Customer Reviews

Warhammer: Inquisitor

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am only an occasional Warhammer player, but still feel inclined to read all the novels. I'm very glad I have. All Warhammer novels are great, but this is the best of the lot.

Over the 12+ years that it has existed, the Warhammer 40,000 universe has become one of the most detailed science fiction/fantasy/horror settings ever created, via the massive amounts of flavor text contained in all of the publications. The monstrously over-populated hive worlds, the steaming alien jungles, the towering titans, the clunky war machines, the war-loving Orks, the hideous Tyranids, the cthulan Chaos Gods, and the terrifying fascist theocracy of the human Imperium have become a permanent part of my mentality.

Ian Watson, in a dense, poetic stylie, brings this universe to life better than anyone else. His protagonist is Jaq Draco who, after a long career of mercilessly slaughtering the Emperor's "enemies", has stumbled upon a horrifying conspiracy to overthrow the Imperium. He must stop it, but is not quite sure where to start... Along the way, Draco begins to develop a conscience. For a man who lives to kill and destroy, this is the worst thing that could possibly happen... Draco's slow, painful transformation from an unfeeling killing machine to a feeling (and internally tormented) killing machine is one of the best parts of the story (which continues in Harlequin and Chaos Child, both highly recommended).

One of the coolest (and scariest) parts of the Warhammer 40,000 game setting is that there are no good guys. The Tyranids and the Chaos Gods may be terrible, but it is hard to say that the human Imperium is any better. The horribly mutated Judeo-Christian religion which has sprung up around the Emperor is completely and utterly intolerant, calling for the brutal extermination of even the slightest heresy. In order to defend "national security", the Imperial defense forces are perfectly willing to destroy entire inhabited planets. This situation, also, is brilliantly handled by Watson. At the beginning, it is clear that no one has any freedom of thought whatsoever. Only slowly and painfully does Draco begin to develop this freedom, and it does not make him a happy man... And although this Imperium spans a million stars, it is obvious throughout that there is nothing even slightly progressive about it. From the absolute thought control, to the suffocatingly over-crowded cities, to the povery-stricken masses, the overall feeling is that of a reactionary empire in a state of unending decay. Late in the book, Draco visits the Imperial capital on Ancient Earth. Here, in the glorious human homeland, he finds a horribly polluted, horribly crowded world-spanning city, where gang members struggle in vain for meagre civil-service positions, where endless rows of scribes spend their entire lives copying records with simple pens, where people happily kill their neighbors as heretics, and cybernetically-modified cripples live in permanent darkness, knee-deep in sludge, struggling to maintain the city's rusting infrastructure. Next to this life, being enslaved by the Draka seems like Shangri-La.

Since reading this book, I have read many of Ian Watson's other novels, and have loved them all. None, however, have compared to the style, dark poetry, and utter nastiness of Inquisitor. More than any other novel, this one truly proves that game-related fiction can stand its ground against the best the mainstream has to offer. And the sequels are just as good. If remorseless pessimism doesn't bother you, it is hard to imagine a better read.

Just to qualify, there are two sequels written to this book. The second book in the trilogy is called "Harlequin" and the third is called "Chaos Child".

I am not a RPG Gamer, but a long-time Watson fan. This is an excellent read! In fact, it made me a WH40K fan. This is a gripping, epic tale of mankind's far-future struggles against weird and dangerous evil beings. Written in a tightly-plotted, delightfully detailed, deliriously baroque and wonderfully atmospheric prose that is Watson's inimitable housestyle, this is a SURE FIRE GOOD READ!! In case anyone is not familiar to the WH40K universe theme, the future of mankind in the forty-first millenium is a galactic human empire beset on all fronts by demon infestation (''Chaos''). The Emperor is some sort of psychic god on earth - half-dead, conscious only by din of sheer force of willpower sustained by technology - presiding over a huge Theocratic empire spanning lightyears, the ecclesiastical structure employing deadly force and ruthless subterfuge to protect human race against being overwhelmed by demonic contamination. Imagine the Spanish Inquisition ruling a galactic empire. The imaginative vista is panoramic, sweeping and jaw-dropping. The opportunities for good yarn-spinning is enormous:- this is a cross between the Spanish Inquisition and Isaac Asimov's galactic empire, only this time the Inquisitors are the good guys trying to keep humanity, well, human. Ian's plotting is fantastic, and his command of dramatic tension absolutely masterful. This is a classic and an amazing work. Anyone knows Watson's email? Been trying to compliment him personally for the longest time now ...B-)

Pros: In some genre fiction I've read lately, authors have opted to dwell on the characters for lack of a good plot or command of the setting. Inquisitor has none of this, as the setting is exquisitely crafted, effective and brief, and the plot so thick it'd take a titan to topple. There are a few fleeting moments where the narrative slows but are merely pauses that slip greater punch to each subplot. To anyone curious about the 40k genre, this seems a must-read, as the greater cosmology is in sharp focus and brought down to a human level in individual struggle, even unto singular combat.

Cons: I feel as a genre piece, Ian Watson is a little limited in what he could have done here. While the plot and setting are exquisite, the characters are archetypical so as not to slow anything down. This method works well in the Warhammer 40k universe to avoid unnecessary complexity when plenty is in play, but the characters' motivations are clearly hidden and their actions seem sometimes automatic and unconvincing. This is a small price for the rest, but I predict that the products of Ian Watson's own imagining shall contain the character depth that is obscured in this book.

Summary: This ranks up there with Dune or The Curse of Chalion as a genre piece. The author is very effective at upping the intensity of the plot as the narrative proceeds through increasingly alien and vivid worlds. I thought at about the halfway point that it couldn't contain all the plot threads that were setup, but we see that good authorship comes through on almost every one. There are a few lingering items at the end, but I expect that from a serial, so altogether very well done.

It took me a long time to find a copy of this novel, as it is long out of print; but, I am very glad that I did.

Watson's colorful descriptions of the festering decay rooted in the corruption and totalitarian control brought on by a galaxy spanning Imperium are masterful. This is certainly not great literature, but for Game-fiction it is phenomenal. If you love the 40K universe, you would do yourself a disservice by not reading this book.

What a great book and story. Yea I'm a fan of the game, but the story just adds a whole new aspect to it. I don't usually read many books, or novels, actually none, but this is the only one I've read ever that kept me interested in the story. What was coming around the corner, etc...Read it.

I found this to be of high quality like the many other Warhammer books, yet I could sense something was out of place as I feverishly read the print. The story was well-based and thought out excellently, and I recommend it to be read by other Warhammer fans, as I found it quite hard to put down. I cannot put my finger on what bugs me about the story, although whatever it is, it is minor and does not really affect the book at all. I am hoping to see more of Ian Watson's work, as his stuff so far has really made it for me.

While this is a fascinating and enlightening read for anyone interested in the Warhammer 40,000 universe it has a fatal flaw. The is a gripping and tense lead up to a sequel that was never written. The novel has no resolution and only leaves you wanting more. I would gladly give it five stars if only I could learn what happens next.

This book was gripping from start to finish. It gives a powerful look at the life of an Inquisitor in the far future. It also shows that there is more than Brainwashed Jargon in the life of a Space Marine. Probably could have been better done with Dark Eldar, but oh well. :) Death to the Imperium!!!

A brilliant book. A twisted but involving novel, inticing you through the detailed metaphisical world of the Imperium. Please get hold of this book and read it with glee.