Book Review: Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan by Gav Thorpe
Welcome to a Black Library book review. Unsurprisingly, it's a Sci-fi piece, set once more within the Games Workshop franchise- Warhammer 40,000- about the Aeldari (Eldar). Hopefully, this promises to be a good piece as it combines all the things I enjoy from Games Workshop. So, let us delve into the paths rarely trodden.
Title: Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan.
Author: Gav Thorpe
Publisher: Black Library
Commercial Fluff:
The Phoenix Lords are demigods of battle, warriors whose legends span the stars. They embody the warrior nature of the eldar, and each walks his path. The first and greatest is Asurmen, the Hand of Asuryan. Since he led his people from destruction at the time of the Fall, he has guided his children, the Dire Avengers, in defending the remnants of the eldar as they plan their rise back to galactic dominance. A superlative warrior and peerless leader, Asurmen is one of the greatest hopes of the eldar race.
The Phoenix Lords of the eldar are legendary, pure embodiment of their warrior nature, and Asurmen was their first. This novel presents a dual narrative – the founding of the Dire Avengers during the fall of the eldar, and the story of Asurmen as he now stands, fighting the forces of Chaos that threaten to overwhelm Ulthwe. This is a tale of heroism and the resolve of a warrior raging hard against the dying of the light.
Review
First up, I'm a Gav Thorpe fan. I enjoy the way he writes, and I find them an enjoyable read (very important as I am dyslexic). This is the first of a new series of books entitled The Phoenix Lords and delves into the pasts, futures and ever-intertwined fates of these unusual characters. This hugely excites me as I love lore and everything eldar, and it helps to add words to my ever-growing Eldar Dictionary (more on that in the future).
The story, unsurprisingly, is the tale of Asurmen, the first Phoenix lord. The story shows us his interactions with other Aeldari members and Craftworlds and how he came into existence. For the most part, you get a chapter set in Asurmen's present, followed by a chapter from his past. The past stories excited me more, as they are set pre-fall and help show how the aeldari civilization collapsed in on itself and how his choices led him down this path of salvation. It is great to read about the original exodites, early craftworlders and the cults of excess, and I truly hope this is all expanded on in future titles.
The book's main story revolves around how, in an earlier battle, Asurmen failed to defend a Chaos artifact that has returned to haunt the aeldari race. After having his form resurrected by the aeldari of Ulthwe, Asurmen begins his quest to find a pilot who can rescue a downed spaceship and take the fight to the enemy. The cast of characters is interesting and somewhat intriguing, especially the rogue Farseer, who I hope to see more of. The battle scenes are intense and quick, and the tale ends too quickly for me. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book to see this arc continued.
Reading books like this reignites my passion for 40k; though I no longer play (since pre-COVID times), I still enjoy painting, and pieces like this have me reaching for my wallet. Let me know in the comments what you feel about the story.
