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A review by warragh
Warriors of Ultramar by Graham McNeill
5.0
1.Leviathan
Short story serving as a intro for the book. After the events of the previous novel, Captain Ventris receives a new mission to cleanse a space hulk but he will get more than what he bargained for in those halls. Short and scary and bloody and a tasty introduction for what will follow.
2.Warriors of Ultramar
The novel proper. Hive fleet Leviathan is approaching the world of Tarsis Ultra and it is up to Captain Ventris's Ultramarines and their allies to stop it.
Besides the main point of view of Uriel Ventris several other minor characters have their own secondary stories and arcs. These are brief and scattered but offer a nice change of pace and altogether different perspectives than that of a Space Marine.
In terms of story and characters there isn't much to talk about. The plot is very simple but frankly it doesn't need to be more than it is. Throughout the book Uriel struggles with his decisions which often clash with the Ultramarines doctrines up until the end when he finally comes to terms with his purpose. It's a nice bit of growth even if a bit shallow.
The most biggest draw of this book is the action. From the start of the book it starts to build and keeps building until the very last pages. Everything is described in vivid details and the author manages to paint a very thorough picture of what it would be to find yourself in the middle of such a conflict. No punches are pulled here, a ton of characters die in very graphic ways and even if there are some more heartwarming bits scattered in places, overall the book is very grim and dark.
In conclusion, this is Warhammer 40k turned up to 11. Everything that was good about the first book has been brought back only bigger and nastier and bloodier. Sure, the Ultramarines are still often a bore but this book is about a Tyranid invasion, and it is a damn great one.
Short story serving as a intro for the book. After the events of the previous novel, Captain Ventris receives a new mission to cleanse a space hulk but he will get more than what he bargained for in those halls. Short and scary and bloody and a tasty introduction for what will follow.
2.Warriors of Ultramar
The novel proper. Hive fleet Leviathan is approaching the world of Tarsis Ultra and it is up to Captain Ventris's Ultramarines and their allies to stop it.
Besides the main point of view of Uriel Ventris several other minor characters have their own secondary stories and arcs. These are brief and scattered but offer a nice change of pace and altogether different perspectives than that of a Space Marine.
In terms of story and characters there isn't much to talk about. The plot is very simple but frankly it doesn't need to be more than it is. Throughout the book Uriel struggles with his decisions which often clash with the Ultramarines doctrines up until the end when he finally comes to terms with his purpose. It's a nice bit of growth even if a bit shallow.
The most biggest draw of this book is the action. From the start of the book it starts to build and keeps building until the very last pages. Everything is described in vivid details and the author manages to paint a very thorough picture of what it would be to find yourself in the middle of such a conflict. No punches are pulled here, a ton of characters die in very graphic ways and even if there are some more heartwarming bits scattered in places, overall the book is very grim and dark.
In conclusion, this is Warhammer 40k turned up to 11. Everything that was good about the first book has been brought back only bigger and nastier and bloodier. Sure, the Ultramarines are still often a bore but this book is about a Tyranid invasion, and it is a damn great one.