'Spear of the Emperor' – Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Black Library)

There aren't as many authors on the list these days but there are still a few where I will buy their latest book as soon as I know it's on the shelves. You have to, right? Aaron Dembski-Bowden is very much on that list, an author who it seems is physically unable to write a bad book, he just can't do it and he is writing in my favourite grimdark, far future and full of war setting. So yeah, there may well be a bit of bias here; I'll try my best not to make it too obvious.

What really struck me about 'Spear of the Emperor' (before I started reading and got struck by everything else) is that Dembski-Bowden was writing about the Emperor's Finest for a change, rather than those traitorous denizens of the Warp. It's not like I wasn't going to read the book anyway but I was now particularly interested to see if he would bring the same humanity to regular Space Marines as he regularly does to the traitors. Why did I waste my time even asking myself that question? Of course he did.

The Emperor's Spears are a Chapter on the edge of destruction, last watchmen over the Elara's Veil nebula. Now, the decisions of one man, Amadeus Kaias Incarius of the Mentor Legion, will determine the Chapter's fate…

The scattered worlds of the Elara's Veil nebula were once protected by the oath of unity sworn by three mighty Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The Star Scorpions were undone by flaws in their genetic coding. The Celestial Lions were ravaged by the Inquisition for sins they did not commit. Now, after hundreds of years, only the Emperor's Spears still keep their vigil. They are barbarian watchmen against the Outer Dark; bloodied but unbroken in their long duty.

Amadeus Kaias Incarius, a brother of the Mentor Legion, is commanded to cross the Great Rift and assess the Spears' war-readiness, only to be drawn into the chaotic plight of a depleted crusade on the Imperium's benighted frontier. The decisions he makes, far from the God-Emperor's light, will decide the fate of the war-torn Chapter.

Well, what a treat of a read that was. I've read a few reviews saying that 'Spear of the Emperor' is Dembski-Bowden's best work; I'm a little loath to jump on that bandwagon just yet (especially as there are still two more books to come in this series) but you know what? They might just be right. 'Spear of the Emperor' is another fine example of why you need to be reading Aaron Dembski-Bowden's work, whether you're fan of the Warhammer 40K setting or just a fan of well written sci-fi in general. Either works here.

The best 'Space Marine' books aren't just about the battles (although Space Marine battles are always cool, trust me on that); they're studies almost of what it means to be one step removed from a humanity that you are sworn to protect (or kill, depends what side you're on) or what it's like to live in the presence of of these men as a human who will never reach those heights. 'Spear of the Emperor' goes for both approaches at once, being told through the eyes of a Chapter thrall about her Space Marine master, sent on a mission to the outermost regions of the Imperium to assess how the Emperor's Spears Chapter has fared on the other side of the Great Rift and pretty much left to get on with it.

The end result is full of the politicking, that one might expect from this setting, and there are a couple of vicious twists that really blow things up and send the plot along paths that you would not expect. It's worth reading for that alone but what really blew me away was Dembski-Bowden's examination of the Emperor's Spears, a Chapter that is fighting a war in the full knowledge that reinforcements are not being sent by the Imperium. All they have left is the oath that they took and the revenge that they've sworn, that's all they need to keep fighting. There is a lot to feel joy for in this slightly odd bunch of Marines like the camaraderie that they share and their sense of identity which has come out of isolation. The main thing that I took away from the book though was a sobering sense of fatigue in these Marines holding the line against all odds, knowing that they will eventually fall, especially when the Inquisition get involved for reasons that I suspect will become clearer in the next book(s) If I was going to aim one criticism at 'Spear of the Emperor' it would be that it places too much focus on being an 'opening book'. I've heard that this is the first book in a series (please correct me if I'm wrong?) and this does show at time.The arcs of the main players make up for this though as they are both well defined and, perhaps more importantly, end...

Having said that though, I know it's a silly thing to say but every series has to start somewhere doesn't it? Maybe I shouldn't be picking on a book for those reasons, I'll be reading the sequels anyway, knowing me...

'Spear of the Emperor' was just the read that I'd been looking after a shitty week at work. Engrossing enough to take your mind off anything and enough 'bolter spectacle' to distract you on a more, erm... visceral level. You can't ask for a lot more than that really and if you did, people would just think you were being greedy.

Another great book, please never change Mr, Dembski-Bowden...