This time the scissors – like internet diving rods – zeroed in on a nice review for my first novel Redemption Corps. I found it on a reading community called Cafe Libri and the kind reviewer was a man called Kendall Fontenot. Part of the idea behind Electronic Shoeboxing is to help me keep track of responses to my work - building up a collection in one place – and also to recognize the effort readers go to when not only buying and enjoying a book but also posting their thoughts online. Anyway, thanks Kendall! 'Rob Sanders' "Redemption Corps" adds a wonderful character to Warhammer 40K's Imperial Guard Novel series in Major Zane Mortensen. Having read a number of the Warhammer books, I can honestly say that few characters have been as fleshed out in one tale as much as Mortensen.
"Redemption Corps" centers on Mortensen and his loyally lethal band of storm-troopers as they take on one suicidal mission after another. The Redemption Corps open the book by taking on a Volscian uprising aboard the "Deliverance." From there, they take on a planet seemingly hungry for rebellion and then tackle a rescue mission on a deathworld. These missions eventually culminate in a final face-off with a surprising enemy on a world literally facing complete destruction.
As the Redemption Corps cuts their way through each mission (losing many of their own along the way), it becomes obvious to Mortensen that these missions all have one point to them: to have him killed.
Preceding every chapter of the book is a glimpse into future events that does somewhat throw off the flow of the book. While these drop a number of clues and introduce numerous characters that do not appear until later in the tale, they don't ruin the enjoyment of the story at all.
Fans of Warhammer might not like the treatment of a particular group of warriors in this book, but their portrayal isn't that big of a stretch. You can find a similar portrayal of this particular group in one of the short stories in "Legends of the Space Marines."
As already stated, Mortensen is a fully developed character. Coming in with almost as much growth and description is Cadet-Commissar Koulick Krieg. He plays a very important role in this tale. Sanders develops this particular character slower, but it's this slow development that allows the reader to appreciate Krieg that much more.
A few members of the Redemption Corps (as well as a few strays they pick up along the way) do get some development. Vedette and Sarakota are two very interesting characters who I'd love to see in their own adventures down the road. I hope that Mortensen and Krieg return in more stories as well.
If you enjoy other Black Library titles that feature the Imperial Guard like "Cadian Blood" or even titles featuring the Astartes, you'll probably enjoy "Redemption Corps." It's an action-packed adventure full of page after page of violence, adventure, and suspense. Highly recommended.'
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