up a new role and new name. As Andromeda McKee she finds that she is rather good at this Legion stuff and her success gives her the opportunity to have a shot at the evil Empress herself.
So a mix of rather good SF action, a bit of ducking and diving as Andromeda avoids being found out, and plenty of interesting ideas about body modification and cybernetics in a war footing.
I thought this was slightly better than the first one, Andromeda is a touch more violent and capable and the author seemed more settled with his character.
Nothing overly new or fresh, but well written and entertaining.
So a mix of rather good SF action, a bit of ducking and diving as Andromeda avoids being found out, and plenty of interesting ideas about body modification and cybernetics in a war footing.
I thought this was slightly better than the first one, Andromeda is a touch more violent and capable and the author seemed more settled with his character.
Nothing overly new or fresh, but well written and entertaining.
May 28, 2017
A good solid piece of space opera in a well-developed universe not overly burdened with real physics. This second in the trilogy develops Andromeda's career in the Legion. It introduces the Legion's new home on Algeron and the Naa people who feature significantly in the only one of the Legion series that I have read so far, By Blood Alone. Knowing that there is more to this planet and the Naa than is revealed in this book adds a certain richness to the reading experience. While the combat scenes and aspects of Legion life ring true, I thought that the Earth-based segment of this book was a little hollow and could have used some more work to flesh it out. Still a great read.
August 9, 2017
Sgt. Andromeda McKee of the Legion of the Damned receives orders to Earth to receive a high military award. On the way her secret is challenged by a black mailer from her past. On Earth the assassination of a ranking government official who was to award her the medal again puts her at risk as government agents follow her to her new assignment on a hostile planet under an officer who she has crossed. Hard to put down so read it right through the night.
May 6, 2018
Andromeda McKee joined the Legionnaires and went to space to avoid being executed by the new Empress of Earth. At this point she is a veteran, the supporting cast of characters are an interesting an varied lot, but this reader got lost among the changing cast of aliens and the battles fought therewith. Can't say whether or not I will read future books in the series.
June 29, 2022
Another fun mil SF romp. Andromeda McKee is fast becoming one of my favorite fictional women. Dietz has managed to create a character who is tough as nails when she has to be, but also can also show emotion and vulnerability. Andromeda avoids falling into the trope of basically being a female version of a male action hero.
I can't wait to finish the trilogy.
I can't wait to finish the trilogy.
November 27, 2023
A continuation of Andromeda’s rise in the Legion of the Damned. Nice, tight story-telling, based loosely on real events of a battle in Mexico. The characters develop, the world-building is terrific and the dialogue all helps the reader settle into another great military scifi read from Dietz.
11.26.2023
11.26.2023
October 17, 2025
I would like to give this more stars as the story continuation was really good BUT.......the ending was terrible!!!
Spoiler alert: they suceed in doing what they need to do and the ending is just Blah! Six months getting to the town, two months in space and thats basically it. A great story with a "who cares what happens " ending.
Quite disapointing. But should I have expected more????
Spoiler alert: they suceed in doing what they need to do and the ending is just Blah! Six months getting to the town, two months in space and thats basically it. A great story with a "who cares what happens " ending.
Quite disapointing. But should I have expected more????
January 14, 2020
I've got a secret.
Great character development, showing how she has to guard her secret.
The split-second choice shows depth and complexity of character.
The only thing I disagreed with was how fast the native troops gathered for every battle.
Great character development, showing how she has to guard her secret.
The split-second choice shows depth and complexity of character.
The only thing I disagreed with was how fast the native troops gathered for every battle.
March 4, 2020
Re-read - fun, fast military SF. Andromeda is lucky as hell, despite not always taking the smartest course of action, but I don't really care because I want her to win and the book drags me along at breakneck speed.
November 13, 2016
The protagonist is a puppet or a robot in disguise : I've no interest in her and the story/world isn't original enough to hold my attention.
January 29, 2018
Excellent sci-fi military book. My mistake was reading it before Andromeda's Fall. Many of the things at the beginning would have been much clearer. Read this book but only after Fall.
October 30, 2018
4 stars. Good sequel
February 2, 2017
I've read bad books before. This is the first bad book that legitimately tricked me into reading it.
"Andromeda's Choice" is the sequel to "Andromeda's Fall," a military sci-fi novel about an heiress, Cat Carletto, who survives a violent political coup by changing her identity to Andromeda McKee and joining the future version of the French Foreign Legion.
This novel opens with McKee receiving a military commendation that sends her to Earth. The ceremony both threatens to reveal her identity and lends her an opportunity to get revenge and aid the democratic resistance by assassinating the current Empress. It's a great premise. It's a premise filled with high drama, emotional tension and political intrigue. It's the premise that was printed on the book jacket to sell the story.
Unfortunately, that premise goes nowhere and is entirely abandoned by page 115. Because William C. Dietz doesn't think that noise is interesting. What he finds interesting are 242 pages of an engineering mission to drill a hole in a mountain.
Really, Dietz seems most fascinated by the everyday banality faced by our men and women in uniform. Just one example sees McKee go to speak to a commanding officer only to find that he's not in his bunk. So she goes to the mess hall for lunch, then goes back to the CO's bunk to find that he's returned. That takes up roughly a page. The combined number of times Dietz describes the quality and length of McKee's sleep could take up its own chapter.
Perfect opportunities for dramatic tension fall flat on their face. Twice, McKee is forced to murder people in cold blood to protect her identity. The narrative pays some lip service to the moral dilemma presented by this, but ultimately both incidents get ethical and intellectual consideration comparable to "burgers or tacos?" There are 10+ villains in the book, and the overwhelming majority of them are killed off with all the ceremony and drama of a wet fart. The story barely keeps up the thread of McKee's part in the first-act assassination attempt with a Legionnaire planted to spy on, then kill McKee. If that were entirely cut out, the book would have lost maybe five pages, and nothing, respectively.
Similarly, the last two-thirds of the book deal with a Legion campaign to slaughter the indigenous population of their base planet for... reasons? Are there natural resources to be had? Is the planet's location strategic for interplanetary travel? I don't know! At any rate, McKee expresses moments of vague distaste for her part in the mission, then proceeds to slaughter the absolute shit out of all those aliens.
The book certainly has its share of battle sequences. Some of them are kind of cool! Most of them caused my conscious brain to black out from complete lack of interest. They would have been really neat to look at in a popcorn flick, or fun to play in a game (An iOS "Legion of the Damned" game is advertised on the last page of the paperback and gets a shoutout in the acknowledgements, no shit). They were boring as hell in text, mostly because they were divorced from anything that personally affected the main character's story.
This book gets two stars only because of the first act, and because Dietz still exercises certain strengths of his as a writer. He world-builds pretty seamlessly and he writes soft political drama pretty well (even though he clearly doesn't care to). But this entry in his Andromeda trilogy gave me little motivation to finish the series.
"Andromeda's Choice" is the sequel to "Andromeda's Fall," a military sci-fi novel about an heiress, Cat Carletto, who survives a violent political coup by changing her identity to Andromeda McKee and joining the future version of the French Foreign Legion.
This novel opens with McKee receiving a military commendation that sends her to Earth. The ceremony both threatens to reveal her identity and lends her an opportunity to get revenge and aid the democratic resistance by assassinating the current Empress. It's a great premise. It's a premise filled with high drama, emotional tension and political intrigue. It's the premise that was printed on the book jacket to sell the story.
Unfortunately, that premise goes nowhere and is entirely abandoned by page 115. Because William C. Dietz doesn't think that noise is interesting. What he finds interesting are 242 pages of an engineering mission to drill a hole in a mountain.
Really, Dietz seems most fascinated by the everyday banality faced by our men and women in uniform. Just one example sees McKee go to speak to a commanding officer only to find that he's not in his bunk. So she goes to the mess hall for lunch, then goes back to the CO's bunk to find that he's returned. That takes up roughly a page. The combined number of times Dietz describes the quality and length of McKee's sleep could take up its own chapter.
Perfect opportunities for dramatic tension fall flat on their face. Twice, McKee is forced to murder people in cold blood to protect her identity. The narrative pays some lip service to the moral dilemma presented by this, but ultimately both incidents get ethical and intellectual consideration comparable to "burgers or tacos?" There are 10+ villains in the book, and the overwhelming majority of them are killed off with all the ceremony and drama of a wet fart. The story barely keeps up the thread of McKee's part in the first-act assassination attempt with a Legionnaire planted to spy on, then kill McKee. If that were entirely cut out, the book would have lost maybe five pages, and nothing, respectively.
Similarly, the last two-thirds of the book deal with a Legion campaign to slaughter the indigenous population of their base planet for... reasons? Are there natural resources to be had? Is the planet's location strategic for interplanetary travel? I don't know! At any rate, McKee expresses moments of vague distaste for her part in the mission, then proceeds to slaughter the absolute shit out of all those aliens.
The book certainly has its share of battle sequences. Some of them are kind of cool! Most of them caused my conscious brain to black out from complete lack of interest. They would have been really neat to look at in a popcorn flick, or fun to play in a game (An iOS "Legion of the Damned" game is advertised on the last page of the paperback and gets a shoutout in the acknowledgements, no shit). They were boring as hell in text, mostly because they were divorced from anything that personally affected the main character's story.
This book gets two stars only because of the first act, and because Dietz still exercises certain strengths of his as a writer. He world-builds pretty seamlessly and he writes soft political drama pretty well (even though he clearly doesn't care to). But this entry in his Andromeda trilogy gave me little motivation to finish the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2016
Ugh.
A planet with 2 hour and 42 minute day cycle? How did the natives evolve to remain awake for more than 3 or 4 such cycles? And why does the Legion not possess combat vehicles with artificial gravity which seems to be in common use on Earth?
So, after an entire book in which her facial scar, broken nose and loss of weight are used to explain how the Empire’s robots and facial scans were unable to match McKee with her former identity of Cat, it now turns out she is still sporting a distinctive tattoo! How was this overlooked by the Synths?
A comic villain officer determined to make her life a living hell? Was there no other trope available? And then he, of course, screws up a mission and is one of the few survivors. And allegations of incompetence are made against him by the commander of the allied natives. And the Legion’s response is to assign him to command of an even more critical mission? Really? How is any of this even believable?
And while I understand the need for a grand and glorious siege in which the protagonist gets to demonstrate more leadership and heroics under fire, how is it that a little snow or bad weather can ground aerial support in an universe where space travel is commonplace, artificial gravity, cyborgs and intelligent robots exist? Especially where the so called poor weather does not seem to hinder anything else including the drones which seem to fly without any difficulty. And surely the Legion’s spaceships, or whatever the empire must have in orbit would in a position to drop kinetic missiles all around the besieged base regardless of the weather and wipe the native threat? And even if the Legion had no ships in orbit, surely missiles fired from the main base could be directed onto the enemy, even if those missiles had to go over the mountains?
The author also seems to have forgotten that in this universe, artificial gravity exists to the point where it is used for taxis. How is it that the Legion does not seem to have any vehicles with ARGRAV? Why are the troopers being made to force march through swamps and trails, camping overnight in the open exposed to ambush when they could be transported directly to their destination in hours?
Just how bad is the imperial security anyway that McKee can smuggle a homing device for a missile past them?
Ugh. This was terrible.
A planet with 2 hour and 42 minute day cycle? How did the natives evolve to remain awake for more than 3 or 4 such cycles? And why does the Legion not possess combat vehicles with artificial gravity which seems to be in common use on Earth?
So, after an entire book in which her facial scar, broken nose and loss of weight are used to explain how the Empire’s robots and facial scans were unable to match McKee with her former identity of Cat, it now turns out she is still sporting a distinctive tattoo! How was this overlooked by the Synths?
A comic villain officer determined to make her life a living hell? Was there no other trope available? And then he, of course, screws up a mission and is one of the few survivors. And allegations of incompetence are made against him by the commander of the allied natives. And the Legion’s response is to assign him to command of an even more critical mission? Really? How is any of this even believable?
And while I understand the need for a grand and glorious siege in which the protagonist gets to demonstrate more leadership and heroics under fire, how is it that a little snow or bad weather can ground aerial support in an universe where space travel is commonplace, artificial gravity, cyborgs and intelligent robots exist? Especially where the so called poor weather does not seem to hinder anything else including the drones which seem to fly without any difficulty. And surely the Legion’s spaceships, or whatever the empire must have in orbit would in a position to drop kinetic missiles all around the besieged base regardless of the weather and wipe the native threat? And even if the Legion had no ships in orbit, surely missiles fired from the main base could be directed onto the enemy, even if those missiles had to go over the mountains?
The author also seems to have forgotten that in this universe, artificial gravity exists to the point where it is used for taxis. How is it that the Legion does not seem to have any vehicles with ARGRAV? Why are the troopers being made to force march through swamps and trails, camping overnight in the open exposed to ambush when they could be transported directly to their destination in hours?
Just how bad is the imperial security anyway that McKee can smuggle a homing device for a missile past them?
Ugh. This was terrible.
April 23, 2015
I really like this series and have enjoyed many of William Dietz's other military SCI-FI to include Legion of the Damned series. I also really enjoy those sci-fi adventures that have strong female lead characters. David Weber's Honor Harrington series, Elizabeth Moon's works as well.
Dietz's Andromeda McKee the nom de guerre of Lady Catherine "Cat" Carlotta. She is tougher then nails, grizzled veteran, but retains those feminine qualities so there's no androgen here. "Andromeda's Choice" is book 2 ("Andromeda's Fall" Bk 1 and "Andromeda's War" Bk 3) in the Legion of the Damned prequel series. A lot of great military SCI-FI action. The first 100 or so pages were the best part of the book as it dealt with the political intrigue, murder investigation (self-defense), who is this Andromeda McKee (she's in hiding, reason she joined the Legion, as Empress Ophelia had her family murdered ad though Cat was too). McKee is under investigation for the possible murder of three me, and suspicions arise as to who she really is. The second part of the book takes place on a less then tame planet that the Legion is operating on as it encounters the indigenous people. Solid action but not as interesting as the intrigue. Would have like to have seen more of that. Overall love the female heroine, the military action, and political intrigue. Although this installment is not as good as Bk 1, I will continue to read the series.
Dietz's Andromeda McKee the nom de guerre of Lady Catherine "Cat" Carlotta. She is tougher then nails, grizzled veteran, but retains those feminine qualities so there's no androgen here. "Andromeda's Choice" is book 2 ("Andromeda's Fall" Bk 1 and "Andromeda's War" Bk 3) in the Legion of the Damned prequel series. A lot of great military SCI-FI action. The first 100 or so pages were the best part of the book as it dealt with the political intrigue, murder investigation (self-defense), who is this Andromeda McKee (she's in hiding, reason she joined the Legion, as Empress Ophelia had her family murdered ad though Cat was too). McKee is under investigation for the possible murder of three me, and suspicions arise as to who she really is. The second part of the book takes place on a less then tame planet that the Legion is operating on as it encounters the indigenous people. Solid action but not as interesting as the intrigue. Would have like to have seen more of that. Overall love the female heroine, the military action, and political intrigue. Although this installment is not as good as Bk 1, I will continue to read the series.
January 27, 2016
This was a very good read. I like how Andromeda has gone from pretty society party girl to bad ass Legion infantry sergeant and now officer. Even though doing reprehensible things such as assassinating government agents sent to kill her, she maintains her generally good outlook on life. I like how Andromeda has morphed from someone just hiding in the Legion to someone that is at home in the Legion. It will be interesting to see how her relationship with John will change now that she is both an officer, and at home in the Legion. I liked how the Legion officer out to get Andromeda met his. I was pleasantly surprised to see him return after suffering a head blow in combat.
Now for the bad - there are some rough spots that might have been do to editing. When Andromeda blows up Sykes T1, she claims that he stepped on a mine. However, by blowing the plastic explosives on his back, all that was left of Sykes was a pair of legs. Had Sykes truly stepped on a mine, his legs would have gone not his head. Any after action review would have realized this discrepancy.
Now for the bad - there are some rough spots that might have been do to editing. When Andromeda blows up Sykes T1, she claims that he stepped on a mine. However, by blowing the plastic explosives on his back, all that was left of Sykes was a pair of legs. Had Sykes truly stepped on a mine, his legs would have gone not his head. Any after action review would have realized this discrepancy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2014
I liked this book a lot, not as much as the first one in this 2nd series of the Legion of the Damned, but I still liked it. For some reason this one didn't quite have the tension of the last, though I can see where Mr. Dietz was trying to inject it. Also, the first part of the book didn't seem to quite mesh with the last, but despite this it was still an enjoyable read that kept me turning the pages until the end.
The military parts, once the author got back into them, were just as good as the last book—though I was a bit put off by the similarity of the last battles to those of the Old West in America. I think I would have hoped for something a bit more original as far as that plot-line went. I was quite pleased that Mr. Dietz showed just how much of an advantage controlling the space above a planet is in battle, and his use of that element put a smile on my face. I really want to know what happens next, so I can't wait for the next book and the continuation of Andromeda's story.
The military parts, once the author got back into them, were just as good as the last book—though I was a bit put off by the similarity of the last battles to those of the Old West in America. I think I would have hoped for something a bit more original as far as that plot-line went. I was quite pleased that Mr. Dietz showed just how much of an advantage controlling the space above a planet is in battle, and his use of that element put a smile on my face. I really want to know what happens next, so I can't wait for the next book and the continuation of Andromeda's story.
April 19, 2014
The sequel to Andromeda' fall continues to follow Cat- a socialite forced to flee assassination- as she forges a new life in the Legion (a future version of the French foreign legion- humans and cyborgs fighting aliens as people explore other planets). She is still being pursued by assassins, though, in addition to risking her life in Legion battles. This is a particularly bloodthirsty episode, with characters we come to like falling like flies, along with thousands of unfortunate aliens. But it's a great story. I love all the Legion of the Damned military SF books, and highly recommend them.
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