Path of the Renegade

Path of the Dark Eldar #1

by Andy Chambers

The first book featuring the Dark Eldar from Warhammer 40,000

In the hidden city of the dark eldar, a crisis is coming. An ambitious archon and a twisted haemonculus unite to challenge the city’s rulers, and Commoragh will burn in their wake.

For millennia, Asdrubael Vect has ruled the dark city of Commorragh, crushing any who dare to cross him. His reach is long and his position unassailable... or so he thinks. Yllithian, an ambitious archon with the desire to unseat the tyrant, joins forces with a twisted haemonculus in an attempt to revive a long-dead warrior and challenge the might of the overlord, both racing to achieve their goal before Vect discovers their treachery. But a cataclysm is coming, and Yllithian’s actions may in fact be the cause...

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Novels

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 31, 2012

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Drukhari, Dark Eldar, are one of the most interesting races in 40K. While there are a myriad of ways in which the various enemies of mankind can kill you- the two worst are likely the powers of Chaos and the Drukhari. The Dark Eldar's world is a very dark and dangerous one. having Slaneesh thirsting for their souls, the Drukhari must partake in all manner of debaucheries and they feed off pain and misery. To be captured alive by the Drukhari, is likely one of the worst things that can happen to a human (save, again, for Chaos).

This superb novel details the various conspiracies and plots that abound in Commorragh, the Dark City. Yllithan, an ambitious Archon, wishes to overthrow the rule of Asdrubael Vect. To do this he makes an alliance with two other Archons to resurrect an ancient being-El'Uriaq, the lord of Shaa-Dom. Yet, all is not what it seems and there is far more to the Lord of Shaa-dom than it seems.

Not only is the story superb, but the look into the life of the Drukhari is fascinating. The tale of daily life in Commorragh is truly well written and explains quite a bit about the Drukhari and their dark homeworld.

Anyone looking for a good sci-fi tale, or are interested in the Drukhari, then you will love this superb novel. Highly recommended.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, you're a writer for hire and a publishing company, let's say they're called the Black Library, get in contact saying they want you to write a trilogy of novels.

'I'll see if I can fit you in,' you say, when what you actually mean is, 'Thank God, now I'm not going to have to moonlight as an Amazon delivery man.'

And then you get your brief.

Turns out, you've got to write a trilogy of novels in which the heroes are a bunch of psychopathic interstellar elves who don't so much get off on causing pain and death but actually need to do so in order to stop themselves being dragged down the insatiable maw of the hermaphroditic, but mostly female, goddess of excess. These are interstellar elves who take seriously Aleister Crowley's dictum, 'Do what thou wilt shall be all of the law.'

So, how do you write about them? Do you take them seriously as creatures dedicated to pain and excess? Do you make them the monsters they truly are? Trying to think of an example in a human context, the obvious - Nazis, serial killers, etc - come to mind but a better example for the truly stomach churning nature of these elves of excess would be Ian Watkins, the child-molesting lead singer of the Lost Prophets, since he combined both the rock star glamour and the truly disgusting determination to plunge to the depths of what is possible in human depravity.

Andy Chambers, thankfully, decided not to go there. I don't think I could have born a trilogy in the company of creatures as depraved as that. So, yes, they are Dark Eldar, sadists and masochists, but the torture is largely off page and the machinations brought to the fore, so the trilogy can be enjoyed as a ruthless political thriller, House of Cards in the stars. As such, Chambers creates a cast of amusingly ruthless characters, illuminates - as far as is possible - the Dark City, Commorragh, where the Dark Elves dwell, and takes us on thrilling journeys along the webway, the skein of twisted reality that slides between our world and the Warp, where the Dark Eldar hide from that thirsty god who desires their souls.

So, a thoroughly enjoyable romp among the stars in the company of pschyo elves, rather than a face plant into depravity. Phew!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping this book would be connected with the Path of the Warrior/Seer/Outcast trilogy by Gav Thorpe. And actually, without immediatly noticing it, it is kinda connected.

The main plot of the story can be condensed to a group of archons trying to overthrow the supreme tyrant of Commorragh, the capital of the Dark Eldar in the Webway. But this is not where the interesting parts of the story are.

A subplot in the story tells the story of an eldar from the craftworlds that actually changes sides to his dark kin. This is where the "Path of the..." trilogy connects. After reading part of the trilogy, it's interesting to see how an eldar can choose to rebel, betray his kin and join the Dark Side... without immediatly succumbing to the clutches of She Who Thirsts: the Path of the Renegade is a path just as any other, granted, with a lot of different twists and turns.

The overall atmosphere and description of the lives of the Dark Eldar paint a very nice picture of how they too endure as last surviving elements of their species. Myself, I didn't know how these Dark Eldar survive or save themselves from the gaping maw of Lady Slaanesh, but now I do... small hint to a spoiler: it has to do with becoming Slaanesh, with eating screaming souls just as the Dark Goddess does, to strengthen and prolong their own existence

And as a cherry on the cake, we get a glimpse of those other Eldar we didn't know a lot of, apart from that they're neither craftworld eldar or dark eldar: the story features a raid on an Exodite world (with hints on how the exodites are 'saved' from chaos), and we even meet up with a Harlequin Eldar... which is a very elusive but interesting part of the story.

Not at all recommended for beginner WH40K readers, a must-read for those interested in the 'Path of the ...' trilogy.

[Taddow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Eldar are my favorite race in the Warhammer 40K universe and there are very few stories written showcasing them as the main characters. This novel did not disappoint. Andy Chambers does a wonderful job of highlighting the society of the Dark Eldar- deadly, ruthless, depraved, psychotic and always...always conspiring. The Dark Eldar are sadistic, and Andy Chambers provides many examples in this mindset in the book. Having read Gav Thorpe's Path of the Eldar series, it was good to see the differences between the two factions and the beliefs and methods they use to address the lurking Chaos danger they fear. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Tarl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book, and quite frankly, I remember nothing from the first time other than Morr.

Chambers is old hat in the Warhammer universe, and knows his stuff. I had read some of his works over the years, and when I first discovered that he was writing this trilogy, I was excited. I had, after all, read one of the linked short stories and was interested to see what he would do with the dark kin of the Eldar.

Much to be said, overall this is an okay novel. The story is interesting, Chambers' writing is fairly strong, and the story moved from one thing to the next fairly easily. The characters are a rogue's gallery of interesting and unique characters and readers will easily find one that piques their interest. The one weird thing I found, however, is that unlike the Eldar Path series of works, the protagonist of this book is not the renegade mentioned in the title. Rather, he's a character that shows up part way through and closes the novel. I thought this was a weird choice to make, though really it wouldn't have shown the full world of the Dark Eldar... I mean Drukhari.

Also, as far as showing the depravity of the Drukhari, Chambers holds back. Sure, they do a lot of blood shed and back stabbing, but most of it happens in a word or two rather than any kind of description. This, though watering down the dark kin, manages to keep the book out of the horror realm, as well as makes the novel able to reach a wider audience. (especially new, younger players who would be drawn to the 'edgy' nature of the Drukhari) So I can't blame him really, and he did do a fantastic job making them seem plenty evil without going overboard. Still, it does tone them down a lot and weakens what could have been a darker book. You win some, you lose some.

All in all, this is an okay book. I enjoyed it, I liked how it worked with the two short stories I had read before reading this work, and I liked how the renegade was able to show the differences between the Drukhari and the Aeldari. How one of the Aeldari could turn to the other side and how that would eventually transform them into one of the dark kin. It was interesting to see, and I am sad that more time wasn't spent on him, but rather the protagonist. (who, now that I think about it, was also kind of a renegade against the current norm, but overall he was just being a standard Drukhari, so it isn't so much being a renegade as it was just doing what they do, blackstab people.)

If you are interested in something other than the plethora of Space Marine novels out there, I would recommend giving this series a go. It's refreshing to read, and one of the more unique series in a collection over populated with orks and space marines. Well worth the time to read.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s alright. Having read Path of the Warrior by Gavvy Thorpe, this was definitely more interesting a read, but still to tame compared to anything we’re told about from the Codexes. The Dark Eldar are described as being wicked sadists who enact pain on their enemies and slaves on the regular, and live in a dark, twisted city bathed in twilight and suffering, yet we don’t really see that in the novel. Everything’s rather tame and safe, as if Black Library has an age-limit which they have to pander to in order to reach a wider variety of audience. It’s rather odd though and it hurts the narrative. I bought the Souls Drinkers Omnibus in my teens and read through such graphic scenes on Nurgle infested battlefields, and funnily enough, a world taken over by a Dark Eldar Kabal. The scenes describing the DEldar there, whilst somewhat excessive did a far better job at describing the Dark Eldar. Given that they are both available to read from the same publisher either shows the narrative dissonance between the two authors, or that the culture of Gamesworkshop and the image which they want to present has changed. This hurts the presentation of the story as the setting, compared to the novel, fails to really bring out the depravity of a completely alien race which survives on torture.
The plot and characters are two dimensional and flat for the most part, despite being centuries years old in some cases, their actual thought processing is rather lacking. Characters do silly things, or lose to random processes that you would think that an ancient race that has survived for thousands of years would have thought of counter measures for. Whenever someone is about to die it is painfully obvious, and alluded to for several chapters before hand. There weren’t that many surprises in the novel, and the reader never really learns to care about any of the characters as there aren’t really any stakes. Nothing is at risk, and everything is easily replaceable. There’s an overarching threat of demise to all of the characters, but it never really gets brought up, and serves as only a minor plot point. Even the main characters master plot is rather weak and far-fetched, and depended on a number of hypotheticals. The author expects the reader to follow along with his story, without laying a proper ground work for doing so.
Even the ending was rather abrupt and left everything back as it was at the beginning of the novel. With nothing to take away and a thin story Path of the Renegade leaves about as much impact to the reader as a moth drowning in your morning coffee. It definitely is a book that exists in the Warhammer universe, and it definitely is about the Dark Eldar. And that’s all there is to say.

It’s kind of odd, as the author also wrote the short story, ‘Midnight on the Street of Knives’ which did a far better job of actually describing the sinister, back-stabbing Dark Eldar culture moreso than this novel ever did.
If you ever plan on reading this as an Ebook, just listen to an audio recording of the aforementioned short story, as it was far superior.

[Melanie Schoen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. As an Aeldari fan I was eager to learn more about what life could possibly be like in Comnorragh, and I wasn't disappointed, as there is a ton of lore and detail packed into every scene. Chambers manages to weave in a lot without getting bogged down, and the few places where I did feel like he was spending too much time in minutiae, those things being described showed back up in unexpected and satisfying ways. As it's a book about scheming, there were a lot of satisfying payoff moments that I really appreciated.

The characters were all fun and interesting. I can't say they're all that well developed, as no one really went through an arc as such, but each had very distinct personalities and I enjoyed following their individual threads. Even knowing from the start that their venture was doomed to fail (just by virtue of knowing where canon events sit now) they kept me invested in the plot, which was also decently paced (for the most part). By the end I was excited to see which of them would be returning for the next books.

I also thought the book did a decent job of showing the Drukhari's inherent sadism without drifting too far into wanton violence for the sake of it, or into the trap of being so relatable that we forget who we're dealing with. Felt like someone got eviscerated in most every scene, even if the majority were background characters. I wouldn't have minded going darker (plenty of violence but barely a hint of sex? Very little focus on captured slaves?), but I liked the balance for what it was. You can only make characters so murderous and selfish before they stop being able to form relationships of any kind, which would have hurt there being a story at all.

The one part of the book that fell flat for me was the beginning of the third act. There was a LOT that went on off screen that the characters spelled out after the fact. I was annoyed at so much of the politics going on off screen, when we had finally reached what was supposed to be the main conflict. It really felt like Chambers just ran out of time and had to push to the finale to meet some predetermined deadline or outline, and it made me side-eye a few earlier scenes that could have been cut if it meant fleshing out the ending better. But the finale itself I enjoyed, and knowing there were two more books made me forgive it.

I liked it. It's probably unfair to compare it to the Asuryani Path books, because they're so different, but in terms of writing, consistency, character, and structure, it's leaps ahead. I think it's worth reading for anyone that likes Drukhari, but I'll also admit that I liked this book the best out of the trilogy, so if you didn't enjoy it then I don't recommend continuing.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of the toughest BL I have ever read. I read it for the first time like ten/fifteen years ago and remember being completely lost, decided to give it other go and I'm glad I did.

First off, you need to have a pretty good understanding who the Dark elder (Drukhari) are and what Commorragh is like. The first time I read it I did not. I thought I did, but I was wrong. Second, Andy Chambers is like a walking dictionary. I might sound stupid, but there's a lot of big words in here, a lot more than you would think a Warhammer 40k book should have. And third, the plot and characters move around a lot. Some times a character might get introduced and not show up for like other 100 or so pages.

All that being said, it was a fun rewarding read. Chambers descriptions of the Drukhari and life in Commorragh was spot on. Looking forward to reading book #2.

[Kassar Krennic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series kicks ass! It gives you a really good look into how life in the Dark City works while also not making it to 'human' in the process. Never while reading this did I get the feeling I was just reading about some oddly dressed humans. While the characters are great and relatable and the city of Commorragh is wonderfully fleshed out it still remains very...alien, very strange.
Getting to see how the Exodites and Harlequins live and operate was also a very nice. The action was amazing as well and once again gives you a good look at how the Dark Eldar fight whether it be against each other or other races.
Morr, Motley and Bellathonis are characters I will never forget.
All I can say is read this. You will not regret it.

[Christopher Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look, 40k books are a mixed bag at the best of times.
Stuff like Lemartes stands head and foot above other things as it understands its subjects place in the vast vast universe of 40k, and works with it.

This book does the same. And more.
It builds its cast well, it then adds in compelling twists and new bits, and it generally is a fun, great read.

It ends insanely quickly, I will say. 1 chapter it seems to be reaching its climax, and then the next is the epilogue. Not a bad thing, as you can launch straight into the next book (which is even better), but just worth knowing.
If you want to spend some time with the dark kin, first off, you're mad, but if you really really want to, there are far worse ways to do so than these books!

[Ryan Grinas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, very disappointing. The Dark Eldar are a captivating faction, and no disrespect to Andy Chambers, but this book should have been handled much better. Poorly written, lots of punctuation and grammatical errors, as well as a simply boring plot that was a slog to get through.
The Dark Eldar are evil, but when you have a book that nearly all the characters are dull, uncharismatic and excessively violent, it leaves you with no one to connect with. It’s really a shame because Chambers’ Midnight on the Street of Knives short story was intriguing, but unfortunately he couldn’t transfer that feeling to his trilogy.
I’d like to read more about the Dark Eldar, but this first book was pointless.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I'll return to this someday, but man. Somewhere around the 1/3 point it just became a bit of a slog for me. Was it because my favorite character died? No, I think it was that plus the fact that the story suddenly shifts for a LONG time before we get back to the main thrust of the plot. I normally like Andy Chambers, and I was really curious about the dark eldar (or aeldyriiii or whatever the hell they're called now), so ... not sure what went wrong here. I'll probably give the second one a shot & hopefully enjoy it more.

[Nel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover is ass but the story is good. I'm somewhat new to the warhammer 40k lore, but drukhari captured my imagination from the very beginning. I do love that they are simply pure evil unredeemable bastards, but not without nuance either.
It's a trilogy and book 1 ended with a bang, although some things about it were a bit eyebrow raising. The characters of note for me were Yllithian, aka the archon who started it all, Bellathonis and Morr. It seems that Morr will take the spotlight in book 2. Good.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnificent deep dive into the world of the eternal city and it's bloodlust residents. I am aware there are more books in the series, so will perhaps try them too. I am a total beginner with 40k but so far, Drukhari have been most interesting to me.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Post: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/03/...


I’m going to start this review by informing you about the author, Andy Chambers. Whilst he may not be familiar to any newcomers to the Black Library Universe, and indeed, I hadn’t heard of him before reading Path of the Renegade. But when I google’d his name to see what other works he’d done, if any, it came up with the following: He’s worked on many, many Codexes from various editions of the Warhammer 40,000 game, including Codex: Craftworld Eldar (Third Edition), Codex: Tyranids (4th Edition) and Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition), and has already written one Black Library-published novel, the ancient Survival Instinct, which can nowadays be found in the first Necromunda Omnibus. So, Andy Chambers was already a veteran to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, right? Let’s see how he handled what is I believe the first novel focusing on the Dark Eldar, one of the most twisted races ever to sail the stars of the grimdark far future. Here’s the blub, borrowed from our friends at Black Library, below:

"For millennia, Asdrubael Vect has ruled the dark city of Commorragh, crushing any who dare to cross him. His reach is long and his position unassailable… or so he thinks. Yllithian, an ambitious archon with the desire to unseat the tyrant, joins forces with a twisted haemonculus in an attempt to revive a long-dead warrior and challenge the might of the overlord, both racing to achieve their goal before Vect discovers their treachery. But a cataclysm is coming, and Yllithian’s actions may in fact be the cause…"

So, pretty interesting, right? I mean, this has managed to get me wanting to read the book, and the only time I’ve encountered Dark Eldar before was in the occasional novel as the enemy faction (Firedrake by Nick Kyme), and the occasional game on Dawn of War: Soulstorm. And, when I read the book, I’m going to say that I really enjoyed it. Andy Chambers has kept me hooked right from the get go, and I’m really looking forward for the second novel in the Dark Eldar Trilogy, Path of the Incubus, which should be coming out in March 2013, and presumably follows directly on from Path of the Renegade, which was a huge enjoyment and I would love to return to Commorragh, the home city of the Dark Eldar.

Well, I wouldn’t love to actually go there, as judging by the background and in the novel, Commorragh is a dark, brutal, torturous place where the Dark Eldar make their home.

Before Andy Chambers even started this novel, he was facing a question. And that question, is how do I write something that’s utterly, and completely alien? There’s a reason why the majority of novels and short stories that come out focus on the Space Marines and the forces of the Imperium, folks, as quite simply, they’re the closest things in this universe that the author can relate to. Dark Eldar are literally impossible to relate to. Even somebody like Graham McNeill, and dare I say it, Dan Abnett – would face a challenge in getting the Dark Eldar written in a way that not only gets across their perspective, but also pleases the fanbase.

And, from my opinion at least, Andy Chambers does both of those things. He doesn’t just do both of them, he does them both well. He brought across a culture that was rich with information to draw upon, made the characters believable and interesting, as well as not making them seem too human. There isn’t really going to be a ‘hero’ in this novel, one that the readers can relate to, but then – that’s never going to be the case with any Dark Eldar novel.

However, Path of the Renegade, as much as I wanted it to be, isn’t perfect. It does have some flaws, and chief among which is the pacing – it’s a little uneven, building up a little slow, with the occasional burst of action. And the ending also happened a bit too fast, making you wonder what Andy Chambers could have done if he had written more, and made the conclusion a tad more satisfying. However, this is the first in a trilogy though, and these two flaws will not stop me from reading Path of the Incubus as soon as it arrives on my doorstep.

The background of the Dark Eldar race is explored fantastically in this novel, and we’re really given an insight into their culture, and what makes them tick for the first time in novel format in the world of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. A lot of factions that are used in the Army List in the game are explored here, and at no point does it feel like Andy Chambers is trying to fit in all of them just because he can. And indeed, the battle scenes are no different. From aerial duels to small skirmishes on the ground, Path of the Renegade has no ‘wasted’ action within its pages, and that’s another plus for Andy Chambers there.

Path of the Renegade is a nice story that could easily, despite a few plot holes, be read as a standalone novel. There are a few minor aspects that Path of the Incubus and the final novel in the trilogy could tie up, and I’ll be waiting to see how the author tackles them.

Verdict: 4/5

The Dark Eldar Trilogy: Path of the Renegade, Path of the Incubus (March 2013), To Be Confirmed

[Zaphied · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't find any of the characters interesting save the severed head. And the Motley fool. They were not the focal characters either.

[Alexander Kuzma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good!

[Nick P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a great series. Love the pacing and most of the characters.

[Jarrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, not quite on the level of Eisenhorn but well up there.

[Matthew Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew Herrera
Ms. Carteaux
English 1 Honors Period C
29 September 2015

Path of the Renegade review
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Path of the Renegade is classified as science fiction, and kicks butt as an action thriller that has tons of violence and conflict. The book has many great lead ups to every chapter. This is the opposite of most books as it is about the evil side of the universe and what the citizens of Commorragh do on a daily basis. The theme of the book that I got was always to heed the warnings people give you. " You will bring about a Dysjunction. Turn aside from your path before it is too late"( Chambers 37). This is because a soothsayer said that if Yllithan brings back the dead emperor of Sha-Doom. Commoragh will fall into complete disarray. Yllithan did not adhere to the warnings and the Dysjuncton occurred." The very foundations of the eternal city were shaking. The Dysjunction had begun" ( Chambers 413).
The book is about a young aspiring leader trying to make a name for his kabal and himself. He tries doing this by trying to resurrect a dead emperor to otherthrow the tyrant of Commorragh. He is successful in doing this but regrets it later because the emperor is possessed by a daemon and is trying to get all the power for himself.
The book was very good to me. It may not seem as good of a read to others because you need to know a little more of the backstory to get the full understanding of the book. The plot flowed well as it showed the steps and issues that they went through to get the plan in place and make it succeed. The characters were developed extremely well. I felt as if I was there with them the whole time. The book made a great bridge to a trilogy as it ended with the emperor dead and the main character almost dying but escaping before a terrible affliction comes over him.
The book to me was really interesting. Nothing seemed out of place or incorrect. All the characters and events flowed well throughout the book. This book really showed what it is like to live in the Dark City and what happens on a daily basis.
The book wasn't like other books to me. It wasn't a chore for me to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The book was full of action form the huge raid of a world, to small little arguments that happened between the characters. But the fighting really made everything come together. The battles were really made well and flowed well. I thought I was fighting the battle with the characters. The book lacks nothing, the characters are intriguing and the well done and fighting scenes make it stand out from all the others.

[Holly Baer · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a book.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight into the Dark Eldar though filled with too many moustache twirling villains relishing in gratuitous violence. Where most space marine stories are "bolter" porn, this Dark Eldar seemed to follow the grim dark machinations of G. R. R. Martin, but with bondage space elves instead of faux medieval and without the nuance.

I'm hoping the rest of the series transcends the wanton violence.

[Housewife Bubuchu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Сначала я дала книге 3 звезды исключительно за прекрасное описание и детализацию города Коморра и социума темных эльдар. Автору удалось удивительно красочно, реалистично и увлекательно нарисовать общество чистого зла, построенное на принципах, диаметрально противоположных человеческой морали. Но и только.
Ни один из персонажей не вызвал не то что сопереживания, а даже просто интереса. Плоские как картонные солдатики, герои прорубают себе путь через сюжет, в вихре крови, отрубленных конечностей и прочих кровавых ошметков. И даже правильно, хорошо построенная интрига и полная логичность происходящих событий ситуацию не спасают. Домучив книгу до законного и весьма драматического конца я, признаться, вздохнула с облегчением.
Однако стоило мне начать читать вторую часть, как внезапно уже прочтенная первая книга наполнилась жизнью, герои обрели характеры, объем, реально ожили и зашевелились. Поэтому если хотите получить от прочтения больше удовольствия, читайте всю трилогию целиком, без пауз. Только так от книг останется правильное и цельное впечатление.

[Eohall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great, pulpy fun for 40K/Black Library lovers in general, and Dark Eldar enthusiasts particularly. Characterization is a bit flat, and theres no real sense of mounting stakes though. Many of the 40K novels fall prey to this, and it comes down to the source material often. Every event or bit of lore is more epic and overpowered than the last, every warrior or weapon the ultimate expression of death in the galaxy. Its tough to make any narrative seem "real" in even the loosest sense when the entire IP lore is one big case of powercreep. However, this book is loads of fun if you are at all invested in the source material.

[Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why, oh why wasn't Path of the craftworlders this good?

We have interesting characters and a story filled with intrigues and backstabbing! The story ties in nicely with a couple of shorter stories as well, most of which are pretty good as well!

I'm really looking forward to read the next part as the ending's not an end at all!

[Mistress · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line of this book is really entertaining. I've been a fan of Warhammer 40k for a long time, although this is the first novel I've read. I wasn't expecting a literary masterpiece and it wasn't. It is pulpy and fun. And it is a fascinating take on the irredeemably evil society of the Dark Eldar.

My complaint: grammatical/punctuation errors!!!!!! It is as though this book didn't receive a standard copy edit. The lack of commas in certain places is quite jarring as it drastically changes the meaning of the sentence. Additionally, there are irritating spelling errors.

Other than that, the book is enjoyable for fans for sci-fi, fantasy, and/or Games Workshop.

[Stuart Paton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough 40k airport novel. It interprets some things about Dark ELdar differently to the way I would have, but whatever. I also think Andy Chambers read my rules, give his mention of "empathic connections" several times while explaining the power from pain thing, which I used also. Empathy isn't mentioned in the DE Codex at all. :P

The plot is reasonably basic, I suppose, but I'll probably get the next couple of books in the series. Three stars out of five, but if you're a fan of the Dark Eldar then it's worth a read.

[Dmitri Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping that this book was a sequel of some sort to the previous eldar book; but it was good nonetheless. Some parts were repetitive and too detailed. Although, the plot was gripping and the characters were amazingly structured.
I would give this book a 4/5 and I am looking forward to the sequel!

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting easy read into the treacherous world of the Dark Eldar. The characters are, make no mistake, sociopaths, but for some reason the reader can see them as either anti-heroes or suffer Stockholm Syndrome for them. The plot revolves around a group of Archon nobles trying to overthrow their dark city's eternal tyrant. They trigger something much much more traumatic.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Andy manages to make the characters sufficiently evil without also rendering them unsympathetic. Loved the bits with the Haemonculus Bellathonis. Very much had this mad scientist/monster movie vibe going. All in all an enjoyable read.