Book Review // Path of the Warrior by Gav Thorpe

If you have followed my original blog, you will know I love a Black Library title. There will be a lot of those reviewed here, so be ready for that. I also love the Aeldari. I have been obsessed with them since 2nd Edition, and they tick all the boxes for me. An underdog dying race that views the galaxy with stubbornness and pride and an absolute hurtful indifference. They are as quick to help as they are to kill, and sometimes they do both. So when I heard Gav Thorpe was doing a series on them, I knew I had to pick it up and read.

Here we are, book one of the series.

Title: Path of the Warrior by Gav Thorpe

Published by: Black Library

Format: Ebook

Commercial Fluff:

Book 1 of the Path of the Eldar

When the Eldar artist Korlandril feels the call to war, he walks the Path of the Warrior and joins the Striking Scorpions. As his craftworld is drawn into war with the Imperium, Korlandril finds that once he has begun walking that path, it may not be easy to leave it…

Review

Now, I am slightly biased as I am a massive fan of The Aeldari and Elves, so it's no surprise that I would enjoy this book. It holds up great against any other 40k-themed book out there with a story that gives us this fully formed character of Korlandril and great insight into the inner workings of an alien's mind.

The novel begins in a way I did not expect from a 40k novel. It started with peace! Instead of being thrown head first into the war-torn bloody future, we are given time to enjoy Korlandril as a sculptor, a friend and an Eldar in love. This was a great read in itself. I got to experience what really happens in a Craftworld and what locations exist there. The fluff nerd in me loves these details, and Thorpe pulled it all together brilliantly. Giving a great insight into what makes the Eldar tick.

Then, we slowly watch Korlandril's world collapse from this state of peace as beauty becomes rage. You are left powerless as Korlandril is consumed by his rage, and all his beauty and peacefulness are lost to us. The book moves into a more aggressive world, dealing with Korlandril's time in the Striking Scorpion Aspect. Learning how one becomes an Aspect Warrior ignited my imagination and was well depicted without wasting the reader's time. Then, you can't be a warrior without going to war! The battle scenes are well thought out. Focusing purely on this one squad's experience rather than the whole army and the bigger picture. I would have liked more battles or extended battle scenes, but I may want to see more Mon-keigh (Eldar term for humans) dead.

Overall, this was a great read and will be a book I keep and reread. That is the best thing I can ever say about a book; It's a book I will reread. So, with this in mind, I will say if you like Gav Thorpe, buy the book. If you want Eldar, then buy the book. If you like 40k, buy the book or better yet, if you like my review, then buy the book.

Quick link to purchase: Amazon Affiliate link to Omnibus

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