Customer Reviews

Innocence Proves Nothing (Warhammer 40000)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book literally begins where Scourge the Heretic (Dark Heresy) left off, with the burning mansion on Sepheris Secundus. Tancred, Vogen and Drusus were late for the meeting of heretics, so they avoided capture. Tancred uses his powers as a psyker to find a starship to take them through the Warp.

Meanwhile, techpriest Vex is studying the artifact and papers from the raid, hoping to uncover more clues. Drake, Keira and Horst try to plan a rendevous with Kyrlock and Elyra. The four team members board the Misericord to travel through the Warp to Hive Sibellus, where their luggage is immediately stolen, including the artifact and paperwork. While tracking down their missing property, they cross paths with trio of psykers, also hunting for the artifact.

Kyrlock and Elyra are traveling through the Warp with the three young psykers they met in the first book: Zusen, Trosk and Ven. En route, the two undercover agents are offered a job with the Franchise. As they reach their destination, they have to improvise their mission plan without being able to consult the rest of the team.

When Vex, Drake, Keira and Horst finally arrive at the Tricorn at Hive Sibellus, they receive a disturbing message from Inquisitor Carolus Finurbi, and go into hiding as their leader has, under "Special Circumstances."

Inquisitor Grynner, monitoring the vox messages of Inquisitor Finurbi's team, instructs Pieter Quillem to assemble his own team: Rufio - feral offworlder, Malven - techpriest, Carys (only woman on team) - expert thief, and Arken - sanctioned psyker. Quillem's team, on Scintil VIII Void Station in the Scintilla System, try to unravel how mercenaries came into possession of Xenos technology. After their mission, Inquisitor Grynner decides that Order Hereticus needs help from Order Malleus.

In this sequel, Kyrlock and Elyra's mission was given more story time than in the first book. Elyra has proven to be just as deadly and resourceful as Keira, without using her psyker power. It was also interesting to see how much both Kyrlock and Drake had changed from their days in the Imperial Guard, since being drafted by Inquisitor Finurbi. Horst and Vex, however, just can't seem to catch a break. The introduction of a new team, as well the third Inquisitor from the daemon-hunting order, added a new dimension to this thriller-mystery.

If you're not sure you want to commit to the Dark Heresy series, but you love Warhammer 40K, I recommend Emperor's Mercy (Bastion Wars) by Henry Zou.

Innocence Proves Nothing is the second book in the series, and is marginally better than it's predecessor, Scource the Heretic. Picking up where the first book left off, it continues the adventures of the Inquisitorial Acolytes pursuing a conspiracy in the Calixian Sector, supporting the Dark Heresey line of games and suppliments. Since the characters are already established there is no long lead up to the action, which was the real slow part of the first book. This one ends on a cliffhanger, so brace yourself for part three, which has yet to be announced.

Mordechai Horst is the leader of an Angelae team working for Inquisitor Carolus Finurbi of the Ordo Hereticus. His team consists of Keira Sythree, a Redemptionist assassin and scout, Danuld Drake, former Imperial Guard, Hybris Vex, a tech-priest, and a pilot named Barda. Vex holds an ancient artefact that somehow goes with a manuscript. They book passage to the Scintilla system via the Misericord, a Chartist ship considered to be a jinx. The ship will travel through the Warp, where date and time are meaningless. The manuscript is to be kept sealed within a cogitator case; however, when bold scavengers attempt to steal the group's luggage, the handcart ends up being lost. The group must use stealth as they search for the missing manuscript.

At the same time, another Inquisition group infiltrates a network of rogue psykers within the Scintilla system. The clues gathered by Inquisitor Grynner's people show that the two teams might be on the same trail. Danger surrounds them all and they must uncover what is going on before the entire Scintilla system is overrun by heretics with eldar and xenos weaponry.

**** FOUR STARS! If you have not read the previous title, Scourge the Heretic, I suggest you do so before you begin reading this book. However, should you decide not to, you will not find yourself totally lost. The author gives enough information to explain any vital past events to new readers. Horst's group receives the majority of attention. (I must admit that Keira, the assassin, quickly became my favorite character.) The end leaves a few loose threads dangling, yet I do not feel any frustration since the story stops at a terrific spot. It is enough to keep me watching for the next installment though. Sandy Mitchell writes space drama like no other! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

An excellent foray and 2nd in a trilogy that dwells in the very detailed universe of Warhammer 40K. Be warned that you should not start this book without reading the previous novel: Scourge the Heretic. Anyone who has role played in the Warhammer setting, or have done battle as the Adeptus Astartes of the Emperor will find this book (and the authors other work) a must read.

A slight improvement to the prequal, but the whole relationship between the Cell's Leader and the young assassin needs to be better handled, but that just my opinion. Still it leave you hanging and I look forward to the end of this series.

This is one of the best Inquisitor books ever written, if you like 40K you'll love Innocence Proves Nothing, the sequel to Scourge the Heretic. Sandy Mitchell's writing abilities are on full display in this series.

"Innocence Proves Nothing" by Sandy Mitchell is the second book in the Dark Heresy series which takes place in the Warhammer 40K universe. It follows two groups of Inquisitors who are hot on the trail and, in fact, have actually infiltrated a group of psykers who have gotten their hands on powerful weaponry and plan to use it to their advantage. Unknown to both the Inquisitors and the psykers, however, is the fact that there is a dark power that is actually using the psykers in order to open the door to a terrible evil that can consume the entire Empire.

The story picks up where "Scourge The Heretic" left off, but I did not read that particular book. While it took awhile to distinguish between the good guys, the bad guys, and who was who, I stuck with the tale and eventually found myself enjoying it despite my lack of knowledge of its predecessor.

Horst heads up one of the groups of Inquisitors known as the Angelae. The book focuses quite a bit on this particular group and I grew to enjoy the group's unique members. Keira is a lethal assassin who cherishes her faith and plans to rid the Empire of all unworthy heretics, psyker or otherwise. Drake, a former Imperial soldier, is still adjusting to being a part of the Angelae. Vex, the techpriest, offers wisdom to the group. Barda, the newest member of the group, is a daring veteran pilot who loves nothing more than to hang around aboard his ship.

The second group, while not developed as much, has a few wonderful characters in it as well. Quillem is one of the best. He's bent on revenge for the destruction of his people.

The story moves at a quick pace and has plenty of violence for Warhammer fans. There is also a lot of character development via internal struggles of some of the key players.

I plan to check out "Scourge The Heretic" in the near future in order to get a better feel for the characters and the overall premise of this story, but "Innocence Proves Nothing" does a fine job of standing on its own.

Highly recommended to fans of Warhammer 40K and anyone who enjoys a fast-paced space opera with tinges of the supernatural.

I wasn't expecting to like Warhammer books. A lot of the novels based on games tend to be generic and lifeless but Innocence Proves Nothing like a lot of the other Warhammer books (I have now read quite a few) is not. In fact it makes me want to play the game...

This is a review from my 15- year old son:

I deeply enjoyed this book and was continually sucked in by it. I would stay up for hours reading it oblivious to the time and chimes of the clock. It is a very well written story that gives the Inquisition a personality. The frequent looks into how the groups relations are maintained are dramatic a times and funny at others. Along with an arsenal of weapons Warhammer 40k players may recognize some one's always packing around a sturdy bit of sarcasm that is easy on the draw. All around a good book.

The Emperor is not dead, quite, but not quite alive either. His inquisition is hard at work, though, attempting to destroy heretics, psychics, and anyone who gets in their way. A group of inquisitioners follows the psychics who escaped their raid, taking a cursed ship through the void. Along the way, they're themselves hunted by another group of psychics, one of whom can sense when bullets are heading his way and manage to avoid even a firestorm of them.

Meanwhile, there's evidence that the inquisition itself has its problems--including the possibility of treason in the highest circles and the inquisition has infiltrated the escaping psychics, with the goal of following them to whatever escape hole they've discovered. At the back of everyone's mind, there's the reality of alien intruders. What the aliens want and whether they're anyone's friend or pursuing goals all their own is hard to determine.

INNOCENCE PROVES NOTHING has got a lot of really nice pieces. The character of Keira, increasingly confused assassin has huge potential. Author Sandy Mitchell delivers exciting and complex action scenes. And there's clearly a lot of world-building going on (although the worldbuilding may come from the Warhammer 40,000 universe rather than from Sandy Mitchell's own creation). For me, though, the pieces didn't quite add up to a connected story. Perhaps because INNOCENCE is the third volume in a series and I missed the first two, I found myself scratching my head not just at the beginning of the book but throughout, trying to remember who was doing what to whom and why. I would have liked to see more of a clear story goal to help me connect the large number of characters and subplots. Instead, INNOCENCE is like a twisted rope, all entangled with no beginning or end in sight.

Fans of the Warhammer 40,000 gaming universe (like me) will enjoy seeing the weapons and forces from their games translated to the page, with the type of characterization only a novel can bring. For those who aren't familiar with the Warhammer universe, INNOCENCE is not likely to be a good place to start.