Lucius - the Faultless Blade Book review spoiler free... Ish

 

Lucius - The Faultless Blade by Ian St Martin.

Lucius was once a shining paragon of perfection within the Emperor’s Children, a swordsman so skilled that no one alive could match the feats he achieved with a blade. His obsession with the perfect kill kept him constantly refining his technique, always chasing that next impossible standard. But like every scion of Fulgrim’s Legion, Lucius eventually plunged into the depths of corruption. Twisted by the capricious warp entities known as the Ruinous Powers, he now carries a “gift” that ensures he’ll haunt mankind for a very long time. On the rare occasions he’s actually been killed, all it takes is for his slayer to feel even the slightest flicker of pride or satisfaction, and something truly insidious begins. The victor slowly transforms into Lucius himself, armour and all, until the change is complete. Their own face becomes trapped on his armour, frozen in eternal agony, heard by only Lucius. It’s a fate that has claimed victims from countless species, and the Prince of Dark Delights clearly has no intention of losing his champion. His physical form has twisted as well. Lucius now stands on a pair of hooves capable of crushing the rib plate of a Space Marine, and his right hand has become a barbed, fleshy tentacle that can tear through the toughest muscle with ease. Combined, these “blessings” make Lucius a threat that even death struggles to contain.

This novel is on the shorter side, but it packs in plenty of entertaining moments to make up for it. You get clashes with renegade Marines, daemon encounters, and even run‑ins with the Dark Eldar, all there to showcase different flavours of the setting. Despite its length, the story does a great job of highlighting just how far the Emperor’s Children have slid down the path of corruption. The pacing is perfectly weighted so that the reader isn't lost by the plot moving too quickly, or left bored because nothing of any note is happening for long periods. My only small problem with this book was that there was no character development for the main characters, more probably due to the fact that they are well established already, but it was just a minor issue for me. If you're after a short read or fancy a renegade faction story, then you'll enjoy this. It's definitely worth a read if you can get hold of it.