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Assassinorum: Kingmaker
Explore the fascinating relationships between the different Assassinorum Temples in this fantastic novel from Robert Rath.
The Officio Assassinorum safeguards the future of humanity. Its agents are the bloody-handed, secret saviours of the Imperium, killers charged with achieving the impossible... and Vindicare assassin Absolom Raithe has just been handed the most difficult assignment of his career.
The Knight World of Dominion is on the verge of seceding from the Imperium, its court riven by factionalism and ruled by an increasingly unhinged monarch. With the aid of the shapeshifting Callidus assassin Sycorax, Raithe must remove the king from his throne – and safely steer a pro-Imperial candidate to victory through the brutal succession crisis that will inevitably ensue. His team will need to infiltrate a world steeped in chivalric codes, where every move risks discovery, and every threat pilots an adamantine monster... for if the assassins fail, and Dominion falls, the entire sector will be plunged into darkness.
The Officio Assassinorum safeguards the future of humanity. Its agents are the bloody-handed, secret saviours of the Imperium, killers charged with achieving the impossible... and Vindicare assassin Absolom Raithe has just been handed the most difficult assignment of his career.
The Knight World of Dominion is on the verge of seceding from the Imperium, its court riven by factionalism and ruled by an increasingly unhinged monarch. With the aid of the shapeshifting Callidus assassin Sycorax, Raithe must remove the king from his throne – and safely steer a pro-Imperial candidate to victory through the brutal succession crisis that will inevitably ensue. His team will need to infiltrate a world steeped in chivalric codes, where every move risks discovery, and every threat pilots an adamantine monster... for if the assassins fail, and Dominion falls, the entire sector will be plunged into darkness.
464 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2022
153 people are currently reading
1228 people want to read
About the author
Robert Rath
25 books206 followersRobert Rath is an author and screenwriter from Honolulu, Hawai'i.
As an author, he's known for working with the publisher Black Library, writing fiction set in the worlds of Warhammer. His work for them includes the necrons novel THE INFINITE AND THE DIVINE, the assassins novel ASSASSINORUM: KINGMAKER, the war epic THE FALL OF CADIA and numerous short stories.
Since 2018 he's served as Head Writer of the animated YouTube show Extra History, where his scripts have attracted over 200 million views
He lives in Hong Kong with his family, amid and a growing pile of models he *swears* are for research.
As an author, he's known for working with the publisher Black Library, writing fiction set in the worlds of Warhammer. His work for them includes the necrons novel THE INFINITE AND THE DIVINE, the assassins novel ASSASSINORUM: KINGMAKER, the war epic THE FALL OF CADIA and numerous short stories.
Since 2018 he's served as Head Writer of the animated YouTube show Extra History, where his scripts have attracted over 200 million views
He lives in Hong Kong with his family, amid and a growing pile of models he *swears* are for research.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
April 4, 2022
Does the title hint at the possibility of further Assasinorium: novels? I sincerely hope so, since this one is rather very good. The much-maligned ‘Nemesis’ is actually one of my favourite Horus Heresy novels and this supersedes that; the Officio Assasinorum is one of the most intriguing parts of the Imperium and shines whenever given page time, so perhaps it’s no surprise that when in the hands of Robert Rath, who is proving himself to be an excellent part of the BL stable, Kingmaker is such a good novel.
There is plenty of scope for 40K novels to branch out into other genres beyond the specialist imprints and this is both a great spy novel and a great 40k one, taking the traditional features of the former and turning them all up to 11.
There is plenty of scope for 40K novels to branch out into other genres beyond the specialist imprints and this is both a great spy novel and a great 40k one, taking the traditional features of the former and turning them all up to 11.
April 3, 2022
Three assassins have to work together to pull off an audacious mission, infiltrating a Knight world to instigate a succession and avert a secession, bringing the Knights of Dominion back into line with the Imperium. It's a brilliant setup and Rath delivers on that great premise with a story that mixes fantastic characters with espionage, action and intrigue, reading like a cross between a classic spy novel and a modern adventure thriller...with the oh-so-40k addition of enormous mechanical Knights. I loved all three assassins, and I hope there will be plenty more stories (both short stories - like the three which already exist - and further novels) in this series.
May 2, 2022
Despite not having Imperial Knights in the title this is the best Imperial Knighs book that I've read so far. So many deep dives into Assassin/Knight lore. Intricate descriptions. Great ending.
And many Easter Eggs inbetween, like Imperial Knights (Rakkan, Hawthorn) naming thier dogs after Imperial Guard heroes:
"Rakkan pulled his hand back, just as Yarrick opened his jaws.
‘He’s an old man now. And cranky. Now, that must be Macharius, but…
who’s this one? Where’s Creed?’
Hawthorn sighed, then knelt and rubbed Yarrick’s silvered face. ‘Creed lived up to his name a bit too well. Squared up against an ursid on a hunt rather than running away. The new one is Ibram Gaunt. He’s a good little bird dog, aren’t you, Ibram? You lovely boy.’
‘The next time we have a Militarum delegation,’ Rakkan said, ‘best not to mention the names. They wouldn’t appreciate it.’
‘Why not? It’s a tribute. And it’s proper. Isn’t that what the Guard is for?
Flushing the prey out of the bushes for us to shoot?’
- quotes from Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath
And many Easter Eggs inbetween, like Imperial Knights (Rakkan, Hawthorn) naming thier dogs after Imperial Guard heroes:
"Rakkan pulled his hand back, just as Yarrick opened his jaws.
‘He’s an old man now. And cranky. Now, that must be Macharius, but…
who’s this one? Where’s Creed?’
Hawthorn sighed, then knelt and rubbed Yarrick’s silvered face. ‘Creed lived up to his name a bit too well. Squared up against an ursid on a hunt rather than running away. The new one is Ibram Gaunt. He’s a good little bird dog, aren’t you, Ibram? You lovely boy.’
‘The next time we have a Militarum delegation,’ Rakkan said, ‘best not to mention the names. They wouldn’t appreciate it.’
‘Why not? It’s a tribute. And it’s proper. Isn’t that what the Guard is for?
Flushing the prey out of the bushes for us to shoot?’
- quotes from Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath
August 7, 2025
Very fun and good paced book. The Characters and world really feel alive. it really pulls you in.
October 15, 2023
Wonderful action, and beautiful chemistry between the 3 assassins. Some really good medieval politics and ideology’s mixed with fast paced mech-bot fights. Highly recommend to any sci-fi fantasy enjoyers or anyone wanting to get introduced to warhammer 40K.
November 6, 2024
A fantastic book.
It's a blend of , spy book, action book, and fantasy courtly intrigue with mild GOT style palace politics.
In around 400 pages
It shouldn't work, but it does.
Really well realised characters, a fantastically realised world, it feels like rath could have told an epic tale simply of dominion, but this was simple a rich backstory for our tale.
A great dive into the assassinorium, with robust emotions for humans turned into weapons. Great attention to detail in ways you may not expect ( what is the long term effects of being a shapeshifter? For example)
While I found the opening a little heavy due to all the characters. I always want to re read it soon to see how all the threads were laid.
And if thinking " well I could restart that" isn't 5 star worthy what is?
It's a blend of , spy book, action book, and fantasy courtly intrigue with mild GOT style palace politics.
In around 400 pages
It shouldn't work, but it does.
Really well realised characters, a fantastically realised world, it feels like rath could have told an epic tale simply of dominion, but this was simple a rich backstory for our tale.
A great dive into the assassinorium, with robust emotions for humans turned into weapons. Great attention to detail in ways you may not expect ( what is the long term effects of being a shapeshifter? For example)
While I found the opening a little heavy due to all the characters. I always want to re read it soon to see how all the threads were laid.
And if thinking " well I could restart that" isn't 5 star worthy what is?
January 28, 2025
This is perhaps the best Warhammer novel I've read to date. From the political intrigue of the two feuding imperial knight houses to the tactical scheming and manipulation of the team of assassins, Rath weaves a compelling, highly engaging story. The culmination with an epic battle and a literal deus ex machina is superb. More books need to be written about imperial knight houses.
September 10, 2024
I liked it. It was cool seeing more of the consequences of the Imperium being spread thin and I really really like Knights. The twists and various schemes also intersected pretty well and were nice to watch unfold. I like Robert Rath's writing style a lot.
Was not as huge of a fan of some of the characters though (especially the assassins) felt fairly one note. Like Raithe feels verry much like the same guy throughout the entire story just with circumstances making him act differently, which I feel like could have been different.
Overall still a fun read and damn do I love some Knights.
Was not as huge of a fan of some of the characters though (especially the assassins) felt fairly one note. Like Raithe feels verry much like the same guy throughout the entire story just with circumstances making him act differently, which I feel like could have been different.
Overall still a fun read and damn do I love some Knights.
August 21, 2024
Great 40k book, marrying two awesome aspects, the Assasinorum and a knight world. Shame there wasn't an Eversor in the mix but you can't have everything. Really well written, a great mix of intrigue and action.
March 20, 2024
For Leviathan! For Vengeance! This book has instantly become a favorite. If for nothing else, read it to hear giant suits of armor charge headfirst like knights of old! Chants and cries for vengeance and their fallen kin mixing with the rhythmic whirl and stomp of pistons and giant adamantine feet. I completely adore this book and it has given me a whole new respect for models that already strike so much awe. Hearing about the assassinorum, seeing the relationship grow and plans come together. Falling in love with Linoleus Rakkan's journey, hearing the ins and outs of knight society. Everything about this book completely rocked and was wildly different from the space marine dominated warhammer books I've read before. A truly epic tale that I would highly recommend and will enjoy breaking down into a few paragraphs of things I enjoyed.
For one, the story! Completely excellent, a band of assassins must team up together to kill the monarch of knight world dominion. It's not as easy as just killing a pilot though, for the body of the monarch has been fused with the legendary Throne of Dominion so they must find a way to break into it's mighty cockpit. Even after that they must find a way to find a new monarch elected that is more loyal to the crusade, to the imperium. It's completely awesome, with lots of twists and turns. So many segments had me clenching my teeth worried about what would happen or hollering along with the shouts of battle. Also for anyone unaware of why it's such a difficult task, the Knight Castellan, the class that the Throne of Dominion is, is an 60-70 feet tall war machine with an ion shield and some of the biggest guns in the imperium's arsenal. It's wild truly, a ton of fun.
Another thing I was wildly impressed by was the characters. This one more than any of the other 40K books I've read has felt incredibly tight with it's characters. Well "Devastation of Baal" and "Knight's of Macragge" are no slouch in this department either. The first like third of this book is lots of characters talking and learning and planning things, them being assassins of course this part is incredibly important. You also get a lot of in depth looks at all of their mannerisms as the team gets closer and the mission evolves, it's really really excellent stuff. That's not even discussing the characters of the knights themselves. In 40K all machines have a machine spirit, from the humble bolter, to the mighty land raider. They have a sort of consciousness to them, think like when your tv doesn't work then you ask it please and suddenly it works. Since knights are so big and to control them you plug in and share your brain with theirs, their machine spirits are very active. Their voices, and the way they characterize and give this sort of legendary aspect to the knights is really so awesome to hear about.
Closing thoughts on this, read it. I had heard going into this one that it was good, but by Joan did it completely blow my expectations out of the water. so much so that I have embarked on completely redoing most of my own knight lance in real life. Even the embarrassing process of giving them all pilots, custom houses and names that all sound a little try hard, I'm loving every second of it.
TL;DR Read this book! I completed it like 30 mins ago and I'm already ready to run through it again and try to pick up on stuff with the knowledge I have now. I will leave off with a quote from the wiki that makes the knights sound way cooler than anything I could ever type.
"Let the power of your Knight flow through your veins. Let the ghosts of your throne whisper wisdom into your mind. Let steel be your sinews and fire be your fists. Become your Knight, as it becomes you, and through symbiosis ascend. So shall you become. So shall you protect your people and slaughter your foes."
— Sixth Canticle of the Ritual of Becoming
For one, the story! Completely excellent, a band of assassins must team up together to kill the monarch of knight world dominion. It's not as easy as just killing a pilot though, for the body of the monarch has been fused with the legendary Throne of Dominion so they must find a way to break into it's mighty cockpit. Even after that they must find a way to find a new monarch elected that is more loyal to the crusade, to the imperium. It's completely awesome, with lots of twists and turns. So many segments had me clenching my teeth worried about what would happen or hollering along with the shouts of battle. Also for anyone unaware of why it's such a difficult task, the Knight Castellan, the class that the Throne of Dominion is, is an 60-70 feet tall war machine with an ion shield and some of the biggest guns in the imperium's arsenal. It's wild truly, a ton of fun.
Another thing I was wildly impressed by was the characters. This one more than any of the other 40K books I've read has felt incredibly tight with it's characters. Well "Devastation of Baal" and "Knight's of Macragge" are no slouch in this department either. The first like third of this book is lots of characters talking and learning and planning things, them being assassins of course this part is incredibly important. You also get a lot of in depth looks at all of their mannerisms as the team gets closer and the mission evolves, it's really really excellent stuff. That's not even discussing the characters of the knights themselves. In 40K all machines have a machine spirit, from the humble bolter, to the mighty land raider. They have a sort of consciousness to them, think like when your tv doesn't work then you ask it please and suddenly it works. Since knights are so big and to control them you plug in and share your brain with theirs, their machine spirits are very active. Their voices, and the way they characterize and give this sort of legendary aspect to the knights is really so awesome to hear about.
Closing thoughts on this, read it. I had heard going into this one that it was good, but by Joan did it completely blow my expectations out of the water. so much so that I have embarked on completely redoing most of my own knight lance in real life. Even the embarrassing process of giving them all pilots, custom houses and names that all sound a little try hard, I'm loving every second of it.
TL;DR Read this book! I completed it like 30 mins ago and I'm already ready to run through it again and try to pick up on stuff with the knowledge I have now. I will leave off with a quote from the wiki that makes the knights sound way cooler than anything I could ever type.
"Let the power of your Knight flow through your veins. Let the ghosts of your throne whisper wisdom into your mind. Let steel be your sinews and fire be your fists. Become your Knight, as it becomes you, and through symbiosis ascend. So shall you become. So shall you protect your people and slaughter your foes."
— Sixth Canticle of the Ritual of Becoming
April 1, 2022
Not an intro to 40k, if you don't know the more skip this book.
Otherwise, this is a very okay book. Assassins on a Knight World, awesome. But there are long monologues where the assassins talk about the others and how their temple has made them think a certain way. It drags and gets boring in those part, it's tell and not show. But the action is cool.
Otherwise, this is a very okay book. Assassins on a Knight World, awesome. But there are long monologues where the assassins talk about the others and how their temple has made them think a certain way. It drags and gets boring in those part, it's tell and not show. But the action is cool.
March 21, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
No debería haberla leído porque ahora tengo que hacerme un ejercito de caballeros imperiales; no esperaba que me gustara tanto.
Si no le pongo un 10 es porque en ningún momento aspira a ser una gran obra fundamental de la literatura llena de temas complejos y personajes atormentados, de los que se hablen dentro de 100 años. Sin embargo, ni lo busca ni lo necesita.
Cumple con lo que promete: ambientación increíble, acción, conspiraciones palaciegas y una historia pensada desde el principio que deja caer detalles sin aparente relevancia, para después ser importantes en un final muy satisfactorio.
Recomendada para fans acérrimos del trasfondo o incluso para gente que quiera iniciarse en el cuadragésimo primer milenio.
No debería haberla leído porque ahora tengo que hacerme un ejercito de caballeros imperiales; no esperaba que me gustara tanto.
Si no le pongo un 10 es porque en ningún momento aspira a ser una gran obra fundamental de la literatura llena de temas complejos y personajes atormentados, de los que se hablen dentro de 100 años. Sin embargo, ni lo busca ni lo necesita.
Cumple con lo que promete: ambientación increíble, acción, conspiraciones palaciegas y una historia pensada desde el principio que deja caer detalles sin aparente relevancia, para después ser importantes en un final muy satisfactorio.
Recomendada para fans acérrimos del trasfondo o incluso para gente que quiera iniciarse en el cuadragésimo primer milenio.
May 1, 2023
It's a very exciting book: three assassins from three different temples are ordered to work together, which is already a tense situation. Yes they are ridiculously capable killing machines but the Imperium wouldn't be the Imperium if there wasn't a completely inhumane side to it. You really feel how these people are being mistreated from an early age, mentally, socially & physically. Insert them into a Knight World with intricate political plots, beautifully explained and fluffed out and you get an exciting cocktail of assassins and towering knight engines. But beware, nothing is as it seems and this book has some amazing twists and turns that will make it impossible to put this book down.
June 13, 2024
Good book, the plot of warhammer themed mission impossible was good and the book made me get a knight. I really like how the book goes through the planning and time that it takes to preform such a task. The only thing I found it lacking in was area description and it is the kind of book that I feel you have to know something about warhammer to understand what is going on. Otherwise a good book that felt satisfying to read.
August 29, 2024
Very well set up and brilliantly paid off. The only other "40k spy novel", a great concept, was The Horus Heresy's Nemesis, which was all right, but the character drama felt a bit contrived. None of that is here, and everyone's sensible without being hyper-competent. There's a fantastic twist 2/3 of the way through that's a real "Oh fuck, of course!" moment, as well. Oh, and big Gothic Game of Thrones mechas go stomp stomp.
November 30, 2025
Perhaps a bit tropey at points, and character development seems to fall out of nowhere, but filled with classic Warhammer action and fun. Characters on their own are incredibly cool, but the team as a whole took some getting used to. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
March 3, 2024
Loved every moment of it. Really great insight into the Officio Assassinorum, the Indomitus Crusade as backdrop was fun, voice acting was top notch.
December 25, 2025
3.5 stars—would be 4 but all of the court characters kind of blended together.
September 5, 2024
Another excellent read from Robert rath. Really good to read a book about the assassinorum and imperial knights. Two under represented factions in the fiction.
5/5!
5/5!
November 2, 2025
Amazing marketing to make anyone want to buy a Knight kit after reading (and maybe an Assassin or Two)
November 7, 2025
Reviewing Warhammer fiction is a bit tricky for me - it's not usually the peak of literature, but it typically is enjoyable. Assassinorum: Kingmaker fits that bill perfectly - solid writing, with lots of fun action and intrigue. I wished there had been a bit more on the Imperial Knights, but the final battle sequence of the book had plenty of big robot action.
My one complaint about this book is that I felt like the middle third or so flew by, and not in a good way. Things seemed to move a little too quickly, with not enough depth or detail. It was still fun, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
Overall, though, I quite enjoyed this book! Although I don't know that I'd recommend it to someone who wasn't already a fan of the 40K universe.
My one complaint about this book is that I felt like the middle third or so flew by, and not in a good way. Things seemed to move a little too quickly, with not enough depth or detail. It was still fun, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
Overall, though, I quite enjoyed this book! Although I don't know that I'd recommend it to someone who wasn't already a fan of the 40K universe.
July 6, 2022
Focused a LOT more on the dynamics of a knight-world and its politics than I would have cared for and rather blandly. Absalom Wraith was insidiously bland (obviously by design but still he was painfully dull). So much of the first half of this book is on the planning for this team's mission yet provides no details of anything resembling an actual plan for how to kill Dominion's High King. The novel started out great, turned insufferable, then after they land on Dominion things pick up and get interesting. The ending was predictable. A lot of times I had fun or found interesting things listening to this book, mostly in the last half. Many, many times it was a chore. The narrator did an excellent job with the characters.
I guess I went into this hoping the assassins themselves would be more of the story but it wasn't bad overall , just not what I was hoping.
I guess I went into this hoping the assassins themselves would be more of the story but it wasn't bad overall , just not what I was hoping.
March 1, 2024
Best black library book I've read in ages. The quality of writing is head and shoulders above the standard for 40k. I hope there will be a sequel.
More of a spy story than a war story, but there are battles and all of the combat feels important to the story, rather than just something added to meet a quota.
More of a spy story than a war story, but there are battles and all of the combat feels important to the story, rather than just something added to meet a quota.
May 16, 2025
A bit of a shakey start since it seems like a start to a very generic "team up" story. But give it a few chapters and you'll get one of the best depictions of imperial knight mech fights and inter house politicking. Followed by some legitimately badass assasin stories I was looking for when I picked it up. 100% worth the read.
July 9, 2022
The most lethal assassins in the Warhammer 40,000 universe go face to face with a gigantic foe in the impressive and deeply thrilling Assassinorum: Kingmaker by amazing author Robert Rath.
In the 41st millennium, a new generation of war has engulfed the Imperium of Man, as the forces of Chaos press mankind from all sides and the recently resurrected Roboute Guilliman leads his forces on a new crusade. Enemies attack the Imperium from all corners, often hidden in the shadows, and all the Emperor’s agents must work to find and eliminate them. The most deadly, effective and feared of these agents are the members of the Officio Assassinorum, elite modified assassins who kill all of the Emperor’s enemies without mercy or fear, and who many believe are merely myth.
When the mechanical warriors of the Knight World of Dominion fail in their duty, the Imperial overlords task Vindicare assassin, Absolom Raithe, to travel to the planet and kill Dominion’s High Monarch, Lucien Yavarius-Khau, and managed the succession of a suitable replacement. However, this will be no easy kill as the High Monarch has long ago bonded himself to his massive war machine, remaining permanently within its heavily armoured cockpit. To kill this near-invulnerable king, Raithe is forced to recruit a kill-team with variable talents, featuring the Callidus assassin Sycorax and the Vanus assassin Avaaris Koln.
Infiltrating the planet using returning Knight, Sir Linoleus Rakkan, who has been co-opted into their plans, the assassins arrive to find a world in turmoil. The planet’s two rival ruling houses are in constant battle with each other, and in the ensuing chaos, anti-Imperial sentiment is high, and the already invincible High Monarch is under heavy guard. Seeking to infiltrate the court of Dominion, the kill team begin to manoeuvre themselves into position, while manipulating the feuding knights around them. However, the assassins soon begin to realise that not everything is as it seems, and a dark secret lies at the heart of this noble planet. Can Raithe’s team achieve their goals, or are they destined to die at the hands of a dangerous foe with malicious plans for the entire Imperium?
Damn! Damn! Damn! What an over-the-top and extremely cool Warhammer 40,000 novel that I deeply, deeply loved. Robert Rath really went out of his way to make Kingmaker as awesome as possible, and the result is an extremely thrilling, electrifying and epic read, loaded with so many cool elements. This was honestly one of the best Warhammer novels I have had the pleasure of reading and I have very little choice but to give it a full-five star read.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/07/09/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
In the 41st millennium, a new generation of war has engulfed the Imperium of Man, as the forces of Chaos press mankind from all sides and the recently resurrected Roboute Guilliman leads his forces on a new crusade. Enemies attack the Imperium from all corners, often hidden in the shadows, and all the Emperor’s agents must work to find and eliminate them. The most deadly, effective and feared of these agents are the members of the Officio Assassinorum, elite modified assassins who kill all of the Emperor’s enemies without mercy or fear, and who many believe are merely myth.
When the mechanical warriors of the Knight World of Dominion fail in their duty, the Imperial overlords task Vindicare assassin, Absolom Raithe, to travel to the planet and kill Dominion’s High Monarch, Lucien Yavarius-Khau, and managed the succession of a suitable replacement. However, this will be no easy kill as the High Monarch has long ago bonded himself to his massive war machine, remaining permanently within its heavily armoured cockpit. To kill this near-invulnerable king, Raithe is forced to recruit a kill-team with variable talents, featuring the Callidus assassin Sycorax and the Vanus assassin Avaaris Koln.
Infiltrating the planet using returning Knight, Sir Linoleus Rakkan, who has been co-opted into their plans, the assassins arrive to find a world in turmoil. The planet’s two rival ruling houses are in constant battle with each other, and in the ensuing chaos, anti-Imperial sentiment is high, and the already invincible High Monarch is under heavy guard. Seeking to infiltrate the court of Dominion, the kill team begin to manoeuvre themselves into position, while manipulating the feuding knights around them. However, the assassins soon begin to realise that not everything is as it seems, and a dark secret lies at the heart of this noble planet. Can Raithe’s team achieve their goals, or are they destined to die at the hands of a dangerous foe with malicious plans for the entire Imperium?
Damn! Damn! Damn! What an over-the-top and extremely cool Warhammer 40,000 novel that I deeply, deeply loved. Robert Rath really went out of his way to make Kingmaker as awesome as possible, and the result is an extremely thrilling, electrifying and epic read, loaded with so many cool elements. This was honestly one of the best Warhammer novels I have had the pleasure of reading and I have very little choice but to give it a full-five star read.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/07/09/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
December 11, 2025
Some people may not think this book deserves five stars. Some people may say that's because this book is Warhammer slop. I'm not going to argue with those people. Or maybe I will. This book deserves five stars. It's no wonder Robert Rath wrote this incredible book, because he also wrote my other favorite Warhammer book: The Infinite and the Divine.
Is the hook of this book that they essentially need to maximize authority with minimal cost? (for a specific planet) Yes, that is the hook. I'm not saying that's good. That's bad actually. Are the characters a little 1D? Maybe, but not as much as you think. And that is clear from the beginning. Is the chaos is the real villain all along thing present? Yes, but it actually makes sense and the clues for the amazing twist are there from the beginning.
Characters? Deeper than they appear. Raithe is an ultra capable assassin, of course. Or presented as such; one million kills, one million successfully completed missions, blah blah. But he has an injury. It's an insecurity, and a physical hinderance. And it is the catalyst for his character growth. Learning to trust and rely on others, etc. Sycorax was a super interesting character. Just like Raithe, her insecurities and struggle with identity make working together difficult. Avaaris Koln is the Admech-adjacent character. She seems like the easiest to work with at first, but her intelligence causes her to do things without consulting other members of the team. Rakkan has an amazing arc. He is a passive observer for most of his life, never accomplishing much. When he tries to take charge at the tournament, he is punished for it, because of his lower status. He spends most of this book watching while someone essentially plays a more capable version of himself. When the chips are down, however, he finally takes charge, and truly claims agency for himself. The book really makes you root for this guy.
And of course, this book is unapologetically entertaining. Warhammer fans must read. To people who aren't Warhammer fans, I must also recommend this book (just like Infinite and the Divine) as simply an incredible piece of Science Fiction. Thanks Robert Rath.
Is the hook of this book that they essentially need to maximize authority with minimal cost? (for a specific planet) Yes, that is the hook. I'm not saying that's good. That's bad actually. Are the characters a little 1D? Maybe, but not as much as you think. And that is clear from the beginning. Is the chaos is the real villain all along thing present? Yes, but it actually makes sense and the clues for the amazing twist are there from the beginning.
Characters? Deeper than they appear. Raithe is an ultra capable assassin, of course. Or presented as such; one million kills, one million successfully completed missions, blah blah. But he has an injury. It's an insecurity, and a physical hinderance. And it is the catalyst for his character growth. Learning to trust and rely on others, etc. Sycorax was a super interesting character. Just like Raithe, her insecurities and struggle with identity make working together difficult. Avaaris Koln is the Admech-adjacent character. She seems like the easiest to work with at first, but her intelligence causes her to do things without consulting other members of the team. Rakkan has an amazing arc. He is a passive observer for most of his life, never accomplishing much. When he tries to take charge at the tournament, he is punished for it, because of his lower status. He spends most of this book watching while someone essentially plays a more capable version of himself. When the chips are down, however, he finally takes charge, and truly claims agency for himself. The book really makes you root for this guy.
And of course, this book is unapologetically entertaining. Warhammer fans must read. To people who aren't Warhammer fans, I must also recommend this book (just like Infinite and the Divine) as simply an incredible piece of Science Fiction. Thanks Robert Rath.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2022
Kingmaker is the Assassinorum novel I’ve wanted for years. Rath realizes the Assassinorum as unique and distinct from the Inquisition despite an oft overlapping remit, giving the Officio a Cold War spy vibe that really fits. There’s no religious mumbo-jumbo and everything seems much more centralized than you get in Abnett’s or Wraight’s work. However this book is decidedly more about the process of conducting an operation than the functioning of the Assassinorum as a whole. Rath focuses on how the assassins involved, all of whom are wonderfully well depicted in their interactions with each other and their targets, plan out/perform their mission. There’s also a lot of time spent getting to know the world of Dominion, to the point that this might be the best work on Imperial Knights in the canon. I generally don’t care for the ‘medieval nobles piloting mechs’ vibe it seems every Knight House has to have (why can’t they be diverse like the Titan Legios?), but Rath clearly put a lot of time into giving Dominion an engaging political identity and sense of character. In the broad view I think it’s a brilliant move to focus so much attention on whomever the Assassin(s) are targeting. Hopefully it will mean future books in the series, if they happen, vary considerably with each entry.
I do have one complaint about the book, which is that Rath doesn’t do a great job setting up some of the knight battle scenes. The details and events that were present were great, but it was hard to put everything in its proper place sometimes. I could’ve used more detail on where things were in relation to each other basically. I noticed this at the end of The Infinite and the Divine as well. I’m sure if I went back to the part in the book where the geography of Dominion was defined more it would make enough sense, but it was a little confusing to read in the moment.
Overall I really can’t say enough about how excellent Kingmaker is. It’s impressive that Rath can follow up The Infinite and The Divine with such a wildly different novel and have each be similarly brilliant.
I do have one complaint about the book, which is that Rath doesn’t do a great job setting up some of the knight battle scenes. The details and events that were present were great, but it was hard to put everything in its proper place sometimes. I could’ve used more detail on where things were in relation to each other basically. I noticed this at the end of The Infinite and the Divine as well. I’m sure if I went back to the part in the book where the geography of Dominion was defined more it would make enough sense, but it was a little confusing to read in the moment.
Overall I really can’t say enough about how excellent Kingmaker is. It’s impressive that Rath can follow up The Infinite and The Divine with such a wildly different novel and have each be similarly brilliant.
May 31, 2025
I started reading this, expecting (or at least hoping for) a cool story about Assassinorum operatives being cool, doing their "thing", killing targets in spectacular fashion, some drama maybe, perhaps someone doesn't return from the mission (or no one... it's 40K, it's grimdark, it can be brutal).
And the book has most of what I expected, but also so much more. And written so much better than I thought it would be (it's my first Robert Rath book ).
I found myself caring, from the very beginning, not only about the 3 assassins, but for, let's call them "seemingly very disposable" characters.
And it only got better. Dominion's politics and traditions I found very interesting, no characters were boring.
The story went in a direction I probably should have, but definitely did not expect, and was overall really great.
But what made me love the book, truly love it, and which is the reason I'm writing this "review" that honestly probably nobody will read (or should :) ), was something that hit me on a personal level, as is the case with most things that become our favorites.
And as it's a HUGE spoiler, please don't read this if you are interested in the book but haven't read it yet:
And the book has most of what I expected, but also so much more. And written so much better than I thought it would be (it's my first Robert Rath book ).
I found myself caring, from the very beginning, not only about the 3 assassins, but for, let's call them "seemingly very disposable" characters.
And it only got better. Dominion's politics and traditions I found very interesting, no characters were boring.
The story went in a direction I probably should have, but definitely did not expect, and was overall really great.
But what made me love the book, truly love it, and which is the reason I'm writing this "review" that honestly probably nobody will read (or should :) ), was something that hit me on a personal level, as is the case with most things that become our favorites.
And as it's a HUGE spoiler, please don't read this if you are interested in the book but haven't read it yet:
December 7, 2025
Assassinorum: Kingmaker nos trae un planteamiento interesante, que se aleja en un principio de la épica a gran escala, tan habitual en el universo de Warhammer 40.000. Tenemos un mundo de vital importancia estratégica para el Imperio de la Humanidad, donde dos casas nobles se disputan el gobierno y el actual rey coquetea con la sedición. Ante ese escenario, un equipo de asesinos es enviado a eliminar de manera discreta al monarca y maniobrar para poner en su lugar a un candidato más favorable a los intereses imperiales.
Seguiremos los pasos de un equipo de tres asesinos, que tendrán que dejar de lado sus diferencias y aprender a colaborar para cumplir con éxito su misión. Se adentrarán en un "Mundo Caballero", un planeta feudal con nobles y caballeros que, en lugar de corceles, cabalgan robots gigantes. Infiltrarse en una sociedad tan particular y compleja será un reto casi imposible, incluso para los asesinos mejor entrenados de la galaxia. Aunque la novela dedica mucha atención a explorar las particularidades de este mundo, es cierto que sin un conocimiento previo del universo Warhammer 40.000 se hace difícil seguir los tipos de robots, armas y demás detalles específicos de esta franquicia.
La trama, centrada en un regicidio, se presta a muchas situaciones y clichés del género de espionaje. Que las hay, pero no lo suficientemente bien explotadas o desarrolladas. Al final, la cabra tira al monte y no hay que olvidar que estamos ante una novela de Warhammer 40.000: a pesar de la naturaleza "quirúrgica" de la operación, acabaremos teniendo la habitual dosis de batallas épicas, esta vez protagonizadas por robots gigantes. Eso, unido al escaso desarrollo de unos personajes que podrían dar mucho más juego, acaba desluciendo una obra que cuenta con buenos ingredientes, un planteamiento muy interesante, pero un desarrollo al que le falta intriga y le sobra épica.
Seguiremos los pasos de un equipo de tres asesinos, que tendrán que dejar de lado sus diferencias y aprender a colaborar para cumplir con éxito su misión. Se adentrarán en un "Mundo Caballero", un planeta feudal con nobles y caballeros que, en lugar de corceles, cabalgan robots gigantes. Infiltrarse en una sociedad tan particular y compleja será un reto casi imposible, incluso para los asesinos mejor entrenados de la galaxia. Aunque la novela dedica mucha atención a explorar las particularidades de este mundo, es cierto que sin un conocimiento previo del universo Warhammer 40.000 se hace difícil seguir los tipos de robots, armas y demás detalles específicos de esta franquicia.
La trama, centrada en un regicidio, se presta a muchas situaciones y clichés del género de espionaje. Que las hay, pero no lo suficientemente bien explotadas o desarrolladas. Al final, la cabra tira al monte y no hay que olvidar que estamos ante una novela de Warhammer 40.000: a pesar de la naturaleza "quirúrgica" de la operación, acabaremos teniendo la habitual dosis de batallas épicas, esta vez protagonizadas por robots gigantes. Eso, unido al escaso desarrollo de unos personajes que podrían dar mucho más juego, acaba desluciendo una obra que cuenta con buenos ingredientes, un planteamiento muy interesante, pero un desarrollo al que le falta intriga y le sobra épica.
September 23, 2023
Utterly and completely alright.
In so many words: Kingmaker has the structure of a heist movie (assemble your team, make a plan, explain how it will go perfectly, deal with the inevitable twist) transplanted into the exaggerated and gothic Warhammer 40k setting. I was hoping that the idea would be just the right combination of a classic trope and a radical setting to work!
I was disappointed. It is quickly established that our principle cast of assassins are able to handle any threat thrown at them with ease, which makes the broad span of the book that they all spend with knives at eachother's throats feel trying and unnecessary. Especially in contrast to the Author's previous The Infinite and The Divine, this instance of "incredibly powerful beings at odds with eachother attempting to accomplish the same goal for different philosophical reasons" feels like it was engineered so that the hypothetical trailer composed of three minutes of cool action scenes would have a hundred and seventeen minutes of other material to fill a movie out with.
Overall, the book had three primary protagonists and split its attention between a cloak-and-dagger assassin, a clever shapeshifter, and a disgraced knight returned home, to the point that I'm not sure anybody who considers themselves a fan of one of those archetypes or parallel storylines would come away satisfied with what they read.
In so many words: Kingmaker has the structure of a heist movie (assemble your team, make a plan, explain how it will go perfectly, deal with the inevitable twist) transplanted into the exaggerated and gothic Warhammer 40k setting. I was hoping that the idea would be just the right combination of a classic trope and a radical setting to work!
I was disappointed. It is quickly established that our principle cast of assassins are able to handle any threat thrown at them with ease, which makes the broad span of the book that they all spend with knives at eachother's throats feel trying and unnecessary. Especially in contrast to the Author's previous The Infinite and The Divine, this instance of "incredibly powerful beings at odds with eachother attempting to accomplish the same goal for different philosophical reasons" feels like it was engineered so that the hypothetical trailer composed of three minutes of cool action scenes would have a hundred and seventeen minutes of other material to fill a movie out with.
Overall, the book had three primary protagonists and split its attention between a cloak-and-dagger assassin, a clever shapeshifter, and a disgraced knight returned home, to the point that I'm not sure anybody who considers themselves a fan of one of those archetypes or parallel storylines would come away satisfied with what they read.
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