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Space Marine Conquests #3
War of Secrets
In the shadow of the Great Rift, Primaris Marines fight alongside the Dark Angels against the t'au, but as whole worlds burn, a terrible psychic curse is unleashed.
Lieutenant Xedro Farren is a Primaris Marine, stronger and more adept than even the Space Marines his brotherhood has been sent to fight alongside. As he and his Primaris brethren support the Dark Angels in fighting a trauma-scarred force of t’au seemingly hellbent on destroying their own allies, their true quarry soon becomes the shadowy instigator of a psychic curse that could plunge a string of Imperial planets into madness. As worlds burn in the fires of battle, an unthinkable pact is struck, and Lieutenant Farren begins to peel back layer after layer of deceit to discover an appalling truth. Can he hope to emerge from this web of lies without losing his honour – or come to that, his life?
Lieutenant Xedro Farren is a Primaris Marine, stronger and more adept than even the Space Marines his brotherhood has been sent to fight alongside. As he and his Primaris brethren support the Dark Angels in fighting a trauma-scarred force of t’au seemingly hellbent on destroying their own allies, their true quarry soon becomes the shadowy instigator of a psychic curse that could plunge a string of Imperial planets into madness. As worlds burn in the fires of battle, an unthinkable pact is struck, and Lieutenant Farren begins to peel back layer after layer of deceit to discover an appalling truth. Can he hope to emerge from this web of lies without losing his honour – or come to that, his life?
416 pages, Paperback
Published June 26, 2018
64 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Phil Kelly
86 books57 followersPhil Kelly (born 1977) is the Creative Lead for 'Warhammer: Age of Sigmar' in the Games Workshop design studio.
He has written over 60 gaming books in the last twenty years.
He has also written several Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Horror books and audio dramas for Black Library.
Librarian Note: there is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He has written over 60 gaming books in the last twenty years.
He has also written several Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Horror books and audio dramas for Black Library.
Librarian Note: there is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 21, 2018
This is a very weird book for me to review.
The low star rating would suggest that it is very badly written. In many ways that would not be a fair assessment. Phil Kelly knows of what he writes and he advances the story well for both the Dark Angels and the apparent enemy the T'au. He handles the action well, people act in a way consistent with the faction they represent and his style of writing is easy on the eye.are
I have seen reviews of this book on Amazon where people complain that it makes the Dark Angels appear incredibly nasty pieces of work. That is a fair judgement, in this book "The First" are portrayed as machiavellian, callous, brutally cynical and having no faith in anyone but their own brothers. The blinding exception to this Chapter loyalty are the newly added Primaris Marines, in whom the First has no faith at all. Happily treating them as one character states as "a bullet shield" to be used and reset for next time. Ironically, I do not see this as a criticism. That is precisely what one should expect from the Dark Angels, who have always taken pragmatism above and beyond the usually accepted levels. That is good chatacter buiding for me. I have doubts about their treatment of one of the Chapters of the Unforgven here but we shall see how that is to play out.
Then why the poor rating? There are several reasons. Firstly, it is the tone of the book. It reads as if Kelly was told to write about to sell Primaris Marines to Dark Angel fans, who would understand that they were never going to be welcome additions; To this end we get something approaching "Bolshevik Marketing"; namely the Powers that be telling us what we like and must accept.
The non Primaris Dark Angels are bigoted, callous, unlikable characters or are only there to die, instead of the Primaris. I was quite shocked to realise that I had got to within 45 pages of the end of the book and no Primaris character had died, despite being in constant action. It robbed the book of much drama. You cannot feel any concern for characters with plot armour that ridiculous.
This leads onto another flaw in the book. Occasionally characters say the sort of nonsense that nobody would ever say. Early in the book the Primaris are fighing the T'au, and in the brief conversation one character tells his squad mates about ,as if reading a wiki description. "T'au advanced xenos race, heavily engaged with elements of Raven Guard Chapter and others in the Damocles sector" Seriously? At other points Dark Angel characters who are bitterly hostile to the very existence of the Primaris and are happily using them as a meat shield, pause to give tribute to how remarkable they and their armour patterns are.
The handling of the Primaris is also slightly odd. They point blank refuse to consider themselves part of their parent chapter. Any discussion about the Dark Angels is always "Them and us" they adorate Belisarius Cawl and happily tell the Dark Anegels they will replace and destroy them all. Then, they wonder why the ultra secretive and very much "Us against the galaxy" Dark Angels don't seem to like or trust them much.
Kelly also seems to mistake loose banter for character development and no Primaris has any sort of character that could not be described in a single sentence clause " The heroic lieutenant" the Moaning one, the joking one etc. Like with Dark Imperium they remain bland colourless creations who elude the best attempts to make them interesting. I criticised the latter book for not making it obvious which Chapter they were supposed to be drawn from. Here you know which chapter but there is no ground for believing it kelly turns a strange piece of Primaris fluff into a misrepresented and badly overused deus ex Machina that get sillier the more he uses it.
I sense this is the first book in a series as there is a tremendous amount of plot threads that are left hanging.
All in all a tremendous disappointment when a Space Marine novel is more interesting in it's treatment of the non Space Marine elements
The low star rating would suggest that it is very badly written. In many ways that would not be a fair assessment. Phil Kelly knows of what he writes and he advances the story well for both the Dark Angels and the apparent enemy the T'au. He handles the action well, people act in a way consistent with the faction they represent and his style of writing is easy on the eye.are
I have seen reviews of this book on Amazon where people complain that it makes the Dark Angels appear incredibly nasty pieces of work. That is a fair judgement, in this book "The First" are portrayed as machiavellian, callous, brutally cynical and having no faith in anyone but their own brothers. The blinding exception to this Chapter loyalty are the newly added Primaris Marines, in whom the First has no faith at all. Happily treating them as one character states as "a bullet shield" to be used and reset for next time. Ironically, I do not see this as a criticism. That is precisely what one should expect from the Dark Angels, who have always taken pragmatism above and beyond the usually accepted levels. That is good chatacter buiding for me. I have doubts about their treatment of one of the Chapters of the Unforgven here but we shall see how that is to play out.
Then why the poor rating? There are several reasons. Firstly, it is the tone of the book. It reads as if Kelly was told to write about to sell Primaris Marines to Dark Angel fans, who would understand that they were never going to be welcome additions; To this end we get something approaching "Bolshevik Marketing"; namely the Powers that be telling us what we like and must accept.
The non Primaris Dark Angels are bigoted, callous, unlikable characters or are only there to die, instead of the Primaris. I was quite shocked to realise that I had got to within 45 pages of the end of the book and no Primaris character had died, despite being in constant action. It robbed the book of much drama. You cannot feel any concern for characters with plot armour that ridiculous.
This leads onto another flaw in the book. Occasionally characters say the sort of nonsense that nobody would ever say. Early in the book the Primaris are fighing the T'au, and in the brief conversation one character tells his squad mates about ,as if reading a wiki description. "T'au advanced xenos race, heavily engaged with elements of Raven Guard Chapter and others in the Damocles sector" Seriously? At other points Dark Angel characters who are bitterly hostile to the very existence of the Primaris and are happily using them as a meat shield, pause to give tribute to how remarkable they and their armour patterns are.
The handling of the Primaris is also slightly odd. They point blank refuse to consider themselves part of their parent chapter. Any discussion about the Dark Angels is always "Them and us" they adorate Belisarius Cawl and happily tell the Dark Anegels they will replace and destroy them all. Then, they wonder why the ultra secretive and very much "Us against the galaxy" Dark Angels don't seem to like or trust them much.
Kelly also seems to mistake loose banter for character development and no Primaris has any sort of character that could not be described in a single sentence clause " The heroic lieutenant" the Moaning one, the joking one etc. Like with Dark Imperium they remain bland colourless creations who elude the best attempts to make them interesting. I criticised the latter book for not making it obvious which Chapter they were supposed to be drawn from. Here you know which chapter but there is no ground for believing it kelly turns a strange piece of Primaris fluff into a misrepresented and badly overused deus ex Machina that get sillier the more he uses it.
I sense this is the first book in a series as there is a tremendous amount of plot threads that are left hanging.
All in all a tremendous disappointment when a Space Marine novel is more interesting in it's treatment of the non Space Marine elements
March 17, 2024
Well, that was hard to stomach. My favourite successor chapter gets stumped upon by it's bigger siblings who are so commically evil...the ending was a little bit prompt. But the rest was quite decent.
April 27, 2024
Obsolescent Lore
War of Secrets has not aged gracefully. It was published five years before the return of the Lion and Cypher’s self-titled adventure on Terra, and those events will shape the narrative for decades to come. One can see that the author had no idea where Dark Angels lore would go, both in the Dark Imperium era and post-Heresy. With the benefit of hindsight, the Dark Angels take horrifying, villainous actions to protect benign secrets. It’s unfortunate when new revelations cause this novel to be a silly, unnecessary over-reaction.
Even on its own merits, War of Secrets is a mess. Ostensibly a story about Primaris Marines trying to find their place amongst the First, the main character never forms friendships, trains alongside the veterans, or even recalls that the First is no longer a Legion. Lacking tact or diplomacy, Farren and his Primaris brothers instead play parts in a different story where they gradually recognize that the Chapter’s actions are at odds with the goals of the Imperium. This lack of thematic cohesion cheapens the main narrative. Farren simultaneously attempts to earn his place amongst the Dark Angels while trying to “do the right thing.” The book’s conclusion is equally incomprehensible, giving a tidy ending when none was deserved.
Meanwhile, this Space Marine Conquests novel will spend the other half of its page count detailing the plight of the Tau’s Fourth Sphere of Expansion. Rather than linking the xenos to various human factions that have chosen the Greater Good, readers must suffer through alien viewpoints separate from the main story. Worse, the author expects readers to be intimately familiar with the xenos, and I don’t feel that’s fair given that this is a Space Marines novel. Tau units, weapons and philosophy are barely explained. One character performs on par with Adeptus Custodes. Is any of this important, accurate or exceptional? I don’t know, and the author never bothered to explain it.
There are some bright spots: Farren’s character arc is darkly amusing, and watching existing atrophied organs of the Imperium deal with the dynamism of Guilliman’s crusade was a nice touch. Yet War of Secrets failed to deliver on the brief. Rather than a multi-layered set of intrigues that misdirects and misleads the reader, the conspiracy’s execution is shallow, and its intentions are pointless. It’s best seen as a first attempt at foreshadowing the tension between Guilliman and the Lion, but is entirely superceded by Arks of Omen.
Not Recommended.
War of Secrets has not aged gracefully. It was published five years before the return of the Lion and Cypher’s self-titled adventure on Terra, and those events will shape the narrative for decades to come. One can see that the author had no idea where Dark Angels lore would go, both in the Dark Imperium era and post-Heresy. With the benefit of hindsight, the Dark Angels take horrifying, villainous actions to protect benign secrets. It’s unfortunate when new revelations cause this novel to be a silly, unnecessary over-reaction.
Even on its own merits, War of Secrets is a mess. Ostensibly a story about Primaris Marines trying to find their place amongst the First, the main character never forms friendships, trains alongside the veterans, or even recalls that the First is no longer a Legion. Lacking tact or diplomacy, Farren and his Primaris brothers instead play parts in a different story where they gradually recognize that the Chapter’s actions are at odds with the goals of the Imperium. This lack of thematic cohesion cheapens the main narrative. Farren simultaneously attempts to earn his place amongst the Dark Angels while trying to “do the right thing.” The book’s conclusion is equally incomprehensible, giving a tidy ending when none was deserved.
Meanwhile, this Space Marine Conquests novel will spend the other half of its page count detailing the plight of the Tau’s Fourth Sphere of Expansion. Rather than linking the xenos to various human factions that have chosen the Greater Good, readers must suffer through alien viewpoints separate from the main story. Worse, the author expects readers to be intimately familiar with the xenos, and I don’t feel that’s fair given that this is a Space Marines novel. Tau units, weapons and philosophy are barely explained. One character performs on par with Adeptus Custodes. Is any of this important, accurate or exceptional? I don’t know, and the author never bothered to explain it.
There are some bright spots: Farren’s character arc is darkly amusing, and watching existing atrophied organs of the Imperium deal with the dynamism of Guilliman’s crusade was a nice touch. Yet War of Secrets failed to deliver on the brief. Rather than a multi-layered set of intrigues that misdirects and misleads the reader, the conspiracy’s execution is shallow, and its intentions are pointless. It’s best seen as a first attempt at foreshadowing the tension between Guilliman and the Lion, but is entirely superceded by Arks of Omen.
Not Recommended.
December 9, 2021
So I get the impression this isn’t an overly popular book. And I think it matters, in the sense that the book fits into a wider universe, so if there are elements in the book that are discordant with readers’ understanding of that universe, it matters. Even if my experience of the Dark Angels so far is limited, how they are portrayed here might make later experiences jarring.
Separate to those issues, this isn’t a top flight book. There’s a lot of uninteresting exposition heavy dialogue. Most (though not all) of the characters are dull and interchangeable. There’s parts where it flows, then it doesn’t, and it is really unenjoyable when it doesn’t. The Belisarian furnace is comically overused.
Yet there are some interesting points.
Protagonists? Antagonists?
The Dark Angels and their successor chapters have a deep secret and how they deal with that secret divides them. At least some of the Dark Angels do anything they can to keep the secret from the eyes of the wider Imperium. In War of Secrets they mind wipe their shiny new Primaris Marines, murder some of those same marines, murder civilians, ask an alien race to as to murder a Dark Angels’ successor chapter and, well – they murder a lot.
What about the Primaris Marines themselves, just trying to do their best and trying to find out what’s going on? Well:
Not one of the thousands of screaming voices that accompanied its destruction could possibly have made its way across the void of space, but Lieutenant Xedro Farren felt he heard them nonetheless.
…being the endpoint of their “character development” into genocidal maniacs.
The alien Tau get close to a shared top billing here and…
…they’re bad too, which I understand is a change from earlier portrayals of hippy space communists.
While I’d concede the “evilness” of each group isn’t perfectly (or perhaps not even “well”) expressed, it makes the book interesting to me. There’s no nice bows to tie things up in. The “easy” solutions each protagonist/antagonist chooses are clearly set up to have adverse consequences down the line, if Games Workshop want to go in that direction.
Is it discordant?
Primarch Guilliman heard of it – and he no doubt would, even if Farren did not send word himself – that strife would escalate to censure of the most extreme kind. Perhaps it would even lead to civil war.
I don’t know the inner workings of Games Workshop. I also don’t know how far they plan ahead… ...but it’s fun to speculate sometimes.
We have a Loyalist Primarch who’s shaken things up and brought some magic toys with him. He’s the biggest dog on the block who isn’t a quadriplegic. While the galaxy has hardly turned “noblebright”, we might forget that we should be rooting for no one. And here we have the Dark Angels chipping away, with Lion El Jonson possibly fated to return.
Maybe the Dark Angels’ Primarch comes back. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way there’s a need for internal tension and the Dark Angels’ habit of doing their own thing is a source for that. Yeah, maybe you’re a fan of that Chapter and don’t like that they’re written as caricature style villains. But War of Secrets does push the story down the road.
If you wanted to set up a Galactic Civil War, you would write a book like this. Maybe just slightly better.
Separate to those issues, this isn’t a top flight book. There’s a lot of uninteresting exposition heavy dialogue. Most (though not all) of the characters are dull and interchangeable. There’s parts where it flows, then it doesn’t, and it is really unenjoyable when it doesn’t. The Belisarian furnace is comically overused.
Yet there are some interesting points.
Protagonists? Antagonists?
The Dark Angels and their successor chapters have a deep secret and how they deal with that secret divides them. At least some of the Dark Angels do anything they can to keep the secret from the eyes of the wider Imperium. In War of Secrets they mind wipe their shiny new Primaris Marines, murder some of those same marines, murder civilians, ask an alien race to as to murder a Dark Angels’ successor chapter and, well – they murder a lot.
What about the Primaris Marines themselves, just trying to do their best and trying to find out what’s going on? Well:
Not one of the thousands of screaming voices that accompanied its destruction could possibly have made its way across the void of space, but Lieutenant Xedro Farren felt he heard them nonetheless.
…being the endpoint of their “character development” into genocidal maniacs.
The alien Tau get close to a shared top billing here and…
…they’re bad too, which I understand is a change from earlier portrayals of hippy space communists.
While I’d concede the “evilness” of each group isn’t perfectly (or perhaps not even “well”) expressed, it makes the book interesting to me. There’s no nice bows to tie things up in. The “easy” solutions each protagonist/antagonist chooses are clearly set up to have adverse consequences down the line, if Games Workshop want to go in that direction.
Is it discordant?
Primarch Guilliman heard of it – and he no doubt would, even if Farren did not send word himself – that strife would escalate to censure of the most extreme kind. Perhaps it would even lead to civil war.
I don’t know the inner workings of Games Workshop. I also don’t know how far they plan ahead… ...but it’s fun to speculate sometimes.
We have a Loyalist Primarch who’s shaken things up and brought some magic toys with him. He’s the biggest dog on the block who isn’t a quadriplegic. While the galaxy has hardly turned “noblebright”, we might forget that we should be rooting for no one. And here we have the Dark Angels chipping away, with Lion El Jonson possibly fated to return.
Maybe the Dark Angels’ Primarch comes back. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way there’s a need for internal tension and the Dark Angels’ habit of doing their own thing is a source for that. Yeah, maybe you’re a fan of that Chapter and don’t like that they’re written as caricature style villains. But War of Secrets does push the story down the road.
If you wanted to set up a Galactic Civil War, you would write a book like this. Maybe just slightly better.
July 15, 2018
The third instalment of the Space Marine Conquests series, War of Secrets sees Phil Kelly explore the integration of Primaris Marines into the ever-secretive, antagonistic Dark Angels Chapter. In battle against the t’au on the industrial world of Saltire Vex, Lieutenant Xedro Farren and his Primaris brothers find the Dark Angels under Interrogator-Chaplain Zaeroph to be less than welcoming. It’s not long before Farren sees hints of an ulterior mission and another shadowy enemy, whom Zaeroph will do anything to catch. Meanwhile within the ranks of the t’au a separate conflict is brewing, and loyalties on both sides are questioned.
This is a real goldmine of fascinating details and ideas, about both the Primaris Marines and the t’au, but thankfully that doesn’t come at the expense of a good story. To get the most out of some of the concepts you probably need to be fairly well up on ‘current’ 40k lore, but even if not it should be easy enough to follow, and grasp most of the detail. There are moments where the writing feels a touch clunky, including a slightly forced last-act decision, and some of the supporting characters – on both sides – are a little under-developed, especially the true antagonist of the story who’s essential to the plot but lacks a little personality and motivation. Those are minor issues, however, and as a whole it hangs together really well as a gripping, entertaining and faction-appropriate story.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/07/...
This is a real goldmine of fascinating details and ideas, about both the Primaris Marines and the t’au, but thankfully that doesn’t come at the expense of a good story. To get the most out of some of the concepts you probably need to be fairly well up on ‘current’ 40k lore, but even if not it should be easy enough to follow, and grasp most of the detail. There are moments where the writing feels a touch clunky, including a slightly forced last-act decision, and some of the supporting characters – on both sides – are a little under-developed, especially the true antagonist of the story who’s essential to the plot but lacks a little personality and motivation. Those are minor issues, however, and as a whole it hangs together really well as a gripping, entertaining and faction-appropriate story.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/07/...
June 28, 2018
Pushing the galaxy forward
Enjoyable view into the Dark Angels and their view of the Primaris Marines supplied by Mars. The T'au components felt shoehorned in, but did provide some valuable insight into the 'lost' Fourth Sphere Expansion, and how their experiences will shake the foundations of the T'au Empire.
Enjoyable view into the Dark Angels and their view of the Primaris Marines supplied by Mars. The T'au components felt shoehorned in, but did provide some valuable insight into the 'lost' Fourth Sphere Expansion, and how their experiences will shake the foundations of the T'au Empire.
November 13, 2021
Hola Amigos!
Как всегда пройдемся по пунктам:
О чем: Сеттинг Warhammer 41к (После Великого Разлома).
Отряд примарисов, прикомандированный к Темным Ангелам втягивается в интриги Тау и собственного ордена.
Что понравилось:
· Примарисы. Все, что с ними связано выполнено отлично: диалоги живые, шутки смешные, взгляды человечные;
· Довольно динамичная манера письма, без лишних описаний и графомании.
Что не понравилось:
· Заезженная тема с охотой на предателя "темноангела";
· Обилие ни к чему ни ведущих второстепенных линий, вызывающих скуку и посредственно написанных;
· Отсутствие хоть сколько-то выстроенного адекватного сюжета.
Review:
Война секретов - весьма обманчивый роман, который, хорошо начинаясь с бодрого экшена и живых персонажей, затем скатывается в полный бред и дилетантизм со стороны автора.
В этой книге сюжет отсутствует напрочь, а заменяет его нарезка слабо связанных между собой клипов, причем крайне скучных. А единственная интересная сюжетная линия примарисов занимает от силы треть общего объема и заканчивается ни на чем.
Я не знаю по какому принципу работает Black Library, но в данном случае есть четкое ощущение, что автору выдали на руки "ТЗ" написать сюжет, чтобы там были Тау, предатель Астартес, осквернение Хаосом, и т.д за некий короткий срок.
В итоге Келли написал по каждой теме недорассказ, склеил в некий общий "сюжет" и данную поделку отправили в печать без редакторского надзора.
Отвратительная работа, при том, что сам слог у автора неплохой. Выпускать такое "произведение" - позор как для автора, так и для BL.
Я встречал книги с плохим, скучным, бредовым сюжетом, но без сюжета встречаю впервые.
Если ищете образец литературной профнепригодности - можете смело брать Войну Секретов в пример.
Оценка 5/10.
Рейтинг "goodreads" - 3.48/5
Моя группа Вконтакте - https://vk.com/ashborndetv
Как всегда пройдемся по пунктам:
О чем: Сеттинг Warhammer 41к (После Великого Разлома).
Отряд примарисов, прикомандированный к Темным Ангелам втягивается в интриги Тау и собственного ордена.
Что понравилось:
· Примарисы. Все, что с ними связано выполнено отлично: диалоги живые, шутки смешные, взгляды человечные;
· Довольно динамичная манера письма, без лишних описаний и графомании.
Что не понравилось:
· Заезженная тема с охотой на предателя "темноангела";
· Обилие ни к чему ни ведущих второстепенных линий, вызывающих скуку и посредственно написанных;
· Отсутствие хоть сколько-то выстроенного адекватного сюжета.
Review:
Война секретов - весьма обманчивый роман, который, хорошо начинаясь с бодрого экшена и живых персонажей, затем скатывается в полный бред и дилетантизм со стороны автора.
В этой книге сюжет отсутствует напрочь, а заменяет его нарезка слабо связанных между собой клипов, причем крайне скучных. А единственная интересная сюжетная линия примарисов занимает от силы треть общего объема и заканчивается ни на чем.
Я не знаю по какому принципу работает Black Library, но в данном случае есть четкое ощущение, что автору выдали на руки "ТЗ" написать сюжет, чтобы там были Тау, предатель Астартес, осквернение Хаосом, и т.д за некий короткий срок.
В итоге Келли написал по каждой теме недорассказ, склеил в некий общий "сюжет" и данную поделку отправили в печать без редакторского надзора.
Отвратительная работа, при том, что сам слог у автора неплохой. Выпускать такое "произведение" - позор как для автора, так и для BL.
Я встречал книги с плохим, скучным, бредовым сюжетом, но без сюжета встречаю впервые.
Если ищете образец литературной профнепригодности - можете смело брать Войну Секретов в пример.
Оценка 5/10.
Рейтинг "goodreads" - 3.48/5
Моя группа Вконтакте - https://vk.com/ashborndetv
October 7, 2018
It was about half way through that I was beginning to get drawn into this book. We have the new Marines, that are actually old Marines from just after the Heresy put on ice. But when they wake up and are made into Primaris Marines they clash with what is now the old Marines and they are seen as new Marines since they are literal newcomers to the dark galaxy the old Marines have been fighting against for thousands of years.
Now, these new Primaris Marines have a different code and loyalties than the old Marines so of course there is going to be friction, and the author started really going into this by having the Primaris Marines seen as simple assets and mind-wiping them when they started to raise eyebrows at the Dark Angel's secret ways. When the Primaris Marines start to cotton on to this, I was hoping for the start of a shadow war within the Dark Angel ranks that mimicked the fun they had during the Great Crusade/Horus Heresy with new comers going up against the old blood. How cool would that be?!
But, no, this did not happen. What actually happened was the author neared the page limit and the story sort of stopped with the Primaris Marines making nice with the guys who literally just killed their mates.
Now, these new Primaris Marines have a different code and loyalties than the old Marines so of course there is going to be friction, and the author started really going into this by having the Primaris Marines seen as simple assets and mind-wiping them when they started to raise eyebrows at the Dark Angel's secret ways. When the Primaris Marines start to cotton on to this, I was hoping for the start of a shadow war within the Dark Angel ranks that mimicked the fun they had during the Great Crusade/Horus Heresy with new comers going up against the old blood. How cool would that be?!
But, no, this did not happen. What actually happened was the author neared the page limit and the story sort of stopped with the Primaris Marines making nice with the guys who literally just killed their mates.
March 13, 2021
Strange one this. I've had it for over a year and just couldn't build up the effort to get it going.
It's a lot better than i thought. Essentially a mix of fighty bits (boring), contemplative bits and chunks in the present lore.
The writing is ok. It gets better as it develops. The various factions are clearly defined. The plot is decent. The pacing is a little off - basically due to trying to give even faction coverage.
Some bits feel like they're selling the miniature line.
Some of the story is 'oh, this plot device again'
On the other hand, the character conflicts were great. The tension was great. The story was satisfying and aptly grim dark.
It's a lot better than i thought. Essentially a mix of fighty bits (boring), contemplative bits and chunks in the present lore.
The writing is ok. It gets better as it develops. The various factions are clearly defined. The plot is decent. The pacing is a little off - basically due to trying to give even faction coverage.
Some bits feel like they're selling the miniature line.
Some of the story is 'oh, this plot device again'
On the other hand, the character conflicts were great. The tension was great. The story was satisfying and aptly grim dark.
April 2, 2023
Видимо я в меньшинстве - тем лучше. Я считаю, что это отличная, почти идеальная книга по Вархаммер 40 000. Мне было интересно следить за всеми сюжетными линиями: наивные "ультрамариновые" примарисы, коварный падший англел, тёмные Тёмные Ангелы, интригующие Тау(1) , промасленные нефтедобытчики, немытые сервы, хищные круты, проявление Большого Добра в варпе (!!). Казалось, что примарисы "идиотизм и отвага" сейчас построят своевольных Тёмных, но как бы то ни было. Потом в книге про астартес появились интересные яркие Тау - практически ассасин, который может штурмовать крепость-монастырь Астартес в двойной игре Ангелов и ксеносов.
September 23, 2020
A conversation between Guilliman and an advisor.
Advisor: I recognise the dire need to supply every chapter with trained Primaris recruits, but I recommend only telling the Dark Angels how to make their own primaris.
G: Explain.
Advisor: The Dark Angels, while perfectly loyal due to their xenocidal and anti-chaos campaigns, are a chapter that highly value their privacy.
G: Nah, I'll just inject a contigent of primaris, who have external loyalties to Cawl and I, within the most secretive and reclusive chapter there is. What could possibly go wrong?
Advisor: I recognise the dire need to supply every chapter with trained Primaris recruits, but I recommend only telling the Dark Angels how to make their own primaris.
G: Explain.
Advisor: The Dark Angels, while perfectly loyal due to their xenocidal and anti-chaos campaigns, are a chapter that highly value their privacy.
G: Nah, I'll just inject a contigent of primaris, who have external loyalties to Cawl and I, within the most secretive and reclusive chapter there is. What could possibly go wrong?
May 1, 2023
In conversation with my future son-in-law I said I quite like science fiction books so he lent me this. Yeah not my usual read and having no knowledge at all of Warhammer 40,000 or Space Marine Conquests I took a deep breath and dived in. All credit to the author that I managed to understand it and could follow what was going on. Enjoyed parts of it, didn’t like the end and still don’t get the reasoning for killing Jensa Deel. Back to the murder mysteries for me.
July 27, 2018
TLDR, "War of Secrets" is an easy read, that doesn't drag on too much but is heavily weighted down by silly plot-lines, incredibly annoying plot holes, boring and sometimes over the top characters, and a need to make primaris marines look like the new, greatest thing in the universe at the expense of previously established lore. Skip it if you can.
July 24, 2018
Kelley writes the story well but it has plot holes you could drive a land raider through. The book, as he title would suggest, deals in the secrets of not only the Dark Angels but also hose of he Tau. This book is worth a read, but you will be disappointed if you're a true Dark Angel fan.
March 18, 2019
This was my first experience learning of the Primaris Marines, so it was nice to learn a bit about them and how they function. The story was fine, some nice twists but did not particularly stand out. An easy read over the course of a week or so which was mostly enjoyable, if not memorable.
May 13, 2019
A Good Read
A well written book with great characters, an interesting plot and fast paced action. In addition to this an excellent insight into the alien races sharing the Warhammer world with humanity.
A well written book with great characters, an interesting plot and fast paced action. In addition to this an excellent insight into the alien races sharing the Warhammer world with humanity.
June 26, 2018
Great book, couldn't put it down till it was finished
May 26, 2019
It fails as a book for primaris fans and as a book for Dark Ángels fans. At least it had a rich background.
August 31, 2019
Phil Kelly did a great job selling the Primaris and the Tau. However, I feel as if the normal Dark Angels were bland, and were really harming the narrative direction. Still, a big fan of Mr.Kelly.
August 9, 2020
Hit and miss with this attempt to bring the new range of marines in line with old and established space marines. Some of the primaris stories I've enjoyed, this one was average.
November 16, 2023
It was OK
March 12, 2025
it was ok. not the grates
March 23, 2025
I love the Dark Angels. I am however done with every book being about dropping everything and chasing the fallen. That being said, this book reads well. It's a fun story and I loved the Tau.
October 15, 2019
Really?
I enjoyed the setting the intrigue and then right at the very end I got shafted with a joke of an ending
I enjoyed the setting the intrigue and then right at the very end I got shafted with a joke of an ending
November 1, 2019
The Good:
- This book is generally well-written, and the action in particular is rendered in an intensely fast, very descriptive, and fun style that really readily delivers on the brutal sci-fi premise of 40K combat.
- If you enjoy the cryptic, opaque characterization of the Dark Angels Chapter, then this has conspiracies, closeted skeletons, and plots within plots written thoroughly into, albeit in a fairly simple way without too much nuance.
- It gives an interesting perspective (Primaris) on the friction that occurs when the new blood clashes with an old, secretive and calcified establishment (the chapter) that is openly opposed to them. The interplay here is actually kind of amusing, because I felt like there was a bit of a meta commentary that broke the fourth wall, as it speaks quite plainly of the divide between the die-hard old-school 40K fanbase, many of whom despise the new direction the brand is taking, versus those who desire or support it, or are otherwise new to the hobby or the universe.
The Bad:
- My biggest gripe is that this book is honestly one hell of a bait-and-switch. If you're a Dark Angels fan and came here for a Dark Angels book, then you might be sorely disappointed, as this short volume dedicates a LOT of its chapters to the perspectives of other characters from other factions: Tau, Imperium frontier citizenry, DA successors, and even then, their own story arcs are woven only very loosely into the overall plot. Considering how much smoke and mirrors the Dark Angels have written into them, this book just feels a bit anemic at times because you really don't get that much of them at all.
- On the previous note of this being a bait and switch: for a book that is ostensibly about the Dark Angels, what you actually get instead is half a book dedicated to the legend and exploits of an insanely plot-armored, Mary Sue Tau. This isn't a writing quality issue, so much as time-and-place kind of thing. It's just not what you'd want or even expect in such a short volume.
- The Dark Angels angle is primarily told from the Primaris perspective, so in some ways this book feels very much like an outsider's peek into the black mirror of the chapter. You don't really get a real sense of the setting or the faction. If anything this book more like an insider's view of the distinctly Martian mindset and view of the ignorant, opaque, and corrupted dystopia of the new reality they must now work within.
- This book leans too heavily on the Primaris physiology being used rather too much as a casual deus ex machina on multiple occasions, and with a lot of repetition.
- This book is generally well-written, and the action in particular is rendered in an intensely fast, very descriptive, and fun style that really readily delivers on the brutal sci-fi premise of 40K combat.
- If you enjoy the cryptic, opaque characterization of the Dark Angels Chapter, then this has conspiracies, closeted skeletons, and plots within plots written thoroughly into, albeit in a fairly simple way without too much nuance.
- It gives an interesting perspective (Primaris) on the friction that occurs when the new blood clashes with an old, secretive and calcified establishment (the chapter) that is openly opposed to them. The interplay here is actually kind of amusing, because I felt like there was a bit of a meta commentary that broke the fourth wall, as it speaks quite plainly of the divide between the die-hard old-school 40K fanbase, many of whom despise the new direction the brand is taking, versus those who desire or support it, or are otherwise new to the hobby or the universe.
The Bad:
- My biggest gripe is that this book is honestly one hell of a bait-and-switch. If you're a Dark Angels fan and came here for a Dark Angels book, then you might be sorely disappointed, as this short volume dedicates a LOT of its chapters to the perspectives of other characters from other factions: Tau, Imperium frontier citizenry, DA successors, and even then, their own story arcs are woven only very loosely into the overall plot. Considering how much smoke and mirrors the Dark Angels have written into them, this book just feels a bit anemic at times because you really don't get that much of them at all.
- On the previous note of this being a bait and switch: for a book that is ostensibly about the Dark Angels, what you actually get instead is half a book dedicated to the legend and exploits of an insanely plot-armored, Mary Sue Tau. This isn't a writing quality issue, so much as time-and-place kind of thing. It's just not what you'd want or even expect in such a short volume.
- The Dark Angels angle is primarily told from the Primaris perspective, so in some ways this book feels very much like an outsider's peek into the black mirror of the chapter. You don't really get a real sense of the setting or the faction. If anything this book more like an insider's view of the distinctly Martian mindset and view of the ignorant, opaque, and corrupted dystopia of the new reality they must now work within.
- This book leans too heavily on the Primaris physiology being used rather too much as a casual deus ex machina on multiple occasions, and with a lot of repetition.
September 5, 2018
I’m sensing a pattern with this book series. They promise a ton in their descriptions, but the authors either aren’t can’t or won’t push the story beyond hat which is, for the most part, already established. The few revelations we get are minor at best. In this book, the ending is both illogical and unsatisfying. Skip if you can. I’m sure the only worthwhile point will be revealed again in the future.
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