Hellforged (Soul Drinkers Series) Book

Still reeling from their losses from the events on Vanqualis, the Soul Drinkers find themselves severely diminished in number and lacking in resources. Things are only made worse when they discover an Adeptus Mechanicus fleet determined to bring the chapter to "justice" who severely damage the Brokenback and a force lurking in the unknown worlds of the galaxy's rim: The Necrons.

On the surface Chapter War and Hellforged seem like very similar books. You have a world under threat from an enemy, the Soul Drinkers attempting to rescue its people from oblivion while the Imperium attempts to fight the Soul Drinkers. Efforts initially go well but are undercut by later revelations which turn the tables against them, forcing later alliances against mutual enemies. What separates them is ultimately two things: Focus and delivery.

Chapter War was supposed to be about the conflict within the chapter itself, yet tried to juggle one too many elements. Resulting in a plot which had too many sides, too many characters and too much endless combat. Lacking the breaks between fights, single true enemy or the focus needed to give the novel a more coherent plot. Hellforged thankfully corrects this and is a more superior novel as a result. Rather than being a three sided melee, the Mechanicus, Soul Drinkers and Necrons fight one another on separate occasions. Each encounter separated out or outlined well enough beforehand to easily keep track of events, often using more memorable quiet moments to enhance the atmosphere.

As with The Bleeding Chalice there is very much a feeling of dread and nihilism within the book, emphasising upon the chapter's diminished state. While It's never so much to overwhelm the book or reach Evangelion levels of tediousness, it works well in combination with the book's place within the series and the alien foe they face. It was clear that the Soul Drinkers were not going to meet a happy end and with their recent losses it was obvious said end was coming soon. Between Iktinos' plotting and their continued losses, whatever finale was planned for the series was going to be grim and bloody.

The Necrons themselves represented what the Soul Drinkers faced in some respects - inevitability. Unlike their current versions, these were actual Necrons. Rather than cyber-toffs prancing into battle while quoting Ming the Merciless and using the C'Tan as Pokemon, they were the silent legion of old gods. They couldn't be reasoned with, distracted or feinted and at best their force could only be temporarily slowed via the death of their leaders. Outside of the Word Bearers series the novel shows how chillingly horrifying a force they could be; not requiring long speeches of death or characteristics lifted from the Tomb Kings to feel compelling. When they strike they strike in force and even the absolute most staunch defence will only temporarily turn back the tide, often with heavy casualties as a result.

This level of doom and gloom is only emphasised further by the characters. Sarpedon's self doubt is evident after the initial engagements against the Mechanicus and Luko's state can only be described as fatigued. Both have been worn down by the continual fighting and more than anything else some are simply desiring to see an end to their conflict. Contrasting with this is the populace of the worlds the Necrons are invading, staunch and determined humans who can best be described as a 40K Slayer cult. Many war aspects of their society revolve around finding a worthy death in battle, sacrificing themselves against the Necrons to continually buy more time.

While this is very basic and borderline cliché, the way it is used is surprisingly fitting for the story. It's easy to see the culture's actions performed by space marines and criticises the ultimate flaws in such a mentality. The tactical issues and problems which can arise from warriors determined to fight to the bitter end; and how complete annihilation can undermine such resolve. The Mechanicus mirror the human populace in some respects, but it is more out of cold logic than warrior spirit. Many elements from their military forces and fleet being willing sacrificed against the Necrons to try and ensure ultimate survival.

If there is one major flaw to be found within the novel it's the conclusion. While setting the stage for Phalanx and feeling like an end to events befitting the novel's themes, how exactly it took place is questionable at best. The way it is set up suggests that a specific military force hurtled across the galaxy in days If not hours at extremely little notice. It might seem like a nitpick but it comes so far out of left field and without prior hints that it can easily throw a reader off at the last second. This lack of explanation is not helped by the book ending on a cliffhanger, leaving what happens next unclear.

Still, it's an otherwise minor problem for an otherwise fairly solid book ignoring some very minor canon discrepancies and definitely one of the best of the series.