Bookworm Speaks!- Nightbringer Review

Bookworm Speaks!

Warhammer 40K 

Nightbringer 

by Graham McNeill

****

Acquired: Barnes and Noble Booksellers

Series: Ultramarines (Book 1)

Paperback: 416 Pages

Publisher: Games Workshop Reprint

Language: English

Subject: Fiction

****

Ultramarines Captain Uriel Ventris and his allies are forced into a deadly race against time to destroy their shadowy enemy

Newly promoted Ultramarines Captain Uriel Ventris is assigned to investigate Pavonis, an Imperial planet plagued by civil disorder and renegade eldar raiders. But nothing is as straightforward as it appears, and wheels are turning within wheels. Uriel and his allies are forced into a deadly race against time to destroy their shadowy enemy - or the whole planet must be sacrificed for the good of humanity.

The Review: Back to the 41st Millennium and here we tackle a series that is one of Bookworm’s Favorites: The Ultramarines.

This series was first introduced to Bookworm in the Ultramarine’s Omnibus, the second book of the Black Library he had ever purchased. If the Space Marine Omnibus did not completely hook Bookworm then it was the Ultramarines series that made Bookworm plunge into depths of the grim darkness of the far future, because this one starts with a bang. 

Literally. 

The story wisely begins with a short story that describes Uriel Ventris’ rise to Captaincy of the Fourth Company. Without giving too much away, the story does a good job in giving us the roots of Uriel’s current style of command and why he is to way he is today.

It also gives us a taste of an absent yet influential character throughout the whole series. Captain Idaeus, Uriel Ventris’ predecessor. His style of command, not to mention his sword, have a huge impact on Ventris’ future actions. Bookworm would love to see more stories about this character. He seemed very engaging. 

When we get to the story proper, Captain Ventris has only begun his tenure as Captain but it is clear that former Captain is still with him. His more flexible approach to interpreting the teachings of his Primarch being the most prominent. 

Uriel Ventris really is the centerpiece of the entire novel and still stands out as one Bookworm’s favorite characters. His most poignant trait is his humility. 

Space Marines tend to look down on regular humans or mortals, believing them to be weak or effete, only interacting with them is absolutely necessary. A good example of this comes from another story, Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, where the Black Templar main character refuses to shake hands with the leader of the human defenders of the city. Uriel Ventris is not like that. He interacts with the various citizens of Pavonis as if they are, not precisely ‘equals’, but someone whose opinion matters. If you want to get a read on someone, see how they treat their inferiors, not their equals. 

Uriel feels very human and that really is the reason he is so endearing. Inwardly he struggles with responsibility of command, trying to live up to the legacy of his Captain and his Company. He is still young for a Space Marine and it shows in his inner monologues but not to a degree that makes him seem less competent. 

Further emphasizing the character is his friendship with fellow Ultramarine and Sergeant of Fourth Company, Pasanius Lysane. He is Uriel’s best friend, and almost as compelling as Uriel even though he is only given brief point of view passages. He is not considered a typical Space Marine as he is considered capable of great warmth. He actually has a gentle giant (and he is large) quality to him. Unless of course, you are an enemy of mankind, in which case he will incinerate you with his heavy flamer. 

Characters are all well and good but what about the story? Right from the beginning, it is clear that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Captain Ventris’ mission. The prologue certainly aids in that conclusion: a tale of some eldritch horror dwelling in the distant, distant past, sealed away in a distant world and utterly consumed and forgotten by ennui. Lovecraft would be proud. 

Putting that aside, the mission does seem a bit odd. The crisis on Pavonis, while not unimportant, does seem like it is suffering from a more domestic dispute. Something that seems a bit too small for the mighty Ultramarines. 

Most Space Marine novels are uncomplicated stories. That’s what makes them fun. Mystery is a subtle genre to master but the author managed to pull it off with its own Warhammer twist. The intersecting conspiracies of the denizen’s of Pavonis and the occluded purposes of the Adept Ario Barzano all lead to a page-turning mystery to see how it all plays out in the end. It doesn’t quite pan out in the best way. There are a lot of red herrings that don’t go anywhere which can get annoying and some of the passages can seem a bit out of place. Perhaps one more editing session could’ve made the whole text a bit more stremlined. 

Not to worry though, there is still plenty of shooting and sword fights to appease the Warhammer 40k fandom. The ending in particular is especially gripping and like most tales of the Dark Millennium ends bittersweet. 

Final Verdict: Nightbringer is a terrific start to a bold series that introduces a superb character and the start of a great adventure. 

Four Ultramarine Badges out of Five

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