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Night Lords #2
Blood Reaver
Driven on by their hatred of the False Emperor, the Night Lords stalk the shadows of the galaxy, eternally seeking revenge for the death of their primarch. Their dark quest leads them to a fractious alliance with the Red Corsairs, united only by a common enemy. Together with this piratical band of renegades, they bring their ways of destruction to the fortress-monastery of the Marines Errant.
Read by Andrew Wincott
Read by Andrew Wincott
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2011
153 people are currently reading
1309 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
April 1, 2020
I enjoyed this continuation of the storyline of the Night Lords. It was a slightly slower build up than book 1 was, but the last third was a great sequence of action and battle and resolution that made it hard to put down. I continue to be drawn to the dark perspective these books take, almost like the glimpse behind the madness of a demon. Only, we find that there are good characters even in dark places. The tech, the battles and the might of the space marines keep me drawn in to reading more of these and for sure picking up book 3 immediately. This is dark Sci-fi at its best.
December 14, 2019
Damn, these books are fun!
Blood Reaver was not as urgent or as fast paced as book one and it took a little more time to get things going but I appreciated the development of each of the characters and the time spent fleshing out the world and peripherals, meaning the secondary characters, the settings, and the histories. But man oh man once things did get going, it was non-stop. The last forty percent was more along the lines of how the entirety of book one was paced and the action was just as violent and bloody and imaginative. Dembski-Bowden continues to impress me with his writing and his ability to inject heart and humanity into characters who are almost devoid of both of those things, and I have to keep reminding myself that these are the bad guys because of how sympathetic and real he makes them. So if you're into big screen action adventure style stories written by someone who obviously cares about what he is doing and who takes the time to make his characters real enough for you to actually feel for them, check these books out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Blood Reaver was not as urgent or as fast paced as book one and it took a little more time to get things going but I appreciated the development of each of the characters and the time spent fleshing out the world and peripherals, meaning the secondary characters, the settings, and the histories. But man oh man once things did get going, it was non-stop. The last forty percent was more along the lines of how the entirety of book one was paced and the action was just as violent and bloody and imaginative. Dembski-Bowden continues to impress me with his writing and his ability to inject heart and humanity into characters who are almost devoid of both of those things, and I have to keep reminding myself that these are the bad guys because of how sympathetic and real he makes them. So if you're into big screen action adventure style stories written by someone who obviously cares about what he is doing and who takes the time to make his characters real enough for you to actually feel for them, check these books out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
April 13, 2022
Almost feels like an answer to a criticism (one not shared by me) that the Night Lords characters in the first book "weren't evil/brutal enough." There's a lot more stealing, murdering, skin-flaying, etc. in this entry, but honestly, the arc of the series is developing fantastically, and none of those things are there purely for shock value. They tell us - in an admittedly graphic way - more about these characters and the universe they inhabit.
I recently read an interview with Aaron Dembski-Bowden, and I just love the way that he thinks about and approaches this setting. I'm well and truly a fan.
I recently read an interview with Aaron Dembski-Bowden, and I just love the way that he thinks about and approaches this setting. I'm well and truly a fan.
March 14, 2025
Realistic score 3.75 ⭐️s out of 5, rounded up to 4.
At first this book felt like “Night Lords Book 1.5”, the reason I’m knocking a star off is because it took half the book to really set the plot up but once it did, it ramped up exponentially. I could see this being the weakest of the trilogy but I have not read three yet obviously so we shall see then but where we left off at things are not good for our favorite psychopathic murders. I will say the characters do develop and the banter is still great to see. Nothing made me laugh more than one of our characters being punished and having to now paint his gauntlets red forever for being a sinner doomed to die one day for his crimes, just to stop his monologue at the situation and go “wait where am I going to get red paint”. All in all good time, look forward to finishing their story after I get through a few more books first
At first this book felt like “Night Lords Book 1.5”, the reason I’m knocking a star off is because it took half the book to really set the plot up but once it did, it ramped up exponentially. I could see this being the weakest of the trilogy but I have not read three yet obviously so we shall see then but where we left off at things are not good for our favorite psychopathic murders. I will say the characters do develop and the banter is still great to see. Nothing made me laugh more than one of our characters being punished and having to now paint his gauntlets red forever for being a sinner doomed to die one day for his crimes, just to stop his monologue at the situation and go “wait where am I going to get red paint”. All in all good time, look forward to finishing their story after I get through a few more books first
February 14, 2025
It’s obvious that you can’t just read book one or stop at book two. The story unfolds (very) gradually across all three. Not a complaint, because I thoroughly enjoy every word ADB puts to paper.
As such, there are so many “fuck yeah” moments for me in this book. Hard to pick my favorite moments, but here’s just a few fun motifs I picked out:
—
Futility Made Flesh
“Humanity was at its ugliest when desperate to survive. The indignities people did to themselves. The begging. The tears. The frantic gunfire that could never pierce ceramite.”
I think this scene really highlights the futility of human desperation in the presence of the Night Lords, whether it takes the form of begging or resistance. A person pleading for mercy and one frantically firing at an Astartes may seem like opposites (submission v defiance) but both are equally undignified because neither has any hope of changing the outcome. The tears and the gunfire, while different expressions of fear-racked and impotent humans, are nothing but empty gestures in the face of the VIII Legion. Talos shares these thoughts early into the book, but I’m left to assume he has them again in the final few chapters as well (spoiler: they kill a LOT of people).
—
Melancholy Made Smooshed
“Beneath the crucified captive, a helm rested in repose. The warrior dismissed another unwelcome tide of reflection at the sight of a helm so like his own but for the colours of allegiance and the bonds of a blood-line. With no real venom, he crushed it beneath his boot.
How keen and insipid, the tendrils of melancholy lately.”
Talos sees a helm nearly identical to his own, which differs only in colors and bloodlines. There’s no malice in his heart as he crushes it. It’s more of a weary rejection of sentiments. Following Soul Hunter (book one), we really see how broken the VIII Legion is; how heavily this weighs on Talos. Destroying a perfectly functional helmet, despite the Night Lords’ reliance on salvaging and even as his own helmet is damaged in this scene, underscores his resolve to reject these lingering sentiments. He’s just so edgy… I love it.
As such, there are so many “fuck yeah” moments for me in this book. Hard to pick my favorite moments, but here’s just a few fun motifs I picked out:
—
Futility Made Flesh
“Humanity was at its ugliest when desperate to survive. The indignities people did to themselves. The begging. The tears. The frantic gunfire that could never pierce ceramite.”
I think this scene really highlights the futility of human desperation in the presence of the Night Lords, whether it takes the form of begging or resistance. A person pleading for mercy and one frantically firing at an Astartes may seem like opposites (submission v defiance) but both are equally undignified because neither has any hope of changing the outcome. The tears and the gunfire, while different expressions of fear-racked and impotent humans, are nothing but empty gestures in the face of the VIII Legion. Talos shares these thoughts early into the book, but I’m left to assume he has them again in the final few chapters as well (spoiler: they kill a LOT of people).
—
Melancholy Made Smooshed
“Beneath the crucified captive, a helm rested in repose. The warrior dismissed another unwelcome tide of reflection at the sight of a helm so like his own but for the colours of allegiance and the bonds of a blood-line. With no real venom, he crushed it beneath his boot.
How keen and insipid, the tendrils of melancholy lately.”
Talos sees a helm nearly identical to his own, which differs only in colors and bloodlines. There’s no malice in his heart as he crushes it. It’s more of a weary rejection of sentiments. Following Soul Hunter (book one), we really see how broken the VIII Legion is; how heavily this weighs on Talos. Destroying a perfectly functional helmet, despite the Night Lords’ reliance on salvaging and even as his own helmet is damaged in this scene, underscores his resolve to reject these lingering sentiments. He’s just so edgy… I love it.
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October 5, 2024
I think these "Night Lord" novels are dragged down by the absolute dearth of any sense of immediacy. They're well-written, and the characters are definitely better than the ones from the "Ultramarine" novels, but...what's the point? It's all just squabbling among the Night Lords and their *ahem* vassals. No real plot, no real direction.
February 22, 2025
Id give it 4.5 if i really could, its a fantastic continuation of the Talos story and with all the characters setup it makes it that much easier and quicker to get invested. Perfect pacing and a fun idea for a plot make it a great read.
March 5, 2017
ADB and First Claw does it again! Blood Reaver is an action packed thrill ride with betrayal and bloodshed lurking around every corner.
Blood Reaver starts picks up shortly after the end of Soul Hunter, and the Night Lords warband lead by The Exalted continue their crusade of raiding and running from fights in typical Night Lords fashion,with Talos and First Claw continue to grow and evolve(albeit in their stunted Super-Human ways).
I really enjoyed that the novel played with the idea of the difference in ideals between the Original Traitor Legions and their newer cousins that rebelled later, as well as how they viewed each other. I thought Huron Blackheart was done exceptionally well, as was most of the Red Corsairs we met along the way. The way it played with misinformation/lack of information as well was great, and I really dig the mention of Sevatar still being alive and fighting the good fight(though I think we will get a confirmed answer to that at some point in the HH/Scouring).
The novel definitely shows what the middle story of a trilogy should be, with loads of game changing events and adding in a new cast of characters that brought in new and exciting changes to the overall tone of the novel. It was brutally fun, and very well written. If you’re like me and somehow haven’t read this series yet, definitely move it to the top of your list!
Blood Reaver starts picks up shortly after the end of Soul Hunter, and the Night Lords warband lead by The Exalted continue their crusade of raiding and running from fights in typical Night Lords fashion,with Talos and First Claw continue to grow and evolve(albeit in their stunted Super-Human ways).
I really enjoyed that the novel played with the idea of the difference in ideals between the Original Traitor Legions and their newer cousins that rebelled later, as well as how they viewed each other. I thought Huron Blackheart was done exceptionally well, as was most of the Red Corsairs we met along the way. The way it played with misinformation/lack of information as well was great, and I really dig the mention of Sevatar still being alive and fighting the good fight(though I think we will get a confirmed answer to that at some point in the HH/Scouring).
The novel definitely shows what the middle story of a trilogy should be, with loads of game changing events and adding in a new cast of characters that brought in new and exciting changes to the overall tone of the novel. It was brutally fun, and very well written. If you’re like me and somehow haven’t read this series yet, definitely move it to the top of your list!
January 11, 2020
This book was absolutely sublime. The guile and poise that the Night Lords have in such an intricate novel is outstanding. Variel has to be the best character to be introduced in a warhammer 40K series - well - arguably at that. I am a huge fan of how the final act played out, and how plans never really go according to plan once its time for action.
The way Mr. Dembski-Bowden was able to finally provide Vandred a way to come back into the darkness was incredible. I loved the entire sequence with him on the Covenant of Blood. It was ~ humanizing and satisfying to say the least. Also Deltrian disembarking onto the Echo of Damnation was one of the funnier scenes I have scene - including Ruven making sure he was alive and telling Talos that he was alive in all his disbelief.
The way Mr. Dembski-Bowden was able to finally provide Vandred a way to come back into the darkness was incredible. I loved the entire sequence with him on the Covenant of Blood. It was ~ humanizing and satisfying to say the least. Also Deltrian disembarking onto the Echo of Damnation was one of the funnier scenes I have scene - including Ruven making sure he was alive and telling Talos that he was alive in all his disbelief.
October 22, 2024
Another near perfect offering from ADB, only marred by the cisheteronormative reductiveness of misogyny, sexual assault, disparaging sex work, and bioessentialist tropes where women are concerned.
Talos, First Claw, and the Covenant of Blood are in a bad way from their calamitous expedition with the Despoiler and the fractious relationship between Octavia and the Covenant causing further damage, so they go see a man about a dog. Not just any man, but the eponymous Blood Reaver, the Tyrant of Bedab himself, Lugft Huron, the Blackheart. Many hijinks are had with the Red Corsairs, Night Lords, and Marines Errant. Also, the human gang get into all manner of wild shenanigans.
I could read about the adventures of the First, Seven, Eights forever and absolutely adore how different ADB approaches...everything in the Dark Millennia, creating what is essentially a GrimDark soap opera that absolutely fuggin' works!
There's just something about the way ADB writes that threads the various characters and time periods together to feel so natural a seamless and with the 40k story, Horus Heresy flashbacks, and bringing in relatively newer players (at least at time of writing) it's never more on display.
Talos, First Claw, and the Covenant of Blood are in a bad way from their calamitous expedition with the Despoiler and the fractious relationship between Octavia and the Covenant causing further damage, so they go see a man about a dog. Not just any man, but the eponymous Blood Reaver, the Tyrant of Bedab himself, Lugft Huron, the Blackheart. Many hijinks are had with the Red Corsairs, Night Lords, and Marines Errant. Also, the human gang get into all manner of wild shenanigans.
I could read about the adventures of the First, Seven, Eights forever and absolutely adore how different ADB approaches...everything in the Dark Millennia, creating what is essentially a GrimDark soap opera that absolutely fuggin' works!
There's just something about the way ADB writes that threads the various characters and time periods together to feel so natural a seamless and with the 40k story, Horus Heresy flashbacks, and bringing in relatively newer players (at least at time of writing) it's never more on display.
September 21, 2024
Challenge: Two heretic warbands work together without betraying each other
Difficulty: Impossible
Difficulty: Impossible
November 15, 2017
This is my second time reading this book, and I have to say, before I couldn't really remember anything about it, so I am glad I decided to reread this series again.
Blood Reaver is a fairly enjoyable book. It shows the Night Lords' interactions as a traitor legion with the traitor chapter, the Red Corsairs. This is something you don't see very often, and it was pleasant to read. Though a fan of Huron, I found the ego that the Night Lords had to be completely within character and it made the story very enjoyable.
As with most of his stories, Dembski-Bowden did a fantastic job bringing the 40K universe to life and captured so many elements of it without his usual over the top flair. (as seen in his later works) This helps to ground the story in 'reality' rather than making everything feel over extreme.
However, the story itself doesn't seem overly exciting. Sure, there are exciting moments and plenty of action within the story, but they seem lower key than readers would be used to in other novels.
Yet, in the end, this is a great book, and a good one in the trilogy. Worth reading if you are into the Night Lords or Chaos renegades in general.
Blood Reaver is a fairly enjoyable book. It shows the Night Lords' interactions as a traitor legion with the traitor chapter, the Red Corsairs. This is something you don't see very often, and it was pleasant to read. Though a fan of Huron, I found the ego that the Night Lords had to be completely within character and it made the story very enjoyable.
As with most of his stories, Dembski-Bowden did a fantastic job bringing the 40K universe to life and captured so many elements of it without his usual over the top flair. (as seen in his later works) This helps to ground the story in 'reality' rather than making everything feel over extreme.
However, the story itself doesn't seem overly exciting. Sure, there are exciting moments and plenty of action within the story, but they seem lower key than readers would be used to in other novels.
Yet, in the end, this is a great book, and a good one in the trilogy. Worth reading if you are into the Night Lords or Chaos renegades in general.
January 15, 2022
Somewhat slow in the beginning/middle but more than makes up for it in the last 100 pages or so. When I reached that part of the book I couldn't put it down.
Throughout the book we continue to empathize with the main characters, the Night Lords, which is still very interesting to me: the characters are clearly the bad guys in the universe, we see them do all kinds of evil stuff and see them slaughtering innocent humans left and right. Despite all this, we do not necessarily see them as the bad guys, but the spell gets broken at one point near the end of the book where we have the POV of a normal human who becomes the victim of a Night Lord. Immediately after this we see the same scene played out from the POV of the main character, Talos. When reading it from the POV of the human you think: what kind of evil butcher is doing this? A torturous and bloody death for no reason? And then you realize it is the main character of the book who is doing these acts and you wonder: we, the readers, have been rooting for the bad guys all along. We just no longer saw them as the bad guys. And in this scene, this realization comes to the surface, and makes you question: why are we doing this? What are we reading?
Throughout the book we continue to empathize with the main characters, the Night Lords, which is still very interesting to me: the characters are clearly the bad guys in the universe, we see them do all kinds of evil stuff and see them slaughtering innocent humans left and right. Despite all this, we do not necessarily see them as the bad guys, but the spell gets broken at one point near the end of the book where we have the POV of a normal human who becomes the victim of a Night Lord. Immediately after this we see the same scene played out from the POV of the main character, Talos. When reading it from the POV of the human you think: what kind of evil butcher is doing this? A torturous and bloody death for no reason? And then you realize it is the main character of the book who is doing these acts and you wonder: we, the readers, have been rooting for the bad guys all along. We just no longer saw them as the bad guys. And in this scene, this realization comes to the surface, and makes you question: why are we doing this? What are we reading?
May 20, 2020
This was actually decent improvement over the first book and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Not sure I will read the third book though - looks like there is going to be a focus on the Eldar, which isn't really my thing. I love the 40k universe when it is focussed on the eternal conflict between the Imperium and Chaos - it is dumb and over-the-top and absurd and very, very enjoyable and I would say it is what I identify most as 40k's USP (with the caveat that its 80s roots were very derivative of other IPs, but by this point it has developed such a weight of back-story and melange of influences that it is readily identifiable as its own thing). With the possible exception of the Tyranids (and only really because of how much I enjoyed Ian Watson's classic Space Marine), the Eldar and the Orcs and the Tau and the Necrons etc, all stick out a bit as not quite fitting with my personal conception of the 40k universe. The Imperium and the Long War etc seems like such rich setting in and of itself that the rest of it seems a bit tacked on and dopey. Maybe just me though!
September 12, 2025
The 8th Legion are licking their many wounds from the battle of Crythe when they are forced to recognize how dire their situation is, forcing resupply and reparations for their warship. As with anything in this grim future, it is bought with blood.
I wasn't as impressed or involved as the first one. The skinless humans, the blood spraying and the general gore became redundant after two books. Probably after two books of seeing life, and death, through the eyes of a race of super humans considering themselves hunters and predators I became quite desensitized.
Even though it is hard to associate with the predator mindset, it was easier to like Talos in this book and see his unwavering loyalty in effect. I like that the author gave him more room to become someone divergent of, but remaining within, the legion.
I wasn't as impressed or involved as the first one. The skinless humans, the blood spraying and the general gore became redundant after two books. Probably after two books of seeing life, and death, through the eyes of a race of super humans considering themselves hunters and predators I became quite desensitized.
Even though it is hard to associate with the predator mindset, it was easier to like Talos in this book and see his unwavering loyalty in effect. I like that the author gave him more room to become someone divergent of, but remaining within, the legion.
February 6, 2018
Great continuing of the adventures of a band of friendly 8 legion nightlords and their slaves. With the power of friendship they aquire a new ship and get away from the mean old Exalted(mean guy) to have the third book written about them.
December 30, 2025
Most plot armor but in the best way. Night Lords warband on the way ‘soon’.
October 21, 2022
A well written and descriptive book, not for the feint hearted.
November 4, 2024
We will not forget Hound’s sacrifice. Not this day, and not any day. He was truly the best of us.
Octavia and Septimus kissed 😱😱🤯
Octavia and Septimus kissed 😱😱🤯
February 20, 2025
Maldita sea es cine 🚬
Talos es mi ídolo no hay mucho más que decir. Este libro profundiza muchísimo más los eventos que ocurren en el primero, estoy completamente fascinado.
Los personajes nuevos son interesantes y me resultan agradables. Y Octavia + Septimus son mis papás definitivamente. Es posiblemente la única legión hereje a la que le tengo respeto y me agrada.
10/10 volvería a leer. Al final del libro, la habilidad del profeta da un foreshadowing de lo que pasará en el siguiente y último libro... Creo que definitivamente se vienen lágrimas.
Talos es mi ídolo no hay mucho más que decir. Este libro profundiza muchísimo más los eventos que ocurren en el primero, estoy completamente fascinado.
Los personajes nuevos son interesantes y me resultan agradables. Y Octavia + Septimus son mis papás definitivamente. Es posiblemente la única legión hereje a la que le tengo respeto y me agrada.
10/10 volvería a leer. Al final del libro, la habilidad del profeta da un foreshadowing de lo que pasará en el siguiente y último libro... Creo que definitivamente se vienen lágrimas.
June 27, 2012
Aaron Dembski-Bowden excells at his craft in my opinion. Sure, you might say his is not real because it is licensed fiction, but to that I reply, Go F Yourself! Reading his works strips away the shackles people place on him because it is a set universe and frees you up to see he is a really good "writer". Why do I say that? Well, last evening when I was finishing this book I kept thinking this guy really knows how to write the details. It is an older style of writing I think some modern authors are getting less and less good at or considering less and less important. Every read anything by Conrad or authors from the 19th century? They wrote details because there was no known universe that had imagery for everything, they had to describe everything. Some might call that tedious, I call it craftsmanship, and Mr. Dembski-Bowden has it.
The characters of this series, the Night Lords and its First Claw are a fascinating cadre of villains. I am amazed how drawn in I am by these marines and their desire to be bad guys. Don't ever think they are lovable bad guys like Firefly, they are kill you because you are there, where your skull on my belt to scare your baby kind of bad guys. Every time they show some betrayal of humanity to the reader it is quickly quashed with a blatant atrocity. Frankly, I cannot believe I am two books through this and love them. They are all Heretics and traitors, and I want them to live. They share brotherhood, mingled with self-loathing and hatred, but they do it.
The human characters, basically menials who happen to work in Hell, are also intriguing to me because they are in a hopeless situation, and they keep just trying to survive it.
For my money, the BL stable has Abnett, the master of characterization, and McNeill, a wonderful Marine writer, and Dembski-Bowden the guy who makes you not only route for, but absolutely LOVE the bad guys.
This series is a treat. I highly recommend it.
The characters of this series, the Night Lords and its First Claw are a fascinating cadre of villains. I am amazed how drawn in I am by these marines and their desire to be bad guys. Don't ever think they are lovable bad guys like Firefly, they are kill you because you are there, where your skull on my belt to scare your baby kind of bad guys. Every time they show some betrayal of humanity to the reader it is quickly quashed with a blatant atrocity. Frankly, I cannot believe I am two books through this and love them. They are all Heretics and traitors, and I want them to live. They share brotherhood, mingled with self-loathing and hatred, but they do it.
The human characters, basically menials who happen to work in Hell, are also intriguing to me because they are in a hopeless situation, and they keep just trying to survive it.
For my money, the BL stable has Abnett, the master of characterization, and McNeill, a wonderful Marine writer, and Dembski-Bowden the guy who makes you not only route for, but absolutely LOVE the bad guys.
This series is a treat. I highly recommend it.
January 17, 2025
Vandred will be remembered
April 21, 2023
Blood Reaver sees Talos and First Claw back in action, raiding space stations, sabotaging an Imperial space marine fortress and even betraying fellow traitors to the Imperium of Man.
Serving as a continuation of Soul Hunter and as the second book in the Night Lords Trilogy, Blood Reaver once again follows Talos and the Night Lords as they limp away from their fight with the Blood Angels, a rival chapter of space marines fighting for the Imperium, at the end of the first book. Their ship, the Covenant of Blood is badly damaged and is in need of many repairs. But repairs cannot be enacted without supplies. So, the Night Lords gather those supplies the only way they know how: they steal them. After successfully taking control of a space station and loading all of its resources and workers onto their ship, the Night Lords set course for a starfort controlled by the Red Corsairs, a warband of traitor space marines, and their leader, Huron Blackheart. It is at this starfort that Talos and the Exalted strike a deal with Huron Blackheart. In exchange for repairs to their ship, the Night Lords will assist the Red Corsairs in the assault of an Imperial space marine fortress. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, for the Night Lords, the hard part comes later. Upon arriving at the starfort, it was discovered that the sister ship to the Covenant of Blood, the Echo of Damnation, was actually in the possession of the Red Corsairs and this is an affront to their honor that cannot stand. So, while the Red Corsairs are busy assaulting the fortress, the Night Lords do what they do best: sneak into the night and steal their ship back.
This book was a fun one to review because it’s my first review on a sequel, so I can move forward assuming you’ve all read the first book.
There’s a few things in Blood Reaver that differ from Soul Hunter. The first one that comes to mind is that Blood Reaver feels like it has upped the violence a good bit. I won’t delve into this too deeply, but I will say that it’s definitely “on brand” for the Night Lords and boy, are they capable of some awful, awful things.
We also see a lot more of Septimus and Octavia here and their developing relationship. Throughout the book, Octavia is struggling with guiding the ship through the warp, constantly working herself to the point of exhaustion just to get the ship somewhere close to their desired destination. There’s a theme of the ship “fighting” her as she tries to steer it through the tides of the warp and these parts of the book were really fascinating to me. Septimus on the other hand really struggles to connect with Octavia this time around. It seems like he spends most of the book in the “dog house,” but to be fair, it's got to be hard to learn socialization skills when indentured into the service of super soldiers.
Now, onto Talos. There’s a parallel here between Talos and Octavia that I really like. As I said above, Octavia is fighting with the Covenant of Blood, trying her best to coax it into following her directions. She’s on this journey to becoming a better navigator whether she likes it or not. On Talos’ end of things, I think we see him thrust into a leadership role for the entire warband more and more in Blood Reaver. He doesn’t necessarily want it but you better believe he’s going to get the job done and he’s going to do it his way. So, we have both of these characters sort of embracing (perhaps unwillingly) their new roles and becoming more experienced with them. Additionally,this book sees Talos beaten to hell a number of times. Half of his face becomes a ruined mess and he even loses an arm. To top it off, Variel, an apothecary and newest member of First Claw, discovers a jarring problem with Talos’ geneseed, one of the many additional organs that a space marine has within them. To be honest, the entire squad has it pretty rough this time. It seems like they’re on the back foot for most of the story and that’s an angle that I don’t see taken very often. But fret not, by the end of the book, the Night Lords will still be around, albeit battered and bloodied.
So, final verdict. If you liked Soul Hunter, read Blood Reaver. If you didn’t, read Blood Reaver anyways.
I could keep talking and talking about the Night Lords, but I won’t subject any of you to that. This is my 3rd book review to date, so if you enjoy listening to me ramble about books in an unorganized fashion, feel free to check out my other reviews and stay tuned for more.
Serving as a continuation of Soul Hunter and as the second book in the Night Lords Trilogy, Blood Reaver once again follows Talos and the Night Lords as they limp away from their fight with the Blood Angels, a rival chapter of space marines fighting for the Imperium, at the end of the first book. Their ship, the Covenant of Blood is badly damaged and is in need of many repairs. But repairs cannot be enacted without supplies. So, the Night Lords gather those supplies the only way they know how: they steal them. After successfully taking control of a space station and loading all of its resources and workers onto their ship, the Night Lords set course for a starfort controlled by the Red Corsairs, a warband of traitor space marines, and their leader, Huron Blackheart. It is at this starfort that Talos and the Exalted strike a deal with Huron Blackheart. In exchange for repairs to their ship, the Night Lords will assist the Red Corsairs in the assault of an Imperial space marine fortress. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, for the Night Lords, the hard part comes later. Upon arriving at the starfort, it was discovered that the sister ship to the Covenant of Blood, the Echo of Damnation, was actually in the possession of the Red Corsairs and this is an affront to their honor that cannot stand. So, while the Red Corsairs are busy assaulting the fortress, the Night Lords do what they do best: sneak into the night and steal their ship back.
This book was a fun one to review because it’s my first review on a sequel, so I can move forward assuming you’ve all read the first book.
There’s a few things in Blood Reaver that differ from Soul Hunter. The first one that comes to mind is that Blood Reaver feels like it has upped the violence a good bit. I won’t delve into this too deeply, but I will say that it’s definitely “on brand” for the Night Lords and boy, are they capable of some awful, awful things.
We also see a lot more of Septimus and Octavia here and their developing relationship. Throughout the book, Octavia is struggling with guiding the ship through the warp, constantly working herself to the point of exhaustion just to get the ship somewhere close to their desired destination. There’s a theme of the ship “fighting” her as she tries to steer it through the tides of the warp and these parts of the book were really fascinating to me. Septimus on the other hand really struggles to connect with Octavia this time around. It seems like he spends most of the book in the “dog house,” but to be fair, it's got to be hard to learn socialization skills when indentured into the service of super soldiers.
Now, onto Talos. There’s a parallel here between Talos and Octavia that I really like. As I said above, Octavia is fighting with the Covenant of Blood, trying her best to coax it into following her directions. She’s on this journey to becoming a better navigator whether she likes it or not. On Talos’ end of things, I think we see him thrust into a leadership role for the entire warband more and more in Blood Reaver. He doesn’t necessarily want it but you better believe he’s going to get the job done and he’s going to do it his way. So, we have both of these characters sort of embracing (perhaps unwillingly) their new roles and becoming more experienced with them. Additionally,this book sees Talos beaten to hell a number of times. Half of his face becomes a ruined mess and he even loses an arm. To top it off, Variel, an apothecary and newest member of First Claw, discovers a jarring problem with Talos’ geneseed, one of the many additional organs that a space marine has within them. To be honest, the entire squad has it pretty rough this time. It seems like they’re on the back foot for most of the story and that’s an angle that I don’t see taken very often. But fret not, by the end of the book, the Night Lords will still be around, albeit battered and bloodied.
So, final verdict. If you liked Soul Hunter, read Blood Reaver. If you didn’t, read Blood Reaver anyways.
I could keep talking and talking about the Night Lords, but I won’t subject any of you to that. This is my 3rd book review to date, so if you enjoy listening to me ramble about books in an unorganized fashion, feel free to check out my other reviews and stay tuned for more.
July 24, 2020
The combination of military fantasy and cosmic horror is one of the many mash-ups in this universe that continue to attract me to it. What made this one a stand out for me was how the the characters subtly developed into fully formed people in my head with many little nuances and traits. When this happens with any series, regardless of genre, I'm pretty convinced it's doing its job.
April 11, 2022
I blazed through this fucking book like a hot knife through a brick of butter. Like a bullet through brain matter. Like a nuclear missile through an orphanage. It's violent, horrible, and it will make hair grow on your chest.
April 29, 2023
I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. The characters are brutal, dark and yet I still find myself liking most of them.
The ending of the book was not what I anticipated, but I thoroughly enjoyed it all and jumped straight into the third book.
The ending of the book was not what I anticipated, but I thoroughly enjoyed it all and jumped straight into the third book.
April 3, 2019
Yet another fantastic 40k book from ADB. #2 in the series. If you like 40k, read it. If not, why are you reading this?
February 10, 2021
Don't eat those
I wasn't going to
Good
I wasn't going to
Good
July 27, 2024
so much text for absolutely nothing happening
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