I recently finished reading:
and I want to talk about it.
This standalone novel set in the Warhammer 40.000 (40k) universe is written by Robert Rath, and is set in the most recent timeline in 40k.
Three assassins are sent to a Knight world, a planet ruled by two noble houses, where the nobles pilot huge bipedal war machines, called Knights. Their job is to kill the current High Monarch before he secedes from the Imperium of Man, while causing as little damage as possible and steering the election of a new High Monarch in a way favorable to the Imperium. This seems at first to be an impossible task, but the characters aren't just deadly in combat, they are smart.
From the start, Rath sets up believable and compelling characters that are easy to like. Not a small task since Imperial Assassins are a truly brutal bunch. He also weaves in many elements that might come into play later, but in such a way, that you don't notice them. There is a theater concept called Chekov's Gun, that states that if you show the audience a gun, it has to be used at some point in the play. Rath manages to hide his Chekov's Guns amongst the rich details of this book all without overloading you with details. A hard task many authors fail at, but Rath pulls off with aplomb.
I have read a lot of novels set in the 40k universe, ranging from very good to completely abysmal, and I can confidently say that Assassinorum. Kingmaker is up there with the best. Many fans recommend the famous Eisenhorn Trilogy as the best place for a completely new reader to start, and I don't disagree, but after finishing with Eisenhorn, I highly recommend Assassinorum: Kingmaker.
A lot of the books in 40k are understandable focused on war, with the setting originally being just a tabletop war game, and this can be a bit boring for those who are just getting into Warhammer. What both Eisenhorn and Assassinorum: Kingmaker do so well is skirt around most of the battle stuff and instead show you what sits behind all the warring, in the cultures, the worlds and everything else that happens in the setting before and on the side of the battles.
All in all, Assassinorum: Kingmaker is an exciting book that never gets dull or bogged down, is always on point and constantly managed to surprise me even though I've been a Warhammer fan since the late 1980's. It felt fresh and fun all throughout.
If you are a fan of 40k and you haven't given Assassinorum: Kingmaker a chance, you are doing yourself a disservice, it really is that good. I wish I could tell you more about it, but that would spoil it and it doesn't deserve that.
That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!
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