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Warhammer 40,000
Daemon World
Deep within the twisted hell-storms of the warp lies the daemon world of Torvendis, a planet damned by the dark powers of Chaos. Savage battle has raged for so long that the very bedrock of the planet is formed from strata of crushed bodies. The arrival of a mysterious stranger threatens to upset the balance of power currently held by Lady Charybdia, princess of Slaanesh, precipitating a bloody revolution. But are the stranger's motives as straightforward as they appear or do the fickle powers of Chaos have one last trick to play?
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 17, 2003
42 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Ben Counter
158 books211 followersBen Counter, as well as making several contributions to Inferno magazine, has written the Soul Drinkers and Grey Knights series and two Horus Heresy novels for the Black Library. He is an ancient history graduate and avid miniature painter with a bronze demon under his belt.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 10, 2018
Some say that Arguleon Veq came to the world of Torvendis when the Maelstrom was still young - a long time ago, for that jewelled wound in reality is old indeed. Others maintain that his deeds on the planet were within a breath of living memory, and that he fabricated the weight of history to turn his life into a legend. Most, however, agree that it was during the time of the Blind Crusade, when the mindless herds of humankind were united in the Imperium of the Corpse-God, that Veq began his conquest. Perhaps one hundred and fifty centuries passed between that time and the current age, and yet the legacy of Arguleon Veq still covers Torvendis like a thousand scars.
Not your usual W40k tale at all.
Ben Counter’s Demon World takes some of the infinite narrative chances that the Warhammer 40000 setting can offer and uses them to its best, mending perfectly classic elements like a planet corrupted by Chaos inside the Eye of Terror, a bloody conflict between Slaaneshi rulers and Khornate barbarians, a Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines coven on the hunt for a renegade former Chaos Champion and much more.
No good guys here and the main “fantasy” storyline seems just something out from old Games Workshop’s classic “Slaves to Darkness” tome.
A great grimdark tale of revenge, mayhem and Chaos, a must read if you are an old W40k fan but absolutely not a good starting point to new readers.
Just be sure to play in background Bolt Thrower’s “Realm of Chaos” album on repeat to fully enjoy the ride.
Epic.
May 4, 2019
“That was what Chaos could do – rot away a man’s humanity and have the cruelty to let him believe he was still worth something.”
Torvendis is a crazy-quilt of a world populated by scores of colourful barbaric tribes with starkly differing looks and traditions. No doubt most, if not all of them, don’t even begin to suspect that there are many other human worlds, where Chaos doesn’t (yet) hold sway… For countless generations, Torvendis may have remained the only inhabited place in the galaxy – a sole constant of sorts despite its bloody, tumultuous history and picturesquely eldritch, ever-shifting nature that’s as much alive as local peoples.
Another force on the planet is a centuries-old queen of the Pleasure Lord, who rules from a citadel of iniquities and seeks to spread her dominance over the entire land, enslaving all the savages in the process or else wipe them out altogether. But among them, a young leader emerges, who under the guidance of a mystical mentor with certain shady schemes of his own, dares to challenge the effete Slaaneshi lapdogs and revenge his folk’s plight…
This does feel exactly what an average Warp-tainted world contested by the Dark Gods’ eternal game would look like – far away from the setting’s greatest battlezones yet still incredibly deadly and of course, playing home to myriads of unruly, unconquerable entities. The overall atmosphere of the story often leans more towards a fantasy legend than true sci-fi. Honestly, if not for the notable presence of Renegade Space Marines, it might have even felt very much at home in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, or taken place in one of the fictional realms of the Age of Sigmar.
As befits a hardcore Warhammer story, there are quite a few battle scenes in the novel. However, these are no conventional fights – if one may start to feel a bit tired of the fighting, there’s some sly witchery at work or – even better – a whole force of daemons summoned by one of the warring parties. And these are the worshippers of the two fiercest rivals in the Chaos pantheon, so their confrontation is bound to prove immensely brutal and all-out apocalyptic...
Despite all the dynamic action, there also is room for certain moral lessons here. One of the novel’s best-presented ideas is that Chaos is a fickle and only temporary ally at best, and for every act of help its forces may lend to the ambitious, it shall inevitably take its due, leaving its victims hate-fueled, vengeful or simply despaired. The hard-won understanding of this bitter truth is one of the greatest moments in the book.
In fact, ‘Daemon World’ is a decent tale to start one’s foray into Warhammer with (especially if you much prefer the Chaotic part of the equation). It’s a compellingly-written novel that offers up many insights and mysteries yet features no regular Imperial ‘goodies’, while still having characters to sympathize with… well, in a way. Particularly if they are able to see their once-indisputable faith for what it truly is. For after all,
Torvendis is a crazy-quilt of a world populated by scores of colourful barbaric tribes with starkly differing looks and traditions. No doubt most, if not all of them, don’t even begin to suspect that there are many other human worlds, where Chaos doesn’t (yet) hold sway… For countless generations, Torvendis may have remained the only inhabited place in the galaxy – a sole constant of sorts despite its bloody, tumultuous history and picturesquely eldritch, ever-shifting nature that’s as much alive as local peoples.
Another force on the planet is a centuries-old queen of the Pleasure Lord, who rules from a citadel of iniquities and seeks to spread her dominance over the entire land, enslaving all the savages in the process or else wipe them out altogether. But among them, a young leader emerges, who under the guidance of a mystical mentor with certain shady schemes of his own, dares to challenge the effete Slaaneshi lapdogs and revenge his folk’s plight…
This does feel exactly what an average Warp-tainted world contested by the Dark Gods’ eternal game would look like – far away from the setting’s greatest battlezones yet still incredibly deadly and of course, playing home to myriads of unruly, unconquerable entities. The overall atmosphere of the story often leans more towards a fantasy legend than true sci-fi. Honestly, if not for the notable presence of Renegade Space Marines, it might have even felt very much at home in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, or taken place in one of the fictional realms of the Age of Sigmar.
As befits a hardcore Warhammer story, there are quite a few battle scenes in the novel. However, these are no conventional fights – if one may start to feel a bit tired of the fighting, there’s some sly witchery at work or – even better – a whole force of daemons summoned by one of the warring parties. And these are the worshippers of the two fiercest rivals in the Chaos pantheon, so their confrontation is bound to prove immensely brutal and all-out apocalyptic...
Despite all the dynamic action, there also is room for certain moral lessons here. One of the novel’s best-presented ideas is that Chaos is a fickle and only temporary ally at best, and for every act of help its forces may lend to the ambitious, it shall inevitably take its due, leaving its victims hate-fueled, vengeful or simply despaired. The hard-won understanding of this bitter truth is one of the greatest moments in the book.
In fact, ‘Daemon World’ is a decent tale to start one’s foray into Warhammer with (especially if you much prefer the Chaotic part of the equation). It’s a compellingly-written novel that offers up many insights and mysteries yet features no regular Imperial ‘goodies’, while still having characters to sympathize with… well, in a way. Particularly if they are able to see their once-indisputable faith for what it truly is. For after all,
October 6, 2017
2003’s classic Black Library novel Daemon World, by Ben Counter, is something of an iconic 40k novel despite being about as un-40k as you can imagine…but in a good way. On the titular daemon planet Torvendis, deep within the Maelstrom, Lady Charybdia rules in the name of Slaanesh, her great city built upon deep-running strata of battle and death. When the mountain tribes begin to stir, and Word Bearers arrive hunting one of their own, the balance of power on Torvendis begins to change.
It’s hard to see this being commissioned these days, but it’s valuable to have as a vivid depiction of one particular (if unusual) corner of the 40k universe.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/10/...
It’s hard to see this being commissioned these days, but it’s valuable to have as a vivid depiction of one particular (if unusual) corner of the 40k universe.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/10/...
October 30, 2023
В данном случае мои ожидания таки немного разошлись с реальностью. От книги я ожидал полного погружения в дебри Ока Ужаса, так хотелось посмотреть, чем живут хаоситы за ширмой. Но Бен Каунтер предложил немного иную версию демонического мира, скажем так, рядового мира, в котором превозмогание и борьба заложены в основу существования мира.
Торвендис - тот самый демонический мир, которого некогда угораздило попасть в Мальстрим. У мира была своя история, свои жители (поговаривают, даже эльдары), но сначала мир был испорчен Кхорном, потом власть сменилась на Слаанеш. В мир есть губернаторша, которая делает все во благо Слаанеш, есть свой замок с плотскими утехами и страданиями. не обходится и без людских жертвоприношений, что давно надоело местным племенам, приближенным к варварам. Лидер варваров предпринимает попытку свержения власти, идя армией на хаоситский замок.
Параллельно этому нам рассказывают историю о героях, первом и последнем, встреча которых не сулит ничего хорошего для мира. Также на Торвендис прилетают несколько тушек из Несущих слово, которые ищут предателя из своих , много лет назад скрывшегося на этой планете.
Книга читается довольно легко, очень много текста посвящено коренным жителям планеты, в частности, варварам-революционерам. По атмосфере все очень похоже на "Касту огня" Фехервари. Совершенно утопический мир, в котором непонятно как можно жить. Опасные земли, полным-полно хищных созданий, нет нормальной пищи, люди выживают и не понимают, для чего они вообще живут на этой планете. Хватает боевых столкновений, ближе к концу книги они приобретают эпический оттенок (помогает огромный кхорнитский демон).
Моя самая большая претензия - нет интересных харизматичных героев. Как будто читаешь историческую художественную литературу, в которой один народ пытается победить другой. Столкновение там, столкновение сям, но лидеров нету. Пресно. С другой стороны, может и некому быть харизматичным в таком совершенно мизантропно-депрессивном мире. Как вообще может существовать мир наподобие Торвендиса? Он этом задумывается и главная загадка романа (никаких спойлеров!).
Ближе к концу, когда автор раскрывает завесы тайны, становится интереснее. Дилемма хаосита понятна, заставляет задуматься. И закончилось все тем, чем и должно закончится.
Роман неплох, лимитка вполне симпатичная, но не могу сказать, что роман обязательный к прочтению. В качестве разнообразия пойдет, но настоящий демонический мир может же быть гораздо более сумасшедшим... И беспощадным...
7/10
Торвендис - тот самый демонический мир, которого некогда угораздило попасть в Мальстрим. У мира была своя история, свои жители (поговаривают, даже эльдары), но сначала мир был испорчен Кхорном, потом власть сменилась на Слаанеш. В мир есть губернаторша, которая делает все во благо Слаанеш, есть свой замок с плотскими утехами и страданиями. не обходится и без людских жертвоприношений, что давно надоело местным племенам, приближенным к варварам. Лидер варваров предпринимает попытку свержения власти, идя армией на хаоситский замок.
Параллельно этому нам рассказывают историю о героях, первом и последнем, встреча которых не сулит ничего хорошего для мира. Также на Торвендис прилетают несколько тушек из Несущих слово, которые ищут предателя из своих , много лет назад скрывшегося на этой планете.
Книга читается довольно легко, очень много текста посвящено коренным жителям планеты, в частности, варварам-революционерам. По атмосфере все очень похоже на "Касту огня" Фехервари. Совершенно утопический мир, в котором непонятно как можно жить. Опасные земли, полным-полно хищных созданий, нет нормальной пищи, люди выживают и не понимают, для чего они вообще живут на этой планете. Хватает боевых столкновений, ближе к концу книги они приобретают эпический оттенок (помогает огромный кхорнитский демон).
Моя самая большая претензия - нет интересных харизматичных героев. Как будто читаешь историческую художественную литературу, в которой один народ пытается победить другой. Столкновение там, столкновение сям, но лидеров нету. Пресно. С другой стороны, может и некому быть харизматичным в таком совершенно мизантропно-депрессивном мире. Как вообще может существовать мир наподобие Торвендиса? Он этом задумывается и главная загадка романа (никаких спойлеров!).
Ближе к концу, когда автор раскрывает завесы тайны, становится интереснее. Дилемма хаосита понятна, заставляет задуматься. И закончилось все тем, чем и должно закончится.
Роман неплох, лимитка вполне симпатичная, но не могу сказать, что роман обязательный к прочтению. В качестве разнообразия пойдет, но настоящий демонический мир может же быть гораздо более сумасшедшим... И беспощадным...
7/10
January 1, 2020
A good, and rather violent, Warhammer 40K novel.
The Word Bearer Chaos Space Marines are on the hunt for one of their own who has gone rogue.
On the planet Torvendis, the barbarian tribes find common cause against the ruler, who has been sacrificing them to her god.
As the followers of different gods clash, who will end up in control?
Good action, with a few twists in it to keep you guessing.
The Word Bearer Chaos Space Marines are on the hunt for one of their own who has gone rogue.
On the planet Torvendis, the barbarian tribes find common cause against the ruler, who has been sacrificing them to her god.
As the followers of different gods clash, who will end up in control?
Good action, with a few twists in it to keep you guessing.
September 2, 2010
This book is one of the favourite of all the WH40K books I've read so far. After seeing from the point of view of the Emperor's Servants for so long, it's pretty epic to see life from the point of view of an inhabitant of a Chaos World. I love it.
August 7, 2022
This review contains massive spoilers. You have been warned :)
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This was a refreshing reading and one of the most interesting novels I read this year. This book contains no goodie character at all. Which is always good.
Characters
Golgoth - The main character. A barbarian of the Emerald Sword. With the help of Kron becomes a ferocious warrior that unites each tribe surrounding "the city/Capital" or "Charybdia Keep" to fight for him against Lady Charybdia.
Kron/Karmulon and later Argulon Veq - Helps Golgoth receiving a few gifts just enough to become a champion and led the armies against the Pleasure City of Charybida.
Tarn - Mercenary and one of few survivors of the invasion force. Quite interesting character. Even if he was tottaly evil (even more than Golgoth because Tarn fought for killing men and not for some misguided thing like revenge like Golgoth).
Lady Charybdia ruler of Torvendis for the Pleasure God Slaanesh
Ss'll Sh'Karr Daemon Prince of Khorne. Defeated long time ago and now released by Kron
Torvendis The World (why is it a character? You will understand later)
This tale is about Chaos. What it's Chaos and how does it work. In some ways this book resembles "Pawn of Chaos by Brian Craig.
The plot is not that simple making a couple of switchs that makes you want to read more and more. That's what happenend to me. This book is about Arguleon Veq, there's no doubt about it but the main character is Golgoth as we follow him in his quest to fight Lady Charybdia. Kron who is Arguleon Veq helps him discover hidden magic within or understanding the way of the world. As I said the tribes unite to attack the keep (tribes before at war with themselves) but failed miserable because the Keep has milions of legionaries and even 400 violators chaos space marines. The Tribes are 150.000 and don't have any kind of weapons besides bows, swords and the such. As the daemon prince is free again by Kron the tide of the battle begins to change and the Keep falls. Lady Charybdia is killed by Ss'll Sh'Karr. After the battle with the lust not yet sated or something else (it's a daemon and we must not understand their reasons) he begins to kill his previously allies. Such is the way of Khorne and Chaos for that matter. Golgoth and Tarn are the only survivors (as far as they Know) and the go to ancient citadel led by a message of Kron. Kron is trying to escape a coven of Word Bearers just to find that Kron is indeed Veq. Of course, being Veq he soon dispatchs all the Word Bearers even if tries to "free" them from Chaos claws. As Golgoth arrives at the keep he discovers a sword. A sword that was used by Veq to imprisoned The Last. The Last being... Torvandis. Here some sentences of the book that will give us some insight.
Torvendis, last of the eldar maiden worlds, wanted revenge as much as Arguleon Veq. Revenge against Chaos, wich was such a vast and all-consuming power that only the grandest of gestures could hurt it's gods. Only the loss of a symbol like Torvendis would be enough for them to notice.
It is a story of how a once-beautiful eldar maiden world was defeated by a Champion of Chaos, who then turned against the dark powers. It tells of how he woke the maiden world 's spirit, now insane, and let it destroy itself so the daemon world would be lost to chaos forever.
And thus end this story. Quite excelent. And Ben Counter stated that he probably won't return to this book because..."Sadly a sequel is unlikely since everyone in the entire plot is dead including the daemon world itself, so Torvendisʹs story has conclusively finished. But Daemon World lives on every time I have a daemon turn into something unfathomably horrible, every time the warp wreaks madness in realspace or the rules or reality break down. Veq lives on, too, as a lesson about what Chaos truly is and what it can do the the most stalwart soul"
So what was about this book that made him so great?
The writing style is fast paced and with lot of information about the world and each character. Even minor characters have their own story and Counter could give them life. As a daemon world there is no peace or forgiveness or even honour. That was interesting. Another thing that made me want to read more chaos novels was the war between the Dark Gods. Khorne is an enemy of the Imperium as he enemy of other major chaos god. But particular against Slaanesh. I found the characters that worship to Slaanesh quite good as we read about their pleasures and how they tried to work for their god. Even Death to them is a bless to Slaanesh. The ultimate pleasure. I found out the city created by Counter as belieable (in this set of course). There are also hints all about the book about Veq, Torvendis and their part on the story.
Memorable passages from the book
Unfortunally I only start writing them down later in the book...
"The gods are laughing at you. They own your body and soul, and what can you do? You can never live a normal life. You are filled with hate."-"Think about it, Word Bearer. What is Chaos? Chaos is a lie."
"They (Chaos) know how U will react in every situation.Nothing you do is your own."-"The power U have isn't power at all.U could run a milion klm and the gods would still own you.U could fight until everything in the galaxy was dead, and they would still find a war to chew U up."-"Is that power? No. That is addiction.Power is something you can use to win your own victories.But nothing U have ever done is your own."
"Daemons are afraid? "No mortal could ever understand what thoughts run through the mind of a daemon. But if Ss'll Sh'Karr could ever be capable of feeling fear, perhaps it was then, when the Blood God's chose was confronted with a foe that even he could not best." (The beast is called The Last "...huge circular maw a thousand kilometers across."
"Arguleon Veq is probably the most badass/hero/anti-hero of the galaxy no? "Veq swatted away a score of bullets from the obliterator and caught three more with his free hand, throwing them back down to the floor of the bridge with a curse." - " The star-sword cut through the air as Veq met every bullet, sending a sparkling fan of deflected fire in every direction."
"Torvendis can never be fully mapped. The deserts change to forest, the glaciers to rivers of lava... Trying to chart it seems to make the landscape change even faster as if Torvendis takes exception to any attempt to unravel it's secrets with compass and map."
"Many sages and prophets had tried to divide the planet's history into neat slices of time, and all died insane."
10/10
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This was a refreshing reading and one of the most interesting novels I read this year. This book contains no goodie character at all. Which is always good.
Characters
Golgoth - The main character. A barbarian of the Emerald Sword. With the help of Kron becomes a ferocious warrior that unites each tribe surrounding "the city/Capital" or "Charybdia Keep" to fight for him against Lady Charybdia.
Kron/Karmulon and later Argulon Veq - Helps Golgoth receiving a few gifts just enough to become a champion and led the armies against the Pleasure City of Charybida.
Tarn - Mercenary and one of few survivors of the invasion force. Quite interesting character. Even if he was tottaly evil (even more than Golgoth because Tarn fought for killing men and not for some misguided thing like revenge like Golgoth).
Lady Charybdia ruler of Torvendis for the Pleasure God Slaanesh
Ss'll Sh'Karr Daemon Prince of Khorne. Defeated long time ago and now released by Kron
Torvendis The World (why is it a character? You will understand later)
This tale is about Chaos. What it's Chaos and how does it work. In some ways this book resembles "Pawn of Chaos by Brian Craig.
The plot is not that simple making a couple of switchs that makes you want to read more and more. That's what happenend to me. This book is about Arguleon Veq, there's no doubt about it but the main character is Golgoth as we follow him in his quest to fight Lady Charybdia. Kron who is Arguleon Veq helps him discover hidden magic within or understanding the way of the world. As I said the tribes unite to attack the keep (tribes before at war with themselves) but failed miserable because the Keep has milions of legionaries and even 400 violators chaos space marines. The Tribes are 150.000 and don't have any kind of weapons besides bows, swords and the such. As the daemon prince is free again by Kron the tide of the battle begins to change and the Keep falls. Lady Charybdia is killed by Ss'll Sh'Karr. After the battle with the lust not yet sated or something else (it's a daemon and we must not understand their reasons) he begins to kill his previously allies. Such is the way of Khorne and Chaos for that matter. Golgoth and Tarn are the only survivors (as far as they Know) and the go to ancient citadel led by a message of Kron. Kron is trying to escape a coven of Word Bearers just to find that Kron is indeed Veq. Of course, being Veq he soon dispatchs all the Word Bearers even if tries to "free" them from Chaos claws. As Golgoth arrives at the keep he discovers a sword. A sword that was used by Veq to imprisoned The Last. The Last being... Torvandis. Here some sentences of the book that will give us some insight.
Torvendis, last of the eldar maiden worlds, wanted revenge as much as Arguleon Veq. Revenge against Chaos, wich was such a vast and all-consuming power that only the grandest of gestures could hurt it's gods. Only the loss of a symbol like Torvendis would be enough for them to notice.
It is a story of how a once-beautiful eldar maiden world was defeated by a Champion of Chaos, who then turned against the dark powers. It tells of how he woke the maiden world 's spirit, now insane, and let it destroy itself so the daemon world would be lost to chaos forever.
And thus end this story. Quite excelent. And Ben Counter stated that he probably won't return to this book because..."Sadly a sequel is unlikely since everyone in the entire plot is dead including the daemon world itself, so Torvendisʹs story has conclusively finished. But Daemon World lives on every time I have a daemon turn into something unfathomably horrible, every time the warp wreaks madness in realspace or the rules or reality break down. Veq lives on, too, as a lesson about what Chaos truly is and what it can do the the most stalwart soul"
So what was about this book that made him so great?
The writing style is fast paced and with lot of information about the world and each character. Even minor characters have their own story and Counter could give them life. As a daemon world there is no peace or forgiveness or even honour. That was interesting. Another thing that made me want to read more chaos novels was the war between the Dark Gods. Khorne is an enemy of the Imperium as he enemy of other major chaos god. But particular against Slaanesh. I found the characters that worship to Slaanesh quite good as we read about their pleasures and how they tried to work for their god. Even Death to them is a bless to Slaanesh. The ultimate pleasure. I found out the city created by Counter as belieable (in this set of course). There are also hints all about the book about Veq, Torvendis and their part on the story.
Memorable passages from the book
Unfortunally I only start writing them down later in the book...
"The gods are laughing at you. They own your body and soul, and what can you do? You can never live a normal life. You are filled with hate."-"Think about it, Word Bearer. What is Chaos? Chaos is a lie."
"They (Chaos) know how U will react in every situation.Nothing you do is your own."-"The power U have isn't power at all.U could run a milion klm and the gods would still own you.U could fight until everything in the galaxy was dead, and they would still find a war to chew U up."-"Is that power? No. That is addiction.Power is something you can use to win your own victories.But nothing U have ever done is your own."
"Daemons are afraid? "No mortal could ever understand what thoughts run through the mind of a daemon. But if Ss'll Sh'Karr could ever be capable of feeling fear, perhaps it was then, when the Blood God's chose was confronted with a foe that even he could not best." (The beast is called The Last "...huge circular maw a thousand kilometers across."
"Arguleon Veq is probably the most badass/hero/anti-hero of the galaxy no? "Veq swatted away a score of bullets from the obliterator and caught three more with his free hand, throwing them back down to the floor of the bridge with a curse." - " The star-sword cut through the air as Veq met every bullet, sending a sparkling fan of deflected fire in every direction."
"Torvendis can never be fully mapped. The deserts change to forest, the glaciers to rivers of lava... Trying to chart it seems to make the landscape change even faster as if Torvendis takes exception to any attempt to unravel it's secrets with compass and map."
"Many sages and prophets had tried to divide the planet's history into neat slices of time, and all died insane."
10/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2012
This is one of those stories that has monumental potential for a HUGE series about Arguleon Veq the "Kratos" of the 40k world.
I myself would write it and tell the story of him destoying Chaos and its worshippers piece by piece.
I myself would write it and tell the story of him destoying Chaos and its worshippers piece by piece.
July 31, 2022
I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, and it left me wanting more.
September 6, 2023
Absolutely amazing story. Riveting characters and phenomenal world building come together beautifully to create an intense and grandiose novel of thematic violence and chaos. Became one of my favorite novels in general, not just 40k.
June 6, 2024
The first half is alright, but Counter blanks out after the half way point and just resorts to easy bolter-pron.
An intriguing setting, and world are forgotten as more and more chapters fill up with boring action scenes where none of the main characters die. Characters are forgotten mid-way and most of the buildups in the story are tossed aside. It’s as if Ben lost interest in the mystery and world building part way and just wanted to throw in another generic battle book about Spess Mehreens killing daemons. Geeze, Ben, 6 Soul Drinker books weren’t enough for you? Even the battles are a yawn to read through as you stop caring about the thousands of slaves, tribesmen and daemons un-aliving each other.
There’s other stupid plot contrivances in this as well:
- If they have already space marines and cannons, and gunships, why don’t they arm the city guard with guns? I get why the mountainfolk are neolithic due to their remoteness, but Charybdia’s got all these resources and technology, yet she still arms her guard with arrows (facepalm).
- The surprise twist villain was a no-brainer, and even the big bad’s reveal of being alive still was uninspired (yes, we understand Warhammer, Charybdia knows the universe too, daemons can come back after death - why is this a surprising moment???).
- Why do the Word Bearers send an obliterator and space ship in view of the central city when they’re trying to be stealthy? Why raise the Slaaneshi temple if they’re trying to avoid detection? It doesn’t matter anywayc the WBs weren’t even needed on the story. Ben just forgot about them and focused on his massive warhammer battle after the mid point.
Alot of the detail in the environments and the history of Torvendis are just forgotten and it’s such a waste of a unique location and potential world building for a boring warhammer 40k battle report.
Soul Drinkers, whilst tiresome and obsessively gory, at least sticks with the characters it introduces.
Not a great read, but you can drop this after about 60% through, as it doesn’t get any better after that.
An intriguing setting, and world are forgotten as more and more chapters fill up with boring action scenes where none of the main characters die. Characters are forgotten mid-way and most of the buildups in the story are tossed aside. It’s as if Ben lost interest in the mystery and world building part way and just wanted to throw in another generic battle book about Spess Mehreens killing daemons. Geeze, Ben, 6 Soul Drinker books weren’t enough for you? Even the battles are a yawn to read through as you stop caring about the thousands of slaves, tribesmen and daemons un-aliving each other.
There’s other stupid plot contrivances in this as well:
- If they have already space marines and cannons, and gunships, why don’t they arm the city guard with guns? I get why the mountainfolk are neolithic due to their remoteness, but Charybdia’s got all these resources and technology, yet she still arms her guard with arrows (facepalm).
- The surprise twist villain was a no-brainer, and even the big bad’s reveal of being alive still was uninspired (yes, we understand Warhammer, Charybdia knows the universe too, daemons can come back after death - why is this a surprising moment???).
- Why do the Word Bearers send an obliterator and space ship in view of the central city when they’re trying to be stealthy? Why raise the Slaaneshi temple if they’re trying to avoid detection? It doesn’t matter anywayc the WBs weren’t even needed on the story. Ben just forgot about them and focused on his massive warhammer battle after the mid point.
Alot of the detail in the environments and the history of Torvendis are just forgotten and it’s such a waste of a unique location and potential world building for a boring warhammer 40k battle report.
Soul Drinkers, whilst tiresome and obsessively gory, at least sticks with the characters it introduces.
Not a great read, but you can drop this after about 60% through, as it doesn’t get any better after that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2024
Really good 40k books, I'd say it's definitely up there with some of the best. It's a great blend of 40k's sci-fi with fantasy, and does a lot of classical fantasy tropes really well (e.g. evil city builders vs. noble savages, although they're not so noble here....).
The plot was well done and had a few unexpected twists that I enjoyed, and there's some great battle descriptions. However, as one of the very few books in 40k that explores what a Chaos society looks like, I was a little disappointed how little it actually focused on the societies. The Slaaneshi city has some good descriptions, but that's about it.
The conflict is also almost entirely Slaanesh vs Khorne, which as a Tzeentch fan I was a little disappointed by. In fact, I'm not sure the words "Tzeentch" or "Nurgle" appear once in this lengthy book, which is definitely a bit of a sin in a book about internal conflict on daeomon world....
The plot was well done and had a few unexpected twists that I enjoyed, and there's some great battle descriptions. However, as one of the very few books in 40k that explores what a Chaos society looks like, I was a little disappointed how little it actually focused on the societies. The Slaaneshi city has some good descriptions, but that's about it.
The conflict is also almost entirely Slaanesh vs Khorne, which as a Tzeentch fan I was a little disappointed by. In fact, I'm not sure the words "Tzeentch" or "Nurgle" appear once in this lengthy book, which is definitely a bit of a sin in a book about internal conflict on daeomon world....
August 17, 2017
*Edit* I notice others mentioning how violent this book is... Not to sound like a murderer, but I actually thought for a 40K story it was too slow to violence and the violence given short lived. I realize I probably sound like a psycho lol however!! In comparison to other 40k books I actually say while indeed violent it was done to a lesser degree.
Also, someone referred to the author as being the "Tim Burton" in 40k writing. I want to make a note that I disagree and would give that award to John French. Had to add my 2 cents O:-) ... As for my personal review:
Being one who is a daemon/chaos/word bearer player I really wanted to love this book, but I was a bit disappointed, I'm sad to say. The detailing in the writing is great, very vivid imagery but I personally felt the story was too slow and at times too scattered. Without revealing the story I will simply say of all 40k books I've read this one was one I had high hopes for but couldn't get into until half way through the book and even then the story just wasn't gripping enough for me. I like action, to know the characters on a deeper level and I feel he missed out on connecting reader and characters. I give it 3 stars however for the story itself is good, I simply wish it had been written differently; in a way that pulled me in such as Fateweaver or Gates of Ruin. I would also still suggest reading it despite my dislikes, however, for everyone enjoys different writing styles and perhaps this will work for you. Ben Counter normally delivers excellent work but in my opinion he didn't live up to that reputation with this one .
Also, someone referred to the author as being the "Tim Burton" in 40k writing. I want to make a note that I disagree and would give that award to John French. Had to add my 2 cents O:-) ... As for my personal review:
Being one who is a daemon/chaos/word bearer player I really wanted to love this book, but I was a bit disappointed, I'm sad to say. The detailing in the writing is great, very vivid imagery but I personally felt the story was too slow and at times too scattered. Without revealing the story I will simply say of all 40k books I've read this one was one I had high hopes for but couldn't get into until half way through the book and even then the story just wasn't gripping enough for me. I like action, to know the characters on a deeper level and I feel he missed out on connecting reader and characters. I give it 3 stars however for the story itself is good, I simply wish it had been written differently; in a way that pulled me in such as Fateweaver or Gates of Ruin. I would also still suggest reading it despite my dislikes, however, for everyone enjoys different writing styles and perhaps this will work for you. Ben Counter normally delivers excellent work but in my opinion he didn't live up to that reputation with this one .
November 22, 2025
Like a Philipe Druillet comic in prose; just pages and pages of phantasmagorical violence. This was one of the first novels put out by the Black Library and feels like a missing link between 40k and the 1970s British New Wave of Science Fiction that inspired it - the storytelling feels right out of an Eternal Champion novel.
What I'm saying is put on your Hawkwind albums while you read this, I guess!
What I'm saying is put on your Hawkwind albums while you read this, I guess!
January 2, 2022
Ben Counter does a wonderful job of capturing the nature of chaos and of it being inherently unknowable. Some people say this is a fantasy novel with the serial numbers filed off but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the same.
March 2, 2023
This is the worst black library book I’ve ever read.
It’s 90% action and that’s dull, cliched action
Very little lore addition or world bearing
Every character except one is 1 dimensional and that one is just about 2 dimensional
The writing is very poor
It’s 90% action and that’s dull, cliched action
Very little lore addition or world bearing
Every character except one is 1 dimensional and that one is just about 2 dimensional
The writing is very poor
September 5, 2017
It was ok not meant for people who are new to Warhammer
September 4, 2019
lurning about the demon worlds is vary exiting and intresting
November 24, 2012
If you were to define Warhammer authors purely by Hollywood directors then Ben Counter would be Black Library’s Tim Burton.
No this is not a comparison made in terms of style, though they do both have the habit of emphasising upon stylised versions of the darkest of subject matter, it’s in terms of their concepts. Even when examining the weakest of their products where the plot turns in on itself the ideas present always manage to hold your interest.
Where am I going with this? Well it’s the sort of mentality you need to have when reading Daemon World. As a conventional story it fails to stand out but as an examination of Chaos as a force and corrupting influence it is easily one of the best texts to be officially printed.
The story of this one is set in the Maelstrom on the corrupted world of Torvendis. As a favoured world of the gods, the planet’s surface warps and alters in near constant flux and has changed hands of champions multiple times. Currently dominated by the servants of Slaanesh, the book begins on the eve of a major change and follows the tales of several key characters representing different facets of Chaos. An aspiring champion, a ruling empress, a manipulator of events and a band of traitor marines tasked with hunting one of their own.
As it has been mentioned already here’s the bad: where the story fails is largely in its characters. Few of them develop during the course of the novel and many feel as if they had been written as everyman examples of what they were representing. Save for one none of them leave any impact and their most interesting aspects tend to come from details about their cultures rather than individual characteristics. Atop of this the final fate of several characters is unseen, and the actual ending is more of a “rocks fall everyone dies” event than a true conclusion. While the story’s conclusion and approach could not have worked otherwise, there’s no denying that both these aspects are significant flaws which do drag the tale down.
What helps make up for this is every other part of the book. You wouldn’t think there would be much left to enjoy with a flawed conclusion and characters which fail to truly stand out but the setting alone helps distract you from the problems. This is one of the very small number of stories set almost entirely upon a truly chaotic daemon world and Counter takes advantage of the planet’s corruption and insanity. While aspects found in the outlying regions where the book starts seem fairly tame, things like the city devoted to Slaanesh are Chaos at its most nightmarishly ingenious and only seems to be limited in the extremely low level of development Torvendis’ endless upheaval allows.
What is more is that with each character reflecting different aspects of the Chaos gods in various ways. not simply in how they worship them or how the one closest aligned to Khorne decides to settle all disputes with an axe (though that certainly helps) but in how they think and act. This might sound run of the mill, but it isn’t delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer as it is in most books. There’s little mention of glory or worship to Khorne in the aforementioned example and any bloodthirst feels far more like it’s naturally a part of his personality. This even extends to some almost Malalite ideas by one character in their rebellion against the gods, who delivers a speech which worth the price of the book alone.
When it does delve into the relationship between the Chaos gods and the mortal races, and goes outside of worship, it mostly goes into areas of how they really love to screw over their servants. As with most things this is best seen with Slaanesh’s devotees, particularly the fate of one monastery, and often outright lie to them. Again, fairly standard but it details areas not usually seen and is going somewhere, building up the points needed for the conclusion to have real meaning.
Again it needs to be specified that the novel is far from great. Even with the strengths outlined above and an admittedly original huge battle scene featuring lakes of blood and more bows than guns, it can be hard to get through. With Torvendis’s specified eras of worship, it would have made far more sense to have this be collection of short stories a-la Architect of Fate but it’s still easy to enjoy this one. If you’re looking for a very different perspective on Chaos itself rather than the traitor legions and imagery to inspire your own writing it’s definitely worth seeking this one out. But if you’re looking for a true story stick with one of the more popular series.
No this is not a comparison made in terms of style, though they do both have the habit of emphasising upon stylised versions of the darkest of subject matter, it’s in terms of their concepts. Even when examining the weakest of their products where the plot turns in on itself the ideas present always manage to hold your interest.
Where am I going with this? Well it’s the sort of mentality you need to have when reading Daemon World. As a conventional story it fails to stand out but as an examination of Chaos as a force and corrupting influence it is easily one of the best texts to be officially printed.
The story of this one is set in the Maelstrom on the corrupted world of Torvendis. As a favoured world of the gods, the planet’s surface warps and alters in near constant flux and has changed hands of champions multiple times. Currently dominated by the servants of Slaanesh, the book begins on the eve of a major change and follows the tales of several key characters representing different facets of Chaos. An aspiring champion, a ruling empress, a manipulator of events and a band of traitor marines tasked with hunting one of their own.
As it has been mentioned already here’s the bad: where the story fails is largely in its characters. Few of them develop during the course of the novel and many feel as if they had been written as everyman examples of what they were representing. Save for one none of them leave any impact and their most interesting aspects tend to come from details about their cultures rather than individual characteristics. Atop of this the final fate of several characters is unseen, and the actual ending is more of a “rocks fall everyone dies” event than a true conclusion. While the story’s conclusion and approach could not have worked otherwise, there’s no denying that both these aspects are significant flaws which do drag the tale down.
What helps make up for this is every other part of the book. You wouldn’t think there would be much left to enjoy with a flawed conclusion and characters which fail to truly stand out but the setting alone helps distract you from the problems. This is one of the very small number of stories set almost entirely upon a truly chaotic daemon world and Counter takes advantage of the planet’s corruption and insanity. While aspects found in the outlying regions where the book starts seem fairly tame, things like the city devoted to Slaanesh are Chaos at its most nightmarishly ingenious and only seems to be limited in the extremely low level of development Torvendis’ endless upheaval allows.
What is more is that with each character reflecting different aspects of the Chaos gods in various ways. not simply in how they worship them or how the one closest aligned to Khorne decides to settle all disputes with an axe (though that certainly helps) but in how they think and act. This might sound run of the mill, but it isn’t delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer as it is in most books. There’s little mention of glory or worship to Khorne in the aforementioned example and any bloodthirst feels far more like it’s naturally a part of his personality. This even extends to some almost Malalite ideas by one character in their rebellion against the gods, who delivers a speech which worth the price of the book alone.
When it does delve into the relationship between the Chaos gods and the mortal races, and goes outside of worship, it mostly goes into areas of how they really love to screw over their servants. As with most things this is best seen with Slaanesh’s devotees, particularly the fate of one monastery, and often outright lie to them. Again, fairly standard but it details areas not usually seen and is going somewhere, building up the points needed for the conclusion to have real meaning.
Again it needs to be specified that the novel is far from great. Even with the strengths outlined above and an admittedly original huge battle scene featuring lakes of blood and more bows than guns, it can be hard to get through. With Torvendis’s specified eras of worship, it would have made far more sense to have this be collection of short stories a-la Architect of Fate but it’s still easy to enjoy this one. If you’re looking for a very different perspective on Chaos itself rather than the traitor legions and imagery to inspire your own writing it’s definitely worth seeking this one out. But if you’re looking for a true story stick with one of the more popular series.
February 26, 2010
i like fantasy novels.... i don't mind a bit of sci - fi....
i GET the idea of creating a new world and new beings to populate it, etc, etc....
but SURELY there's a way to make that readable and interesting?
i found the first two chapters an absolute struggle to get through. trying to understand the created words and names for the world and it's creatures was difficult at best. I had to keep flicking back pages to double check that i understood what i was reading as i read it.
after getting through the descriptions some parts were readable, and could have made for a nice story, but i found it too confusing and jumpy.
i gave up after about 40 pages.
i GET the idea of creating a new world and new beings to populate it, etc, etc....
but SURELY there's a way to make that readable and interesting?
i found the first two chapters an absolute struggle to get through. trying to understand the created words and names for the world and it's creatures was difficult at best. I had to keep flicking back pages to double check that i understood what i was reading as i read it.
after getting through the descriptions some parts were readable, and could have made for a nice story, but i found it too confusing and jumpy.
i gave up after about 40 pages.
June 17, 2008
This was perhaps the darkest and most thorough look (from the eyes of the Imperium) into Chaos and the followers of Khorne, with a little Tzeentch thrown in for seasoning. I thought it was well written and kept you pulled in for the next section. I also thought that the introductions provided by the radical Inquisitor (which had been suppressed by order of the Inquisition) were nice touches as well.
November 14, 2016
This is a planet wide Chaos vs. Chaos war masking the return to greatness of a bitter Chaos Champion. At times it definitely adds to the greater strangeness of the Warhammer universe and goes to show that the IP is more expansive than many think. The finale at the end combines excellent action as well as a philosophical look at Chaos and what it means to serve Chaos.
October 11, 2011
Just a fun adventure story for fans of WH40K, especially us chaos loving types
June 19, 2014
Fantastic sci-fi.
January 4, 2019
Real slog, while there was a degree of originality to the premise compared to the 40 000 or so Imperium/Space Marine-centric books that the Black Library has managed to churn out over the years neither the characters nor the world building we're all that intriguing.
More importantly thought, this book sticks out like a sore thumb where it's place in 40k universe is concerned.
Meh.
More importantly thought, this book sticks out like a sore thumb where it's place in 40k universe is concerned.
Meh.
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