Andromeda's Fall

A Novel of the Legion of the Damned

By: William C. Dietz

Narrated by: Isabelle Gordon

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

The roots of the Legion of the Damned lie deep within the mythology of the future. But now, national best-selling author William C. Dietz goes back to the Legion’s early days with the story of one recruit’s rebirth and redemption....

Hundreds of years in the future, much has changed. Advances in medicine, technology, and science abound. Humanity has gone to the stars, found alien life, and established an empire.

But some things never change....

All her life, Lady Catherine Carletto (called Cat) has lived for nothing but the next party, the next lover, the next expensive toy. Until, in a bloodthirsty power grab, Imperial Princess Ophelia and her cadre of synth assassins murder her brother the emperor, and go on to purge the galaxy of his friends and supporters - including Cat’s family. The Carlettos are known to be staunch supporters of the Emperor and Carletto Industries has been in the forefront of his pet project - developing cybernetic technology for use by the masses.

Now Cat, one of the last surviving Carlettos, is on the run. And, like countless others before her, she finds her sanctuary among the most dangerous of society’s misfits.

Welcome to the Legion.

Cat Carletto vanishes, and in her place stands Legion recruit Andromeda McKee. A woman with a mission - to bring down Empress Ophelia - or die trying.

©2012 William C. Dietz (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“Dietz expertly jumps from one theater of combat to another.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“A superb, action-packed thriller . . . [a] terrific tale.” ( Midwest Book Review)

“Dietz’s expertise in matters of mayhem is second to none.” ( The Oregonian)

Party girl to G.I. Jane

If you could sum up Andromeda's Fall in three words, what would they be?

Steele "bit__" sums it up.

What did you like best about this story?

Pace was so fast. You have to pay attention. Great dialogue, simple, but paints a fast clear picture. Great military dialogue. It makes you want to learn military speak.

Which character – as performed by Isabelle Gordon – was your favorite?

Avery and Larkin. I purchased this book as I love Ms Gordon's sexy male voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

yes, when the special borg's expire

Any additional comments?

this is not my type of listen, but I buy most of Ms Gordon's reads. This was just great as read by Ms Gordon.

Fun read but not one of Dietz's best

Plenty of action (and the protagonist made a rapid transition from Paris Hilton to action babe) and good group of characters made this a decent entry into the Legion of the Damned Series. This can definitely be "read" as a stand-alone entry but I advise anyone at all intrigued by this book to read others in the series (especially "Legion of the Damned") before giving up on Dietz, as this is not his best. Would have been better without the (seemingly) "thrown-in" romance, but maybe that is just my taste.

21st Century

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Sought of, I kept listening, but had a nagging about the universe. The plot seemed worthwhile, but the environment seemed to be a 21st Century transplanted into the 27th (?). Technology seemed old, the "walkers" seemed liked Humvees. The assault rifles like M-16s. I felt it went a bit fast, maybe the author should have let a year or two go buy to forge the loyalties...

Would you be willing to try another book from William C. Dietz? Why or why not?

I doubt.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Isabelle Gordon?

Yes. But in this particular read she was rather monotone with regards to emotion of the main character.

Could you see Andromeda's Fall being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

I felt the "love interest" was a bit gratuitous. Tech seemed 20th/21st Century. Aliens were too human for my liking. At times it felt like cut-scenes glued together. Maybe I am being a bit harsh here, but it did feel like it lacked a SF element. This was my first book from Dietz, and will probably head back to authors who spend more time on character building.

Not quite right but close

Where does Andromeda's Fall rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

About middle, interesting story concept. But there was a few too many opps I wrote myself in a corners so I’ll just have the character lie to get me out of it. Or ignore facts that I kinds of had written in the book earlier. Almost made me wonder if he was a rookie writer, I may follow this book series but I don’t see myself getting to deep into his worlds.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Opps! How clumsy of me.....

Good Story Suffering from Mary-Sue as Heroine

I chose this audiobook since I have enjoyed similar stories in the past, such as Elizabeth Moon's Vatta Wars and Jack Cambell's various series. Unfortunately, Andromeda's Fall didn't work for me. I listened the audiobook on and off for several months before I was finally able to finish it. Not a good sign. The main character, McKee (aka Catherine Carletto), was too on-spot and lacked any imperfection. She reminded me of the Mary-Sue stereotype from my fanfic days, making it hard for me to cheer her on.

On the other hand, the plot was intriguing and enjoyable. I haven't decided whether I will finish the series, since the storyline was great but I really disliked McKee. I will definitely be continuing my search for great SciFi, because this did not meet expectations.

Loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I love strong women, fighting and off world adventure. This book has it all.

Great Storyline, but the quirks get in the way.

This story has some great features: good storyline, original sci-fi concepts, enjoyable characters and such, but the entire package when taken in aggregate comes up short. While I didn't necessary lose interest, I just never got hooked. You know when you listen to a good book and just can't wait to pick up where you left off, I never got that feeling until late in the second part of the book!

The narration, simply put is sub-optimal. The narrator does not have the range that I'm used to, and she doesn't do a good job of telling an already flawed portrayal of events.

There is quite a bit of action and drama, but it comes at you rather predictably, and the protagonist is unnaturally lucky. Bad things do indeed happen to her, but, you know something is wrong when a majority of the time an entire squad of soldiers are dead, but the protagonist always gets saved. It just didn't seem realistic after the first few revolutions of the same ending.

I thought that with the backdrop of the opening scenes that this story would have been epic, but the experience turned out to be just below average.

The Master Makes Another Masterpiece!!

Just when I finished mourning the end of the Legion of the Damned series William C. Dietz is back with an encore presentation. One of the greatest series in Sci-Fi is back with an installment that will drag you back in and get you hooked all over again. Andromeda's Fall is by far William C. Dietz's best work yet on the LotD series. Murder, court intrigue, suspense, and betrayal are just a few of the things that make this book an "I can't put this down" type of book. This book has earned it's spot at the beginning of one of the best Sci-Fi series of all time, and it is one more example of why William C. Dietz is considered one of the best authors of any genre.

Isabelle Gordon takes this new book and knocks it out of the park. On a side note it probably would have helped if she had listened to at least one of the other LotD books, but the things she mispronounces are so rare that it really doesn't play that big a role in how good this performance is. All in all this book is ready for its debut in the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame alongside all of the other LotD books.

mediocre start to the three books series

The reader was not exciting to listen to but consistent. Story is mediocre at best and took too long to get established.The three book series starts to get good halfway through the second book from what I've Been Told... if the reader doesn't put you to sleep first.

Enjoyable Book

Of the series I've read thus far, it's very enjoyable, probably within the top 10. Didn't find any major flaws, lead pretty well into the future books.

A strong female lead, a sour female voice

If you could sum up Andromeda's Fall in three words, what would they be?

Legio Patria Nostra

What was one of the most memorable moments of Andromeda's Fall?

It's a bit of an audio page-turner though not very believable (despite it being set in the future with space travel et al) it's pretty engrossing. The most memorable moment for me was the attack on the convoy over the river. Mostly because a strong female character was repeatedly assisted by a strong officer in command. This is something that I would have hoped would not be needed.

How could the performance have been better?

The performance of the Andromeda series does make me chuckle at times and then irks me at other times. This due to the performer having some very strange pronunciation for words at times.