Kill Team

Last Chancers #2

by Gav Thorpe

In the second volume of Thorpe's Last Chancers series, Lieutenant Kage, a convict soldier of the 13th Penal Legion, languishes in an Imperial detention center when his old commanding officer returns with a deadly assignment. Kage must whip into shape a new team of the very worst the Imperial Guard has to offer before leading them on a mission to assassinate a warmongering enemy general.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Fiction, Novels, Science Fiction Fantasy, Military Science Fiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Gav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.

He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.

Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.

Reviews

[Iri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Jednička byla nářez. Neustálý nářez. Tohle mělo více vybledlých míst, i když tedy závěr zase nabral na říznosti. Nebudu si ale nic nalhávat:
1) bylo to slabší, ale ne špatné
2) nesnáším inkvizitory
3) hrdinství se neodpouští
4) Tau jsou divní, proč je asi nikdo nemá rád....
5) dejte sem další díl, safra

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating of 4.5.

In my latest Throwback Thursday, I review the second epic entry in Gav Thorpe’s ultra-fun Last Chancers series with Kill Team.

In the far future, the armies of the Imperium contain multitudes of scum and villains, all of whom are considered useful in the service of the Emperor. However, after blowing his last chance at redemption after completing an impossible suicide mission, Lieutenant Kage has been cast aside, locked inside an Imperial detention centre away from the one thing he is good at, fighting the Emperor’s enemies. When his former commander, the mysterious and ruthless Colonel Schaeffer, returns with another deadly assignment, Kage is swift to accept and become useful again, even if he no longer has a chance at freedom.

The Colonel has been tasked with leading a small, disposable team to assassinate a prominent Tau commander and he needs a new version of the 13th Penal Legion, the infamous Last Chancers, to pull the mission off. Placed in command, Kage must recruit a ragtag group of the worst killers, deserters, and malcontents that the Imperial Guard have cast out. Forcing them into a harsh training regime to bring them together into an effective squad, Kage soon finds himself leading a new squad of Last Chancers, many of whom are as desperate for freedom and the fight as he is.

However, their mission is another lethal suicide mission. Working with an immoral Imperial Inquisitor, the team is covertly inserted into Tau space and must infiltrate the political and military circles surrounding their target. But not everything is as it seems and soon the squad must content with treachery, personal enmity, and the superior technology of the Tau. Can these new Last Chancers succeed when so many before them have perished, or will the only redemption they find be in death?

Thorpe continues to give me all the Warhammer 40,000 fun I can ever need with this amazing and intense read. Serving as an outstanding sequel to 13th Legion, Kill Team proved to be a fun and compelling novel, loaded with action, adventure and some intriguing characters.

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/03/31/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[Yurriaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, yet a slightly annoying read. Mostly because of a lot of coincidences and faux twists that serve no purpose to the advancement of the story, other than be cheap cop-outs into the next chapter. It truly feels like a story-by-numbers that's been fluffed up to be exactly not that, failing to do so. The very weakest part is, as with the first book, is the ending, yet in this case being the very final chapter. The whole of the story and buildup is literally thrown out the window and falling apart for some "look-at-me-being-all-scheming" finale.

Despite the lackluster story structure, bland characters and buggy ending, it's quite an adventure into the mind of Kage and his dealings with the W40K universe.

[Zaphied · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how 'change of plan' is the theme of the book. People are broken into roles that can be discarded without warning. The ones you'd think most needed gone in a flash. Honestly I liked this more than the first Last Chancers novel. But. And this is a big but. There's a scene with orcs. They missed a fight. It didn't feel right. The barbeque with kroot made up for it almost. Almost. Also the ending. There needed something more for the one person than just a threat.

[Gabriel Tubec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not quite happy from the style change compared to the previous book, 13th Legion. That was the classical "ordinary men in less than ordinary situations", this has moved to extraordinary. It could very well be a script for a Vin Diesel action movie, it has lost all the "last chancers" appeal.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. Honesty, this felt like a redux of the first novel but with everything turned up. Some of that felt good and like it made sense in the dark world of the Imperium. some of it didn’t. Still an enjoyable read.

[Ben Rieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading, beach book, etc. Entertaining, not challenging. Nothing wrong with it.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is not as strong as the first one, mostly, I think, because it's one large mission rather than a lot of smaller ones. (If I remember correctly) The characters also didn't pop quite as much. BUT overall it was still enjoyable, and you get to see the tau (kind of)! I'm a big tau fan.

I'm trying to put in at least something for all the 40K books I've read. This is ... one of the lesser reviews I've done.

[Cameron]

This book is like the WW2 movie 'the dirty dozen' very good but no real fighting until near the end. But a very good read

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. More first-person, present tense special-ops style stuff. Way to pass an afternoon.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. It had too flat spots that weren't really necessary to the story.

[Brandon Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the original.