Redemption Corps (Imperial Guard Series) Book

Full review can be read over at The Founding Fields:

Eroldren reviews Rob Sanders' debut novel from Black Library, Redemption Corps, an Imperial Guard novel.

"Sidestepping away from the Guardsman norm Rob Sanders instead tackles their elite: Storm Troopers. However, certain aspects of the novel muddle down part of the reading experience." - The Founding Fields

Being the first novel for Rob Sanders is no means his first published story for Black Library, in fact he's already gotten out short stories here and there back in the Inferno! days before that magazine line shutdown. Although what those titles were yet still eludes me much to my knowledge. Nevertheless, he's done much work for BL in more recent times since the 2010 publication of his book debut: Atlas Infernal - a Inquisitor Czevak novel, Legion of the Damned (Space Marine Battles), The Serpent Beneath novella and "The Iron Within" for the Horus Heresy and a number of other short stories for 40k.

In the past year I've become bit interested in the brutal lives of the Imperial Guardsmen from Gaunt's Ghosts verses that of the Space Marines offer; the prospect of us human struggling for survival in the far grim dark future can just as well be enthralling as demigods. Considering that Redemption Corps here presented itself as a new venue of Guardsman action I took a shot at it.

Reader's Notice: minor spoilers are in this review but nothing of substantial material that'll ruin the story.

Before you begin reading the meat of the story you'll notice immediately that each chapter starts off with scenes detailing matters in regards with the Sisters of Battle and namesake group. On my part whenever the flash-forward technique used either in television or print fiction, they have always felt drearisome, becoming rather more irritating than a suspenseful mood of foreboding danger by the time I finally reach the relevant plot point. While some may have no issue with this, others uneasy with this storytelling device like myself can read them sequentially out of context if it would seem prove more beneficial reading experience.

Story-wise, we're set abroad the Imperial vessel Deliverance during warp transition, on its way to the next planet and battle engagement wherever the war effort requires them at. Major Zane Mortensen and his elite outfit however find themselves amidst a regiment's uprising against their severe commanders and it's up to the storm troopers to quell the matter. The drudging journey to achieve their mission objection is incredibly written. By itself, chapter one is utterly brilliant and forever gripping. And the following chapters that brought Koulick Krieg's character into the picture and joining together with his new regiment I thought I was hooked from start to finish. However, over the course of the plot's progression into the followup arcs I found myself quite bothered with juggled set of character perspectives.