Lords of Silence by Chris Wraight (Warhammer 40,000 Book Review)

The surprising thing is that this book wasn't even on the review list. Really, due to extreme time and financial constraints, the next Ciaphas Cain novel was slotted in for today instead. I had been meaning to cover the series for years and the new novel was a chance to do just that, but it was unavailable at my local store. So, Lords of Silence took its place instead. You might expect the next bit to say "and dear sweet heaven that was a mistake!" but instead, it's quite the opposite. If anything, it's the Death Guard novel we've been needing for years.

Synopsis

Set during the more recent events of the Plague Wars, the events of the novel follow almost directly after the shattering of the Cadian Gate. Chaotic Warbands now race across the Imperium as the Eye of Terror stretches into a crack across the very galaxy itself, and the Death Guard are moving to answer Mortarion's call to war. Yet even as they answer the call to arms of their primarch, ancient secrets, mistakes and past battles haunt them. While the Lords of Silence warband move to battle across the Imperium Nihilus, an especially dark and persistent specter of their past haunts their every step...

The Good

Past reviews have typically been quite harsh of Chris Wraight, despite typically repeating that he is a talented author. Much of this is due to his treatment of the Space Wolves in their own series, with the mistake of emphasising failings and weaknesses to the point of ignoring strengths. While this might be true of that chapter, no element of it is present here and that drive has been used in a more creative means. The exploration of their character has shifted from failings to the subject of worship, corruption and age, as we see how the Death Guard have adapted through the centuries. While the mistake of linking modern and Heresy era events has led to some stories making it seem as if a few decades have passed rather than thousands of years, this is the opposite. There is a real sense of weight to how corrupt and warped the marines in question truly are, thanks to how they view Nurgle's influence and the subject of decay as a whole.

The nature of every marine's change is seen as much through how they describe the Warp, the nature of worship and even nearby daemons. There is a much more monastic sense of reverence within the warband, even by the standard of space marines. While they are certainly willing to show some of the macabre joy Nurgle is known for, it's a more straight faced example than you might expect. Furthermore, daemons are used sparingly, but this helps to further emphasise how they are viewed by this particular warband in question. Plus it helps to hit much harder, as when they appear s when Wraight's more creative descriptions truly kick in, and he offers some fantastically vivid images of things which simply do not belong in this world.

The book is also one of the few to share a protagonist role in the form of Vorx and Dragan. This isn't so much the usual protagonist and deuteragonist relationship as you might expect, as you're never wholly sure just which one is supposed to be star of the show. Well, at least until the end anyway. Each is a contrast to the other, reflecting a way in which the Long War has influenced their lives, and even how their memories colour their sense of loyalty. While Vorx is old enough to remember the Great Crusade and is wise in his aged nature, Dragan is a relatively more recent recruit and shows devotion to the Long War. It's an interesting dynamic, as it's not nearly so openly hostile as you would expect, but it reflects the shift in attitude. It leads to a multitude of interesting conversations and verbal sparring which makes for some of the book's most engaging moments, especially during the events in the Eye of Terror.

Given that history and ghosts of the past are a major subject within the story, it's fitting in a way that it's told through a non-linear structure, with frequent flashbacks and shifting chronological events. This allows the story to repeatedly hit the reader with a number of surprises, and several intelligent twists which makes re-reading the book all the more appealing. It's delivered in a different manner to your typical flashbacks through dialogue and overall structure, and the hints delivered of certain events carry much more impact thanks to this. They are not so openly forecast, and the fact that they are chronologically much closer together means that there is more of an interesting connection. Look, if you want it in layman's terms, it's less Lost than it is Reservoir Dogs.

Finally, while a character piece first and foremost, it does utilise its locations very effectively. We see much more of the Eye and the Imperium in contrast to one another than would usually be expected, but it does so very effectively. There isn't a lost sense of mystery to the Eye despite this fact, and the Imperium itself is shown as reeling from the new changes. While it does delve into a few lesser used tropes - notably that the Imperial characters in the book deny traitor astartes as even existing - it's seen as a farewell to those elements. They will be harder to justify in future works after all, and it's one last opportunity to fully explore them at this point in the timeline.

The Bad

After so many great elements, the negatives are mixed to say the least. Some aren't truly badly handled, but they fail to fully fit in with the overall narrative, or simply don't mesh with they key subjects. A big part of this is down to how the story is supposed to be very slow burning, and rather action-less book, with its focus concentrated on conversation pieces. Unfortunately, this just makes the action itself stand out like a sore thumb. While most Warhammer novels are typically able to work this into the story without issue, here much of it feels gratuitous. On its own it works fine, but there are only one or two fights which truly compliment the characters and work with the overarching story.

Furthermore, the villains of the piece were quite weak. Outside of the warband itself, both the intended antagonist and the Imperium lacks much in the way of real engagement, often coming across as bland or one-dimensional. While this could have been used for commentary or emphasis on the themes of corruption - as each traitor marine typically regards their move as an upgrade - it never comes across this way. As such, it feels as if the story only has a portion of what could be an excellent ensemble of characters. Ironically, those who do break this trend are Mortarion and Typhus, both of who we barely see in the tale.

A third major point which proves to be rather frustrating at times is how the story sets up certain elements, but never fully follows up on them. Some of this can be put down to establishing elements for future novels, or even as throw-away lines, but the way in which they are delivered sometimes makes it seem as if they were intended to be something more. Vrox's hatred of the Thousand Sons is a major one, as it's framed and delivered as if it were a point which was meant to have much more impact at a later date, but we get relatively little from it.
The Verdict

While flawed, Lords of Silence nevertheless proves to be another great addition to the Black Library, and easily the best Nurgle related book we have seen to date. With so many stories coming out on both sides, and the Death Guard's prominence of late, this could be the starting point to a great trilogy. After all, with the Iron Warriors, Word Bearers, Night Lords and (technically) Thousand Sons all having had their time in the spotlight, the sons of Barbaras are long overdue a decent trilogy. It certainly works as a stand alone, and I do strongly recommend it, but there's certainly potential for something more here.

Verdict: 7 out of 10