Thursday, April 1, 2010

Book Review: Soul Hunter

I for one am really pleased with one of the Black Library's recent additions to their team, Aaron Dembski-Bowden. This is the guy that is going to be picking up the role of flagship 40k author as Graham and Dan slow down. He is a great story teller, and his second book, the Night Lords novel Soul Hunter is definitely a must read.
The book follows a Warband of Night Lords Chaos Space Marines and their involvement in Abaddon's preperations for the 13th Black Crusade. It particularly focuses on 10th Company 1st Claw and its leader/company prophet, Talos. Talos is an old school Night Lord, wary of the ways of Chaos and a dedicated son of Konrad Curze.

What is really cool is the involvement of the mortal crew of the Night Lord strike cruiser Covenant of Blood. Septimus is Talos' man-slave and artificer, but is treated with a measure of respect that one would not expect from the Night Lords. While they would kill him without hesitation if he did something wrong, he is treated very much like a chapter serf for a loyalist chapter would be by Talos.

The use of Septimus, as well as the tension between the Astartes of 10th company, particularly Talos and the company leader, The Exalted (Possessed), show the contradictory nature of the remaining Night Lords. You have some try and live to serve only Curze and the long war against the Imperium, and others that are giving into the ways of the Chaos gods. Ultimately though, they are still Brothers, united by a desire to bring fear to the servants of the False Emperor.

I give Soul Hunter 5 out of 5 Aquillas.