Emperor's Mercy (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Henry Zou (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2009 | Series: Warhammer 40,000 Novels

No-holds-barred science fiction novel set on the battlefields of the far future, by debut author Henry Zou.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"an imaginative, engaging, and highly entertaining military thriller." SF Signal "...an imaginative, engaging, and highly entertaining military thriller." - SF Signal "Henry Zou knows how to write a story of war. The battle scenes are immense and so well described I had clear visions of what was going on at the time, who was doing what and just how the battle was unfolding. " - Walker of Worlds blog "An great new voice on the publisherA s roster, Zou's writing will breathe some new life into the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A very promising debut, Zou is one an author to watch." - Civilian Reader --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

H.T.R. Zou lives in Sydney, Australia.  His short story, Voidsong appeared in the anthology Planetkill. Emperor's Mercy is his first novel.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop; Original edition (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844167356
• ISBN-13: 978-1844167357
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For Warhammer Diehards Only, September 18, 2009

By 

Collin S. Garbarino (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emperor's Mercy (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

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I don't know where I found the endurance, but I managed to read this book cover to cover. It didn't deserve the attention.

Is this the worst book I've ever read? No, but it isn't worth it unless you are already emotionally invested in all things Warhammer (which I'm not).

1. The book has very little plot. Obadiah Roth has to track down some superweapon from the distant past. He's racing the forces of Chaos who want to turn it on the empire. Classic treasure-hunt scenario, and this book doesn't add anything to the genre. There's a pitiful attempt at intrigue, but none of the actions of the characters involved ring true. Even this very thin plot is full of huge holes.

2. The book is poorly written. It's full of typos (did anyone proofread it?). Mr. Zou needs to work on his style. He can't seem to find his narrative voice. Sometimes the narrator is limited third person, sometimes he's omniscient third person, sometimes the narrator is pretending to be some later chronicler, and (very jarringly) he'll sometimes quote from a character's personal papers.

3. The book's context is a massive war, and Mr. Zou spills a great deal of ink spilling a great deal of blood. Unfortunately, his descriptions of battle are groaners. He's obviously a military history buff; he throws everything he's ever read into this book. From Soldiers being gassed in trench warfare to a description of the cargo cult (totally random, by the way). And here's where the book utterly fails. He's read about all these great battles and military oddities, but he doesn't really understand them. Trench warfare, for example. Zou places his troops in trenches and throws in all the horrible details of historical trench warfare, but he doesn't understand the tactics and strategy. Trench warfare doesn't exist when either side has tanks. Both sides in Zou's imaginary battle have tanks, but they still engage in trenches. Incredible.

The book isn't all bad. I think there were two brief scenes that gave me some pleasure. But really, it wasn't worth it, and I'm still wondering why I read the whole thing.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written military science fiction, September 9, 2009

By 

Natalie Mootz (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emperor's Mercy (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

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----> For those already familiar with Warhammer 40,000 books:

This is an extremely well-written W40K book. The action moves quickly and the characters are engaging. I don't think you can find a better author than Henry Zou in this genre.

----> For those who like science fiction but haven't tried Warhammer 40K:

This is hard-core military sci-fi. You will enjoy this book if you like detailed military tactics and strategies and if you like to geek out on weapons systems and other war technologies. Zou is an excellent writer and incorporates compelling characters, but the heart of the book relates to the details of war.

3.0 out of 5 stars There are far better 40k books, March 17, 2011

By 

Donna Lordi (Joliet, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emperor's Mercy (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

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This book isn't terrible for a hard sci-fi sprawl, but it isn't spectacular either. I love military books with detail but there's a tad too much, even for me, and I'm a huge Harry Harrison fan. It was a fun way to pass a few hours, but I'd definitely not suggest it over other 40k books - most notably anything by Dan Abnett who is simply amazing. His Eisenhorn series is a far better Inquisition set of novels.