Andromeda's War

Legion #0.3

by William C. Dietz

“Returning to his Legion of the Damned universe, Dietz illustrates why he’s a master of the genre" (RT Book Reviews). And in Andromeda’s War, his heroine will face her ultimate test—as a battle-scarred legionnaire and as an innocent young woman who once lost everything…



Now a platoon leader, Legionnaire Andromeda McKee seems to have successfully left behind her true identity of Lady Catherine “Cat” Carletto, one of the last two surviving members of the Carletto family targeted for death by Empress Ophelia.



After failing at her one shot at vengeance, Andromeda had been questioning her own resolve. But now her uncle has been killed in a government raid back on Earth, leaving her as the last Carletto standing—and the family’s only chance for justice…



A chance that comes when the empress’s ship crashes on a hostile planet and Andromeda is assigned to head up the rescue mission. As a legionnaire, Andromeda McKee has countless kills under her belt. But when faced with her greatest enemy, it will be Cat Carletto who has to pull the trigger on the one who really matters…

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Aliens, Ebooks

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2014

About the author

New 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.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tied up all of the loose ends from the first two books of the trilogy. I did not like it as much as the earlier books because the last book did not have the "fire" of the first two. I kept reading it to the end to see how the characters ended up.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forced to go on the run after her family was assassinated by the usurping empress Ophelia, high-flying socialite Cat Carletto opted for an unorthodox hiding spot: joining the ragtag militia known as the Legion. Under the name Andromeda McKee, she’s quickly risen through the Legion’s ranks, using her sharp instincts and keen strategic ability to lead her platoon to several victories. After a devastating attack on Algeron, where McKee and her soldiers were trying to broker an agreement among the native Naa, McKee is handpicked to lead a new team on the planet Savas. Meanwhile, McKee’s lover, Major John Avery, has just been conscripted to act as a military attaché to Ophelia. When Ophelia’s ship, the Victorious, comes under fire from the hostile Hudathans, the crew makes an emergency crash landing on Savas. McKee and her new squad are sent to help guard the empress, but there’s just one problem: McKee has no intention of protecting Ophelia — she’s out for vengeance and blood.

Andromeda’s War is the final installment in Dietz’s Legion of the Damned prequel trilogy, and there are more than enough tense, high­-stakes battles to satisfy fans of military science fiction. But one of the things that’s set this series apart from a large chunk of military SF has been the dynamic heroine, Andromeda McKee, aka The Steel Bitch, and her quest to avenge her family. Unfortunately, while McKee is as compelling as ever, her original aim of taking out Empress Ophelia has been too frequently sidelined, draining a lot of the tension necessary to keep readers engaged. The central conflict in this last book doesn’t even really become clear until over 100 pages in, and the romance between Avery and McKee — always the weakest part of the series — pushes Avery front and center, and he’s just not nearly as kinetic or fascinating as McKee.

*originally appeared in the December 2014 edition of RT Book Reviews

[Mark Baller · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally a military SCi Fi that ends happy!!!!!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a military Scifi that has a happy ending!

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat Carletto now turned Platoon Leader Andromeda McKee is the last remaining person of her family line. Her family has all been murdered by the current Empress and it is Andromeda's mission in life to kill her. Andromeda has been hiding and living as a member of the Legion of the Damned, fighting for the leader she hates. The Legion of the Damned is a group of highly skilled deadly soldiers the Empress uses to take on the tough missions that people don't always come back from. But using her skills Andromeda succeeds where most don't.

Now the Empress's ship has crashed landed on a remote planet of Savas and Andromeda and her Legionairre team have been picked to save her. Andromeda must save the Empress and save her team while they battle the enemy of humanity.

William C. Dietz has created a strong, intelligent and deadly heroine with Andromeda McKee. She leads her team of soldiers with her skills and earns their respect through hard work and determination. You can't help but want to see her succeed in every mission she takes and feel her loss when her team members are injured or killed.

ANDROMEDA'S WAR the final of this Legion Prequel Trilogy was easy to read as a standalone. If you have the time to read them all, do it. If not, just reading this part of Andromeda's Prequel story is worth it. William C. Dietz is a master of the science fiction/fantasy world and ANDROMEDA'S WAR will not disappoint any reader of the military sci-fi genres.

[Lee Belbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading this book, I figured the cover (that I never bother with, given ebooks) would have scanty clad woman. Very light escape holiday read. When the characters start saying "Sir, yes sir", my interest drops 99%. The heroine (which is ncie for a change) is invinceable - as all such are in situation where the stats are very much against survival, but this is science FICTION. The goodies are great, the baddies are evil. Not an intellectual challenge. More a kids romp. Not sure I will bother with the rest of the series.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good solid piece of space opera in a well-developed universe not overly burdened with real physics. This final in the trilogy wraps up Andromeda's tale in a satisfying but not particularly surprising way. It has some great combat sequences and manages to wrap up all the plot lines quite tidily. This trilogy is a great scene-setter for the Legion of the Damned series that follows.

[Andrew Herbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the end, this series kind of peters out. The end is predictable. This could have just been two books, but got strung out to three.

Dietz does action well, but this was more a "meh" than anything else.

[Luke Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was just ok I feel like the third book should have concentrated more on Ophelia and Kat I would say that the series is better than the ending . I think it deserves about 3.5 stars I liked it but it wasnt great.

[Patricia Litz · Rating 2 out of 5]

not bad. I would have to go back and read some of the earlier books on Andromeda aka Cat.
Thin premise but worked.

[Sid Sidner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dietz has the best woman heroes!

Andromeda McKee is right up there with all of them. I hope to see her again sometime. Long live The Legion of the Damned!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great end to the trilogy. Quick reads that kept my interest throughout.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Andromeda's Fall, Lady Catherine "Cat" Carletto's family had been killed, finding she had also been targeted for death by Empress Ophelia. Escaping capture and enlisting in the Legion of the Damned, she changes her name to Andromeda McKee to avoid further attempts at detection. In Andromeda's Choice, Andromeda had spent a year in the Legion of the Damned and got summoned to Earth to receive the Order of Merit from the one person she hated more than any other enemy -- the empress herself. She knows of a resistance group who might be able to take her down, but she has to choose between her vengeful urges and her conscience if she does decide to kill her.

Andromeda might have had chance to get over what had happened to her family over a year ago, but she missed her chance to kill the cruel and evil ruler, Ophelia. And now that her uncle has been killed in a government raid on Earth, she realises she is the only surviving heir and, as such, is the only one who can kill the empress and overthrow all the damage she has done. In Andromeda's War, we discover she has come far over the past year, moving up the ranks from recruit, private, corporal, sergeant and now lieutenant. She feels she has only been surviving though her associates have already fallen in battle. Andromeda has a keen eye for trouble, and helps the men when she can, but as there are so many Naa warriors around them, their chances of survival can be considered slim at best. To make her situation even worse, Andromeda has found that a Carly Vickers has been posted on the same planet she is on and has been working with the Bureau of Missing Persons, an obvious cover for finding those people who oppose Empress Ophelia in order to eliminate them. Andromeda's need to remain hidden away is also thwarted by her men who consider her a big deal on Earth due to her medals and honours.

In this the third novel in the series of prequel books to the Legion of the Damned novels, there are several parts that stand out to most readers. The strength of the Naa is mentioned in a sequence when Eatbig, a Naa soldier sparred with Larkin, though what Larkin does later proves to be effective in case her opponent looked like he would win. They are perceived to be stronger than the humans, yet can be dealt with effectively in the right situation. In Andromeda's War we come to find out more on certain characters as they are key to the story; Carly Vickers, Eatbig and Carlo Veneto. Carlo has a chequered history, rising from nothing to become the then princess's gigolo, working his way up to confidant. Known for his sensuality, she has no further interest in him than for the occasional bout of sex, leaving Carlo to do what he desires. Sex in William C. Dietz's world is violent, kinky and debauched, but that only goes to sculpt his characters into the sort of people he thinks readers will want to discover. However, in the future, sex is also virtual and Carlo is known for having his sexual experiences through a lead slotted into his head, which takes him into another reality. There he can get up to every vice, but Carlo finds someone else waiting for him he does not expect.

Though Empress Ophelia feels she has definite rule over everyone, there are others who conspire against her to threaten that rule; one of them is "Colonel Red," who kills one of Ophelia's closest allies. This is only the start of what comes to pass as Empress Ophelia isn't as secure in her power as she thought when she is "handed over to the Hudathans in exchange for a thousand year peace treaty." For Andromeda there is a chance to go AWOL to escape detection along with Avery, realising she missed her chance to kill Ophelia for her past cruelty. Dressing like Paguumi, they decide it would be best to seek passage on a tramp freighter for Saras Prime. After a while, it is good to see Andromeda seems to have found a soul mate and possible lover in Avery after all the feelings of hatred she has held for Ophelia.

Andromeda's War is a turning point for the resistance and with Andromeda's going AWOL she might be able to change her life for the better. Dietz has gone to great lengths to flesh out his characters so they mean more to us than just everyday people we might meet on the street. They seem real through their intentions, kinks and foibles and that makes us want to read it even more.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sad to see this series end as I loved Andromeda McKee and her story. The third book was as well written as the previous two and had the same amount of action to keep the story interesting and flowing. I was a little skeptical with how quickly Avery recovered at the end. He took a bullet to the chest and did not receive any real medical attention. Although he apparently had a lengthy recovery time, I'm not sure slapping a band aid on and getting rest would be sufficient. I was however, thankful for the happy ending, although I felt that Larkin's character kind of got short changed after all he'd done for McKee. I guess I would have liked to see him brought into the loop as far as what happened to her after Ophelia's death. I think his past loyalty proved that he would keep her secret. And as horrible as it sounds, I thought Ophelia got off too easily. I was hoping for a little more of a battle between her and McKee at the end. Having said all that however, it was a great story from start to end and I really enjoyed it. The writing was great and the books were well paced. There was a significant amount of world building and behind the scenes politics that the story was easily envisioned. A great read.

[bkwurm · Rating 1 out of 5]

And the final book just makes it worse. Seriously, surely any attempt to contact the enemy leader for face to face talks would start with feelers being sent out via intermediaries and only after long hard negotiations, would representatives meet to discuss terms for further meetings. The idea that a small group of heavily armed troops would be sent out to blindly wander around enemy territory looking for the enemy leader to start talks is just too ridiculous for words.

And the only way a member of the armed forces of a highly advanced society can test if the liquid on an alien planet is safe for drinking is by sipping it? Really? I am prepared to overlook the fact that all proteins are the same and can be ingested without harm but surely there must be some potentially dangerous alien microbes?

And having retrieved the prince, why would you keep him on board the ship that is going into battle? Surely he should have been sent home at once on another ship?

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the murder of her parents by the government, Lady Catherine Carletto, aka Andromedia McKee joins the Legions in order to hide. When the Empress is ambushed and kidnapped by the enemy, she is ordered to take part in the rescue although the Empress's cyborgs will try to kill her on sight and warring tribes will kill any humans. A good sci-fi read.

[Blake Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being exposed to The Legion of the Damned series, this was a good intro to it. The main protagonist, Andromeda McKee, is forced to make hard choices regarding her Legion commission and getting justice for her murdered family. The setting on Terra seemed realistic and I enjoyed the battle scenes. William Dietz is a solid writer who's learned his craft well...

[Conal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good finish to an exciting series. I really enjoyed the the story line as the series progressed. Hopefully he will write some further story lines within this universe.

4.5 Stars for a really fun story.

[Steven Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book and a satisfying end to the Andromeda McKee trilogy. I wonder if there will be more books featuring McKee. I have enjoyed reading all of the Legion of the Damned books and look forward to reading many more.

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 2 out of 5]

William Dietz's books keep calling me from the selves - great covers, great back-cover text - and the story-line also calls me, but the writing style throws me out. Every time. Must try to remember this next time I see a great-looking book with great back-cover text.

[Alastar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the other two books it was a very interesting read. I do like our now feisty Lt.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed Andromeda's story. Possibly the ending felt a little soft, but I haven't read the original Legion stories yet to see how it fits in. Regardless, Dietz writes solid Mil SF.

[wsuds · Rating 5 out of 5]

sau kết thúc thê lương của Damnation, cuốn sách này đã giúp tôi cảm thấy cuộc đời hường phấn trở lại =))

[Normalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the end as it wasn't what I thought it would be. Loved the world-building, and the character development and now i want to read all the other books in the other series.

[Richard Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, good ending. The scenarios were reasonably well done, luck was included, as it often is in reality!

[Maurynne Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend liked it better than the first two and I liked it about the same. Solid work.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent military SF.

[Fiannawolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biased book nerd loves the Legion. Who knew? I wonder if his older books influenced Harrington at all?

Onward to the next one.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat unsatisfactory, but logical conclusion to the 3 part arc of Cat Carletto alias Andromeda Mckee

[Vincent Stoessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a 3.75. Happy to come to the end of the journey. Nicely wrapped up the story arch but the end had me scratching my head. Maybe more to come in the main series?