Customer Reviews

Scourge the Heretic (Warhammer 40,000 Novels)

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

 

 

I'm adding my Warhammer 40K overview to the top of review to help newcomers get a sense for the Universe. (Warhammer 40K pros, go easy on me - I'm also somewhat of a newcomer to the Universe, hope I got the broad brushstrokes right). Review for book at bottom. I'm now hooked on Warhammer 40K books officially.

HOW I GOT HOOKED
I got this through vine and put it directly on my nightstand. Although I've never gamed Warhammer (Warhammer 40k Space Marines Combat Squad) or any of their many other games, I became a fan of Warhammer 40,000 after a friend in college introduced me to the Warhammer 40k universe back in 1990 I want to say. While browsing through Amazon, I came across Eisenhorn probably the best "starter" novel to get anyone started into the Warhammer Universe. I have to admit, I've gotten hooked on the stories.


THE BLACK LIBRARY & GAMES WORKSHOP
From a company standpoint there is a British company called the Black Library that owns and manages Warhammer 40K. They have some great writers on staff like Dan Abnett and Graham McNiell who write many of the stories. The common thread of the writers is that in my opinion they are very literary people who manage the capture the dark, dystopian, almost opressing vision of this far future. Many of their stories have foundations and parallels in real world history...for example The Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy) is very similar in my opinion to The Battleship Potemkin. I think the company was founded in 1989 to provide advanced hobbyist game pieces (Games Workshop Space Marine Devastator Squad Box Set) that gamers could paint and decorate and then play in competition based on some rule books called codexes (Warhammer 40K (40,000) Codex Space Marines) very similar to dungeons and dragons.


THE SERIES
Warhammer 40K takes place about 40,000 years in the future in a neogothic dystopian Universe where the entire galaxy has been colonized. During the 40,000 year history humanity discovers that hyperspace (the mechanism they use to travel faster than light) is filled with ghostly demons and other lifeforms that will not hesitate to invade and infest the real universe. Add to that alien Elves, Orks, intergalactic insectoid invaders, parasites and every other conceivable menace, this makes for a tormented universe that only knows War and suffering for its untold trillions or quadrillions of denizens.

In this Universe there is an Empire based on Earth with an Emperor and and a gigantic bureaucracy that manages the Imperium. I'll outline some of the story lines to help you make sense of this (if you're not a pro already):


SPACE MARINES - Genetically and Cybernetically augmented warrior monks that form the front line of defense for the Empire. Space Marine novels generally build on the mythology of the space marines and generally describe a chapter of space marines (a monastery) and tell some story of how they fight for the Empire or how they fell from grace. Space Marines are almost not human, they've been augmented genetically stand at 8 to 12 feet tall and wear giant powered armour. They fight in space and in some horrible conditions. For this reason, you don't get much of a feel for the denizens of the Empire (generally) in these novels. Space Marines are Monks and celibate (I think) so you don't get any flavor for interpersonal relationships. Although in a few stories you do get some political intrigue and in one space wolf novel, you even get to see Earth. Expect lots of fighting with these novels in very novel settings.
The Ultramarines Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus)


TITANS - The giant Mechwarriors (giant walking two legged tanks) that form the heaviest of assault machines of the empire. Titanicus is the only Warhammer 40K novel that I know of that is based on Titans. Because Titans stand at 40 stories and are crewed by a very select group of very religious people, you don't get much of the flavor for the citizens of the Empire although you do get dazzling descriptions of the cities, planets, and how the war machines fight. Expect lots of fighting with these novels.
Titanicus (Warhammer 40,000)

IMPERIAL GUARD - The Army of the Empire (untold billions serve and die regularly) -- CADIAN BLOOD is an Imperial guard novel. Expect down and dirty grunt fighting and warfare in these novels with a healthy does of intrigue and plot machinations. Because Imperial Guard are human, you get more of a sense for the Empire than you do with Titan or Space Marine novels.
Cadian Blood (Imperial Guard)

INQUISITORS - The Emperor's inquisition carries the Empire's complete support as they go out and seek out evil in any form (Einsenhorn, Ravenor, and Innocence Proves Nothing are Inquisition novels). Expect more intrigue and deceipt in these novels and expect to see some of the more opulent aspects of the Empire because many times Inquisitors walk among the citizens of the Empire. I find that I get a better flavor for the Warhammer Universe from Inquisitor Novels. They are my personal favorites.
Eisenhorn (A Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus)
Ravenor: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40000)
Innocence Proves Nothing (Warhammer 40000)

MECHANICUM - The Mechanicum is almost like a pseudoreligion based on Mars who has a very close alliance with the Emperor (although sometimes you wonder). The Mechanicum makes most of the technology for the Empire. So many things have been invented and forgotten in the 40K universe that technology is more of technomagic and technology use is almost ritual-like.
Mechanicum (Horus Heresy)

HORUS HERESY NOVELS (take place circa 30,000 years from now versus 40,000 from now for most other Warhammer stories) - When the Warhammer 40K Universe was invented (mostly for gaming purposes), a backstory was developed that tells how the Galaxy was brought under the Emperor. It used to be a fairly short story but has been expanded broadly now that Warhammer 40K is so popular. Here are some Heresy books in no particular order but there is an order (there are too many of them for me to track and I haven't read them all).
Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy)
The Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy)
False Gods: The Heresy Takes Root (The Horus Heresy)
Mechanicum (is a Horus Heresey story which takes place about 30,000 years from now)



SCOURGE THE HERETIC
This is a real Warhammer 40K story, it takes place in the 40K universe vs in the Heresy which is really 30K (30,000 years from now). I read "innocense proves nothing" first which is the second novel in the story. I can tell you this. Read them in order, it helps somewhat because you get the introductions of the characters in this where, by Innocense Proves Nothing, the team is formed and you're left to glean details from scraps.

OK for those of you looking for some super bad-kick-butt Inquisitor action like you get in Eisenhorn. I'm going to deflate you right now. This book and series is not about Inquisitors. It's about the Inquisitor's Agents. Apparently Inquisitors are not just hands on but they have teams of regular people (albeit tough tough figthers and smart and well trained) and they send those people out there to gather leads and handle issues and the Inquisitor comes in to handle business and the really tough stuff. You do get quite a bit of exposure to Inquisitors in this series but the Inquisitor is not the protagonist.

Rather it's about the team of agents out there doing the business of the Inquisition. In many ways it's more real because these guys aren't as superhero(ey) or as tough as Inquisitors. This keeps the Inquisitor mystique locked away and hidden (Inquisitors don't lose their shine) because they don't appear that much.

Also, as I understand there's some gaming that you can do to this series, some kind of Codex -- not my bag really but if it's yours, hey go for it - fun stuff.

In any case, you get some solid introductions, some good mystery, lots of intrigue, some eldar action, some daemon scum, some scourge of humanity, all that bad apathy dystopian aspects this Universe can bring us. But it also has the opulent side of the Imperium here, some interstellar travel, swords. Keira is a "hot chick" in case you don't pick that up from Sandy Mitchell drilling it into your brain with about 1,000 mentions of that in the book. It's all good.

Read it, enjoy it, hang your brain at the door (or don't, there are mysteries here that haven't been answered --- I love how the black library guys just throw scraps and nuggets in there to make you wonder about stuff in this Universe)...great stuff.

Read and enjoy - it's a good read.

This is a book that should be read as part of a series or at least a three parter. While not as funny as the authors previous work for the Black Library some humor does show through. We also get to see a little more detail about the character's personality. Who knew a member of an Inquisitor's warband could have personal problems. Also Mitchell shows that on each world not every native behaves the same and that some would find an Inquisitor not the most scary person around as opposed to the usual " yes Inquisitor, no Inquisitor, whatever you want Inquisitor". All in all I would recommend buying the book. Maybe not rushing out and buying it but do try it.

First off. I don't play Warhammer games nor do I ever intend to but I do like dark, military style SF. I don't read Warhammer 40,000 because I want Hemingway or even Lord of the Rings but the book's not as bad as the first 2 reveiwers said. The story is part of the company's attempt to introduce their new Dark Heresy RPG based mostly on the success of Dan Abnett's Inquisitor series, Eisenhorn and Ravenor. Ok, so Sandy Mitchell is no Dan Abnett. and yes, the dialogue doesn't have the snappy comebacks and better paced humor of his Ciaphas Cain series but it's not a bad story line. It suffers from the usual flaws when intoducing a series. Lots of description and plot building, not the most creative dialogue. It still has enough action to be entertaining. I enjoyed it and it's a WHOLE lot better than most of the WH40k series out there.
The story follows an Inquisitor's warband as they hunt down the Shadowy organized crime network sumggling rogue psykers for unknown and dark purposes. IF you have no idea what an Inquisitor and his warband are, think Professor X leading the X-men in a dark SF realm where to disagree with the Empire means painful death as a heretic but the definition of heretic is often defined by the person with their finger on the trigger..... Enjoy.

People might think I'm being mean only giving this book two stars...but the fact of the matter is that I gave Mitchell the benefit of the doubt, as I quite enjoyed his Ciaphas Cain books. However there's no denying that this book, the first of a series, is below average work. I WANTED to like it, I forced myself to sit down and read through the slow start, but this book fails on multiple levels.

For starters, this is being marketed as an Inquisition book, and, since the Black Library has posted there will a sequel, series. I read EISENHORN by Dan Abnett and all three of the underrated RAVENOR books by Abnett as well, all books focusing on Inquisitors and their adventures in the 40k univeres. As far as I'm concerned, books on the Inquisition provide a more dynamic, exciting setting than any plodding Space Marine Chapter (with the exception of the Horus Heresy books, which are awesome). Therefore, Mitchell was set up, in my opinion, with a chance to show what he could do with an Inquisitor and his agents and allies. He immediately takes a wrong turn by spending the first 40 or so pages of the book writing about a prologue that shows an interrogator making a discovery and then reporting back to his master, Inquisitor Grynner. What's the problem, you ask? Well, the book doesn't focus on Grynner and his agents, it focuses on Inquisitor Carolus Finurbi and HIS agents. Thus, we get fifty pages into the book without having met the main character, and Grynner and his interrogator aren't characters in the story. They're just referred to a couple times.

Wow, that was a long rant, let's go to bullet points:

-Finurbi (for some unexplained reason called by his first name by Mitchell) is, as I said, the head honcho of a group of agents known as the Angelae. At first, it seems like a cool idea that his network of agents is so widespread--the potential for us to jump between planets to meet different agents of his, for example--but it soon becomes apparent that we're only focusing on the group of Angelae that the Inquistor is currently with.

-We meet our good guys, we see the inciting event, and the guy you think is the main character leaves. Wha? I know plot spoilers are a no-no, but so is writing an Inquisition novel where the Inquisitor leaves before page 200 and doesn't come back. Turns out the focus isn't on Inquisitor "Carolus" either. It's on Mordechai Horst, former police dude, and the cell of Angelae he leaves behind on a mining world to root out a heretical cell that was apparently smuggling pyskers (psychics, for you laypeople).

-Okaaaaay...so it's not Grynner, it's not Finurbi, it's the Angelae. Fine. I'm disappointed, but fine. Maybe it will be good. Oh man, it turns out that the Angelae are rather painfully one dimensional. We have a psyker, a tech priest--an offshoot human order that Mitchell puts a curious focus on--two former guardsmen, Horst, and a young female Red Redemptionist (fundamentalist) who must have the best body ever.

-Horst plays leader with Finurbi AWOL, and he's...a boring policeman in space. Nothing really interesting there. Try and count the number of sentences about Horst that start "his former arbitrator's instincts kicked in..."

-The psyker is Finurbi's significant other, and fitting she is hardly relevant for most of the book despite her powers.

-One guardsmen is a former serf--yes, like feudal serf--from the same planet on which the investigation takes place. He's a big guy, and he got in trouble for sleeping with other people's wives. He's supposed to be the tough guy...eh...I suppose he proves himself worthy of such a role in one scene. Fine, we'll count him as a successful minor character.

-The other guardsmen, Drake, is my favorite, because he reminded me of how a reader might act if he or she got thrown into this ridiculous book. He quickly seems to realize he knows as much if not more about secret agenting than the veteran inquisition agents. And that's not exactly high praise. It comes off as Drake being a quick learner...and the others being dullards. Why would a guy who was basically recruited because he saw too much--not because he was trained to be an Angelae--already be on par with the leader of team? Doesn't make sense.

-As alluded to, Finurbi leaves midway through the book. Thank god. He was the least interesting of them all. He hardly asserted himself as leader at all, and mostly seemed to be quietly nodding at whatever anyone said. He was also a psyker, which tired him out. Poor baby.

-Keira Syrathee. Red Redemptionist. Former Offico Assasinorum operative. Teenage girl. INCREDIBLE HOTTIE! Really, all you really need to know about how much filler is in this book is that Mitchell seems absolutely obsessed with getting across the point that Keira is incredibly good looking. Seriously, not one male character seems to be able to make it through a scene without staring at her, sometimes her chest or her rear specifically. Apparently she has some kind of active camo that sets off her figure well. If you're thinking, "why was that so annoying?" Trust me. Mitchell says something about Keira's figure or male characters admiring her WAY. TOO. MUCH. It's repetitive, bad writing. And downright immature. I'm a fan of the female form and all, but it was ridiculous.

-Sorry to harp on this, but Horst--being a former policy police policeguy--must be around 30ish or he would not have acquired his oft-referred to "instincts". Keira is in her teens, let's say 18 because younger than that would be weird and 19 is a number no one likes. When the Angelae psyker--her name escapes me--suggests that Keira interrupts Horst so much because she likes him, instead of Horst thinking "ah, cute, but she's way too young" his reaction is more like "wow, could that actually work with our different personalities?" No, moron. It couldn't because you're twenty years older or something like that.

-The plot thickens...well no, it doesn't really. The first group of people they connect to the psyker facility attack are...well, I won't spoil it. It's rather simplistic, and not really interesting.

-The very beginning and the last sixty pages or so, contain the only action scenes out of a 400+ page book. Now, I'm not someone who needs naked people and car chases non-stop to make a story, but the fact of the matter is that where a better writer might fill the non-action parts of the book with good dialogue, a better plot twist, etc. Mitchell fills the non-action parts of the book with... filler, mainly writing about how Keira's backside looks good. It makes the lack of any action scenes stick out, and even then the climax feels rushed. How can you rush the climax of a story where you have nothing particular going on for pages on end? It's just bad.

Uh, yes...I really don't have much more to say other than Mitchell can craft a decent action scene, does possess some wit, and his other 40k work is quite enjoyable. SCOURE THE HERETIC, however, fails in that it is NOT really about an Inquisitor, the characters (other than Drake) are really rather boring, the plot is pedestrian, and Keira is soooo good looking. Even diehard science fiction fans and 40k completists will be hard pressed to find a reason to like this one. Maybe Mitchell will get on track with the sequel, but that's neither here nor there for now.

I've read other Warhammer 40K before, but nothing by this particular author. However, his writing style in Scourge the Heretic really appealed to me.

Inquisitor Grynner contacts Inquisitor Carolus about a psyker mystery in the Calixis sector. Psykers draw their power from the Warp (parallel universe with malevolent entities), which is why they are usually insane. Inquisitor Carolus and his team are trying to determine how the escape of some specific psykers may be related to a people-trafficking operation.

The team of agents include Elyra Yivor - a psyker herself who has a personal history with Carolus, Keira Sythree - an Officio Assassinorum operative raised as a Redemptionist, Mordechai Horst - a former arbitrator, and Hybris Vex - a techpriest. Later, they are joined by Danuld Drake and Vos Kyrlock - members of the Imperial Guard, who assist the team after an attack on the Citadel of the Forsaken.

Most of the story takes place on the mining world of Sepheris Secundus. Icenholm serves as the agents' center. Vos and Elyra are sent on a mission in the Gorgonid, specifically The Tumble, to go undercover within the smuggling operation. Horst and Vex investigate the Fathomsound Mine, where techpriest Tonis (from the Citadel) was working on a secret heretical project. Drake helps Keira pass as an aristocrat to infiltrate the Conclave of the Enlightened, to find other heretics that Tonis might have been working with.

At first, all the pieces of information seem random, and quite unrelated to Grynner's discovery in Calixis. Eventually, as the story progresses, the team begins to realize the situation is more deviant than they imagined. As they continue their investigation, Inquisitor Carolus withdraws from the team, and the epilogue adds a twist to that withdrawal.

I read both Warhammer and Warhammer40K, and I've always had a slight preference for the Warhammer fantasies...BUT Sandy Mitchell aka Alex Stewart dug deeper into the personalities and thoughts of the characters than I've seen in other WH40K novels. Each character was so distinct from the others that it provided an extra dimension to the mystery with the psykers. The detailed attention to the dynamics of the team made the story much more entertaining. For instance, we learn that Kyrlock has personal ties to Sepheris Secundus that go further into his past than his time with the Guard. It is also hinted that Elyra and Carolus may not be the only ones with an interest in another team member. The focus was more on people and plot than laspistols and other Imperial technology, which I liked...I can only take so many descriptions of the same weapons used in one 40K story after another.

I'm hoping the sequel Innocence Proves Nothing will give more story time to Kyrlock's and Elyra's mission, but Keira's ultimate discovery was nothing less than thrilling. Looking forward to more of this series...

After reading this book I realize that potential buyers and consumers of this product might be "deceived". It is about the Inquisition, but not specifically about Inquisitots (like the great Eisenhorn's books). This series is to go side by side with the Dark Heresy Roleplaying Game, and hence all the structure of the book with several main characters and a powerful Patron; Scourge the Heretic is about the Inquisitors Angelae, the operatives that do the dirty work, investigating dangerous persons, associations, places...

The author makes a fine job describing the diverse points of view through all the main characters: for example the way the Redemptionist Keira faces her feelings matching them with the worldview transmited by her cults fanatic teachings; the clear, logical way of reasoning of the Tech Priest Vex, etc.

This is just the beginning of a greater plot, that is quite clear. I do agree with the review that the author invested too much in the Character Carolus, when he isn't the focus at all.

But this novel has interesting characters (somewhat base...but you wanted an Imperial Guardsman to speak like Shakespeare? Or a former arbitrator in the Dark Warhammer Mythos to worry about the age of a potential mate? This is Warhammer...Dark and Gothic, with very few moral qualms), a metaplot that involves Xenos Artifacts, Psyker smuggling, secret societies, archeotech items. Definitively, it promises much.

The downside: too few secondary characters, obvious storyline, Keira is great looking...ok...but enough is enough (I know that the beautifull bodied female assassin in a catsuit is a trademark from the Collegia Assassinorum; but don't exagerate).

A good Sci-fi/Horror/mistery novel, specially for Dark Heresy fans.

This is a good novel that is far superior to many of the Warhammer 40,000 novels which often feature two-dimensional space marines talking like refugees from a really bad old Knights of the Round Table movie. Its not as good as Abnett's Ravenor or Eisenhorn inquisition novels, but enjoyable unless you insist on ultra-marines slaughtering each other with wild and often boring abandon.

The job of the Inquisition is to hunt down the heretics who corrupt the human Imperium from within. Inquisitor Carolus Finurbi of the Ordo Hereticus and his Angelae team are sent to Sepheris Secundus. It is believed than an interplanetary people-trafficking operation is happening there. As Inquisitor Carolus and his team arrive, a jail break is in progress. All the imprisoned psykers have been liberated. That, alone, is enough to keep them busy for quite awhile; however, they soon learn that it is the least of their problems. A particularly lethal "witch" known as Ariadne Thane has been spotted.

Two of the few surviving Imperial Guardsmen, Danuld Drake and Vos Kyrlock, are recruited by Inquisitor Carolus to help his team root out the real evil before Chaos spreads and takes total control.

*** This is not author Sandy Mitchell's best work by a long shot. However, it is still very entertaining. Inquisitors are usually held in fear and high regard, yet I do not feel that Carolus was intimidating in the least. His character simply did not hold true to what those in the Inquisition are suppose to be. I would dearly love to see more of the assassin, Keira, in future stories though. The character of Keira stole the spot light very often. All-in-all, a good beginning, but some changes need to be made in future books if this series has a chance to continue. ***

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I was hesitant to start this series because I wasn't sure how well they would work with more "normal" characters. (I've tried reading some IG books and was bored because the universe did not come across very well in a story about soldiers who could be soldiers in any army.) Thankfully, the book exceeded my expectations.

The characters are more than just 2-dimensional cutouts and stereotypes. Granted, Kiera, at first, comes across as the classical "sexy woman wearing almost nothing." But as the book goes on, her character develops into a conflicted person who tries to balance her lifelong beliefs with the reality she is faced with. The plot is a bit stereotypical, but the characterizations mostly make up for it.

Unlike many W40k books I've read, there is more than the just the "job" going on with the characters and we get to see a bit more of their personalities at play. So between all of the fire fights and intrigue we get to see human beings rather than automatons of the emperor. Decent story with decent characters.

If your looking for your usual fear and destroy story (W40k style) this may not be your thing. But if fear and destroy mixed with some humor and basic human nature looks interesting, this may be worth your time.