Avenging Son

Dawn of Fire #1

by Guy Haley

Dawn of Fire Book 1

As the Indomitus Crusade spreads out across the galaxy, one battlefleet must face a dread Slaughter Host of Chaos. Their success or failure may define the very future of the crusade – and the Imperium.

READ IT BECAUSE
The brand-new Warhammer 40,000 saga begins here. Experience the Indomitus Crusade and a battle that will be a tipping point for the future in an all-action tale by Guy Haley.

THE STORY
A great darkness has befallen the galaxy, and the armies of Chaos are rampant. To survive, humanity must retaliate and take back what they have lost. By the will of the reborn primarch, Roboute Guilliman, is the Indomitus Crusade launched – a military undertaking that eclipses all others in known history. From the Throneworld of Terra does the Avenging Son hurl his fleets, their mission the very salvation of mankind.

As vessels in their thousands burn through the cold void, the attention of Fleetmistress VanLeskus turns to the Machorta Sound – a region under attack by a dreaded Slaughter Host of the Dark Gods. The success of the Indomitus Crusade will be determined by this conflict, and the desperate mission of Battlegroup Saint Aster, led by Space Marine Lieutenant Messinius. Even then it is but a prelude to the forthcoming bloodshed.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy, Military Fiction, Space Opera

520 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2020

About the author

Guy Haley is the author of over 50 novels and novellas. His original fiction includes Crash, Champion of Mars, and the Richards and Klein, Dreaming Cities, and the Gates of the World series (as K M McKinley). However, he is best known as a prolific contributor to Games Workshop's Black Library imprint, and has sold over 2 million books set in their Warhammer universes.

Reviews

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard not to review this without mentioning Dark Imperium. I loved Dark Imperium, Guy did some sterling work in selling the progressed timeline and conveying the changes to the setting, so when I say that this is the book that Dark Imperium perhaps should have been, I’m not complaining.

Dawn of Fire: The Avenging Son would work really well as a stand-alone book or as a complete introduction to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but in the context of the wider setting it really comes into it’s own. Guy builds fantastically on the realities of life on Terra as outlined by Chris Wraight in his Custodes and Inquisition books, but this time looking up at the looming faceless and maddening bureaucracy of the Imperium rather than those trying to navigate it from within; we don’t get the grand overview that Chris’ books give us, but we do get a visceral taste of life in the hives.

This books doesn’t just concern itself with the mundane, we see some massively significant events in detail for the first time and get yet more insight into how they’ve changed the Imperium.

The book has a nicely diverse cast of characters, who presumably will recur as the series progresses- I’m pleased with the way the books splits it’s time between the Astartes and the mortal, the high-ups and those of more mundane status. It bodes well for the rest of the series that we’ll be spending time in the company of a range of people.

Comparisons between this series and the Heresy are inevitable, and allusions to it are made- the tighter focus that this has from it’s conception should give us a more focused and coherent set of stories.

We are most definitely in the age of Guilliman now.

Cannot wait for book two.

[Skywatcher Adept · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is both incredibly interesting and painfully boring. The parts connected with Guilliman and Cawl are superb. The rest, especially with non-Astartes humans, are a chore.
The negative experience is enchanced by Mark Elstob's audio narration. Guilliman sounds like Snagglepuss and the other characters aren't much better.
Guy Haley, one of the best Black Library writers, unfortunately didn't live up to expectations this time. "Avenging Son" is no "Horus Rising" and not a very good book to start a new series. 

[Lukas Deicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the 40k universe if one seeks to immers themselves in this grimdark Sci-fi/fantasy universe for the first time. A lot of basic stuff is explained in this book and it is the start of an era which is currently still ongoing today.
The first book of the "Dawn of Fire" series which starts the retributory Indomitus Crusade against the forces of Chaos. This book deals with introduction of the advanced "Primaris Marines", the new soldiers of the Imperium of Man, the Cobe Beef Boys of the Space Marines. It also deals with motivations of the Lord Regent and Primarch of the Blueberry scouts Ultra Marines Roboute Guilleman (Gorilla Man) who seeks not only to reclaim conquered areas of the galaxies but also to reform the society of the Imperium in order to end the dark age in which it has lingered for 10.000 years. This book has amazing space battle passages, very sympathetic Space Marines, and an absolute Giga Dad as the leader of the Imperium of Man. The most interesting aspect of the book is the choice of PoVs. Most if them are normal standard humans who experience these riveting times of change and struggles to cope with sheer scale of events which are currently happen in the galaxy. One historian who has to recollect 10.000 years of suppressed history, one lowly clerk who has traverse the living hell of Imperial bureaucracy on the captital planet of Holy Terra, a normal soldier who joins the brutal Inquisition. Only the badass Space Marine Captain is the exception. They are all stereotypes of course, but they are well written.

[Alexander Páez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absurdo. Pero de eso se trata.
Interesante si quieres conocer el fondo de lo que ocurre en el universo 40k. Nulo interés literario, pero entretiene lo suficiente.

[Giovanni Casula · Rating 5 out of 5]

È il Primo romanzo di Guy Haley che leggo e mi è piaciuto moltissimo! Un romanzo da vui tutti gli appassionati di warhammer 40k devono partire per capire gli eventi successivi al risveglio di Guilliman e capire cosa succede nell Imperium Sanctus e qualche accenno all imperium Nihilus.

[Isaias McAllus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho más de lo que pensaba que iba a ocurrir. Seguiré leyendo la cruzada Indomitus 👌

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitched as "the 40k equivalent of the Horus Heresy," this novel (and series) had a rather high mark to reach, but I think it succeeded. This is the best 40k novel I've read - by a not insignificant margin - and a fitting start to a planned-to-be-epic-in-scope series.

There's a bit of a slump in the middle, where the plot detours to talk about blackstone - a kind of unappealing Macguffin - and the... physics of trying to tear the universe apart? Up to that point, the characters and the meta-scale mysteries were really strong - they really sold that grimdark setting and tone. Such a sharp pivot to something so uninteresting was a bit jarring.

Otherwise, I'm really pleased with this one. While I'd been getting burned out on the Horus Heresy, reading it in (almost) rapid-fire succession, this was a refreshing change of pace. Granted, 40k and the Horus Heresy aren't that different from each other, so I think it just comes down to this being especially well-written. I said in my review of Dark Imperium that Guy Haley was clearly a talented writer, and so I was confident that he could do better. With Avenging Son, he certainly has.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy Haley’s novel Avenging Son kicks off the nine-part Dawn of Fire series, which promises to explore in detail the events of the Indomitus Crusade – the driving force behind the ‘current’ Warhammer 40,000 timeline. This first instalment features the first great battle of the Era Indomitus, as Fleetmistress VanLeskus leads Fleet Tertius against the Khornate Crusade of Slaughter for control of the Machorta Sound, determined to stop the forces of Chaos from claiming territory that would allow them to threaten Terra itself. Before the returned Primarch Roboute Guilliman can dispatch VanLeskus and Fleet Tertius, however, he has to navigate his way through the byzantine politics of an Imperium still reeling from the opening of the Great Rift, a task which even a Primarch can’t manage alone.

It’s testament to Haley’s talents that this feels like both a powerful, dramatic tale in its own right and an exciting start to a much grander story yet to be unveiled. If the first great engagement of Fleet Tertius doesn’t quite feel like a truly gargantuan conflict (and this is really nit-picking), the naval battle over the Machorta Sound is nevertheless portrayed brilliantly, and the wealth of rich 40k lore to absorb is worth the asking price alone. Comparisons to the Horus Heresy are inevitable for a series like this, and Haley drops in a few deliberate references to good effect, but this is clearly its own endeavour with a unique identity that’s already visible. It draws on Chris Wraight’s Terra-set series, Haley’s own (excellent and, arguably, definitive) Guilliman and Cawl stories and the wider events of the ‘new’ 40k narrative, but creates something unique in the process.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2021/01/...

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Rating: 3.5 Stars

In recent years, Guy Haley has been quietly but quickly assembling a very impressive back catalogue of entries into the Black Library pantheon for Games Workshop. He has proven he is one of the most prolific, dependable and consistent writers in the team, and this book is a prime example of this.

Avenging Son is the first in the new Dawn of Fire series of novels. It's widely believed that this will be comparable to the Horus Heresy novels in terms of it's scope (but hopefully not volume). There are one or two very deliberate allusions to the Horus Heresy here, which I couldn't help but smile at.

Haley sets right out in establishing the Warhammer 40,000 universe as we find it, following the reawakening of Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman (the titular Avenging Son). Although Dark Imperium (another Guy Haley novel) set about to show the reader how the universe has changed, Avenging Son feels like more of a paradigm shift in that regard. We also have the events and details of the Ultima Founding fleshed out a little more, and the advent of the Primaris Space Marines and Indomitus Crusade

Avenging Son feels very much like a giant prologue for what is to follow. We're introduced to many new protagonists, perhaps one or two too many for my liking. Characters like the grizzled veteran Vitrian Messinius is my particular favourite though. We see how Primaris Space Marines are introduced to the universe through his eyes, which is very interesting.

While I feel that there was a lot more exposition than there actual plot and action, Avenging Son was an enjoyable read, and I shall look forward to subsequent entries in the series.

[James Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of individually good stories in this book, the problem is it mushes all of them together in a fairly poorly paced way that starts to feel frustrating. While its nice not having the book constantly alternate perspectives on cliffhangers its not particularly engaging to have a perspective character disappear for 20 chapters just to turn up again later. especially when a large part of the book is given to the most boring perspective. The book could easily be 4 or 5 stars if split better. Especially the Scribe Errant storyline that almost channels Jack Vance.

[Txema Corp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy recomendable para quien quiera empezar a leer trasfondo de Warhammer 40.000. No solo porque está ambientada en una de las etapas más recientes del trasfondo (cruzada Indómitus, marines primaris, Guillman...) Si no porque refleja muy bien al Imperio de la humanidad, desde los laberintos burocráticos gobernados por tribus harapientas de escribas hasta las naves de guerra barrocas del tamaño de Sebastopol. Además el guiño a las novelas de la herejía es desternillante "yo estuve allí el día que el Emperador mató a Horus" XD

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first book in the Dawn of Fire series marks the beginning of the Indomitus Crusade.

While Haley's work is generally of a high standard, with some excellent original points of view - notably Ferren Areios as a newborn Primaris - the book is sometimes weighed down by a very large cast whose usefulness is sometimes questionable. I'm thinking in particular of a character to whom a few chapters are devoted from time to time, whose arc disconnected from the Crusade and its conclusion are very much in the spirit of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. But to what end?

It's a shame but not dramatic, the main plot and action remain captivating and very engaging.

For audiobook users: very good narration by John Banks

[Ridel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Frighteningly Galactic Scope

Avenging Son is the humbly titled beginning of the Indomitus Crusade, one of the biggest changes to the storyline of the 40k universe in the past twenty years. It's written for true fans of the setting, as it doesn't bother to slow down for the basics and will casually discuss insights that are hard-fought revelations in entry novels. The narrative is a grand endeavour, trying to convey a sense of scale to both the galactic horror of the Great Rift and the impact of the Primarch's return. Guy Haley achieves these goals in-large but is caught up in the scope of the narrative with too many plots and subplots. The story feels like a novelization of historical events, and character growth is apparently a foreign concept.

The large number of POVs is likely at fault for the lack of character arcs - there are four major plots with 1-3 narrators each. This story would not warrant the tripling of page count needed to bring everyone to life. Instead, we switch viewpoints to the most convienent narrator for critical events, resulting in a very plot-centric book. As narrator after narrator is introduced in the beginning of the book, you'll likely find yourself ignoring their personalities to focus on subplots occuring around the galaxy. It's very overwhelming, but also unfocused.

The back-of-the-book describes the horrors that face the Machorta Sound, but for the majority of Avenging Son, it'll feel like that's a separate novel. Half the book is focused on Roboute Guilliman as he directs the Imperium into a brand new war footing. The description of the post-human Primarch is fantastic, and the author doesn't shy away from the details of the Imperial Regent's effort to retake the galaxy. These grand strategic and political machinations really help the novel feel epic, but when the narrative refocuses on Machorta Sound, the author reverts to writing requisite bolter porn. It feels odd, like two different books that happen to be in the same volume. They have different plots, characters, and even the tone of each story is different.

Despite all that, I really like this novel... more than my rating would imply. The sense of epicness is like none other. There are stand out moments that feel uniquely grimdark. Particularly worthy of praise is a plotline showcasing the horrors of bureaucracy and its consequences. This novel brilliantly conveys the feeling of the 40k setting. It's just unfortunate that in describing the universe, the author failed to tell a story about people.

Recommended for 40k fans with reservations.

[Edward Middleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars feels generous, and 2 stars feels unfairly low, but it's probably closer to my feelings. I think this book had the unfair job of setting up a long running series.

My issues are probably more down to personal taste. I felt there were far too many charecters, many of whom weren't developed much. A lot of this probably comes from it being the first book in a new flagship series, but it felt like it was trying to hit as many lore points as possible.

I really enjoyed the parts where the weirdness of the setting was allowed to show through. The weirdness and alienation of Terran beuraucracy, the need to write an uncensored history (that would then be censored) were great. However, many of the story lines felt like they were far too focused on set up (like Lacrante's), or weren't very satisfyingly concluded (like Nawra's). Many of the others felt like the most conventional version of a 40k story for a naval officer/space marine/inquisitor. Charecters with the potential to have interesting arcs don't get them (like Ferren, and even I would say Guilleman).

Overall, I think the whole thing both felt too long, but also stretched thin. My hope is that the rest of the books in the series get more time to breath.

[Nevada Dru · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the incredible disappointment of the Indomitus novel, I was cautious about where I set my expectations for the first book in the multipart saga that tells the full story of the Indomitus Crusade. However, unlike Indomitus (the novel, this is getting confusing), Dawn of Fire: Avenging Son has almost everything I want from a Warhammer 40k book. There’s action, there’re enjoyable characters, a sense of scale and importance to the events, and all of it is tied together with a plot that has me intrigued to see where this story goes in the future. I won’t bury the lead here as this is a great book and well worth your time, but let’s dive into why.

Firstly, I want to address some of the negatives before I go on with my praise. I listened to the audiobook version of Avenging Son and found that the narrator took a lot of getting used to. The voices he used for many of the Space Marines were grating but manageable. However, the voice he used for Guilliman was awful. He sounded like a hoity-toity nobleman, coming across more like Prince George from Blackadder than a demigod Primarch who is about to wage war throughout the galaxy. The voice used and the way the character behaved were at complete odds with each other. On top of this, we’ve had other portrayals of Guilliman before that sound nothing like this so it comes completely out of nowhere. Maybe it is meant to show growth to Dark Imperium but this is not the way to do it and I can’t understand how anybody thought it was a good idea. I want to read the actual book as the narrator often ruined parts of the story.

Alright now onto the positives and what this book is actually about.

For the full review, please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/08/2...

*EDIT 22/12/20*
The narrator for this audiobook has changed, so I've revisited this book. A second pass highlighted some of Avenging Son's flaws, specifically around its structure. However, it's still a fun read and has the potential to be the start of an exciting new series.

[Kingsley Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are quite a few threads to the story in this, but only one of them is particularly good.

A lot of the first half is about the start of the crusade and the logistics of setting it up. They do the primaris reveal again, which at this point seems a bit redundant.

There's a second ultimately inconsequential story line, which gives a unique view of the Terry Gilliam-y world of Terra in M42. It's really weird in a good way, but there isn't much pay off.

The third part is the most meaty, concerning a new Ordos Xenos character and his retinue. This is mostly in the back half of the book, so it takes a bit of wading through to get to it.

There's some interesting stuff here, but it's blighted by presenting information the reader probably already knows if they've read anything else set in the 42nd millennium. It might be better for someone coming to the setting fresh, I'm not sure. The disparate story lines don't really mesh together well for the first half of the novel and the first half seems particularly disjointed.

Hopefully the series can become more focused in the late books, but this really just emphasises how good Horus Rising was as a scene setter for a series.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the audio book is very weirdly narrated, Robute Guilliman sounds like one of the Shakespearian actors in Blackadder the third.

[Johann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Servicial. Una palabra que puede sonar a conformismo, a café de máquina por las mañanas, a informe entregado a tu jefe sin mucho entusiasmo, a tarea completada para cumplir con una fecha de entrega. Esta es ya la tercera obra que leo de Guy Haley y para este momento, sus flaquezas dejan de ser algo pasable y se convierten en una presencia ineludible. De nuevo nos encontramos ante un trabajo más por encargo que por cariño, con esfuerzo pero sin alma. Entretenido para el que ya está enganchado al metaverso y un lío de mil demonios para cualquier otro. A pesar de sus pretensiones.

Para el resto de la reseña, ir aquí: https://laceldadeterra.blogspot.com/2...

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting plot but a dull book for half of it. Don’t get me wrong: I like the overall story and there are good parts to it, but even one well versed in 40K lore still had issues figuring out what all was going on with where the story was in regards to the exhaustive library of lore they have. Plus some of the side plots were very dull, so 4 or 5 chapters felt wasted. A couple characters felt interchangeable and it made them difficult to distinguish even when conversing. It took me a long time to reach the second half and when I did I got an incredible story really well told! I’ve already dived (maybe dove?) into the second book of the series as I want kore of what the last half of the book had!

[Craig Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avenging Son is a solid start to a new mega series. I very much enjoyed it and will certainly be reading the sequel.

All that being said, I did have a few quibbles - For a first book in a series, it left me with the feeling of missing information (vague references are made to major past events that don’t seem to be covered in any Black Library title). Unlike past Black Library titles, this novel also takes it as a given that the reader is intimately familiar with all the newly introduced troop designations for the armies involved and their equipment with insufficient context being offered to be able to understand what is being discussed (without consulting the Lexicanum).

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters.

This book comes off as being really dry and uninteresting, because it feels like a historic summary of events that are actively happening, instead of someones personal story…
We keep being thrown around to different characters, who are barely introduced, before we go off to the next, and I didn’t feel like I got time to really understand our main characters, and thus care about what happens to them.

Things are probably going to pay off in future books, but I came close to put giving up.

[Stephan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me.

It has a good and interesting setup for the Indomitus crusade.
The second half of the book just fell kinda flat for me, it's another Mcguffin that needed to be destroyed or else. The most interesting parts of the book were the conversations between the returned primarch Guilliman, Cawl, and a few other characters. As well as the immense rammifications a return of a primarch has on society and the state of the politics. I wish it'd delve a bit further into this more.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I imagine this might actually be a four star book, if you know nothing of the new setting.
By this I mean, I read books further down the line before this one, which means that I know about Primaris, where they came from etc. and so, the reveal of those things gave me no pleasure.

[Jack Neighbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guy Haley smashed it again. Takes place a bit before the dark imperium series but I would say essential reading and adds a great backdrop to the indomitus crusade. Lovely stuff.

[Cody Eastlick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warhammer books make for good gym listening.

[Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avenging Son pays incredible attention to scale.

Whether it’s a menial scribe questing through the forgotten sub-levels of Terra, a pair of Militarum officers tragically in love but expectedly approaching their deaths in a coming final stand, or a paranoid Space Marine captain from a lost Chapter tasked with ushering in the new age of Primaris marines, every story felt equally important and gripping.

And what moment for fans:

“‘I was there, the day the Emperor slew Horus.’

He read out the quote Fabian had chosen to open his work slowly, giving Fabian the fear that he had displeased his lord, but the primarch nodded approvingly. ‘An arresting first line. Good.’

‘I thought so,’ said Fabian with a touch of pride.”

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overview and Thoughts:
I really want to give the book a four out of five, however the flaws are just too hard to ignore. Seeing the start of the Indomitus Crusade and this being the first book I read with a Primarch in it are probably the highlights. The major issue is the number of points of view characters who are not really connected to one another. Throughout the book there are seven point of view characters the book follows along with five other point of view characters who are only point of view characters for a single chapter each.

The story follows the start of the Indomitus Crusade from the fleets amassing and all the way to their first victory against the forces of Chaos. The books contain a lot of information for each of the fleets and some of the battlegroups with at the end of the book even more information to how they function. Information about supply routes, logic and information and how the fleets function. This part is really interesting in seeing how the Indomitus Crusade changes between this book and Indomitus a book I read the following year.

Characters and moments I Like:
Vitrian Messinius: The first character we are introduce to and probably tied for my favorite. A Chapter master for an Ultramarine successor Chapter who it put in charge of Guilliman security. He later goes onto leading a group of the Primaris Marines. His reaction to seeing the Primaris marines for the first time was great and his time with Areios is really great. It was kind of like a mentor teaching a young child.

Fabian: We are introduced to him with him being a fan of history, something which is illegal within the Imperium. He later goes onto be one of the histrions for Guilliman. During these moments were really see Guilliman humanity. A bit of a shame that Fabian disappears as a point of view character for a large section of the book before showing back up for a single chapter at the end. Base on a look at the character index for the next book he does seem to be showing back up. I'm curious to see what they do with him.

Lacrante: Lacrante introduction along with the crusade of slaughter is probably one of the most intense moments within the books. The fleet of World Eaters are quickly shown to be a terrifying foe which the main group of characters will have to face up against. Lacrante also stands out with him facing down a chaos space marine which for a regular human is certain death. He also has one of the most interesting stories. He goes from a regular lieutenant within the Guardsmen before joining up with inquisitor Rostov and his crew. Rostov's crew is one of the most interesting parts of the book and I'm hoping their story continues in one of the following novels.

The one thing I do like about the many points of view characters is they show off the decay of the Imperium really well. I knew that the Imperium was not doing well, however this book shows it in detail.

Characters that I have issues with:
Hiax is introduce during chapter two along with a strange sickness found upon a strange ship. This really seems to be building up towards something. Hiax and the sickness are then not mentioned again until the very end of the book and goes nowhere. Another sickness is introduced about halfway through the book; however, it seems unrelated to the one introduced in chapter two. We do find out at the end that Nawra been carrying the request for aid from Hiax.

Nawra: Nawra story is about how she goes from a simple adept who then travels up through the hive city in order to pass on the request for aid. This takes up a good bit of the book with Nawra's story showing just how far the Imperium have fallen. It a really shock at the end when we find out that she been on Terra aka the throne world this entire time. Despite her actually interesting personality and quest, I do question why Nawra is in the story. She is not really related to the other characters the story focus on. In the end she arrives at the person she is supposed to give the request for aid to only to find out that they are gone. Her story ends up just crying after failing to pass on the request for aid. Unless Nawra or the sickness shows back up their multi chapter long story means nothing in the end.

Areios: With him being the biggest of the characters along the cover I was assuming he was going to be the main character. He shows up towards the middle of the book in which most of the chapters focused on Messinius. Thier time together within the book is good and interesting. However, when Areios is by himself he does not feel that interesting. He does not even get to aid in the main battle where the majority of point of view characters are headed towards. Instead, he fights a demon upon the many ships of the Crusade of Slaughter. This demon is supposed to be the main villain; however, he does not have a name and is only in one chapter and the very end of another. In the chapter he is mainly in he is killed by Areios. By the end of the book Areios and Messinius don't even meet back up. They don't even get a final chapter and I'm not certain if they show up in the next book.

I don't like the large number of points of view characters mainly because they are all so far away from one another and the story keeps moving around. Some characters show up before just disappearing several chapters later before someone else takes over.

[LordHirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space marines cool

[Terminus · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,8
War viel dabei dass mir gefallen hat aber auch einiges dass mir nicht gefallen hat. Im großen und ganzen habe ich es aber gerne gelesen

[Russell Tassicker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a struggle. There are three separate stories here, two of which eventually intertwine and one which would make a good short story but was entirely unrelated to the others. The main part of the book was populated with stock characters and its plot arc didn't reach the starting line until the 70% mark. Not a promising beginning for the new Black Library flagship series.

[James Addison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish. Absolutely all over the place. Jumped from one character to the next with no time to really explore any of them - they felt like cardboard cut outs. The dialogue actually inflicted physical pain on me at times it was that bad. I rarely give up on a book but this one. Good grief.