Synopsis
Book 1 of the Dark Imperium trilogy
The first phase of the Indomitus Crusade is over, and the conquering primarch, Roboute Guilliman, sets his sights on home. The hordes of his traitorous brother, Mortarion, march on Ultramar, and only Guilliman can hope to thwart their schemes with his Primaris Space Marine armies.
READ IT BECAUSE
Experience the beginning of the Plague Wars, as the Imperium’s lord regent fights to reclaim his home from the Death Guard and their daemonic allies.
THE STORY
Fell times have come to the galaxy. Cadia has fallen, destroyed by the onslaught of Chaos. A Great Rift in the warp has opened, and from its depths spew daemons and the horrors of Old Night.
But all hope is not lost… A hero, long absent, has returned, and with him comes the wrath of the Ultramarines reborn. Roboute Guilliman has arisen to lead the Imperium out of darkness on a crusade the likes of which has not been seen since the fabled days of the Emperor.
But never before have the forces of Ruin amassed in such numbers, and nowhere is safe from despoliation. From the dreaded Scourge Stars come the hordes of the Plaguefather, Lord Nurgle, and their pustulent eye is fixed on Macragge. As the Indomitus Crusade rages on, Guilliman races to Ultramar and a confrontation with the Death Guard.
Review
DARK IMPERIUM by Guy Haley is the first book of a trilogy set after the Indominatus Crusade event detailed in both the Warhammer 40K tabletop game as well as the Dawn of Fire book series. It is a trilogy detailing the Plague Wars where Primarch Roboute Guilliman faces off the Imperium of Mankind against the forces of the Chaos God Nurgle as well as the Traitor Marine Primarch, Motarion. If none of these names mean anything to you then this is probably not the book series for you. This is a series where the more you know about things like the Horus Heresy, the more you will enjoy the work.
Dark Imperium is fundamentally three separate perspectives on the same event: Guilliam is attempting to rebuild the Imperium from the ground up but is stuck dealing with a backward, superstitious, and frequently stupid population that reveres him as a god. Unfortunately, for Guilliman, their belief in his divinity is the only reason he has any power at all and undercutting that would mean his cause was doomed. We also have the perspective of those fighting on the ground against Nurgle’s forces who survive or die based on the whims of fate. Thirdly, we have Motarion, who hates the fact he must use magic as well as miracles to beat his brother but is stuck with the bizarre Addams Family-esque grotesques that make up Nurgle’s inner circle.
Dark Imperium‘s quality is somewhat varied because some of the perspectives in the book are more interesting than others. A large chunk of the book is devoted to battle scenes where Space Marines and Imperial Guardsman are fighting against the zombie-esque hordes of Chaos. These aren’t really engaging and feel like someone is transcribing their Darktide video game sessions. However, these are right next to the fascinating scenes from Guilliman’s perspective as he attempts to navigate his complicated feelings regarding both his father as well as religion.
My favorite character in Dark Imperium is Mathieu, who is a priest of the Ecclesiarchy that Guilliman believes is saner than most of their kind. That doesn’t mean that Mathieu doesn’t believe in the God Emperor, though, and Guilliman fundamentally underestimates the man because of his disdainful attitude toward religion. He’s a character I am very eager to see more development for in future books because he’s an ordinary human surrounded by gods.
The perspective of Chaos is something I have mixed feelings on with the fact that Nurgle’s band of followers tend to be weird and hilarious like Muppets that kill billions. They’re a kooky family of oddballs except for Motarion that refuses to acknowledge he’s among a bunch of deranged weirdos. It’s amusing to read about but doesn’t really lend the forces of Chaos much in the way of terror. Sort of like how Orks are best treated seriously when they are the primary antagonists of a novel.
In conclusion, Dark Imperium is a fun but flawed novel. The best parts are ones that deal with questions of religion, the Emperor’s divinity, and the fact that a person who knows someone else as family (like Guilliman) might have to deal with someone who knows them as a hero (like Mathieu). Unfortunately, the military aspects are disjointed and the forces of Nurgle lack the intimidation they really need.
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