To Petr Kipchak, a veteran soldier, they appear at first to be typical, naïve young recruits. But both quickly demonstrate that they have some "special" skills and can take care of themselves. So when the Malvern is intercepted and captured by the Protector from Larix and Kura, Kipchak takes Jaansma and Yoshitaro with him when he escapes. They make it to the Cumbre system in a lifeboat, where no one believes that the Protector could be responsible. The seizure of the Malvern is attributed to pirates and the three men are told to keep quiet. Intelligent men that they are, they do as they are told and begin their training. Kipchak and Yoshitaro join the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Company while Jaansma becomes a gunner in the infantry.

The books of Chris Bunch all have a few things in common. They are well-written books with complex plots, intrigue, and great descriptive narratives of battle and combat. The Last Legion is no exception. There are other similarities; Jaansma and Yoshitaro may remind you of Sten from Bunch and Cole's Sten series, or Joshua Wolfe from the Shadow Warrior series. Bunch's books tend to have male protagonists who are skilled warriors, with a certain disrespect for authority and in possession of a mixed bag of questionable skills.

The Last Legion marches into some new territory, dealing with racial prejudice, class separation, and the difficulty of dealing with guerilla warfare against an indigenous population. You know you're going to like Jaansma and Yoshitaro when they both take on bigots who are physically or verbally abusing the 'Raum.

I only have a couple of criticisms regarding The Last Legion. I would have liked to have seen more of the clever planning, the 'dirty tricks,' and the intrigue that are so typical of Bunch's books. There's a bit of that, but not as much as in some of his other books. Maybe that will come later. The other point is regarding the various ranks used in the Legion. What do caud, tweg, finf, mil, dec, alt and cent mean to you? Anything? How about sergeant, lieutenant, corporal, major, or general? While you can probably figure out what the various ranks mean by the time you finish the book, the nonstandard names really don't add anything to the story, so what's the point?

Fans of Bunch's previous books will not be dissatisfied with The Last Legion. While there are no big surprises, neither are there any disappointments. And if you enjoy The Last Legion, I highly recommend that you seek out the his earlier Sten series.