Published the very same year as the seminal Xenos, Dan Abnett’s second Eisenhorn novel – Malleus – is set a hundred or so years after the conclusion of the Necroteuch affair. Following a near-death experience at the hands of Beldame Sadia, Eisenhorn reluctantly returns to his estate on Thracian Primaris to join a great celebration taking place. When disaster strikes during the Triumph, Eisenhorn sets out to discover the culprits, but despite his best intentions he begins to find that his reputation has been tarnished by his association – such as it is – with the daemonhost Cherubael.
In context of the Eisenhorn trilogy (well…it’s more a series than trilogy, now The Magos is out) this is a classic second book, taking the characters out of their comfort zones and putting them through harder, darker experiences. It marks the beginning of Eisenhorn’s gradual progression from a moderate puritan to…something else, tackling head on questions of how far individual inquisitors are prepared to go to achieve their goals. Where in Xenos Eisenhorn was unbending and unquestioning in his convictions, by this point he’s lived through a lot more while circumstances are forcing him to make decisions that he might otherwise not be comfortable with. The way he interacts with others is changing, even within his own team, many of whom by now he’s worked with for multiple decades.
Narratively it takes a similar approach to Xenos, albeit with fewer new character introductions and a greater degree of autonomy for many existing ones, as Eisenhorn and his companions hunt down answers and gradually reveal a truth bigger than that which they expected to find. Taking in the urban sprawl of Thracian Primaris, the twist farms of Eechan, the claustrophobic depths of Cinchare and even the cold wilds of Cadia, it’s an exploration of the Imperium itself as much as it is of the Inquisition, Eisenhorn making use of and coming into conflict with varying Imperial bodies as his investigations proceed. Those varied locations provide the backdrop for some truly memorable set-pieces, pitting Eisenhorn against mutants, heretics, rogue psykers and servants of the Imperium, loyal or otherwise.
It’s typical Abnett, and another reminder of why this series is still considered among the best that Black Library has to offer. It’s everything an Inquisition book should be – pacy, compelling, conflicted, portraying people and places that the more military side of 40k rarely gets to show, and offering a deeper exploration of this universe than is usually possible from the front lines. It’s also got everything you’d expect from Abnett, who brings his characters to life with a believable sense of depth and backstory, and builds worlds that you want to visit, despite the horrors that take place upon them. It’s undoubtedly a little darker than Xenos, already hinting at where Eisenhorn might end up and foreshadowing events yet to come, and while it would work perfectly well as a standalone story it’s definitely best considered as the point in the series where things start to take a turn for the worse for Eisenhorn.
Click here to see how this fits into the wider Eisenhorn/Ravenor/Bequin arc.
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