Last Legionary
Encyclopedia
The Last Legionary series is a series of five books written by Douglas Hill
. The books are Young Legionary, Planet of the Warlord, Day of the Starwind, Deathwing Over Veynaa and Galactic Warlord. The series which has been described as a simplified version of E. E. Smith
's Lensman series.
through his childhood, from the age of 12 to 18 (within four distinct stories), as he struggles to meet the requirements of becoming a Legionary. The novel also introduces his close friend, Oni Wolda.
is the leader of an off world Strike Team, far from his home planet
. He receives a distress signal
from his home planet Moros, stating that they are under attack from unknown forces. Keill's ship has suffered damage, and he unable to immediately return to Moros. When he arrives, the entire planet is covered with radiation
. He is met by Oni's ship, and she tells him to flee the planet; a deadly radiation is killing everyone who comes close to the surface. At the end of Oni's speech, it's revealed that it is an automated message, Oni herself is dead. In grief Keill leaves the planet. He soon realizes that he has still been mortally exposed — the radiation is eating through his body at a slow, though inevitable rate.
Keill begins to search for any fellow Legionnaires who may have survived, relying on his extreme physical conditioning and iron will to fight the course of the disease. His search is fruitless, as it appears he truly is the last Legionary. As Keill begins to lose hope, he is contacted by an unknown agency, but he ignores the contact to pursue some rumors of apparent survivors of Moros. Shortly afterwards, he is attacked outside his ship, and loses consciousness.
Keill wakes as an apparent prisoner,immobilized within what appears to be a medical facility. Keill's extreme physical conditioning allows him to recover quickly, and he discovers that he has been completely healed of his radiation sickness
by a strange group known only as The Overseers. This group has a network of satellites throughout the galaxy that give an overview of all events throughout the galaxy. The Overseers' leader, Talis, explain to Keill that his home planet was destroyed by a malevolent entity known as 'The Warlord' whose sole aim is to spread war through the galaxy, enabling him to rule over the remains that survive. The Warlord moved against the Legions since he perceived them as the greatest threat to his plan. The Overseers also explain that, since the radiation sickness had settled into his bones, they were forced to replace his entire skeleton — using an unbreakable alloy
- effectively rendering Keills' bones unbreakable. They also reveal how they captured Keill so easily — a telepathic avian
life form
from another galaxy known only as 'Glr'.
With Glr as his companion, a skeptical Keill moves to meet with the Legionaries he found evidence of. He quickly finds that they are in fact agents of a shadowy force known as the Deathwing, and that everything the Overseers told him was true. With the help of Glr, and his prodigious abilities, Keill manages to defeat them; in doing so he takes on their leader from the Altered Worlds, Thr'un, a giant of a man who can temporarily grow plates of armor from within his body. After eventually killing him, a wounded Keill then agrees to collaborate with his new friends to find, and destroy, the Warlord.
is sent to a planet by the Overseers, to determine if their recent turn to aggression has its roots in the Warlords influence. On the planet, he encounters a new leader, an albino called Quern. It transpires that Quern is an altered human, and strongly telepathic, though Glr is able to shield Keill's mind from Quern's probing. Quern has developed a planet-killing weapon, and has convinced the ruling council that this weapon justifies their new aggression. They are attacking from a position of absolute strength. The weapon turns out to be the very same weapon which killed Keill's planet; a form of radiation spore which multiplies rapidly in an oxygen
atmosphere
, killing every living thing
.
Keill manages to kill Quern (and his secret ally) and the ship which carried the weapon is sent into over light without any exit coordinates.
is sent to investigate a planet by the Overseers. There have been rumors of a strike team operating from there. Men who display incredible martial prowess, and uniforms which resemble the Legions. The planet is periodically orbited by a moon, and the close proximity of the moon causes a massive wind, called the Starwind. It typically flattens everything on the planet. But on the planet, is a large tower structure. Keill quickly encounters a group, and is surprised that he recognizes the members of the strike team. They are famous Legionaries from decades ago. It quickly becomes apparent that they are clones. The group is led by Altern, an altered human clothed in a flexible gold-like metal exoskeleton
. The strike team are eager to try their skills against a real Legionary, but when given the chance, Keill defeats them. As the Starwind begins, Glr is finding it harder and harder to fly and avoid the patrols who are looking for her. When Keill loses contact with her, he assumes she has been shot and killed. Finally, getting a chance to face Altern in single combat, Altern reveals that he is "The One", the Warlords right-hand man. Keill shoots him with a laser, apparently killing him.
As Keill tries to get to the roof of the tower to get to an escape craft, the starwind is ever increasing in strength. As Keill gets to the roof, he sees that Altern has survived, but is now without his exoskeleton
. The fleshy body, with tentacles instead of legs, crawls into the escape craft, and takes off. Keill, thinks he is about to die, but Glr arrives at the last second in their ship, to rescue him.
Keill is determined to find Altern again.
has left the Overseers, and abandoned their plan of subtle investigation. He has entered the Battle Rites of Banthei, a galactic ultimate fighting contest. He is the first person in 80 years to enter it unarmed, and his progress through the early rounds of the contest has made him famous throughout the galaxy.
This leads a strike team by the Warlord to try to kill him, and while Keill pursues the gunman, he is captured, rendered unconscious and taken to the far side of the Galaxy.
There, on the planet Golvic, he meets Altern again (aka The One), and is introduced to the "Warlord". The Golvicans had created an Arachnis technological device, which was capable of linking minds. The Warlord was actually a group mind of Golvican scientists, linked by Arachnis. Though Keill tries to fight them and kill them, one touch from an Arachnis tendril enslaves him mentally.
From this point on, the automaton which used to be a man called Keill Randor, trains recruits for The One. He sometimes hunts Glr, too. The One takes pleasure in abusing the automaton, but since there's no part of Keill Randor left, there's little to be gained from this.
When the Warlord gained access to Keill's mind, they learned about Glr, her abilities, the Overseers asteroids, the nature of his unbreakable bones, and every other secret.
A long time goes by, until one time while trying hunt down Glr, Keill's arachnis link is torn from his head, by Glr. Normally this would result in mind death, but the iron hard will power of the Legionary, determined to survive, keeps him alive. Glr psychically helps him heal from the mental trauma. When he is recovered, she tells him that she lost contact with Talis in the same way, meaning that they have also been enslaved by Arachnis.
Because Glr now has the coordinates of the asteroid, Keill goes on a rescue mission. His familiarity with the troops he has trained under The One allows him to defeat them in combat. Glr frees Talis from the Arachnis link, and in combat with The One in front of the 24 Golvicans who make up the Warlord group mind
, Keill manages to destroy both The One and Arachnis. Without the link to sustain the group mind, the 24 go insane and die.
With the Warlord defeated, Keill is now a man without a mission, and to combat a life of boredom, Glr suggests that they take her craft, capable of intergalactic flight, and explore the universe. Keill gladly accepts.
did not have much good to say about Young Legionary. She says that "Hill's trademark, non stop action is at its best; the pages go by in a blur. The pace slows down only when the author attempts to deal with a complex relationship;he has no feelings for emotional subtleties; sentence fragments grate. Discerning readers may be disappointed by the comic book plot and hackneyed prose".
Jerry Spiegler in the School Library Journal
describes Keill Randor as the cybernetic Bruce Lee
of the future. He says that "readers will enjoy the fast-paced action as long as they don't mind the many violent confrontations. Not great literature but a lot of fun and excitement".
Mary I. Purucker in the School Library Journal
said that Day of the Starwind was "full of action, cave-dwelling monsters and violence, this moves along at a good clip and leaves readers breathlessly waiting for the next in the series".
Carolyn Caywood in the School Library Journal
did not have very much good to say about this young adult book. She says that "the constant action does not advance readers knowledge about the Warload, suggesting that several more books are planned before Keill finally catches up with his enemy. Like its predecessor, this is a successful imitation of the currently popular space movies. It is not as interesting, however since most of the development of the characters and settings takes place in the first book".
Carolyn Caywood in the School Library Journal
said that Galactic Warlord was "pure space opera pitting, heroes against evil doers with lots of action but no real insight. The story is fast paces, readable though no easy, and will have wide appeal among those teens who have enjoyed recent movie and television science fiction".
Douglas Hill
Douglas Arthur Hill was a Canadian science fiction author, editor and reviewer. He was born in Brandon, Manitoba, the son of a railroad engineer, and was raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. An avid science fiction reader from an early age, he studied English at the University of Saskatchewan...
. The books are Young Legionary, Planet of the Warlord, Day of the Starwind, Deathwing Over Veynaa and Galactic Warlord. The series which has been described as a simplified version of E. E. Smith
E. E. Smith
Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D., also, E. E. Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Doc Smith, "Skylark" Smith, and Ted was a food engineer and early science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series, among others...
's Lensman series.
Young Legionary (1982)
It follows Keill RandorKeill Randor
Keill Randor is a fictional character, the protagonist of Douglas Hill's science fiction quintet for young adults, The Last Legionary. He is the last surviving inhabitant of a planet named Moros....
through his childhood, from the age of 12 to 18 (within four distinct stories), as he struggles to meet the requirements of becoming a Legionary. The novel also introduces his close friend, Oni Wolda.
Galactic Warlord (1979)
As the book begins Keill RandorKeill Randor
Keill Randor is a fictional character, the protagonist of Douglas Hill's science fiction quintet for young adults, The Last Legionary. He is the last surviving inhabitant of a planet named Moros....
is the leader of an off world Strike Team, far from his home planet
Core worlds
Core worlds or core planets often exist in works of science fiction, especially space operas. They are usually at the center of the galaxy or of colonized space, occasionally both. Core worlds are densely populated with long histories, advanced technology, and/or highly-developed culture. The...
. He receives a distress signal
Distress signal
A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination, or making an audible sound, from a distance....
from his home planet Moros, stating that they are under attack from unknown forces. Keill's ship has suffered damage, and he unable to immediately return to Moros. When he arrives, the entire planet is covered with radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
. He is met by Oni's ship, and she tells him to flee the planet; a deadly radiation is killing everyone who comes close to the surface. At the end of Oni's speech, it's revealed that it is an automated message, Oni herself is dead. In grief Keill leaves the planet. He soon realizes that he has still been mortally exposed — the radiation is eating through his body at a slow, though inevitable rate.
Keill begins to search for any fellow Legionnaires who may have survived, relying on his extreme physical conditioning and iron will to fight the course of the disease. His search is fruitless, as it appears he truly is the last Legionary. As Keill begins to lose hope, he is contacted by an unknown agency, but he ignores the contact to pursue some rumors of apparent survivors of Moros. Shortly afterwards, he is attacked outside his ship, and loses consciousness.
Keill wakes as an apparent prisoner,immobilized within what appears to be a medical facility. Keill's extreme physical conditioning allows him to recover quickly, and he discovers that he has been completely healed of his radiation sickness
Radiation poisoning
Acute radiation syndrome also known as radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or radiation toxicity, is a constellation of health effects which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation...
by a strange group known only as The Overseers. This group has a network of satellites throughout the galaxy that give an overview of all events throughout the galaxy. The Overseers' leader, Talis, explain to Keill that his home planet was destroyed by a malevolent entity known as 'The Warlord' whose sole aim is to spread war through the galaxy, enabling him to rule over the remains that survive. The Warlord moved against the Legions since he perceived them as the greatest threat to his plan. The Overseers also explain that, since the radiation sickness had settled into his bones, they were forced to replace his entire skeleton — using an unbreakable alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
- effectively rendering Keills' bones unbreakable. They also reveal how they captured Keill so easily — a telepathic avian
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
life form
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
from another galaxy known only as 'Glr'.
With Glr as his companion, a skeptical Keill moves to meet with the Legionaries he found evidence of. He quickly finds that they are in fact agents of a shadowy force known as the Deathwing, and that everything the Overseers told him was true. With the help of Glr, and his prodigious abilities, Keill manages to defeat them; in doing so he takes on their leader from the Altered Worlds, Thr'un, a giant of a man who can temporarily grow plates of armor from within his body. After eventually killing him, a wounded Keill then agrees to collaborate with his new friends to find, and destroy, the Warlord.
Deathwing Over Veynaa (1980)
Keill RandorKeill Randor
Keill Randor is a fictional character, the protagonist of Douglas Hill's science fiction quintet for young adults, The Last Legionary. He is the last surviving inhabitant of a planet named Moros....
is sent to a planet by the Overseers, to determine if their recent turn to aggression has its roots in the Warlords influence. On the planet, he encounters a new leader, an albino called Quern. It transpires that Quern is an altered human, and strongly telepathic, though Glr is able to shield Keill's mind from Quern's probing. Quern has developed a planet-killing weapon, and has convinced the ruling council that this weapon justifies their new aggression. They are attacking from a position of absolute strength. The weapon turns out to be the very same weapon which killed Keill's planet; a form of radiation spore which multiplies rapidly in an oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
, killing every living thing
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
.
Keill manages to kill Quern (and his secret ally) and the ship which carried the weapon is sent into over light without any exit coordinates.
Day of the Starwind (1980)
Keill RandorKeill Randor
Keill Randor is a fictional character, the protagonist of Douglas Hill's science fiction quintet for young adults, The Last Legionary. He is the last surviving inhabitant of a planet named Moros....
is sent to investigate a planet by the Overseers. There have been rumors of a strike team operating from there. Men who display incredible martial prowess, and uniforms which resemble the Legions. The planet is periodically orbited by a moon, and the close proximity of the moon causes a massive wind, called the Starwind. It typically flattens everything on the planet. But on the planet, is a large tower structure. Keill quickly encounters a group, and is surprised that he recognizes the members of the strike team. They are famous Legionaries from decades ago. It quickly becomes apparent that they are clones. The group is led by Altern, an altered human clothed in a flexible gold-like metal exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
. The strike team are eager to try their skills against a real Legionary, but when given the chance, Keill defeats them. As the Starwind begins, Glr is finding it harder and harder to fly and avoid the patrols who are looking for her. When Keill loses contact with her, he assumes she has been shot and killed. Finally, getting a chance to face Altern in single combat, Altern reveals that he is "The One", the Warlords right-hand man. Keill shoots him with a laser, apparently killing him.
As Keill tries to get to the roof of the tower to get to an escape craft, the starwind is ever increasing in strength. As Keill gets to the roof, he sees that Altern has survived, but is now without his exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
. The fleshy body, with tentacles instead of legs, crawls into the escape craft, and takes off. Keill, thinks he is about to die, but Glr arrives at the last second in their ship, to rescue him.
Keill is determined to find Altern again.
Planet of the Warlord (1981)
Keill RandorKeill Randor
Keill Randor is a fictional character, the protagonist of Douglas Hill's science fiction quintet for young adults, The Last Legionary. He is the last surviving inhabitant of a planet named Moros....
has left the Overseers, and abandoned their plan of subtle investigation. He has entered the Battle Rites of Banthei, a galactic ultimate fighting contest. He is the first person in 80 years to enter it unarmed, and his progress through the early rounds of the contest has made him famous throughout the galaxy.
This leads a strike team by the Warlord to try to kill him, and while Keill pursues the gunman, he is captured, rendered unconscious and taken to the far side of the Galaxy.
There, on the planet Golvic, he meets Altern again (aka The One), and is introduced to the "Warlord". The Golvicans had created an Arachnis technological device, which was capable of linking minds. The Warlord was actually a group mind of Golvican scientists, linked by Arachnis. Though Keill tries to fight them and kill them, one touch from an Arachnis tendril enslaves him mentally.
From this point on, the automaton which used to be a man called Keill Randor, trains recruits for The One. He sometimes hunts Glr, too. The One takes pleasure in abusing the automaton, but since there's no part of Keill Randor left, there's little to be gained from this.
When the Warlord gained access to Keill's mind, they learned about Glr, her abilities, the Overseers asteroids, the nature of his unbreakable bones, and every other secret.
A long time goes by, until one time while trying hunt down Glr, Keill's arachnis link is torn from his head, by Glr. Normally this would result in mind death, but the iron hard will power of the Legionary, determined to survive, keeps him alive. Glr psychically helps him heal from the mental trauma. When he is recovered, she tells him that she lost contact with Talis in the same way, meaning that they have also been enslaved by Arachnis.
Because Glr now has the coordinates of the asteroid, Keill goes on a rescue mission. His familiarity with the troops he has trained under The One allows him to defeat them in combat. Glr frees Talis from the Arachnis link, and in combat with The One in front of the 24 Golvicans who make up the Warlord group mind
Group mind
Group mind can mean:* Collective intelligence, a concept in sociology and philosophy* Egregore is a phenomenon in occultism which has been described as group mind.* Group mind , a type of collective consciousness...
, Keill manages to destroy both The One and Arachnis. Without the link to sustain the group mind, the 24 go insane and die.
With the Warlord defeated, Keill is now a man without a mission, and to combat a life of boredom, Glr suggests that they take her craft, capable of intergalactic flight, and explore the universe. Keill gladly accepts.
Literary reception
Anne Osborn in the School Library JournalSchool Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
did not have much good to say about Young Legionary. She says that "Hill's trademark, non stop action is at its best; the pages go by in a blur. The pace slows down only when the author attempts to deal with a complex relationship;he has no feelings for emotional subtleties; sentence fragments grate. Discerning readers may be disappointed by the comic book plot and hackneyed prose".
Jerry Spiegler in the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
describes Keill Randor as the cybernetic Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
of the future. He says that "readers will enjoy the fast-paced action as long as they don't mind the many violent confrontations. Not great literature but a lot of fun and excitement".
Mary I. Purucker in the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
said that Day of the Starwind was "full of action, cave-dwelling monsters and violence, this moves along at a good clip and leaves readers breathlessly waiting for the next in the series".
Carolyn Caywood in the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
did not have very much good to say about this young adult book. She says that "the constant action does not advance readers knowledge about the Warload, suggesting that several more books are planned before Keill finally catches up with his enemy. Like its predecessor, this is a successful imitation of the currently popular space movies. It is not as interesting, however since most of the development of the characters and settings takes place in the first book".
Carolyn Caywood in the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
said that Galactic Warlord was "pure space opera pitting, heroes against evil doers with lots of action but no real insight. The story is fast paces, readable though no easy, and will have wide appeal among those teens who have enjoyed recent movie and television science fiction".