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The Twice-dead King
The Twice Dead King: Omnibus
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.
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.
592 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2025
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About the author
Nate Crowley
27 books114 followersNate Crowley is an author, interactive fiction consultant, video games journalist, and public speaker.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 4, 2026
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.
January 28, 2026
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2026
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.
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.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews