The Twice-dead King: Reign

The Twice-dead King #2

by Nate Crowley

A Warhammer 40,000 Novel

Follow the exploits of Oltyx, who, having finally been granted the throne of the Ithakas Dynasty, now faces far greater threats, from within and without. He soon learns that the lessons of kingship are not quite what he had hoped.

READ IT BECAUSE
Experience the tumutluous reality of ruling a necron royal court and battling the the Imperium from the perspective of an necron lord whose mind is split into discrete partitions.

THE STORY
After centuries of exile, the necron lord Oltyx has at last been granted the thing he has always craved: the throne of the Ithakas Dynasty. Kingship, however, is not quite what he had hoped for – Oltyx's reign currently exists aboard the dying battleship Akrops, as it lumbers away from the ruins of his crownworld. Behind it is a hostile armada of unfathomable size, launched by the barbaric alien war-cult known as the Imperium of Man. And within the Akrops' sepulchral hold, an even greater threat festers – the creeping horror of the flayer curse. Faced with such overwhelming odds, Oltyx leads a desperate voyage into a darkness so profound that salvation and doom look much the same. If he and his dynasty are to make it through that long night, Oltyx will have to become a very different sort of king.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Military Fiction

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2022

About the author

Nate Crowley is an author, interactive fiction consultant, video games journalist, and public speaker.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything I said about the first one applies here. Tie-in genre fiction shouldn't be this good at body horror, the experience of not living up to your potential, and mental illness.

Won't be convincing me to buy any toy soldiers though.

[Dan]

Nothing washes the taste of a bad book out of my brain better than Warhammer 40K (especially when it’s about 100 million-year-old robot space mummies).

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly tragic, breath-taking and overall inspiring: Follow Oltyx on his reckoning journey towards kingship of a twice-dead dynasty!

Hunted by the Human armada, the new king is fighting a loosing battle to lead what is left of his deathless people into a new beginning. Sacrificing his enemies, his vanguard, his friends and even the base matter of the very void ship carrying them towards salvation, all in vain to avert the looming shadow that is throwing his hopes and ambitions into darkness.

I was literally shocked out of reading midway through when I realized how beautiful a crafted metaphor for human hardship I found in the suffering of King Oltyx. While trying to outrun the advancing genocide of his people, he is haunted by a much darker fear from within the dynasty he is trying to save. The tragedy of his loss, and the unforgiving circumstances that left him little choice in doing the catastrophic mistakes which wrote down the majority of this tales drama, was so tangible and deeply felt that I shared in his despair for the days I've read the worst of his un-life.

And yet, when the final blow is struck, and Armageddon claims what passes for this necron's soul, a new light of hope dawns in the emptiness. A spectacular twist, so obviously foreshadowed and yet so cunningly disguised, marks the final chapter as the prologue to Oltyx's true regency.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I was inching towards a lower rating then the previous book but the last chapters turned me about and set me on course for a second 4 star rating, well done Nate Crowley for your contribution to necron lore! having read the book while in the grasp of a dark mood, I felt at times ill at ease to read the titular twice dead king Oltyx's woes and sorrow, his dark mood an at times uncomfortable mirror to my own bleakness surrounding new year. But, on the other hand that made it resonate stronger with me and the catharsis in the end I felt wholeheartedly.

For my first review this is perhaps a bit short but I feel like delving to deep into it would be a waste of the story. I found particular enjoyment out of the side characters and among these the deathmark Lysikor was an absolute joy, I do hope to see more of him/it in any future installments.

If your a necron fan, got get a copy, alongside book one off course.

[Victoria Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oltyx is a King, and so is Nate.

This book is so good I've defected to the Necrons now and don't want to hear any more organic nonsense out of any of you.

Would that I had more than 5 stars to give.

Dazzling conclusion to this beautiful duology.

I love it, I love it, I love it.

💀💀👑

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating of 4.5.

The fate of Oltyx and his necron dynasty is revealed in Reign, the epic and impressive second entry in The Twice-Dead King series of Warhammer 40,000 novels by Nate Crowley.

Reign takes place directly after the events of Ruin and sees Oltyx, now king of the Ithakas necrons, attempting to find a way to preserve his people after his capital planet was destroyed by the massed forces of the human Imperium. With the remnants of his people crammed aboard his fleet, Oltyx searches for a safe planet to claim as their new home. However, the forces of the Imperium are relentless in their mission to destroy all Xenos, and Oltyx’s fleet soon finds itself under pursuit from their massive crusade fleet. At the same time, Oltyx is forced to deal with the vicious politics of the necron court, with the bickering and scheming nobles hoping to gain power at his expense.

However, the further the necrons run, the more apparent it becomes that the humans will never leave them alone. Spurred on by his most loyal advisors, Oltyx embarks on a risky plan to find an ancient planet, said to be ruled over by a deadly king and his hordes. Making use of long-lost technology, Oltyx and his people undertake a deadly trip towards their goal. However, a far greater threat soon emerges in the very heart of his ship. The flayer curse that has long infected his people and which drove Oltyx’s father mad has returned, and soon thousands are infected. Forced to take drastic actions to save his people, Oltyx soon learns the full weight of responsibility and loneliness that all kings must bear. But this king has a dark secret that will threaten the entire Ithakas Dynasty. Can Oltyx control the dark urges that reside deep within his soul or will a new twice-dead king rise to reign over the Ithakas necrons?

Reign is an epic and exciting sequel to the first The Twice-Dead King novel, and I had a brilliant time getting through this compelling and fantastic novel. This book has an excellent story that dives deep into the Warhammer 40,000 lore to explore one of the more mysterious races in the canon while focusing on a conflicted and damaged protagonist.

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/02/09/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[Michael Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following on from The Twice-Dead King: Ruin, this sees Oltyx – now king of Ithakas – attempting to lead what remains of his dynasty to safety. Aboard a deteriorating flagship, and pursued by a vast fleet of vengeful humans, Oltyx has to come to terms with his newfound power, while bearing the responsibility of finding a way to safeguard his people. The pressures of leadership are great though, and as well as the external threats he also has to maintain the loyalty of his subordinates, and come to terms with who he really wants to be.

I read Ruin in 2022 and was blown away – it was one of those books that absolutely deserved the hype that had built up around it – and I’m delighted to say that Reign is just as good. It’s another rich, thoughtful and thought-provoking novel that’s equal parts painfully bleak and uproariously funny, packed full of themes and ideas that keep unfolding the more you think about them. Reading a Crowley novel is a genuine pleasure: not many authors could write a book about ancient, theoretically immortal alien robots and in the process tell such a human story that really explores mental health, while at the same time poking fun at 40k as a setting, and make all of that work on every single level. All told it’s a powerful, fascinating, occasionally unexpected and entirely fitting conclusion to a truly wonderful story. More like this please, Black Library.

[Jacob Bennike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can this book be considered a masterpiece by Black Library standards and is it a truly worthy sequel, that contains my favorite all time Warhammer character? Yes, I believe that it is.

You won’t get the writing style I just did until you read the book, and if you’re reading these reviews there I no doubt that you should read the book. It continues the excellent story from the first book, and it continues to grow the characters you know and love as well as add very nice editions. It’s well written, the story is interesting and while there is a neat little “we’re taking the eagles to Mordor” moment even that works out sort of ok.

If you like Necrons, or just 40K in general then you should read this book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you make an undead race of terminators understandable as a culture and makes sense in the 40K universe? This is what this book and its predecessor attempt to answer and it does it magnificently. The undead are a standard trope and the undead armies controlled by lich-kings are standards of fantasy yet few attempt to make them anything more than just undead hordes. This book manages to do the impossible and make an undead army not only makes sense but also explain its culture and why it makes sense.

This is some of the best WH40K has to offer well worth the read, with one caveat you have to read the first in this series as this one is not a standalone novel.

[Thomas Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book was better. This one takes too long. It seems like half the book is a ship being chased. It couldn't grip me the way the first book did and as a result it took me way too long to finish it.

"Rage against the dying of the light" is a good summary of the book. It is pretty much entirely about Oltyx and the decay of his dynasty. I did not expect the ending and there were some interesting scenes (eg. The encounter with the warlock; the situation with the cursed on the ship; the storage of the destroyers) but parts of the book also felt like a drag. I would still recommend it if you are interested in Necrons but be aware that the first book is better.

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 5 out of 5]

all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimu

Was looking forwards to The Twice-Dead King: Reign by Nate Crowley, second book in The Twice-Dead King duology. And oh, it did not disappoint.

My Opinion: Oh, how beautiful, how tricky, how complex was the damned plot. At the surface, we’re reading of battle for survival of those who considered themselves immortal from the moment they shed their unclean flesh and became what they are. But beneath this scene we’re viewing, there’s another story being told. Story of friendship among those who seek to appear uncaring. Story of power that bends reality. And story of madness, insanity, that, at the end of the book, makes you think through what you read prior to this point you’re at now, as you start seeing everything in a whole different light. An apparent enemy race you’ll start caring for, as characters are just so well written. This was marvelous, even if, at times, slow paced, or too far gone into philosophies that shaped this entire universe.

A solid 5 out of 5. This duology was one of the best shots in the dark I’ve ever landed.

[Indigoli · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want necrons to be cool so so bad but I just can't do it its so so overly padded and boring :(

Cannot believe GW made 3 necrons books grand total and 2 of them are just 1 eh book chopped up and padded out to be 2 bad books, meanwhile the 3rd is just inexplicably amazing. What were they cooking.

[Kris M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
I loved this book so much but for my personal taste there was a little too much fighting (big surprise when the entirety of the plot is set during a spaceship chase situation) anyways Warhammer books have no business being this incredibly good and facetted and offering such an in-depth view of the main character’s psyche. I really did the Twice-Dead King duology dirty by being like “yeah I’m going to read that eventually because I’ve read most other Necron writing I’m interested by now”.

I have to say though in general I enjoyed Ruin more but that is because the book catered more to my personal tastes (character driven, slower narration, mainly introspection) but I see that Reign had to escalate from there and it absolutely did and delivered.
Reign also has Zultanekh, which is a huge plus!!! I had to laugh out loud a couple of times while reading these books and I think that’s the beauty of Necron related media: it’s incredibly tragic and incredibly funny just because of the way Necrons **are** at the same time.

Denet and the monoliths - you will always be famous.

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few necron books out there, loved it

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst still a good book, I felt somewhat underwhelmed by this compared to the first in the duology. It has some good moments, and a certain twist at the end makes it better, but I feel it just doesn't hold up as well as it could. In many ways I would prefer the Necrons to be less organic!

[Matthew House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good conclusion to the series, I always think of the necron as soldiers but this one was almost all ship battles which was cool.

[Matt Riddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good look into Necron psychology. I found the ending unsatisfying however. No spoilers, but it left more questions than answers. I don't know if there is any more intended after this for these characters. But I doubt it. And am left with a lack of closure.

[Justin Rizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my full, comprehensive review of Both Ruin and Reign; in my pretentious eyes, this is one big book split into two fairly comfortable parts and should be appreciated as such from what I glean was the authors intent.

Twice-Dead King has the unique honor of being the first Warhammer read of many that has made me shed some tears; sizeable ones at that. Crowley, who has been killing it in the Xenos department lately, absolutely crushed me in a way I haven't felt in a while reading a novel--and it needs to be emphasized that this is why I am so enamored with Warhammer as a whole. The themes of an entire galaxy in an advanced state of decay is not lost on me, but this is the first time I've felt that the narrative of one of these numerous tie-in novels truly captured the core pathos of 40k is capable of.

It's all too often I find that the most interesting aspects of Warhammer are lost in the haze of heroics and grecian tragedies far divorced from the human narratives that make the setting special. War is cool! Space Marines are cool! I like my "bolter-pron" as it were plenty with enough style and flair, but after reading the majority of the Horus Heresy and experiencing intense whiplashes of quality between narratives, by the Warp I was needing something that made me feel...something.

Twice-Dead King made me feel everything. Did I ever expect to confront my own latent dysphoria through a book about politicking robot skelingtons? Not as such, but damn you Crowley, you got me good.

What a masterstroke the first novel is in the deceptions of its success. The hero's journey told so beautifully I was at a loss with what the second book could be. Finally, a competent character in Oltyx, a fresh face to rally a new army of necrons! How I would love to see his rise through the ranks. Where might he go next? What fun adventures will we be going on with him?

Warhammer novels are often comfort food; fluffy prose and colorful characters often hide the grimdarkness Warhammer so proudly touts, all tension lost in the often hypocritically immortal main characters the franchise is rife with. Suffering abound, yes, but we are selling the cartoonish plight of action figures to adults for them to throw their plastic warriors at each other. Thinking up new and creative ways to kill our foes is one of humanity's greatest pasttime, and much of the warhammer literature reflects that. I went in assuming we would be getting at least a dozen books over the next few years about Oltyx and his merry band of immortal robots, getting traumatized with their goals just out of reach in perpituity.

In the second book, Oltyx has achieved his dream and in short order descends into a raving tyrant. He has not only become his father, but becomes the end of the dynasty he swore so long to protect. Our titular robot mummy skeleton falls deep into delusion and despair, and through no fault of Crowley's own I have always gotten the titles of the two mixed up because this book is Ruin, capital R, in everything but name. Oltyx ruins everything. Oltyx becomes everything he hates. Oltyx makes a mad dash for rock bottom, all in the name of survival, to prove himself.

His slippage is so subtle, his logic so crisp, that its hard not to understand his earlier choices. He removes a contender to the throne, makes rumors and political moves to muster dissent against his opponents. He very effectively maneuvers himself into complete totalitarianism while utterly blind to the corruption festering beneath his feet. The shortsightedness that made him such a catalyzing figure for the escape from their home planet, the brash immortal youth allowing him the ability to overthrow the mad tyrant that once was his father--all his qualities from the previous book damn him and his surviving subjects in the same way he saved them before.

To be young forever is to lose the wisdom that comes with age. Despite the thousands of years Oltyx has been waiting for a chance at the throne, at his core he knows he was never ready. He was still the young cavalier from his youth, like a fly caught in amber, never allowed to experience the strife of age. His strife would come to be all together stranger.

When I was a kid, I wrapped one of my prized power rangers in gauze and entombed him in a sarcophogus--might have been the black or blue ranger--and buried him in our back yard. I grew, changed, went bald, got fattish, but through two decades my entombed youth is still buried somewhere under the willow trees thousands of miles away. I don't know what compelled me to do it. I doubt I would be able to find it even if I tried. I can't help but think of that toy, buried there, and feel the same way about Oltyx. About what would have been like for me if my mortality was lost and I was made to be unbreakable. What kind of machine would I be, with that youthful human heart?

The necron caste system gets a lot of emphasis throughout the story, for good reason. Only the nobles have any functioning mind, and that was by design. Oltyx understands this early on as to how messed up it is. He knows that the murder machines he employs to kill the ork at the beginning of the first book were once people. He knows how absolutely disgusting it is to erase a person's entire existence when they fall to the "curse." To be a necron is to live an incredibly dehumanizing existence; to fall below the standards set will purge you from history in its entirety. It is a system he hates, he has lived his whole life hating.

Yet, the day comes that he is in control, and he serves that same system. He ostrasizes, imprisons, excommunicates, his fervor for power fueled by the consenting masses as his subjects dwindle and scuttle in the dark; but does he ever truly rule? Within the structure of his society, he knows that now he is in control he is the most under scrutiny, the most likely to suffer this same fate. The signs are there, building; is it not better to turn the eyes from them elsewhere? He is no more a master of the oppresive systems he exists in than the lowliest unthinking necron. His closest friend, erased by him no less. This is not what Oltyx wanted, but protocol dictates...

Oltyx ultimately collapses because he cannot upend a society not built for immortality. He becomes a vessel for that same corruption, that very same stagnation that killed his father and rotted out from under him the dynasty he was to rule. He wasn't born to live forever; none of them were. And yet they are, so hungry for their past that they would rip and tear the flesh from their foes and wear it as a frock to stave off the inhumanity of their existence.

To live a lie so complete that it strangles you. To see a face in the mirror that isn't yours, was never yours. The dysphorakh, as the necron call it, is a dissonance I know well. I'm hoping I don't cannibalize an entire planet first like Oltyx did, but its a sensation so terribly described by Crowley that I've experienced many times throughout my life. Maybe not in a trans sort of way, but to look in the mirror and see a costume of flesh overtop the you underneath? I would donate my skin to Oltyx's own dysphoria if it would help me figure out my own.


My journey will be much more mundane, but Oltyx spoke to me on a level no other warhammer fiction has ever come close--more than most things, really. I read these books months ago but they still stick with me, the sensations within still so fresh. The eye twitch I got after reading has yet to go away!

Thank you Crowley, for writing some quality sci-fi and giving me an existential crisis that fueled the aimlessness of this non-review. Looking forward to having the collected work on my shelf to force onto the next fool that shows interest.

[Jose Acevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My goblin brain liked this alot. Awesome warhammer series were ironically the robotic beings are some of the most human creatures in the universe. Awesome war book about a flawed ruler.

[Rashid Yasin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nate Crowley is an excellent writer, and I really like his work overall. He's taken the basic concept "killer robot space skeletons ruled by an immortal pharoah based on a franchise meant to sell figurines" through a serious journey with a lot more character/pathos than you would expect for the basic outline of the setting.

The best bits: fundamentally, the story is a Shakespearean tragedy with a redemption arc at the end that averts total destruction for our protagonist Oltyx. There are also space battles, an exhausting chase sequence reminiscent of the first episode of Battlestar Galactica (in all the best ways), and hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately, compared to themostly introspective first novel of this duology, I didn't find that the pieces meshed, and the over-the-top setting and some of the tone clashed with the story that was being told.

Oltyx has taken his small fleet of surviving vessels out from the destruction of their crown world to flee a cleansing crusade by the Imperium of Man that doggedly pursues him at every turn. He narrowly escapes thier clutches multiple times, but never in a way that was set up in a satisfying manner. His drive is broken, but then he is saved by the presence of an ally from another kingdom that happens to have drive technology. He doesn't know where to go, but then is informed by a mentor that there is somewhere to go. Oltyx is floundering.

In one sense, this is part of his tragic story: Oltyx doesn't know how to be a king and truly has no plan for his people who, in addition to suffering from a pursuing army, are going mad from a plague and are burdened with an outdated mode of fighting and a rigid command hierarchy that requires absolute devotion to a king. And with the last king having gone insane, that doesn't put the kingdom in a very stable place.

Oltyx makes blunders: he kills his closest advisors and is cruel when he doesn't need to be. He, as mentioned, makes no plans and has no long-term goals. But, as a reader (listener since I had the audiobook), I didn't feel like this was wholly his fault. The narration is so close to him and focused on the desparation to survive another day that his faults are not fully laid bare to the reader. Instead of seeing the slow decay, until the very end of the book, I kept wondering "oh ho, how will Oltyx escape *this* scrape". But then the numbers in his control dwindle down to nothing and he is broken in both mind and body. It was only at this point that I realized I had not been reading a space romp but instead the tragedy showcasing the slow destruction of a people due to the hubris of their leader.

He rises from this death stronger, with clearer purpose, and with a new insight into the accursed members of his court that acts as a redemption arc for him and manages to save (what is left of) his people. But, while I'm very impressed that Crowley pulled this off, I don't feel like it was as well set up as it could be. Certainly Oltyx's wrath got the better of him on multiple occasions, but I think a clearer deterioration of his mental state and priorities could have been better displayed. There is a scene near the end of the book where he chooses revenge over tactical efficacy, but he *knows* that he chose the wrong option and is immediately frustrated by his short-sightedness. It cuts down on his tragic character to have Oltyx be completely aware that he is making bad choices - he needed a foil to push back on him externally so that the reader could separate Oltyx as the driver/narrator of the plot and Oltyx as the tragic thematic core to the story. I will admit that, since I listened to the audiobook, that I was sometimes distracted and maybe I was missing some pieces and this was more clearly communicated, but I think it could have been more clearly set up to show his deterioration to make his kingdom's collapse a more clear consequence of his failures.

Similarly, Oltyx achieves redemption by accepting his decay into the curse to desire flesh and to live as a "flayed one" - a robot that hungers for organic matter even though it has no means to digest it, so is cursed with an insatiable appetite. He accepts this at the end, but the acceptance seems almost academic, and it simultaneously gives him new power and abilities. We see this upsides of this choice, but not the downsides. I think a more satisfying arc would have shown him leaving one tragedy (his failed kingship) for another (the horrors of accepting this unquenchable, unthinking, and unrestrained thirst for blood). But as it stands, we simply see him failing at being a necron king and succeeding at being a flayed king.

Crowley, I reiterate, has a great flair and so the writing is tight, the fight scenes are dramatic, and the introspective scenes are properly thoughtful. But I think there was some clashing between the plot and the themes that are a shame because he has such a great eye for what can make the Necrons interesting and raised so many fantastic questions along the way. I'm satisfied by this resolution to many of Oltyx's travails, and I'm hoping that any additional stories delve deeper into the bargains Oltyx has made to "save" (or condemn) his people. I enjoyed this book, but I missed some of the existential horror of its predecessor.

[David Ebeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE MONOLITHS

[Allen Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about undead immortal beings ends up being one of the most human stories in 40k. Both fun and horrifying in equal measures.

[Set Sytes · Rating 4 out of 5]

While still good, this wasn't as amazing to me as the first book. The pacing was off, there was less atmosphere and dread, less effective body horror. I wasn't anywhere near as enraptured as I was in the first book when Oltyx explores Antikef and finds Unnas.

There was more combat in this book, but that had the strange aspect of actually making it less interesting and exciting, as opposed to the doomy introspection and weird alienness of Ruin. Directions (or level of pacing) I wanted the book to take, it didn't take, instead dwelling on an extremely drawn out space chase (The Last Jedi anyone?). Almost the entire book takes place on a ship - and the ship itself is barely explored. Some of it takes place on another ship. A couple of brief slices of it takes place on land.

The biggest issue with me is the humanisation. I loved how inhuman, alien and soulless the necrons felt in the first book, especially the POV. Particularly when it came to the hyper-advanced robotic strangeness of their communication. It's partly why I preferred it to the Infinite and the Divine. I also thought the gradual emotional touches were well done. However, Reign starts with all the humanising slowly crafted in Ruin already done. And that's just less interesting to me. I prefer necrons to feel soulless, not like humans in robot bodies. I guess I prefer the old version of the necrons, that Lovecraftian, unknowable, implacable horror... space terminators: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"

I dunno. I can allow talking, if it's weird and emotionless enough. Hard to write a book without it, unless necrons are antagonists. I just think necrons should never, ever, shrug.

I also noticed the fascinatingly obtuse communication technobabble was reduced in this book, but not to its benefit. The conversations seemed a lot more ordinary and human. Likewise, I missed Oltyx's subminds, a uniquely strange and entertaining aspect to the first book's POV.

All in all, this is still assuredly a good book, but it just pales in comparison to its predecessor, which was one of the best books I read this year.

[Woodsy Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book suffers from just being needlessly complicated. The king is just having personal issues which he is a necron. Necron lords and overlords do have feels but it was all an internal battle between what he thought to do and what he should do after getting 3/4 the way through there wasn’t enough action. Also they have these interesting things that go along with the necron lore but they don’t really touch on it that much or they touch on it way too much to the point that where you’re just getting all this information just shoved through your ears. The king gets a program that where he can travel to another dimension that is not the warp and they are getting trees by the space marines and so they think they’re safer but than the space marine shop inside of the different dimension when it’s not even the warp??? Also flayed ones are supposed to be able to really go into a pocket dimension and it just seems like the book just rounds them up in the ships then kill them even though they can just “phase out”. The book is gets very boring and complicated. I have read the other necron books and they are a blast! This is is just very underwhelming, I work a manual labor job that allows me to listen to headphones and 3/4 of the way through I was just done and rather listen to machines turning on and off in my own thoughts and finish this book.

[Tomasz Stachowiak · Rating 3 out of 5]

More or less at the same level as the first book, including the annoying humanization, so the previous review still applies. It was interesting to follow to story to its conclusion, and we do get to learn more about crypteks as warlocks, but unfortunately the "reveal avalanche" doesn't stop. There are many deus ex machina rescues/resurrections with repetitions of Oltyx's utter despair and new found strength or faith. The mysteries are reveled and introduced and revealed to the point where we stop caring. Such accelerating exposition detracts from the overall coherent and interesting story (not to mention the wonderful universe).

To repeat one thing from the previous review: the unique perspective of a now-robotic race millions of years old is buried under explosions and petty squabbles. I feel that the are not really depicted realistically, while the whole curse, which is even more central in this book, is at first a horrible problem, and then suddenly fades into insignificance. But I would still call it a good book - I take it as representing Warhammer 40K lore, such as it is.

PS Shameless plug: my extension classifies this as grouping around 4.5 stars.

[Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

No sé qué pasó, pero aunque me gustó mucho el libro, no me atrapó la lectura tanto como el anterior. Aún así, el final sobre todo es realmente impresionante.

Opinión completa con resumen y comentarios de historia, narrativa, temas, entre otros:
https://muchomas.live/2022/02/03/the-...

Opinión sin spoiler:

Si pensaba que el libro anterior era complejo, este lo es mucho más. Pero por otro lado, más sencillo. Es muy difícil de explicar, así como es difícil de explicar cualquier otro asunto relativo a los necron.

❤️Estoy realmente maravillado al ver cómo el autor logra una descripción tan clara y a la vez tan compleja de los necron, sus costumbres, su forma de pensar, y su tecnología. La historia tiene una continuidad y ha sido bien planeada desde el inicio, y al final terminas entendiendo cosas que ocurrieron en el libro anterior.

📚En comparación con la anterior entrega, este se siente un poco repetitivo a veces y en ocasiones parece que se extiende mucho en ciertas situaciones. Algunas cosas no las terminé de entender y no hay mucha información por ahora en línea. Pero en general, esos detallitos no arruinan la experiencia.

🍿Si vienes con dudas del libro anterior, acláralas lo antes posible porque se van a solapar con la complejidad de este.

[Jack Keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m 34 years old, the last book I read properly was the hobbit when I was 14, I’ve just never had much to do with reading, no one around me really did. Warhammer is something I’ve always loved and I thought why not try and read a book based on my favourite army, that could be cool right? Well my god. I’m so happy I made that choice, I absolutely loved this book. I’ve never experienced the desire to just read every spare chance I got! I found myself thinking while working about the parts I just read that morning replaying it in my head. There were parts where I would just stop reading to process it going this is just amazing. The way the book ended, *chefs kiss. I loved both books equally as much.

But from this it’s not just an amazing story, it’s what this book written by Nate Crowley has done for me, it’s genuinely changed my life, it’s completely blown open the door for me into reading books, I now love it and regret not reading for the bulk of my life, and how many stories I’ve not experienced, but as they say it’s never too late to start.

From the bottom on my heart I wish I could thank Nate in person, maybe one day. But for now thank you!

Obviously the books 5/5!

I look forward to reading your other work!

[Gordon Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever really, really wanted a job for a really long time, then finally gotten it only to find it's tougher than it looked? Apparently this doesn't only happen to politicians but to kings too, as evidenced by this tale of an ancient ressurection zombie terminatory pharoh type suddenly finding himself in charge of a dynastic bin-fire.

Props to Crowley for continuing to nail his inventive Necron world view, capturing both the realities day to day of life in a mostly immortal metal body and the complex emotions driven by being millennia old and having seen everything before, but also constant terror at the idea of losing what you have. It's also fantastic to see Space Marines portrayed as the murderous horrors they truly are.

Sadly the plot wasn't quite memorable or dramatic enough to warrant a recommendedation to anyone outside of a very niche interest group, and I do slightly object to quite so many references back to an event that happened sooooo long ago that everyone involved really should have moved on by now.

Loads of good ideas, but the story doesn't do quite enough to stand out amongst its peers.

[Mike Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by Megatron

“Twice Dead King: Reign is a tale of power reclaimed, vengeance pursued, and the grim burden of leadership. A fitting continuation to Ruin, this book thrusts Oltyx deeper into the eternal war of the Necrons, forcing him to confront not only his enemies but the very nature of his existence. As a leader myself, I can respect the crushing weight of such responsibility—though his reluctance to embrace dominance is, at times, frustrating.

The novel does an exceptional job portraying the Necrons as more than lifeless war machines. They are ancient, fractured, and bitterly clinging to past glories. The political intrigue crackles with tension, and the battles—when they come—are executed with brutal precision. The writing is rich with gothic atmosphere, though it occasionally lingers too long in introspection when it should be marching forward.

4 out of 5 stars. A strong, compelling dive into the mind of a fallen ruler, steeped in tragedy and ambition. Not perfect, but a worthy chapter in the saga of the undying.”

[Remembrancer S Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

never let your scars be drowned in gold.

well this is quite the ride.
although this story had its ups and downs with many slow dragging parts, it more that made up for it in excellent character work and bombastic out there moments.

this entire book for the most part is one big chase scene.
and I do love how humans are betrayed in this story, In our more traditional aspect.
as long distance persistence hunters.
always on the hillside slowly bleeding out its prey never giving up the chase no matter how fast the quarry may be.

I also loved all of the crazy characters.
you get a bombastic rival that I desperately want to see more books all about!
to a obviously backstabbing deathmark just biting his time.
and a weary old cryptek that has far too many secrets.
not to mention the main characters BFF (boyfriend) who is just a delight.

I truly hope they make a third book in the series because considering how it ends.. I want to see the new kingdom of the twice dead King.