Dominion Genesis

by Jonathan D. Beer

A Warhammer 40,000 Novel

Gryphonne IV is dead – one of the mightiest forge worlds in the arsenal of the Adeptus Mechanicus, succumbed to the relentless hunger of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Devoured. Lost.

The few magi that survive drift in idleness, robbed of purpose and direction. But there is one who rejects that fate.

READ IT BECAUSE
It’s the gripping tale of an Explorator desperately seeking ancient technologies from humanity’s past as she races against time to restore one of the mightiest forge worlds in the Imperium.

THE STORY
Explorator Talin Sherax seeks ancient and miraculous technologies from humanity’s distant past. When she learns of a fabled relic that could restore all that has been lost, Sherax embarks on a journey, the outcome of which could change everything. Nothing will stand in her way… even if the quest brings her to the brink of heresy.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2024

About the author

Jonathan D. Beer is a science fiction and alternative history writer, whose stories for Black Library include the novels THE KING OF THE SPOIL and DOMINION GENESIS, and several short stories.

Equally obsessed by the nineteenth century and the 41st millennium, he lives with his wife and assorted cats in the untamed wilderness of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard book to enjoy

I give this book 5 stars because I enjoyed the read, but it is a hard book to enjoy.
The book suffers from the same problem many Warhammer books do. They introduce something miraculous, something that would fundamentally change the status quo and therefore can not be allowed to pass. Usually, this would make such a book essentially skipable and unnecessary. However, with the case of Dominion: Genesis, we see a writer taking that limitation and turning it on its head. Dominion: Genesis is essentially the tale of "The real treasure is the friends we made along the way," but in a true Warhammer spin, it is a tragedy. The main character learns the wrong lessons and becomes a monster in the end in order to survive. She dooms all of mankind to continue the inexorable, slow decline of their race without hope when she could have saved it.
This is a good book, but hard. It is not disappointing because it never could have been anything else, BUT this. This is a writer who understands what Warhammer 40K is deeply, and told the story of an emotional journey embarked by people that for all their desire to be machines, remain people, humans, with all the flaws and strengths that carries.
Despite it all, it is a hard book to enjoy, but I did enjoy it.

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening chapter of this book, written in the third person, is one of the most affecting and evocative pieces of writing I’ve encountered within the Black Library or possibly beyond. Credit must also go to Coleen Prendergast for her narration here. Who would have thought that such a humane passage would come from a Mechanicus PoV- the decision by Beer to open the book so lyrically counters the expected zeros-and-ones approach and sets up the rest of this incredibly ambitious book up nicely.

An awful lot happens here; under BL’s previous approach I’ve no doubt this story would be expanded and turned into a trilogy, but they’ve not really done that for years, mores the pity as Dominion Geneis is full of juicy plot points, characters and ideas just ripe for further exploration and expansion. More please!

[Jacob Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly solid as a 40K novel, worth reading especially if you were a fan of the Twice Dead King duology, as it presents a convincing psychological profile of an individual from a (relatively) alien society. As (nearly) always with 40K books, it feels rather under-edited, with repetitive descriptions often adding little of value beyond hurting the pacing.

However ultimately this is a good book, and worth reading for fans of the ad mech.

[Michael Magill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The performance is great for the audiobook. I thought she did a great job. The story was average as far as warhammer goes. I’m an Adeptus Mechanicus fan and I felt the author did a good job explaining the society, roles, tech, and over idea of the admech but the story was so so and not super engaging for most of the story as well as dialogue was so so. Overall liked it but not my favorite.

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating of 4.5.

Destitute tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus embark on a massive quest for redemption in the excellent 2024 Warhammer 40,000 novel, Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer.

Plot Synopsis:

Gryphonne IV is dead – one of the mightiest forge worlds in the arsenal of the Adeptus Mechanicus, succumbed to the relentless hunger of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Devoured. Lost.

The few magi that survive drift in idleness, robbed of purpose and direction. But there is one who rejects that fate.

READ IT BECAUSE
It’s the gripping tale of an Explorator desperately seeking ancient technologies from humanity’s past as she races against time to restore one of the mightiest forge worlds in the Imperium.

THE STORY
Explorator Talin Sherax seeks ancient and miraculous technologies from humanity’s distant past. When she learns of a fabled relic that could restore all that has been lost, Sherax embarks on a journey, the outcome of which could change everything. Nothing will stand in her way… even if the quest brings her to the brink of heresy.

Dominion Genesis was a particularly intense and compelling entry in the Warhammer 40,000 canon that proves quite enthralling to read. I like how Beer managed to achieve quite a few things with this book, as he produced an excellent quest narrative with a focus on obsession, trauma and survival, while also cleverly showcasing several different factions of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/11/01/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dominion Genesis is good but it falters at the end; The setup of a hive fleet devouring a forgeworld is good and something we have not seen in the 40K setting that often, this is the catalyst for Sherax's quest for a strange device of genesis to restore her people to life. Mixing a bit of moses and joseph king of dreams in the plot is fine and I found all named characters to be fun and well written. The adaptus mechanicus members are different but not that dehumanized (by their own actions of augmentation) that they come across as unrelatable.

However, to me the ending as a whole felt unnecessary, not every book and story needs a now you know everything resolution and the "it was all me" moment was definitively not necessary. It is an uncaring universe, horrible things happen in it all the time without there needing be a convoluted plot. Wish he hadn't done that.

[Molly The Void Syr3n · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really really good story. Tbf ai just thoroughly enjoy any stories around transhumanism and machine cults. But this book showed some of the interactions that occur within the Mechanicum. Between the belief systems of the Cult Mechanicus and the Imperium at large.

Not just that it had a thrilling story, showing a grander side to the 41st millennium I hadn't seen before. Of battles seen from the outside. Of the tragedy and agony of the genocides and losses.

The book itself wasn't formatted well with far too many chapters. Most of these chapters existing solely because every few pages shifted to the perspective of a different character but it was frustrating.

Overall though, a great book with a new take on the Warhammer universe.

[Rich Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first experience with the Adeptus Mechanicus and what a wonderful read this book has been. I found the story engaging from start to finish along with the characters both human and augmented. It’s great to read a Warhammer novel which does things differently or shows a different perspective, Dominion Genesis does this in spades! I highly recommend this book, certainly the best book released by Black Library in 2024. Hopefully we get future adventures of the Gryphonne IV Ad Mech from Jonathan D Beer soon.

[Alex Van De Wiele · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

The book was fine, but failed to live up to its potential.

An Admech Explorator sees their world destroyed and embarks on a quest for a legendary piece of acheotech capable of restoring their world; a strong pitch. Sadly, forgettable villains, weak side characters, and am unsatisfying conclusion make this indiana-jones-esque adventure far rougher than it should have been.

The author's writing style was nice, and the details of Mechanicus life were well done. If you enjoy Mechanicus life it's worth a read.

[Brittany Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Talin as a main character. Adeptus Mechanicus are often portrayed as having no emotions at all, which isn’t entirely inaccurate. Talin and several other characters often show their human emotions that are still inherently within them. Watching her go from an eager young explorator to a callous, angry, almost heretical leader was fun and engaging.

The one criticism I have is the ending. I feel like the book could have been a little longer, though it wasn’t entirely rushed.

[Nick Caris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het concept van het verhaal is leuk, je ziet al erg snel waar het heen gaat en hoe de conflicten tussen de characters gaan komen. maar jammergenoeg is de schrijfstijl prima. het is zeker niet slecht en ik bleef wel doorlezen. Maar het verhaal, de stijl en de characters missen wat diepte en daarom toch maar een 2.5/3.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid mechanicus novel

Reasonably interesting characters, good action, and an engaging story. About as much as you can ask for from a stand alone novel. Doesn’t move any major plots arcs forward in universe or shed much light on lore - but a good addition to mechanicus roles and diversity.

[Matt TB · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. Nice to see Martian cyborgs being portrayed as at least partly human.

I liked the classic adventure vibe of the tale, the characters were easy to care about.

Action sequences handled very well.

Worth a go!

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Very fun read. This book is begging for a sequel. Great themes such as obsession at the level of Greek tragedy kind of like Moby Dick.

[Skywatcher Adept · Rating 1 out of 5]

Explorator Talin Sherax - Mechanicus Disaster Artist

[Acaer · Rating 1 out of 5]

3/10

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tale of exploration and despair.
The obsession of a tech priest leads to death and destruction.