Clem

This was a lovely book, one of my favorites so far.

The setting was gruesome. The action takes place on a dull, grey and frozen planet, far away from the rest of the Imperium. The Orks are so numerous, they can't be defeated. There is no hope long-term, just the bleak determination of holding and defending each assault, one after the other.

The book isn't actually that dark though. Sure, it brings its fair share of violence. The guardsmen feel tiny and desperate when their position is pounded by the shells of the artillery, or when one of them gets face to face with a huge massive Ork. Limbs get severed, organs fly in the air, the grey much goes red... it is a 40K book after all. But the focus isn't really on that.

The planet, the Orks... it's not really about that. It could have been the same on a different planet, against a different Xenos species. The book is about the soldiers themselves, their daily life, their determination and more than anything else, their camaraderie and how they interact with each others.

The star of the show is "new fish". He just landed there. Like any new fish on this planet, he's expected to survive for about 15 hours average. If he makes it that long, maybe his mates will ask him what is actual name is.

The reason I loved this book was because it focused on something very relatable. You know that feeling you have after bonding with a group of people you didn't know, whether it's on a holiday or sports camp, or a company. At the start there's you and there's them. They're different, you're alone, it's all about what separates you and it goes both ways. By the time you leave them, you're one of them, you're all the same, and nothing matters more than them. This book describes that extremely well.

This was my first book about the Astra Militarum. It won't be the last. We also get really cool interludes here and there. Small paragraphs describing how the action is seen from the POV of other people, how detached the commanding officers are from the action, how cold and distant the administration is away from the front.

If you're new to Warhammer, I'd say this is a really good book to start with. You don't need much prior knowledge to appreciate it, though I was glad I had browsed through the Infantryman's handbook beforehand. It made me enjoy it even more.

10/10. This book was amazing.

It was short but full of lore. The Imperium is just finished unifying Terra. Although most people think peace is coming, it starts building its army for the stars.

The Emperor is not present, but His opinions on all aspects of the discussions, are omnipresent. These discussions happen between the very top echelon of the Imperium, his very close acolytes: Malcador, Valdor, Amar Astarte and a High Lord of Terra.

The book describes the very start of the Astartes and how they replaced the previous generation of generically modified warriors, the Thunder Warriors. The differences between Thunder Warriors, Astartes and Custodians are fascinating, both on the psychological level and during battle.

We're told the story of Amar Astartes, her work, her issues, her beliefs. There's a lot of political intrigue and the book describes the Palace coup.

Now, the negatives...

People always say "You shouldn't start with the Horus Heresy". When I read HH 1-3, I thought I knew enough about it and I didn't feel like I missed things here and there. This book though... I think you definitely need to know about the coup and the factions involved before reading it. It was written for people who already knew most of the facts, in a style that emphasizes that.

Imagine watching a random Star Wars episode where it takes 10 minutes for the camera to follow a dark robed villain twisting his hand and killing people. You don't want to be thinking "who the hell is that guy" for 10 minutes.. it's meant for people who already know who that is, and that knowledge is condition to appreciate his cruelty even more. So yeah, in this book, we can go 4 or 5 pages following "She", "her".. etc.. without knowing which woman we're talking about. There is no list of characters or factions at the start of the book, and because everybody's not only Human, but from the Imperium... it's not always obvious what's going on.

I've seen people saying this book is like "Heat" in space, with moments similar to that meeting between De Niro and Al Pacino. It truly is... but only if you understand how much opposes the two sides already, and that book doesn't make that clear beforehand, because you're already supposed to know it.

I still loved it, don't get me wrong, but I'll definitely read it again and I think I'll appreciate it even more, knowing all of that.

TLRD: Get the book!