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Warhammer 40,000
The Infinite and the Divine
A Necrons novel
Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner are opposites. Each is obsessed with their own speciality, and their rivalry spans millennia. Yet together, they may hold the secret to saving the necron race…
READ IT BECAUSE
Explore a story told across the millennia that delves deep into a pair of fascinating necron characters, their relationship and their plans for the galaxy.
THE STORY
Before the being called the Emperor revealed Himself, before the rise of the aeldari, before the necrontyr traded their flesh for immortal metal, the world was born in violence.
Even when they inhabited bodies of flesh, Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner were polar opposites. Trazyn, a collector of historical oddities, presides over a gallery full of the most dangerous artefacts – and people – of the galactic past. Orikan, a chronomancer without peer, draws zodiacs that predict and manipulate the future. But when an artefact emerges that may hold the key to the necrons’ next evolution, these two obsessives enter a multi-millennia game of cat and mouse that ends civilisations, reshapes timelines, and changes both forever. As riddles unwind and ancient secrets are revealed, the question remains: will their feud save the necron race or destroy it?
Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner are opposites. Each is obsessed with their own speciality, and their rivalry spans millennia. Yet together, they may hold the secret to saving the necron race…
READ IT BECAUSE
Explore a story told across the millennia that delves deep into a pair of fascinating necron characters, their relationship and their plans for the galaxy.
THE STORY
Before the being called the Emperor revealed Himself, before the rise of the aeldari, before the necrontyr traded their flesh for immortal metal, the world was born in violence.
Even when they inhabited bodies of flesh, Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner were polar opposites. Trazyn, a collector of historical oddities, presides over a gallery full of the most dangerous artefacts – and people – of the galactic past. Orikan, a chronomancer without peer, draws zodiacs that predict and manipulate the future. But when an artefact emerges that may hold the key to the necrons’ next evolution, these two obsessives enter a multi-millennia game of cat and mouse that ends civilisations, reshapes timelines, and changes both forever. As riddles unwind and ancient secrets are revealed, the question remains: will their feud save the necron race or destroy it?
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2020
About the author
Robert Rath
22 books146 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 470 reviews
October 10, 2020
This is a special book. The last 40k I felt like this about was probably 2019’s Mark Of Faith.
Robert Rath has done the two things I look for in a BL book- fleshed out the universe with some great details and told a fantastic story. The book manages to render the Necrons as notably inhuman but still fully relatable while telling a story that was genuinely pleasing, taking me in totally unexpected directions; several times in the book I sat basking in the smugness you get when you realise how the plot of a book really starts to slot together, events and connections that in retrospect seem obvious but you don’t see coming until it’s there.
The book is blessed with charismatic lead characters, a pair of Necrons who are all too aware of what they’re missing- would have caught his breath *if* etc.- and it’s poignant; this absence is what drive both Trazyn and Orikan, but it manifests in very different behaviours; one cleaves to what they were, the other to what they could be and ultimately neither are ever going to be satisfied- the Flesh Times have passed, and no amount of carefully curated artefacts or transcendence beyond the physical will bring back what they both desire more than anything. It’s not all existential angst; the Necrons are perhaps the closest the already OTT 40k universe gets to true camp, and they’re incredible fun to be in the company of.
The conflict between these two is manifested in almost a slapstick escalation; it calls to mind the classic shape-shifting magical duel trope as much as it does Tom and Jerry. We see a series of tit-for-tat raids into the other’s domain gradually escalate, despite their best attempts to second-guess their opponent. Groundhog Day and Catachan Devils are both weapons deployed in their feud. As the feud escalates, so do the consequences of their actions, eventually unintentionally drawing the attention of others.
That geological maps need to be consulted for clarity at one point gives you an indicator of the timescale that their grudge unfolds over- 1,500 years is described at one point as ‘a cooling off period’. Natural evolution is a plot-point. We’re used to seeing the galaxy through the long-lived eyes of Astartes, but this is something else. Much of the action takes place on and around a single tomb world- we see it pass hands from civilisation to civilisation- Exodite Aeldari and the Imperium of Man both build on the ruins of what came before. Seismic events in the background of the setting flash past as minor points in the book’s narrative.
‘Civilisation’ is applied as equally to a coral reef as it is the Imperium by Trazyn, fundamentally there is little difference between the two for him- all impermanent, all interesting but ultimately of a lesser status than him. The hierarchies of the Necrontyr still haunt the Necron psyche, it’s no wonder that they place themselves so far above the galaxy’s other species. Trazyn, for all of this distance, is keen to learn from what he encounters- his arrogance is of a different kind to the one we usually encounter in 40k. Orikan, I’m contrast, professes to look down upon others- on seeing a human cafe, his response is “This is ridiculous. Standing here among these biologicals, pretending to be their equals. Watching them gargle bean water down their oesophagi, swilling it through their fatty insides. It makes one ill.”- but how much of that is jealousy? Trazyn bemoans the loss of Necrontyr music, Orikan responds with a defence of their replacement, algorithm chants. Music can evoke long-lost places and music, whereas these chants can reshape time. Both believe their preference to be superior, and, I suppose, they are both right.
As I alluded to earlier, above all of that thematic stuff, it’s an excellent story,and a great start to what is hopefully a long run of BL books from this author.
Robert Rath has done the two things I look for in a BL book- fleshed out the universe with some great details and told a fantastic story. The book manages to render the Necrons as notably inhuman but still fully relatable while telling a story that was genuinely pleasing, taking me in totally unexpected directions; several times in the book I sat basking in the smugness you get when you realise how the plot of a book really starts to slot together, events and connections that in retrospect seem obvious but you don’t see coming until it’s there.
The book is blessed with charismatic lead characters, a pair of Necrons who are all too aware of what they’re missing- would have caught his breath *if* etc.- and it’s poignant; this absence is what drive both Trazyn and Orikan, but it manifests in very different behaviours; one cleaves to what they were, the other to what they could be and ultimately neither are ever going to be satisfied- the Flesh Times have passed, and no amount of carefully curated artefacts or transcendence beyond the physical will bring back what they both desire more than anything. It’s not all existential angst; the Necrons are perhaps the closest the already OTT 40k universe gets to true camp, and they’re incredible fun to be in the company of.
The conflict between these two is manifested in almost a slapstick escalation; it calls to mind the classic shape-shifting magical duel trope as much as it does Tom and Jerry. We see a series of tit-for-tat raids into the other’s domain gradually escalate, despite their best attempts to second-guess their opponent. Groundhog Day and Catachan Devils are both weapons deployed in their feud. As the feud escalates, so do the consequences of their actions, eventually unintentionally drawing the attention of others.
That geological maps need to be consulted for clarity at one point gives you an indicator of the timescale that their grudge unfolds over- 1,500 years is described at one point as ‘a cooling off period’. Natural evolution is a plot-point. We’re used to seeing the galaxy through the long-lived eyes of Astartes, but this is something else. Much of the action takes place on and around a single tomb world- we see it pass hands from civilisation to civilisation- Exodite Aeldari and the Imperium of Man both build on the ruins of what came before. Seismic events in the background of the setting flash past as minor points in the book’s narrative.
‘Civilisation’ is applied as equally to a coral reef as it is the Imperium by Trazyn, fundamentally there is little difference between the two for him- all impermanent, all interesting but ultimately of a lesser status than him. The hierarchies of the Necrontyr still haunt the Necron psyche, it’s no wonder that they place themselves so far above the galaxy’s other species. Trazyn, for all of this distance, is keen to learn from what he encounters- his arrogance is of a different kind to the one we usually encounter in 40k. Orikan, I’m contrast, professes to look down upon others- on seeing a human cafe, his response is “This is ridiculous. Standing here among these biologicals, pretending to be their equals. Watching them gargle bean water down their oesophagi, swilling it through their fatty insides. It makes one ill.”- but how much of that is jealousy? Trazyn bemoans the loss of Necrontyr music, Orikan responds with a defence of their replacement, algorithm chants. Music can evoke long-lost places and music, whereas these chants can reshape time. Both believe their preference to be superior, and, I suppose, they are both right.
As I alluded to earlier, above all of that thematic stuff, it’s an excellent story,and a great start to what is hopefully a long run of BL books from this author.
October 19, 2024
This was a lot of fun, but while I keep hearing people recommend it as a book anyone can enjoy, I truly feel understanding it requires understanding a LOT of complicated Warhammer 40K lore/cosmology/backstory which is a tremendous barrier to entry. This is a miniature tabletop wargame tie-in novel, yet it feels like you need at least a BA in the study of 40K to actually "GET" it.
Essentially, this is a book about two rival academics who pester each other through the millennia...because they are immortal space-robots.
Who are actually the minds of ancient pseudo-Egyptian aliens trapped in self-repairing robot bodies after killing their gods.
Because at the dawn of time, their people had super space-cancer and wanted a cure, but one set of space-gods (who were psychic frogs) said "LOL, No" (for no particular reason) and another set of space-gods (who were disembodied energy clouds) said "Suuuuuuuuuure, we'll cure your space-cancer and give you immortality AND help you get revenge on that first set of space-gods! Just step into this INCINERATION MACHINE... SUCKERS! Enjoy being our robo-slave army for all eternity!"
See what I mean?
Essentially, this is a book about two rival academics who pester each other through the millennia...because they are immortal space-robots.
Who are actually the minds of ancient pseudo-Egyptian aliens trapped in self-repairing robot bodies after killing their gods.
Because at the dawn of time, their people had super space-cancer and wanted a cure, but one set of space-gods (who were psychic frogs) said "LOL, No" (for no particular reason) and another set of space-gods (who were disembodied energy clouds) said "Suuuuuuuuuure, we'll cure your space-cancer and give you immortality AND help you get revenge on that first set of space-gods! Just step into this INCINERATION MACHINE... SUCKERS! Enjoy being our robo-slave army for all eternity!"
See what I mean?
November 25, 2020
For his debut Black Library novel, Robert Rath goes big with The Infinite and the Divine, a grand tale spanning thousands of years of bitter rivalry between two virtually immortal Necrons. Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner have been rivals since their days of flesh and blood, opposites in both outlook and temperament. After Orikan steals the Astrarium Mysterios from Trazyn’s galleries on Solemnace, their enmity escalates into a deadly feud as, over the course of millennia, each attempts to outdo the other in pursuit of the ancient artifact and the power they hope it can unlock.
Books from non-human perspectives are rare in Black Library’s canon, but this comfortably proves that ‘alien’ characters can be just as relatable as humans – Trazyn and Orikan may have lost their mortality and, arguably, their souls but they’re still fallible and flawed. They’re still vulnerable to very relatable and human mistakes, and ultimately they’re just tremendously entertaining to read about. It’s genuinely hard to pick faults in this book, it’s such an interesting and well-executed concept populated by such compelling characters and offering a fascinating perspective on Necron life, society and history. The humour and the non-human POVs lend things quite a different tone to most BL stories, and its balance leans a little more towards quieter, dialogue-heavy moments than action, but it still feels quintessentially 40k.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/11/...
Books from non-human perspectives are rare in Black Library’s canon, but this comfortably proves that ‘alien’ characters can be just as relatable as humans – Trazyn and Orikan may have lost their mortality and, arguably, their souls but they’re still fallible and flawed. They’re still vulnerable to very relatable and human mistakes, and ultimately they’re just tremendously entertaining to read about. It’s genuinely hard to pick faults in this book, it’s such an interesting and well-executed concept populated by such compelling characters and offering a fascinating perspective on Necron life, society and history. The humour and the non-human POVs lend things quite a different tone to most BL stories, and its balance leans a little more towards quieter, dialogue-heavy moments than action, but it still feels quintessentially 40k.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/11/...
October 20, 2020
Normally I do not leave reviews. I think the stars system communicates enough about how I feel about the Novel. However this book was so good I am compelled to put to word how much I enjoyed it.
Tarzyn and Orkiam are wonderfully realized and expressed through the writing. One living in the past and the other in the future and how it all interlinks is just glorious.
The Time Shenanigans that Orkiam made sense are were believable which most time travel content struggles with.
Finally as mentioned by other the sense of scope in regards to the passage of time is fantastic and mentioned in fun ways. Such as a lengthy pause that would be several seconds for us lasting several days in the story. This passage of time is treated like nothing
Fun, inventive and amazing I can't sing this books praises enough.
Tarzyn and Orkiam are wonderfully realized and expressed through the writing. One living in the past and the other in the future and how it all interlinks is just glorious.
The Time Shenanigans that Orkiam made sense are were believable which most time travel content struggles with.
Finally as mentioned by other the sense of scope in regards to the passage of time is fantastic and mentioned in fun ways. Such as a lengthy pause that would be several seconds for us lasting several days in the story. This passage of time is treated like nothing
Fun, inventive and amazing I can't sing this books praises enough.
December 16, 2021
Remember Spy vs. Spy, the old comic strip? Well, imagine that as a Warhammer novel but instead of bird-faced spies, the leads are ancient, quasi-immortal robots called necrons. Oh, and they're petty bastards to boot. Like a pair of indulged aristocrats who literally burn entire worlds out of spite. Bung all that together and you've got The Infinite and the Divine, a smart, pacey, wry and actually quite funny book with a truly epic scale.
Want to read
October 5, 2024Debating on if I want to start with this one or if I wanna start with like the Horus Heresy or whatever 😭😭 idek where to start with Warhammer 40k
June 16, 2021
For a Black Library novel, The Infinite and the Divine is an excellent read. Genuinely funny and more often than not moving, Rath's tale is one of bitter rivalry between two practically godly not-so-robotic beings who have nothing but time to kill and regrets of old to answer, and set aflame a small corner of the galaxy while doing so.
The characterization of our two necrons "protagonist" is masterful, hinting at hidden depths seldom brushed upon in your usual w40k novel. There is, behind the rather expansive battle sequences and the more conventional aspects of a story set in this universe, an underlying meditation on the meaninglessness of time, the cost of immortality, purpose, wistfulness of the past and longing of the future - musings that are at the core of the ultimately nuanced spite that divides the forward-looking Orikan and the conservative, past-dwelling Trazyn.
Here lies the genius of this novel which, through a plot firstly meant to deliver the entertainment one expects to receive when consuming what is for all intents and purposes litterature written for the sake of advertisement, actually delivers a tale honed with unexpected literary qualities. For Robert Rath proves himself to be a genuine writer and a good author : one with an elegant way with words, a strong sense of plot, full understanding and control of and over the characters he employs, excellent skill in dialogue writing and a very real care for his craft.
Interestingly enough, the tribulation of two murderous robots questing for meaning and Rath's first novel entry in the Black Library is a must-read for fans of the license who tire of novels lacking a soul.
The characterization of our two necrons "protagonist" is masterful, hinting at hidden depths seldom brushed upon in your usual w40k novel. There is, behind the rather expansive battle sequences and the more conventional aspects of a story set in this universe, an underlying meditation on the meaninglessness of time, the cost of immortality, purpose, wistfulness of the past and longing of the future - musings that are at the core of the ultimately nuanced spite that divides the forward-looking Orikan and the conservative, past-dwelling Trazyn.
Here lies the genius of this novel which, through a plot firstly meant to deliver the entertainment one expects to receive when consuming what is for all intents and purposes litterature written for the sake of advertisement, actually delivers a tale honed with unexpected literary qualities. For Robert Rath proves himself to be a genuine writer and a good author : one with an elegant way with words, a strong sense of plot, full understanding and control of and over the characters he employs, excellent skill in dialogue writing and a very real care for his craft.
Interestingly enough, the tribulation of two murderous robots questing for meaning and Rath's first novel entry in the Black Library is a must-read for fans of the license who tire of novels lacking a soul.
December 27, 2023
4.5
This was my first entry into the Warhammer universe and I had a great time with this. I do think there was a bit of a learning curve as I really didn’t even know what Warhammer even was before I started. There’s a lot of terms and references thrown that I’m sure having knowledge of the universe would have helped with but sometimes it’s fun jumping into the deep end. The two main characters are great and their rivalry is played up so well. Writing immortal characters is tricky and I think Rath did a great job of giving them some layers on top of being insanely powerful beings. The worldbuilding is also excellent and makes me want to experience more in this universe. If you like blistering space battles, fun intriguing immortal characters, and great themes preserving your vs expanding your future then I can highly recommend this as a nice entry point to WH 40K as it is standalone.
This was my first entry into the Warhammer universe and I had a great time with this. I do think there was a bit of a learning curve as I really didn’t even know what Warhammer even was before I started. There’s a lot of terms and references thrown that I’m sure having knowledge of the universe would have helped with but sometimes it’s fun jumping into the deep end. The two main characters are great and their rivalry is played up so well. Writing immortal characters is tricky and I think Rath did a great job of giving them some layers on top of being insanely powerful beings. The worldbuilding is also excellent and makes me want to experience more in this universe. If you like blistering space battles, fun intriguing immortal characters, and great themes preserving your vs expanding your future then I can highly recommend this as a nice entry point to WH 40K as it is standalone.
November 8, 2024
Viel pewpew und wirklich einiges an Hintergrundwissen benötigt. Aber super geschrieben mit einer absolut perfekten Brise Humor!
June 1, 2023
Final rating: 6/5 stars
For my third read Warhammer universe book, this was a fantastic experience. For one, you don't even need the knowledge of anything, because the book will just throw most of the information you need right at you, so you could enjoy the book even going blind.
It is also one of the rare hilarious books, considering the whole enemies who work and don't work together yet won't actually kill each other (or will they?).
I have laughed so much, got invested so strongly into it, I just wish I had more time to read faster.
Also audiobook adaptation is amazing. If you are fan of audiobooks, go for it, narrator is amazing and there's a fantastic voice acting right there.
This is a book about Necrons, so some knowledge of Necrons might be good in advance. You could also watch TIMELINE of the 40K UNIVERSE by Trazyn the Infinite by WarriorTier to understand whole history of the universe because Necrons are a long lived race and this book spans a period right between 30k and 40k timeline. Unless you already are WH fan, and know of the history, then no more words are needed.
Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner, two Necron overlords, fight for discovery of a tomb that can only be opened in certain periods of time. Lots of bickering, backstabbing, actual cooperation, comedy, sadness, action and persistence that transcends through time until the end.
Highly recommend. The plot twists were great, the book is engaging and never boring, audiobook is phenomenal, and the whole story is well paced. Characters are fantastic.
For my third read Warhammer universe book, this was a fantastic experience. For one, you don't even need the knowledge of anything, because the book will just throw most of the information you need right at you, so you could enjoy the book even going blind.
It is also one of the rare hilarious books, considering the whole enemies who work and don't work together yet won't actually kill each other (or will they?).
I have laughed so much, got invested so strongly into it, I just wish I had more time to read faster.
Also audiobook adaptation is amazing. If you are fan of audiobooks, go for it, narrator is amazing and there's a fantastic voice acting right there.
► WORLD BUILDING:
This is a book about Necrons, so some knowledge of Necrons might be good in advance. You could also watch TIMELINE of the 40K UNIVERSE by Trazyn the Infinite by WarriorTier to understand whole history of the universe because Necrons are a long lived race and this book spans a period right between 30k and 40k timeline. Unless you already are WH fan, and know of the history, then no more words are needed.
‘Let me state for the record,’ Phaerakh Ossuaria said. ‘That this is not officially a trial.’
‘Can we be executed?’ asked Orikan.
‘Yes,’ said Zuberkar, with a note of unpleasant eagerness.
‘Then it’s a trial,’ Trazyn said.
‘In a technical sense,’ said Overlord Baalbehk. ‘It is an enquiry.’
Orikan shot a look at Trazyn, signalled: Look where you have landed us, you crook-backed madman.
Madman? So says the delusional fanatic who speaks to illusions.
I do not–
‘No, no,’ scolded Ossuaria. ‘Phillias, activate the signal dampeners. Anything you two say we shall all be a party to. No colluding on testimony–’
‘I would rather collude with the Void Dragon,’ snapped Orikan.
‘Why not?’ said Trazyn. ‘Serpents belong together.’
► STORY:
Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner, two Necron overlords, fight for discovery of a tomb that can only be opened in certain periods of time. Lots of bickering, backstabbing, actual cooperation, comedy, sadness, action and persistence that transcends through time until the end.
And next to it, a necrodermis-sheet letter that had ejected from the device, along with the creatures. It bore the marks of alien mandibles, but was still legible.
Greetings, Orikan! it began. I apologise for having to borrow back my astrarium. I know how deeply you appreciated it, but you work too hard, my astromancer. Consider this a relaxing break. And what is more relaxing than a hunt?
Orikan heard legs scraping in the scarab vents. Interstitial messages alerted him that a scarab swarm and two wraiths were reporting in as inoperable.
These creatures will make fine quarry. They’re from an Imperial jungle planet, and so famous that the locals named their local regiment after them. Highly venomous – not that it would bother you, dear colleague – and can grow to over fifteen khut long when they reach maturity. But the real challenge is how quick they breed. In fact, if you want my advice, I would start the pursuit quickly. Fourteen juveniles were in this particular gift. Or was it sixteen? Anyway, within twelve hours the population will have established roving kin groups to place their eggs. Did I forget to mention the eggs? Half of the breeding pairs already have sacs. The population will double in less than twenty-four hours, provided they don’t eat too many of the young. Happy hunting!
► OVERALL:
Highly recommend. The plot twists were great, the book is engaging and never boring, audiobook is phenomenal, and the whole story is well paced. Characters are fantastic.
August 25, 2021
If I were transported to the warhammer 40K setting and had to chose someone to be; I would always pick Trazyn the infinite. Yes sure what a surprise that a historian with a deep penance for eclectic knowledge gathering identifies himself with the ultimate collector of historical artifacts, archives and knowledge from the entire universe. But the point is, I already identified with him, this book reinforced my love for the character.
Robert Rath did something that was necessary for the warhammer 40K lore; truly dissecting the perception of time that entities such as the necrons must experience. What does time mean for a being on the edge of immortality? What motivates a mind that has had his biological drives stripped away? The lords of the necrons such as Trazyn and Orikan are not automatons following a program, yet they are not truly free persons either.
Most other depictions of necrons has either shown them to be insane, emotionless or stuck on a single line or operative. Faulty AI is something that often comes to mind when reading about them. Robert Rath gives us characters who obsess, feel regret, fury and callousness yet pours them into a construct with limits. At times they struggle with these limits imposed on them by their artificial bodies which makes them vulnerable and thus relatable while remaining distinctly alien beings.
I could go on about this because the necrons fascinate me tremendously, as I said I pick Trazyn any day for book character alter ego. The story itself was well written, the plot was fresh and kept being intriguing until the very end, the setting of the world of Serenade and the 5 phases it went through formed the perfect backdrop to ground the long narrative period of over 10.000 years! If I had to give one critique; I wasn't to much a fan of the last big battle, which took a bit too long for my taste but then I am always more interested in the lore and dynamics of the story then I am of the combat in these warhammer books (but there are good combat scenes In here!).
Could recommend to any fan of warhammer 40K yet not really suitable for new readers. New readers will need to read a Necron army book to really get what all the names, troop types and events are to fully appreciate the story.
Robert Rath did something that was necessary for the warhammer 40K lore; truly dissecting the perception of time that entities such as the necrons must experience. What does time mean for a being on the edge of immortality? What motivates a mind that has had his biological drives stripped away? The lords of the necrons such as Trazyn and Orikan are not automatons following a program, yet they are not truly free persons either.
Most other depictions of necrons has either shown them to be insane, emotionless or stuck on a single line or operative. Faulty AI is something that often comes to mind when reading about them. Robert Rath gives us characters who obsess, feel regret, fury and callousness yet pours them into a construct with limits. At times they struggle with these limits imposed on them by their artificial bodies which makes them vulnerable and thus relatable while remaining distinctly alien beings.
I could go on about this because the necrons fascinate me tremendously, as I said I pick Trazyn any day for book character alter ego. The story itself was well written, the plot was fresh and kept being intriguing until the very end, the setting of the world of Serenade and the 5 phases it went through formed the perfect backdrop to ground the long narrative period of over 10.000 years! If I had to give one critique; I wasn't to much a fan of the last big battle, which took a bit too long for my taste but then I am always more interested in the lore and dynamics of the story then I am of the combat in these warhammer books (but there are good combat scenes In here!).
Could recommend to any fan of warhammer 40K yet not really suitable for new readers. New readers will need to read a Necron army book to really get what all the names, troop types and events are to fully appreciate the story.
December 24, 2022
La desternillante historia de dos ancianos con demencia dentro de cuerpos de robot inmortales que juegan a hacerse la puñeta durante eones mientras a su alrededor pasan cosas. En el fondo no pueden vivir el uno sin el otro, me falto el beso final.
December 20, 2023
Najlepszy gejowy romans jaki czytałem.
Trazyn jest taki słodki i martwi się i dba o Orikana kiedy ten stał się na chwilę bogiem.
Nie podobało mi się, że bitwy były aż takie długie i był to wyjątkowy problem w tej z orkami.
Najlepszą częścią tej książki jest czytanie jak ich relacja się rozwija i jest to świetne enemies to lovers. Nigdy nie zaakceptuję, że autor napisał w epilogu, że oni się rozstali. Imo powinien tam być ich first kiss.
Gdyby nie to, że figurka Trazyna jest tak stara to kupiłbym ich obydwu, pomalował na matching kolory i postawił na półce w najlepiej widocznym miejscu.
Polecam i to świetna pierwsza książka w uniwersum wh40k jeśli wcześniej przesłuchało się z 20h podcastów.
Trazyn jest taki słodki i martwi się i dba o Orikana kiedy ten stał się na chwilę bogiem.
Nie podobało mi się, że bitwy były aż takie długie i był to wyjątkowy problem w tej z orkami.
Najlepszą częścią tej książki jest czytanie jak ich relacja się rozwija i jest to świetne enemies to lovers. Nigdy nie zaakceptuję, że autor napisał w epilogu, że oni się rozstali. Imo powinien tam być ich first kiss.
Gdyby nie to, że figurka Trazyna jest tak stara to kupiłbym ich obydwu, pomalował na matching kolory i postawił na półce w najlepiej widocznym miejscu.
Polecam i to świetna pierwsza książka w uniwersum wh40k jeśli wcześniej przesłuchało się z 20h podcastów.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2024
more of a 3.5/5
A warhammer book! ben told me i should read this one so here we are
it felt a biiit slow but there were definitely great moments and I loved seeing how Trazyn and Orikan's relationship changed.
Ben was right that this is a pretty good book to start with especially if you're only going to read one warhammer book. Like for sure there's a lot of things you don't know and don't get but you dont NEED to know them to understand this specific book
The two main characters are very well characterized, you know their values and that means their decisions make a lot of sense
I like how much history there is behind the current events going on in the book and cultural debates that started long ago and are still talked about, like necrontyrs mass-moving their consciousness out of living bodies and into machine bodies and some of them still want to go back to the living bodies
A warhammer book! ben told me i should read this one so here we are
it felt a biiit slow but there were definitely great moments and I loved seeing how Trazyn and Orikan's relationship changed.
Ben was right that this is a pretty good book to start with especially if you're only going to read one warhammer book. Like for sure there's a lot of things you don't know and don't get but you dont NEED to know them to understand this specific book
The two main characters are very well characterized, you know their values and that means their decisions make a lot of sense
I like how much history there is behind the current events going on in the book and cultural debates that started long ago and are still talked about, like necrontyrs mass-moving their consciousness out of living bodies and into machine bodies and some of them still want to go back to the living bodies
January 15, 2024
"So I just found out that , a lemon is not naturally occurring and is a hybrid developed by cross breeding a bitter orange and a citron. WHICH MEANS! LIFE NEVER GAVE US LEMONS WE INVENTED THEM ,ALL BY OURSELVES!" - The Emperor of Mankind while hip thrusting the air in an act of joy (but not really). Ten cytat na początku nie służy niczemu ,oprócz byciu śmiesznym samym w sobie . Podobnie tak jak humor tej książki. Jestem relatywnie nowym fanem do czytania książek z uniwersum warhammera 40,000 ,więc moja opinia może być lekko stronnicza. ALE! Sama książka jest wyśmienita ,prawie na każdym poziomie ,przez dialogi ,fabułe ,rozumienie uniwersum wraz z jej absurdalnością (co dodaje jej humoru) , napisane postaci i relacje pomiędzy nimi .Dla fana tego uniwersum? Koniecznie polecam przeczytanie. Dla początkującego albo kogoś kto zaczyna może nie być aż takim dobrym wejściem jak np. trylogia Eisenhorna ale jest to w sumie dosyć krótka książka ,a więc też warta przeczytania .Teraz ,jedynie czuje smutek po skończeniu tej książki ,bo była aż za dobra . Mam nadzieje ,jedynie że Robert Rath zdecyduje zrobić sequel do tej książki albo napisać kolejną książke w tym uniwersum (Pewnie napisał ,ale jeszcze nie sprawdziłem). Teraz.... Co poczytać?
November 25, 2021
The premise is relatively straightforward - two longterm rivals teaming up to face a galaxy spanning threat.
Nonetheless, this book is pretty universally liked for its non human focus and humour, without getting away from the spirit of its fictional universe.
'After my long service, may I ask a question?'
Trazyn considered. 'You may.'
'Do you intend to destroy this world?'
Trazyn dismissed the phos-glyph panel of research notes, folded his hands and looked at the diminished librarian.
'That's what you want to know?'
'Yes, it would make my mind easier.'
'Let me put it this way. I was here when this whole island was forest. When waves lapped on what is now Embassy Row. A time before pollutants hazed the air and monsoon rains came naturally, not via cloud-seeding.' He paused. 'So when you ask whether I intend to destroy this world, my question to you is: do you truly need the help?'
Nonetheless, this book is pretty universally liked for its non human focus and humour, without getting away from the spirit of its fictional universe.
'After my long service, may I ask a question?'
Trazyn considered. 'You may.'
'Do you intend to destroy this world?'
Trazyn dismissed the phos-glyph panel of research notes, folded his hands and looked at the diminished librarian.
'That's what you want to know?'
'Yes, it would make my mind easier.'
'Let me put it this way. I was here when this whole island was forest. When waves lapped on what is now Embassy Row. A time before pollutants hazed the air and monsoon rains came naturally, not via cloud-seeding.' He paused. 'So when you ask whether I intend to destroy this world, my question to you is: do you truly need the help?'
December 4, 2022
Excellently written book, really a standout
Read
August 7, 2022Well, at least this one is a tie-in to a game I've actually played, though not recently, and the Necrons were an element introduced after my first bout with 40K. A brilliant idea, though: a race from millennia in the past, who transcended the flesh and now have distinctly mixed feelings about that, in so far as they have feelings, because the fidelity of their transfer to immortal metal bodies varied massively in line with their social class. Legions of warriors retaining only the barest fragments of self, answerable to overlords who were transferred almost intact, but never quite, their eccentricities and rivalries then only deepening over the long centuries. Nate Crowley's Severed played this mostly for gruesome laughs, a Jeeves and Wooster riff with zombie robots, but while there's plenty of comedy here too, from Spy vs Spy battles between two immeasurably ancient and devious rivals to the fish-out-of-water appeal of seeing them interact with younger and livelier races, the dominant mood is somewhere between cosmic horror and space opera. We open with a recapitulation of deep time, a potted history of life as a whole, from its inception up through fish and lizards to the sort of races who get their own army list, but always, from the earliest days, "Layer upon layer, each generation withering and ossifying, so the living stood unthinking upon a vast necropolis of their predecessors."
This will become a recurring theme: how cultures change, and build on what came before them; how they retain things from the past without even realising it, in ways only noticeable if you happen to be, say, an immortal historian visiting the same planet at intervals across a span greater than that of whole civilisations, never mind individuals. Set against that, the way the Necrons have removed themselves from the whole process, what they've gained from that and what they've lost. They have all the time in the world(s), time to think and plot and study – but also time for their plays to get longer and longer to no great end, and to ponder on how much is forever out of their grasp. I found the comparison of memories from the flesh times to childhood especially poignant – "one knows the colour blue, but cannot recall the first time one knew its name". Almost every page is like that; there's always some little extra detail, some twist of prose or craft it could easily have got away without when there are robot skeletons fighting dinosaurs with ray-guns. Yes, it was probably inevitable that across a book of this size and scale the two rivals, after escalating to deadly enemies, would end up forced to work together, but the Macguffin over which they're struggling is realised in much more satisfying depth than many of its kind, starting out as something like the Voynich Manuscript except with six different plausible solutions, before going on to become even more ingenious. Nor is it merely a trophy, but a focus for two incompatible philosophies, one seeking to preserve it as an artefact of the treasured past and the other to use it as a gateway to the future.
Being a little out of the loop, I'm not sure how much of the lore here is freshly created, how much already established*. Certainly it's the most I've ever seen of the oft-hinted-at Hrud, who for the first third of the book get more stage time than our own kind, who barely crop up beyond appropriately dismissive mention of "the humans' recent civil war". This makes for a wonderful corrective to the tendency of 40K, and indeed science fiction generally, to spend so much time with humans, despite the fact that I can get plenty of them in every other genre. And even when that changes, it works, because we see it through the (mechanical) eyes of one of the leads, Trazyn, who begins as unimpressed with humans as I am: "He collected them, of course, he collected everything. But he considered them on the same level as orks, or various kinds of carnivorous algae." Then, though, the Horus Heresy adds drama, and being as much of a messy bitch as a scrupulously organised, non-organic entity can be, suddenly humans are a bigger deal for him. Especially given some of the possible specimens for his planet-sized collection: "the Emperor was just sitting there on Terra. Seemed a waste, such a historic figure left to rot like that." And through little details like that, not to mention the way in which Trazyn and his rival, the mystic Orikan, eventually develop a grudging and intermittent respect for each other, we get little hints that maybe there are ways in which even the ossified Necrons can change. The psychological intimacy of that constantly balanced with planet-smashing battles, nifty ultratech, and guest appearances for pretty much every 40K faction except the Tau, because fuck those guys. It has the full-spectrum satisfaction only really available from art which knows that minimalism is for cowards – obviously more is more, this isn't difficult – but also knows that if you can't manage nuanced character moments against that background, you're basically just shouting.
*Although one bit I do know isn't Rath's fault is the two superfluous vowels which irritate me every time the 'Aeldari' are mentioned.
This will become a recurring theme: how cultures change, and build on what came before them; how they retain things from the past without even realising it, in ways only noticeable if you happen to be, say, an immortal historian visiting the same planet at intervals across a span greater than that of whole civilisations, never mind individuals. Set against that, the way the Necrons have removed themselves from the whole process, what they've gained from that and what they've lost. They have all the time in the world(s), time to think and plot and study – but also time for their plays to get longer and longer to no great end, and to ponder on how much is forever out of their grasp. I found the comparison of memories from the flesh times to childhood especially poignant – "one knows the colour blue, but cannot recall the first time one knew its name". Almost every page is like that; there's always some little extra detail, some twist of prose or craft it could easily have got away without when there are robot skeletons fighting dinosaurs with ray-guns. Yes, it was probably inevitable that across a book of this size and scale the two rivals, after escalating to deadly enemies, would end up forced to work together, but the Macguffin over which they're struggling is realised in much more satisfying depth than many of its kind, starting out as something like the Voynich Manuscript except with six different plausible solutions, before going on to become even more ingenious. Nor is it merely a trophy, but a focus for two incompatible philosophies, one seeking to preserve it as an artefact of the treasured past and the other to use it as a gateway to the future.
Being a little out of the loop, I'm not sure how much of the lore here is freshly created, how much already established*. Certainly it's the most I've ever seen of the oft-hinted-at Hrud, who for the first third of the book get more stage time than our own kind, who barely crop up beyond appropriately dismissive mention of "the humans' recent civil war". This makes for a wonderful corrective to the tendency of 40K, and indeed science fiction generally, to spend so much time with humans, despite the fact that I can get plenty of them in every other genre. And even when that changes, it works, because we see it through the (mechanical) eyes of one of the leads, Trazyn, who begins as unimpressed with humans as I am: "He collected them, of course, he collected everything. But he considered them on the same level as orks, or various kinds of carnivorous algae." Then, though, the Horus Heresy adds drama, and being as much of a messy bitch as a scrupulously organised, non-organic entity can be, suddenly humans are a bigger deal for him. Especially given some of the possible specimens for his planet-sized collection: "the Emperor was just sitting there on Terra. Seemed a waste, such a historic figure left to rot like that." And through little details like that, not to mention the way in which Trazyn and his rival, the mystic Orikan, eventually develop a grudging and intermittent respect for each other, we get little hints that maybe there are ways in which even the ossified Necrons can change. The psychological intimacy of that constantly balanced with planet-smashing battles, nifty ultratech, and guest appearances for pretty much every 40K faction except the Tau, because fuck those guys. It has the full-spectrum satisfaction only really available from art which knows that minimalism is for cowards – obviously more is more, this isn't difficult – but also knows that if you can't manage nuanced character moments against that background, you're basically just shouting.
*Although one bit I do know isn't Rath's fault is the two superfluous vowels which irritate me every time the 'Aeldari' are mentioned.
September 21, 2024
A top-tier entry in the Black Library of Warhammer books. Interesting to get a whole story from the Necrons perspective, and while exciting and having well a well executed plot, it managed to make me laugh out loud several times; like the chapter that is almost like a law court drama between the two rivals.
June 12, 2023
A fun read with humor and themes like enemies to friends to enemies to friends to….
September 25, 2024
Old space robots who secretly love each other
November 2, 2024
Best Warhammer book I've ever read
December 4, 2024
aight, dweeb shih
Read
January 10, 2024DNF - I got this in a friends holiday book exchange and gave it a valiant effort, despite knowing nothing about Warhammer and having limited interest.
May 10, 2024
This was a fun adventure. It got some chuckles out of me, and the relationship between the two leads grows in such a natural, fluid way. But Im struggling to rate it higher because it has just a bit too much of the stuff I don't gel with, too much combat and battle scenes, too much sci-fi techno-jargon. It drew my reading pace to a crawl at times.
Still, glad I picked it up.
Still, glad I picked it up.
October 23, 2020
Excellent first novel from Robert Rath. Set across ten thousand years, the book perfectly captures the bizarre feud between two immortal alien beings. I’ll certainly be keeping track of Rath’s writing career.
April 24, 2023
Didn't understand what was happening most of the time, but then again, I am just a mere mortal.
March 18, 2023
I couldn’t put this down! The novel completely surpassed my expectations. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly, but I certainly didn’t anticipate having as much fun as I did while reading this.
I love 40k, but some of the books are so dense and battles are so long that I need cliff notes after finishing to remember it all (Horus Heresy, I’m looking at you).
The author was able to masterfully expand on neuron lore but also create characters that are described as mostly inhuman, and make them completely relatable. I did not expect to go through a gamut of emotions while reading a book about humanoid robots.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction, regardless if you know anything about the Warhammer universe prior to picking up the book.
I love 40k, but some of the books are so dense and battles are so long that I need cliff notes after finishing to remember it all (Horus Heresy, I’m looking at you).
The author was able to masterfully expand on neuron lore but also create characters that are described as mostly inhuman, and make them completely relatable. I did not expect to go through a gamut of emotions while reading a book about humanoid robots.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction, regardless if you know anything about the Warhammer universe prior to picking up the book.
December 17, 2023
I‘d say I have a fair share of experience when it comes to 40k books of varying quality and I absolutely agree with the common notion that this is the best one of them.
Not only does it manage to convey the absurdity (and tragic) of the Necrons‘ eternal lifespans it is also incredibly funny while simultaneously delivering two of the best and most faceted characters in the entire 40k universe. I want to study them and their relationship under a microscope. They are just the most guys.
Also I love Pokémon.
Not only does it manage to convey the absurdity (and tragic) of the Necrons‘ eternal lifespans it is also incredibly funny while simultaneously delivering two of the best and most faceted characters in the entire 40k universe. I want to study them and their relationship under a microscope. They are just the most guys.
Also I love Pokémon.
April 17, 2021
Partway through I knew this was an easy 5-star read. Loved the characters in this book, they were very distinct and it was so much fun to follow their antics. The audiobook in particular (read by Richard Reed) has fantastic narration, unique voices to each character and kept you hooked all the way through. Fave 40k book so far! 5*
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