Review: Darkness in the Blood

I don’t normally go for special edition releases, but sometimes, you just need to know what happens. I endulged in this one and I was pleasantly surprised. Before I talk about the book itself, I want to show you the extra goodies that came in the box with the book:

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But, how good is the book itself? This is the third installment of the ‘unofficial’ Dante trilogy and most of the novel is set from his point of view.

There are some great moments in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once again, the dialogue between the characters is the most compelling. It is well written, never feels stilted and always has a point. There is one part where Dante is telling off Mephiston, and it is a very real ‘Don’t disappoint me again,’ moment. It reminded me of an unruly child being told the same and it came off so very well.

Nothing feels over described in the book either. The descriptions add to the story rather than distract from it and there feels like there is no redundent words in it. The reader is told how Dante became Chapter Master and we are once more reminded that although the man is a legend, he is not infallible. He makes mistakes and he comes across as all the more human for it. This works – for me at least – because I like my Space Marines with that human element to them, rather than the mindless killing machines they are supposed to be.

The side characters in the novel are given a good amount of screen time and seem to be well developed to me as well. I appreciated the PTSD suffering Admiral of the Fleet and his ambitious side kick as well. I was pleased to see Rhacelus make an appearance too, though he did not comsume as much wine in this novel as he has done in the past.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and reading about how, and why, Mephiston crossed the rubicon. I didn’t cry at this one, but that doesn’t mean it was a bad read – far from it. I also enjoyed the extra loot that came with it. It is well worth a read.

I have now come to the end of the new Blood Angels books, and I am reading something very different. I am not sure where I will go after that, but I am always open to suggestion!