Xenos

This is my first Warhammer 40K book. I knew a bit about the setting, but ever since I started playing Space Marine 2 and subsequently got into the lore and tabletop side of Warhammer 40K, I've become more and more interested in the franchise. The problem is Warhammer has something like 500 novels to choose from, so after doing some research and asking people well-versed in the lore, they recommended the Eisenhorn trilogy. They told me it was a great starting point to learn more about the setting itself, how the Imperium and the galaxy work. At first, I was a bit skeptical, since I wanted to get into the lore of Xenos and Space Marines, not regular humans in the 40K universe. But after finishing the book, I have to admit I was wrong, and the people who recommended it to me were right.

For anyone unfamiliar with the plot, Xenos follows Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn as he corners an old foe and gets pulled into a much larger, sinister conspiracy. As the story unfolds, he gathers allies and enemies alike, facing off against an interstellar cabal and the dark power of daemons, all of them racing to recover an ancient, forbidden text called the Necroteuch, said to grant its owner terrifying power over the dark arts. It's a hunt that takes Eisenhorn across multiple worlds and drags him deeper into corruption than he expects.

This is the first book of the trilogy, and we meet Eisenhorn himself, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, along with his crew. The book wastes no time, we're thrown straight into the action, and in the very first chapter we get a taste of the grim reality of the 40K universe when one of the crew members dies. Not in some heroic, meaningful way, just dies, and it immediately gives the reader the impression that no one is safe. Anyone can die unceremoniously, and that's something I loved.

The worldbuilding in 40K is already massive, and this book utilizes that perfectly, the world and universe feel genuinely huge. In most sci-fi set in space, it's the norm to use some form of faster-than-light travel as a way to move the plot forward, but that usually ends up making the universe feel small. That's not the case here. Going from one planet to another takes real time, sometimes months, and I think that's deliberate, meant to make the world feel truly vast. I personally loved that.

Beyond that, actions have consequences after battle. Our characters don't just magically heal from heavy wounds despite how advanced the technology is, scars are permanent. There's also bureaucracy, paperwork to be done, tribunals to go through, in simple terms, we get a glimpse of how much red tape exists even in the Imperium's war machine. Some might find that boring, thinking they're picking up a sci-fi action novel and don't want to deal with bureaucracy, and that's a fair reaction, but for me it's perfect, it makes the setting feel more realistic and grounded. As a result, we also get a real sense of just how powerful the Inquisition is within the Imperium of Man, and Eisenhorn uses that power perfectly throughout the book. The side characters are all unique too, and the book makes you genuinely care about them.

The book reads like a journal of a detective, which in a way is exactly what Eisenhorn is, stamping out heresy in the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind. So the book carries that mystery-thriller vibe throughout, which isn't something I'd normally read, but in this case I enjoyed it tremendously. Because of the setting, we also get to see what an average planet in the Imperium actually looks like. Our main character is witty and badass, really well written in my opinion, sometimes employing unorthodox methods that border on heresy themselves, but that's exactly what makes Eisenhorn different from the rest of the Inquisition.

On the prose itself, Abnett writes tight, punchy sentences that keep the pace moving without ever feeling rushed in the moment-to-moment scenes. There's a pulpy, almost noir energy to a lot of it, blood, snarling, larger-than-life moments, but it never tips into feeling cheap or lazy. The dialogue especially stands out, characters feel distinct from one another, which helps a lot given how many side characters we're introduced to.

What I also loved is that because our characters are regular people, not genetically engineered, eight-foot-tall armored super soldiers, when a real threat shows up, like a Chaos Space Marine or something even worse, it carries huge weight. I never thought I'd enjoy that, since I initially wanted to dive straight into badass Space Marine action, but I genuinely did, and that alone shows just how masterfully this book is written.

That said, the ending felt too sudden and rushed to me, almost like the writer wanted to wrap everything up quickly, and that's something I didn't enjoy. It could have been paced out over a longer stretch.

If you're looking to get into Warhammer 40K lore without diving straight into Space Marine-heavy stories, this is a genuinely great entry point, it's easy to read, well-paced outside of the ending, and gives you a real feel for how the Imperium actually functions day to day. Even if, like me, you came in wanting armored super soldiers and daemon-slaying action first, I'd still recommend starting here.

5 out of 5 stars.