The Emperor's Legion (Volume 1) (Watchers of the Throne)

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Without her old mentor’s history, connections or political standing to rely upon, Jek offers a different angle on the politics of the Throneworld – and this is very much a political story, exploring the complex realities of how the Imperium is bound together. Jek exemplifies that, but Aleya and Valerian are caught up in the politics too, whether they realise it or not. Much like in Wraight’s other second-in-series novel The Hollow Mountain, a key theme is change, but this time the focus is on the tension between unknowable change and comfortable stasis as Terra begins to emerge from the shadow cast by Guilliman and his reforms. From hidebound institutions begrudgingly shaken up by cataclysmic events to the lives of individual characters, the varying responses reflect the fact that Terra (representing the Imperium in microcosm) was never going to have a consistent, unanimously positive reaction to the changes forced upon it. Big Bad: In The Regent's Shadow, Irthu Haemotalion, who leads the Imperium Eterna after Guilliman removes him from his position as the Master of the Administratum. When battle is finally properly joined, it is in the height of the Blindness, with the Great Rift splitting the sky. The frenetic and hard-hitting battles follow some grisly cult scenes. Wraight carves the horror of the Warp onto the setting and inflicts it on his cast, giving us the same upheaval from multiple points of view. Almighty Janitor: The Chancellor of Senatorum Imperialis. On paper, their job is to make sure that all the actually-powerful High Lords meet together on the regular, and to handle the paperwork for said meetings. In practice, they not only have spies in almost every branch of the Palace, but they act as the liaisons and mediators between the Senatorum's various primadonnas, allowing them to influence the politics of the entire Imperium. Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Lev Tieron believes that the Custodes are a Sleeping Giant, as ten thousand Super- Super Soldiers could help swing the balance of battle in favour of the Imperium - if they were allowed outside of the Palace. His plot in The Emperor's Legion revolves around trying to awaken said giant.

The actual name for the Sisters of Silence is Anathema Psykana. And at least one think Sisters of Silence is a really stupid name.

Not in This for Your Revolution: Despite supporting the Reform Council, Fadix freely admits to Jek that he disagrees with everything about their views, and simply wishes to avoid a civil war that would break already-fragile Terra. He also believes that Guilliman will eventually come to support Static Tendency, his own faction. I went into this book not really knowing what to expect, only a brief glance at the blurb let me know it was about the Custodes.

The Emperor's Legion tells a new story set at the heart of Terra, from the POV of three main characters: A custodes, a sister of silence, and the chancellor. Each one contributes an essential pillar to the full narrative by which we experience a new dawn upon the Imperium, and how these consequences spread throughout the entire inner workings of the dystopic machine of the Imperium to tremble its very core. Chris Wraight manages to establish the setting and somber mood of Terra through the eyes of different perspectives that work out quite well in the full panorama, giving us a glimpse of what is like to be a human in such place and in such times. The construction of Terra and the way the scenarios are laid out is a fascinating new insight into the lore, as well as an entertaining journey through an industrial, overly zealous hell. The Heavy: In The Regent's Shadow, the Minotaurs are the most visible antagonist for most of the story.Q: If the Old World still existed, would Ludwig Schwarzhelm’s mighty beard have gotten its own book? The twelve missing assassins Jek notices in Assassinorium documents turn up killing off the leaders of the Imperium Eterna.