Ender's Shadow
science fiction
Series · science fiction
The Last Chancers
The Last Chancers series by Gav Thorpe has 4 books and is best read in publication order, starting with 13th Legion (2000).
- Books
- 4 books
- First published
- 2000
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: 13th Legion (2000) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
13th Legion
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 13th Legion - Book 2:
Kill Team
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Kill Team - Book 3:
Annihilation Squad
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Annihilation Squad - Book 4:
Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint
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.
If you like The Last Chancers
Reading order last verified .