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The Inquisition War #1
Inquisitor
Science fiction legend Ian Watson, whose A.I. became the hit movie from Steven Spielberg, charges headlong into the dark and dangerous future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, in this first book in his Inquisition War series.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
47 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
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Ian Watson
300 books119 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 25, 2013
This reads like a horny, sci-fi crazy, teenager's acid trip.
December 30, 2016
This is one of the most mature, almost high-brow, WH40K books I've come across. Ian Watson writes using sometimes very obscure adjectives and adverbs that might considerably slow down your reading speed, but succeeds in casting the world of WH40K in a very dark and disturbing light. That being said, this is still an action-packed and fun novel that you'll want to read when you should be doing your errands.
Inquisitor Jaq Draco reminds me in some ways of Abnett's Eisenhorn, but being a bit more melancholy and doubting of his ideals. He finds himself in the middle of an extremely confusing and possibly devastatingly powerful plot involving mysterious strangers and previously trusted allies. Through most of the book Draco is lead around like a dog on a leash by supposed adversaries that he doesn't know but is determined to identify. Both Draco, his companions, and the antagonist are extremely compelling characters that each hide their own secrets but are easy to fall in love with. They are, in my opinion, the best part of this book.
Draco is the first book in the Inquisition War trilogy and is followed by Harlequin (Warhammer 40,000). In this first book, you'll get a different perspective on many parts of the Imperium than you get in other WH40K books. You even get a tour of the Emperor's Palace on Terra, and receive a somewhat disturbing view of the Emperor himself (somewhat like a Wizard of Oz character) that I personally did not find pleasing. Ian Watson has received a lot of criticism from fans of WH40K because of his somewhat lofty writing style and his slightly altered view of the WH40K universe, but I'd recommend giving him a try.
Inquisitor Jaq Draco reminds me in some ways of Abnett's Eisenhorn, but being a bit more melancholy and doubting of his ideals. He finds himself in the middle of an extremely confusing and possibly devastatingly powerful plot involving mysterious strangers and previously trusted allies. Through most of the book Draco is lead around like a dog on a leash by supposed adversaries that he doesn't know but is determined to identify. Both Draco, his companions, and the antagonist are extremely compelling characters that each hide their own secrets but are easy to fall in love with. They are, in my opinion, the best part of this book.
Draco is the first book in the Inquisition War trilogy and is followed by Harlequin (Warhammer 40,000). In this first book, you'll get a different perspective on many parts of the Imperium than you get in other WH40K books. You even get a tour of the Emperor's Palace on Terra, and receive a somewhat disturbing view of the Emperor himself (somewhat like a Wizard of Oz character) that I personally did not find pleasing. Ian Watson has received a lot of criticism from fans of WH40K because of his somewhat lofty writing style and his slightly altered view of the WH40K universe, but I'd recommend giving him a try.
June 13, 2018
Ci si muove all’interno di un contesto a me molto gradito, il che gli ha garantito la sufficienza, ma non si va oltre... Personaggi piatti e scialbi, e la cosa ha dell’incredibile dato che il tutto è concentrato su quattro gatti di cui si parla per gran parte del libro, ma non si fa che ripetere sempre le stesse cose - l’Inquisitore dovrà ricorrere ai suoi poteri psionici per intrigarmi perché al momento le emozioni rasentano lo zero. Questo ammortizza il peso delle decisioni prese e il destino riservato loro dagli eventi, non sono riuscito a legare praticamente con nessuno. Eppure la trama ha un suo perché, però il mio distacco unito al fatto che i protagonisti sembrano portare avanti la propria missione “in modalità facile” - visto che non ho mai avuto la percezione di un vero pericolo che li riguardasse - frenano l’entusiasmo sul nascere. Al momento l’Arlecchino è stato più un’incognita che un punto a favore, e non per via del ruolo che svolge.
Primo tassello di questa trilogia che mi ha lasciato con uno scettico “Mah!” come impressione. E dire che all’inizio sembrava promettere bene, purtroppo si è trattato di un fuoco di paglia. Speriamo migliori, e tanto anche, non vorrei dover raggiungere la fine di questa storia leggendo per inerzia.
Primo tassello di questa trilogia che mi ha lasciato con uno scettico “Mah!” come impressione. E dire che all’inizio sembrava promettere bene, purtroppo si è trattato di un fuoco di paglia. Speriamo migliori, e tanto anche, non vorrei dover raggiungere la fine di questa storia leggendo per inerzia.
May 1, 2012
The books started with Draco. This was the most interesting plot wise though it was very slow to get going. It's hard to imagine a book where millions of people die in the first half as slow but Watson managed to make this happen with off screen as it were with very little impact. Unlike the Space Marine books there was at least one deadly female character in this group. Though she was entirely too sexualised and marganilised despite being incredibly badass. The first half of the book I didn't much care for. It got better once they got off world and discovred a conspiracy hidden within the hidden inquistion. This led them into many dark places to try and untangle the web of what had happened and eventually to Earth and the Emperors throne room. It was quite interesting the way more was revealed and in parts was a bit disturbing.
April 9, 2017
Huh, na ez egy wild ride volt. A legelejetol nulla megallas, olyan konyortelenul nyomul elore a cselekmeny mint amilyen konyortelen a vilag amiben jatszodik. Tenyleg kesz borzalom ez a valosag, az elfajzasokkal, emberek semmibevetelevel, demonokkal, idegenekkel. A jatekokkal mind jatszottam de behatoan nem ismertem a 40K vilagat, ez tokeletes bevezetesbol. Egyeduli kritikakent azt tudnam felhozni, hogy gyorsan es a konyvon belul kovetkezmenyek nelkuk van vege. Valoszinuleg eleve trilogiara kapott megbizast Watson, igy kesobb kiderul.
May 11, 2025
“This is a book which may have been deliberately designed as a weapon to sabotage Faith and Duty.”
A peculiarly entertaining look into early (and I mean EARLY) editions of 40k and the launch of what would later come to sustain them in fan’s lives and experience, beyond the table. Knowing where all that goes now, it’s neat to think about this whole universe finding a second life and gear behind the heyday of the time on table and then further making that a whole separate aspect of the experience that people can engage with on their own. It’s amazing.
Less amazing is…this.
But I should say! It’s VERY crazy and genuinely does do some great tonal and high theatricality shifts that I always come to love and expect from 40k. And the inquisition, even in this very strange early form, truly just are hyper compelling. You surround that character with a bunch of other fantastic characters, all with their own gimmick and skill set and odds are, I’m gonna love them.
Hell, Eisenhorn just refines and streamlines a lot of that precise stuff anyway! And it’s a much more functional mystery story. This is just like…them moving from setting to setting and being occasionally harangued by either some Traitor Legions (none of them named just yet) or some genestealers or just good ol’ marauders on a planet’s surface.
Oh, and they also fly directly into the Eye of Terror and even later The Golden Throne itself so they can speak to the Emperor. NBD, what you DONT speak to the Carrion Lord of a Million Worlds? Sounds like a skills issue tbh.
I’ll leave it by saying, this is a great as an experience but terrible as an introduction to WH. naturally, I cannot wait to see how these end, because apparently they get even more insane (and maybe further how they compare to the more contemporary “first” efforts like the first Ghosts or even Horus Rising; which I know I read and logged but couldn’t tell you a thing about it rn).
A peculiarly entertaining look into early (and I mean EARLY) editions of 40k and the launch of what would later come to sustain them in fan’s lives and experience, beyond the table. Knowing where all that goes now, it’s neat to think about this whole universe finding a second life and gear behind the heyday of the time on table and then further making that a whole separate aspect of the experience that people can engage with on their own. It’s amazing.
Less amazing is…this.
But I should say! It’s VERY crazy and genuinely does do some great tonal and high theatricality shifts that I always come to love and expect from 40k. And the inquisition, even in this very strange early form, truly just are hyper compelling. You surround that character with a bunch of other fantastic characters, all with their own gimmick and skill set and odds are, I’m gonna love them.
Hell, Eisenhorn just refines and streamlines a lot of that precise stuff anyway! And it’s a much more functional mystery story. This is just like…them moving from setting to setting and being occasionally harangued by either some Traitor Legions (none of them named just yet) or some genestealers or just good ol’ marauders on a planet’s surface.
Oh, and they also fly directly into the Eye of Terror and even later The Golden Throne itself so they can speak to the Emperor. NBD, what you DONT speak to the Carrion Lord of a Million Worlds? Sounds like a skills issue tbh.
I’ll leave it by saying, this is a great as an experience but terrible as an introduction to WH. naturally, I cannot wait to see how these end, because apparently they get even more insane (and maybe further how they compare to the more contemporary “first” efforts like the first Ghosts or even Horus Rising; which I know I read and logged but couldn’t tell you a thing about it rn).
August 2, 2018
A bit of a disappointment, I'm a huge fan of early Warhammer & 40K, the inventiveness and scope of the games in the late 80s were astonishing and beautiful, and I expected similar from the first 40K novel, published in 1990. What I got was a book of which the entire first chapter is spent ogling the sexy female assassin character, and a leading man so stupid he joins a secret cult dedicated to allowing a big psychic tentacle monster take over humanity, and then literally MINUTES later decides "Hmm.. actually, I don't think this lot are on the up and up. I will now make it my sworn quest to destory this cult I joined like 10 minutes ago."
The ending however is spectacular, as 'The Gang' (the titular Inqusitor Drago, the aforementioned sexy assassin lady Meh'Lindi, a Space Dwarf called Grimm and an effeminate warp navigator called Googol who writes poetry) infiltrate Earth in an attempt to tell the God-Emperor of Mankind about this sinister tentancle monster plot. Earth (or Terra, technically seeing as this is 40K) is described in fascinating, gruesome detail, almost a prose version of the artwork of John Blanche or Ian Miller. This section is somewhat dreamlike in the way it shortens and enlongates time, especially when they finally meet the Emperor after months of hiding, waiting and being in disguise. This goes a long way to redeeming the fairly underwhelming rest of the book.
The ending however is spectacular, as 'The Gang' (the titular Inqusitor Drago, the aforementioned sexy assassin lady Meh'Lindi, a Space Dwarf called Grimm and an effeminate warp navigator called Googol who writes poetry) infiltrate Earth in an attempt to tell the God-Emperor of Mankind about this sinister tentancle monster plot. Earth (or Terra, technically seeing as this is 40K) is described in fascinating, gruesome detail, almost a prose version of the artwork of John Blanche or Ian Miller. This section is somewhat dreamlike in the way it shortens and enlongates time, especially when they finally meet the Emperor after months of hiding, waiting and being in disguise. This goes a long way to redeeming the fairly underwhelming rest of the book.
February 8, 2012
This was the first book written in the 40k world. We follow the story of Draco, a Malleus inquisitor, and it's odd retinue . A Squat (Grimm), a Callidus Assassin (Meh'Lindi) able to transform itself and a Navigator (Vitali Googol). There is also for a small brief of time the inclusion of an odd psyker. In the beginning we follow draco into a world (Stanlislav) besiege by genestealers (strangely at this time genestealers were not know to be a part of Tyrannid, or if they were nobody in the all book linked them together). In this world Draco must follow an inquisitor work and from here we jump from one place to another. The main story is Draco is investigating something odd that his happening within his own order. He travels to a Space Hulk, to the Eye of Terror and finally to Earth. This all betrayal was part of the Hydra plan. The Ordo Hydra is an extremist faction of the secret illuminati society. What they want is to link (enslave) all mankind at the orders of Ordo Hydra and with it they believe that it will be enough to destroy all that threatens it's survival,. The book ends with a cliffhanger. Some strange ancient words made the reading quite dificult
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2019
Ez egy őrültem jó regény. Mintha Lovecraftot és Barkert kevernénk a Gof of Warral, aztán az egészet gótikus-cyber-horror sci-fibe oltanánk. Emlebeteg és mégis lenyűgöző. A történet nem nagy eresztés, némi nyomozgatás egy különös lény után, de a körítés... Elképesztő. Olvastam kritikákat és véleményeket a későbbi regényekről, hogy mennyire más lesz... Tulajdonképpen nem számít, hogy merre megy a sztori, ha az továbbra is ilyen minőségben érkezik.
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September 27, 2015Alcuni spunti interessanti. Niente di superlativo: è quello che si può definire libro di intrattenimento vero, si fa leggere rapidamente, lascia poco, ma non disturba. Non aspira all'eternità, certo, ma è leale.
May 4, 2025
Hoooooo boy.
So, recently I undertook a project to read every single Warhammer 40k novel in release order. The first of these was a book called Inquisitor, which was later renamed to Draco when it was re-released. It has developed a bit of a reputation among 40k fans as being bizarre (and not in a good way). I thought going in that surely it couldn’t be that bad – fans do tend to exaggerate these kinds of things, after all.
I was wrong.
Draco tells the story of Inquisitor Jaq Draco and his retinue, who have been dispatched to a hive world to covertly oversee the cleansing of a alien genestealer infestation. But just when he thinks that everything is safe, he discovers another mysterious alien threat and a man who seems to be able to subvert the sacred divinations of the Emperor’s Tarot.
This book was bonkers. The “alien threat” turns out to be a semi-ethereal tentacle monster that can give you orgasms. There is a point where one of the inquisitor’s retinue is tied up by some bad guys and for some reason, the narration thinks it’s important to note that he was tied up for so long that he crapped himself. A bit character wears “alien fetus earrings” for no apparent reason. At one point, they travel to a planet that has been corrupted by the Chaos god Slaanesh and we are treated to descriptions of pulsing, genital-shaped buildings and a giant, bloated woman who slowly deflates when her nipple piercings are removed. Sure, the last ones can be explained by “planet corrupted by the prince of excess”, but the whole thing together gives off a grimy, gross, horny-and-not-in-a-fun-way vibe.
Furthermore, the writing itself isn’t that good. Draco is stiff and emotionless, his shapeshifting assassin companion is interesting but underdeveloped, and the psychic navagator and dwarf-like squat that fill out his retinue seem intended as comic relief, but fail to do much of anything funny. The story lurches from plot point to plot point based on revelations that often aren’t sufficiently explained and while I wasn’t expecting the ending to the first book in a trilogy to wrap everything up perfectly, the last chapter rendered the entire story arc leading up to it pointless.
Even as a 40k novel, it’s of limited use – there’s only a few direct contradictions with later lore, but there’s enough things that are weird or just really unlikely that you’re not gonna get much info about the setting from it. The prose is incredibly overwrought in places as well, making it a bit of a slog to read even beyond the content. And to top it all off, there was a sexual assault included that really rubbed me the wrong way with how it was handled and how cavalierly it was treated by the narrative.
The only saving grace the story has is that the base premise with the alien creature and the mysterious harlequin-man is actually not a bad idea and there was some moments where the overly-flowery description managed to hit the right note and suck me in, capturing the baroque nature of the setting quite well at its best.
I’d say that Draco is really more useful as an interesting bit of 40k fandom history than it is as an actual book in its own right. Might be fun to read drunk with a friend, but other than that, I’d skip it.
Warnings: As previously discussed, one of the characters is raped in the book, although it takes place off-screen and is not discussed in graphic detail. There’s also plenty of 40k’s typical over-the-top violence and light body horror.
So, recently I undertook a project to read every single Warhammer 40k novel in release order. The first of these was a book called Inquisitor, which was later renamed to Draco when it was re-released. It has developed a bit of a reputation among 40k fans as being bizarre (and not in a good way). I thought going in that surely it couldn’t be that bad – fans do tend to exaggerate these kinds of things, after all.
I was wrong.
Draco tells the story of Inquisitor Jaq Draco and his retinue, who have been dispatched to a hive world to covertly oversee the cleansing of a alien genestealer infestation. But just when he thinks that everything is safe, he discovers another mysterious alien threat and a man who seems to be able to subvert the sacred divinations of the Emperor’s Tarot.
This book was bonkers. The “alien threat” turns out to be a semi-ethereal tentacle monster that can give you orgasms. There is a point where one of the inquisitor’s retinue is tied up by some bad guys and for some reason, the narration thinks it’s important to note that he was tied up for so long that he crapped himself. A bit character wears “alien fetus earrings” for no apparent reason. At one point, they travel to a planet that has been corrupted by the Chaos god Slaanesh and we are treated to descriptions of pulsing, genital-shaped buildings and a giant, bloated woman who slowly deflates when her nipple piercings are removed. Sure, the last ones can be explained by “planet corrupted by the prince of excess”, but the whole thing together gives off a grimy, gross, horny-and-not-in-a-fun-way vibe.
Furthermore, the writing itself isn’t that good. Draco is stiff and emotionless, his shapeshifting assassin companion is interesting but underdeveloped, and the psychic navagator and dwarf-like squat that fill out his retinue seem intended as comic relief, but fail to do much of anything funny. The story lurches from plot point to plot point based on revelations that often aren’t sufficiently explained and while I wasn’t expecting the ending to the first book in a trilogy to wrap everything up perfectly, the last chapter rendered the entire story arc leading up to it pointless.
Even as a 40k novel, it’s of limited use – there’s only a few direct contradictions with later lore, but there’s enough things that are weird or just really unlikely that you’re not gonna get much info about the setting from it. The prose is incredibly overwrought in places as well, making it a bit of a slog to read even beyond the content. And to top it all off, there was a sexual assault included that really rubbed me the wrong way with how it was handled and how cavalierly it was treated by the narrative.
The only saving grace the story has is that the base premise with the alien creature and the mysterious harlequin-man is actually not a bad idea and there was some moments where the overly-flowery description managed to hit the right note and suck me in, capturing the baroque nature of the setting quite well at its best.
I’d say that Draco is really more useful as an interesting bit of 40k fandom history than it is as an actual book in its own right. Might be fun to read drunk with a friend, but other than that, I’d skip it.
Warnings: As previously discussed, one of the characters is raped in the book, although it takes place off-screen and is not discussed in graphic detail. There’s also plenty of 40k’s typical over-the-top violence and light body horror.
June 2, 2019
(Important note: The edition I am reviewing is actually a part of the Inquisition War Omnibus that I picked up on amazon.com in paperback. Like any Omnibus that I own, whether it is a Warhammer 40k or an old fantasy omnibus, I will from now review each individual book in the Omnibus instead of reviewing the omnibus all at once. That isn't to say that I won't review the Omnibus itself nonetheless.)
WARNING! POTENTIAL SPOILERS APPROACHING! WARNING!
Okay, first things first, while I love RPG video games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, I know little to nothing about table top RPGs like Warhammer 40k or Dungeons and Dragons. I've heard about Warhammer 40k over the years, but never really looked into it or seemed to have too much interest in it. So, what got me into reading Warhammer fiction? I was perusing the imdb page of legendary director Stanley Kubrick one day and saw that, while he was working with author Ian Watson on his film 'A.I.' Kubrick saw a copy of Inquisitor by Watson and reportedly, he wanted to adapt it for his next film. I was all, like, Kubrick (had he not died) would have done a movie adaptation of a table-top RPG and he seemed pretty excited about it? I had to read that book!
So, I picked up a copy of the Inquisition War Omnibus on amazon.com...and just like that, I was hooked. I think also reading Frank Herbert's Dune and the graphic novels 'The Incal' and 'The Metabarons' by Alejandro Jodorowsky helped me out as well, as their style (well, okay, mostly Jodo's) was highly reminiscent of this novel. It took me a little while, but I was able to read the first book/part of the Inquisition War (Draco) and I am very interested to read what happens next in the series.
Essentially, from a layman's point of view (or basically a point of view of a man who has never played Warhammer 40k, ever), this is set in a dystopic future where the Roman Catholic Church has taken full control and established themselves as a intergalactic empire. Sort of like Final Fantasy X and the Church of Yevon controlling all aspects of everyone's lives under the threat of heresy and death. A secret agent or inquisitor, named Jaq Draco, while doing routine missions on a wartorn world, encounters a mysterious harlequin-outfitted man who will essentially challenge everything Draco believes in and reveal a horrifying conspiracy that will shake the pillars of the Empire.
The writing is a little weird with all the technical pseudoscientific terms and strange Latin being thrown around. Also, when dialogue comes up, it isn't put inside quotation marks but instead regular apostrophes. That made it quite hard to follow.
Also, the characters are not incredibly cool or sympathetic to their plight. Still, it would be interesting who would win in a fight, Luke Skywalker or Jaq Draco?
Finally, the book ends very abruptly after a boat-load of build-up, leaving many more questions than answers. However, my curiosity is piqued and I want to keep reading this series.
May the Force be with you!
WARNING! POTENTIAL SPOILERS APPROACHING! WARNING!
Okay, first things first, while I love RPG video games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, I know little to nothing about table top RPGs like Warhammer 40k or Dungeons and Dragons. I've heard about Warhammer 40k over the years, but never really looked into it or seemed to have too much interest in it. So, what got me into reading Warhammer fiction? I was perusing the imdb page of legendary director Stanley Kubrick one day and saw that, while he was working with author Ian Watson on his film 'A.I.' Kubrick saw a copy of Inquisitor by Watson and reportedly, he wanted to adapt it for his next film. I was all, like, Kubrick (had he not died) would have done a movie adaptation of a table-top RPG and he seemed pretty excited about it? I had to read that book!
So, I picked up a copy of the Inquisition War Omnibus on amazon.com...and just like that, I was hooked. I think also reading Frank Herbert's Dune and the graphic novels 'The Incal' and 'The Metabarons' by Alejandro Jodorowsky helped me out as well, as their style (well, okay, mostly Jodo's) was highly reminiscent of this novel. It took me a little while, but I was able to read the first book/part of the Inquisition War (Draco) and I am very interested to read what happens next in the series.
Essentially, from a layman's point of view (or basically a point of view of a man who has never played Warhammer 40k, ever), this is set in a dystopic future where the Roman Catholic Church has taken full control and established themselves as a intergalactic empire. Sort of like Final Fantasy X and the Church of Yevon controlling all aspects of everyone's lives under the threat of heresy and death. A secret agent or inquisitor, named Jaq Draco, while doing routine missions on a wartorn world, encounters a mysterious harlequin-outfitted man who will essentially challenge everything Draco believes in and reveal a horrifying conspiracy that will shake the pillars of the Empire.
The writing is a little weird with all the technical pseudoscientific terms and strange Latin being thrown around. Also, when dialogue comes up, it isn't put inside quotation marks but instead regular apostrophes. That made it quite hard to follow.
Also, the characters are not incredibly cool or sympathetic to their plight. Still, it would be interesting who would win in a fight, Luke Skywalker or Jaq Draco?
Finally, the book ends very abruptly after a boat-load of build-up, leaving many more questions than answers. However, my curiosity is piqued and I want to keep reading this series.
May the Force be with you!
August 4, 2025
This book was . . . weird . . . even by the standards of Ian Watson's 40k. I'm scoring it low because it's very short, needs a companion short story (The Alien Beast Within) to make any sense, although that's included in the omnibus edition, and very clearly sets up a sequel.
The book opens with a suppression of a genestealer cult, back before genestealers were part of the Tyranids. Our inquisitor is there to keep an eye on another inquisitor, but it's really a ploy to bring him into a plot where there's an object called the Hydra that's designed to bind all the wills of humanity to the totally-not-evil masters of the hydra, which are a rogue inquisition organization. He meets a Harlequin inquisitor who sets this as a puzzle to solve, and is able to trace the harlequin back to the meeting on a space hulk. It's not yet clear if this is just a man who likes dressing up like a clown, or an Eldar harlequin.
Draco pursues him to a space hulk by using a murderous astropath to place a psychic tracker on this man. She's in turn murdered for broadcasting the exterminatus order even after Draco reconsiders.
Draco then pretends to be inducted, but immediately heads for the Eye of Terror, guided by the Emperor's Tarot deck, where he and his band encounter a Slaaneshi warband, then the queen of the planet. She's executed by the harlequin just before she reveals the true nature of the hydra to Draco, then they're beset by angry cultists and flee separately.
Draco heads to Earth, and his group slowly worm their way through the inner workings of the Imperial palace, murdering and assuming identities here and there. This is described as dreamlike for all of them, and they're being guided by the Emperor (or a shard of his consciousness, anyway). They finally infiltrate the throne room, and have a conversation with the Emperor, who has a shattered mind, of which some parts seem in favor of spreading the hydra, and some are appalled, and others think he might have even been involved in the creation. It's weird.
And unlike the previous Watson novel I read (Space Marine) this one has very little toilet humor in it. Instead, it's the horniest piece of 40k fiction I've ever read. Everyone wants to get with Meh'Lindi, Draco's pet assassin who can only turn into a genestealer hybrid, and some of the Slaaneshi planet descriptions are a little graphic. It's still got that Watson weirdness, though, and even though this book wasn't all that good, it's set the stage for the next and I'm looking forward to that.
The book opens with a suppression of a genestealer cult, back before genestealers were part of the Tyranids. Our inquisitor is there to keep an eye on another inquisitor, but it's really a ploy to bring him into a plot where there's an object called the Hydra that's designed to bind all the wills of humanity to the totally-not-evil masters of the hydra, which are a rogue inquisition organization. He meets a Harlequin inquisitor who sets this as a puzzle to solve, and is able to trace the harlequin back to the meeting on a space hulk. It's not yet clear if this is just a man who likes dressing up like a clown, or an Eldar harlequin.
Draco pursues him to a space hulk by using a murderous astropath to place a psychic tracker on this man. She's in turn murdered for broadcasting the exterminatus order even after Draco reconsiders.
Draco then pretends to be inducted, but immediately heads for the Eye of Terror, guided by the Emperor's Tarot deck, where he and his band encounter a Slaaneshi warband, then the queen of the planet. She's executed by the harlequin just before she reveals the true nature of the hydra to Draco, then they're beset by angry cultists and flee separately.
Draco heads to Earth, and his group slowly worm their way through the inner workings of the Imperial palace, murdering and assuming identities here and there. This is described as dreamlike for all of them, and they're being guided by the Emperor (or a shard of his consciousness, anyway). They finally infiltrate the throne room, and have a conversation with the Emperor, who has a shattered mind, of which some parts seem in favor of spreading the hydra, and some are appalled, and others think he might have even been involved in the creation. It's weird.
And unlike the previous Watson novel I read (Space Marine) this one has very little toilet humor in it. Instead, it's the horniest piece of 40k fiction I've ever read. Everyone wants to get with Meh'Lindi, Draco's pet assassin who can only turn into a genestealer hybrid, and some of the Slaaneshi planet descriptions are a little graphic. It's still got that Watson weirdness, though, and even though this book wasn't all that good, it's set the stage for the next and I'm looking forward to that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2025
This novel feels more authentically Warhammer 40,000 than many modern entries in the franchise. Watson’s interpretation of the Imperium of Man is self-destructive: a cruel, inefficient society whose own failings give rise to its greatest threats.
Most contemporary 40K stories tend to mirror their protagonists’ unquestioning devotion to the Imperium, often casting heroic space marines in a noble struggle to save humanity. Watson’s take offers a stark contrast. In his version, the Imperium’s problems are largely of its own making, caused by its insistence to respond to violence with yet more violence. “Fire must fight fire, must it not?”
I want to embrace this novel for the way it criticizes the Imperium, and for its gruesome, evocative portrayals of sprawling hive cities. Yet despite these strengths, the book is weighed down by its overt sexualization of women. The female character here is treated as little more than a prop. The lowest point of the novel is a sexual assault scene that feels both unnecessary and bizarre.
There is so much to admire about Draco, but the author’s treatment of female characters leaves an unsettling aftertaste that’s hard to ignore.
Most contemporary 40K stories tend to mirror their protagonists’ unquestioning devotion to the Imperium, often casting heroic space marines in a noble struggle to save humanity. Watson’s take offers a stark contrast. In his version, the Imperium’s problems are largely of its own making, caused by its insistence to respond to violence with yet more violence. “Fire must fight fire, must it not?”
I want to embrace this novel for the way it criticizes the Imperium, and for its gruesome, evocative portrayals of sprawling hive cities. Yet despite these strengths, the book is weighed down by its overt sexualization of women. The female character here is treated as little more than a prop. The lowest point of the novel is a sexual assault scene that feels both unnecessary and bizarre.
There is so much to admire about Draco, but the author’s treatment of female characters leaves an unsettling aftertaste that’s hard to ignore.
July 2, 2022
Ian Watson is another of those 'authors I can't believe I haven't read (except for his Interzone short stories)' and if it seems odd to start with what is essentially a media tie-in novel, well so what, I've enjoyed plenty of well-crafted examples of those over the years. This is a brilliant example because by God he leans in to this so hard he's almost vertical, embracing the dark gothic-horror future where a religio-fascist empire are the good guys and plumbing the torment and melodrama implicit in the set-up without a trace of irony but taking the opportunity to develop the operatic side of grimdark space opera, with titanic emotions and passions kept in check, while the protagonists are tiny and insignifcant against the scale of the conspiracy they incover, the god-emperor they serve and the overhwhelming comsic horror of chaos, here represented by grotesquely twisted sexual nightmares out of Clive Barker.
May 25, 2025
Una de esas novelas que se aleja del porno de bolter para contar algo más usando de telón de fondo la premisa de Warhammer 40K. No es perfecta, pero siempre da gusto leer novelas de este universo que son verdaderamente Grimdark, ambiguas, caóticas, diferentes.
Muchas veces cuando leo 40K me da la sensación de que se ha aplanado mucho y ha perdido esa esencia de verdadera suciedad, que muestra al imperio como lo que es, una víctima de sí mismo que se hunde más y más en su autoritarismo y fanatismo, incapaz de imaginar verdaderas alternativas que alimenten a un Caos que ellos mismos alimentan.
Bastante recomendable aunque no estés metido en el universo, porque encima es del momento donde aún no estaban intentando establecer un transfondo plano y se atreven a meter cosas imaginativas y con personalidad.
Muchas veces cuando leo 40K me da la sensación de que se ha aplanado mucho y ha perdido esa esencia de verdadera suciedad, que muestra al imperio como lo que es, una víctima de sí mismo que se hunde más y más en su autoritarismo y fanatismo, incapaz de imaginar verdaderas alternativas que alimenten a un Caos que ellos mismos alimentan.
Bastante recomendable aunque no estés metido en el universo, porque encima es del momento donde aún no estaban intentando establecer un transfondo plano y se atreven a meter cosas imaginativas y con personalidad.
Read
December 26, 2024I thought taking a gander at the very first book of 40k, which is an universe that I enjoy quite a lot. However, the author squirms quite a bit to get the notes of the setting right; I suppose that is to be expected. I did enjoy the far more bizarre exploration of the setting to some extent, but the character motivations and development seems to be lacking.
Overall take a gander if you want to get some early exploration of 40k but temper your expectations.
Overall take a gander if you want to get some early exploration of 40k but temper your expectations.
April 8, 2025
I understand that the plotline in Draco is considered very outdated and out of touch with current Warhammer lore, and is also just batshit outside of that fact, but I honestly enjoyed it and thought that it was very fun. I thought that I would like Space Marine more, but I was wrong.
The only outright bad thing in this book to me was the extremely poor handling of the sexual assault in it, so, nice one for that Ian.
The characters, beyond that, were fun and interesting enough, and I really liked the fact that there was a kin in the group. Fuck you Games Workshop for censoring that and making him a tech priest.
The only outright bad thing in this book to me was the extremely poor handling of the sexual assault in it, so, nice one for that Ian.
The characters, beyond that, were fun and interesting enough, and I really liked the fact that there was a kin in the group. Fuck you Games Workshop for censoring that and making him a tech priest.
May 4, 2022
Редкостный идиотезм, волосатая жопа Императора. Заставляет вспомнить что когда-то слланешиты были с яйцами и волосатыми сисяндрами. Может ваха стала цивильней, но всё же эволюция заметна. Здесь кажется писал двеннадцатилетний для такой же школоты. Есть чтото панковое, ��то не совсем плохо. Серьездно читать невозможно.
June 2, 2020
I special ordered a used copy of this book off Amazon - and after finishing it, promptly left it in one of those neighbourhood book libraries. I could not tolerate its intellectual stink infecting my house. Woe betide they who reads this book.
August 16, 2025
letto anni fa e riletto in questi giorni; come inizio del background sull Inquisizione di Warhammer 40k è interessante. non il massimo, rispetto ai tre libri che daranno il via alla seconda ondata sul background dell'inquisizione, ma comunque ci sta ed è nel complesso un buon libro
June 18, 2018
just couldn't get into this one, quit reading it.
November 26, 2018
Long winded but full of some fantasic desritions of life in the endless war. Another book that too so much time to get started it crammed the end in as quick as possible and was really not satisfied.
April 11, 2019
Ian Watson, why are you so horny and weird and why do I love your books so much
August 13, 2019
Das älteste von 40k, das ich bis jetzt gelesen habe. Es hat den Charme von alten Science fiction und eine besondere Atmosphäre.
January 12, 2021
Prurient, florid, and weird. As I expected. I enjoyed that this book was as bizarre as I was led to believe, but can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone.
February 14, 2022
I liked it- very unique writing style and trying to give some depth the the characters
August 9, 2022
Amusingly absurd, but marred by the stop-start pacing. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
August 25, 2022
No longer canon, but teasingly contains hints of ideas that developed later into the grimdark millennium we know now.
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