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Space Marine Battles #13
Pandorax
In the Pandorax System, on the death world of Pythos, an ancient secret that has laid buried for millennia has been unearthed… Ignorant of this terror, troopers of the Catachan 183rd, stranded on Pythos and under the command of Colonel ‘Death’ Strike, find themselves under attack by the forces of Chaos. Daemons in their thousands flock the sky, and none other than Warmaster Abaddon leads the attack. With the Death Guard and Black Legion arrayed against them, the Catachans appear to be doomed, until salvation arrives in the form of the entire Dark Angels Chapter, led by Master Azrael and a host of heroes. But what is the so-called ‘Damnation Cache’? What secrets does it harbour and why has it also attracted the attention of the daemon-hunting Grey Knights?
As well as being one of the most brutal conflicts of the Warhammer 40,000 settings, Pandorax also features some of the 41st Millennium's most recognisable heroes and villains, such as Azrael of the Dark Angels, Grand Master Draigo of the Grey Knights, Colonel Iron Hand Straken of Catachans and even Warmaster Abaddon of the Black Legion. Horus Heresy fans will also find links to the novel The Damnation of Pythos set a full 10,000 years earlier. Finally — there's loveable Jokaero space-ape that drives a tank. That's got to be worth a read?
This Premium Paperback edition of Pandorax contains a colour section with illustrations and maps, and will be available
As well as being one of the most brutal conflicts of the Warhammer 40,000 settings, Pandorax also features some of the 41st Millennium's most recognisable heroes and villains, such as Azrael of the Dark Angels, Grand Master Draigo of the Grey Knights, Colonel Iron Hand Straken of Catachans and even Warmaster Abaddon of the Black Legion. Horus Heresy fans will also find links to the novel The Damnation of Pythos set a full 10,000 years earlier. Finally — there's loveable Jokaero space-ape that drives a tank. That's got to be worth a read?
This Premium Paperback edition of Pandorax contains a colour section with illustrations and maps, and will be available
Paperback
First published November 1, 2013
29 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Christian Z. Dunn
140 books62 followersChristian Dunn, sometimes credited as C.Z. Dunn, is a senior editor for Black Library.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 29, 2019
A Space Marines Battles 90% bolter-porn action-packed novel, based on Warhammer 40000 5th edition Apocalypse rule-set allowing players to deploy massive armies (over 3000 points) and field units that are not available in normal Warhammer 40,000 games, such as large super-heavy tanks and war titans.
Result: we have Inquisitors and their retinues,
Surprisingly, it was far better than expected: an action-packed novel filled with 40k cheesiness, good characters, unexpected twists and a few nice references to the Horus Heresy saga.
A good pulp summer read if you are in the mood for a military sci-fi non-stop action 400+ pages long book.
November 11, 2013
The Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/11/...
“A, fast paced, solid & enthralling novel. Whilst it may not be perfect, CZ Dunn produces a solid debut book that will please long-term fans and relative newcomers alike. If you like action, then Pandorax may well be exactly what you need.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
In the Pandorax System, on the death world of Pythos, an ancient secret that has laid buried for millennia has been unearthed… Ignorant of this terror, troopers of the Catachan 183rd, stranded on Pythos and under the command of Colonel ‘Death’ Strike, find themselves under attack by the forces of Chaos. Daemons in their thousands flock the sky, and none other than Warmaster Abaddon leads the attack. With the Death Guard and Black Legion arrayed against them, the Catachans appear to be doomed, until salvation arrives in the form of the entire Dark Angels Chapter, led by Master Azrael and a host of heroes. But what is the so-called ‘Damnation Cache’? What secrets does it harbour and why has it also attracted the attention of the daemon-hunting Grey Knights?
I’ve been out of touch with the gaming side of Warhammer 40,000 since shortly before the release of the sixth edition. However – it appears that they’ve released heaps of new material since then including the 6th Edition version of the Apocalypse expansion set – designed for large scale wars, often featuring whole Chapters of Space Marines as opposed to a mere few squads and heavy vehicles. Of course, with a new Apocalypse series – there is the potential for a brand new tie-in series from Black Library, and what better to kick off procedurers with Pandorax, a novel based on the events that take place in the War Zone rulebook – Pandorax? Normally, as with Space Marine Battles series, I’d be coming into this novel knowing exactly what would happen next. I’d be fully aware of how the battle unfolds, but as I haven’t been buying Codexes lately, my reading has slipped further and further behind to an extent where I was coming into Pandorax completely fresh, preparing to be surprised by whatever this book could throw at me.
PandoraxThe biggest problem that I had with the Space Marine Battles novels was its predictability and that’s not the issue here. CZ Dunn crafts an engaging and interesting read, and gives him a promising and solid debut novel. Sure, the author has been around for ages with short stories and audio dramas, such as Malediction being a notable example. Overall, I’ve liked what Dunn can bring to the table and with Pandorax he certainly shows signs of being an author to watch out for, especially with a strong narrative hook and a well-written understanding sense of action, allowing him to engage the reader from the start and keep them hooked right the way through. Whilst yes, this novel may be virtually 90% action, making it equivalent to the latest Summer Blockbuster movie, Pandorax shies away from making the same mistakes that bogged down early Space Marine Battles novels by giving us fresh and engaging characters. Even Kaldor Draigo, who many people thought was too overpowered come his introduction with the 5th Edition Codex of the Grey Knights is made interesting in this book, as Dunn builds upon established lore to create a solid and well rounded character. Indeed, pretty much every major character is strong in Pandorax - Junior Inquisitor Tzula and Imperial Navy pilot Hagen are notable standouts – and amongst the Imperial Guard Catachans stationed on Pandorax, Colonel Strike was another fine addition. In fact, the only character who I didn’t really enjoy was Azrael, Grand Master of the Dark Angels Chapter – as with the vast amount of characters not all of them can be pulled off well and that was the case with Pandorax - Azrael ultimately suffers from being the result of one-too-many characters in one book - but I have hope that Dunn can remedy this with the Audio Drama, Trials of Azrael.
The action that you’ll find in Pandorax is among the finest that you’ll see in any book from Black Library – even something written by the likes of Dan Abnett and Aaron Dembski-Bowden. CZ Dunn employs a variety of sequences from a variety of participants, be they the lowliest Catachan Imperial Guardsman or the highest-ranking Dark Angel. I loved the many teases thrown in to the Horus Heresy series as well – so if you’re a fan of that series then Pandorax is something that’s certainly worth a look into. Whilst nothing obvious is revealed there’s certainly a few hints about where characters might have ended up. Whilst the Horus Heresy series isn’t required reading to understand what’s going on here it certainly helps provide a broader understanding.
If you’re looking for an engaging read that isn’t bogged down by being simply another bolter-porn novel in the vein of say, The Soul Drinkers series or most Space Marine Battles novels, then Pandorax is right up your street. Whilst yes, it may be another novel detailing the struggles of the Imperium against Chaos rather than exploring the lesser known elements of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe, Pandorax allows for a very entertaining read. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what else CZ Dunn can bring to the table. Whilst there may be a lack of focus on all the characters and the novel may suffer with too much stuff happening at once, you should still enjoy what you see here. Certainly worth checking out.
VERDICT: 4/5
“A, fast paced, solid & enthralling novel. Whilst it may not be perfect, CZ Dunn produces a solid debut book that will please long-term fans and relative newcomers alike. If you like action, then Pandorax may well be exactly what you need.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
In the Pandorax System, on the death world of Pythos, an ancient secret that has laid buried for millennia has been unearthed… Ignorant of this terror, troopers of the Catachan 183rd, stranded on Pythos and under the command of Colonel ‘Death’ Strike, find themselves under attack by the forces of Chaos. Daemons in their thousands flock the sky, and none other than Warmaster Abaddon leads the attack. With the Death Guard and Black Legion arrayed against them, the Catachans appear to be doomed, until salvation arrives in the form of the entire Dark Angels Chapter, led by Master Azrael and a host of heroes. But what is the so-called ‘Damnation Cache’? What secrets does it harbour and why has it also attracted the attention of the daemon-hunting Grey Knights?
I’ve been out of touch with the gaming side of Warhammer 40,000 since shortly before the release of the sixth edition. However – it appears that they’ve released heaps of new material since then including the 6th Edition version of the Apocalypse expansion set – designed for large scale wars, often featuring whole Chapters of Space Marines as opposed to a mere few squads and heavy vehicles. Of course, with a new Apocalypse series – there is the potential for a brand new tie-in series from Black Library, and what better to kick off procedurers with Pandorax, a novel based on the events that take place in the War Zone rulebook – Pandorax? Normally, as with Space Marine Battles series, I’d be coming into this novel knowing exactly what would happen next. I’d be fully aware of how the battle unfolds, but as I haven’t been buying Codexes lately, my reading has slipped further and further behind to an extent where I was coming into Pandorax completely fresh, preparing to be surprised by whatever this book could throw at me.
PandoraxThe biggest problem that I had with the Space Marine Battles novels was its predictability and that’s not the issue here. CZ Dunn crafts an engaging and interesting read, and gives him a promising and solid debut novel. Sure, the author has been around for ages with short stories and audio dramas, such as Malediction being a notable example. Overall, I’ve liked what Dunn can bring to the table and with Pandorax he certainly shows signs of being an author to watch out for, especially with a strong narrative hook and a well-written understanding sense of action, allowing him to engage the reader from the start and keep them hooked right the way through. Whilst yes, this novel may be virtually 90% action, making it equivalent to the latest Summer Blockbuster movie, Pandorax shies away from making the same mistakes that bogged down early Space Marine Battles novels by giving us fresh and engaging characters. Even Kaldor Draigo, who many people thought was too overpowered come his introduction with the 5th Edition Codex of the Grey Knights is made interesting in this book, as Dunn builds upon established lore to create a solid and well rounded character. Indeed, pretty much every major character is strong in Pandorax - Junior Inquisitor Tzula and Imperial Navy pilot Hagen are notable standouts – and amongst the Imperial Guard Catachans stationed on Pandorax, Colonel Strike was another fine addition. In fact, the only character who I didn’t really enjoy was Azrael, Grand Master of the Dark Angels Chapter – as with the vast amount of characters not all of them can be pulled off well and that was the case with Pandorax - Azrael ultimately suffers from being the result of one-too-many characters in one book - but I have hope that Dunn can remedy this with the Audio Drama, Trials of Azrael.
The action that you’ll find in Pandorax is among the finest that you’ll see in any book from Black Library – even something written by the likes of Dan Abnett and Aaron Dembski-Bowden. CZ Dunn employs a variety of sequences from a variety of participants, be they the lowliest Catachan Imperial Guardsman or the highest-ranking Dark Angel. I loved the many teases thrown in to the Horus Heresy series as well – so if you’re a fan of that series then Pandorax is something that’s certainly worth a look into. Whilst nothing obvious is revealed there’s certainly a few hints about where characters might have ended up. Whilst the Horus Heresy series isn’t required reading to understand what’s going on here it certainly helps provide a broader understanding.
If you’re looking for an engaging read that isn’t bogged down by being simply another bolter-porn novel in the vein of say, The Soul Drinkers series or most Space Marine Battles novels, then Pandorax is right up your street. Whilst yes, it may be another novel detailing the struggles of the Imperium against Chaos rather than exploring the lesser known elements of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe, Pandorax allows for a very entertaining read. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what else CZ Dunn can bring to the table. Whilst there may be a lack of focus on all the characters and the novel may suffer with too much stuff happening at once, you should still enjoy what you see here. Certainly worth checking out.
VERDICT: 4/5
November 5, 2013
You can read the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/11/...
Shadowhawk reviews the debut novel from BL editor C Z Dunn, the first in a new series of Apocalypse-themed novels.
“A solid debut effort that offers some really cool moments, has Horus Heresy revelations aplenty, and shines the light on a lot of non-Space Marine characters for a change.” ~Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields
Of late, my Black Library reading has been rather thin since I’ve been making an effort to read outside of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy all year. In fact, I doubt if I’ve read more than 10 novels from Black Library at all this year, and even that might be stretching things a bit. Of course, that is in a stark contrast to last year where I was reading at least two Black Library each month, sometimes as much as four even. So a lot’s changed. I’ve definitely become far more picky about which books to read, only getting those that really interest me, rather than just jumping in and expecting the best.
Pandorax is the first novel from Christian Dunn, who is an editor for Black Library and has been around for a long, long time. He’s done some short stories before, and even an audio or two, all as C Z Dunn, and this novel marks his entry into the long-form side of things. The novel was just released this weekend, so its a fairly new release and after having just finished it about an hour ago, I hope that the buzz for this is incredible. As I mention in my pull-quote up top, this is a fairly solid debut novel, aside from a few flaws, and I would love to see Christian writing more novels. Though I expect that will clash with his role as an editor. Still, a novel a year isn’t so bad I think.
This novel is termed as “an Apocalypse novel” and that leads me to believe that there will be more such novels in the future, akin to the Space Marine Battles novels, which are all one-shots under that branding. That would be a welcome thing, especially since it can open up the way to include more novels about the Imperial Guard and other branches of the Imperium that are not Space Marines.
Which brings me to one of the best things about this novel. The novel starts off with the introduction of an Inquisition team lead by Inquisitor Dinalt. It then progresses on to prominently showcase several troopers of the Catachan 183rd regiment that has been stranded on Pandorax for a few years, and then it goes on to feature Imperial Navy characters. Loyalist Space Marines, of the Dark Angels and the Grey Knights both, are not the main focus of the story, even though they feature prominently in the second half.
And Christian makes all these characters stand-out, even though the nature of the novel means that we sometimes don’t see them for significant periods. Characters like junior Inquisitor Tzula, the jokaero K’Cee, Imperial Navy pilot Hagen, and several members of the Catachan 183rd such as Colonel Strike and Piet Brigstone made for fun characters. They are all unknowns and that imparts a significant tension to their scenes, compared to the characters like Chapter Mater Azrael of the Dark Angels and Supreme Grand Master Draigo of the Grey Knights, who are significant characters in the Warhammer 40,000 background and thus cannot be… killed off. It robs their scenes of a certain amount of tension since you know they are going to be okay by the end, alive and well.
I can’t really recall when it was the last time that female characters had such prominent scenes in a Warhammer 40,000 novel. I mean sure, there’s Lisbeth Bequin in Dan Abnett’s Pariah from earlier this year, and various other Inquisition characters from (also) Dan Abnett’s two Inquisition trilogies, but that’s really it. Perhaps Ben Counter’s Grey Knights would also qualify. Oh and there’s also the Ciaphas Cain novels which feature Inquisitor Amberly Vail. I’ll amend my statement. Female characters generally don’t get much prominence in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, since most of it is focused on the Space Marines, or their dark counterparts the Chaos Space Marines, and that leaves very little room for significant female characters. Gav Thorpe’s Eldar novels have done much to counter that, and its great, but I think it is still a significant thing when two of the primary “protagonists” of Pandorax end up being female.
Its nice to have that kind of a gender diversity in (the usually boys’ club) Warhammer 40,000 fiction. I like it. And I want more. Christian Dunn does well in introducing Tzula and Shira Hagen, and I’d like to see more of them as well. Perhaps in some sort of a sequel to Pandorax, which would be cool.
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/11/...
Shadowhawk reviews the debut novel from BL editor C Z Dunn, the first in a new series of Apocalypse-themed novels.
“A solid debut effort that offers some really cool moments, has Horus Heresy revelations aplenty, and shines the light on a lot of non-Space Marine characters for a change.” ~Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields
Of late, my Black Library reading has been rather thin since I’ve been making an effort to read outside of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy all year. In fact, I doubt if I’ve read more than 10 novels from Black Library at all this year, and even that might be stretching things a bit. Of course, that is in a stark contrast to last year where I was reading at least two Black Library each month, sometimes as much as four even. So a lot’s changed. I’ve definitely become far more picky about which books to read, only getting those that really interest me, rather than just jumping in and expecting the best.
Pandorax is the first novel from Christian Dunn, who is an editor for Black Library and has been around for a long, long time. He’s done some short stories before, and even an audio or two, all as C Z Dunn, and this novel marks his entry into the long-form side of things. The novel was just released this weekend, so its a fairly new release and after having just finished it about an hour ago, I hope that the buzz for this is incredible. As I mention in my pull-quote up top, this is a fairly solid debut novel, aside from a few flaws, and I would love to see Christian writing more novels. Though I expect that will clash with his role as an editor. Still, a novel a year isn’t so bad I think.
This novel is termed as “an Apocalypse novel” and that leads me to believe that there will be more such novels in the future, akin to the Space Marine Battles novels, which are all one-shots under that branding. That would be a welcome thing, especially since it can open up the way to include more novels about the Imperial Guard and other branches of the Imperium that are not Space Marines.
Which brings me to one of the best things about this novel. The novel starts off with the introduction of an Inquisition team lead by Inquisitor Dinalt. It then progresses on to prominently showcase several troopers of the Catachan 183rd regiment that has been stranded on Pandorax for a few years, and then it goes on to feature Imperial Navy characters. Loyalist Space Marines, of the Dark Angels and the Grey Knights both, are not the main focus of the story, even though they feature prominently in the second half.
And Christian makes all these characters stand-out, even though the nature of the novel means that we sometimes don’t see them for significant periods. Characters like junior Inquisitor Tzula, the jokaero K’Cee, Imperial Navy pilot Hagen, and several members of the Catachan 183rd such as Colonel Strike and Piet Brigstone made for fun characters. They are all unknowns and that imparts a significant tension to their scenes, compared to the characters like Chapter Mater Azrael of the Dark Angels and Supreme Grand Master Draigo of the Grey Knights, who are significant characters in the Warhammer 40,000 background and thus cannot be… killed off. It robs their scenes of a certain amount of tension since you know they are going to be okay by the end, alive and well.
I can’t really recall when it was the last time that female characters had such prominent scenes in a Warhammer 40,000 novel. I mean sure, there’s Lisbeth Bequin in Dan Abnett’s Pariah from earlier this year, and various other Inquisition characters from (also) Dan Abnett’s two Inquisition trilogies, but that’s really it. Perhaps Ben Counter’s Grey Knights would also qualify. Oh and there’s also the Ciaphas Cain novels which feature Inquisitor Amberly Vail. I’ll amend my statement. Female characters generally don’t get much prominence in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, since most of it is focused on the Space Marines, or their dark counterparts the Chaos Space Marines, and that leaves very little room for significant female characters. Gav Thorpe’s Eldar novels have done much to counter that, and its great, but I think it is still a significant thing when two of the primary “protagonists” of Pandorax end up being female.
Its nice to have that kind of a gender diversity in (the usually boys’ club) Warhammer 40,000 fiction. I like it. And I want more. Christian Dunn does well in introducing Tzula and Shira Hagen, and I’d like to see more of them as well. Perhaps in some sort of a sequel to Pandorax, which would be cool.
May 12, 2014
As a first full length novel, this is an excellent outing from CZ Dunn. I really enjoyed the interplay of distrust between the Grey Knights and the Dark Angels. The Catachan were well represented as well and the character of K'Cee, while never saying a word, shines brightly in the story. I loved his little wrap up at the end too.
One thing that stood out in this was the use of a strong, African female character lead Tzula Digriiz, you don't see that too often in Warhammer 40,000 settings. It was nice to see.
Overall a well done book filled with everything: Abaddon, Huron Blackheart, Plague Marines, Imperial Guard, Inquisitors, Grey Knights, Dark Angels, Imperial Navy action, daemons (lots and lots of them) and almost non-stop action.
One thing that stood out in this was the use of a strong, African female character lead Tzula Digriiz, you don't see that too often in Warhammer 40,000 settings. It was nice to see.
Overall a well done book filled with everything: Abaddon, Huron Blackheart, Plague Marines, Imperial Guard, Inquisitors, Grey Knights, Dark Angels, Imperial Navy action, daemons (lots and lots of them) and almost non-stop action.
December 9, 2015
An easy read, could not put it down at times! Other times could have have forgotten about it completely.
Overall a good read, some parts annoyingly typical of the 40K book style ... Could have been a lot better in regards to interesting W40K "main" characters.
If I had known the end at the start of the book, I don't think I would have read it at all, maybe skim read it anyway ...
Overall a good read, some parts annoyingly typical of the 40K book style ... Could have been a lot better in regards to interesting W40K "main" characters.
If I had known the end at the start of the book, I don't think I would have read it at all, maybe skim read it anyway ...
November 6, 2020
When I started reading this I was waiting for the Dark Angels to show up right from the start. They are one of the very few SM chapters I truly dislike, all hail the Blood Angels, with the Grey Knight being the other SM special Chapter I don’t like. So here I was reading a book starring both of them... Yeah I didn’t hold out much hope for it. Yet here I am liking it. But not because of the two SM chapters but in spite of them, it was the Catachan jungle fighters that made this book well worth reading.
I have to tip my hat to CZ Dunn, he kept the space marines big and tough while keeping them mortal.
Having a lot of special well known characters in the book was overdone and to me limited the scope of what can be done. It was still good.
I do recommend the book as it’s a good example of how to use special (and overpowered) characters properly.
I have to tip my hat to CZ Dunn, he kept the space marines big and tough while keeping them mortal.
Having a lot of special well known characters in the book was overdone and to me limited the scope of what can be done. It was still good.
I do recommend the book as it’s a good example of how to use special (and overpowered) characters properly.
May 26, 2015
Genre fiction is often criticized as glorified fan fiction, and this book provides ample evidence for that charge. Horrible dialogue, a nonsensical plot full of holes, a crowded cast comprised of recognizable names but used to no real effect and that ensures no character development, and a disappointing ending - this book has everything you'd expect from something posted at dakkadakka. Also, at nearly twice the length of some other 40k novels, this book just extends the pain far longer than necessary.
Why give it even two stars? One, for the first half of the book at least, the pace of the action is strong. Even though a lot of it doesn't make sense, you shift from place to place fast enough that you don't get too bored. Also, this is the only 40k novel I've read with a Jokaero, which are awesome. That a mute monkey is the book's most interesting character tells you all you need to know.
Why give it even two stars? One, for the first half of the book at least, the pace of the action is strong. Even though a lot of it doesn't make sense, you shift from place to place fast enough that you don't get too bored. Also, this is the only 40k novel I've read with a Jokaero, which are awesome. That a mute monkey is the book's most interesting character tells you all you need to know.
August 29, 2018
Its a bit clumsy at points but has some great battles.
November 12, 2017
A truly mixed bag; filled with both the unforgettable and the forgettable.
Pandorax is one of those strange books that I found myself almost permanently putting down multiple times only to be sucked right back in by an incredible moment, it is a strange beast that I am both hesitant and willing to recommend, depending on the reader.
The story follows an Inquisitor and his cohort as they investigate corruption in the Pandorax system but it isn't long before everything goes to hell (quite literally). The sight of this epic conflict happens to take place on a world filled with Catachans who are then forced to desperately fight off the enemy as chaos erupts. Of course, it isn't long before the likes of the Dark Angels and the Grey knights come in to aid in the fight but it is also not long before tensions begin to rise between these unique factions.
Its an epic story that should theoretically receive a 4/4.5 score but it is let down by these long moments of tedium that really pull it down. In the end, if you want to read a story that carries weight and implication, with strong characters; most of whom have some very strong moments. A story with some truly bad-ass moments that feature Catachan jungle fighters doing what they do, inquisitorial conspiracy, Grey-Knights and Dark Angels doing what they do but you are willing to sieve through long moments of drawn out exposition to get to it, then this book is for you.
Ultimately I will say though, that this book has stuck with me and there are moments I can recall from it years after reading it for the first time, so as I said...... it is a strange beast.
A 3.5 out of 5
Pandorax is one of those strange books that I found myself almost permanently putting down multiple times only to be sucked right back in by an incredible moment, it is a strange beast that I am both hesitant and willing to recommend, depending on the reader.
The story follows an Inquisitor and his cohort as they investigate corruption in the Pandorax system but it isn't long before everything goes to hell (quite literally). The sight of this epic conflict happens to take place on a world filled with Catachans who are then forced to desperately fight off the enemy as chaos erupts. Of course, it isn't long before the likes of the Dark Angels and the Grey knights come in to aid in the fight but it is also not long before tensions begin to rise between these unique factions.
Its an epic story that should theoretically receive a 4/4.5 score but it is let down by these long moments of tedium that really pull it down. In the end, if you want to read a story that carries weight and implication, with strong characters; most of whom have some very strong moments. A story with some truly bad-ass moments that feature Catachan jungle fighters doing what they do, inquisitorial conspiracy, Grey-Knights and Dark Angels doing what they do but you are willing to sieve through long moments of drawn out exposition to get to it, then this book is for you.
Ultimately I will say though, that this book has stuck with me and there are moments I can recall from it years after reading it for the first time, so as I said...... it is a strange beast.
A 3.5 out of 5
September 24, 2023
This first edition has a few errors near the end, but aside from that it is as good a book as the Black Library has ever published!
Interwoven stories of both ordinary humans and genetically enhanced Space Marines (not to mention one very memorable Jokaero!) create a truly epic book.
Dunn's tale starts off with a small group of Catachans in the deadly jungles of Pythos, before taking us into an insane battle in the void of the Pandorax system and finally taking us below the surface of the planet in the truly massive ultimate showdown between the forces of Chaos and the Dark Angels, Grey Knights and Imperial Guard (now Astra Militarum).
The tension between the Grey Knights and Dark Angels is palpable, and Dunn does a good job of playing this out in the competition and conversation between Azrael and Draigo.
A thoroughly satisfying read for any Warhammer 40,000 fan, made all the more relatable by constantly returning to the human heroes of the conflict.
Interwoven stories of both ordinary humans and genetically enhanced Space Marines (not to mention one very memorable Jokaero!) create a truly epic book.
Dunn's tale starts off with a small group of Catachans in the deadly jungles of Pythos, before taking us into an insane battle in the void of the Pandorax system and finally taking us below the surface of the planet in the truly massive ultimate showdown between the forces of Chaos and the Dark Angels, Grey Knights and Imperial Guard (now Astra Militarum).
The tension between the Grey Knights and Dark Angels is palpable, and Dunn does a good job of playing this out in the competition and conversation between Azrael and Draigo.
A thoroughly satisfying read for any Warhammer 40,000 fan, made all the more relatable by constantly returning to the human heroes of the conflict.
October 20, 2018
An enjoyable read, but too many loose ends and unanswered questions, recycling of common tropes, and at times awkward authorship prevent it being one of the better 40k novels I've read of late. Having said that, the author should be applauded for his handling of multiple threads, deftly knitting them into a single monstrous narrative that left me desperate to read on and discover the characters fates as it became clear that, whilst the story focused on the event of a few years, it fitted into a narrative that might be told from different perspectives over the course of 10,000 ... no small undertaking then!
August 15, 2020
All in all, this was pretty enjoyable. I have a few problems with how some characters are portrayed and the twists are kinda predictable but in the end, the action is awesome, the characters (despite my issues with some) are well rounded and the story had me interested until the very end.
Read it, especially if you love really good sci-fi action.
Read it, especially if you love really good sci-fi action.
November 19, 2020
Great book with a plethora of perspectives. I think this was a fantastic time but be warned: the audiobook has, in my opinion, severe audio mixing issues. The volume, at times, was so low that I couldn't listen to it in the car with the speakers maxed out.
December 28, 2023
Battle involving some of my favourite legions and guardsmen regiments. However felt very mechanical, most of the characters were largely forgettable and the entire story felt rather inconsequential (similar to the majority of the black crusades)
May 2, 2024
I really am a simple man. I see Grey Knights and Dark Angels and I’m in there like swimwear. Really really enjoyed the trio comprised of an ancient Grey Knight, a junior inquisitor and a fighter pilot. This is probably my favorite “Space Marine Battles” book so far.
January 20, 2022
Damn it Bug! You got me into this series when does it end?!
April 3, 2022
Quite fun.
October 8, 2022
The Catachan fights off the foreces of Chaos on the world of Pandorax.
August 1, 2024
By no means terrable. But its defenently not one of the better written peices I have read.
July 11, 2025
Every faction in the setting damn near made an appearance. I was expecting (and hoping) for bolter porn, but surprised that there was more stuff going on towards the end.
July 28, 2025
Great story arc, with engaging characters and awesome descriptive work!
March 24, 2015
So then, this book was a novel little novel. See what I did there? *smile*
We have two of the big boppers of the 40k galaxy meandering in this book. Drago of the 'Knights and Azrael of the 'Angels. These august gentlemen have to deal with the villains and each other in a rather aggressively-pugilistic death world. Abbadon himself and the infamous Blackheart are our two pontificating, raging villains. ironically pleasing that we watch both sides dislike and distrust each other. Mirrors in ceramite, one might suggest, were it not heresy to do so...
So we have four gargantuan forces striding the jungles of Pandorax.
What makes this novel is that... we're not going to focus on these two literally larger-than-mortal-life paragons. No, let's talk about the member of Inquistor Dinault's retinue. Let's talk about this brash, decorated IG pilot. Let's not forget the truly-heroic IG command group. Let's talk about... well, the one guarding down in the deeps.
Dunn makes us interested in these people and their trials. They are deep, likable souls. Amazing, given that they are almost entirely Imperial Guard, which is ever the disposable commodity of this realm. You cannot have interesting individuals in an army where their sole tactic is to drown you in the bodies of their fallen. But he does a solid job of it.
The over-arching plot and the story around the watcher in the deeps (my own obfuscating term for a plot point I do not plan on spoiling), aren't the strongest. You need to do a bit of leaping about to reach the faith needed to see why these plans make sense and how hard each side would work to achieve their ends. At least with the Marines themselves somewhat in the background, you can swallow that down and instead root for and care more about the situations our cadre of heroes find themselves in.
I would have liked this book to be a bit more epic, all praise on its humanity aside. With these players and the watcher in the deeps accounting for... maybe 40-50,000 years of history amongst them, it should have felt a bit more serious. The infamous Months of Shame detailed how the 'Knights deal with possible chaos taint, and we had the LORD OF THE BLACK LEGION and the BLACKHEART THEMSELVES wandering around... the ending seemed terribly hopeful for a 40k book.
Which is good. Something I enjoy, all in all. Just.... its odd.
We have two of the big boppers of the 40k galaxy meandering in this book. Drago of the 'Knights and Azrael of the 'Angels. These august gentlemen have to deal with the villains and each other in a rather aggressively-pugilistic death world. Abbadon himself and the infamous Blackheart are our two pontificating, raging villains. ironically pleasing that we watch both sides dislike and distrust each other. Mirrors in ceramite, one might suggest, were it not heresy to do so...
So we have four gargantuan forces striding the jungles of Pandorax.
What makes this novel is that... we're not going to focus on these two literally larger-than-mortal-life paragons. No, let's talk about the member of Inquistor Dinault's retinue. Let's talk about this brash, decorated IG pilot. Let's not forget the truly-heroic IG command group. Let's talk about... well, the one guarding down in the deeps.
Dunn makes us interested in these people and their trials. They are deep, likable souls. Amazing, given that they are almost entirely Imperial Guard, which is ever the disposable commodity of this realm. You cannot have interesting individuals in an army where their sole tactic is to drown you in the bodies of their fallen. But he does a solid job of it.
The over-arching plot and the story around the watcher in the deeps (my own obfuscating term for a plot point I do not plan on spoiling), aren't the strongest. You need to do a bit of leaping about to reach the faith needed to see why these plans make sense and how hard each side would work to achieve their ends. At least with the Marines themselves somewhat in the background, you can swallow that down and instead root for and care more about the situations our cadre of heroes find themselves in.
I would have liked this book to be a bit more epic, all praise on its humanity aside. With these players and the watcher in the deeps accounting for... maybe 40-50,000 years of history amongst them, it should have felt a bit more serious. The infamous Months of Shame detailed how the 'Knights deal with possible chaos taint, and we had the LORD OF THE BLACK LEGION and the BLACKHEART THEMSELVES wandering around... the ending seemed terribly hopeful for a 40k book.
Which is good. Something I enjoy, all in all. Just.... its odd.
December 14, 2013
Tl;dr: Please give me my Lovecraftian Chaos back :-(
Finally finished this interminable book after days and days of half-a-chapter reading and then putting it away again.
There were simply too many threads going on, and too many of them in parallel to be really sucked into any of them. But the really bad point for me was handling the huge chaos invasion on a planetary scale just as if it is just another greenskin event. There were multiple chapter masters in the story line but none of them felt grandiose enough to be a marine who was already alive for hundreds of years. And don't get me started on the three main characters which should be older than the pyramids but act like school ground bullies.
Even the final act of making sure that knowledge of the Four is contained is just a whimper. At the start a planet was virus bombed for displeasing an Inquisitor and now the Grey Knights leave a planet full of proof of chaos with just some mind wiping? It used to be that surviving IG was exterminated and Marines of non-gk chapters mind-wiped. And even they survived only because they were so hard to create.
Finally finished this interminable book after days and days of half-a-chapter reading and then putting it away again.
There were simply too many threads going on, and too many of them in parallel to be really sucked into any of them. But the really bad point for me was handling the huge chaos invasion on a planetary scale just as if it is just another greenskin event. There were multiple chapter masters in the story line but none of them felt grandiose enough to be a marine who was already alive for hundreds of years. And don't get me started on the three main characters which should be older than the pyramids but act like school ground bullies.
Even the final act of making sure that knowledge of the Four is contained is just a whimper. At the start a planet was virus bombed for displeasing an Inquisitor and now the Grey Knights leave a planet full of proof of chaos with just some mind wiping? It used to be that surviving IG was exterminated and Marines of non-gk chapters mind-wiped. And even they survived only because they were so hard to create.
December 13, 2013
Pandorax details a massive planet-wide conflict between the Imperium and Warmaster Abaddon's Black Legion. It is filled with famous characters and grand battle scenes that move very fast; sometimes too fast. The 40K fluff is expanded on (how the Grey Knights were founded) and I had the feeling that the storyline was moving forward. Pandorax would have been better served with more solid characterization, more grit and a sense of loss. My favorite passage is: (Colonel) Strike's guts turned to ice, such was Abaddon's imposing presence even at more than a hundred metres away. All around him, men pissed themselves in fear. WHOAH!
August 14, 2014
Highly recommend reading this book, for within its gruesome and boring bolterp*rn, the story includes a character of grand fan service magnitude.
I'd say this is a 3.75 stars novel, and not the 4 stars showing up over there. IMO the story is almost 5-star-quality and the fighting is at 3 stars or less. Yeah, I guess I have an issue with constant bolterp*rn in 40K universe even though that's the most original and main thing within 40K. The straigh answer's: this books battles feel like reading a tabletop battlereport, not a storybook.
Still, this is a book not to leave unread.
I'd say this is a 3.75 stars novel, and not the 4 stars showing up over there. IMO the story is almost 5-star-quality and the fighting is at 3 stars or less. Yeah, I guess I have an issue with constant bolterp*rn in 40K universe even though that's the most original and main thing within 40K. The straigh answer's: this books battles feel like reading a tabletop battlereport, not a storybook.
Still, this is a book not to leave unread.
March 17, 2014
Epimetheus could have had a better tale although his involvement was admired I dont think he got the end he deserved also Abaddon could have had more involvement so many good characters but still cant help but feel it didnt live up to the potential...
February 6, 2015
Every so often I think "I'm a little bored of 40K books" as they can be a bit same-y (as with all book genres) and then I read a book which reminds me why I read so much 40K. This is one of those books. Top notch.
July 30, 2015
Maybe I was just in a bad mood. I made it like 40% of the way through this book & realized I didn't know a damn thing that was going on, or any characters, nor did I much care. Gave it up. It's not bad, just ... not much really grabbed my attention enough to remember it.
October 20, 2015
Overall a pretty good ,Not entirely a stand alone novel, some very direct ties to several Horus Heresy novels, make for some additional required reading to fully enjoy the book, and open up speculation about as yet unwritten chapters in that series.
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