Product Description

Science fiction novel set in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2171890 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Crusade for Interest
Let me preface this with two things:

1) I am a big fan of the W40K universe, and have picked up every piece of fiction for it since Ian Watson's first books.
2) I also really appreciate well crafted writing.

If you are only looking for a book set in the 40K universe or are using it as source material, and thus don't care much about the quality of your prose, then by all means, buy this book. There is a wealth of background information, including Legion/Chapter/Regiment names for much of the Armageddon conflict.

If, however, you are looking for writing at least adequate to the task of suspension of disbelief, look alsewhere. Many sentences look like a trip to the thesaurus, and the same grandiose descriptions show up time and time again with different words. The editing, sadly, is not transparent, with missing words, dangling prepositions, and sentences that don't start with a capital letter.
The charactes are hackneyed (while that's not necessarily the the kiss of death in a 40K novel, where certain stereotypes are expected, I like a little originality), single dimensional, given to bouts of extreme emotion without apparent provocation, and "think" things they could not possibly know for the sake of exposition.
The story-line is actually not bad (if you can get through the writing), and different perspectives give you an interesting look at the conflict from various angles.
This wasn't enough to save it for me, however, and a quarter of the way into it I was wondering how I was going to choke down the remainder.

A very good warhammer book.
I got this book and then put it down because I thought it was boring. About 7 months later I picked it back up and loved it. It has the space marine side of the story and some sections with a team of imperial guardsmen who seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyhoo, If you have a Black Templar or Steel legion army then I would get this book and if you like warhammer then get this book. You'l love it.

Excellent book!
Battle-weary Marshall Brant of the Black Templars returns home after leading his Space Marines to victory through countless campaigns. But all hopes of respite soon fade when they find their planet, Solemnus, under savage attack from battle hungry orks. After a desperate struggle, Brant finds his forces are all but destroyed and the honour of the Chapter stained with blood. His vow for revenge takes him to the fiery shores of Armageddon - a sulphurous world synonymous with war and into the heat of battle!