As such, the actual progress of the conflict seems to massively jump around; with the book going from "we're struggling to hold the line" to "we're doomed! In these ancient days, all the shamans of Earth gathered in a grand conclave to decide what must be done to stave off the day when they had all been consumed by the Warp. If this book is to be believed, the Emperor was simply a tyrant seeking ultimate control, who failed and took down everyone with him.

While the book's structure is as dynamic, varied and chaotic (please, that's not a pun) as past books, it manages to seem somewhat disjointed by comparison. The Ten Thousand Custodian Guard, along with the Sisters of Silence and the Mechanicum forces of Fabricator-General Zagreus Kane, fight to control the nexus points of the ancient Eldar Webway that lie closest to Terra, infested by daemonic entities after Magnus the Red's intrusion. The argument is only occurring between a few people on Bolter and Chainsword, but the gist is that there are fans who believe that the entire 40k setting is all about a nihilistic struggle against Chaos' inevitable victory.The man who would become the Emperor was aware of how the extreme sides of the Human character were feeding the nascent Chaos Powers. Here we get to see that in fact, portions of the webway are large enough to fit Warlord Titans, and even entire cities. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

This crucial military and political alliance, formalised in the 30th Millennium with the signing of the Treaty of Mars, provided the Emperor with much of the technological means and materiel required to extend His crusade into the stars. While He had first been only an observer of Mankind's triumphs and follies, He soon began to help where He could, using His ancient wisdom to spread efficient government, crop management, animal husbandry, technology and peace. What the novel offers readers is a glimpse into the raging war throughout the beginnings of the Imperial Webway, a look into the Custodian Guard, and even an examination of the Emperor himself.Plus, it doesn't help that it retcons his overarching plan for humanity and psykers as well, though i'm not sure how much was down to ABD himself and how much was down to prior authors. As for The Last Church, it's not a pro-Emperor story, it just has a huge problem with presenting arguments.

Nor is this likely done out of sheer favouritism (see the works of Karen Traviss for an actual example of that) as his stories seem to be there to explore the universe rather than simply stamp down his views. Despite their willingness to strike a bargain with Him early on, the Chaos Gods themselves later recognised the Emperor as their greatest enemy among all the intelligent beings of the galaxy, naming him "the Anathema. The Chaos Gods sensed the presence of the New Man, the "Anathema" as they would name Him, and His efforts to curb their own power and growth.

Even without the Titan battles, the Mechanicus storylines and flashbacks to past eras, all of these are weighty events which could have crushed a weaker narrative or less skilled author. To enhance the Primarchs beyond the capabilities that even genetic-engineering allowed, however, the Emperor also drew upon the powers of the Warp he had learned at Molech to enhance His creations, imbuing them with nearly godlike levels of charisma and capability, but also unintentionally making them susceptible to corruption by the entities of the Warp. Despite His best efforts to promote peace and harmony across Old Earth, the instinctive values of martial honour, ambition, defiance, and self-satisfaction could never be eradicated from the Human character. Also, yes, there are a lot of surprise twists, but surprisingly they manage to be prese nted without feeling as if they have piled up in one place or are at risk of overwhelming the reader.

Following the birth of Slaanesh after the Fall of the Aeldari in the 30th Millennium, and the end of the Warp Storms that had prevented interstellar communications and travel from the Sol System, the Emperor determined that the time had come to directly steer the history of Humanity once more, or see the Human race ultimately go extinct due to the troubles of Old Night. Unfortunately though, it's far from perfect, and this is where that aforementioned "but" finally swings into play. Really, the finale is easily one of the best since Helsreach, and retains three of the best last-second twists of any Black Library book. In trying to further explore the Emperor's ideas, despite keeping his history and certain qualities hidden, it ends up making him far less interesting as a character.

You are not meant to "like" a tyrant, a dictator who sacrifices the lives of millions to achieve their goal. He is also the collective reincarnation of the extinct shamans, wizards and wise-men who had guided primitive Humanity during prehistoric times.