The Twice Dead King: Omnibus

The Twice-dead King

by Nate Crowley

Oltyx was once heir to an entire dynasty, destined to command legions of noble warriors. Now he is an exile, living out a feeble existence on the miserable world of Sedh, leading a dwindling cabal of warriors against the interminable appetites of rampaging orks.

Determined to reclaim his birthright, Oltyx returns to the heart of the court that cast him out, and so begins a journey of profound discovery, the secrets of which are entangled with the origins of the necrons themselves. And if Oltyx is to save his precious Ithakas Dynasty from the barbaric war-cult known as the Imperium of Man, he must become the kind of king he never expected to be.

This omnibus contains the novels The Twice-Dead King: Ruin and The Twice-Dead King: Reign, plus the novella Severed and several short stories.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Fiction, Short Stories

592 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Nate Crowley is an author, interactive fiction consultant, video games journalist, and public speaker.

Reviews

[Tavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better on a re-read, I appreciated the second book so much more knowing the full story. The novella and short stories are great inclusions as well.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Het is gemakkelijk om een factie van zestig miljoen jaar oude robots weg te zetten als niets meer dan een stel dementerende en stugge protocollen. Het is daarom bewonderenswaardig knap hoe Crowley deze factie - ondanks het feit dat ze deze niet meer kan bezitten - kan voorzien van een ziel. Niet enkel in de fantastische Twice-Dead King duologie, maar ook in de novella Severed en de verschillende korte verhalen.

Lezend vanuit het perspectief van de Necrons verlies je jezelf in hun ongrijpbare wereld en genadeloze geschiedenis: een worsteling met het bestaan, het vastzitten tussen rituelen en instinct, en een interne strijd met duistere gedachten. Verhalen gevuld met rijke karakters en motivaties, melancholieke reflecties, en duizelingwekkende - explosieve - scenarios.

Een aanrader, voor zowel sci-fi liefhebbers als de Warhammer-fan.

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it about necron books that makes them so good? Is it crack? Is it crack you're writing with?? This is easily one of the top contenders for my favourite 40k book. I loved seeing Oltyx's slow descent into madness AND the novella of the best Nemesor/Vargard duo.

[Saltwater January · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I really didn't like The Infinite And The Divine I was expecting to dislike this one as well. But as it turns out I really loved the first Twice Dead King book. The second one I really didn't like up until the ending. (I really like the parts about the Flayer Curse if you can't tell).

And no one prepared me for Severed! I definitely wasn't expecting it to be as emotional as I found it. Not because of the regular grim tragedy of 40k, but because there's such atypical love portrayed where there should be none.

The short stories after that were alright, there was nothing too interesting about them.

[daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I think it starts very well, mid way it starts to get a little repetitive. Not with the story, but the feelings the characters have. The remaining chapters before the end are just wonderful, especially chapter 20, which was one of my favorites. The big twist, kinda foreseeable. one thing I will say, the short stories are awesome and the way they tie back to the main story

[Jake Bolger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good 40k space romp focusing on Necrons.
Interesting twist as they are constantly fleeing a much more powerful Imperium fleet for the whole series. Delves into the lore of the Necron Flayer curse.

As usual, interesting perspectives/ideas on how one lives an infinite life.
The short stories in this omnibus are particularly great.

[Lucien · Rating 5 out of 5]

the twice dead king: ruin 5/5
ttdk: reign 5/5
severed 5/5
one million years 4.5/5
the life of jethras 4.5/5
patience 4.5/5

probably my favourite warhammer book, just absolute bangers all around! horror, tragedy, comedy AND offhand trans rep in one book? hell yeah brother

[George Costanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection with necron protagonists. The main event is The Twice Dead King: Ruin & Reign; reign was a bit stronger. It's basically a heros journey but with a deranged 40k twist. The sort of overarching issue I have is that these millions years old alien undead robots seem to mostly still have the temperament of children, though maybe that's how they're supposed to be, when they ascended their development was arrested at that age. There's some good introspection and the action serves a purpose beyond "bolter porn". Recommended to any necron fans especially of the flayers.

The omnibus includes several shorts stories related to the pain event. "Severed", one of the short stories is the sweetest 40k story I've read.