Ender's Shadow
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Series · science fiction
The Last Chancers
The Last Chancers series by Gav Thorpe has 4 known books (4 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with 13th Legion (2000).
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2000
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Science Fiction
Start here: 13th Legion (2000)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
13th Legion
13th Legion (2000) opens Gav Thorpe's grimmest Warhammer 40,000 series, introducing Lieutenant Kage's Last Chancers -- convicts and deserters given one final chance -- on a mission to reclaim a Chaos-corrupted world. Alternative text for cover: Cover of 13th Legion - Book 2:
Kill Team
Kill Team (2001) runs 277 pages, sending a hand-picked squad from Lieutenant Kage's 13th Penal Legion on a covert assassination behind enemy lines a year after 13th Legion introduced the unit. It continues Gav Thorpe's bleak, unsentimental look at the Imperial Guard's most expendable soldiers -- convicts and deserters given one last chance to earn a pardon -- ahead of the original trilogy's close in Annihilation Squad (2004). Alternative text for cover: Cover of Kill Team - Book 3:
Annihilation Squad
At 416 pages, Annihilation Squad (2004) is by far the longest of the four books, closing out the original trilogy with the Last Chancers' most costly deployment yet. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Annihilation Squad - Book 4:
Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint
Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint didn't arrive until 2019 -- fifteen years after Annihilation Squad -- returning to the unit at 288 pages to reveal what became of Kage's legacy. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint
Key facts about The Last Chancers series
Our list has 4 books in The Last Chancers series. Since all 4 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with 13th Legion, since it opens the publication order in 2000. Kill Team is book 2, from 2001. Annihilation Squad is book 3, from 2004. Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint is book 4, from 2019.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 2000 and 2019, while their length runs from 274 to 416 pages. That is a run of 19 years.
Gav Thorpe has 20 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Sundering, Path of the Eldar and Legacy of Caliban. We shelve the books under science fiction.
About The Last Chancers
The Last Chancers is Gav Thorpe's earliest and grimmest Warhammer 40,000 series, following Lieutenant Kage of the 13th Penal Legion -- convicts, deserters and the condemned, given one final chance to earn a pardon by being thrown at the Imperium's most suicidal missions instead of the firing squad. 13th Legion (2000) introduces Kage's Last Chancers as they're sent to reclaim a lost Chaos-corrupted world, establishing the series' defining bargain: survive the impossible mission, or don't survive at all. Kill Team (2001) sends a hand-picked squad on a covert assassination behind enemy lines, and Annihilation Squad (2004) closes the original trilogy with the Last Chancers' most costly deployment yet.
Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint (2019) returns to the unit many years later, revealing what became of Kage's legacy as a new generation of condemned soldiers rises to take up the fight during the war for Armageddon. Written early in Thorpe's career, the original trilogy remains one of Black Library's bleakest, most unsentimental looks at the Imperial Guard's expendability, told from inside a unit that has already been written off.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in Gav Thorpe's Last Chancers series?
Four novels: 13th Legion (2000), Kill Team (2001), Annihilation Squad (2004), and the later stand-alone Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint (2019).
What order should I read the Last Chancers series in?
Publication order: 13th Legion, Kill Team, Annihilation Squad form a continuous trilogy about Lieutenant Kage's penal legion; Armageddon Saint, published much later, is a stand-alone follow-up to that trilogy's legacy.
What is the 13th Penal Legion?
The 'Last Chancers' -- an Imperial Guard penal unit made up of condemned soldiers given one final chance to earn a pardon by surviving deliberately suicidal missions.
Is there an omnibus edition?
Yes -- The Last Chancers (2006) collects the original trilogy (13th Legion, Kill Team, Annihilation Squad) plus two connected short stories, Deliverance and Liberty.
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