Fantastic novel - whimsical narrator

Reading Dan Abnett is often like going abroad with a minimum understanding of the language. If you're willing to throw yourself in at the deeper ends, decipher a few words for yourself and wait for things to unfold, you savour the immersion that much more.

A shame then that one of the outstanding Heresy novels is read in a tone more suited to a whimsical fantasy: indeed at times I was convinced it was Simon Prebble reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. While Abnett's novel is more complex and more subtle than some of the Heresy novels (Battle for the Abyss, Mechanicum) it's still pure space opera and deserves someone more adept at the voices of war. While the Legion themselves are given good enough voices, some of the Imperials veer between Carry On and Only Fools, always threatening to drop the listener out of the experience. Indeed at times one of the early characters is only moments away from tugging at his forelock and declaring "Gawd bless the Queen Mum". David Timson is a very good narrator and for the right material he's unbeatable - after listening to Fulgrim you can't imagine anyone else doing it justice. For Legion, he's just wrong.

Luckily, as a good narrator can carry a lesser novel the reverse is true. Legion is for the most part a thriller, very much in the vein of early Frederick Forsyth. It's well structured, deftly written and filled with interesting and compelling characters. If Abnett has a weakness, its his fondness for deus ex machina (most of the early Gaunt's Ghosts novels) but here it truly plays to the novel's strength.

As a standalone in the 40k universe it works extremely well, and as part of the Heresy its up there with Fulgrim or Flight of the Eisenstein. Buy with a little caution

21 people found this helpful

Pay attention at all costs.

You will go back to this book again and again. THe writing is tight, if you switch off for a moment you will miss a key character action or plot point. The prelude hooked me in and wanted to find out what happened throughout. It has great pacing, twists and turns and kept me engaged.
On the characters, these are great - John Grammaticus is one of my favourite in the Heresy. He has to make some key decisions about how he will achieve his goals - namely who he will use. The Alpha Legion are depicted really well and make for an interesting legion - "I am Alpharius" being a repeating theme which throws up hilarity and intrigue.
The dialogue is excellent and has an element of conflict that make the characters sound interesting.

7 people found this helpful

Action packed

First heresy book to contain non-hostile xenos interaction and gives a much more human perspective on the heresy than we've had so far. Awesome book

6 people found this helpful

A thriller in the Dark Millennium.

When I first read this book a couple of years ago it was my first dive into Warhammer. And and as I went on with with other books I held them up to the standard of this Legion.

I love legion. It has grim action and a story that twists and turns. Characters that are memorable and relatable.

It's pacing is a little different from most other HH novels, then again this book is about spies and conspiracies.

Take a listen. It's well worth the money.

John did nothing wrong.

3 people found this helpful

Fugging book.

It was sometimes hard to follow and alittle slow but i enjoyed this one. Worth a listen

2 people found this helpful

Gripping and intense throughout!

As some other reviewers have pointed out; you need to pay close attention to this book. It is absolutely cram packed with dialogue, very well thought out characters and plot that has lots of twists and turns that can easily be missed. I listen to my Horus Heresy audiobooks whilst I paint and found myself rewinding a few times throughout the story to make sure that I'd kept up with the developing plot. This wasn't through any lack of narration skill or the lack of story guidance, more just the fact that there was so much detail to take in!

John Grammaticus & Hurtado Bronzi are both extraordinary characters that are both superbly narrated with unique character - making them both easily become some of my favourite characters of the Horus Heresy series thus far, alongside Garviel Loken & Nathaniel Garro from previous entries.

This can easily be read as a standalone book as well as it is set before the events of the first two books in the series. With themes of subterfuge, espionage, rogue-like characters and along with added twists and turns in the plot, it painted such amazing visionary in my head as I listened to it. Cannot recommend enough!

1 person found this helpful

twists and turns

twists and turns from start to end. did not expect to enjoy the alpha legion this much

1 person found this helpful

Superb!

I have never felt the need to write a review before having listened to dozens of audible renditions but this book is truly amazing. The story and the performance is simply outstanding. Without giving much away, Legion offers an intriguing insight into the Alpha legion and their position within the Imperium. This book is a Must Have within the Horus Heresy collection.

1 person found this helpful

One of the best Horus Heresy books

Okay let's be clear this is not essential to the Virus Heresy Timeline it informs more in the Alpha Legion and the Cabal making their choices and involvement clearer and richer but it indent an vital part of the story think of it as a side quest.. That said what a side quest Dan Abnett introduces a new group of Imperial Army very different to his better known Ghost series but more fun than that group also there's the mysterious Alpha Legion and their core secret revealed and the explanation of why thecXX legion sided with Horus in arguably the ultimate act of loyalty You could read this alone without the wider context of the Heresy it could even be an introduction before Horus rising but personally I feel any point after Flight of the Eisenstein works for this fun intriguing stiry

1 person found this helpful

Slow start but good end

It got really good and exciting once on the latter half. I have a feeling that reading the book would've been more appropriate than listening to it because I got so lost in all the names of the "normal humans" that often times I didn't know who was what. But all the Alpha legion stuff, really dug it.