'Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor's Legion' – Chris Wraight (Black Library)



For me, Black Library books started out as an excuse to comfort read but swiftly became so much more as I realised that tie-in fiction isn't just an excuse to pump fans of their hard earned cash. I mean, it is but if you look in the right places then you'll find excellent storytelling that has a lot to say; that has to balance out the cynical part of you that begrudges reaching for your wallet. If I'm after a Black Library read that's more than just an excuse for explosions and big monsters, Chris Wraight's work sits very comfortably in a select group of authors that I wll turn to.

I've been following Wraight's work for a long time now, long enough to see him take the step from Warhammer fantasy to the grimdark worlds of Warhammer 40,000; the inevitable move for good Black Library writers. And then I stopped for a number of reasons, the main one being that I didn't have the mental energy to pick up a book, let alone read it. I'm back in the saddle now though and when I started looking for Black Library books to pick up, I knew that 'The Emperor's Legion' would be a fairly safe bet for a good read.
I love proving myself right. 'The Emperor's Legon' was a good read and just the book I was looking for...

The Adeptus Custodes are the Emperor's praetorian guard, the defenders of Terra and watchers over the Golden Throne. But when a threat arises, they and their Sisters of Silence allies may find themselves pressed almost beyond endurance…

The Custodian Guard have stood watch over the Emperor's Palace on Terra since the foundation of the Imperium. Charged with protecting the Master of Mankind from all threats, within and without, their fearsome resolve is renowned throughout the galaxy, and their golden armour is the last thing that a would-be assassin or saboteur will ever see. Alongside the Null-maidens of the Sisters of Silence, who are anathema to psykers and sorcerers alike, there is no threat to the Golden Throne that they alone cannot vanquish... until now.

You know that feeling you get when it's been a while since you read a book by a favourite author and you pick up their latest book and it's just like coming home? You know that feeling, we've all had it. Well, that was exactly what I got when I picked up 'The Emperor's Legion'. Wraight is very much at home in this war-torn future and brings that settled feeling into his storytelling. The end result is a very smooth plot told at an engaging pace. You can't fault it, I certainly couldn't. The only issue I had was that the pacing suffers slightly (and I do mean slightly) when the focus shifts onto the Silent Sister Aleya and her journey. While the politicking of Tieron and the martial prowess of Valerian are handled superbly and entirely in keeping with their characters, the bits with Aleya didn't have that focus, at least not to me, and suffered for it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Aleya's chapters picked up after she joined forces with Valerian which was cool but a little too late for me and a missed opportunity for Aleya to be more of a character in her own right. When you've got three competing POVs, someone will come last. It may be one of the other two when you read 'The Emperor's Legion'.

The bulk of the story takes place on Holy Terra, 'Earth' to the likes of you and me. Maybe my Black Library reading isn't up to speed but this is the first time that I've ever got a proper look at the surface of the Throne World. Wraight keeps things fairly simple with the focus being either within the palace complex or just outside the walls. It is all apppropriately grimy with the dust of ages and Wraight really makes you feel what it must be like to live on a dead world that is reliant on being fed by the rest of the Imperium. Miss a couple of meals and the fate of the whole planet is suddenly at stake... When tempers, and hunger, finally stretch that little bit too far then Wraight is on hand to deliver that fine Black Library tradition of brutal warfare being waged by augmented humanity. It's nothing less than stirring stuff.

'The Emperor's Legion' is quite simply a brilliant read that promises great things for what looks to be a series in the making ('The Regent's Shadow' will be released in August next year). Like I said, I'm a fan so you can take that with a pinch of salt but read the book anyway, I think you'll be glad you did.

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