This was an fun read by William C. Dietz that details a future edition of the French Foreign Legion. This is prequel to other novels he has written n this universe but I have not tried any of those so this was my first entry into this story. Enjoyable characters and lots of action so i will be continuing with this trilogy.

Recommended for any fans of military science fiction. 4 Stars. ( )

It's pretty standard military sf, the first book in a series (so the story doesn't actually end) and the writing is very clunky at the beginning though picks up a bit in the middle and end. Our protagonist is a rich young woman who enlists in the French foreign legion - in SPACE!!! - after a coup d'etat wipes out her family. Once we learn that her commanding officer is also rather cute, you can fill in the rest from there. ( )

I'm not a regular reader of military science fiction, but Andromeda's Fall caught my eye, and I'm extremely glad that I gave it a try. Even though I've never read Dietz's Legion of the Damned series, I found this book very accessible; I slipped easily into the world of the Legion and its cyborg soldiers and didn't want to leave.

One thing the story does exceedingly well is capture the gritty, merciless reality of war. While not overly gory, certain battle scenes pack a brutal punch, especially those that demonstrate the suicidal bravery of the legionnaires. I also love the main character, Catherine/McKee. She's a doer, not whining about her circumstances, but doing whatever she needs to do to survive. As she finds herself in the midst of a war that’s far from black and white, she’s forced to make some difficult moral choices and decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve her ultimate goal.

Spurts of action intermixed with worldbuilding and character development keep the pages turning at a steady pace, and the ending is perfect. I can't wait to see where McKee’s story goes from here. Overall, I highly recommend this book for both scifi buffs and dabblers alike. ( )