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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Dark Imperium is set 12 years after the start of the Indomitus Crusade as the newly resurrected Roboute Guilliman fought to rebuild an Imperium ravaged by Abaddon's Black Crusade.
The book very much bears Guy Haley's signature. He focuses a lot on characters and even in the battle scenes throughout the book the action is always portrayed through the lens of certain characters with emphasis on their thoughts and feelings. This greatly contributes to his ability to create realistic, complex characters with his crowning achievement being his portrayal of the Primarch Guilliman himself. Haley's Roboute is fundamentally human and although capable of super-human feats he never stops being a grounded character with his own strengths and weaknesses.
The pace of the book is decent, but perhaps a bit on the slow side. Most Warhammer books are very quick reads but this one seemed to drag a bit too much for my taste. This is mainly due to Haley's style of going very deep into the minds of his characters in every single scene. No moment is wasted and it sometimes feel like his version of the Imperium of Man is one where everyone is a philosopher. He does stray all the way into "tell don't show" territory and his writing can feel a bit heavy-handed sometimes, but overall I enjoy his work and I appreciate very much how he builds his characters.
Overall, Dark Imperium is another solid Warhammer novel by Guy Haley. For me he is up there with the best Black Library authors and I look forward to reading a lot more from him.
The book very much bears Guy Haley's signature. He focuses a lot on characters and even in the battle scenes throughout the book the action is always portrayed through the lens of certain characters with emphasis on their thoughts and feelings. This greatly contributes to his ability to create realistic, complex characters with his crowning achievement being his portrayal of the Primarch Guilliman himself. Haley's Roboute is fundamentally human and although capable of super-human feats he never stops being a grounded character with his own strengths and weaknesses.
The pace of the book is decent, but perhaps a bit on the slow side. Most Warhammer books are very quick reads but this one seemed to drag a bit too much for my taste. This is mainly due to Haley's style of going very deep into the minds of his characters in every single scene. No moment is wasted and it sometimes feel like his version of the Imperium of Man is one where everyone is a philosopher. He does stray all the way into "tell don't show" territory and his writing can feel a bit heavy-handed sometimes, but overall I enjoy his work and I appreciate very much how he builds his characters.
Overall, Dark Imperium is another solid Warhammer novel by Guy Haley. For me he is up there with the best Black Library authors and I look forward to reading a lot more from him.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Primari$ $pace Marine$
The sad part is that there are interesting nuggets--imperial creed, Calgar's demotion, Cawl's trustworthiness--but the product placement is so over the top that it trumps the narrative.
The sad part is that there are interesting nuggets--imperial creed, Calgar's demotion, Cawl's trustworthiness--but the product placement is so over the top that it trumps the narrative.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Opening with Guilliman and Fulgrim’s fateful duel 10,000 years in the past, this focuses thereafter on the conclusion of Roboute Guilliman’s Indomitus Crusade, a little over 100 years after the events of the Gathering Storm.
This is a novel with multiple aims, but what it doesn’t do is try to answer every question about what’s changed in 40k. It doesn’t detail the immediate aftermath of Guilliman’s rebirth or explain what Cawl was doing all along…instead it offers occasional hints to a lot of those answers while focusing instead on exploring how Guilliman has changed since his ‘death’, and how the Imperium is reacting to his return and the changes forced upon the galaxy.
It represents a powerful introduction to the latest iteration of the 40k setting, and one that harks right back to the Heresy with a strange, but compelling, mixture of darkness and unexpected light.
Read the full review at http://www.trackofwords.com/2017/06/27/dark-imperium-guy-haley/
This is a novel with multiple aims, but what it doesn’t do is try to answer every question about what’s changed in 40k. It doesn’t detail the immediate aftermath of Guilliman’s rebirth or explain what Cawl was doing all along…instead it offers occasional hints to a lot of those answers while focusing instead on exploring how Guilliman has changed since his ‘death’, and how the Imperium is reacting to his return and the changes forced upon the galaxy.
It represents a powerful introduction to the latest iteration of the 40k setting, and one that harks right back to the Heresy with a strange, but compelling, mixture of darkness and unexpected light.
Read the full review at http://www.trackofwords.com/2017/06/27/dark-imperium-guy-haley/
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a really interesting one. There's a lot that was a slog, with disconnected characters and a structure that didn't really build to anything in a satisfying manner. However, there were moments of absolute brilliance that were the exact right amount of (dare I say campy?) fun that I expected.
This was my first WH40k book, and I wanted to hear more about the various factions and see what made Space Marines so special in all their over-the-top fashion. I got that, for the most part. The siege sequences are enjoyable, but the perspectives jump around so much that it's hard to really get invested in any one. We're introduced to the Greyshields in a chapter that foreshadows their last ride - though there is a pleasant scene of their camaraderie in the mess hall after, when characters really stand out from one another. That being said, different squads are hard to tell apart. Roboute Guilliman's overall crisis of faith arc was very weighted towards the end of the book, with all his introspection happening in the last ten pages.
My favorite part was the disgusting Plague Marines and legions of Nurgle. I wish they had more of a presence.
Overall, not a whole lot to say. I'm invested enough to try the second one, but I hope there's more narrative consistency in book two, such that each chapter doesn't feel so disconnected from the previous.
This was my first WH40k book, and I wanted to hear more about the various factions and see what made Space Marines so special in all their over-the-top fashion. I got that, for the most part. The siege sequences are enjoyable, but the perspectives jump around so much that it's hard to really get invested in any one. We're introduced to the Greyshields in a chapter that foreshadows their last ride - though there is a pleasant scene of their camaraderie in the mess hall after, when characters really stand out from one another. That being said, different squads are hard to tell apart. Roboute Guilliman's overall crisis of faith arc was very weighted towards the end of the book, with all his introspection happening in the last ten pages.
My favorite part was the disgusting Plague Marines and legions of Nurgle. I wish they had more of a presence.
Overall, not a whole lot to say. I'm invested enough to try the second one, but I hope there's more narrative consistency in book two, such that each chapter doesn't feel so disconnected from the previous.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While perhaps intended it as an introduction to the unfolding universe of 40K, it reads like an advertisement with equally as hamfisted exposition. The few redeeming passages it has are at the very beginning, and at its very end. What remains is filler and setup for a story it only manages to begin to scratch the surface of in the last 50 or so pages. As an individual entry, it is forgettable. And when one looks at the likes of the Horus Heresy being able to provide entries which are both individually interesting and serve a greater narrative, I'm unsure as to why this one is as dull as it is. It is quite a feat to make the universe 40K look uninteresting and make its many facets sound unappealing, yet that is the only thing in which this book succeeds. I have read incredibly compelling stories to come out of the Black Library, but this is not one of them.