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Dark Imperium #2
Plague War
Intent on rebuilding Ultramar, the returned primarch Roboute Guilliman wages war on the treacherous Death Guard – but the intervention of a greater power threatens all he works for.
In the void and upon the worlds of Greater Ultramar, the battle for the Imperium continues.
Intent on rebuilding his home realm and using it as base to reconstruct the ravaged stellar empire of mankind, the returned primarch Roboute Guilliman proceeds with his war to drive Mortarion and his Death Guard Traitor Legion from the domain of the Ultramarines.
But when Guilliman brings his brother to battle upon the diseased plains of Parmenio, the intervention of a greater power in their fraternal struggle threatens to upend the Imperial Regent’s understanding of the galaxy, and his place within it.
Primarchs and ideologies clash in this second, thrilling part of the Dark Imperium trilogy.
In the void and upon the worlds of Greater Ultramar, the battle for the Imperium continues.
Intent on rebuilding his home realm and using it as base to reconstruct the ravaged stellar empire of mankind, the returned primarch Roboute Guilliman proceeds with his war to drive Mortarion and his Death Guard Traitor Legion from the domain of the Ultramarines.
But when Guilliman brings his brother to battle upon the diseased plains of Parmenio, the intervention of a greater power in their fraternal struggle threatens to upend the Imperial Regent’s understanding of the galaxy, and his place within it.
Primarchs and ideologies clash in this second, thrilling part of the Dark Imperium trilogy.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2018
450 people are currently reading
1399 people want to read
About the author
Guy Haley
282 books733 followersGuy Haley is the author of over 50 novels and novellas. His original fiction includes Crash, Champion of Mars, and the Richards and Klein, Dreaming Cities, and the Gates of the World series (as K M McKinley). However, he is best known as a prolific contributor to Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.
When not writing, he'll be out doing something dangerous in the wild, learning languages or gaming.
When not writing, he'll be out doing something dangerous in the wild, learning languages or gaming.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
October 24, 2019
Plague War was excellent. Not only for the great action that occurs, but also for the deep insight into the Emperor's actions during the time of the Great Crusade.
Mortarion and the Death Guard have come to Parmenio. They are continuing the campaign against Gulliman and the Ultramarines. Meanwhile, there is a young girl displaying the powers of an Imperial Saint. That is always an interesting concept made more so by Guilliman's presence. His take on the divinity of the Emperor coupled with what he is seeing in front of his face is interesting. But I shall give no spoilers.
This was a very exciting tale and the matchup between Mortarion and Guilliman was excellent. I don't know what to think about these Imperial Saints, but she was a very impressive entity. The hint about the Emperor's desire to keep knowledge of Chaos from mankind due to the huge surge in the power of Chaos from such belief does make sense.
An excellent tale set during the Dark Imperium. Plenty of interesting things going on, plenty of action and some great background history make this a superb novel for any 40K fan.
Mortarion and the Death Guard have come to Parmenio. They are continuing the campaign against Gulliman and the Ultramarines. Meanwhile, there is a young girl displaying the powers of an Imperial Saint. That is always an interesting concept made more so by Guilliman's presence. His take on the divinity of the Emperor coupled with what he is seeing in front of his face is interesting. But I shall give no spoilers.
This was a very exciting tale and the matchup between Mortarion and Guilliman was excellent. I don't know what to think about these Imperial Saints, but she was a very impressive entity. The hint about the Emperor's desire to keep knowledge of Chaos from mankind due to the huge surge in the power of Chaos from such belief does make sense.
An excellent tale set during the Dark Imperium. Plenty of interesting things going on, plenty of action and some great background history make this a superb novel for any 40K fan.
December 24, 2021
Wow in every sense of the word. The first book was very good, it was everything I’ve come to love about Warhammer 40K but this one is leaps and bounds better. There’s more depth to the writing and characterization and the story is just so damn cool!!!
March 25, 2019
This might be a four to a five star read, I am just very confused with the order in which certain things happen. I am looking forward to reading what book 3 will reveal.
January 8, 2020
Much like the first one, this was just boring more than bad.
There's no escalation, just a bunch of POVs until a fight happens - the fight being the crux of the book, I suppose, but since it's quite obvious who is and isn't going to die it's not that exciting. The constant jumping around interrupts the flow of things, and as a result it's hard to really get attached to any of the characters or care about what's happening in different places. It was easier to get into than the second one (mostly because I could listen to the audiobook narrator, John Banks, talk in the Death Guard voices for days, and they're much more interesting than anyone else) but that's its only crowning glory.
And, like the first one, it's not a story about the Primarch. He's in it - and the most interesting part of it - but so rarely there's very little point him being there. If the idea was to not focus on his POV to keep him mysterious, then this could be achieved better by only using POVs around him. If it's because Hayley can't figure out how to tell the story of the whole war only through one POV then I'm not sure he should be writing war books.
I listened to the two in the series so far just to keep up on what was happening in the 40k universe, but I won't be continuing.
There's no escalation, just a bunch of POVs until a fight happens - the fight being the crux of the book, I suppose, but since it's quite obvious who is and isn't going to die it's not that exciting. The constant jumping around interrupts the flow of things, and as a result it's hard to really get attached to any of the characters or care about what's happening in different places. It was easier to get into than the second one (mostly because I could listen to the audiobook narrator, John Banks, talk in the Death Guard voices for days, and they're much more interesting than anyone else) but that's its only crowning glory.
And, like the first one, it's not a story about the Primarch. He's in it - and the most interesting part of it - but so rarely there's very little point him being there. If the idea was to not focus on his POV to keep him mysterious, then this could be achieved better by only using POVs around him. If it's because Hayley can't figure out how to tell the story of the whole war only through one POV then I'm not sure he should be writing war books.
I listened to the two in the series so far just to keep up on what was happening in the 40k universe, but I won't be continuing.
November 2, 2020
A solid book of battles, truly grimdark, and interesting. Looking forward to the next book of the trilogy.
May 7, 2024
Man reads another nerdy book about big sweaty dudes fighting.
January 30, 2025
I was going to rate this about 3 stars because it had so much fighting and as we know I don’t really care about that and also the Nurgle descriptions were less disgusting than in the first book but then the LAST 20% of this book happened AND OH BOY OH BOY THE TITANS??? THE MORTARION VS GUILLIMAN „BATTLE“ by which I mean brothers fighting each other about how shitty their dad is?
THIS BOOK HAD A SISTER OF SILENCE FIGHT A BATTLESISTER? That‘s like my superbowl and also the horniest event I can think of ever. Like I was on the floor, MY GOD, I‘m still not over it.
(I say this from a sicko POV not from a male gaze POV because the author writes women like ANY OTHER CHARACTER thank god)
Also I am so MAD at how much I love Guilliman getting angry. I hate to say it, i hate to say that he‘s really entertaining and I like him? As a character? Post-resurrection Guilliman only, though. I have some pride.
Anyways what I am trying to say is: the last bit of this book was insane - absolute 5/5
I‘m really looking forward to the next one.
My special treat is how imposing Mortarion is while he talks until someone meets him with the same conviction and he instantly flinches and acts like a kicked dog. 10m tall half-daemon Primarch can take any pain and misery except for someone raising their voice at him. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! I have no words.
THIS BOOK HAD A SISTER OF SILENCE FIGHT A BATTLESISTER? That‘s like my superbowl and also the horniest event I can think of ever. Like I was on the floor, MY GOD, I‘m still not over it.
(I say this from a sicko POV not from a male gaze POV because the author writes women like ANY OTHER CHARACTER thank god)
Also I am so MAD at how much I love Guilliman getting angry. I hate to say it, i hate to say that he‘s really entertaining and I like him? As a character? Post-resurrection Guilliman only, though. I have some pride.
Anyways what I am trying to say is: the last bit of this book was insane - absolute 5/5
I‘m really looking forward to the next one.
My special treat is how imposing Mortarion is while he talks until someone meets him with the same conviction and he instantly flinches and acts like a kicked dog. 10m tall half-daemon Primarch can take any pain and misery except for someone raising their voice at him. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! I have no words.
January 12, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
May 17, 2025
So much more compelling than its predecessor!! Haley's prose really shines throughout. A shame the arrival of Galatan was a bit anticlimactic, but that aside, it started strong, kept pace decently, and ended at a very good point. What more can you ask for, really!
October 2, 2024
Great scenes with mortarion and guilliman. Heavily features the plague marines which is cool to see. Just to see the story getting progressed.
Audible.
Audible.
November 8, 2020
Follow up to the Dark Imperium novel that I have read more than a year ago. Honestly some of the names of the characters i didnt even manage to remember it while reading this one.
Plus point for me was that the battles are much more engaging than the last one. Or maybe I was more engrossed with titans? Anyhow there was a broader picture of the battle in Parmenio and what are the plans from Mortarion. We have a lot more character interaction of Mortarion, Ku'gath and the primarch, either among them or with other characters, which is always welcoming.
The odds are stacked against the Imperium of Man but Guilliman had summoned the star fort Galatan to support his effort in Parmenio. As grimdark as 40k is, this wont be smooth sailing. There are also point of view from mortals on how they react to the carnage around them and the salvation in the form of Astartes when help eventually arrives.
The effort to keep Guilliman as human as possible was also brought forward from the previous book where he does show some humanity in parts of the book, despite those around him regard otherwise.
The ending is foreshadowing one of the problems that he need to face head on with regards of the Imperial Cult that he woke up to in 40k. Hopefully the next installment comes soon and see how it will be resolved.
Plus point for me was that the battles are much more engaging than the last one. Or maybe I was more engrossed with titans? Anyhow there was a broader picture of the battle in Parmenio and what are the plans from Mortarion. We have a lot more character interaction of Mortarion, Ku'gath and the primarch, either among them or with other characters, which is always welcoming.
The odds are stacked against the Imperium of Man but Guilliman had summoned the star fort Galatan to support his effort in Parmenio. As grimdark as 40k is, this wont be smooth sailing. There are also point of view from mortals on how they react to the carnage around them and the salvation in the form of Astartes when help eventually arrives.
The effort to keep Guilliman as human as possible was also brought forward from the previous book where he does show some humanity in parts of the book, despite those around him regard otherwise.
The ending is foreshadowing one of the problems that he need to face head on with regards of the Imperial Cult that he woke up to in 40k. Hopefully the next installment comes soon and see how it will be resolved.
September 29, 2019
I'm a little bit disappointed in this. Their not that much in this book especially the first half of it. Its basically a giant waiting game for the two of the primarch (Mortarion & Guilliman) to duke it out. But the last 3 chapter is worth the read. The point of view of the Astartes to the imperium cult and their interaction to the primaris is also interesting. As for the confrontation of Guilliman to his primarch brother fall a bit short if it comes to the actual fight but their conversation gives it.
Can't believer Mortarion literally goes "Team Rocket blasting off again" at the end.
But my favorite is absolutely the confrontation of Guilliman to the priest and how un-primarch(is that a word?) he confronted his problems to him. It basically shows Guilliman's mortality even though how different he is to other mortals.
Also I should mention the last sentence is really a good selling point for everyone to get the next book.
Can't believer Mortarion literally goes "Team Rocket blasting off again" at the end.
But my favorite is absolutely the confrontation of Guilliman to the priest and how un-primarch(is that a word?) he confronted his problems to him. It basically shows Guilliman's mortality even though how different he is to other mortals.
Also I should mention the last sentence is really a good selling point for everyone to get the next book.
January 2, 2020
This book was awesome. You can tell when a book is planned to push a box set it's tied to in the model game, because every part of this story makes you want to learn more about the characters and to delve further in the 40K universe.
This story follows the 2 PRimarchs Roboute Guilliman and Mortarion as their armies prepare to battle. There is also a sub story of the "faith" portion of each army, he Death Guard being fully committed to Nurgle, vs the Imperium and their split faith on whether the Emperor is or is not a god, and how they struggle to keep the 2 sides together without slipping into heretical waters like the Word BEarers did.
Great book, excellent read and story and the Guilliman and Morty exposition is the best part of the book.
This story follows the 2 PRimarchs Roboute Guilliman and Mortarion as their armies prepare to battle. There is also a sub story of the "faith" portion of each army, he Death Guard being fully committed to Nurgle, vs the Imperium and their split faith on whether the Emperor is or is not a god, and how they struggle to keep the 2 sides together without slipping into heretical waters like the Word BEarers did.
Great book, excellent read and story and the Guilliman and Morty exposition is the best part of the book.
October 31, 2018
The current Warhammer setting continues to be defined. It’s exciting to read about the Risen Primarch and the state of the galaxy. This book could easily be a trilogy in and of itself because the scale is tremendous. The action is passable but the choice of the POV characters, not including Guilliman, are a little head scratching. The villains seemed a tad cartoony and the space portion of the climactic battle is rushed. The question of the relationship between Guilliman and the Ministorum is satisfyingly answered. This book can’t be part of a trilogy; it should be part of an ongoing series about the ongoing events of the setting.
April 11, 2019
I would have given it 4 stars of it weren't for the over!y excessive descriptions relating to the P!argue God's work. We all get it they relate to decay, but 3 pages to describe a soldiers body being deformed while a demon comes out? I've had this problem with Hayley's Warhammer writing before, to the point where I skip while pages.
January 23, 2023
I started this series because I wanted to know how Guilliman, with his superior statesman's mind, handles the complicated and intimidating situation of the galactic imperium of humankind. I read this book because I wanted to know how he handles the matter of faith in his father, the God-Emperor.
The thing with Guilliman is that his analytical mind dissects, assembles and utilizes every scrap of information he comes across. Where he sees potential in the state and its people, he enables it.
From the backwards oriented religion of the machine cult, he took the most brilliant to kindle innovation in all matters technology and medicine. In matters of infrastructure, he is faced with sedition and attrition, but turns those into unity and cohesion. For warpcraft, too, he fights against superstition and ritualism in order to harvest the potential these mutants of mankind have to offer.
But everything related to the faith, he opposes. And I was dumbfounded when he himself admitted that his sole reason for such bearing is ignorance. He has seen the sentient Light emanating from the Golden Throne, he knows the Emperor is not truly dead. He knows the Battle Sisters perform acts of Faith all the way up to miracles and living saints, turning the tides of battle in mankind's favor. Yet still he opposes all things faith. In all other matters, he keeps a cool head, taking in information, bit by bit, and sorts it out eventually. But information educating faith he blocks, sustaining his ignorance in this fashion.
I can not over-emphasize how much I love these philosophical, spiritual debates within the 40k universe. Thanks to the warp, godlike entities are real enough, daemons plow the universe, and witchcraft is scientifically exploitable, if not always explicable. Things happen to be real, but all of them are slippery slopes to damnation - for the individual, and all of mankind.
By means of the Deathguard and Nurgle's daemons who oppose the home system of Guilliman, we get pretty close up and personal with some of the warp's evils. The battles are entertaining, though Haley presents them always with a theme, a lingering exercise of though that won't fully go away, communicated through action rather than dialogue. And I discovered listening to classical music while reading these chapters amplifies the merriment.
I almost rage-quit reading just because Guilliman had so many opportunities to educate himself, which he refused to take. To omit further spoiler: Haley simply outdid himself. He is juggling with all the different perspectives and conceptions of the matter, always setting his narrative fully into the character, nature and identity of the characters at play. And before the final page is turned, all the pieces fall together.
I am not saying that there is a simple answer to everything, a straight forward conclusion, never that. True to 40k paradigm, the reader is free to decide for themselves which perspective convinces them most. It's what is making this another 5/5 stars book of the franchise, recommendable to anyone interested in the indulgence.
The thing with Guilliman is that his analytical mind dissects, assembles and utilizes every scrap of information he comes across. Where he sees potential in the state and its people, he enables it.
From the backwards oriented religion of the machine cult, he took the most brilliant to kindle innovation in all matters technology and medicine. In matters of infrastructure, he is faced with sedition and attrition, but turns those into unity and cohesion. For warpcraft, too, he fights against superstition and ritualism in order to harvest the potential these mutants of mankind have to offer.
But everything related to the faith, he opposes. And I was dumbfounded when he himself admitted that his sole reason for such bearing is ignorance. He has seen the sentient Light emanating from the Golden Throne, he knows the Emperor is not truly dead. He knows the Battle Sisters perform acts of Faith all the way up to miracles and living saints, turning the tides of battle in mankind's favor. Yet still he opposes all things faith. In all other matters, he keeps a cool head, taking in information, bit by bit, and sorts it out eventually. But information educating faith he blocks, sustaining his ignorance in this fashion.
I can not over-emphasize how much I love these philosophical, spiritual debates within the 40k universe. Thanks to the warp, godlike entities are real enough, daemons plow the universe, and witchcraft is scientifically exploitable, if not always explicable. Things happen to be real, but all of them are slippery slopes to damnation - for the individual, and all of mankind.
By means of the Deathguard and Nurgle's daemons who oppose the home system of Guilliman, we get pretty close up and personal with some of the warp's evils. The battles are entertaining, though Haley presents them always with a theme, a lingering exercise of though that won't fully go away, communicated through action rather than dialogue. And I discovered listening to classical music while reading these chapters amplifies the merriment.
I almost rage-quit reading just because Guilliman had so many opportunities to educate himself, which he refused to take. To omit further spoiler: Haley simply outdid himself. He is juggling with all the different perspectives and conceptions of the matter, always setting his narrative fully into the character, nature and identity of the characters at play. And before the final page is turned, all the pieces fall together.
I am not saying that there is a simple answer to everything, a straight forward conclusion, never that. True to 40k paradigm, the reader is free to decide for themselves which perspective convinces them most. It's what is making this another 5/5 stars book of the franchise, recommendable to anyone interested in the indulgence.
March 28, 2025
Guilleman's characters continues to grow as he has awoken to nothing but the loneliness of all he knew and cared for turned to dust, replaced with death and atrophy. His theological outlook on the Emperor is a rare instance of when characters actually sit down to debate the Imperial Creed and what a primarch truly believes his father to be (ignoring Lorgar). Haley creates a new generation of Ultramarine and Imperial heroes in more ways than one, panning these characters off to continue their stories in later books. The scale continues to increase, bringing us back to the battlefields of Titandeath, dragging in a wider and more desperate conflict that leads to an explored fracturing of the Death Guard between Mortarion and Typhus, and Guilleman and the religion he despises to protect
July 25, 2022
Same old same old, but then again, you know what you're getting when you enter the 41st Millenium. I wasn't a fan of all the disgusting plague god stuff, but seeing old Guilliman back in action after 10,000 years was pretty good.
January 29, 2025
Guy Haley brings (almost) everything I love about the Warhammer universe to the forefront in this sequel. I love gleaning any insight I can into the fabled primarchs' characters and minds.
I am dripping in anticipation for the finale of the trilogy!
I am dripping in anticipation for the finale of the trilogy!
August 31, 2025
The reference to The First Heretic/Monarchia was great. Really feels like a payoff if you've come to this series having read prior books. Guilliman continuing his internal conflict regarding the imperial truth and the Emperor was also great. Excellent!
July 5, 2020
Dies ist ein Titel, den man ewig lang auf dem SUB lässt, weil er nirgends reinpasst, das Cover nicht sehr ansprechend ist (obwohl Genre-typisch) und/oder die Seitenzahl in Kombination mit dem Rest etwas abschreckt.
Dies ist ein Titel, von dem ich schlussendlich sagte, dass er diese stiefmütterliche Behandlung nicht verdient hat. Dass ich ihn schon früher hätte lesen sollen. Typisch. Aber zum Glück bin ich nun in den "Genuss" dieses Buches gekommen.
"Genuss" in Anführungszeichen deswegen, weil es Warhammer 40K ist. Da kann man das Wort "Genuss" in mancherlei Hinsicht als falsch ansehen. Vor allem bei diesem hier. Geht es doch um Krankheiten in ihren schlimmsten Formen. Wer einen leicht reizbaren Magen oder eine überbrodelnde Fantasie hat, der sollte um dieses Buch einen grossen Bogen machen.
Aber mir hat genau dieser Ekelfaktor richtig gut gefallen. Ein wenig Ekel und Grusel muss auch mal sein. Dazu kommen noch die Beschreibungen der Schlachten - richtiges Warhammer-Feeling pur. Keine Wohlfühllektüre, sondern ein Buch, nach dessen Lektüre man froh ist, im heimischen Sessel zu sitzen und eine gute Versicherung zu haben.
Dies ist ein Titel, von dem ich schlussendlich sagte, dass er diese stiefmütterliche Behandlung nicht verdient hat. Dass ich ihn schon früher hätte lesen sollen. Typisch. Aber zum Glück bin ich nun in den "Genuss" dieses Buches gekommen.
"Genuss" in Anführungszeichen deswegen, weil es Warhammer 40K ist. Da kann man das Wort "Genuss" in mancherlei Hinsicht als falsch ansehen. Vor allem bei diesem hier. Geht es doch um Krankheiten in ihren schlimmsten Formen. Wer einen leicht reizbaren Magen oder eine überbrodelnde Fantasie hat, der sollte um dieses Buch einen grossen Bogen machen.
Aber mir hat genau dieser Ekelfaktor richtig gut gefallen. Ein wenig Ekel und Grusel muss auch mal sein. Dazu kommen noch die Beschreibungen der Schlachten - richtiges Warhammer-Feeling pur. Keine Wohlfühllektüre, sondern ein Buch, nach dessen Lektüre man froh ist, im heimischen Sessel zu sitzen und eine gute Versicherung zu haben.
April 12, 2025
Чесно кажучи, враження, що автор просто роздував сцени описами і пафосними фразами заради оплати своєї праці. Цю тяганину ледве дочитав, а можна було зробити реально цікавою книгою: трохи більше уваги до персоналій, до їхнього розвитку, до етичних дилем і менше описових багатосторінкових реверансів.
February 8, 2026
The grip this trilogy has on me should be studied.
July 13, 2025
Theoretical: the emperor is a God. Practical: He is not.
I’ve become an ultramarine and novamarine fan. You get literally everything in this book and more.
I’ve become an ultramarine and novamarine fan. You get literally everything in this book and more.
January 24, 2023
A solid middle entry to the Dark Imperium trilogy that expanda Guiliman's character even more. The last chapter is what makes the book, even if its the shorter one.
August 17, 2021
Another interesting book from BL that follows where it’s predecessor left off and does a better job of being a “complete” book rather than something you can’t read outside of the series.
Again it’s a 3/5 sort of book that gets its four star from me by being really excellent at depicting Nurgle. Not the death guard, but Demons.
Again it’s a 3/5 sort of book that gets its four star from me by being really excellent at depicting Nurgle. Not the death guard, but Demons.
March 17, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I kind of got the sense, when listening to Dark Imperium, that the trilogy would be a big deal. But after finishing Plague War I have to revise that opinion and say that it has the potential to be one of the most important trilogies coming out of the Warhammer 40k universe since the original Horus Heresy trilogy. It literally has everything. From Primarchs to greater daemons, Primaris Marines to Sisters of Silence, Titan battles to a little thing that just could foreshadow the return of the Emperor in some way shape or form.
There are so many little cameos or big roles from named characters and other space marine chapters (I mean, at one point there’s a random reference to a squad of White Scars bikes just rolling on by … not sure why they were there and they were not mentioned before or after … but a cool name drop maybe?) that the entire thing just feels far too epic not to be something huge coming out of Black Library. I haven’t read too much 40k lore in recent years and the Dark Imperium series is the first time I have dipped my toes back in, but I am getting some serious ‘big fight feel’ moments emanating from this that I’m wondering if some massive revelations may come out of the final instalment. It really makes me wonder what GW/BL have planned going forward, especially as far as the Emperor of Mankind is concerned.
Roboute Guilliman’s character gets a lot more fleshing out in this offering and we see a side of him at times that we haven’t been shown before. The way Guy has handled the darker aspects of Guilliman is very compelling and is making me wish the next book was already in my hands. He also does wonderfully well at fleshing out Mortarion’s character, too. Not to mention a bit of history as to why the traitor Primarchs may have chosen the warp over the Imperium.
The novel literally has something for everyone but, in doing that, it always means it will have something that everyone dislikes. For instance, if you love titans going to war, you’ll really enjoy a certain part of the book. I find titans incredibly boring, so those parts were a massive chore for me.
One main problem I had was that the book started a little slow. It focuses way too much on lengthy chapters involving the priest that just don’t seem to deliver much pay-off. There was one character introduced near the start that I was quite fond of only to discover she didn’t really feature much at all. Hoping she gets more page time in the third book.
Even with my little niggles aside; I really feel this book was too powerful to score any lower than 5 out of 5. I have such high hopes for the third book and can only pray that it doesn’t fall short of what I hope it will be.
I kind of got the sense, when listening to Dark Imperium, that the trilogy would be a big deal. But after finishing Plague War I have to revise that opinion and say that it has the potential to be one of the most important trilogies coming out of the Warhammer 40k universe since the original Horus Heresy trilogy. It literally has everything. From Primarchs to greater daemons, Primaris Marines to Sisters of Silence, Titan battles to a little thing that just could foreshadow the return of the Emperor in some way shape or form.
There are so many little cameos or big roles from named characters and other space marine chapters (I mean, at one point there’s a random reference to a squad of White Scars bikes just rolling on by … not sure why they were there and they were not mentioned before or after … but a cool name drop maybe?) that the entire thing just feels far too epic not to be something huge coming out of Black Library. I haven’t read too much 40k lore in recent years and the Dark Imperium series is the first time I have dipped my toes back in, but I am getting some serious ‘big fight feel’ moments emanating from this that I’m wondering if some massive revelations may come out of the final instalment. It really makes me wonder what GW/BL have planned going forward, especially as far as the Emperor of Mankind is concerned.
Roboute Guilliman’s character gets a lot more fleshing out in this offering and we see a side of him at times that we haven’t been shown before. The way Guy has handled the darker aspects of Guilliman is very compelling and is making me wish the next book was already in my hands. He also does wonderfully well at fleshing out Mortarion’s character, too. Not to mention a bit of history as to why the traitor Primarchs may have chosen the warp over the Imperium.
The novel literally has something for everyone but, in doing that, it always means it will have something that everyone dislikes. For instance, if you love titans going to war, you’ll really enjoy a certain part of the book. I find titans incredibly boring, so those parts were a massive chore for me.
One main problem I had was that the book started a little slow. It focuses way too much on lengthy chapters involving the priest that just don’t seem to deliver much pay-off. There was one character introduced near the start that I was quite fond of only to discover she didn’t really feature much at all. Hoping she gets more page time in the third book.
Even with my little niggles aside; I really feel this book was too powerful to score any lower than 5 out of 5. I have such high hopes for the third book and can only pray that it doesn’t fall short of what I hope it will be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2020
After finishing the first Dark Imperium book, I wanted more. There was a lot of build-up to a confrontation between Guilliman and Mortarion that never happened in that book. We also got a peek under the curtain at the returned Primarch but were left wanting more. This meant that I started Dark Imperium: Plague War straight after the previous book, and as a sequel, it gives you exactly what you want. However, as a novel, in general, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Let’s start with the good. We once again delve in the psyche of Roboute Gulliman and watch him rage against a millennium that goes against everything he fought for 10,000 years ago. You feel his anger and sorrow at the state of affairs in the Imperium and these bits are excellent. It expands Guilliman further than the ‘loyal son’ I thought of him as and you see him angry at the Emperor and defying the idea of him being a God. A lot of this you see in the first Dark Imperium book but with Plague War, you get even more and with his brother, Mortarion, thrown into the mix you see more of Roboute’s questioning and uncertainty. All of which are excellent.
The latter third of the book is an action-packed adventure as the conflict between Mortarion and Gulliman comes to a head. This is fast-paced, exciting Warhammer fiction at it’s best. You’re never quite sure who is going to survive the conflict and the stoic Astartes come into their own as they fight against the hordes of demons and Death Guard. However, it isn’t merely a blow for blow account of a battle (thankfully). Instead, each moment drives the plot forward to that inevitable meeting between Primarch and Demon Primarch and when the two brothers meet things get really interesting. And I’ll stop there, but suffice to say that I really enjoyed this part of the book.
For the full review please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/07/1...
Let’s start with the good. We once again delve in the psyche of Roboute Gulliman and watch him rage against a millennium that goes against everything he fought for 10,000 years ago. You feel his anger and sorrow at the state of affairs in the Imperium and these bits are excellent. It expands Guilliman further than the ‘loyal son’ I thought of him as and you see him angry at the Emperor and defying the idea of him being a God. A lot of this you see in the first Dark Imperium book but with Plague War, you get even more and with his brother, Mortarion, thrown into the mix you see more of Roboute’s questioning and uncertainty. All of which are excellent.
The latter third of the book is an action-packed adventure as the conflict between Mortarion and Gulliman comes to a head. This is fast-paced, exciting Warhammer fiction at it’s best. You’re never quite sure who is going to survive the conflict and the stoic Astartes come into their own as they fight against the hordes of demons and Death Guard. However, it isn’t merely a blow for blow account of a battle (thankfully). Instead, each moment drives the plot forward to that inevitable meeting between Primarch and Demon Primarch and when the two brothers meet things get really interesting. And I’ll stop there, but suffice to say that I really enjoyed this part of the book.
For the full review please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/07/1...
November 11, 2024
The sequel to 2017’s Dark Imperium and the second book in the trilogy, this continues the story of Guilliman’s ongoing battle against the forces of his brother Mortarion. With the Death Guard rampaging throughout Greater Ultramar, Guilliman makes for embattled Parmenio where he hopes to bring Mortarion to battle and kill his corrupted brother once and for all. Forces from both sides of the conflict are drawn to Parmenio, from Mortarion’s daemonic allies to the great space station Galatan, while Guilliman’s determined secular stance is challenged by growing evidence of something (potentially) divine making itself known.
There’s lots going on here, and Haley does a great job of balancing out the battles with the exploration of themes and posing of questions - especially regarding Guilliman's relationship with his father and the faith of the Imperium - although pacing-wise it might feel a little slow in places to anyone more interested in the action than the rest of it. Overall it definitely feels like this is setting things up for a payoff in the next book, with plenty of plot strands left tantalisingly dangling, but as a novel in its own right it’s complex, thought-provoking and entertaining, and should appeal to anyone keen to learn more about this important moment in 40k’s ongoing narrative.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/11/...
There’s lots going on here, and Haley does a great job of balancing out the battles with the exploration of themes and posing of questions - especially regarding Guilliman's relationship with his father and the faith of the Imperium - although pacing-wise it might feel a little slow in places to anyone more interested in the action than the rest of it. Overall it definitely feels like this is setting things up for a payoff in the next book, with plenty of plot strands left tantalisingly dangling, but as a novel in its own right it’s complex, thought-provoking and entertaining, and should appeal to anyone keen to learn more about this important moment in 40k’s ongoing narrative.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/11/...
June 14, 2021
Excellent continuation of this particular series. There are parts that drag but that seems like it should be that way. 40k is grimdark because of the horrors of the galaxy that want to destroy mankind, but also because mankind is made up of pure bureaucracy. Like the movie Brazil surrounded by murderous aliens. Life in the imperium is either a waste at a mind numbing repetitive job until you die or you’re a soldier and you die a scary and horrible death. That’s what this book is. Boring but necessary and then crazy violence. I like it like that.
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