Fabius Bile - Primogenitor book review spoiler free...ish

 

Fabius Bile - Primogenitor by Josh Reynolds.

Fabius Bile is known to be a sadistic apothecary who has a god complex; he believes that the future of mankind is solely for his creations. These include vat-grown human hybrids who possess a lesser version of the Gene-seed, mutant creatures designed for war, and he has even created clones of all the Primarchs. Many people have thought they have killed Bile only for him to appear shortly after in a cloned body. He is infested with cancerous tumours brought on by the Emperors Children's Gene-seed, which is a part of his DNA, so it is cloned with him, and he manages it with a cocktail of pain suppressants and stimulants. Unusually he was allowed to study with the Drukhari in Commorragh. The Coven of the Thirteen Scars later attempted to kill Bile and all of his creations. In the end, a compromise was struck; Bile agreed to surgery to stop him from sharing any lessons learned with anyone ever. The clonelord is hated and feared among all of the Imperium, even his own Battle-Brothers despise him. Still, ultimately, he is needed by all of the renegade Astartes to replenish their numbers. Primogenitor is the first of a trilogy of novels by Josh Reynolds, and it's one of my favorites, along with the Night Lords Trilogy.

Within these novels we see that Bile is a scientist first and foremost but will throw down with anyone who stands in his way. Armed with his Daemon weapon Torment and his partly sentient, ever present Chirurgeon he can hold his own. The first book is very illuminating with regard to inter rivalry between the renegade marines even within their own legions. This novel for me was a good starting point for learning about the precarious nature of existence for the renegade warbands. There are moments of action where you just get lost in the story, and also reveal plot points about some of the lesser-known parts of the 40k universe. It is well worth reading this trilogy, and for anyone who is interested in what happens to lord commander Fabius after the Talon of Horus novel. 

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The Twice Dead King - Ruin review spoiler free....ish

 

The Twice Dead King - Ruin by Nate Crowley. 

I've decided to move on to another Necron book, which is starring Oltyx the exiled dynasty heir of the Ithakas dynasty. Oltyx has the unusual trait of having five subordinate minds within his consciousness. These sub-minds can converse with him and act separately in the following categories of his mind:

• Doctrinal - his understanding of the Necron culture and history
• Strategic - his understanding of military strategy
• Combat - his understanding of martial prowess and fighting abilities up close
•  Analytical - his ability to go through and keep track of massive amounts of data
• Xenology - his ability to understand lesser beings and species

All of these sub-minds can speak to him, each other, and even keep their own secrets. Oltyx is exiled to a world called Sedh, some of the dynasty including Oltyx awoke early from the Necrons' Great Sleep and he attempted to take power from his father the Phaeron Unna and his brother Djoseras. This failed and he was punished by exile to a backwater world of no importance. Unbeknownst to him, this was done to avoid execution for the attempted Regicide and Fratricide. Before Biotransference Oltyx was just starting to break out with the cancerous tumors that made the Necrontyr so short-lived. He was a veteran of the Necrontyr Second War of Succession, before their ill-fated bargain with the C'Tan. 

Nate Crowley has managed to bring together not only external threats but also one that is insidious and is still a fear of the Necron race. Within this story you are shown how the Biotransference still plays a part in the minds of the Necrons, no matter how impossibly far in the past it was, it still has lasting consequences upon them. Usually the Necrons are shown to be completely obsessed with how advanced and mighty they are compared to the other races, and yet never being able to come to terms with what they have lost. This duality features time and time again in their stories, and Oltyx shows this well. The Novel is nicely paced and it builds up to an interesting final few chapters, setting up perfectly for the sequel book Twice Dead King- Reign. The back and forth between Oltyx and his Sub-minds is at times funny and also reveling, I think that this a book any Necron fan needs to read.

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Brutal Kunnin review spoiler free...ish

 

Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks.

The next book starring the Orks features Ufthak Blackhawk, his Warboss Da Meklord and a Freebooter Kaptin named Kaptin Badrukk, as they invade a forge world. Along side the main combatants there is another plot afoot thanks to a Warpsmith from the Iron Legion. Before this novel there is a short prequel book called Where There's The Warp There's A Way, if you want to read more about a Grot who becomes part of Ufthaks later life then I suggest Warboss Snaggi. Littletoof is a Grot who's got big plans for his position within orkoid society and its worth a read if you enjoy the chaotic way that orks go to war. Mike Brooks brings a plot that is exciting and keeps you entertained from the beginning, the orks have always been interesting to me no matter if its been the mighty Ghazgkull and the diminutive Makari or the Da Gobbo series, and Brutal Kunnin lives up to that well. 

With this book the character building of Ufthak begins and leaves you wanting to get straight stuck into the sequel Da Big Dakka. What I also enjoyed with this novel is the way that there is a chapter from the view point of the orks and the next is from the Mechanicus or Skitarii. It allows you to view the illogical orks from the highly logical Tech Adepts as they struggle to swiftly control the green tide that has landed looking for a good 'Krumpin.' Ufthak brings a intelligence that's usually missing from the mid level Boyz, he uses his Snazzhammer with great effect taking anything down that dares to come close. My recommendation is to read this if you enjoy the ork books or just maybe want a change from the gloom and doom of the 40k universe with something more light hearted.

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Nightbringer summary spoiler free....ish

Nightbringer by Graham McNeill.

Nightbringer is the first book within the Ultramarines omnibus, which for any fan of them is a must read. Within this book you will meet Dark Eldar, C'Tan, Necrons, Adeptus Arbites, Cultists, Inquisitors and the forever loyal Uriel Ventris. So as you see there is plenty of variation in the story which makes it not only quite a fast paced plot, but also a well rounded storyline that keeps it well paced. 

We begin with a space battle in the far distant past, we're not given many details but it begins this book nicely. At this stage Raboute Guilliman is having his long nap in stasis in the 41st millennium. Graham McNeill has given us yet another great novel to go with the Fulgrim and False Gods books of the Horus Heresy series. And personally I would say Nightbringer is my favorite, but then again I enjoy the C'Tan related books like the epic The Infinite And The Divine from Robert Rath (reviewed in one of the earlier post). You can't go far wrong with this novel if you just want a easy book to enjoy that gets into the good part relatively quickly. For me the Necrons are a tragic species, before Biotransference they were the Necrontyr. A short lived and blighted race who even though they were Technological  Sophisticated more than anyone else they couldn't find a cure to their problems. They reached out into space looking for an answer, even moving planets didn't help them as they thought it would. The cancers were within their DNA, instead of help they found the C'Tan. Instead of immortality and a cure they had their desperation preyed upon to find eternal persistence. When first learning about their history I was intrigued and could help but read the other Necron books. This is a worthwhile addition to that subject well worth the time and effort.

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Grey Knights review spoiler free....ish

 

Grey Knights by Ben Counter. 

The Grey Knight trilogy offers an insight into the danger and resilience needed for them to be able to combat the daemons of the Warp. Ben Counter starts this well thought out novel with a battle that cements that fact, and continues to expand on it through the remainder of the trilogy.  The Grey Knight are a standalone chapter of Astartes in so far as they work extremely closely with the Inquisition and all marines have to be psychically receptive in order to be able to start the process of transformation. 

This novel is a good starting point if you wish to learn a bit more about what they contend with and just how much is at stake should they lose. There are twists and turns within the story and the end tidies them up nicely and leaves possibilities to continue with the sequel. With this novel, we are following a Justiciar and his squad on an investigation into heretical cults and the possibilities of the potential summoning of one of the strongest Daemon Princes being unleashed by a traitorous Inquisitor. With this story framework Ben Counter shows again his ability to pace a story and yet not have big gaps of stagnant plotlines that are found sometimes with some of the other books. There isn't action all the way through that takes over the plot, there are times of introspection and character building. I wholeheartedly recommend this book as one that a fan of the more daemonic and Warp related dangers that the Imperium faces. 

  

  

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The Red Path review spoiler free...ish

 

The Red Path - Chris Dows. 

Kharn the betrayer is a polarising character from the World Eaters legion, whom have given themselves fully to the chaos god of blood and battle, Khorne and his obsession with skulls. He has a fractured relationship with the other legions as well as his own, within this book you will see that first hand.

This book has a mixture of combat settings and various enemies for Kharn to pitch himself against. It is apparent that the warband of Kharn have steeply been corrupted by the Butchers Nails. Chris Dows shows this well with his descriptions not just of battle but also in the moments inbetween, you will see how hard it is for the World Eaters to stop the ever present urge to kill. I read this book for the first time along with the Primarch series book Angron - Slave Of Nuceria and was surprised to find that along with the narrative about Angron you also see a very detailed window into why Kharn is so valuable to the legion, along with warnings for what is to come from the World Eaters as they devolve into the legion we know today. They both compliment each other even though they are quite a distance apart in chronology, and I would certainly recommend you look into both if you wish to know more about Kharn and his legion.

All in all it is a shorter book than others but packs into it alot of interesting context into the characters and why they have become like this. This book goes on to show you that Abaddon maybe the Warmaster of chaos but Kharn is the chosen of Khorne and just how much he enjoys it.

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Mortarion - The Pale King review spoiler free....ish

 

Mortarion - The Pale King by David Annandale.

I've chosen this book as the first of a series of reviews on the Primarch series, because I found this one highlighted to me more about Mortarions solo nature compared to some of the other Primarchs. The whole series shows good insights into their individual minds and personalities. The whole series does a really good job of showing the fractured feelings they have for each other and the type of thinking that ended with the heresy and where the thoughts started to grow more against the crusade and the Emperor. 

The beginning goes straight away to show Mortarions nature towards Sanguinius and Horus, as the Death Guard needs to justify their actions for a Exterminatus of a planet they were tasked with pacifying. This relatively minor world being the stage for a trial in all but name, although this world rejected the imperium first off Mortarions actions are seen as extreme. I find Mortarion to be one of the more antagonistic Primarchs mainly because his opinion is always far to the negative and very untrusting of the Emperor from the beginnings of his journey from his home planet Barbarus. In truth I don't think you could say that he ever trusted his brother Primarchs or the Emperor.

If you allow the book to get properly into the story, you will find this book illuminating and it answers a few questions about the psychology of Mortarion. All of the books in this series have a good narrative and I recommend you read them especially if you want to find out a deeper view of the Primarchs minds.

 

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