Midwest Book Review Bookwatch, Laurel's Bookshelf, September 2002, by Laurel Johnson

Soldier of the Legion

"A rough truce divides the known galaxy between the System, the despotic slave empire that rules the inner systems, and the Confederation of Free Worlds." That brief beginning blurb on the back cover of this book did not prepare me for the exciting read I found in Soldier Of The Legion . Heart pounding action, mind blowing battles and adrenalin pumping encounters with alien life. Mr. Thomas packs that and more into this futuristic sci fi masterpiece.

From first page to last, the action stopped just long enough to let me catch my breath. The story unfolds through the eyes of Thinker, a Legion warrior who joined up after a broken romance. Thinker and his fellow warriors are kept young and strong, immortal, through biotechnology beyond our present imagination. The barren worlds they face and alien life they battle become real through the author's creative mind and skillful writing style.

Horrific other-worldly combat assignments come alive through Mr. Thomas's prose. Eerie images of fire and destruction dance on the face plates of their armor as our heroic warriors slog their way through blood, fire, slime, and body parts to hard-won victories. From fossilized cities that once housed vanished civilizations, to violent volcanic worlds, Thinker and his Beta unit take on forces that are bent on destroying life. All human life. These immortal warriors face horror and human degradation beyond imagination. But ruthless slavers and hives of terrifying alien maneaters barely prepare them for the scourge of all creation, the soulless Omnis.

Times of respite are few and far between for soldiers of the Legion. Thinker has the violently possessive Valkyrie and tender-hearted Priestess to take his mind off warring. Except for those rare occasions, Thinkers mind is seldom far from thoughts of battles, past and future. It's the way of the Legion.

At the end of Soldier Of The Legion , the author sets us up for what will no doubt be an equally exciting sequel. If what follows is as good as his first, Marshall Thomas should soon be a major name in futuristic sci fi. I enthusiastically recommend this book to fans of the genre as well as those who simply enjoy excellent story telling.