Tuesday, April 24, 2012

40k Book Review: Imperial Glory



     Imperial Glory by Richard Williams tells the story of the weary veterans of the Brimlock Eleventh Imperial Guard as they near the end of their long campaign. Just when the Brimlock Eleventh thought they were off of the hook, they are sent to the jungle world of Voor in response to a distress call from the Planetary Governor concerning an Ork Rok that crashed down onto the planet's surface. The guardsmen expected to find dead Orks, but instead find themselves up against overwhelming numbers of feral Orks and an unwelcoming populace of anti-imperial colonists.

     The plot also features several internal power struggles within the regiment, but I won't ruin the excitement for you. :}

     To be honest, this best part of this story for me was the psychology of the veterans. Nearly all of the men presented have some form of erratic behavior or insanity developed over the course of their campaign. This book is as much a 40k story as it is an examination of the effects of warfare on the human mind and body.

     Also of note was a section of the book from the Ork perspective, including the life of an Ork from birth to Warboss. I hadn't expected this when I picked the book up (the book is titled Imperial Glory after all!), but it was a pleasant surprise and gave me a much better idea of Ork society and physiology.

PROS:

  • Insight into the life of an Ork
  • Colorful and interesting characters
  • Focused and great plot
CONS:
  • None really come to mind for this one.
     In summary, if you're looking for a good Imperial Guard book (or even Orks as there aren't many), I highly recommend this book.

     Next Tuesday I'll post a review for Path of the Renegade by Andy Chambers. 

Thanks for reading!

-Symmaccus