Bookworm Speaks!- Dante

Bookworm Speaks!

Dante

by Guy Haley

****

Acquired: Black Library

Series: Blood Angels

Har: 304 Pages

Publisher: Games Workshop (March 21, 2017)

Language: English

Subject: Fiction

****

The Story: The untold origin story of Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels, one of the Imperium's greatest heroes.

Dante is Chapter Master of one of the noblest but most troubled Chapters of Space Marines in the Imperium: the Blood Angels. From the time of his birth in the rad-scarred wastes of Baal Secundus, he was destined for glory and strife. From his apotheosis to Scout, to the hive cities of Armageddon and the alien menace of the Cryptas system, Dante has waged war against all the enemies of the Imperium. He has witnessed the divine, and struggled against the darkness within all sons of Sanguinius. Longer lived than any other Chapter Master, this is his chronicle, his great and storied legend. 

The Review: For starters, the Lore Geek has to put something to rest: This book pretty much settles a small debate that has been drifting through the Warhammer 40k fandom for sometime. That being, Lord Commander Dante first name, if he even has one. It was thought to be ‘Cervan’ but that name appears nowhere in this book. It appears his name was actually Luis. So that’s done. 

The structure of this book is actually a fairly common archetype in Warhammer 40K Fiction. It depicts the story of one particular Space Marine and his journey from normal, human child to a hero of the Adeptus Astartes. This is familiar ground to any disciple of the Black Library. Thankfully, the story of Luis is actually one of the best parts of the book. The world building in this book is top notch and readers of post-apocalyptic fiction would be wise to add this book to their collections. The reason for this is that Baal and its moons really are post-apocalyptic settings, with the worlds previous civilizations been destroyed in a nuclear war many millennia ago. In previous stories, Baal was usually on described as a desert and not much else. Over the course of Luis’ journey, we are treated to a living, breathing, and outright dangerous world. We feel every step of the journey and the author does this by describing his pain, his doubts, and his struggles against the hostile landscape of his homeworld. When Luis becomes Dante, the reader feels as relieved as he does. 

To be a Blood Angel is to be a contradiction. They care deeply for the defense of Imperial Citizens but want to drink their blood and feast on their flesh. They value beauty in both body and surroundings but they are constantly on verge of going to into a bezerker rage that will turn them into monsters. Lord Commander Dante is the epitome of this and he knows this. He knows that the Blood Angels and countless souls up and down the Imperium of Man

He feels the weight of his long years upon him and the author paints wonderful word pictures conveying this to us. One passage in particular, tells the reader that he desires to become a museum piece. He wants be obsolete, have no more reason to fight. 

He will never give up, never surrender. He will fight for the Imperium. Still, he wonders if it will mean anything in the end. Dante is on the verge of losing his hope, he feels that the end is near. For every one planet he manages to save, two more burn. Dante is supposed to be the great and glorious leader of the Blood Angels and High Hero of the Imperium and he constantly feel the Red Thirst and the Black Rage grinning at him from the corner of his mind, just waiting for the chance to utterly consume him, like all Blood Angels in the end. 

The struggles that trouble Dante are unlike anything anyone ever experienced and yet they are what makes the character so human. His despair is something that we have all gone through in one way or another, where the obstacles and seemingly endless grind makes us wonder if the journey is even worth it. In spite of all his inner doubts and struggles, Dante still retains his humanity are there are several instances that perfectly exemplify this fact. No spoilers but there is a scene near the ending with Dante and his human servant, whom we have seen multiple interactions with. It is a rather small moment, yet it rekindles hope within Dante. Up until that point there has been a overarching theme that Dante has been visited multiple times by the Sanquinor, an ancient spirit said to contain the spirit of the Blood Angels Primarch Sanquinius. This plot threat is very interesting, make no mistake, but it is not an ancient spirit who makes Dante hope again, it is an old man who brings him tea. That is what make’s Warhammer 40k such an enchanting setting. It is a galaxy filled with war machines the size of skyscrapers, wars that engulf worlds, and malevolent beings with the power of gods and yet even the most lowly person has role to play. One man can still make a difference. 

Such was the story of the man who served Dante. 

Such is the story of Dante

Final Verdict: When Bookworm finished this book, he thought his brain was going to melt. There is just so much here! This is an ultimately melancholy book. Dante’s path has been one of sacrifice and pain with little time for friends and yet Dante stands triumphant above all. He is a hero of the Imperium and nothing will stand in his way. 

A Rare Ranking of:

Five Blood Angels Crests out of Five!

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