The Joe Bob Report (Joe Bob Briggs), December 2003, Reviewed by Scott Roche

Take an immortal and put him into an armor suit that can withstand all but the most brutal of attacks, arm him with weapons capable of firing anything from lasers to miniature nuclear explosives, and you have a Legion trooper. This book follows Beta Squad, a whole group of these intergalactic butt-kickers, through adventures that would cause all but the most stalwart to wilt. It is told in first person by Beta Three, call sign Thinker, who is so named because of his tendency to over-think in almost any situation. Included in this bunch of uber-soldiers are Valkyrie, Thinker's kill-crazy, controlling girlfriend, Snow Leopard, the leader of the group, and Psycho, their heavy gunner. These soldiers fight and die for the Confederation of Free Worlds (ConFree) against their enemies from the System.

Most of the action takes place on Andrion 2 where the Legion is investigating what they believe to be Systie activity. There they encounter an indigenous race called the Taka and a kind of super bug called an exoseg. The Taka view the exosegs as a curse from their gods. ConFree believes the monsters have been transported to this planet by the Systies, but aren't sure why. In their investigation they discover that they are both right and wrong and the truth is far nastier than they imagine.

There is a lot to like about this book. The gadgets and technobabble abound, but thankfully it goes farther than that. Thomas has created quite an interesting culture in the Legion. They aren't just mindless soldiers. There is a sort of religion that owes quite a bit to Christianity. The Legionnaires sing hymns of death and destruction to Deadman and tattoo crosses on their bodies. Of course not all believe in the god of ConFree. Thinker is something of an agnostic, though this changes as the book progresses. I also like the fact that these soldiers feel set apart from normal humanity by the gifts that becoming a Legionnaire gives them. The immortality, eternal youth, and culture of this army make them something more than human but less than gods. This is pushed further when they meet the Taka and are initially worshipped by the primitive tribes. Thomas frequently contrasts the technology and prosperity of the Legion and ConFree worlds against other people that they encounter. This highlights the feeling of responsibility that these men and women have and there is some great tension that occurs later in the book when they have to hold back their help.

There are only a few negatives. I really would have liked to hear more about the Taka. Since around half the book revolves around interaction between the soldiers and the people they are protecting, our knowledge of the Taka is limited by Thomas' use of first person, so that we only get what Thinker experiences. Otherwise this work would be operatic. I would also have liked more information on the Omnis, an alien race that ConFree is also at war with. I'm sure that will be rectified in the book's sequel, though. The ending is something of a strength and a weakness combined. It ends with a cliffhanger that feels like it will need too much of a deus ex machina to pull the heroes out at the beginning of the next installment. It does, however, leave me wanting more. Four stars.