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Ultramarines #5
Courage and Honour
Book five in Black Library's iconic Ultramarines series returnsThe Ultramarines are the epitome of a Space Marine Chapter. Warriors without peer, their name is a byword for discipline and honour, and their heroic deeds are legendary. Newly reinstated as Captain of the Ultramarines Fourth Company, Uriel Ventris leads his warriors in battle once again on the world of Pavonis, now a target of invasion by the upstart Tau Empire. With the eyes of the Chapter upon him, Uriel must win this war by following completely the wisdom of the Codex Astartes, lest he be exiled once more. But no plan survives contact with the enemy, and the tau are a dangerous and unpredictable foe...
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2009
21 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Graham McNeill
339 books903 followersHailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in surveying to work for Games Workshop as a games designer. He has a strong following with his novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar, Dead Sky, Black Sun and Storm of Iron.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 18, 2017
Courage and Honor continues the Ultramarines story. In this, Uriel Ventris from the Ultramarines Omnibus returns. Following the events described in that Omnibus, Capt Ventris is reinstated into the ranks of the Chapter. Just in time to be sent to Pavonis (also a site that was in the omnibus) in order to deal with a relatively new threat- the Tau Empire.
It seems in the aftermath of the destruction of Pavonis during it's uprising, the powers-that-be have decided to seek alternatives. While the old Planetary Governor was replaced by her nephew, she still manages a covert contact with the Tau. When the new governor finds out, it's already too late since the Tau have landed.
The Ultramarines along with an Imperial Guard unit are sent in to keep an eye on things, but they are not prepared nor do they have the numbers to hold off any assault by the Tau. This was an interesting tale as the Tau are an odd enemy. They aren't horrible destructive xenos like Orcs, nor ravenous beasts like the Tyrannids and certainly not the malevolently evil Chaos Marines/Daemons nor Dark Eldarr.
The Tau are expansionist, but they at least offer humans they conquer some measure of a normal life. At least that is what this story portrays them as. Proud and honorable fighters with great tech, they often try to reach out to human worlds in hopes of setting up trade. Of course, this usually ends in conquest, but compared to other xenos or Warp threats they seemed fairly tame. It was interesting to read about the Tau and their tactics.
I enjoyed this return of Ventris and the 4th Company. The story is fun and action packed. There are plenty of different weapons and tactics on display. The strangest thing is that the Tau are not the type of enemy that inspires great hate or fear (compared to other xenos) and that gives us a different look at what the Imperium and the Tau stand for-and the Imperium isn't always shown to be better. That gives this an interesting twist, but that is also the case for Capt. Ventris who tends to bend the Codex Astartes sometimes.
Overall an enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the Ultramarine story line.
It seems in the aftermath of the destruction of Pavonis during it's uprising, the powers-that-be have decided to seek alternatives. While the old Planetary Governor was replaced by her nephew, she still manages a covert contact with the Tau. When the new governor finds out, it's already too late since the Tau have landed.
The Ultramarines along with an Imperial Guard unit are sent in to keep an eye on things, but they are not prepared nor do they have the numbers to hold off any assault by the Tau. This was an interesting tale as the Tau are an odd enemy. They aren't horrible destructive xenos like Orcs, nor ravenous beasts like the Tyrannids and certainly not the malevolently evil Chaos Marines/Daemons nor Dark Eldarr.
The Tau are expansionist, but they at least offer humans they conquer some measure of a normal life. At least that is what this story portrays them as. Proud and honorable fighters with great tech, they often try to reach out to human worlds in hopes of setting up trade. Of course, this usually ends in conquest, but compared to other xenos or Warp threats they seemed fairly tame. It was interesting to read about the Tau and their tactics.
I enjoyed this return of Ventris and the 4th Company. The story is fun and action packed. There are plenty of different weapons and tactics on display. The strangest thing is that the Tau are not the type of enemy that inspires great hate or fear (compared to other xenos) and that gives us a different look at what the Imperium and the Tau stand for-and the Imperium isn't always shown to be better. That gives this an interesting twist, but that is also the case for Capt. Ventris who tends to bend the Codex Astartes sometimes.
Overall an enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the Ultramarine story line.
September 28, 2009
Courage and Honour is the fifth book in the hugely successful Ultramarines series featuring the Courageous Captain Uriel Ventris and his Veteran Sergeant Pasanius.
This book is in many ways like coming full circle in the series. Uriel Ventris’ first mission as captain was to put down a rebellion on the Imperial world, Pavonis and this novel has the 4th company returning to the same troubled planet.
Following shortly after the events of The Killing Ground, we are shown flashback scenes of the testing of Ventris and Pasanius. Testing them both for purity: Mind and Body. After all, these two Astartes have been alone and fighting their way back from the Eye of Terror, a mission which should have most likely claimed his life (and possibly his soul).
For those not familiar, Uriel Ventris and Pasanius were found guilty of heretical deviations from the Codex Astartes, the penalty for which is death. In lieu of death they were bound by a Death Oath and exiled from the Chapter. Tasked to hunt down daemons by Marneus Calgar they embarked on a long series of adventures in the Eye of Terror, only barely surviving to tell the tale. For these stories see the Ultramarines Omnibus and The Killing Ground, same publisher, same author.
Upon arriving on Pavonis things are awkward. The remaining characters from the previous time the Ultramarines were on Pavonis are still here, albeit much older. Not everything has gone as planned. Also present are a number of new characters which are rich and colorful. Thankfully Graham McNeill has done a wonderful job of giving each of the characters some “camera time” in order to really flesh them out. When reading any book I really want to have some connection to the characters. I don’t have to necessarily relate to them, but I have to at least care a little about them otherwise they are just names on a page, which is almost pointless. McNeill is a pro when it comes to this.
In addition to being “An Ultramarines Novel” you get to see several other things which some may love, and others may hate. There are two allied forces on Pavonis as well: the Planetary Defense Forces and a Regiment of Imperial Guard. Both are led by interesting characters who contribute in very cool ways to the plot.
The antagonists to the story are The Tau Empire. The insight in to the methodology of this Xenos race is fantastic. McNeill really nailed it. On one hand he makes the “Greater Good” of the Tau seem totally preferable to the (honestly) heinously fascist Imperium of Man…Yet on the other you see an insidious side that says “Join us…OR ELSE”.
Anyone who knows anything of the Warhammer 40,000 universe knows that it is DARK. It is a GRIM future where Humanity is beset on all sides by Chaos and Xenos races out to destroy it. The Imperium of Man is also of the mindset of “KILL THEM ALL” in order to insure the manifest destiny of the supremacy of mankind. The Imperium is a horrific place, without a doubt. It’s against this oppressive backdrop that the colorful characters, great deeds of selflessness, honor and courage are illuminated.
Graham McNeill does a wonderful job of peeking under the hood of the almost “altruistically good” seeming Xenos and showing both sides of that face.
As far as the battle scenes, they were good. Some were better than others. With any war novel it can seem like battle scenes take almost too long. Ironically many of the battle scenes could have been lifted from Team-Yankee by Harold Coyle or Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. The smell of promethium or cordite, the taste of gravel, dust and muck. The blinding flash of tank rounds impacting and the destruction of buildings and bridges easily could have been from World War 2 or Vietnam. The scenes fit the setting, and were “real enough” to have come from actual reports of battle.
The novel definitely has a message. It goes over why Uriel Ventris’ decision to deviate from the Codex Astartes was ultimately wrong. It identifies this and in the end re-hashes it repeatedly. It’s kind of like being beaned in the head with the Codex Astartes. Now I realize that this is a story coming full circle. While the Ultramarines seem hidebound and rigid in adherence to the very letter of the law/ codex this novel reinforces the WHY of it in spades. My take on it is that it’s a little overdone, but I can understand why. In some ways it seems like it illustrates throughout the novel “Adhere to the codex= Success, Deviate from the codex =Fail”.
There ARE some interesting lessons learned. Hubris is possible in anyone. We see it in the antagonists, but we can also see it in the heroes. Self-Belief is good, but at some point it can turn in to arrogance…and we get to see that in some of the characters in the novel. It’s good to see how characters you admire or kind of like, can turn on you and go down a path that you feel awkward with and see that slippery slope down in to “evil”. Again Graham McNeill tells a story that has little snippets that can easily apply today. Issues that could easily be pulled from today’s newspaper. I can’t speak for everyone but I love that. It reminds me of TV shows and Movies that have stories that are fictional, yet speak volumes about the issues of the day.
Overall it’s a good novel. I burned through it in one sitting and only had one moment where I was lost (I had apparently skipped a page). I think Ultramarines fans will get more out of this than your general reader. It’s a good war novel, but in many ways it the standard Space Marine fare; a little less memorable than Graham McNeill’s other efforts. This is hard to grade because I’ve read books by this author that literally blew me away; knocked my socks off. So judging honestly, this novel on it’s own versus other novels (and a hint of what I know the author can do) I’m grading this one 3 out of 5 Stars.
This book is in many ways like coming full circle in the series. Uriel Ventris’ first mission as captain was to put down a rebellion on the Imperial world, Pavonis and this novel has the 4th company returning to the same troubled planet.
Following shortly after the events of The Killing Ground, we are shown flashback scenes of the testing of Ventris and Pasanius. Testing them both for purity: Mind and Body. After all, these two Astartes have been alone and fighting their way back from the Eye of Terror, a mission which should have most likely claimed his life (and possibly his soul).
For those not familiar, Uriel Ventris and Pasanius were found guilty of heretical deviations from the Codex Astartes, the penalty for which is death. In lieu of death they were bound by a Death Oath and exiled from the Chapter. Tasked to hunt down daemons by Marneus Calgar they embarked on a long series of adventures in the Eye of Terror, only barely surviving to tell the tale. For these stories see the Ultramarines Omnibus and The Killing Ground, same publisher, same author.
Upon arriving on Pavonis things are awkward. The remaining characters from the previous time the Ultramarines were on Pavonis are still here, albeit much older. Not everything has gone as planned. Also present are a number of new characters which are rich and colorful. Thankfully Graham McNeill has done a wonderful job of giving each of the characters some “camera time” in order to really flesh them out. When reading any book I really want to have some connection to the characters. I don’t have to necessarily relate to them, but I have to at least care a little about them otherwise they are just names on a page, which is almost pointless. McNeill is a pro when it comes to this.
In addition to being “An Ultramarines Novel” you get to see several other things which some may love, and others may hate. There are two allied forces on Pavonis as well: the Planetary Defense Forces and a Regiment of Imperial Guard. Both are led by interesting characters who contribute in very cool ways to the plot.
The antagonists to the story are The Tau Empire. The insight in to the methodology of this Xenos race is fantastic. McNeill really nailed it. On one hand he makes the “Greater Good” of the Tau seem totally preferable to the (honestly) heinously fascist Imperium of Man…Yet on the other you see an insidious side that says “Join us…OR ELSE”.
Anyone who knows anything of the Warhammer 40,000 universe knows that it is DARK. It is a GRIM future where Humanity is beset on all sides by Chaos and Xenos races out to destroy it. The Imperium of Man is also of the mindset of “KILL THEM ALL” in order to insure the manifest destiny of the supremacy of mankind. The Imperium is a horrific place, without a doubt. It’s against this oppressive backdrop that the colorful characters, great deeds of selflessness, honor and courage are illuminated.
Graham McNeill does a wonderful job of peeking under the hood of the almost “altruistically good” seeming Xenos and showing both sides of that face.
As far as the battle scenes, they were good. Some were better than others. With any war novel it can seem like battle scenes take almost too long. Ironically many of the battle scenes could have been lifted from Team-Yankee by Harold Coyle or Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. The smell of promethium or cordite, the taste of gravel, dust and muck. The blinding flash of tank rounds impacting and the destruction of buildings and bridges easily could have been from World War 2 or Vietnam. The scenes fit the setting, and were “real enough” to have come from actual reports of battle.
The novel definitely has a message. It goes over why Uriel Ventris’ decision to deviate from the Codex Astartes was ultimately wrong. It identifies this and in the end re-hashes it repeatedly. It’s kind of like being beaned in the head with the Codex Astartes. Now I realize that this is a story coming full circle. While the Ultramarines seem hidebound and rigid in adherence to the very letter of the law/ codex this novel reinforces the WHY of it in spades. My take on it is that it’s a little overdone, but I can understand why. In some ways it seems like it illustrates throughout the novel “Adhere to the codex= Success, Deviate from the codex =Fail”.
There ARE some interesting lessons learned. Hubris is possible in anyone. We see it in the antagonists, but we can also see it in the heroes. Self-Belief is good, but at some point it can turn in to arrogance…and we get to see that in some of the characters in the novel. It’s good to see how characters you admire or kind of like, can turn on you and go down a path that you feel awkward with and see that slippery slope down in to “evil”. Again Graham McNeill tells a story that has little snippets that can easily apply today. Issues that could easily be pulled from today’s newspaper. I can’t speak for everyone but I love that. It reminds me of TV shows and Movies that have stories that are fictional, yet speak volumes about the issues of the day.
Overall it’s a good novel. I burned through it in one sitting and only had one moment where I was lost (I had apparently skipped a page). I think Ultramarines fans will get more out of this than your general reader. It’s a good war novel, but in many ways it the standard Space Marine fare; a little less memorable than Graham McNeill’s other efforts. This is hard to grade because I’ve read books by this author that literally blew me away; knocked my socks off. So judging honestly, this novel on it’s own versus other novels (and a hint of what I know the author can do) I’m grading this one 3 out of 5 Stars.
January 30, 2024
The Ultramarines are taking themselves too seriously again. After a some exciting adventures against dastardly foes in the Eye of Terra, Uriel Ventris finds himself back in his comfort zone, nobly dispensing middle-management guidace straight from the textbook and admiring the tactical brilliance of himself and his leadership team.
The enemy this time around are the Tau Empire, battlesuited aliens whose 'For the Greater Good' catchphrase is only slightly less grating than the Ultramarines' suddenly-adopted 'Courage and Honour'. There is a passing attempt to juxtapose the two forces, contrasting the Imperium of Mankind's (Klingons, if all Klingons were as reserved as Worf) passion and honour with the cold, scientific logic of the Tau (The Federation, with extra consequentialism), but really this mostly boils down to two rather dull forces going at it, as viewed by their commanders.
There are positive plot elements, including family dramas around planetary nobility and Uriel's need to reestablish his leadership credentials post-exile, but not enough to stop this entry feeling like a downgrade on what came before.
The enemy this time around are the Tau Empire, battlesuited aliens whose 'For the Greater Good' catchphrase is only slightly less grating than the Ultramarines' suddenly-adopted 'Courage and Honour'. There is a passing attempt to juxtapose the two forces, contrasting the Imperium of Mankind's (Klingons, if all Klingons were as reserved as Worf) passion and honour with the cold, scientific logic of the Tau (The Federation, with extra consequentialism), but really this mostly boils down to two rather dull forces going at it, as viewed by their commanders.
There are positive plot elements, including family dramas around planetary nobility and Uriel's need to reestablish his leadership credentials post-exile, but not enough to stop this entry feeling like a downgrade on what came before.
July 14, 2010
The noble Ultramarines epitomise the Space Marines, the genetically enhanced warriors who protect the Imperium from its foes. Newly returned from the Eye of Terror, Captain Uriel Ventris must redeem himself in the eyes of his battle-brothers, who fear he may have been tainted by Chaos. When the planet Pavonis is invaded by tau, what better opportunity could Uriel have to join his Chapter in combat and prove that his honour is beyond reproach?
This is my second McNeill Warhammer 40K - the first being False Gods, in the Horus Heresy series - and I found the reading experience to be very similar. McNeill is quietly churning out good quality science fiction battle stories (albeit with some faults) and is quite clearly having a blast while doing it. The key essence to both of the books I have read by McNeill is the deep affection for the subject and an abiding desire to flesh out the 40K background with extra detail.
First of all, this is the fifth book in the Ultramarine series, and I did have my concerns that I wouldn't be able to pick everything up. Graham McNeill, however, does a good job in providing a gradual recap over the first few chapters which helps to being new readers on board. I presume he manages this without boring current readers, but obviously I don't know this for sure! He also makes it intriguing enough that I now want to read about the previous adventures of Uriel, especially his stint in the Eye of Terror.
There is plenty to like about this book. One factor I enjoyed was the enduring theme of courage and honour played out through the novel - what these concepts mean to different people and how hard they can be to stand by. Quotes such as the following litter the pages, and help to enforce the ideas of courage and honour:
" 'No, I don't,' agreed Lortuen, 'but I could not live with myself if fighting men died because I did nothing. How will you look yourself in the mirror every day with those deaths on your conscience? Think of your honour!'
'We are prisoners of war,' said Koudelkar. 'What honour do we have?'
'Only what we bring with us,' said Lortuen wearily, lapsing into silence.' "
McNeill has a heroic turn of phrase in the main which suitably conveys the baddassery of the Space Marines: "Emerging from the flaming wreckage of the tank assembly yards, the Space Marines came with fire and thunder... Behind them came the Space Marines, warriors in ultramarine whose weapons were hymnals to war and whose gold and blue flag was a beacon of righteousness among the slaughter." Every now and then, however, he lapses into rather cheesy lines which just fall a little flat or inadvertently cause amusement: "They were closer than friends, closer than brothers. They were Astartes." That particular line I can imagine being said in a booming voice over a film trailer.
Speaking of films, the whole novel is extremely cinematic, from quiet moments between two characters, to bitter declarations of betrayal, to the sweeping battle scenes that fill the second half of the book. Courage and Honour could honestly be a written representative of a film - a stonking summer blockbuster.
Once again with McNeill's work, I found myself struggling a little with the pacing. The start was quite slow burn, with a number of scenes between characters who had clearly been established in previous books (these were scenes that I might well have appreciated more had I read those books) but once battle was joined with the Tau, the book became less about the story and read more like a battle report. The relentless telling of various battles sat uneasily with the political machinations and quiet initial scenes between Uriel and various of his battle brothers.
Also, I believe there were a few flashbacks, but, if there were (I'm still unsure) then they weren't made particularly clear.
My last main issue was with some of the slightly clumsy exposition work. For instance, we have two pre-eminent Adeptus Astartes talking in a detailed fashion about the Codex Astartes, which both would know inside out and upside down, and would have no need to remind the other about. I do realise that the particular scene I have in mind was posed as a moment of epiphany for Uriel, but it still felt quite clunky and artificial.
Oh, and one minor point, which could well be a matter of taste: some of the bullets 'whickered' during the battle. Now, to me, whickering is a soft sound that a horse makes, so you can understand that I would find it an unusual choice of word to describe the sound of bullets!
Apart from those matters detailed above, one of the biggest strengths of this novel is the depiction of the Tau. They are a xenos race, anathema to the Space Marines and the forces of the Empire, and McNeill gives them an eerie and very alien personality. With descriptions such as: "They offer you slavery and call it freedom, a prison you do not know you are in until it is too late. They offer a choice, that is no choice at all" McNeill develops an image of a race that is clinical, dispassionate and fiercely intelligent - not the sort of enemy you wish to have. This is compounded when McNeill writes: "The tau made war with such precision that it left precious little room for notions of honour or courage. To the tau, war was a science like any other: precise, empirical and a matter of cause and effect."
The basic conclusion to this review is that you should know what you're getting with a Black Library book - it will never be the most well-written novel in the world (although McNeill is one of the best writing for Black Library in the 40K universe), but you should get a novel that is entertaining with pulse-pounding battle scenes. McNeill delivers this in spades. I guess the biggest compliment that can be paid to him is that I wanted to rush out and buy an Ultramarine army on completion of Courage and Honour.
This is my second McNeill Warhammer 40K - the first being False Gods, in the Horus Heresy series - and I found the reading experience to be very similar. McNeill is quietly churning out good quality science fiction battle stories (albeit with some faults) and is quite clearly having a blast while doing it. The key essence to both of the books I have read by McNeill is the deep affection for the subject and an abiding desire to flesh out the 40K background with extra detail.
First of all, this is the fifth book in the Ultramarine series, and I did have my concerns that I wouldn't be able to pick everything up. Graham McNeill, however, does a good job in providing a gradual recap over the first few chapters which helps to being new readers on board. I presume he manages this without boring current readers, but obviously I don't know this for sure! He also makes it intriguing enough that I now want to read about the previous adventures of Uriel, especially his stint in the Eye of Terror.
There is plenty to like about this book. One factor I enjoyed was the enduring theme of courage and honour played out through the novel - what these concepts mean to different people and how hard they can be to stand by. Quotes such as the following litter the pages, and help to enforce the ideas of courage and honour:
" 'No, I don't,' agreed Lortuen, 'but I could not live with myself if fighting men died because I did nothing. How will you look yourself in the mirror every day with those deaths on your conscience? Think of your honour!'
'We are prisoners of war,' said Koudelkar. 'What honour do we have?'
'Only what we bring with us,' said Lortuen wearily, lapsing into silence.' "
McNeill has a heroic turn of phrase in the main which suitably conveys the baddassery of the Space Marines: "Emerging from the flaming wreckage of the tank assembly yards, the Space Marines came with fire and thunder... Behind them came the Space Marines, warriors in ultramarine whose weapons were hymnals to war and whose gold and blue flag was a beacon of righteousness among the slaughter." Every now and then, however, he lapses into rather cheesy lines which just fall a little flat or inadvertently cause amusement: "They were closer than friends, closer than brothers. They were Astartes." That particular line I can imagine being said in a booming voice over a film trailer.
Speaking of films, the whole novel is extremely cinematic, from quiet moments between two characters, to bitter declarations of betrayal, to the sweeping battle scenes that fill the second half of the book. Courage and Honour could honestly be a written representative of a film - a stonking summer blockbuster.
Once again with McNeill's work, I found myself struggling a little with the pacing. The start was quite slow burn, with a number of scenes between characters who had clearly been established in previous books (these were scenes that I might well have appreciated more had I read those books) but once battle was joined with the Tau, the book became less about the story and read more like a battle report. The relentless telling of various battles sat uneasily with the political machinations and quiet initial scenes between Uriel and various of his battle brothers.
Also, I believe there were a few flashbacks, but, if there were (I'm still unsure) then they weren't made particularly clear.
My last main issue was with some of the slightly clumsy exposition work. For instance, we have two pre-eminent Adeptus Astartes talking in a detailed fashion about the Codex Astartes, which both would know inside out and upside down, and would have no need to remind the other about. I do realise that the particular scene I have in mind was posed as a moment of epiphany for Uriel, but it still felt quite clunky and artificial.
Oh, and one minor point, which could well be a matter of taste: some of the bullets 'whickered' during the battle. Now, to me, whickering is a soft sound that a horse makes, so you can understand that I would find it an unusual choice of word to describe the sound of bullets!
Apart from those matters detailed above, one of the biggest strengths of this novel is the depiction of the Tau. They are a xenos race, anathema to the Space Marines and the forces of the Empire, and McNeill gives them an eerie and very alien personality. With descriptions such as: "They offer you slavery and call it freedom, a prison you do not know you are in until it is too late. They offer a choice, that is no choice at all" McNeill develops an image of a race that is clinical, dispassionate and fiercely intelligent - not the sort of enemy you wish to have. This is compounded when McNeill writes: "The tau made war with such precision that it left precious little room for notions of honour or courage. To the tau, war was a science like any other: precise, empirical and a matter of cause and effect."
The basic conclusion to this review is that you should know what you're getting with a Black Library book - it will never be the most well-written novel in the world (although McNeill is one of the best writing for Black Library in the 40K universe), but you should get a novel that is entertaining with pulse-pounding battle scenes. McNeill delivers this in spades. I guess the biggest compliment that can be paid to him is that I wanted to rush out and buy an Ultramarine army on completion of Courage and Honour.
February 11, 2025
The first one in the series to not get a 5 star rating. I feel it fell short being as riverting as the the previous books, it just didn't have that captivation and the story wasn't very exciting. As a whole the series is still a master piece.
October 6, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
This one was a step down from the rest of the series. Maybe I just didn’t enjoy the Tau as much as other antagonists
This one was a step down from the rest of the series. Maybe I just didn’t enjoy the Tau as much as other antagonists
February 6, 2025
spes mareens
December 8, 2019
Fifth book in the Ultramarines series.
Uriel Ventris and his loyal friend Pasanius have returned to Macragge after the completion of their Death Oath. After being deemed pure by the Grey Knights and their own Ultramarine brothers they must again prove their worth by defending Pavonis from a Tau invasion (one of them must anyway, the other just chills on Macragge).
So the story is very simple. The Tau attack and the heroic courageous Ultramarines must defend Pavonis alongside some Imperial Guard allies.
And here's where the problems begin. First of all the Tau. They are an extremely technologically advanced race focused on ranged warfare and killing their enemies from a distance. They have extremely advanced weaponry, agile vehicles, and very mobile troops. They are a rather small faction on the galactic scale. What they are not, is an endless horde of troops throwing thousands of men at a fortified position. This books shows them outwitted and outfought at every turn by the heavily outnumbered Imperials. They make tactical mistake after tactical mistake, at one point attacking Space Marines using guns as clubs. And at the end they end up being defeated by a threatening speech from Uriel Ventris.
Other than that there's more Codex Astartes nonsense, there's sergeant Learchus (who reported Uriel Ventris for his breaches) who goes against the Codex Astartes (?!) and proves decisive there are fanatical preachers and overall a whole lot of xenophobia. There's very little grimdarkness (especially when compared with the previous books) but a lot of talk about humanity and the Imperium and how non-humans are automatically horrible and undeserving of anything other than death. At no point do the Imperials look like good guys to the point where it is almost outright stated at the end that the planet would have been better of in the Tau Empire.
There are a couple of decent characters scattered throughout the story and some cool moments but they are few and far between.
So overall easily the weakest entry in the series so far even though it has its moments here and there.
Uriel Ventris and his loyal friend Pasanius have returned to Macragge after the completion of their Death Oath. After being deemed pure by the Grey Knights and their own Ultramarine brothers they must again prove their worth by defending Pavonis from a Tau invasion (one of them must anyway, the other just chills on Macragge).
So the story is very simple. The Tau attack and the heroic courageous Ultramarines must defend Pavonis alongside some Imperial Guard allies.
And here's where the problems begin. First of all the Tau. They are an extremely technologically advanced race focused on ranged warfare and killing their enemies from a distance. They have extremely advanced weaponry, agile vehicles, and very mobile troops. They are a rather small faction on the galactic scale. What they are not, is an endless horde of troops throwing thousands of men at a fortified position. This books shows them outwitted and outfought at every turn by the heavily outnumbered Imperials. They make tactical mistake after tactical mistake, at one point attacking Space Marines using guns as clubs. And at the end they end up being defeated by a threatening speech from Uriel Ventris.
Other than that there's more Codex Astartes nonsense, there's sergeant Learchus (who reported Uriel Ventris for his breaches) who goes against the Codex Astartes (?!) and proves decisive there are fanatical preachers and overall a whole lot of xenophobia. There's very little grimdarkness (especially when compared with the previous books) but a lot of talk about humanity and the Imperium and how non-humans are automatically horrible and undeserving of anything other than death. At no point do the Imperials look like good guys to the point where it is almost outright stated at the end that the planet would have been better of in the Tau Empire.
There are a couple of decent characters scattered throughout the story and some cool moments but they are few and far between.
So overall easily the weakest entry in the series so far even though it has its moments here and there.
February 11, 2022
Probably my favourite of the Ultramarines series by Graham McNeill, largely due to the fact that it's pitting Uriel Ventris and his warriors against one of my most hated races in the Warhammer 40,000 universe; the Tau Empire. Seeing those blue wretches getting blown to pieces is always pleasing...
"Returned to the fold of the Ultramarines Chapter after his time in exile, Captain Uriel Ventris is back in command of the 4th Company and determined to prove his loyalty to Chapter and Imperium once more. But while there are naysayers unhappy about his return, such recriminations must wait as the 4th Company is deployed to Pavonis, the planet where Uriel first made his name, this time against a more nefarious foe. The Tau Empire has been insidiously expanding the reaches of its domain into Imperial space and now their eye has fallen on Pavonis. When their diplomatic overtures are rebuffed, the Tau resort to force, and Uriel finds himself commanding the Imperial defenders against a fanatical and technologically advanced enemy determined to take the planet for themselves. Can he and the Ultramarines hold the line long enough to push the foul xenos back?"
Courage and Honour really reinforces my view that the Tau Empire are nasty, insidious, conniving little creatures that the Imperium of Man doesn't go far enough to wipe out, so watching them getting shot, blown up, torn to pieces in combat and shown no mercy on the battlefield by the Angels of Death that are the Space Marines is a joy to read, as are the epic set piece battles that run throughout the story, really showing the high stakes of the war for Pavonis. My only regret is that, to my mind, Uriel doesn't go far enough in his efforts, and the Tau's ringleaders escape without consequence, but still, a satisfying clash between one of my favourite and most hated factions in the 41st millennium...
"Returned to the fold of the Ultramarines Chapter after his time in exile, Captain Uriel Ventris is back in command of the 4th Company and determined to prove his loyalty to Chapter and Imperium once more. But while there are naysayers unhappy about his return, such recriminations must wait as the 4th Company is deployed to Pavonis, the planet where Uriel first made his name, this time against a more nefarious foe. The Tau Empire has been insidiously expanding the reaches of its domain into Imperial space and now their eye has fallen on Pavonis. When their diplomatic overtures are rebuffed, the Tau resort to force, and Uriel finds himself commanding the Imperial defenders against a fanatical and technologically advanced enemy determined to take the planet for themselves. Can he and the Ultramarines hold the line long enough to push the foul xenos back?"
Courage and Honour really reinforces my view that the Tau Empire are nasty, insidious, conniving little creatures that the Imperium of Man doesn't go far enough to wipe out, so watching them getting shot, blown up, torn to pieces in combat and shown no mercy on the battlefield by the Angels of Death that are the Space Marines is a joy to read, as are the epic set piece battles that run throughout the story, really showing the high stakes of the war for Pavonis. My only regret is that, to my mind, Uriel doesn't go far enough in his efforts, and the Tau's ringleaders escape without consequence, but still, a satisfying clash between one of my favourite and most hated factions in the 41st millennium...
September 18, 2025
Dentro de la enorme y variada biblioteca de Warhammer 40k, Coraje y honor destaca por su manera de ampliar horizontes. Esta novela no solo ofrece acción y combates, sino que también introduce a los Tau, permitiendo al lector descubrir poco a poco más sobre su cultura y su papel en el universo. Esa progresión en el lore me ha parecido uno de los puntos más fuertes del libro.
Los dos comandantes del Astra Militarum que se enfrentan a los Kroot son personajes muy carismáticos y aportan mucho dinamismo a la narración. Sus decisiones y personalidades contrastan bien con el trasfondo bélico, lo que hace que las batallas sean más que simples descripciones de enfrentamientos.
En conjunto, es una lectura sólida y entretenida que combina bien la acción con la construcción de mundo, y que resulta muy recomendable para quienes quieran profundizar en el trasfondo de Warhammer 40k.
March 18, 2019
Woof. Why is practically every novel / story with the Tau disappointing? After the INCREDIBLE, and atmospheric Killing Ground, Graham McNeill returns to Uriel Ventris and pretty much just puts him through the motions fighting Tau. Pasonius is by far my main reasons for reading this series, so the fact that he's offscreen doing penance the whole book was probably a huge reason I was so bored by this book. Solid bolter porn, I suppose, but after everything Graham has done with this series so far and how surprised I've been by it, I was sad to see it devolve to just ... smurf action again. We haven't seen that since, what, book 2?
November 15, 2024
Not bad, but not amazing. Ventris and company head back to Pavonis, this time to fight the horrors of the Tau and their Greater Good.
Some decent exposition here, and good character development, but this novel really seemed written as a way to introduce a fight with the Tau and not much else. Still a fun read.
Some decent exposition here, and good character development, but this novel really seemed written as a way to introduce a fight with the Tau and not much else. Still a fun read.
April 16, 2019
Great story overall, but one point stood out when the Governor vacillates upon being touched by the Water Caste Ambassador then snaps back to normality when a second touch was blocked, this is at odds with what I thought true of the Tau, in that the Tau had no Psychers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2021
My favourite of the saga yet, this book returns to the character focus the series should be. A strong focus on Uriel but also some of the b-roll characters that surround him, giving a better view to both Uriel and the ultras. Very easy reading
December 13, 2023
I think this is the first ultramarines novel that I’ve not liked. It didn’t do anything egregious but was just really dull. The new characters are wafer thin in how they come across and even the old favourites don’t have much going on.
April 11, 2023
Much better than the last book.
June 8, 2023
A fun read.
December 14, 2023
Pretty good, it is basically non stop combat ...
March 11, 2024
Solid but not as good as the previous volume IMHO.
March 12, 2025
it brings us love! kill it!
July 16, 2012
An awesome book. All the characters are truly coming full circle. They are maturing and falling into place. However, the hole left by Pasanius' absence and incarceration for skirting chapter rules on honesty, is keenly felt by this reader, but in the end Pasanius' absence allows us to explore more deeply Uriel's character and how far along he's come. In the first book of this series he was an arrogant company commander and by this book he has learned what his mistakes were. Piecing together all the events that have happened in the last five books. The trip to Medengard, the rioting of the killing ground, the mistakes of youthful arrogance and hubris. McNeil also attempts to introduce us to the noble, but sometimes churlish and underhanded Sergeant Learchus who learns of the difficult choices made by Captain Uriel and the fact that he now faces the very situations that led to Uriel's own expulsion from chapter.
Graham McNeil also introduces people to the army and culture of the Tau. The Tau who also go by the name of the Empire of the Greater Good, are a young expansionist race who are loosely based on alienized version of the Star Trek universe absorbing smaller less sophisticated races into their empire which is loosely based on socialist beliefs but maintains a caste system which is "separate but equal" and at some points discriminates against these lesser cultures. The empire while incapable of faster than light also known as warpspeed travel (the Tau as a whole are too young to exhibit a psychic signature in the warp) are none the less capable of incredible feats of technology.
The book also does an excellent job of reintroducing old characters from the first book of the series. The governing body of Pavonis Mykola Shonai for example, who has suffered under the stress of rebuilding her society and SPOILER ALERT makes some decisions that could have dire consequences. The story also reintroduces Petrjed from the first book the elderly and cynical assistant to Inquisitor Ario. Who is now the most senior Administratum (Byzantine style bureaucracy that represents the federal government of Earth to its citizens). Overall an excellent book must read if you are a Warhammer fan.
Graham McNeil also introduces people to the army and culture of the Tau. The Tau who also go by the name of the Empire of the Greater Good, are a young expansionist race who are loosely based on alienized version of the Star Trek universe absorbing smaller less sophisticated races into their empire which is loosely based on socialist beliefs but maintains a caste system which is "separate but equal" and at some points discriminates against these lesser cultures. The empire while incapable of faster than light also known as warpspeed travel (the Tau as a whole are too young to exhibit a psychic signature in the warp) are none the less capable of incredible feats of technology.
The book also does an excellent job of reintroducing old characters from the first book of the series. The governing body of Pavonis Mykola Shonai for example, who has suffered under the stress of rebuilding her society and SPOILER ALERT makes some decisions that could have dire consequences. The story also reintroduces Petrjed from the first book the elderly and cynical assistant to Inquisitor Ario. Who is now the most senior Administratum (Byzantine style bureaucracy that represents the federal government of Earth to its citizens). Overall an excellent book must read if you are a Warhammer fan.
May 24, 2012
You really have to look at this novel as the start of a new story for Uriel Ventris, even though this is the fifth novel in the series, and the second in the third trilogy.
It is very much a symbolic novel that brings Uriel and the 4th Company back to the world of Pavonis to deal with recidivism and the threat of the expansionist Tau who want the world. The action is simply awesome here, as are Uriel's relationships with everyone around him, from the commander of the Lavrentian Hussars Imperial Guard to his own warriors, especially his First Sergeant Learchus and Chaplain Clausel. This is everything that The Killing Ground should have been but wasn't. Its not an entirely fair comparison but I do feel compelled to point that out. The Tau are also well-done and have some great scenes themselves.
You can also check out a slightly longer review over on the page for Ultramarines: The Second Omnibus
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...
A full review for the novel is now available over at The Founding Fields
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/05/...
It is very much a symbolic novel that brings Uriel and the 4th Company back to the world of Pavonis to deal with recidivism and the threat of the expansionist Tau who want the world. The action is simply awesome here, as are Uriel's relationships with everyone around him, from the commander of the Lavrentian Hussars Imperial Guard to his own warriors, especially his First Sergeant Learchus and Chaplain Clausel. This is everything that The Killing Ground should have been but wasn't. Its not an entirely fair comparison but I do feel compelled to point that out. The Tau are also well-done and have some great scenes themselves.
You can also check out a slightly longer review over on the page for Ultramarines: The Second Omnibus
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...
A full review for the novel is now available over at The Founding Fields
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/05/...
August 4, 2011
Returning to the planet that birthed Uriel Ventris' saga as Captain of the 4th company of Ultramarines is an interesting turn after the last novels turn away from the normal bloodshed and grand scale battling of past McNeill marine novels.
Uriel stands trial on his home world and is found innocent, he is then put back in command of his company and sent forth on a mission, one last test to make sure the taint of Chaos is not in him. His best friend and confident is sentenced to a term away from the marines because he withheld his taint from those in charge. Uriel is put to the test to save the world he saved from the dreaded NightBringer.
It all felt like a build up to something else, and with the cliffhanger that ends this book, it seems as though it is. A good read, and if you are a fan of the series, a must. It had nowhere the impact of the 3rd book, or the raw emotion of the 4th, I am hoping Chapter's Due is what is due to the readers as well.
Uriel stands trial on his home world and is found innocent, he is then put back in command of his company and sent forth on a mission, one last test to make sure the taint of Chaos is not in him. His best friend and confident is sentenced to a term away from the marines because he withheld his taint from those in charge. Uriel is put to the test to save the world he saved from the dreaded NightBringer.
It all felt like a build up to something else, and with the cliffhanger that ends this book, it seems as though it is. A good read, and if you are a fan of the series, a must. It had nowhere the impact of the 3rd book, or the raw emotion of the 4th, I am hoping Chapter's Due is what is due to the readers as well.
May 10, 2015
Tenemos un libro con todo lo que tiene que tener una novela de Wh40k: acción bien resuelta, una trama mínima pero aceptable, personajes sólidos, un par de momentos para fliparse un poco y un buen ritmo que asegure buena diversión.
Para fans de la franquicia, se convierte en una ensalada de tiros más que correcta y contribuye a aumentar el nivel de la saga a falta del colofón final.
Un poco más de chicha en la trama se hubiera agradecido pero divierte con ganas.
Para más detalles ;)
http://meitnerio.blogspot.com.es/2013...
Para fans de la franquicia, se convierte en una ensalada de tiros más que correcta y contribuye a aumentar el nivel de la saga a falta del colofón final.
Un poco más de chicha en la trama se hubiera agradecido pero divierte con ganas.
Para más detalles ;)
http://meitnerio.blogspot.com.es/2013...
Read
September 25, 2012I don't know why this book was so badly reviewed in amazon.com. I found it exactly what I was expecting. We finally break away from small engagements to a huge planetary invasion from my favourite shooters- The Tau! And, unlike many pro-Space Marine books were enemies are stupid, the Tau give as good as they get. In fact, the Tau WIN but it is only politics that turn them away from occupying the planet. Great action.
September 8, 2011
Awesome story. Totally gripping. You truly feel pulled into the 40k universe and can imagine yourself fighting along side the Ultramarines and Guardsmen. This book does the 40k universe justice by providing an awesome story!
March 1, 2012
I slogged 80% through and just couldnt take it anymore. I wanted to like it. I wanted to see the Tau. It is just too badly written and plotted to get through. I am surprised; I have liked other books from this author.
December 27, 2010
great action, with epic battles. Its kinda startin to turn into a cliche though.
January 19, 2012
a good solid book, I liked how it brought the earlier books back into the story.
October 7, 2012
Average Space Marine novel, I give the rating "okay".
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