Assassinorum Kingmaker (Warhammer 40,000)

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Political intrigue, three Assassin Temples and Knightly Houses, combine to make an interesting story. I know I’ve said this before, but 2022 is turning out to be a fantastic year for Warhammer fiction. Thanks to my recent obsession with this franchise, I have been deeply enjoying all the new tie-in novels associated with this table-top game, as a bevy of talented authors seek to expand on the already massive lore. I have already had a lot of fun with books like Steel Tread, The Bookkeeper’s Skull, Day of Ascension, Kreig, Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waagh!, Reign and The Vincula Insurgency, but I may have just finished one of the most purely entertaining and awesome new entries, Assassinorum: Kingmaker. Written by Robert Rath, who previously wrote the intriguing Necron focused book, The Infinite and The Divine, Assassinorum: Kingmaker had a very appealing story that instantly grabbed my attention and which ended up being an outstanding read.

Assassinorum: Kingmaker is really good : r/40kLore - Reddit Assassinorum: Kingmaker is really good : r/40kLore - Reddit

Kingmaker is the Assassinorum novel I’ve wanted for years. Rath realizes the Assassinorum as unique and distinct from the Inquisition despite an oft overlapping remit, giving the Officio a Cold War spy vibe that really fits. There’s no religious mumbo-jumbo and everything seems much more centralized than you get in Abnett’s or Wraight’s work. However this book is decidedly more about the process of conducting an operation than the functioning of the Assassinorum as a whole. Rath focuses on how the assassins involved, all of whom are wonderfully well depicted in their interactions with each other and their targets, plan out/perform their mission. There’s also a lot of time spent getting to know the world of Dominion, to the point that this might be the best work on Imperial Knights in the canon. I generally don’t care for the ‘medieval nobles piloting mechs’ vibe it seems every Knight House has to have (why can’t they be diverse like the Titan Legios?), but Rath clearly put a lot of time into giving Dominion an engaging political identity and sense of character. In the broad view I think it’s a brilliant move to focus so much attention on whomever the Assassin(s) are targeting. Hopefully it will mean future books in the series, if they happen, vary considerably with each entry. The performance was stylistically different to what I'm used to but fitted the story excellently. Gareth Armstrong's performance made me think of both a medieval story teller and an agent making a report (which works so much better than it sounds!). Given that the whole point of assassins is that they're basically killing machines, the characterization of Raithe and Sycorax is surprisingly good. You get a real sense of them as people. You also get plenty of lore about both knights and the inner workings of assassin temples.Other than that, Kingmaker is just overall a fun time. The three assassins making up the Officio team all get their moments to shine and have great interpersonal chemistry. They were surprisingly – though pleasantly – human, with a smart focus on how their personalities and viewpoints integrate with their equipment and methodology instead of bland codex regurgitations. However, Culexus Assassins have been transformed by the Necrons into their foul Pariah servants by transferring their consciousnesses into necrodermis bodies. Just finished it today, top stuff even if, as mentioned, the last act gets a bit confusing trying to keep various knights straight in my head! Did not expect the exact mayhem that went down, some excellent twists and turns. Definite 007 vibes from the Assassins at times, helped i think by the dry english diction on the audio book :D

Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath Warhammer 40,000: Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath

It works well as a stand-alone story, but has enough ties to something bigger going on that I could see Rath build this out into his own little series. Either way, I hope this does well for him. Tarzyn and Orkiam are wonderfully realized and expressed through the writing. One living in the past and the other in the future and how it all interlinks is just glorious. A fun, fast-paced espionage thriller that’s a great read on its own merits as well as a great showcase of how 40k as a setting can be fluidly adapted to various genres and story types. No, no,’ scolded Ossuaria. ‘Phillias, activate the signal dampeners. Anything you two say we shall all be a party to. No colluding on testimony–’ Even amongst the upper echelons of the Officio Assassinorum, this temple is always viewed with extreme caution. This is not because of the way that the Culexus operate, nor because of any particularly hideous methods they use to kill their targets. It is because of the Assassins themselves, for they are bearers of the Pariah Gene.

In so many words: Kingmaker has the structure of a heist movie (assemble your team, make a plan, explain how it will go perfectly, deal with the inevitable twist) transplanted into the exaggerated and gothic Warhammer 40k setting. I was hoping that the idea would be just the right combination of a classic trope and a radical setting to work! There's humour in the story, mostly in the form of the occasional clip. it is well placed and can definitely cause a grin and a laugh.

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Death of a Recidivist (501.M37) - The influential Cardinal Jerome the Unsaintly of Oristia IV secedes from the Imperial Creed. He amasses an insane amount of wealth through illegal levies, hoping to gather an army of Frateris Militia to rival that of Goge Vandire. He is shot in the roof of the mouth by a Vindicare Assassin whilst singing subversive hymns.I got this primarily for the assassins, but it was also a surprisingly fun look at Knight Households as well. The politics between two feuding families is the engine behind their story, and it doesn't disappoint. There's not a dull moment with them.

Assassinorum Kingmaker is Awesome (Light Spoilers) Assassinorum Kingmaker is Awesome (Light Spoilers)

This extremely rare genetic defect occurs in less than one in a billion individuals. Those who suffer from this condition are known by the name of Pariah, or Untouchable, and meeting one is something that no normal Human being can ever forget. Really solid 40k book and a huge surprise. I find the one of novels can be a hit or miss sometimes but this was fantastic. The main group of assassins were all really likeable and I really enjoyed the way they interacted with each other. Reminded me of the Eisenhorn books in that respect. When the Emperor spoke this famous declaration during the early years of the Great Crusade, a number of his most loyal servants met, eager to help enact his dreams of uniting Mankind across all the settled worlds of the galaxy. These men and women were highly skilled in the craft of stealth and subterfuge and highly accomplished in the arts of death. They hunted down those who would bring ruination to the Emperor's plan for Human betterment. In secrecy they acted, preferring not to receive praise from the Emperor for their actions, for they felt themselves unworthy of such attentions amidst the great sacrifices and destruction caused by the ongoing operations of the Great Crusade. They carried out their executions silently, moving unseen from world to world in the wake of the Emperor's conquest, ensuring that promises made to the Imperium by rulers newly brought into Imperial Compliance were not reneged upon, that newly installed planetary governors remained loyal, and that treaties and pacts were enforced. Excellent world building, great characters and a captivating plot, highly recommend this superb novel for all assassin and knight fans! I was warned that this book is more Knight than Assassinorum, but I don't agree. I would say it's about 70-30 if favour of our killy boys and girls.

It is quite possible for a Callidus operative to complete their task without the enemy force in question knowing they have been there at all. However, as the tumultuous times of the 41st Millennium draw to a close, the Callidus Temple is making its presence felt upon the fields of battle more so than ever. Kingmaker shows the fascinating relationship between two very different temples of the Assassinorum, as two agents navigate the complex social hierarchy of a Knight World. The stakes are high and the pressure is on, for an Imperial war effort hinges on them executing their duty before disaster strikes. A Destiny Denied (290.M41) - The Officio Assassinorum, having failed to destroy the obscenely powerful Chaos Lord Malfecius with operatives from the Eversor and Vindicare Temples, sends the Culexus Assassin Vaedrex instead. The Culexus haunts the steps of Malfecius across the Eye of Terror. Only when Malfecius ascends to Daemon Princehood does Vaedrex finally strike. With Malfecius' latest incarnation rendering him vulnerable to Vaedrex' Psyk-Out Grenades, the Culexus finally manages to kill the reeling Daemon Prince with a punishing series of blasts from his Animus Speculum.