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Warhammer 40,000
Legacy of Dorn
Trapped behind enemy lines during the invasion of Rynn's World, Sergeant Galleas and his squad must rally the human survivors of the greenskin attack and teach them to fight back, if any of them are to survive.
Veteran Sergeant Sandor Galleas is the epitome of a Crimson Fists Space proud, courageous, and unyielding, even in the face of impossible odds. But when disaster befalls the Chapter during the ork invasion of Rynn’s World, Galleas’s convictions are put to the ultimate test. Trapped deep in enemy territory, Galleas, his squad, and a band of human survivors, must fight the greenskins by any means necessary if they – and the Crimson Fists Chapter – are to survive.
Veteran Sergeant Sandor Galleas is the epitome of a Crimson Fists Space proud, courageous, and unyielding, even in the face of impossible odds. But when disaster befalls the Chapter during the ork invasion of Rynn’s World, Galleas’s convictions are put to the ultimate test. Trapped deep in enemy territory, Galleas, his squad, and a band of human survivors, must fight the greenskins by any means necessary if they – and the Crimson Fists Chapter – are to survive.
416 pages, Paperback
Published October 9, 2018
10 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Mike Lee
65 books153 followersMike Lee is an author, scriptwriter and game designer whose most recent credits include Fallen Angels, the latest installment in Black Library Publishing’s best-selling Horus Heresy series, and the dark fantasy epic Nagash the Sorcerer. Along with UK author Dan Abnett, Mike also wrote the five-volume Chronicles of Malus Darkblade, whose signature character has become a cult favorite among fans of Black Library’s Warhammer Fantasy fiction.
In addition to his novels, Mike’s scriptwriting credits include Tom Clancy’s HAWX, a game of near-future jet combat, and Splinter Cell: Conviction, the hit sequel to the popular Splinter Cell franchise published by Ubisoft Entertainment. He has also contributed to more than two dozen pen-and-paper role-playing games and supplements, including the award-winning Vampire: The Masquerade, Adventure!, Vampire: Dark Ages and Hunter: The Reckoning, published by White Wolf Games Studio.
An avid wargamer, history buff and devoted fan of two-fisted pulp adventure, Mike lives with his wife, artist JK Lee, and their family in the United States.
In addition to his novels, Mike’s scriptwriting credits include Tom Clancy’s HAWX, a game of near-future jet combat, and Splinter Cell: Conviction, the hit sequel to the popular Splinter Cell franchise published by Ubisoft Entertainment. He has also contributed to more than two dozen pen-and-paper role-playing games and supplements, including the award-winning Vampire: The Masquerade, Adventure!, Vampire: Dark Ages and Hunter: The Reckoning, published by White Wolf Games Studio.
An avid wargamer, history buff and devoted fan of two-fisted pulp adventure, Mike lives with his wife, artist JK Lee, and their family in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 1, 2018
A Crimson Fists novel set during the same campaign as Rynn’s World by Steve Parker, Legacy of Dorn is, incredibly, Mike Lee’s first full-length 40k novel. During the desperate defence of New Rynn City against the vast hordes of Waaagh! Snagrod, Veteran Sergeant Sandor Galleas and his Sternguard veterans find themselves cut off from the remaining Crimson Fists forces and trapped behind the orks’ lines. Forced into a campaign of guerilla warfare alongside a battered, ill-equipped group of human soldiers, the veterans take the fight to the orks, all the while knowing they may represent the last hope for their Chapter.
The orks that Galleas and co. face off against are a powerful, threatening enemy, and without the benefit of numbers or reliable supplies the Fists and their allies are hard pressed from start to end. There’s a constant attritional grind throughout, in a wide variety of set-pieces from an early-on headlong assault to various ambushes and carefully-plotted sneak attacks, with the additional threat of a nemesis-level ork warboss occasionally rearing its head. Make no mistake, this is an action-heavy book, but it’s the strong characters and how they interact that make it work. Overall it’s pacy, characterful and brilliantly entertaining, and while it makes a great companion to Rynn’s World it very much stands as a strong, powerful story in its own right.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/10/...
The orks that Galleas and co. face off against are a powerful, threatening enemy, and without the benefit of numbers or reliable supplies the Fists and their allies are hard pressed from start to end. There’s a constant attritional grind throughout, in a wide variety of set-pieces from an early-on headlong assault to various ambushes and carefully-plotted sneak attacks, with the additional threat of a nemesis-level ork warboss occasionally rearing its head. Make no mistake, this is an action-heavy book, but it’s the strong characters and how they interact that make it work. Overall it’s pacy, characterful and brilliantly entertaining, and while it makes a great companion to Rynn’s World it very much stands as a strong, powerful story in its own right.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/10/...
January 30, 2023
Quite entertaining, considering its rather monotonous and repetitive plot. Nevertheless, it made me want to have a go at the other Crimson Fists novels.
It can get boring sometimes, as the plot makes you feel like you are backtracking endless DOOM '95 levels, but at the end of the day, it's about guerilla warfare, I guess. The characters are quite enjoyable with even a sprinkle of low humor here and there. Best read while listening to Bolt Thrower.
It can get boring sometimes, as the plot makes you feel like you are backtracking endless DOOM '95 levels, but at the end of the day, it's about guerilla warfare, I guess. The characters are quite enjoyable with even a sprinkle of low humor here and there. Best read while listening to Bolt Thrower.
January 28, 2019
Would have been 3.5 stars but the ending made me round it up.
I found it quite plodding, I found myself skim reading a big section in the middle but it ended ok
I found it quite plodding, I found myself skim reading a big section in the middle but it ended ok
July 7, 2019
This was a bit of a gamble for me for several reason that turned out great at the end.
First of all in my experience mixing space marines with humans rarely works; either the space marines come across as to human or they are to distant from the standard humans. There is an art to presenting space marines exactly what they are; human yet not quite at the same time, better then humans for the most part yet flawed on several emotional levels. That's why most warhammer books tend to keep a wall separating humans and space marines, many authors grasping how difficult the balance is, choose to simply limit interaction between space marines and humans. especially on the battlefield where the one is often to overpowered to make it seem plausible the humans could help in any form. Legacy of Dorn however goes in the completely other direction and mixes up space marines and a group of surviving planetary defence forces to fight the ork hordes who have captured their world. Building the strength of the humans up seems to be mike lee answer to the question how could poorly trained planetary defense forces ever help out a squad of space marines. Where in the beginning the choise to team up seems to stem solely from a sense of duty on the space marine side, this cooperation grows on you and the characters in the novel itself. So near the end your not reading a book on Space marines and humans fighting; your reading a book of stubborn defenders doing what they can to fight off an invader, each according to their means and needs.
A second reason I called this a risk, is how momentous the setting is; the siege of Rynn's world is the space marine setting most people into warhammer lore are familiar with. The group of dwindling space marines in their early gamesworkshop heresy and corvus patterns fending off a horde of greenskins who have encircled them. But that book had already been written as a space marine battle book, so what could still be told about Rynn's battle? A smaller battle that would not be remembered. The plight and hardship of the space marines and their guerrilla soldiers is heartfelt and it felt realistic. The tactics used, the means and the morale issues all felt like what would have been the case for partisans; I had a Stalingrad feeling or perhaps siege of Leningrad feel when reading this especially with all the descriptions of ruined city blocks and reconverted factories and forced use of enemy wargear.
So yes legacy of Dorn is a worthy addition to any warhammer 4Ok collection and puts the ladder a bit higher for further black library reads.
First of all in my experience mixing space marines with humans rarely works; either the space marines come across as to human or they are to distant from the standard humans. There is an art to presenting space marines exactly what they are; human yet not quite at the same time, better then humans for the most part yet flawed on several emotional levels. That's why most warhammer books tend to keep a wall separating humans and space marines, many authors grasping how difficult the balance is, choose to simply limit interaction between space marines and humans. especially on the battlefield where the one is often to overpowered to make it seem plausible the humans could help in any form. Legacy of Dorn however goes in the completely other direction and mixes up space marines and a group of surviving planetary defence forces to fight the ork hordes who have captured their world. Building the strength of the humans up seems to be mike lee answer to the question how could poorly trained planetary defense forces ever help out a squad of space marines. Where in the beginning the choise to team up seems to stem solely from a sense of duty on the space marine side, this cooperation grows on you and the characters in the novel itself. So near the end your not reading a book on Space marines and humans fighting; your reading a book of stubborn defenders doing what they can to fight off an invader, each according to their means and needs.
A second reason I called this a risk, is how momentous the setting is; the siege of Rynn's world is the space marine setting most people into warhammer lore are familiar with. The group of dwindling space marines in their early gamesworkshop heresy and corvus patterns fending off a horde of greenskins who have encircled them. But that book had already been written as a space marine battle book, so what could still be told about Rynn's battle? A smaller battle that would not be remembered. The plight and hardship of the space marines and their guerrilla soldiers is heartfelt and it felt realistic. The tactics used, the means and the morale issues all felt like what would have been the case for partisans; I had a Stalingrad feeling or perhaps siege of Leningrad feel when reading this especially with all the descriptions of ruined city blocks and reconverted factories and forced use of enemy wargear.
So yes legacy of Dorn is a worthy addition to any warhammer 4Ok collection and puts the ladder a bit higher for further black library reads.
June 28, 2019
Legacy of Dorn reminds me of that movie "Red Dawn" save replace the intrepid Americans with the Rynn's World troops and a handful of Crimson Fists, whilst replacing the Communists with Orkz. Now you get it.
Snagrod the Arch-Arsonist has come to ravage Rynn's World and by a feat of sheer luck manage to destroy the Crimson Fist's Fortress-Monastery and in one fell swoop wipe out 600 Space Marines. Veteran Sergeant Sandor Galleas and his squad are one of the handful of Crimson Fists left. They gather up the Rynn's World PDF and attempt to get them at least to Astra Militarum standards. Then they conduct a guerilla campaign of ambushes, destruction of storage sites and sowing discord amongst the various Ork clanz. The disdain of some of the Astartes for their mortal counterp[arts is obvious, made worse by the obvious deficiencies of the PDF forces. By the end though you see an interesting relationship develop between the two units as they try to hold out till the Imperium shows up.
Nothing special, just a fun novel about a group of PDF forces and a handful of Crimson Fists struggling to survive behind enemy lines. A Warhammer 40K, and certainly a Crimson Fist, fan will enjoy this.
Snagrod the Arch-Arsonist has come to ravage Rynn's World and by a feat of sheer luck manage to destroy the Crimson Fist's Fortress-Monastery and in one fell swoop wipe out 600 Space Marines. Veteran Sergeant Sandor Galleas and his squad are one of the handful of Crimson Fists left. They gather up the Rynn's World PDF and attempt to get them at least to Astra Militarum standards. Then they conduct a guerilla campaign of ambushes, destruction of storage sites and sowing discord amongst the various Ork clanz. The disdain of some of the Astartes for their mortal counterp[arts is obvious, made worse by the obvious deficiencies of the PDF forces. By the end though you see an interesting relationship develop between the two units as they try to hold out till the Imperium shows up.
Nothing special, just a fun novel about a group of PDF forces and a handful of Crimson Fists struggling to survive behind enemy lines. A Warhammer 40K, and certainly a Crimson Fist, fan will enjoy this.
November 19, 2020
During the war for Rynn's World, a Crimson Fists squad is trapped behind enemy lines. Forced to survive with limited resources they start a guerrilla campaign to damage the Ork war effort and stall until reinforcements can arrive.
Legacy of Dorn represents the quintessence of a good Warhammer book. It is almost non-stop action with a few moments of respite between rounds of Ork genocide. The plot is simple but effective in building an engaging narrative and a competent backdrop for the important stuff: killing Orks in as many ways as possible.
The characters were surprisingly compelling, especially the humans. Most had simple arcs but they were cleverly executed and served their purpose. Some of the Space Marines were a bit simplistic and one dimensional in their portrayal but for the most part their arcs payed off in the end.
Rating this book was a bit difficult. This was a very sincere book, it was very clear with what it wanted to be and it achieved it with flying colors. However, this is not a very ambitious book. It's a great book for what it is and even if it doesn't quite hit the highs of the best Warhammer novels out there it deserves it's share of the spotlight.
Legacy of Dorn represents the quintessence of a good Warhammer book. It is almost non-stop action with a few moments of respite between rounds of Ork genocide. The plot is simple but effective in building an engaging narrative and a competent backdrop for the important stuff: killing Orks in as many ways as possible.
The characters were surprisingly compelling, especially the humans. Most had simple arcs but they were cleverly executed and served their purpose. Some of the Space Marines were a bit simplistic and one dimensional in their portrayal but for the most part their arcs payed off in the end.
Rating this book was a bit difficult. This was a very sincere book, it was very clear with what it wanted to be and it achieved it with flying colors. However, this is not a very ambitious book. It's a great book for what it is and even if it doesn't quite hit the highs of the best Warhammer novels out there it deserves it's share of the spotlight.
July 28, 2023
Overall I think this book was pretty boring. The first chapters are exciting and introduce likable characters, but then it starts going in circles for a long time until the end, which is not even that rewarding by the end.
About the characters, except for some rare interesting interactions, they seemed a bit blend, mostly because there was not many occasions for them to develop properly. The book is almost only a succession of action scenes. Moreover, they are more or less the same until the end which gets redondant really early in the book. I found myself wanting to skip to the end several times.
If you’re looking for a good Crimson Fists novel, I would go for Rynn’s World which I found more appealing and fleshed out overall. This one felt like an unecessary add-on to the main story, and does not really bring new informations anyway. Traitor’s Gorge does a better job at it.
About the characters, except for some rare interesting interactions, they seemed a bit blend, mostly because there was not many occasions for them to develop properly. The book is almost only a succession of action scenes. Moreover, they are more or less the same until the end which gets redondant really early in the book. I found myself wanting to skip to the end several times.
If you’re looking for a good Crimson Fists novel, I would go for Rynn’s World which I found more appealing and fleshed out overall. This one felt like an unecessary add-on to the main story, and does not really bring new informations anyway. Traitor’s Gorge does a better job at it.
December 1, 2020
Way better than most genre fiction. Lee was able to keep me in suspense during fight scenes rather than just having to slog through them. His characterization made the characters relatable and likeable. Highly recommend as it shows what interaction between baseline humans and the transhuman Adeptus Astartes is like.
October 8, 2020
As far as being bored by warhammer novels, which doesn't happen too often, i found this one to be a long slog through. Uninteresting characters and a boring plot. I would say save your time and skip this one.
February 12, 2019
Solid space marine story, read after you’ve read “Ryyn’s World”, could be read alone just as well
July 5, 2019
Excellent if not heart wrenching read. Rynn's world is besieged by the orks and the Crimson Fists are nearly wiped out as a chapter. By a freak accident their monastery where their history is kept is destroyed. The chapter master believed dead and over three quarters of the chapter wiped out a small group of Crimson Fists join with the Rynnes Guard to try and delay the ork horde as long as possible to save the last standing hive city until reinforcements arrive, if they come. It is a battle of the strongest against overwhelming odds and few are stronger than the Sons of Dorn.
August 15, 2018
A good story set during the events of the book Rynn's World, but not quite as good a read as Rynn's World.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews