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Warhammer 40,000
Knights of the Imperium
The swarms of Hive Fleet Hydra descend upon the world of Vondrak, and the Knights of Cadmus answer the call to war. Baron Roland of Cadmus seeks to throw off the yoke of Adeptus Mechanicus control, but the lords of the Red Planet do not easily relinquish their vassals, and they will do anything to ensure that Cadmus remains bound to Mars. With the fate of Vondrak at stake and the designs of a feared Martian adept upon them, can the Knights of the Imperium survive long enough to repel the hated xenos?
An Imperial Knights eBook by Graham McNeill.
An Imperial Knights eBook by Graham McNeill.
- GenresScience Fiction40k
128 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2014
8 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Graham McNeill
339 books903 followersHailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in surveying to work for Games Workshop as a games designer. He has a strong following with his novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar, Dead Sky, Black Sun and Storm of Iron.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 13, 2025
The machinations of the Mecanicus make for a good story, but the split narrative with changes of subject (first or third person) is disconcerting and unjustified.
In the end, it's nice to see that the consorts (the knights' wives) aren't just mere trophy wives and are far more powerful than you might think.
In the end, it's nice to see that the consorts (the knights' wives) aren't just mere trophy wives and are far more powerful than you might think.
June 14, 2014
Imperial Knights! Larger than dreadnoughts housing the remains of fallen space marines too wounded to live, too precious to die! Smaller than titans fielded by the Adeptus Mechanicus' Collegia Titanica! Knights first showed up in the Horus Heresy game and were featured in the author's HH book, Mechanicum. The knights in that book were so well received, the Black Library asked McNeill to write the tie-in coinciding w/ the release of Codex: Imperial Knights.
House Cadmus is free of the Mechanicus, as free as any organization can be in the 41st millennium, and the Adeptus Mechanicus leadership is not amused. They want not only full control of those glorious war machines, but the bended knees of their proud pilots. They invite the Cadmus knights to the forgeworld of Vondrak, hoping to trick them into re-accepting Mechanicus leadership. Vondrak, you see, is under attack by the Tyranid. For the Imperium, there is no such thing as a stalemate against the all-consuming swarm; it's victory at any cost or extinction. What better time for political backstabbing?
The fighting is intense enough to please any Warhammer fan. One sneak attack ends w/ the most apt description of any 40k fight: "‘Bloody hell,’ he said. ‘They'll call this a victory.’"
I've whined before that women in 40k are too often either witches or victims. (If Sisters of Battle, sometimes both!) Weird to see women who are basically trophy wives, don't carry guns, yet their behind the scene machinations are critical to the plot. My favorite was, obviously, the blogger. No, there's no internet in the grim, dark future, but that doesn't stop her!
All Warhammer fluff is tie-ins for the miniatures games. That's unavoidable. But Knights of the Imperium is the most tie-in tie-in I've yet to see. What happens next? It seems inconceivable that McNeill put all this time and effort into developing the characters only to never depict House Cadmus' next grand sortie. If not those pampered aristocrats, then at least the questing knight Tellerus! Perhaps I simply don't know what that word means...
--
When it's not an omnibus edition, I prefer ebooks because it's easier to lug around a Nook than some of these monstrosities. As usual, the formatting of this ebook was horrendous. I noticed when the POV switched because the different characters have different worldviews... and sometimes I had to go back and re-read a few pages because I wasn't sure.
I mention this because the Black Library emailed me a copy of The Wolf of Ash and Fire, also by Graham McNeill. This short story was a reward for pre-ordering Macragge's Honour. It is gorgeous. I'm not just talking about the story, a vision of a shining future where The Emperor of Man and his son Horus fight side-by-side against the lush menace of Orks in space. But this ebook was clearly formatted w/ e-readers in mind! As always, words fail me, but the difference is night and day.
Why is the Black Library so bad at formatting ebooks? Doesn't anyone look at this before it goes to press? WAAAAAAUGH!
House Cadmus is free of the Mechanicus, as free as any organization can be in the 41st millennium, and the Adeptus Mechanicus leadership is not amused. They want not only full control of those glorious war machines, but the bended knees of their proud pilots. They invite the Cadmus knights to the forgeworld of Vondrak, hoping to trick them into re-accepting Mechanicus leadership. Vondrak, you see, is under attack by the Tyranid. For the Imperium, there is no such thing as a stalemate against the all-consuming swarm; it's victory at any cost or extinction. What better time for political backstabbing?
The fighting is intense enough to please any Warhammer fan. One sneak attack ends w/ the most apt description of any 40k fight: "‘Bloody hell,’ he said. ‘They'll call this a victory.’"
I've whined before that women in 40k are too often either witches or victims. (If Sisters of Battle, sometimes both!) Weird to see women who are basically trophy wives, don't carry guns, yet their behind the scene machinations are critical to the plot. My favorite was, obviously, the blogger. No, there's no internet in the grim, dark future, but that doesn't stop her!
All Warhammer fluff is tie-ins for the miniatures games. That's unavoidable. But Knights of the Imperium is the most tie-in tie-in I've yet to see. What happens next? It seems inconceivable that McNeill put all this time and effort into developing the characters only to never depict House Cadmus' next grand sortie. If not those pampered aristocrats, then at least the questing knight Tellerus! Perhaps I simply don't know what that word means...
--
When it's not an omnibus edition, I prefer ebooks because it's easier to lug around a Nook than some of these monstrosities. As usual, the formatting of this ebook was horrendous. I noticed when the POV switched because the different characters have different worldviews... and sometimes I had to go back and re-read a few pages because I wasn't sure.
I mention this because the Black Library emailed me a copy of The Wolf of Ash and Fire, also by Graham McNeill. This short story was a reward for pre-ordering Macragge's Honour. It is gorgeous. I'm not just talking about the story, a vision of a shining future where The Emperor of Man and his son Horus fight side-by-side against the lush menace of Orks in space. But this ebook was clearly formatted w/ e-readers in mind! As always, words fail me, but the difference is night and day.
Why is the Black Library so bad at formatting ebooks? Doesn't anyone look at this before it goes to press? WAAAAAAUGH!
May 10, 2014
Released to tie in with the cool new knight miniatures from Games Workshop, Knights of the Imperium is a brand new novella by Graham McNeill, who given his track record with Heresy-era knights (Mechanicum) and the Mechanicus (the ‘…of Mars’ series) was surely the only author ever in the frame to write this book.
For the full review visit http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...
For the full review visit http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...
May 26, 2019
Likes:
I'm very fond of the Imperial Knights as a faction, so this got some free bonus points from me just on that.
I liked that we got at least one chapter from the viewpoint of the Schola Progena teacher and his surviving students .
I liked that the consorts got a rather crucial role to play instead of being relegated to just accessories.
I liked the Mechanicus data-proctor; that was a very interesting take on what the Mechanicus' version of a covert/black ops operative would look like.
I thought the reveal on Sir was good.
BADASS KNIGHT ACTION PEW PEW PEW BOOOOM
Dislikes:
While I liked the contributions of the consorts and , I was much less a fan of the extremely gendered roles assigned to everyone. I get that the Knights are supposed to be a traditionally-minded faction even by the standards of 40K so I understand why the author would take that approach here (and ), but I can't see a reason why "tradition" in the far future ought necessarily to look the same way as it does now and I just don't personally care much for this trope in general.
Regarding the Progena teacher and his students, I would have liked a bit more considering the role they played.
Verdict:
Four stars worth of PEW PEW PEW BOOOOOM
I'm very fond of the Imperial Knights as a faction, so this got some free bonus points from me just on that.
I liked that we got at least one chapter from the viewpoint of the Schola Progena teacher and his surviving students .
I liked that the consorts got a rather crucial role to play instead of being relegated to just accessories.
I liked the Mechanicus data-proctor; that was a very interesting take on what the Mechanicus' version of a covert/black ops operative would look like.
I thought the reveal on Sir was good.
BADASS KNIGHT ACTION PEW PEW PEW BOOOOM
Dislikes:
While I liked the contributions of the consorts and , I was much less a fan of the extremely gendered roles assigned to everyone. I get that the Knights are supposed to be a traditionally-minded faction even by the standards of 40K so I understand why the author would take that approach here (and ), but I can't see a reason why "tradition" in the far future ought necessarily to look the same way as it does now and I just don't personally care much for this trope in general.
Regarding the Progena teacher and his students, I would have liked a bit more considering the role they played.
Verdict:
Four stars worth of PEW PEW PEW BOOOOOM
June 11, 2018
I've never read a book that switches narration perspectives three times on one page before. It switched from third person omniscient to first person, then second and then back to a third person.... Is that even allowed? Isn't that illegal?? Did the editor miss something or were they just trying to be artsy??? I felt my brain expand against my skull as my knowledge of literary rules was tested to breaking point!
Despite this, the rest of the narrative seems to behave itself and the story is entertaining albeit only in a simple way. Knights of the Imperium shares a lot of similarities with the film Mad Max Fury Road; in that its a simple action packed adventure from point A to point B then back to point A again.... In high powered machinery!
McNeil gives a nice introduction of the noble Knights of the Imperium; showcasing their culture, their customs and their quirks. There is a small layer of mystery regarding a lone survivor of another Knightly Order and it is interesting to see how our heroes interact with a fellow and mysterious Knight in the face of an alien invasion.
An enjoyable novella albeit only recommendable for those looking for a simple Sci-fi action story, or for those who are curious about galactic Knightly Order's.
A 3 out of 5
Despite this, the rest of the narrative seems to behave itself and the story is entertaining albeit only in a simple way. Knights of the Imperium shares a lot of similarities with the film Mad Max Fury Road; in that its a simple action packed adventure from point A to point B then back to point A again.... In high powered machinery!
McNeil gives a nice introduction of the noble Knights of the Imperium; showcasing their culture, their customs and their quirks. There is a small layer of mystery regarding a lone survivor of another Knightly Order and it is interesting to see how our heroes interact with a fellow and mysterious Knight in the face of an alien invasion.
An enjoyable novella albeit only recommendable for those looking for a simple Sci-fi action story, or for those who are curious about galactic Knightly Order's.
A 3 out of 5
February 21, 2020
It has giant robot knights. What more do you want?
Ok, seriously as a WH40K novella it's not a bad introduction to the world of Imperial Knights. McNeill's prose works, but majority of it comes across as feeling quite boilerplate and the typical phrases that you'll read throughout other 40K works come across here in droves. There's some interesting errors as well, especially with the patterns of Knights they use. For instance why does Roland's Lancer have a relic blade? The world may never know. Some slight errors aside, this is a very fun, pulpy ride that amazingly still captures the vulnerability of everyone in the 40K universe, even those who are in GIANT ROBOT KNIGHTS.
Ok, seriously as a WH40K novella it's not a bad introduction to the world of Imperial Knights. McNeill's prose works, but majority of it comes across as feeling quite boilerplate and the typical phrases that you'll read throughout other 40K works come across here in droves. There's some interesting errors as well, especially with the patterns of Knights they use. For instance why does Roland's Lancer have a relic blade? The world may never know. Some slight errors aside, this is a very fun, pulpy ride that amazingly still captures the vulnerability of everyone in the 40K universe, even those who are in GIANT ROBOT KNIGHTS.
July 9, 2014
I admit, I have been waiting for McNeill to write more Knight fiction since first reading his novel Mechanicum. The Knights have always been of interest to me from the first moment I picked up an extremely old copy of Game Workshop's table top wargame Epic. (Not to mention a love of MechWarrior at the time) There was something about the imagery of these giant mechs that captivated me in a way no anime mecha did.
McNeill has done an amazing job with Knights of the Imperium and though not quite long enough to be a novel, and a bit too long to be a short story, I found this story to have the right amount of action and intrigue to keep me reading.
There are certain things that McNeill does extremely well with this story. Using multiple Knight houses to showcase their different beliefs/traditions. Having a Freeblade to show just what that means and the mysteries they may carry. Playing upon the differences of the Priests of Mars and Holy Terra, something that only seems to really come up in stories about the Mechanicus. With the Knights striding both of these worlds, they are the perfect medium to present the rivalry between these factions.
The prime antagonist within this story was also unique, something I had yet to come across within 40k literature. I thought McNeill presented something that was in its own right fairly terrifying in its ability to move around unseen. Add in the inner conflicts of the Knight house, and there's plenty to keep a ready interested.
One thing that I thought was weird was the switching between first person and third person throughout the story. Not only that, it often felt as if the first person parts were being written in present tense while the third person points were written in past tense. (this may not be the case in regards to the tense as I only noticed it later on) Still, the switch between first and third is something that has gained a fair bit of popularity as of late and may take a bit to get used to. Within the case of this story, though handled well, I feel that maybe the story would have worked better in third person.
McNeill has written an exciting, action and intrigue filled story that showcases the Imperial Knights better than a lot of Black Library fiction has done for other past releases. If you have been a fan of the Knights in Epic, then I suggest you pick up this tale. It's got everything a story needs and I was never let down once during it. Definitely worth reading.
McNeill has done an amazing job with Knights of the Imperium and though not quite long enough to be a novel, and a bit too long to be a short story, I found this story to have the right amount of action and intrigue to keep me reading.
There are certain things that McNeill does extremely well with this story. Using multiple Knight houses to showcase their different beliefs/traditions. Having a Freeblade to show just what that means and the mysteries they may carry. Playing upon the differences of the Priests of Mars and Holy Terra, something that only seems to really come up in stories about the Mechanicus. With the Knights striding both of these worlds, they are the perfect medium to present the rivalry between these factions.
The prime antagonist within this story was also unique, something I had yet to come across within 40k literature. I thought McNeill presented something that was in its own right fairly terrifying in its ability to move around unseen. Add in the inner conflicts of the Knight house, and there's plenty to keep a ready interested.
One thing that I thought was weird was the switching between first person and third person throughout the story. Not only that, it often felt as if the first person parts were being written in present tense while the third person points were written in past tense. (this may not be the case in regards to the tense as I only noticed it later on) Still, the switch between first and third is something that has gained a fair bit of popularity as of late and may take a bit to get used to. Within the case of this story, though handled well, I feel that maybe the story would have worked better in third person.
McNeill has written an exciting, action and intrigue filled story that showcases the Imperial Knights better than a lot of Black Library fiction has done for other past releases. If you have been a fan of the Knights in Epic, then I suggest you pick up this tale. It's got everything a story needs and I was never let down once during it. Definitely worth reading.
March 17, 2014
Ultimately disappointing. Too short to be a proper novel, too long to be a short story the book doesn't know what it wants to be. If it had had the page count to explore the characters and the politics that are set up it would have been so much better. The action scenes were also a let down, the Knights are too powerful against the smaller Tyranids and the larger beasts are dealt with quickly. Left me wanting a bigger, better bad guy
January 8, 2016
The book covers House Cadmus switching it's allegiance from the Adeptus Mechanicus to the Imperium. This book is quite a bit different from other Warhammer 40,000 books. Instead of characters going in guns a-blazing there was quite a bit of political maneuvering on both sides. The villains were believable, the battle scenes were epic, and I really liked what they did with the Tellurus character.
A bit short but overall great. :)
A bit short but overall great. :)
March 25, 2014
A good short introduction to the honour bound world of the Knights. Baron Roland of House Cadmus, recently free from long service to the Mechanicus, comes to their aid in fighting Tyranids. The characters were fun, the plot a fun predictable read and the Tyranids very underwhelming.
June 10, 2015
Solid read. The Knights of the Imperium are interesting concept, although less cool than the Space Marines. McNeill has weaved an interesting plot around them, the mages from the Mechanicum and the ever threatening Tyranid hives.
April 27, 2014
Abrupt ending but quite a good story overall. The Knightly Orders are amongst my favorite factions and it is great to see them in the limelight.
December 19, 2024
I'm not a rgular reader of sci-fi and 40k books but this one, I really enjoyed. A truly feudal faction from 40k with unique history and lore. Highly recommended.
July 16, 2014
'House Cadmus will ride again' Soon, please!
April 5, 2017
Knights of the Imperium by Graham McNeill is an action packed narrative about the revered Imperial Knight of House Cadmus and their loyalties to their previous masters the Adeptus mechanicus.
It's almost a short story by the say 128 pages long, have the length of a novel but twice as long as a short story. It's actually an easy read, I was done in hours! I do really recommend it.
Spoiler Alert
House Cadmus recently sever ties with the adeptus mechanicus - taking the cog out of their heraldry with the tragic loss of Gryphonne IV to Hive Fleet Leviathan - to ride free in the Emperor's name. The mechanicum disagree with such decision since such action can stir other knightly houses to forsake the cog, an unacceptable course. Measures are taken and loyalties tested. With the main force of imperial knights engaged with a rescue mission of a binary saint, the concubines and wife of these brave knights are forced to play a game of cat and mouse in deadly politics of the martian synod where blood and flesh is culled by the thousands. Will they survive or shall House Cadmus fall into obscurity?
Read it Because
It´s an epic tale with human riding war machines against a horde of tyranids biocontructs. Its tone reflect some sort medieval organization where chivalry and honor are the apex of human achievements. For those that know about the warhammer fantasy world, only one word I left you, Bretonnia. Heavy politics with cunning housewifes are in play with a contradictory semblance to the phrase "Mechanicum never deletes anything." So do they?
Thing is its a very satisfying book easy to ready with enough action and cunning to keep you in till the end. Severely recommended.
It's almost a short story by the say 128 pages long, have the length of a novel but twice as long as a short story. It's actually an easy read, I was done in hours! I do really recommend it.
Spoiler Alert
House Cadmus recently sever ties with the adeptus mechanicus - taking the cog out of their heraldry with the tragic loss of Gryphonne IV to Hive Fleet Leviathan - to ride free in the Emperor's name. The mechanicum disagree with such decision since such action can stir other knightly houses to forsake the cog, an unacceptable course. Measures are taken and loyalties tested. With the main force of imperial knights engaged with a rescue mission of a binary saint, the concubines and wife of these brave knights are forced to play a game of cat and mouse in deadly politics of the martian synod where blood and flesh is culled by the thousands. Will they survive or shall House Cadmus fall into obscurity?
Read it Because
It´s an epic tale with human riding war machines against a horde of tyranids biocontructs. Its tone reflect some sort medieval organization where chivalry and honor are the apex of human achievements. For those that know about the warhammer fantasy world, only one word I left you, Bretonnia. Heavy politics with cunning housewifes are in play with a contradictory semblance to the phrase "Mechanicum never deletes anything." So do they?
Thing is its a very satisfying book easy to ready with enough action and cunning to keep you in till the end. Severely recommended.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews