Rob Sanders genuinely seems to understand the grim and dark of the far future, perhaps better than any other Black Library writer. His portrayal of the universe is merciless and at times, downright nasty, so as you can imagine I was pretty excited to hear he was bringing his talents to the Space Marine Battles series. Then to hear he'd been given the Legion of the Damned as his subject, well, I was pumped full of nerd sugar and ready to fly. As such I picked up the novel on it's release and demolished it within the day, and I have to say, it wasn't what I expected.
One of the greatest facets of the 40k universe is it's grandiose scale, the sheer size and magnitude of it being a singular draw for sci-fi fans and pulp fiction readers. Everything has something of a legendary status, from the might of the Astartes to the star destroying fire power of the Imperial Navy, so there's lots of meat to sink one's teeth into. This, however, can be something of a handicap when bringing the universe to life in detail, for some aspects don't quite work. The best example of this is the Grey Knights novels by Ben Counter. Given the near unstoppable and mind wiped nature of Chapter 666, no work could ever do them justice, for they are too far outside of the norm. In this regard, Rob Sanders dealt well with the mythical status of the Legion of the Damned, by making them a component of the story but not its main focus. Instead we follow Zacariah Kersh, shamed warrior of the Excoriators Chapter towards his greatest battle, and encounter with the Damned
In true form, Sander's universe is a dark one, with the Excoriators indulging in their eternal self flagellation for the failure of their Primarch, Rogal Dorn, to save the Emperor from the traitor Horus. Following a disastrous ambush by the duplicitous Alpha Legion, Zacariah Kersh is left a reviled figure having failed his Chapter Master and losing the Chapter Standard. Much like with Mortensen in Redemption Corps he is not a likable character in the traditional sense, haunted by his failure and the ghost who heralds the coming of the Damned. This Revenant will follow him throughout the story, allowing Kersh to express his doubts and feelings in relation to the story at large and was something of a masterstroke by Sanders in relation to Kersh's development as a character. It allows him to be more than another cardboard cut out Space Marine, mired in duty and lacking in personality. It makes him easier to relate with, for who hasn't failed at some point in their lives? Add to this the hostile reactions of his subordinates and the ever present threat from without the Chapter, and it's hard to find a moments calm in the 41st millennium.
Having established such a rich and intricate main protagonist and world, one would have hoped for an equally engaging battle. After all, it is in the name of the series. Sadly however, this never quite materialises for a number of reasons. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the setting is too small. The planet of Certus Minor is a cemetery world with a tiny population and equally tiny garrison. Possessing but one major city it lacks any great scope and effectively pin holes 40k's greatest strength, its sheer size. The visual of the great Chaos host, the Cholercaust, descending on this tiny Rorke's Drift of a planet is an exciting one, however the fighting never feels heroically desperate, but hopeless and resigned. This is not to say that the visuals are not impressive, the scenes depicted with great care, but rather that they lack that superhuman quality that so defines Bowden's Helsreach or Wraight's struggle for the Fang. It just falls a little flat. As sadly, does the appearance of the Legion of the Damned. In a rather peculiar turn they possess a mere 15 to 20 pages towards the end of the novel, and don't make any great impact upon the reader. They simply appear, do their duty, and fade away. It was all a little lack lustre.
So to conclude, is Legion of the Damned worth your time? Despite never quite reaching it's potential, floundering at the final bolter round, I would have to say yes. Putting aside my own Sanders worshipping it is still an extremely entertaining read, possessing treachery, disaster and the diabolical followers of Chaos. The fact that it falls shy is disappointing but not crippling, a testament to the style and skill with which the author executes the rest of the story. So while there may be too few instances of ghost Astartes spilling Khornate blood, it's still a four star read, even if you are left with a slight niggling at the end for what could have been.
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