Wrath of Iron by Chris Wraight
‘Wrath of Iron’ by Chris Wraight is the second book in the
Space Marine Battles Novel series that I have read, the first being
‘Hellsreach’ by Aaron Dempski-Bowden.
ADB being my favorite Black Library author, Mr. Wraight had some big
shoes to fill. Luckily for me, ‘Wrath of
Iron’ has not only been one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in quite
some time but a detailed look into the psyche of one of the least written about
Space Marine chapters, the Iron Hands.
Full of pulse quickening action and well written, thought out dialogue
Wrath of Iron fulfilled everything and more that I expect from a story that
focuses on 8 foot tall robotic demi-gods.
I have read more Black Library books than I would like to admit, and one
of my biggest peeves with their portrayal of Space Marines has always been the
act of trying to humanize them. Names
will not be named but I recently read a certain omni-bus regarding a very
famous chapter of Space Marines where the characters sat around and used
language you would expect from a high school locker room. I’m sorry but genetically modified super
humans with little to no concept of human emotion or feelings should not be using
contractions and slang. Leave that kind
of language for Guard novels. Well,
enough about my personal likes and dislikes in 40k prose. On to the summary! (NO SPOILERS)
When the time comes, I will strip my
hands of their unnatural silver. I will
instruct my Legion to recant their distrust of the flesh. I will turn them away from the gifts of the
machine and bid them relearn the mysteries of flesh, bone and blood. – The
Neimerel Scrolls Attributed to the Primarch Ferrus Manus.
In ‘Wrath of Iron’, rebellion has
erupted throughout the poisoned hive planet Shardenus Prime. The Iron Hand’s Clan Raukaan has been tasked
with finding the cause of the rebellion and crushing it. Clan Commander Rauth leads the Clan with
ruthless and machine-like efficiency, something that the mortal commander of
the Imperial Guard taskforce Lord General Raji Nethata finds impossible to
comprehend. Rauth is supported by Chief
Librarian Telach and Iron Father Khatir, who know the salvation of the planet
will need both the strength of the Iron Warriors’ spirit, as well as ethereal
power of the warp. When the truth of the
uprising is unearthed, Rauth must use all of the tools at his disposal to
utterly destroy it, even if those tools happen to be thousands of Imperial
Guardsmen or even the mighty titans of the Adeptus Mechanicus!
Chris
Wraight does a fantastic job of showing the tense relationship that the
Imperial Guard shares with the Space Marines.
I especially like the internal torment that Lord General Nethata goes
through as he attempts to work with a force that is not only autonomous but
will requisition entire armies to fulfill a mission that is only known to them. The fragility of humanity is shown in stark
contrast to the massively powerful and neigh immortal Space Marines. This has been done numerous times, but
Wraight makes it a point to show the raw emotions felt by average humans when
confronted by the Space Marines, which more often than not terrify them as much
as the enemy. The Iron Hands inner
workings are examined in great detail throughout the novel, which was a big
selling point for me. All I knew about
this secretive chapter was that their Primarch Ferrus Manus was killed by his
brother Fulgrim and that they worked closely with the Adeptus Mechanicus. Their relationship with the Adeptus
Mechanicus is also explored in detail and there are some really interesting
revelations made on this front. Wraight
goes into exacting detail when describing the philosophy of the Iron Hands and
why they feel the way they do about living flesh. The battle tactics and fighting style of the
Clans are also detailed throughout the novel.
One of my favorite characters is the Iron Father, Khatir, who more or
less functions as the Clan’s Chaplain and is given, in my opinion, some of the
best dialogue in the novel. Though he is
a minor character, his speech to the terrified and exhausted guardsmen towards
the end of the novel definitely has stuck with me. Chris Wraight is truly a master of dialogue
and be it Space Marines, Titan Princeps, or Imperial assassins every word
spoken (written) holds true weight and their tones are true to their
characters.
So why
should you go out and pay $12.99 for this novel? If you like detailed Imperial
Guard tactics, crisp and insightful dialogue, background into an extremely
interesting Space Marine Chapter and gratuitous blood and violence (without
being ONLY about that) than this is the novel for you. If you want Space Marines speaking like
teenagers and lasguns punching through tactical dreadnaught armor, go pick up
something else.
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