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The Bastard Legion #1
The Hangman's Daughter
Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and "rehabilitated" in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Storrow, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman's Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska's own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2017
28 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
About the author
Gavin G. Smith
23 books102 followersGavin Smith was born in Dundee in the same year that Iron Butterfly recorded Inna-Gadda-da-Vida. He has also lived in Camberley, Hayling Island, Portsmouth, Hull, Leamington Spa and is currently living a near feral existence in Leicester (if you see him in the streets he will write science fiction for sweeties). Anyone who has been to any of these places will understand why his fiction is like it is.
He has a degree in writing for film and a Masters in medieval history. Veteran is his first novel but he is patiently waiting for one of the 2.5 scripts that have been optioned to be turned into films.
He likes to travel and dive when he can afford it and in his free time he enjoys getting the s**t kicked out of him whilst practicing Silat. He is hoping that his books do well so he can buy a motorbike.
He has a degree in writing for film and a Masters in medieval history. Veteran is his first novel but he is patiently waiting for one of the 2.5 scripts that have been optioned to be turned into films.
He likes to travel and dive when he can afford it and in his free time he enjoys getting the s**t kicked out of him whilst practicing Silat. He is hoping that his books do well so he can buy a motorbike.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
July 20, 2020
This book sounded Super Extra Luscious (SEL™) at first:
✔ Military Sci-Fi
✔ Prison ship type thingie
✔ Virtual reality
✔ Strong female lead
✔ A whole bunch of vile, vicious, bloodthirsty mercenary types
✔ Explosive collars that make people’s little heads go boom
So, quite naturally, I started reading the book feeling a little like this:
Onechapter third of the book in and I was like:
Okay, so the setting and premise are pretty cool. I mean, I can’t complain about the military stuff or the prison ship stuff or the virtual reality stuff. Although I can’t say the military stuff is super exciting. There is action and people shooting at things and stuff, but it’s all boring as fish, to be despicably honest. The virtual reality stuff isn’t that titillating either, come to think of it. Apart from the bit where Ghost Drill Sergeant Daddy (don’t ask) trains the convicts/mercenaries/whatever in VR. Only we don’t really see any of that, so you have to wonder what the shrimp the point of it all is. And I guess this leaves us with the prison ship stuff. Yeah, that’s pretty cool. Only that the abominably savage criminals are “sleeping” in suspended animation 99% of the time (they air them out once in a while to keep them crisp and fresh), so, well, you know, blah and stuff.
So far so good! (This might or might not be a slightly sarcastic comment.)
The female lead could have been interesting and complex and kick-ass and stuff, but she spends her time a) pretending to be a slightly unbalanced psychopath , b) acting like a teenager and c) lusting after a homicidal maniac/serial killer—aka the Ultra, aka the “alabaster sculpture,” aka the “beatific sleeping angel”—who she never even gets to talk to since he’s, you know, super busy taking a (very restorative) suspended nap for the duration of the book. (Okay, so he gets taken out of storage in the last chapter, but only for a very short time. Just long enough for our beloved heroine to blush—both furiously and inwardly—at the sight of his “nearly naked, perfect porcelain back.”)
Then we have the convicts/reluctant mercenaries. Rarely have I come across such a wonderful array of stereotypical as fish characters! What joy. Not to mention that these guys here are so one-dimensional, flat and bland (yes, all three, they’re the overachiever type) that they put my favorite herd of ironing boards to shame. Now isn’t that positively fabulous? Wait, wait, that’s hardly fair, and I’m afraid I’m making this sound much worse than it actually is. I have to admit there is one thing I did enjoy about our mercenary wannabes: seeing their littleempty heads go poof when their explosive collars were remotely detonated brought me much, much gleeful elation. Oh yes, what good fun that was! And what a quick, efficient, original way to redecorate one’s interior, too! It’s giving me super cool ideas for the nefarious makeover of my humble subaquatic dungeon. So yay and stuff!
Anything else? Well, let’s see, there are constant references to the 20th and 21st centuries (aka our present times, for those who stopped counting a while back), which left me quite mystified, to be honest. I mean, the action takes place centuries into the future, so why the obsession with those centuries in particular? Why not the 14th, with its super fun Black Death shenanigans, or the 31st, which sees my rise to power and world domination? Yes, quite mystified by this I undoubtedly am.
The plot is a confusing mess. This one of those delightful books where the author thinks withholding information from the reader will make the story Super Extra Suspenseful (SES™). Only that it doesn’t. Worse, it’s thoroughly counterproductive, and instead of being more involved in the story, you end up not giving a fish about it. So that’s another win.
The writing itself is not completely allergy-inducing, so I guess that’s something to be grateful for. Well I guess I’d be grateful for it, were it not for the non-stop, vicious “he was sat,” “they were stood,” “she were sat,” “he was stood” and “they were sat” assaults. I know that this is supposed to be grammatically correct , but a) it’s ugly as fish, b) it sounds slightly atrocious, and c) a + b =
I restin my case and stuff.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): Lee Marvin ref notwithstanding, The Dirty Dozen in space this book ain’t definitely not. But hey, at least it was free. So yay and stuff.
[Pre-review nonsense]
If it weren't for the exploding heads, I would have DNFed the fish out of this book at 10%.
*claps like a slightly manic, hyper barnacle* Hahahahahaha, look at her go boom and stuff!!
➽ Full review to come and stuff.
✔ Military Sci-Fi
✔ Prison ship type thingie
✔ Virtual reality
✔ Strong female lead
✔ A whole bunch of vile, vicious, bloodthirsty mercenary types
✔ Explosive collars that make people’s little heads go boom
So, quite naturally, I started reading the book feeling a little like this:
One
Okay, so the setting and premise are pretty cool. I mean, I can’t complain about the military stuff or the prison ship stuff or the virtual reality stuff. Although I can’t say the military stuff is super exciting. There is action and people shooting at things and stuff, but it’s all boring as fish, to be despicably honest. The virtual reality stuff isn’t that titillating either, come to think of it. Apart from the bit where Ghost Drill Sergeant Daddy (don’t ask) trains the convicts/mercenaries/whatever in VR. Only we don’t really see any of that, so you have to wonder what the shrimp the point of it all is. And I guess this leaves us with the prison ship stuff. Yeah, that’s pretty cool. Only that the abominably savage criminals are “sleeping” in suspended animation 99% of the time (they air them out once in a while to keep them crisp and fresh), so, well, you know, blah and stuff.
So far so good! (This might or might not be a slightly sarcastic comment.)
The female lead could have been interesting and complex and kick-ass and stuff, but she spends her time a) pretending to be a slightly unbalanced psychopath , b) acting like a teenager and c) lusting after a homicidal maniac/serial killer—aka the Ultra, aka the “alabaster sculpture,” aka the “beatific sleeping angel”—who she never even gets to talk to since he’s, you know, super busy taking a (very restorative) suspended nap for the duration of the book. (Okay, so he gets taken out of storage in the last chapter, but only for a very short time. Just long enough for our beloved heroine to blush—both furiously and inwardly—at the sight of his “nearly naked, perfect porcelain back.”)
Then we have the convicts/reluctant mercenaries. Rarely have I come across such a wonderful array of stereotypical as fish characters! What joy. Not to mention that these guys here are so one-dimensional, flat and bland (yes, all three, they’re the overachiever type) that they put my favorite herd of ironing boards to shame. Now isn’t that positively fabulous? Wait, wait, that’s hardly fair, and I’m afraid I’m making this sound much worse than it actually is. I have to admit there is one thing I did enjoy about our mercenary wannabes: seeing their little
Anything else? Well, let’s see, there are constant references to the 20th and 21st centuries (aka our present times, for those who stopped counting a while back), which left me quite mystified, to be honest. I mean, the action takes place centuries into the future, so why the obsession with those centuries in particular? Why not the 14th, with its super fun Black Death shenanigans, or the 31st, which sees my rise to power and world domination? Yes, quite mystified by this I undoubtedly am.
The plot is a confusing mess. This one of those delightful books where the author thinks withholding information from the reader will make the story Super Extra Suspenseful (SES™). Only that it doesn’t. Worse, it’s thoroughly counterproductive, and instead of being more involved in the story, you end up not giving a fish about it. So that’s another win.
The writing itself is not completely allergy-inducing, so I guess that’s something to be grateful for. Well I guess I’d be grateful for it, were it not for the non-stop, vicious “he was sat,” “they were stood,” “she were sat,” “he was stood” and “they were sat” assaults. I know that this is supposed to be grammatically correct , but a) it’s ugly as fish, b) it sounds slightly atrocious, and c) a + b =
I rest
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): Lee Marvin ref notwithstanding, The Dirty Dozen in space this book ain’t definitely not. But hey, at least it was free. So yay and stuff.
[Pre-review nonsense]
If it weren't for the exploding heads, I would have DNFed the fish out of this book at 10%.
*claps like a slightly manic, hyper barnacle* Hahahahahaha, look at her go boom and stuff!!
➽ Full review to come and stuff.
May 7, 2017
Military SF with a sociopathic heroine and her penal legion spitting in the eye of whomever they face.
Miska is a special forces military veteran with hacker training and she uses her skills to steal the Hangman's Daughter a maximum security prison barge. After setting up the convicts with explosive low-jack collars, she hires her and them out as mercenaries. But what's really going on is a good question as she has ulterior motives, both professional and personal.
The parts of this world that we see are well fleshed out, although we do get the obligatory milSF references to the 21st century present even though the action takes places centuries later. (I don't regularly reference the 16th century; it's not clear to me why so may people centuries in the future have such an interest in the 21st century).
Miska herself is refreshing. She's like a manic pixie version of John McClane, although almost completely unburdened by a moral code. Instead she's motivated by whatever will give her the biggest adrenaline rush and revenge for the murder of an important figure in her life. Her interactions with the prisoners/slaves under her command are fascinating as well, with her complete contempt for them, but grudging respect for some of them as they face battle together.
An entertaining milSF novel, and I'm likely to want to continue with the series.
Miska is a special forces military veteran with hacker training and she uses her skills to steal the Hangman's Daughter a maximum security prison barge. After setting up the convicts with explosive low-jack collars, she hires her and them out as mercenaries. But what's really going on is a good question as she has ulterior motives, both professional and personal.
The parts of this world that we see are well fleshed out, although we do get the obligatory milSF references to the 21st century present even though the action takes places centuries later. (I don't regularly reference the 16th century; it's not clear to me why so may people centuries in the future have such an interest in the 21st century).
Miska herself is refreshing. She's like a manic pixie version of John McClane, although almost completely unburdened by a moral code. Instead she's motivated by whatever will give her the biggest adrenaline rush and revenge for the murder of an important figure in her life. Her interactions with the prisoners/slaves under her command are fascinating as well, with her complete contempt for them, but grudging respect for some of them as they face battle together.
An entertaining milSF novel, and I'm likely to want to continue with the series.
September 8, 2018
I'm abandoning this one at about 1/4 in, as I don't like and/or actively dislike all of the characters so far. The world-building is pretty good, but let me set the scene for you. You've read the blurb, right? [Spoilers follow.] So Miska, the cashiered Marine, and the AI image of her Dad, retired USMC gunnery sergeant, are running their first op with a couple of platoons of their convict-soldiers. She was hired by an Eevil Company to retake a mining asteroid taken over by striking miners. She maintains discipline, or sets examples, by blowing the heads off of two or three of her convicts, pour encourager les autres.
The op doesn't go well: all but two of her soldiers are killed. The Company gave her bad intelligence, and the miners were well-armed. She goes back to the company to re-negotiate. The Company's negotiator is a cast-iron bitch....
So: a psychopath for protag, max-security bad guys for her muscle, fountains of blood from the decapitated "examples", lovingly described.... The author even has his protag sit in the executed co-pilot's chair and complain it's sticky with his blood! It's not pure carnography, but the opening comes close enough, and I almost stopped right there. And you know what? I was going to round up to 2 stars for the world building, but the characters! Hateful people, almost all of them. 1-star, and I won't be reading #2. Or #3
The op doesn't go well: all but two of her soldiers are killed. The Company gave her bad intelligence, and the miners were well-armed. She goes back to the company to re-negotiate. The Company's negotiator is a cast-iron bitch....
So: a psychopath for protag, max-security bad guys for her muscle, fountains of blood from the decapitated "examples", lovingly described.... The author even has his protag sit in the executed co-pilot's chair and complain it's sticky with his blood! It's not pure carnography, but the opening comes close enough, and I almost stopped right there. And you know what? I was going to round up to 2 stars for the world building, but the characters! Hateful people, almost all of them. 1-star, and I won't be reading #2. Or #3
October 2, 2017
Just to let you know this story was originally published under the title The Hangman's Daughter (ebook only) and has now been rereleased as The Bastard Legion. As far as I'm aware the story hasn't changed.
Miska is a ex special forces veteran and an expert hacker and she has used her skills to hijack a prison ship containing thousands of violent prisoners in suspended animation. The prisoners are supposed to be rehabilitated via virtual reality but Miska has something very different in mind - turning them into her own private army. After taking control of the ship Miska fitted each of the prisoners with an explosive collar around their neck and it didn't take long to prove to them that any disobedience would cause them to lose their heads. With the help of an electronic ghost of a marine sergeant Miska has set out to train the prisoners and turn them into an elite group of mercenaries. She knows the prisoners would happily kill her but unless they can figure out a way to remove their collars she's in no danger right now.
I thought The Bastard Legion was an incredibly promising start to this new series, I kind of love the idea of taking a bunch of violent murderers and turning them into elite soldiers even though it's pretty terrifying to think of the damage they could do once they're fully trained. Miska is a totally kickass character who is a skilled fighter but at the same time she's not exactly the most likeable character, she is pretty willing to use the prisoners as canon fodder and she doesn't seem to have much of a conscience. Okay these guys all did something horrible to earn their prison sentence but she's basically turned them into slaves and that did make me feel kind of uncomfortable, especially when so many of them died. It takes a long time to reveal why Miska is so set on her plan and I think even now there are things going on behind the scenes that we're not aware of yet but she's definitely ruthless and not afraid to make difficult choices.
The story is incredibly action packed, there is always something going on and danger comes from all kinds of directions so try not to get too attached to anyone because you never know who is going to end up dying next. There were a few prisoners I'm curious about getting to know better but it's hard to know how much anyone can be trusted when they're in such a controlled environment, it'll only be when (or if) the collars come off that we'll really see the true measure of people. Some of them definitely seem to have more of a conscience than Miska though and it was quite amusing to see murderers question the morality of what she was doing.
It took a while to get into this book but by midway through I was totally hooked and I'm very curious to see how things play out in the next book. I have a feeling there is a lot more to Miska than meets the eye and it's going to be interesting to see if she's really as hard as she acts or if there is a nicer side to her buried down deep.
Miska is a ex special forces veteran and an expert hacker and she has used her skills to hijack a prison ship containing thousands of violent prisoners in suspended animation. The prisoners are supposed to be rehabilitated via virtual reality but Miska has something very different in mind - turning them into her own private army. After taking control of the ship Miska fitted each of the prisoners with an explosive collar around their neck and it didn't take long to prove to them that any disobedience would cause them to lose their heads. With the help of an electronic ghost of a marine sergeant Miska has set out to train the prisoners and turn them into an elite group of mercenaries. She knows the prisoners would happily kill her but unless they can figure out a way to remove their collars she's in no danger right now.
I thought The Bastard Legion was an incredibly promising start to this new series, I kind of love the idea of taking a bunch of violent murderers and turning them into elite soldiers even though it's pretty terrifying to think of the damage they could do once they're fully trained. Miska is a totally kickass character who is a skilled fighter but at the same time she's not exactly the most likeable character, she is pretty willing to use the prisoners as canon fodder and she doesn't seem to have much of a conscience. Okay these guys all did something horrible to earn their prison sentence but she's basically turned them into slaves and that did make me feel kind of uncomfortable, especially when so many of them died. It takes a long time to reveal why Miska is so set on her plan and I think even now there are things going on behind the scenes that we're not aware of yet but she's definitely ruthless and not afraid to make difficult choices.
The story is incredibly action packed, there is always something going on and danger comes from all kinds of directions so try not to get too attached to anyone because you never know who is going to end up dying next. There were a few prisoners I'm curious about getting to know better but it's hard to know how much anyone can be trusted when they're in such a controlled environment, it'll only be when (or if) the collars come off that we'll really see the true measure of people. Some of them definitely seem to have more of a conscience than Miska though and it was quite amusing to see murderers question the morality of what she was doing.
It took a while to get into this book but by midway through I was totally hooked and I'm very curious to see how things play out in the next book. I have a feeling there is a lot more to Miska than meets the eye and it's going to be interesting to see if she's really as hard as she acts or if there is a nicer side to her buried down deep.
October 29, 2021
This is something of a throwback to 90s era cyperpunk, coupled with a novel take on a prisoner legion in space. Miska Corbin, our main protagonist, is an ex-marine now CIA agent with a potty mouth and a really bad attitude. She is a very hard character to root for; in fact, there are few redeeming characters to be found here at all. Smith utilizes flashbacks to flesh out her story but we are still left with a lot of speculation regarding her.
Essentially, after a long, covert mission, she returns home (a colony world) to find out that her dad- a former Gunnery Sargent with the marines-- was killed during a 'home invasion'. The killers were apprehended and put on a space-barge prison, where inmates are 'rehabilitated' via a shared VR environment. With some help from some friends in the company, Miska hijacks the prison barge and decides to train the prisoners as mercenaries. Now, the prisoners are the hardest of the hard core, from many worlds, but once equipped with exploding neck collars that decapitate on her demand, most grudgingly 'agree' and start training under the supervision of an avatar of her dead father she uploaded into the prison barge's main computer.
The book starts with Miska and company attempting an invasion of an asteroid mine that rebelled against the evil corporation that owns it. Repulsed, Miska renegotiates the contract and tries once more to take the mining colony...
This is a fast paced, and quite bloody, adventure, involving various armored powersuits, high tech weapons and vary dubious motivations of the characters all around. Smith gives us numerous hints about the world he creates, such as a war with the aliens 'Them' a 100 years ago, and how corporations basically rule the colonies. Nonetheless, the world building is pretty slapdash to say the least and really centers on Miska and her interactions with the various criminals/soldiers on the prison barge. Lots of plot holes, especially regarding Miska's motivations and her relationship with the CIA-- whose plan was it to make a mercenary penal legion? Why? Is she just out to revenge her father's death or what? Smith side steps these issues and gives us some detailed and bloody battle scenes, and lots of Miska's adventures in cyberspace (she is a hacker). It definitely has a 'Tron' like feel to it at times.
If you are just looking for a fairly mindless shoot-em-up, you could do worse. 3 bloody stars.
Essentially, after a long, covert mission, she returns home (a colony world) to find out that her dad- a former Gunnery Sargent with the marines-- was killed during a 'home invasion'. The killers were apprehended and put on a space-barge prison, where inmates are 'rehabilitated' via a shared VR environment. With some help from some friends in the company, Miska hijacks the prison barge and decides to train the prisoners as mercenaries. Now, the prisoners are the hardest of the hard core, from many worlds, but once equipped with exploding neck collars that decapitate on her demand, most grudgingly 'agree' and start training under the supervision of an avatar of her dead father she uploaded into the prison barge's main computer.
The book starts with Miska and company attempting an invasion of an asteroid mine that rebelled against the evil corporation that owns it. Repulsed, Miska renegotiates the contract and tries once more to take the mining colony...
This is a fast paced, and quite bloody, adventure, involving various armored powersuits, high tech weapons and vary dubious motivations of the characters all around. Smith gives us numerous hints about the world he creates, such as a war with the aliens 'Them' a 100 years ago, and how corporations basically rule the colonies. Nonetheless, the world building is pretty slapdash to say the least and really centers on Miska and her interactions with the various criminals/soldiers on the prison barge. Lots of plot holes, especially regarding Miska's motivations and her relationship with the CIA-- whose plan was it to make a mercenary penal legion? Why? Is she just out to revenge her father's death or what? Smith side steps these issues and gives us some detailed and bloody battle scenes, and lots of Miska's adventures in cyberspace (she is a hacker). It definitely has a 'Tron' like feel to it at times.
If you are just looking for a fairly mindless shoot-em-up, you could do worse. 3 bloody stars.
February 18, 2018
Just read 60 pages and cant stand the main character Miska. Her dialogue annoys me. Going to give this a miss
January 30, 2018
Science fiction has a long tradition of 'military in space' themes - and usually these books are uninspiring at best and verging on fascist at worst. From a serious SF viewpoint, it seemed that Joe Haldeman's magnificent The Forever War made the likes of Starship Troopers a mocked thing of the past, but sadly Hollywood seems to have rebooted the concept and we now see a lot of military SF on the shelves.
The bad news is that The Bastard Legion could not be classified as anything else - but the good news is that, just as Buffy the Vampire Slayer subverted the vampire genre, The Bastard Legion has so many twists on a straightforward 'marines in space' title that it does a brilliant job of subversion too.
The basic scenario is instantly different. Miska is heading up a mercenary legion, except they're all hardened criminals on a stolen prison ship, taking part because she has stolen the ship and fitted them all with explosive collars. Oh, and helping her train her 'troops' is her gunnery sergeant father. Who is dead. And that's just the beginning as Gavin Smith throws in a sequence of twists that shift the ground under the reader's feet.
The result is a really impressive page turner. Smith does a great job of keeping the tension of the action going, whether in the real or virtual world, and makes a lot of an interesting canvas of characters. Of course we get plenty of stereotypes of the genre, from asteroid miners to heavily cyber-modified heavies - but it all feels surprisingly fresh.
I have to give this book five stars for its superb subversion of the genre. There are still a couple of issues, I admit, but they're not significant problems.
A minor moan is that this is something like the eighth SF or fantasy book in a row I've read where the main character has been a feisty young woman with superb fighting skills. (Yes, it's Buffy all over again, without the fantasy bit.) It's great to have female main characters in SF, but it would nice for a change if we had one who wasn't a clone of all the others. The bigger issue, morally speaking, is that the the main character is guilty of both mass murder and slavery. This is pointed out in the text, but it's hard to accept the justifications given for this. She really ought to be locked up. Really.
This book, the first of a series, has a lot going for it and I'll find it hard to resist the temptation to continue reading as new titles emerge.
The bad news is that The Bastard Legion could not be classified as anything else - but the good news is that, just as Buffy the Vampire Slayer subverted the vampire genre, The Bastard Legion has so many twists on a straightforward 'marines in space' title that it does a brilliant job of subversion too.
The basic scenario is instantly different. Miska is heading up a mercenary legion, except they're all hardened criminals on a stolen prison ship, taking part because she has stolen the ship and fitted them all with explosive collars. Oh, and helping her train her 'troops' is her gunnery sergeant father. Who is dead. And that's just the beginning as Gavin Smith throws in a sequence of twists that shift the ground under the reader's feet.
The result is a really impressive page turner. Smith does a great job of keeping the tension of the action going, whether in the real or virtual world, and makes a lot of an interesting canvas of characters. Of course we get plenty of stereotypes of the genre, from asteroid miners to heavily cyber-modified heavies - but it all feels surprisingly fresh.
I have to give this book five stars for its superb subversion of the genre. There are still a couple of issues, I admit, but they're not significant problems.
A minor moan is that this is something like the eighth SF or fantasy book in a row I've read where the main character has been a feisty young woman with superb fighting skills. (Yes, it's Buffy all over again, without the fantasy bit.) It's great to have female main characters in SF, but it would nice for a change if we had one who wasn't a clone of all the others. The bigger issue, morally speaking, is that the the main character is guilty of both mass murder and slavery. This is pointed out in the text, but it's hard to accept the justifications given for this. She really ought to be locked up. Really.
This book, the first of a series, has a lot going for it and I'll find it hard to resist the temptation to continue reading as new titles emerge.
September 21, 2017
A literary serving of grimdark military sci-fi anyone?
The Bastard Legion has a Suicide Squad type feel to it with Harley Quinn, sorry Miska Starrow taking lead on the prison ship, the Hangman's Daughter (awesome name) with lots of gruesome violence and zingy one-liners.
There is a plethora of really cool future tech and weapons, Wraith power armour suits, sentient AI, cybernetic augmentation and nanotech to name a few.
However, I was not emotionally invested in the characters and felt withdrawn from the story itself. Save for the brief cameo of the Ultra (what a cool character), there were too many replaceable secondary characters which did not tighten the narrative into a gripping read.
There was plenty of hardcore action, but mostly on a superficial action movie level with insufficient emotional depth to really punch you in the gut.
The Bastard Legion has a Suicide Squad type feel to it with Harley Quinn, sorry Miska Starrow taking lead on the prison ship, the Hangman's Daughter (awesome name) with lots of gruesome violence and zingy one-liners.
There is a plethora of really cool future tech and weapons, Wraith power armour suits, sentient AI, cybernetic augmentation and nanotech to name a few.
However, I was not emotionally invested in the characters and felt withdrawn from the story itself. Save for the brief cameo of the Ultra (what a cool character), there were too many replaceable secondary characters which did not tighten the narrative into a gripping read.
There was plenty of hardcore action, but mostly on a superficial action movie level with insufficient emotional depth to really punch you in the gut.
September 15, 2018
Con un cubo de palomitas gana una estrella más!
February 4, 2017
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2017/01/2...
Publisher: Orion
Publishing Date: January 2017
ISBN: 9781473217263
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 4.7/5
Publishers Description: Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and “rehabilitated” in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Storrow, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman’s Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska’s own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
Review: This was a scifi novel like no other. Really good world building, inventive story line and well developed characters made for some late night reading.
Miska is a sociopath with a heart of gold. She is at once willing to kill anything (especially sex offense criminals) but draws the line at children….maybe? This morally vague character imbues the novel with a sense of hilarity while at the same time giving you pause at her untenable actions. To say that she grows with the movement is a bit like hoping your old dog will stop pissing in the house. Her moral shifts for the good only align with her self-interests and if it happens to coincide with doing the right thing then “yay for me!”.
The future tech, especially the weaponry, is fabulous as are the multitude of human mods that blanket the story line. I can’t wait for the next in the Bastard Legion series in hopes that this becomes a full blown space opera. Bravo Gavin, well done.
Publisher: Orion
Publishing Date: January 2017
ISBN: 9781473217263
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 4.7/5
Publishers Description: Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and “rehabilitated” in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Storrow, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman’s Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska’s own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
Review: This was a scifi novel like no other. Really good world building, inventive story line and well developed characters made for some late night reading.
Miska is a sociopath with a heart of gold. She is at once willing to kill anything (especially sex offense criminals) but draws the line at children….maybe? This morally vague character imbues the novel with a sense of hilarity while at the same time giving you pause at her untenable actions. To say that she grows with the movement is a bit like hoping your old dog will stop pissing in the house. Her moral shifts for the good only align with her self-interests and if it happens to coincide with doing the right thing then “yay for me!”.
The future tech, especially the weaponry, is fabulous as are the multitude of human mods that blanket the story line. I can’t wait for the next in the Bastard Legion series in hopes that this becomes a full blown space opera. Bravo Gavin, well done.
March 7, 2019
This takes place in the same setting as Veteran, but around one or two hundred years later. The main character comes off as slightly psychotic manic pixie girl who captures a ship of 6000 prisoners to find the few prisoners who killed her father, while also setting up a deep black ops operation for the CIA with a penal legion as a plausible deniable ops team to take on various targets. The first book is concerned with setting up the legion, both for future prospective buyers and the audience reading this. Manic pixie girl and her legion take on a miner’s asteroid that has been taken over by a communist virus, and things go from bad to clusterfloppery very fast.
It’s a no holds barred tour de force full of violence and gore and plans inside of plans. Characters get introduced and killed off at a breakneck pace, but it doesn’t matter as much as there few if any who could be called nice or good and most of the time you have to decide who is the least offensive asshole on the block, not whether anybody is sympathetic or likable.
There are a lot of future settings made up by writers that I rather live in than in any of David Smith’s worlds, but damn is it a fun ride, even if I’m flip-flopping between hating the main heroine (she’s awfully nonchalant about human lives, even prisoners) and wanting to see her survive to know what comes next. Can’t wait for the sequel.
It’s a no holds barred tour de force full of violence and gore and plans inside of plans. Characters get introduced and killed off at a breakneck pace, but it doesn’t matter as much as there few if any who could be called nice or good and most of the time you have to decide who is the least offensive asshole on the block, not whether anybody is sympathetic or likable.
There are a lot of future settings made up by writers that I rather live in than in any of David Smith’s worlds, but damn is it a fun ride, even if I’m flip-flopping between hating the main heroine (she’s awfully nonchalant about human lives, even prisoners) and wanting to see her survive to know what comes next. Can’t wait for the sequel.
January 25, 2019
This is like Killjoys meets The Expanse, taking the best bits of both to make a fast-paced and rocking military SF adventure.
The main character has a secret agenda, and to pull it off she has hijacked a prison barge - a huge space ship containing six thousand of the worst scum human colonies have to offer, and is forging them into a legion of mercenaries controlled by collars that detonate if they so much as look at her funny.
They have been hired by a megacorp to take back an asteroid mining colony from rebels seeking independence. Unsurprisingly, not everything goes to plan. Betrayal and battles ensure featuring powered armour, cool weapons and cybernetics, cyberware and virtual reality, space battles and tense military action.
Read this!
The main character has a secret agenda, and to pull it off she has hijacked a prison barge - a huge space ship containing six thousand of the worst scum human colonies have to offer, and is forging them into a legion of mercenaries controlled by collars that detonate if they so much as look at her funny.
They have been hired by a megacorp to take back an asteroid mining colony from rebels seeking independence. Unsurprisingly, not everything goes to plan. Betrayal and battles ensure featuring powered armour, cool weapons and cybernetics, cyberware and virtual reality, space battles and tense military action.
Read this!
October 30, 2019
A solid and workmanlike plot and nippy to read when having a sci-fi binge. I picked up book two - which says a lot.
Miska is an interesting character with baggage and being an action junkie is a nice touch. The penal vibe is a neat, layered touch and a mix of the dirty dozen and Hassel’s 27th panzers. Having family issues, the hint of cloak and dagger spec ops and a murder case added a hefty amount of tension to the mix. With the action taking forefront, the murder arc seemed to get dropped. It does make me curious to see how that develops in the next book, or whether it becomes sidelined again.
I also enjoyed the mix of earth politics and expanse like tech squabbles which added tension and depth to the numerous doublecrosses and backstabbing.
Entertaining and pacy with little to dislike.
Miska is an interesting character with baggage and being an action junkie is a nice touch. The penal vibe is a neat, layered touch and a mix of the dirty dozen and Hassel’s 27th panzers. Having family issues, the hint of cloak and dagger spec ops and a murder case added a hefty amount of tension to the mix. With the action taking forefront, the murder arc seemed to get dropped. It does make me curious to see how that develops in the next book, or whether it becomes sidelined again.
I also enjoyed the mix of earth politics and expanse like tech squabbles which added tension and depth to the numerous doublecrosses and backstabbing.
Entertaining and pacy with little to dislike.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2017
Space opera palomitera en su máxima expresión. La novela tiene un cierto transfondo y una construcción de personajes que tira de tópicos (con razón, porque hay mucho secundario que presentar). Como dice Leticia Lara, a la protagonista o la amas o la odias. A mi me ha gustado en general aunque le encuentro muchos problemas.
July 14, 2018
3.5 stars
Review to follow...
Review to follow...
October 9, 2017
I loved the concept of the book as soon as I heard it, and since I'd heard good things about Gavin Smith's writing, I thought it would be a good book to start with. The story starts as Miska is about to take a small group of the prisoners she has been trying up onto an asteroid to take back control of it from a rebel group. It quickly becomes apparent when they arrive that Miska has not been given the full story about the rebels, their capabilities, and any reasons they might have to rebell. The bulk of the story focuses on the campaign to take over the asteroid, with occasional flashbacks to Miska's past: partly as she was securing the job and beginning to train the prisoners and partly looking at the events that led her to steal the prison ship in the first place and the bigger reasons for her taking it.
There aren't too many scientific terms or explanations in the book, but there are a lot of sci-fi weapons, equipment and body modifications. The fights between Miska's team and the rebels, and a few other people, are described in great detail. Personally I didn't need to know the names of each weapon being used at any time, but as Miska has been a marine, I think it makes sense that she (as the narrator) would call things by their proper names, so I adjusted to it after a while.
I liked the characters, particularly Miska who we get to know best. Some of the others are very intriguing as well, and I'll be interested to see how they develop over the trilogy and to learn more about their backgrounds. Overall I enjoyed the book - it's a fun read with a lot of mouthy mercenaries and vivid gunfights, as well as some interesting imaginings of technology and society in the future. I'm giving The Bastard Legion by Gavin Smith 7/10. And I'm glad to hear that book 2 is also out this month, on ebook!
There aren't too many scientific terms or explanations in the book, but there are a lot of sci-fi weapons, equipment and body modifications. The fights between Miska's team and the rebels, and a few other people, are described in great detail. Personally I didn't need to know the names of each weapon being used at any time, but as Miska has been a marine, I think it makes sense that she (as the narrator) would call things by their proper names, so I adjusted to it after a while.
I liked the characters, particularly Miska who we get to know best. Some of the others are very intriguing as well, and I'll be interested to see how they develop over the trilogy and to learn more about their backgrounds. Overall I enjoyed the book - it's a fun read with a lot of mouthy mercenaries and vivid gunfights, as well as some interesting imaginings of technology and society in the future. I'm giving The Bastard Legion by Gavin Smith 7/10. And I'm glad to hear that book 2 is also out this month, on ebook!
May 28, 2018
Entertaining MilSF/Space Opera about a disgraced marine who takes over a roving supermax prison spaceship, forcing the murderous psychopaths imprisoned there to become a mercenary force. Problem is, she might just be the most psychotic person of the bunch. It definitely felt like Smith was channeling Harley Quinn for the main character.
There are a lot of references to previous stories, such as The Dirty Dozen (Smith even references Lee Marvin directly) as well as the Sylvester Stallone/Wesley Snipes film Demolition Man, plus various cyberpunk and MilSF tropes employed, most of it fairly well integrated.
The opening scene sees our protagonist, Miska Corbin, in outer space approaching their target, but she’s grown bored with the waiting so she’s cranked the classic rock and is doing her best Pete Townshend imitation, using her laser rifle as an ersatz guitar. That’s pretty much the flavor of the entire book.
There are twists and doublecrosses, of course, in addition to hidden agendas on every side. Ultimately I felt it didn’t quite stick the landing but it was a decent actioner. Smith doesn’t answer all the questions raised, but the story itself is complete despite being the first in a series.
There are a lot of references to previous stories, such as The Dirty Dozen (Smith even references Lee Marvin directly) as well as the Sylvester Stallone/Wesley Snipes film Demolition Man, plus various cyberpunk and MilSF tropes employed, most of it fairly well integrated.
The opening scene sees our protagonist, Miska Corbin, in outer space approaching their target, but she’s grown bored with the waiting so she’s cranked the classic rock and is doing her best Pete Townshend imitation, using her laser rifle as an ersatz guitar. That’s pretty much the flavor of the entire book.
There are twists and doublecrosses, of course, in addition to hidden agendas on every side. Ultimately I felt it didn’t quite stick the landing but it was a decent actioner. Smith doesn’t answer all the questions raised, but the story itself is complete despite being the first in a series.
February 2, 2018
Some very good gritty science fiction with a lot of mercenaries, ambiguous characters and twisting plots
Full review here https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review here https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
September 10, 2025
Military sci-fi, anti hero main character, interesting premise.
December 6, 2017
I remember when Gavin Smith’s debut novel, Veteran, hit the shelves, and with it came this confident and action-orientated voice that was much fun to read. For reasons that escape me, I never did get around to its sequel, War in Heaven, and while I did try Age of Scorpio, I just couldn’t quite get into it. However, Smith’s latest novel, The Hangman’s Daughter (the first book in the Bastard Legion series) jumped out at me the moment I heard about it. Military SF with a twist and some very interesting characters to go along with a plot that begged to be read – this book has pretty much everything I could ask for. And it delivered the goods too…
From the publisher:
The Suicide Squad for lovers of Aliens, a thrilling new down-and-dirty military SF series set in a world of mercenary actions and covert operations
Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and “rehabilitated” in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Corbin, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman’s Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska’s own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
Along with the virtual reality construct of her dead Marine Sergeant father, Miska Corbin is in charge of the stolen prison ship The Hangman’s Daughter. Holding around 6000 convicted felons, all controlled by explosive collars, The Hangman’s Daughter is a treasure trove of violent offenders for Miska to use for her own means, namely tracking down her father’s killer. Yet while this is an overreaching goal of hers, she must also make ends meat, and hiring out herself and her indentured prisoners on risky missions is the only way to go…
Gavin Smith doesn’t hang around in The Hangman’s Daughter, throwing us straight into the action and introducing both the premise of the story and the slightly unbalanced personality of Miska. However, given her situation it’s easy to see why her behaviour is the way it is, and it has the added benefit of keeping the convicts on their toes. We get to see quite a few of these prisoners both during their VR training and as they take turns coming out of cryo stasis for various duties and jobs, and the core team that Miska ends up using is varied enough to give the group some good – or bad, depending how you look at it – dynamics.
While the action scenes are a pure highlight of the novel – Smith can really immerse you with these – it’s the way he gradually tells Miska’s story as the novel unfolds. We find out more about her, and her relationship with her father, piece by piece, raising questions but never quite giving the answers until the time is right. It gives The Hangman’s Daughter something more than just action set pieces, raising it to something well worth reading.
The publisher touts The Hangman’s Daughter as one for lovers of Suicide Squad and Aliens, both of which ring true as the pages turn, and due to this it will appeal to many readers looking for that bit of SF action, while delivering more than is apparent at first glance. Some great worldbuilding, a varied cast of characters, and a take-no-nonsense anti-heroine make this a novel that is well worth checking out. Recommended.
From the publisher:
The Suicide Squad for lovers of Aliens, a thrilling new down-and-dirty military SF series set in a world of mercenary actions and covert operations
Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and “rehabilitated” in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Corbin, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman’s Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska’s own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
Along with the virtual reality construct of her dead Marine Sergeant father, Miska Corbin is in charge of the stolen prison ship The Hangman’s Daughter. Holding around 6000 convicted felons, all controlled by explosive collars, The Hangman’s Daughter is a treasure trove of violent offenders for Miska to use for her own means, namely tracking down her father’s killer. Yet while this is an overreaching goal of hers, she must also make ends meat, and hiring out herself and her indentured prisoners on risky missions is the only way to go…
Gavin Smith doesn’t hang around in The Hangman’s Daughter, throwing us straight into the action and introducing both the premise of the story and the slightly unbalanced personality of Miska. However, given her situation it’s easy to see why her behaviour is the way it is, and it has the added benefit of keeping the convicts on their toes. We get to see quite a few of these prisoners both during their VR training and as they take turns coming out of cryo stasis for various duties and jobs, and the core team that Miska ends up using is varied enough to give the group some good – or bad, depending how you look at it – dynamics.
While the action scenes are a pure highlight of the novel – Smith can really immerse you with these – it’s the way he gradually tells Miska’s story as the novel unfolds. We find out more about her, and her relationship with her father, piece by piece, raising questions but never quite giving the answers until the time is right. It gives The Hangman’s Daughter something more than just action set pieces, raising it to something well worth reading.
The publisher touts The Hangman’s Daughter as one for lovers of Suicide Squad and Aliens, both of which ring true as the pages turn, and due to this it will appeal to many readers looking for that bit of SF action, while delivering more than is apparent at first glance. Some great worldbuilding, a varied cast of characters, and a take-no-nonsense anti-heroine make this a novel that is well worth checking out. Recommended.
February 25, 2017
Many thanks for the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Original review can be found on my blog Raptureinbooks here
The Hangman’s Daughter was my first Gavin Smith novel and it is a novel about space, marines, prisoners and all kinds of corrupt officials. It is not just the name of the novel but also of the main ship – a prison barge with a 6000 strong crew of murders, thieves, sex offenders and more.
The basic premise of the book is that the main character Miska commandeers a prison barge orbiting space with 6000 prisoners encased in some sort of cryo-stasis in the hunt for the criminals who murdered her father 6 months prior. What follows is possibly one of the weirdest stories I’ve read but with plenty of action and messed up scenarios.
I had a real issue with Miska personally as a reader, she had this overwhelming feel of psychosis that wasn’t really explained until right at the end – for example, she’d just been shot at and followed that up by blowing someone’s head up and she goes “This is fun!” – all kinds of crazy. Though, in fairness, grief does crazy things to people and finding out what she did about her father’s death would cause some problems.
As this was my first Gavin Smith book I went into it quite openly with no exact expectations and found myself pleasantly surprised by the writing style. Although I had a dislike of the main character the story itself was interesting, with just the right amount of space interaction to class it as a Sci-Fi but there was also a slight undertone of romance which was unexpected given the overall seriousness of the book.
Plenty of humour with good secondary characters (Mass and Ultra in particular) and an ease of reading that is unparalleled for the genre.
Original review can be found on my blog Raptureinbooks here
The Hangman’s Daughter was my first Gavin Smith novel and it is a novel about space, marines, prisoners and all kinds of corrupt officials. It is not just the name of the novel but also of the main ship – a prison barge with a 6000 strong crew of murders, thieves, sex offenders and more.
The basic premise of the book is that the main character Miska commandeers a prison barge orbiting space with 6000 prisoners encased in some sort of cryo-stasis in the hunt for the criminals who murdered her father 6 months prior. What follows is possibly one of the weirdest stories I’ve read but with plenty of action and messed up scenarios.
I had a real issue with Miska personally as a reader, she had this overwhelming feel of psychosis that wasn’t really explained until right at the end – for example, she’d just been shot at and followed that up by blowing someone’s head up and she goes “This is fun!” – all kinds of crazy. Though, in fairness, grief does crazy things to people and finding out what she did about her father’s death would cause some problems.
As this was my first Gavin Smith book I went into it quite openly with no exact expectations and found myself pleasantly surprised by the writing style. Although I had a dislike of the main character the story itself was interesting, with just the right amount of space interaction to class it as a Sci-Fi but there was also a slight undertone of romance which was unexpected given the overall seriousness of the book.
Plenty of humour with good secondary characters (Mass and Ultra in particular) and an ease of reading that is unparalleled for the genre.
March 1, 2017
Enjoyable sci fi book. Looking forward to the next in the series
February 19, 2017
Miska Storrow leads an unusual band of mercenaries in The Hangman's Daughter, Gavin G Smith's latest novel (review copy from Gollancz). Hers are pressed men, prisoners kept in suspended animation on a prison ship and fitted with collars that enable Miska to explosively decapitate them at will. Miska and her mercenary legion have been retained to infiltrate a mining base that has been taken over by rebels, but she has few resources to back her beyond some ageing weapons and ammunition, and an AI version of her late father.
This is classic military science fiction - lots of running around, explosions and gory injuries and deaths. In between, a conspiracy plot begins to be revealed. Is Miska the rogue special forces operative turned cold-hearted and ruthless killer that she claims to be, or is there more going on under the surface? Obviously there is, otherwise this wouldn't be much of a story.
The plot rattles along fairly well, but the cast of supporting characters is pretty thin and straight from central casting - identikit gangsters and idealistic rebels plus a stereotyped drill sargeant for a father. There is some disturbing fetishisation of a dangerous cohort of three high security prisoners held on Miska's ship, including one particular serial killer that she is inexplicably attracted to. But the biggest difficulty for me was Smith's reliance on concealing information from the reader. It jars me out of the story for a close third person narrator to not share information that would be known to the perspective character, particularly in a knowing way that is clearly designed to build suspense.
This is classic military science fiction - lots of running around, explosions and gory injuries and deaths. In between, a conspiracy plot begins to be revealed. Is Miska the rogue special forces operative turned cold-hearted and ruthless killer that she claims to be, or is there more going on under the surface? Obviously there is, otherwise this wouldn't be much of a story.
The plot rattles along fairly well, but the cast of supporting characters is pretty thin and straight from central casting - identikit gangsters and idealistic rebels plus a stereotyped drill sargeant for a father. There is some disturbing fetishisation of a dangerous cohort of three high security prisoners held on Miska's ship, including one particular serial killer that she is inexplicably attracted to. But the biggest difficulty for me was Smith's reliance on concealing information from the reader. It jars me out of the story for a close third person narrator to not share information that would be known to the perspective character, particularly in a knowing way that is clearly designed to build suspense.
November 6, 2017
I bought this in paperback where for whatever reason it has been re-titled from Hangman’s Daughter to The Bastard Legion, but I’m assured it’s the same book – and what a cracking book it is.
This thing is a wild ride from the very start, a high-octane military SF novel that’s part homage to Harry Twenty on the High Rock and part The Dirty Dozen meets Aliens, if they were led by Harley Quinn’s more psycho sister.
The book does require some suspension of disbelief – the main conceit being that, 400 years in the future in the Tau Ceti system, the CIA, NSA and FBI all not only still exist but are still incapable of working together. Oh, and 80s rock music is still popular. That aside, and really who cares, this is a belter of a story and I’m looking forward to the next one.
4.5/5, rounded up because it was such fun.
This thing is a wild ride from the very start, a high-octane military SF novel that’s part homage to Harry Twenty on the High Rock and part The Dirty Dozen meets Aliens, if they were led by Harley Quinn’s more psycho sister.
The book does require some suspension of disbelief – the main conceit being that, 400 years in the future in the Tau Ceti system, the CIA, NSA and FBI all not only still exist but are still incapable of working together. Oh, and 80s rock music is still popular. That aside, and really who cares, this is a belter of a story and I’m looking forward to the next one.
4.5/5, rounded up because it was such fun.
February 8, 2017
3.5/5.0
February 4, 2017
Fuck I loved this book so much.
This book follows the story of the creation of a mercenary group consisting of a prisoner's legion. It's a badass female lead, who runs the group, a cool back story.
In many ways it follows the tropes of military scifi, with cool military teams getting into battles, and some pew pew space fights, however it also has a few Cyberpunk elements going on there. For example there is a cyberspace that reminds me a lot of Neuromancer, and even a flatline.
Bit ill today so struggling to write something cohesive, but seriously, read this!
This book follows the story of the creation of a mercenary group consisting of a prisoner's legion. It's a badass female lead, who runs the group, a cool back story.
In many ways it follows the tropes of military scifi, with cool military teams getting into battles, and some pew pew space fights, however it also has a few Cyberpunk elements going on there. For example there is a cyberspace that reminds me a lot of Neuromancer, and even a flatline.
Bit ill today so struggling to write something cohesive, but seriously, read this!
February 6, 2017
2.5 stars
Review scheduled 10/26/2017
https://burnsthroughherbookshelf.word...
Review scheduled 10/26/2017
https://burnsthroughherbookshelf.word...
October 5, 2017
Originally posted to I Should Read That
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
The Bastard Legion was published in eBook format in January 2017 under the name The Hangman’s Daughter.
This is the first book by Gavin Smith that I’ve read, and I’m so happy to say that The Bastard Legion lived up to my hopes and expectations. It has so many things that I absolutely love: a dark and gritty world, cool and complex technology, morally grey characters, and a butt-kicking leading lady. This is a tough one to review because I feel like you should really dive in and discover for yourself, but I’ll do my best.
A thrilling new down-and-dirty military SF series set in a world of mercenary actions and covert operations… The ultimate Suicide Squad for lovers of Aliens.
Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and “rehabilitated” in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Corbin, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman’s Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska’s own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
World Building and Plot
When the books opens, you’re very much thrown directly into the action and need some time to sort out what is going on. To be honest, when this is done well it is one of my favourite approaches to sci-fi. Concepts that seem confusing at first are clarified as the world is slowly revealed to the reader. Smith’s exquisite world-building makes this one of the most fascinating sci-fi worlds I’ve read in a long time. There are so many layers to the world and plot of The Bastard Legion, and it is an absolute delight to watch everything unfold.
Pretty much the entirety of The Bastard Legion takes place off-planet. We spend a great deal of time inside ships, asteroids, and virtual reality. I particularly loved how pervasive the virtual reality was. In order to rehabilitate the prisoners, they’re kept in suspended animation but kept mentally active in virtual reality. When Miska takes over, she uses the VR to train up the prisoners as soldiers. VR is everywhere in this book, but remains unique. They train in VR, they fight in VR, they communicate in VR, and they hack in VR. Characters dip in and out of the virtual world, gaining new perspectives and uncovering secrets about their current location and who they interact with.
Characters
So the character I’m going to focus on here is Miska. Not only is she the person we see the most of, but she’s also just so incredibly cool. I personally love a good morally grey character. Miska is not a villain, despite what some of the prisoners and her employers might say. She is also not really a hero — she commits some horrible crimes. She lies somewhere in the murky, greyish realm of ‘antihero’, which honestly makes her so much more believable and cool in her role. She’s an ex-marine who is obviously incredibly capable, but has a whole bucket of issues.
In the beginning, she aims to present herself to her new, unwilling mercenary force as a psychopath, and she doesn’t really need to act much. I personally don’t fully buy that Miska is a psychopath – she’s someone who knows what needs to get done and will do anything to fulfill her personal mission – but she has moments of humanity and emotion. She does, however, have no issue setting off the explosive collars around her ‘soldiers’ necks in order to establish dominance and discipline. Like I said, she’s pretty morally grey.
She’s a fascinating character because you never really know what she’ll do next, especially as her motivations are revealed. I loved the slow reveal of her back story, which explains so much of why she does what she does. Her interactions with various prisoners shows the difference between the Miska she presents to others and who she truly is.
The Bastard Legion is a book that’s best discovered by the reader. It’s filled with incredibly cool and unique twists on familiar concepts and morally grey characters. While I wouldn’t recommend it to sci-fi newcomers – simply because it is a little more on the complex side – military sci-fi enthusiasts must pick this one up. If you’re looking for an action-packed thrill ride that will sweep you far away from the ordinary, The Bastard Legion is the book for you. It’s easily one of the best sci-fi books I’ve picked up this year.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
The Bastard Legion was published in eBook format in January 2017 under the name The Hangman’s Daughter.
This is the first book by Gavin Smith that I’ve read, and I’m so happy to say that The Bastard Legion lived up to my hopes and expectations. It has so many things that I absolutely love: a dark and gritty world, cool and complex technology, morally grey characters, and a butt-kicking leading lady. This is a tough one to review because I feel like you should really dive in and discover for yourself, but I’ll do my best.
A thrilling new down-and-dirty military SF series set in a world of mercenary actions and covert operations… The ultimate Suicide Squad for lovers of Aliens.
Four hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and “rehabilitated” in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Corbin, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman’s Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska’s own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?
World Building and Plot
When the books opens, you’re very much thrown directly into the action and need some time to sort out what is going on. To be honest, when this is done well it is one of my favourite approaches to sci-fi. Concepts that seem confusing at first are clarified as the world is slowly revealed to the reader. Smith’s exquisite world-building makes this one of the most fascinating sci-fi worlds I’ve read in a long time. There are so many layers to the world and plot of The Bastard Legion, and it is an absolute delight to watch everything unfold.
Pretty much the entirety of The Bastard Legion takes place off-planet. We spend a great deal of time inside ships, asteroids, and virtual reality. I particularly loved how pervasive the virtual reality was. In order to rehabilitate the prisoners, they’re kept in suspended animation but kept mentally active in virtual reality. When Miska takes over, she uses the VR to train up the prisoners as soldiers. VR is everywhere in this book, but remains unique. They train in VR, they fight in VR, they communicate in VR, and they hack in VR. Characters dip in and out of the virtual world, gaining new perspectives and uncovering secrets about their current location and who they interact with.
Characters
So the character I’m going to focus on here is Miska. Not only is she the person we see the most of, but she’s also just so incredibly cool. I personally love a good morally grey character. Miska is not a villain, despite what some of the prisoners and her employers might say. She is also not really a hero — she commits some horrible crimes. She lies somewhere in the murky, greyish realm of ‘antihero’, which honestly makes her so much more believable and cool in her role. She’s an ex-marine who is obviously incredibly capable, but has a whole bucket of issues.
In the beginning, she aims to present herself to her new, unwilling mercenary force as a psychopath, and she doesn’t really need to act much. I personally don’t fully buy that Miska is a psychopath – she’s someone who knows what needs to get done and will do anything to fulfill her personal mission – but she has moments of humanity and emotion. She does, however, have no issue setting off the explosive collars around her ‘soldiers’ necks in order to establish dominance and discipline. Like I said, she’s pretty morally grey.
She’s a fascinating character because you never really know what she’ll do next, especially as her motivations are revealed. I loved the slow reveal of her back story, which explains so much of why she does what she does. Her interactions with various prisoners shows the difference between the Miska she presents to others and who she truly is.
The Bastard Legion is a book that’s best discovered by the reader. It’s filled with incredibly cool and unique twists on familiar concepts and morally grey characters. While I wouldn’t recommend it to sci-fi newcomers – simply because it is a little more on the complex side – military sci-fi enthusiasts must pick this one up. If you’re looking for an action-packed thrill ride that will sweep you far away from the ordinary, The Bastard Legion is the book for you. It’s easily one of the best sci-fi books I’ve picked up this year.
October 11, 2017
I received a free physical copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
All other book reviews can be found at mbc84blog.wordpress.com
Miska Corbin is in over her head and loving every second of it. Having stolen a ship aptly named the Hangman’s Daughter; it carries prisoners who are living in suspended animation who Miska begins to train in a shared virtual reality space to become her own private army (phew that was a mouthful). With the help of her father they take on their first job as mercenaries, to re-take a mining planet from its workers. As the narrative delves deeper into what first seems like an easy job more questions are raised as to who Miska is working for, and can she control her Bastard Legion?
I haven’t read a science fiction book that managed to capture me like this one in a while. Firstly Miska is an amazing, complex character who cannot be second guessed. I never knew what she was going to do next which added to the intrigue and thrill of the story. By the end of the novel we know the full extent of Miska’s motivations and how exactly her father and her prisoners fit into the larger picture and while it’s slightly disturbing the lengths she has gone to I just couldn’t put the book down.
What I thought was going to be a “shoot them up” in space turned into a conspiracy book which not only had me questioning every character involved, but also it took a look into how our future is shaping up. Smith takes a look into what a prison system in the future could look like and it’s not pretty and that’s the point. These are criminals and when we/Miska start to question whether they deserve to be there it brings about all new questions to Miska’s moral compass or lack thereof.
Miska controls her prisoners through the use of explosive necklaces and, if you can’t guess what they do Smith gives an extremely detailed description of the remains – there is so much gore in this book it’s great! While many/most of the prisoners are imprisoned for committing heinous crimes there are some which aren’t and all of them object to the service Miska forces upon them, especially as they don’t know the full extent of her reasoning which I won’t spoil for you.
Another aspect I loved was her father; a former marine who now works beside her whether he agrees with her or not is the one aspect of the book that manages to ground it. His fears over his daughter’s safety and his fears over their missions firmly bring this book back to Earth and alleviate what could be extremely distressing images and events. He also brings with him what would be described in the book as “old style” military which we call the military today. His no nonsense approach may be old school by our thoughts as well but, it works in some of the training of the prisoners. Together they make a good team and I look forward to seeing if their dynamic can or will change in later books.
One thing I wasn’t keen on was the pace. It is a very fast paced book and being set in space meant that I while I was trying to understand the rules within the book it moved on and left me behind. While in an action book fast paced is normally a good thing I would have liked more time to digest information before the plot moved forward. The flash backs really helped with pacing and gave me the time outside of the current narrative to look at the plot as a whole. But that’s my only niggle with it. The characters are well rounded if not flawed and the setting and narrative is intriguing and engaging.
For anyone looking for a new science fiction read I would recommend this book. Mercenaries, sentient AI’s and character that have apparent moral compass all make for an exciting read.
All other book reviews can be found at mbc84blog.wordpress.com
Miska Corbin is in over her head and loving every second of it. Having stolen a ship aptly named the Hangman’s Daughter; it carries prisoners who are living in suspended animation who Miska begins to train in a shared virtual reality space to become her own private army (phew that was a mouthful). With the help of her father they take on their first job as mercenaries, to re-take a mining planet from its workers. As the narrative delves deeper into what first seems like an easy job more questions are raised as to who Miska is working for, and can she control her Bastard Legion?
I haven’t read a science fiction book that managed to capture me like this one in a while. Firstly Miska is an amazing, complex character who cannot be second guessed. I never knew what she was going to do next which added to the intrigue and thrill of the story. By the end of the novel we know the full extent of Miska’s motivations and how exactly her father and her prisoners fit into the larger picture and while it’s slightly disturbing the lengths she has gone to I just couldn’t put the book down.
What I thought was going to be a “shoot them up” in space turned into a conspiracy book which not only had me questioning every character involved, but also it took a look into how our future is shaping up. Smith takes a look into what a prison system in the future could look like and it’s not pretty and that’s the point. These are criminals and when we/Miska start to question whether they deserve to be there it brings about all new questions to Miska’s moral compass or lack thereof.
Miska controls her prisoners through the use of explosive necklaces and, if you can’t guess what they do Smith gives an extremely detailed description of the remains – there is so much gore in this book it’s great! While many/most of the prisoners are imprisoned for committing heinous crimes there are some which aren’t and all of them object to the service Miska forces upon them, especially as they don’t know the full extent of her reasoning which I won’t spoil for you.
Another aspect I loved was her father; a former marine who now works beside her whether he agrees with her or not is the one aspect of the book that manages to ground it. His fears over his daughter’s safety and his fears over their missions firmly bring this book back to Earth and alleviate what could be extremely distressing images and events. He also brings with him what would be described in the book as “old style” military which we call the military today. His no nonsense approach may be old school by our thoughts as well but, it works in some of the training of the prisoners. Together they make a good team and I look forward to seeing if their dynamic can or will change in later books.
One thing I wasn’t keen on was the pace. It is a very fast paced book and being set in space meant that I while I was trying to understand the rules within the book it moved on and left me behind. While in an action book fast paced is normally a good thing I would have liked more time to digest information before the plot moved forward. The flash backs really helped with pacing and gave me the time outside of the current narrative to look at the plot as a whole. But that’s my only niggle with it. The characters are well rounded if not flawed and the setting and narrative is intriguing and engaging.
For anyone looking for a new science fiction read I would recommend this book. Mercenaries, sentient AI’s and character that have apparent moral compass all make for an exciting read.
October 10, 2017
*copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*
The Bastard Legion is the first in a military sci-fi series from Gavin Smith. Why is it awesome? Well, it’s about a penal legion. Our protagonist has hijacked a prison ship, attached explosive collars to all of the prisoners in stasis, and now plans to use them as her own private mercenary force. That, that is why it’s awesome.
This is a universe where humanity has had a diaspora. We’ve reached out to the stars at last, and found them welcoming. On the downside, we’re still people, still as messed up as we’ve always been. National governments began the space-race, but now they’re in it alongside mega-corporations and colony worlds that have their own agenda – and their own private armies. Space is seething with opportunity for those with the right skillset, and enough of a ruthless bent. This is a universe which seems familiar; its struggles between semi-accountable governments and corporations that are the size of governments is likely to resonate. It’s a time when humanity is reaching out to the stars, with, one hopes, It’s also a universe where labour problems (or unionisation) can be met with deadly force. The blend of these strands of hope and despair gives us a context we can recognise, a well realised projection into our own futures. It helps, of course, that the projection includes power armoured mechs and space travel alongside its convincing corporate dystopia.
Into this space steps Miska. She’s smart, ruthless, and willing to kill. Which is just as well really, because she’s stolen a maximum security prison ship. We spend the book following Miska, and it can get rather…explosive. She’s in mourning for her recently deceased father, and that grief bubbles away silently between the lines, occasionally arcing out of the page. Miska usually feels calm, in control, but the raw nature of her grief has an honesty to it which helps make her feel more human. Miska also has something of a troubled relationship with the rest of her family – including a particularly nasty case of sibling rivalry, whose visceral emotions are entirely on display, and have a genuine fire to them.
If Miska’s grief is part of what makes us able to sympathise or empathise with her, part of that is that it feeds her rage. Goal oriented, she’s got no qualms about kicking the living crap out of someone if they’re in the way, or pushing the button on the explosives strapped to all of her putative recruits. She’s harsh, hard, and willing to be lethal – which makes a great contrast to the other emotions she’s experiencing. She’s also a badass, and her kicking butt and taking names is great fun to read, both for the emotional catharsis and because the fight scenes are fast paced, kinetic, and bloody.
She’s joined by a cast of…well, mostly prisoners. A few of them get enough time on the page to suggest that we’ll be seeing more of them later, though they mostly seem to serve as a combination of sounding board and meat shield for Miska. Still, those we see the most of are distinctive and in some cases sympathetic; our emotional attachment to them grows alongside Miska’s. If they’re merely tools and ciphers at the start, by the close of the text, some of them have become people. Though in some cases, terrible, terrible people.
The story…well, it’s a fast-paced hard hitter, and no mistake. Smith shines writing his battle scenes; I can’t speak for their accuracy, but the rest kept me turning pages – small arms fire, giant stompy robots, hard choices, tension, blood. The characterisation wrapped around the battles is enjoyable, convincing, and puts emotional stakes into the fights. At the end of the day, this is a well crafted piece of military sci-fi, with enough genuine characters to make it feel real, and enough convincing battles to keep the pages turning.
If you’re on the look out for something like that, then this may be for you.
The Bastard Legion is the first in a military sci-fi series from Gavin Smith. Why is it awesome? Well, it’s about a penal legion. Our protagonist has hijacked a prison ship, attached explosive collars to all of the prisoners in stasis, and now plans to use them as her own private mercenary force. That, that is why it’s awesome.
This is a universe where humanity has had a diaspora. We’ve reached out to the stars at last, and found them welcoming. On the downside, we’re still people, still as messed up as we’ve always been. National governments began the space-race, but now they’re in it alongside mega-corporations and colony worlds that have their own agenda – and their own private armies. Space is seething with opportunity for those with the right skillset, and enough of a ruthless bent. This is a universe which seems familiar; its struggles between semi-accountable governments and corporations that are the size of governments is likely to resonate. It’s a time when humanity is reaching out to the stars, with, one hopes, It’s also a universe where labour problems (or unionisation) can be met with deadly force. The blend of these strands of hope and despair gives us a context we can recognise, a well realised projection into our own futures. It helps, of course, that the projection includes power armoured mechs and space travel alongside its convincing corporate dystopia.
Into this space steps Miska. She’s smart, ruthless, and willing to kill. Which is just as well really, because she’s stolen a maximum security prison ship. We spend the book following Miska, and it can get rather…explosive. She’s in mourning for her recently deceased father, and that grief bubbles away silently between the lines, occasionally arcing out of the page. Miska usually feels calm, in control, but the raw nature of her grief has an honesty to it which helps make her feel more human. Miska also has something of a troubled relationship with the rest of her family – including a particularly nasty case of sibling rivalry, whose visceral emotions are entirely on display, and have a genuine fire to them.
If Miska’s grief is part of what makes us able to sympathise or empathise with her, part of that is that it feeds her rage. Goal oriented, she’s got no qualms about kicking the living crap out of someone if they’re in the way, or pushing the button on the explosives strapped to all of her putative recruits. She’s harsh, hard, and willing to be lethal – which makes a great contrast to the other emotions she’s experiencing. She’s also a badass, and her kicking butt and taking names is great fun to read, both for the emotional catharsis and because the fight scenes are fast paced, kinetic, and bloody.
She’s joined by a cast of…well, mostly prisoners. A few of them get enough time on the page to suggest that we’ll be seeing more of them later, though they mostly seem to serve as a combination of sounding board and meat shield for Miska. Still, those we see the most of are distinctive and in some cases sympathetic; our emotional attachment to them grows alongside Miska’s. If they’re merely tools and ciphers at the start, by the close of the text, some of them have become people. Though in some cases, terrible, terrible people.
The story…well, it’s a fast-paced hard hitter, and no mistake. Smith shines writing his battle scenes; I can’t speak for their accuracy, but the rest kept me turning pages – small arms fire, giant stompy robots, hard choices, tension, blood. The characterisation wrapped around the battles is enjoyable, convincing, and puts emotional stakes into the fights. At the end of the day, this is a well crafted piece of military sci-fi, with enough genuine characters to make it feel real, and enough convincing battles to keep the pages turning.
If you’re on the look out for something like that, then this may be for you.
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