Book 4 of the Eisenhorn Series by Dan Abnett
I think Warhammer novels are at their best when they leave the Space Marines and superhumans behind and concentrate on more relatable characters. And Dan Abnett has made a great character in the form of Inquisitor Eisenhorn, here returning for Book 4.
From the book:
Inquisitor Eisenhorn returns in a stunning new novel that pits him against his oldest foe, forcing him to finally confront the growing darkness within his own soul.
Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn has spent his life stalking the darkest and most dangerous corners of the galaxy in pursuit of heresy and Chaos, but how long can a man walk that path without succumbing to the lure of the warp? Pursuing heretics in the remote worlds of the Imperium, Eisenhorn must confront the truth about himself. Is he still a champion of the Throne? Or has he been seduced by the very evil that he hunts? The Magos is the brand new, full-length fourth novel in the hugely popular Eisenhorn series. This paperback edition also includes the definitive casebook of Gregor Eisenhorn, collecting together all twelve of Dan Abnett’s Inquisition short stories, several of which have never been in print before. These additional stories have been compiled by the author to act as an essential prologue to this long-awaited new novel, while also serving as an indispensable companion to the original Eisenhorn trilogy.
Dan Abnett has brought together a number of short stories (12) and a novella length tale in this novel to tell of some of the adventures of Gregor Eisenhorn and his followers. It’s great to have stories to dip into, and finish in an afternoon of lazy reading and the 12 stories definitely deliver on that promise. They’ll be some you may not like, but you’ll be back on fire on the next one as the Warhammer 40k universe encounters all the Grim Darkness through Gregor’s eyes.
The Novella – The Magos – is a great ending to the series though. Concentrating on the story of a Magos trapped in a backwater planet with no means of escape Gregor’s team kidnap him to ‘ask’ for his assistance in investigating some animal attacks. But things are not as they seem. It’s a great story told at break-neck speed but with not too many characters so it is easy to keep up. Sure, some of them die early, but that just makes everything easier to follow.
It also helps to bring the 40k universe to life – it’s not just epic clashes for the future of Terra – it’s people trying to survive, documenting species for the future, and making a living… and into that walks Eisenhorn to cause or solve mayhem and destruction.
A great ending to the Eisenhorn series, but Dan Abnett does have a number of other books featuring the Inquisition, so if you like this there’s definitely other books you can give a go.
— Declan
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