Legionnaire (Galaxy’s Edge Season 1 Book 1), Jason Anspach and Nick Cole (June 2017) 308pgs
Callsign Valkyrie (Order of the Centurion Book 6), Jason Anspach, Nick Cole, Walt Robillard (January 2023) 378pgs
These came to me via an offer from the authors, if I remember right. I was excited to get the latest Order of the Centurion book, after enjoying the first set and the related Tyrus Rechts series. The books wound up at the opposite ends of the spectrum, despite being close relatives in the same IP universe.
Legionnaire is excellent indie-published SFF. There’s a lot of little details that prior-service readers will appreciate, but it also has mil-SF features to excite general fans of the genre, myself included. The authors are pros and the product reflects that–as I noted about one of the Tyrus Rechts books, I wasn’t left wondering if anyone had edited it. There’s an extra Easter egg of sorts here, in the last chapter where an anonymous former Leej straightens Exo’s head out a bit about the trauma and unfairness he’s endured, while tying in Rechts and explaining a bit of the company commander’s backstory. The downsides: lots of jargon and acronyms, the plot moves fast and has plenty of action but character development is stilted and with a few exceptions, there’s not a ton of nuance. But it’s solid, entertaining reading.
Smirk factor: All clear: 2 pts (No smirks given -- outstanding stuff)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5pts
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Innovative/interesting: Average: 1 pt
Total: 7/10 (3.5 stars)
Valkyrie is a disappointment. Compared to the earlier books in the same Order of the Centurion series, it’s half-baked. The quality was what I would have expected from a beta read. The basic idea, plot-wise, is fine. I liked Mack, and appreciated the angst he encounters while slotting into a leadership position in an intact team. The mission was interesting, if underdeveloped, and I loved the redemption story tucked in at the end.
The problems start with tragically bad editing. To give two glaring examples that should have been easy catches: the person the elite rescue team is trying to get back is the “principal” not a “principle” — the second word is used nine times, and eight of them are wrong. Second, the word “rampant”…ugh. The sea monster on page 39 doesn’t retreat in a “rampant swim.” The word also doesn’t describe how typhoons, gusts of wind, gossip, walking, blaster fire, maelstroms, or splashes behave. (I do have a highly uncharitable theory about what the obsessive mis-use of the word might be a sign of, but will keep it PG-13 on the blog.)
A little more subtle, there’s a repeated pattern of apparently unfinished thoughts. An example: “Mack waited for whatever number of heartbeats he guessed was the proper length of time when Lobster would have shot her before he continued.” Or the Factor Fail Detonator unleashes destruction “within a certain distance” of whatever it’s connected to. I’m a big fan of the principle of “show, don’t tell” but in this case–dude, don't make us guess, just tell us. And I won’t pile on with how there’s too much showing and too little telling in general. The overall impression it gives is lazy writing.
There’s also a long and apparently pointless digression into the world of the Valkyrie team’s support element. This is fun, sort of, but doesn’t connect to anything in the main plot line. I was left wondering if it was there to pad the book? There are too many similar but smaller disconnects sprinkled through the plot which someone presumably (?) should have been looking at from a continuity perspective.
Is all this pedantic? Of course!
Is this book worse than the average competitor? Not really.
The difference is that I paid (genre-adjusted) full price for an e-book which was a revision or two from being ready. If it hadn’t been such a quick read (about four hours) I probably wouldn’t have finished it.
Smirk factor: Overdone: 0 points (5 “smirks”; rampant misuse of “rampant”; the principal use of the word “principle” is wrong, et cetera.)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1 pt (I really, really wanted to like this. Despite itself.)
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Average: 1 pt
Innovative/interesting: Above average: 1.5 pts
Total: 4.5/10 (2.25 stars)