Assassinorum Kingmaker (Warhammer 40,000)

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I also need to highlight the character of Sir Linoleus Rakkan, a noble of Dominion who is co-opted into the plans to kill the high monarch and becomes a member of the assassin team. At the start of the book, he is introduced as an ambitious pilot attempting to raise his fortunes. However, after nearly being killed, he becomes a mercenary Freeblade, fighting against the forces of Chaos, before being kidnapped by the assassins. Initially a depressed prisoner who relies heavily on drink to mask his emotional pain and the issues surrounding his disabled legs, the assassins manage to convince him to help Sycorax impersonate him on Dominion and use his return to gain access to the court. Due to being a son of both the rival Stryder and Rau houses, Rakkan provides some great insights into both houses and the royal court, as well providing instruction on how to pilot a Knight. It was a lot of fun to see Rakkan’s reactions to many of the early events of the book, especially as he is forced to watch himself being impersonated, providing information to help them pull off the charade. While Rath could have left Rakkan as a useful, one-note character, he instead spent a good portion of the novel evolving Rakkan and ensuring that he ended up being a key part of the plot. Not only does he mature greatly after witnessing some of the key moments of the mission and Sycorax’s impersonation of him, but Rath also dives into his past and the connection he has to his father, a Dominion hero whose glorious death Rakkan continually witnesses due to his connection to Jester, which his father died in. This obsession with his family and the past eventually leads him to some big revelations in the present, and he ends up having some major and exciting moments in the last half of the novel. Rakkan ended up being one of the most complex and entertaining characters in Kingmaker, and I really appreciate the excellent way in which the author developed him. Each temple is led by an official known as a "director primus" while the Officio Assassinorum as a whole is led by the Imperium's grand master of assassins.

Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath | Goodreads

With the commander of an enemy force suddenly slain, the balance of the battle can be skewed dramatically in favour of the Imperium. Also audiobook adaptation is amazing. If you are fan of audiobooks, go for it, narrator is amazing and there's a fantastic voice acting right there. But the big problem is the quite frankly insane amount of exposition. I don't know where Robert Rath learned creative writing, but they must've taught him that you need a lot of it and told it in a way that's pretty dry. I'm one of those weirdos who can enjoy exposition, but even for me, it's too far.

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The battles feel weighty and feasible (as much as anything in 40k). The final conflict is really meaty. This Knight-pilot interactions are great at showing how weird machines are in that world. The methods of the Callidus Assassin are those of utmost cunning and duplicity. They are sometimes used on missions where overt interference by the Imperium would upset the intricate balance of power maintained by the High Lords of Terra. It is quite possible for a Callidus operative to complete their task without the enemy force in question knowing they have been there at all. However, as the tumultuous times of the 41st Millennium draw to a close, the Callidus Temple is making its presence felt upon the fields of battle more so than ever. So all-in-all, great read: fast-paced espionage thriller with fun characters that evokes certain genre tones/atmosphere whilst integrating it into a 40k tapestry.

Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath - Audiobook - Audible UK Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath - Audiobook - Audible UK

An organisation chart showing how the Officio Assassinorum is organised beneath the Administratum. Note that the Venenum Temple and the Vanus Temple are classified on this chart. The Renegade Maerorus Temple is not shown as it is no longer in existence. And many Easter Eggs inbetween, like Imperial Knights (Rakkan, Hawthorn) naming thier dogs after Imperial Guard heroes:Orikan heard legs scraping in the scarab vents. Interstitial messages alerted him that a scarab swarm and two wraiths were reporting in as inoperable. The techniques that the Callidus Temple uses to bring down its targets are many and diverse, and can go far beyond that of simply killing the perpetrator. The Callidus Temple undertakes many covert operations that may involve an Assassin infiltrating an enemy civilisation for solar weeks, months or even standard years. The assassin parts: it's well thought out and well written. A lot of variety, and not just because we have three Temples present. Clever solutions, creative plans, good utilization of everyone's abilities. The personalities seem to be within the boundaries of what a highly trained, brainwashd, and augmented professional could have, but still show enough individuality. Apart from Raithe, there is also a lot of focus on Sycorax, a Callidus assassin who specialises in infiltration and whose enhanced abilities allow her to morph her shape. Due to her role impersonating Rakkan for most of the novel, Sycorax is one of the most significant characters in the book, and she ends up with some thrilling and intrigue laden sequences. Watching her take on multiple personalities throughout the novel is really cool, and it was captivating to watch her more elaborate methods strongly clash with Raithe’s more direct attempts throughout the book. Sycorax also provides the reader with some of the best and most intense insights into being an Imperial Knight pilot, as she is required to bond with Rakkan’s Knight Jester for much of the book. Seeing an outsider character interact with Jester’s mind, which contains the spirits of its previous riders, was extremely fascinating, and you get a good sense of the difficulties and insanities involved with piloting such a machine. In addition, the experiences and memories she obtained from the link impacted on Sycorax’s psyche and ensure that she gets some fantastic interactions with Rakkan, while also gaining a better understanding of the people and machines she is trying to manipulate. Civilisation’ is applied as equally to a coral reef as it is the Imperium by Trazyn, fundamentally there is little difference between the two for him- all impermanent, all interesting but ultimately of a lesser status than him. The hierarchies of the Necrontyr still haunt the Necron psyche, it’s no wonder that they place themselves so far above the galaxy’s other species. Trazyn, for all of this distance, is keen to learn from what he encounters- his arrogance is of a different kind to the one we usually encounter in 40k. Orikan, I’m contrast, professes to look down upon others- on seeing a human cafe, his response is “This is ridiculous. Standing here among these biologicals, pretending to be their equals. Watching them gargle bean water down their oesophagi, swilling it through their fatty insides. It makes one ill.”- but how much of that is jealousy? Trazyn bemoans the loss of Necrontyr music, Orikan responds with a defence of their replacement, algorithm chants. Music can evoke long-lost places and music, whereas these chants can reshape time. Both believe their preference to be superior, and, I suppose, they are both right.

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The Knight World of Dominion is on the verge of seceding from the Imperium, its court riven by factions and ruled over by an increasingly unhinged monarch. After recruiting the shape-shifting Callidus assassin Sycorax, Raithe must remove the king and safely steer a pro-Imperial candidate to the throne through the ensuing succession crisis. His team will need to infiltrate a world steeped in blood feuds, plots, and chivalric codes, where every move risks discovery, and every threat pilots an adamantine monster... for if the assassins fail, and Dominion falls, the entire sector will be plunged into chaos. [1] See also Since 2018 he's served as Head Writer of the animated YouTube show Extra History, where his scripts have attracted over 150 million views Explore a story told across the millennia that delves deep into a pair of fascinating necron characters, their relationship and their plans for the galaxy.

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In time, these servants realised that they could not hide from even their own deaths forever, and that their skills must be passed on to a new generation if their great work was to continue. Thus, they finally revealed their existence to the Emperor. He saw, sorrowfully, the necessity for their existence and the terrible duty that they had taken upon themselves and he was most pleased. Great temples were constructed and the most skillful and deadly youths were sought out to train at them. Thus was the Officio Assassinorum created in secret, and the names of Callidus, Venenum, Culexus, Vindicare, Eversor and Vanus were forever immortalised. The strongest survived their rigorous training, and in turn passed on their skills to others. New skills were learnt and new temples of death were later founded; the art of blade and pistol, poison and garrote were honed in every aspect conceivable. So it is that there is no world in the galaxy beyond the Emperor's rule; no enemy beyond the Emperor's wrath. Culexus Assassins are true terrors because they have, or appear to have, no presence in the Warp -– in its place, there is simply a void. They are, to all intents and purposes, soulless. The Blinded Seer (452.M34) - A Culexus Assassin is sent to claim the head of the manipulative Farseer Lithandros-Esmanthil. The Eldar senses the threat and scries the skeins of fate accordingly, but is increasingly alarmed to find he is unable to locate the thread corresponding to his pursuer. After a long and terrifying hunt, the Assassin ambushes his prey in the lonely halls of Saim-Hann's Dome of Reflection. Rendered psychically inert and driven to exhaustion by the chase, Lithandros-Esmanthil gives himself up to the sinister violence that follows.Eversor Assassins are primarily used against rebels who have plans to move against the Imperium with a large armed force. When the long, grinding war of attrition that is the Astra Militarum's forte is ruled out -- perhaps because it is likely to leave a valuable planet ravaged -- the High Lords will sometimes sanction the use of an Eversor Assassin. Before the being called the Emperor revealed Himself, before the rise of the aeldari, before the necrontyr traded their flesh for immortal metal, the world was born in violence. The story essentially devolves into all-out war for its last quarter, as the protagonists find themselves facing enemies all around, and all four main characters are forced go in some amazing directions at this point as they attempt to stymie the damage before them, with varying degrees of success. Rath really pulls out all the stops here, and the reader is dragged into non-stop action on every front, from a mass of deadly mecha fights, close combat against abominations in the bowels of an ancient castle, and an intense gun fight against overwhelming numbers. At the same time, there are a ton of big revelations occurring here as a lot of the storylines Rath has been patiently setting up throughout the rest of Kingmaker finally come to fruition. I honestly did not notice some of the clues that Rath set out in the earlier stages of the novel, but once you realise what he has done, it really becomes apparent how much detail and planning the author put into the story. Everything comes together extremely well at the very end, and Rath wraps up most of the storylines perfectly, leaving the reader very, very satisfied, with all their action needs firmly quenched. However, he also leaves a couple of storylines opened, which could potentially lead to some form of sequel in the future, which I would be very excited for. An, epic story with so much going for it!