Audio Review: Spear of the Emperor by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

It's time for some Space Marine action! Set very close to the current timeline; this might be the most up-to-date lore I have read. I have a lot of 40k to catch up on.

This might be my first real introduction to the Primaris Marines, and what better Author to aid me in the worlds of the Primaris than Aaron Dembski-Bowden? We kick it off with the Spear of the Emperor. I am genuinely excited to get into this, and moving forward, these openers will be written before I've read/listened to a book to give you insight into why I picked it up. It is about two chapters I know very little about, so I am excited to see what he does with them.

Title: Spear of the Emperor: Warhammer 40,000

Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Narrator: Kelly Hotten

Blurb:

The Emperor's Spears is a Chapter on the edge of destruction, the last watchmen over the Elara's Veil nebula. One man's decisions, Amadeus Kaias Incarius of the Mentor Legion, will determine the Chapter's fate...

The story:

The scattered worlds of the Elara's Veil nebula were once protected by the oath of unity sworn by three mighty Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The Star Scorpions were undone by flaws in their genetic coding. The Celestial Lions were ravaged by the Inquisition for sins they did not commit. Now, after hundreds of years, only the Emperor's Spears still keep their vigil. They are barbarian watchmen against the Outer Dark, bloodied but unbroken in their long duty.

Amadeus Kaias Incarius, a brother of the Mentor Legion, is commanded to cross the Great Rift and assess the Spears' war-readiness, only to be drawn into the chaotic plight of a depleted crusade on the Imperium's benighted frontier. The decisions he makes, far from the God-Emperor's light, will decide the fate of the war-torn Chapter.

Run time: 11 hours and 46 minutes.

Buy Online: Via Amazon (thank you for the support)

Review

It was a good read, and I did heartily enjoy it. But it did have some low points. Let's start with the good. The principal Space Marine was Amadeua of the Mentor Legion, sent by the word of the Guilliman to reach out to the survivors in the Veil to call them back to the Imperium. The Mentor Legion has a history in the Veil, as they wear the colours of the lost chapter of Star Scorpions. Who, though declared "lost" in the Imperium, are, in fact, now traitors who haven't fallen to chaos. This causes instant enmity towards Amadeua when he reaches the Spears of the Emperor.

The Spears themselves are a tremendous and exciting chapter made up of the Barbarian population of their homeworld. Being forced to fight constantly has taken its toll on the resources and fighting strength, making them prideful and arrogant. They deserve more time in the tale, and though we learn a lot about them, we are ultimately left with more questions.

As with many Space Marine tales, the story is being retold by the Mentor's serf. The Space Marines are more of a background character, seen from someone else's viewpoint. We don't experience what the Space Marines think or feel. Instead, it is done from the perspective of a servant relying on feelings to portray the Marine's thoughts. This was a little bit of a letdown. I wanted more about the Spears and instead got more about the Mentors.

Overall, this can be forgiven as the story has some epic scenes with open warfare, treacheries, torture and plenty of heartbreaking deaths seeded throughout the story. I feel the failure comes from the publishers who seem to write teaser text not based on the story itself. I hope Dembski is allowed to revisit the story and follow up, as I am now hooked on the plight of the Veil and need to know what is happening!

Let me know your thoughts!