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Eisenhorn #2
Malleus
In the 41st Millenium, the enemies of mankind are legion, omnipresent and utterly deadly. While the warriors of the Imperium fight with firepower and faith, the Holy Inquisition hunts the shadows for the most terrible of foes – rogue psykers, xenos, and daemons. Inquisitor Eisenhorn must track down and defeat the forces who would destroy him or face the wrath of the Ordo Malleus.
Read it because
Eisenhorn’s back in a classic thriller. What could be cooler than an inquisitor on the run for a crime he didn’t commit? Not much. How much is Eisenhorn willing to compromise himself – and his closest friends – and risk his soul for a chance to clear his name?
425 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
April 25, 2014
'Malleus' is one of the better examples of novel "Sequelitis". What I mean by this is that the novel doesn't rehash the same old scenarios from the original but instead produce something new.
'Malleus' takes the characters and the world that was established in the original novel, 'Xenos', and then builds on it. The stakes are higher, the threats are more potent, and there is no guarantee of anyone's safety.
Nothing highlights this point more clearly than the Holy Novena on Thracian Primaris. A victory parade so large it was said to stretch 20 miles long, it included two Adeptus Astartes Chapters, 500,000 Imperial Guard, over 300 Inquisitors, representatives of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy, Departmento Munitorum, and Imperial Navy as well as a number War Machines from the Legio Titanicus. All of which, looked upon by millions of Imperial citizens across the entire planet. This was a celebration of such epic proportions, there to entirely showcase the strength, pride and the martial power of the human race... That is until it all goes horribly wrong.
What happens next is one of the most devastating acts of terrorism that could ever possibly be envisioned. During the bloody aftermath, our hero, Gregor Eisenhorn, discovers an act of treachery so abhorrent that it will test his loyalty to the Inquisition to its limits.
This is because ‘Malleus’ is a book all about choices. Eisenhorn is presented with a threat to the Imperium that will require him to put aside his puritan beliefs in favour of pragmatic radicalism. He has to choose as to what lengths he will be willing to go to defeat his old enemy, the daemonhost Cherubael, and its dark master, Quixos. Even if this means learning proscribed and forbidden lore that will threaten his standing with the Inquisition. Eisenhorn must suffer being labelled a ‘Heretic’ by his closest allies to achieve victory.
My favourite scene from this book comes from when Eisenhorn must ask an old enemy for help, and is told is that to receive the knowledge he seeks on daemon summoning and banishment he has to cross a line. A line that once crossed cannot be walked back over. Eisenhorn will have to make a choice right there and then to seek aid from a known heretic to be able fight Chaos with Chaos. And to Eisenhorn’s credit, it is a decision that he does not waver over.
Eisenhorn is a man of principles but he is also a man not afraid to make hard choices.
'Malleus' takes the characters and the world that was established in the original novel, 'Xenos', and then builds on it. The stakes are higher, the threats are more potent, and there is no guarantee of anyone's safety.
Nothing highlights this point more clearly than the Holy Novena on Thracian Primaris. A victory parade so large it was said to stretch 20 miles long, it included two Adeptus Astartes Chapters, 500,000 Imperial Guard, over 300 Inquisitors, representatives of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy, Departmento Munitorum, and Imperial Navy as well as a number War Machines from the Legio Titanicus. All of which, looked upon by millions of Imperial citizens across the entire planet. This was a celebration of such epic proportions, there to entirely showcase the strength, pride and the martial power of the human race... That is until it all goes horribly wrong.
What happens next is one of the most devastating acts of terrorism that could ever possibly be envisioned. During the bloody aftermath, our hero, Gregor Eisenhorn, discovers an act of treachery so abhorrent that it will test his loyalty to the Inquisition to its limits.
This is because ‘Malleus’ is a book all about choices. Eisenhorn is presented with a threat to the Imperium that will require him to put aside his puritan beliefs in favour of pragmatic radicalism. He has to choose as to what lengths he will be willing to go to defeat his old enemy, the daemonhost Cherubael, and its dark master, Quixos. Even if this means learning proscribed and forbidden lore that will threaten his standing with the Inquisition. Eisenhorn must suffer being labelled a ‘Heretic’ by his closest allies to achieve victory.
My favourite scene from this book comes from when Eisenhorn must ask an old enemy for help, and is told is that to receive the knowledge he seeks on daemon summoning and banishment he has to cross a line. A line that once crossed cannot be walked back over. Eisenhorn will have to make a choice right there and then to seek aid from a known heretic to be able fight Chaos with Chaos. And to Eisenhorn’s credit, it is a decision that he does not waver over.
Eisenhorn is a man of principles but he is also a man not afraid to make hard choices.
December 1, 2019
Every bit as fun and exciting as the first novel in the series without ever feeling like a retread or rehashing of the same old stuff. The attention to detail and the fleshing out of the worlds, the people, and everything else in the background truly makes this a standout and really made me appreciate just how immense and thought out all of this is, and it is only my second full length novel in the Warhammer 40K universe. I thought the first book started out on a small scale and grew to a grand galaxy spanning adventure while this one was opposite and started out with an immense planet-wide disaster/action scene and shrunk down to a more personal lone wolf with a vendetta sort of story. An amazing cast of secondary characters and pretty awesome bad guys populate these pages and kept me thoroughly engaged and there were enough hints thrown out about other stuff going on or that had already happened to make me beyond stoked to continue reading these books. This is as good as it gets for me and I've had a blast reading every page. Five, I now love Dan Abnett, stars.
May 29, 2017
I'm still really enjoying Inquisitor Eisenhorn and crew. This series has surprised me, I wasn't sure that I'd like any of the W40k book since I never played the games. I will definitely finish up this series and read the one that features Ravenor (plus go back and try the Horus Heresies series).
July 31, 2018
-La insidia del Caos se esconde en todas partes, incluso entre quienes lo combaten.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Malleus (publicación original: Malleus, 2001), Gregor Eisenhorn es envenenado durante la persecución de una xenófila que realiza ritos y brujerías de los eldars oscuros. Debido a ello, su camino se cruza de nuevo con el cazador de brujas Arnaut Tantalid y después recibe la orden del Gran Maestre Inquisidor Ubertino Orsini para que asista a la Sagrada Novena en Tracian Primaris, planeta hiperindustrializado y sobrepoblado, donde descubrirá que la Inquisición sospecha de él, por crímenes contra el imperio, debido a ciertas acciones del demonio Cherubael. Segundo libro de la trilogía Eisenhorn.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Malleus (publicación original: Malleus, 2001), Gregor Eisenhorn es envenenado durante la persecución de una xenófila que realiza ritos y brujerías de los eldars oscuros. Debido a ello, su camino se cruza de nuevo con el cazador de brujas Arnaut Tantalid y después recibe la orden del Gran Maestre Inquisidor Ubertino Orsini para que asista a la Sagrada Novena en Tracian Primaris, planeta hiperindustrializado y sobrepoblado, donde descubrirá que la Inquisición sospecha de él, por crímenes contra el imperio, debido a ciertas acciones del demonio Cherubael. Segundo libro de la trilogía Eisenhorn.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 21, 2019
Todo lo que estaba bien o excelente en el anterior se mantiene y la escritura de Abnett mejora.
Eisenhorn hace lo mejor que puede e igual sufre, gajes del oficio de cualquier inquisidor que trabajar en nombre del Dios Emperador, cuya muerte es eterna y su nombre ya olvidado.
Eisenhorn hace lo mejor que puede e igual sufre, gajes del oficio de cualquier inquisidor que trabajar en nombre del Dios Emperador, cuya muerte es eterna y su nombre ya olvidado.
December 7, 2022
Was a bit less fond of this one than the previous. Still good, but whereas the first one started off rather slow and uneventful, it took its time gradually building into something really strange and impressive by the final act.
This one, instead, lays down its best cards early on with a powerful scene of epic tragedy. After that, it continues in a meandering fashion, with far too many characters introduced - and too many singular words in general obfuscating the prose. When the name of the Big Bad is revealed most of the way through the book, and we feel no connection to it because it's just yet another idiosyncratic name to take on board and attempt to remember alongside the myriad forgettable/easily-interchangeable others, that's not ideal. The end is pretty anti-climactic too.
That said, there are some great scenes and vivid settings, and the overall standard and level of depth and detail is high, with strong worldbuilding and complex prose. It's just all a bit unwieldy and unfocused, especially on a character level.
This one, instead, lays down its best cards early on with a powerful scene of epic tragedy. After that, it continues in a meandering fashion, with far too many characters introduced - and too many singular words in general obfuscating the prose. When the name of the Big Bad is revealed most of the way through the book, and we feel no connection to it because it's just yet another idiosyncratic name to take on board and attempt to remember alongside the myriad forgettable/easily-interchangeable others, that's not ideal. The end is pretty anti-climactic too.
That said, there are some great scenes and vivid settings, and the overall standard and level of depth and detail is high, with strong worldbuilding and complex prose. It's just all a bit unwieldy and unfocused, especially on a character level.
February 15, 2018
It's been six years since I last read Malleus in full. Six years during which I held the Eisenhorn trilogy in the highest regard. Six years of rose-tinted glasses, looking back fondly on that nostalgic trilogy. Six years in which I have maintained that, to this day, the adventures of Gregor Eisenhorn, Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, still remains the best introduction a newcomer to Warhammer 40,000 can have when it comes to the fiction.
Now, six years later, fresh out of a re-read of Malleus, hotly anticipating The Magos, the unexpected 4th Eisenhorn novel, I still maintain that position. I was fully prepared to feel disappointed in at least some aspects of the novel, this turning point in Gregor Eisenhorn's career. I was ready to accept that a re-read might taint my fond memories. What I did not expect was just how well the classic still holds up to this day, and how it consistently engaged me with every twist and turn. In hindsight, I even noticed more points to like, things Abnett introduced and built up early on that popped up again later to enrich the ongoing developments. Things that, knowing where everything is headed, even beyond the trilogy itself, impress me even more today than they did way back when.
Malleus never really lets up. Despite spanning years, the first person narrative maintains great pacing, glosses over inessential aspects while still retaining a sense of scope and depth that most other novels rarely manage to achieve. To this day, I want to read Interrogator Inshabel's report on his dealings during the events of Malleus, due to how intriguing Abnett, through Eisenhorn, made that particular aside appear, without ever going into any sort of detail. To this day, I wish to see what spooked Harlon Nayl to the point of only ever speaking about it over plenty of booze. I`d love to read more about Titus Endor... apart from his.Strange Demise, I mean.
I can't even begin to describe the satisfaction I feel now, after my re-read. All the beats still ring loud and clear. Malleus still remains one of the strongest, best novels in Black Library's vast range. Considering the Publisher will be celebrating 20 years with the release of The Magos this month, I'd argue that this is the highest praise one can give out.
Now, six years later, fresh out of a re-read of Malleus, hotly anticipating The Magos, the unexpected 4th Eisenhorn novel, I still maintain that position. I was fully prepared to feel disappointed in at least some aspects of the novel, this turning point in Gregor Eisenhorn's career. I was ready to accept that a re-read might taint my fond memories. What I did not expect was just how well the classic still holds up to this day, and how it consistently engaged me with every twist and turn. In hindsight, I even noticed more points to like, things Abnett introduced and built up early on that popped up again later to enrich the ongoing developments. Things that, knowing where everything is headed, even beyond the trilogy itself, impress me even more today than they did way back when.
Malleus never really lets up. Despite spanning years, the first person narrative maintains great pacing, glosses over inessential aspects while still retaining a sense of scope and depth that most other novels rarely manage to achieve. To this day, I want to read Interrogator Inshabel's report on his dealings during the events of Malleus, due to how intriguing Abnett, through Eisenhorn, made that particular aside appear, without ever going into any sort of detail. To this day, I wish to see what spooked Harlon Nayl to the point of only ever speaking about it over plenty of booze. I`d love to read more about Titus Endor... apart from his.Strange Demise, I mean.
I can't even begin to describe the satisfaction I feel now, after my re-read. All the beats still ring loud and clear. Malleus still remains one of the strongest, best novels in Black Library's vast range. Considering the Publisher will be celebrating 20 years with the release of The Magos this month, I'd argue that this is the highest praise one can give out.
April 5, 2022
This second book in the Eisenhorn series is nearly as good as the first. *Malleus* is a dark and dystopic space opera anti-heist novel with noir atmosphere. Morever, the renegade crew, quasi-scoundrels all (except maybe Aemos and Gregor), are defenders of the Imperium of Man against the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. The philosophical ambition of this novel is surprising. Considering it's a Warhammer 40k novel, it's surprisingly literary and readable. In *Malleus* Abnett meditates on the thin line seperating good and evil and how fanaticism can ambush good intentions and transform good into evil despite good's best intentions. One of my favorite elements of these two Eisenhorn novels is the artful and leisurely pacing, and specifically so in *Malleus.* At 430 pages (my trade paperback version) several years are treated. Unlike a lot of light, IP-fiction, the novel isn't just action scene after action scene. There is a complex plot and background conspiracy that is dramatically revealed incrementally. If you're a Warhammer 40k fan, you'll appreciate all the elements of the 41st millennium that are lovingly showcased here. If you're not a 40k fan, chances are that the rich secondary world and intriguing characters will enthrall. Last note: Abnett is very good at rendering intriguing relationships among characters. His characters are not isolated but interact in surprising ways, allies and enemies alike.
January 20, 2021
Still enjoying the vast universe and the grimdark atmosphere, however, I couldn't quite get into the plot of this one as much. There were a few too many characters to keep track of without more of the narrative's attention being focused on them. Additionally, for much of the book I was unsure why Eisenhorn was making the choices he made and why the plot was unfolding the way it did. The story felt a little too loose; it was less cohesive, more scattered than in Eisenhorn's previous adventure.
February 26, 2023
Whoooaaaaa man what a mindfuck. Not only did this book have me distrusting every dang character, it also gave me whiplash as it flip flopped between boring me and making my head spin from EVERYTHING HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE. While there were definitely some parts that were a bit of a snooze, every last one was completely necessary. I just wish the book didnt fizzle so hard at the end.
July 11, 2025
And done!!! Classic Warhammer 40k book. Eisenhorn never fails to show a gripping story and one adventure you will not want to miss. Can’t wait to finish the trilogy
June 28, 2025
Solid adventure that was a bit hard to follow at times in the audiobook. Still, I enjoyed it. Good story and fun characters.
January 28, 2025
The more I think about it, the more Eisenhorn reminds me of Ethan Hunt.
January 2, 2023
For this review I shall stick to a single, if not the single moment of the book, where Abnett convinced me (as if that was necessary) of his wit and daring. To avert spoilers, I'll keep it abstract. The hero faces down a secondary, however all the same menacing threat to mankind. The tumultuous, one-sided, definitely losing battle is drawing to its horrible conclusion as the hero settles on a suicidal, naive action that either succeeds or dooms him and everybody else.
End of chapter.
The next chapter carries on with something completely different, equally enthralling, almost more than the lethal scene from one page ago. There is no need for Abnett do draw out the finer details of said threat going down, to prolong the scene unnecessarily by illustrating how the broken but triumphant band regroups, cleans up the colossal mess, etc., etc., these obvious and overall repetitive trivialities.
"No", indicates Abnett, "you, my reader, are well aware that the hero was successful, he's up and well as you can see for yourself. I'll give you the important details in timely fashion, as a side dish to the more savory content, but for now let's carry on with the actual tale, my stories need no padding to fill a whole novel."
That's Abnett for you. Cheeky bastard.
End of chapter.
The next chapter carries on with something completely different, equally enthralling, almost more than the lethal scene from one page ago. There is no need for Abnett do draw out the finer details of said threat going down, to prolong the scene unnecessarily by illustrating how the broken but triumphant band regroups, cleans up the colossal mess, etc., etc., these obvious and overall repetitive trivialities.
"No", indicates Abnett, "you, my reader, are well aware that the hero was successful, he's up and well as you can see for yourself. I'll give you the important details in timely fashion, as a side dish to the more savory content, but for now let's carry on with the actual tale, my stories need no padding to fill a whole novel."
That's Abnett for you. Cheeky bastard.
November 14, 2018
A good sequel that expands on the original without retreading the same plot as the first book.
Dan Abnett falls into his usual trap of winding books up a bit quickly at the end. But the overall journey and world building is well worth the read.
Dan Abnett falls into his usual trap of winding books up a bit quickly at the end. But the overall journey and world building is well worth the read.
April 21, 2019
A brilliant book. I can't wait to see what happens next.
August 6, 2017
English (but not so good) / Italiano
The Inquisitor this time is prey instead of hunter but I must say that the thing is perceived scarcely except the interrogatory and his sporadic clashes with the Witch Hunter Tantalid. This, however, doesn’t damage another exciting adventure made of intrigue as well as action, although I would have expected more from the final fight versus the heretic. But magnificent the epilogue with Cherubael, a character by now essential part of the saga, as well as nemesis of the protagonist - whose behavior is becoming increasingly reckless and ambiguous.
Italiano
L’Inquisitore stavolta è preda anziché cacciatore ma devo dire che la cosa si percepisce appena se si escludono l’interrogatorio e i suoi sporadici scontri con il Cacciatore di Streghe Tantalid. Questo però non va a danneggiare un’altra emozionante avventura fatta di intrighi oltre che d’azione, benché mi sarei aspettato di più dallo scontro finale con l’eretico. Magnifico invece l’epilogo con Cherubael, personaggio ormai parte integrante della saga, nonché nemesi del protagonista - la cui condotta si fa sempre più spregiudicata e ambigua.
The Inquisitor this time is prey instead of hunter but I must say that the thing is perceived scarcely except the interrogatory and his sporadic clashes with the Witch Hunter Tantalid. This, however, doesn’t damage another exciting adventure made of intrigue as well as action, although I would have expected more from the final fight versus the heretic. But magnificent the epilogue with Cherubael, a character by now essential part of the saga, as well as nemesis of the protagonist - whose behavior is becoming increasingly reckless and ambiguous.
Italiano
L’Inquisitore stavolta è preda anziché cacciatore ma devo dire che la cosa si percepisce appena se si escludono l’interrogatorio e i suoi sporadici scontri con il Cacciatore di Streghe Tantalid. Questo però non va a danneggiare un’altra emozionante avventura fatta di intrighi oltre che d’azione, benché mi sarei aspettato di più dallo scontro finale con l’eretico. Magnifico invece l’epilogo con Cherubael, personaggio ormai parte integrante della saga, nonché nemesi del protagonista - la cui condotta si fa sempre più spregiudicata e ambigua.
June 27, 2018
3.5 / 5
I'm finishing the third one as I type. And I have to say, I've been waiting for a long time for this series. I've been searching it without knowing ever since The Mentalist and Death Note ended.
It's not those series, but it has a vibe I am addicted to.
This book suffers from Middle Book Syndrome. Although the structure of the first book in the trilogy, this one doesn't have a structure in the same way. It's acts are weird, sometime ranging from a scene to third a book.
That being said, the book manages to continue the plot of the first book and still give a threads-tied ending to it.
Which is really intersting, as I am finishing the third book and I can say, not all is done :D
A delight popcorn read. I'm going to miss Eisenhorn a lot.
I'm finishing the third one as I type. And I have to say, I've been waiting for a long time for this series. I've been searching it without knowing ever since The Mentalist and Death Note ended.
It's not those series, but it has a vibe I am addicted to.
This book suffers from Middle Book Syndrome. Although the structure of the first book in the trilogy, this one doesn't have a structure in the same way. It's acts are weird, sometime ranging from a scene to third a book.
That being said, the book manages to continue the plot of the first book and still give a threads-tied ending to it.
Which is really intersting, as I am finishing the third book and I can say, not all is done :D
A delight popcorn read. I'm going to miss Eisenhorn a lot.
August 16, 2024
Much better than the first book in the series. Probably won’t wait as long as I thought I would to read the 3rd book.
September 9, 2024
Good stuff.
April 2, 2025
Another fun book to listen to, the insight into the inquisition is really cool and the scenes are all so unique.
January 10, 2023
Well-paced and another great story that more clearly defines the character of Gregor Eisenhorn and his retinue.
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July 27, 2025
There are few tropes I hate more than the "noble-protagonist-is-framed-and-must-go-on-the-run-till-he-can-prove-his-innocence" trope, and unfortunately for this book that is 90% of its narrative.
It doesn't help that these "Eisenhorn" novels never really pan out to be what I would expect from a 40K novel about Inquisitors -- I would expect more investigation & interrogation, more mystery and an almost noir-like feel. But two books into the series, and it feels like each one is really just a bog-standard 40K novel, well-written but focused on anything but the Inquisition and which merely REFERENCES the protagonist's Inquisitorial activities as preceding or background events.
It doesn't help that these "Eisenhorn" novels never really pan out to be what I would expect from a 40K novel about Inquisitors -- I would expect more investigation & interrogation, more mystery and an almost noir-like feel. But two books into the series, and it feels like each one is really just a bog-standard 40K novel, well-written but focused on anything but the Inquisition and which merely REFERENCES the protagonist's Inquisitorial activities as preceding or background events.
June 2, 2020
Breaking Up: A Review
Listen... um. We need to talk.
It's not you, it's me. You've got everything a book's supposed to have - interesting characters, a solid plot. Things happen - interesting things! I'm just not that interested.
I hope you have a good 3rd book. I really do. I just won't be there to read it.
All kidding aside, I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't like the first two books in this series. It's not even that I didn't like them, but I didn't look forward to returning to them, and never had a hard time putting one down, even in the middle of an action scene. Two books into the trilogy is enough for me. And that's saying something.
Listen... um. We need to talk.
It's not you, it's me. You've got everything a book's supposed to have - interesting characters, a solid plot. Things happen - interesting things! I'm just not that interested.
I hope you have a good 3rd book. I really do. I just won't be there to read it.
All kidding aside, I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't like the first two books in this series. It's not even that I didn't like them, but I didn't look forward to returning to them, and never had a hard time putting one down, even in the middle of an action scene. Two books into the trilogy is enough for me. And that's saying something.
June 7, 2020
I don't get it, it's not more of the same, it's not as good as the first one, the introduction of many characters just for them to die off, the time skip of 100 years which really seems weird.
Maybe I just don't like first person books but damn the description of anything wasn't that good and I LOVE hive cities in 40k.
I feel like I have to finish the next one because cherubael or whatever is the only good thing about the book, kinda really annoying how Abnett has to spell out to you every step of the way that Eisenhorn is slowly becoming rebel the epilogue was a bit of a shocker but it was still obvious because he had done it before just with a rebel inquisitor and not a demon-host.
Maybe I just don't like first person books but damn the description of anything wasn't that good and I LOVE hive cities in 40k.
I feel like I have to finish the next one because cherubael or whatever is the only good thing about the book, kinda really annoying how Abnett has to spell out to you every step of the way that Eisenhorn is slowly becoming rebel the epilogue was a bit of a shocker but it was still obvious because he had done it before just with a rebel inquisitor and not a demon-host.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2025
I had originally given up on the book, but since I got my hands on the author's annotated version, I decided to give it another chance. The annotations are actually very helpful, as they explain many open questions and the author's intentions, such as my criticism of the unnecessarily long time jumps or the off-screen deaths of popular characters. All in all, the story was okay. There were again many extremely long time jumps, but it was manageable. It was exciting enough, but nothing unpredictable. I still can't give it 5 stars, though, because I think the MC‘s motivation is portrayed too weakly in my opinion and comes across as rather flat.
May 31, 2010
The second book in Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn Trilogy, it's pretty much the same type of story as the first book (Xenos).
The plot is a little more complex, the main character a little more complex, and the action even better written than before.
It's still a fluff book for the Warhammer 40k Universe, and if you aren't interested in that and haven't read the first book, it's probably not extraordinary enough to be worth a read.
I am glad that I read it.
The plot is a little more complex, the main character a little more complex, and the action even better written than before.
It's still a fluff book for the Warhammer 40k Universe, and if you aren't interested in that and haven't read the first book, it's probably not extraordinary enough to be worth a read.
I am glad that I read it.
January 29, 2022
This book would've been five stars if Abnett didn't end the book in such a rush. It honestly felt like he got tired writing the story and just wanted it to be over. That on top one of my favorite characters getting an off-page death earns a four-star rating from me for what was a really enjoyable book the rest of the way.
November 27, 2022
No le doy las cinco estrellas porque la resolución del libro (y las muertes de algunos personajes secundarios) me parecen un poco precipitadas. Por lo demás, estoy disfrutando está lectura de la aventuras de Eisenhorn.
January 25, 2025
Part of the pleasure of reading this book is being taken back to 2001, which is very much "my" era of Warhammer 40k. The era of misty Karl Kopinski artwork, Codex: Cityfight, the Tsaragrad article in White Dwarf 248, the history-inflected camo schemes in Imperial Armour 1 - a huge, exciting shift from the bright primary colours and Goblin Green painted bases of the 1990s into something more gritty, more gothic, more serious (for better or worse, in hindsight). It was Warhammer 40k going from childish to adolescent (like me, at that time...), and the new Black Library was a big part of it.
Xenos felt like a relic of the earlier period, with settings that could have come from an old Jack Vance or EC Tubb novel, or been covered in those big foam cactus plants that used to appear in every 1990s White Dwarf battle report. Malleus, though, is very much a part of the setting's new clearer identity, less collage of obvious influences and more its own bombastic thing. Every one of the half dozen planets visited in the novel has some spectacular visual hook that sticks in the mind, and it's incredible how efficiently Abnett does this. One particularly famous description of a cathedral - one I see posted every few months on r/40klore - is achieved in a single paragraph that manages to describe and sum up an entire culture.
At the time this book was written there had been very little description of civilian life in 40k outside of Necromunda. Malleus seems to take the list of planet archetypes from the rulebook and take a snapshot of life on each, all lovingly (and quickly) described. The gargantuan cathedrals (Abnett loves a microclimate...), the world experiencing a torchlit festival under a month long eclipse, the songbirds - it's all so vivid and 40k. The novel achieves the same thing with characters, especially the villains. If I'd been reading this in 2001 I'd have given this book 5 stars on that basis alone.
Still, this is probably one of the weaker Dan Abnett novels I've read. The pace is breakneck but very uneven. In the latter half, the novel veers off into a side-quest that would have been a great short story but here steals momentum from the main plot, and makes the resolution feel very abrupt. The tone jarringly changes from world to world, so that it sometimes feels like a collection of short stories. Eisenhorn's team gets short shrift, and don't feel like they've grown and changed in the decades since the last novel.
This was ultimately a hard book to rate. It has some of the most memorable set-piece action sequences and descriptions in all of pulp fiction, and two of the best swordfights (that's an important thing to track). The pace is all over the place, too uneven to carry the plot and too fast for the important character moments. It's pure pulp and I started reading the next one straight away.
Xenos felt like a relic of the earlier period, with settings that could have come from an old Jack Vance or EC Tubb novel, or been covered in those big foam cactus plants that used to appear in every 1990s White Dwarf battle report. Malleus, though, is very much a part of the setting's new clearer identity, less collage of obvious influences and more its own bombastic thing. Every one of the half dozen planets visited in the novel has some spectacular visual hook that sticks in the mind, and it's incredible how efficiently Abnett does this. One particularly famous description of a cathedral - one I see posted every few months on r/40klore - is achieved in a single paragraph that manages to describe and sum up an entire culture.
At the time this book was written there had been very little description of civilian life in 40k outside of Necromunda. Malleus seems to take the list of planet archetypes from the rulebook and take a snapshot of life on each, all lovingly (and quickly) described. The gargantuan cathedrals (Abnett loves a microclimate...), the world experiencing a torchlit festival under a month long eclipse, the songbirds - it's all so vivid and 40k. The novel achieves the same thing with characters, especially the villains. If I'd been reading this in 2001 I'd have given this book 5 stars on that basis alone.
Still, this is probably one of the weaker Dan Abnett novels I've read. The pace is breakneck but very uneven. In the latter half, the novel veers off into a side-quest that would have been a great short story but here steals momentum from the main plot, and makes the resolution feel very abrupt. The tone jarringly changes from world to world, so that it sometimes feels like a collection of short stories. Eisenhorn's team gets short shrift, and don't feel like they've grown and changed in the decades since the last novel.
This was ultimately a hard book to rate. It has some of the most memorable set-piece action sequences and descriptions in all of pulp fiction, and two of the best swordfights (that's an important thing to track). The pace is all over the place, too uneven to carry the plot and too fast for the important character moments. It's pure pulp and I started reading the next one straight away.
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