Mephiston series #1 by Darius Hinks
The 1st Novel in the ‘Mephiston’ series is by Darius Hinks and brings us the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels in all his glory.
From the book:
A religious civil war brings the Blood Angels, commanded by Chief Librarian Mephiston, to a shrine world where they find a mystery that might help Mephiston understand how he survived the Black Rage – and perhaps cure the Blood Angels of their affliction.
The shrine world of Divinatus Prime has become lost to the light of the Astronomican and no ship can piece its veil. Only the Lord of Death himself, Blood Angels Chief Librarian Mephiston, has any hope of discerning the fate of this once pious world. After enacting a powerful blood ritual, Mephiston and an honour guard of his fellow Blood Angels reach the stricken shrine world to find it seized by religious civil war. Each faction fights for dominance of a potent artefact, the Blade Petrific, said to be wrought by the Emperor Himself. Yet there is more at work here than a mere ideological schism, for Mephiston believes Divinatus Prime could offer answers to how he became the Lord of Death, he who resisted the Black Rage, and possibly even a way to end the curse of ‘the Flaw’ in all Blood Angels.
My last review of Darius Hinks’ work did not go well in the case of Dominion, but as Blood Angels are my favourite chapter I wanted to give him a second go… and I’m glad I did.
This first in a trilogy of books about Mephiston of the Blood Angels, sees him hunting down a relic – The Blade of Petrific – which was once touched by the Hand of The Emperor Himself… (lots of capitalisation there).
The Blade is held on Divinatus Prime but it has gone ‘missing’ and Mephiston is the only one capable of travelling through the Warp to get to it. Fortunately, he can bring an honour guard of his fellow Blood Angels and some other Librarians.
As you may expect from a Warhammer 40k novel, this has lots of shooting, and just general ‘Grim Darkness’… there is death here. There is also a lot of background knowledge assumed – unlike Dominion – this is not intended as an introductory book to the Warhammer 40k universe – or even the Blood Angels.
And that is fine, different books can have different aims and in this book Hinks shows the power, knowledge and skills of Mephiston to the ‘max’. It’s a great book for this, and if you already like Blood Angels and Mephiston in particular then this is definitely one for you. It also means I can happily move Hinks off my ‘naughty’ shelf and read some more of this novels.
My grade for the book is probably slightly biased by it including Blood Angels, and it’s probably only 3 stars if you don’t like the Chapter… but that’s the joy of Black Library releasing so many books – there’s definitely something for everyone.
PS – I listened to the audiobook for this, which I do regularly, and I’ve always pronounced Mephiston as ‘Mef-is-ton’, but the narrator said ‘Meh-fist-on’… another childhood assumption gone, but I’m not sure after 35 years I can change how I say his name!
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