Customer Reviews

Lord of the Night (Warhammer 40,000)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Similar to Black Library authors such as Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill and Ben Counter, Simon Spurrier recognizes what the 40K universe is all about. That is to say, he fully appreciates the depth of the nuance and complexity which make the setting the richest tableau this side of Middle Earth. Fortunately for us readers, he also knows how to weave an engrossing tale that takes full advantage of all that Games Workshop's colorful backdrop has to offer.

Lord of the Night is the story of the Talonmaster, an ancient Night Lords chaos marine lieutenant desperate to recover a lost chapter heirloom hidden somewhere in the vast depths of an ancient hive city. In the course of his search, the Talonmaster must confront scores of underhive gangers, units of Adeptus Arbites and the persistent attention of a determined junior interrogator and her inscrutable inquisitor mentor. Perhaps more importantly, he must also come to terms with his distant past and the alternating grief, paranoia and rage which have dogged him for centuries.

The Talonmaster is more than just a mindless pawn of Chaos, bouncing from one orgy of death and destruction to another. His cruelty is calculated, his violence directed. He is an ally of Chaos but not its servant. The Talonmaster strives at all times to remain true to the teachings of his long dead Primarch whose death a millennia earlier still haunts him. The richest parts of the book are those flashbacks in which the Talonmaster recalls the brief time that he spent fighting and learning at the side of his beloved Primarch, Konrad Kurze. If you enjoyed the White Dwarf article from a few years ago detailing the origins of the mysterious Kurze and the formation his Night Lords legion, you will love Lord of the Night. The insights into the genesis of the Horus Heresy and Kurze's subsequent fall from grace are alone worth the price of the book. I particularly enjoyed Kurze's take on the tragic rift which developed between him and the Emperor even before Horus turned traitor. Kurze's grievances against the Emperor and the Imperium are coherent and compelling and in that sense, Lord of the Night is somewhat reminiscent of Gav Thorpe's, Angels of Darkness.

Highly recommended to any fan of either the 40k universe or of great science fiction.

It could be a little confusing in the beginning if you do not realize who's perspective the author is describing. Once you get past this, the story develops just fine. It is basically a tale of two diametrically opposed individuals who's paths intersect and through introspective journeys, each one discovers their own place in the 40k universe. It is different from what they believe it to be in the beginning of the novel. This all unfolds against the squalor, violence, intrigue, and corruption of an Imperial Hive. Many subplots are revealed as the story progresses. What initially begins as the story of a rampaging Chaos Marine, develops into an orchestrated series of manipulations that culminate in a conclusion that has little meaning to those swept away in the resulting carnage and cruel revelations. The aftermath alluded to in the novel's epilogue is somewhat anticipated, but is no less poignant. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and if they choose to focus on aspects of this story they disliked, then let us mourn their lost time. For me, this novel was yet another fine example of Simon Spurrier's talent as a storyteller. I look forward to the sequel if it is currently in production. I strongly recommend you read this book and if you enjoy it as much as I have, you should check out 'Fire Warrior', which gives a similar insight into the life of a Tau soldier.

An overall entertaining novel by Simon Spurrier, slow start but finished well. The story of lost power, madness and supposed betrayal in the 40K universe (there's alot of that going round). A different perspective view of what happened prior to the Horus Heresy and the Emperor of Mankind's inner circle. A bit of an eye opener !!!

Recommend you read it.

Spurrier has talent. This is a really nicely written book about the (even) darker side of WH40K (as though it wasn't dark enough already). It's great to see the workings of an evil mind ... There's some great character development here, and I found it engrossing. It's not the best of the bunch (I think Abnett and Goto are better), but Spurrier is getting there. I'm looking forward to whatever he does next.

Im not sure why this book hasnt gotten more raves than it has. This is and excellant,well written story and is much better than I expected it to be. The development and uniqueness of the Night Lords is very well done, as is the character development of the Inquisitress. The w40k fiction universe is fantastic,but in desperate need of some fresh life and different character behaviors. This book really achieves that, and I would love to see a sequel.

I just finished Lord of the Night and really enjoyed this book. It is about Zso Sahaal, a traitor space marine, who is the leader of the Night Lord Legion and must recover a stolen artifact. The book is about instilling fear into your enemy. There is lots of action and gore. The book is very vivid and there is wonderful character development. The book alternates between the two protagonist's points of view but flows well.

A great read, was hooked from start to finish. The characters and history are well written and you find yourself being carried along in just the right way.
I loved the book and was sorry to finish it.
Highly recommended

However I've read better. Alot of the time Simon spent describing the main character, I couldn't tell if he was talkinga about a chaos marine or an insect. It was damn slow getting going, but about a 1/4 of the way into it, it definately got my attention. Apart from the insect like descriptions of the chaos marine, and the slow moving of the first 70 or so pages, it's not a bad book. Not the best offering from the Black Library, but certainly not the worst.

I bought this book a month ago, more or less, and when I received it, I found the best backgroung history of 40K books I've ever read.

Just buy it.

In all truth this was an amazing book in all respects but one. The beginning was a tad slow, but the rest was intensely satisfying. Vivid language, tons of gore, and a dramatic plot line add up to make a wonderful book. I recommend this book to anyone.