"In the hellish sprawl of Imperial Terra, Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Erasmus serves as a stalwart and vigilant protector, for even the Throneworld is not immune to the predations of its enemies. In the course of his Emperor-sworn duty, Erasmus becomes embroiled in a dark conspiracy, one that leads all the way to the halls of the Imperial Palace. As he plunges deeper in the shadowy underbelly of the many palace districts, his investigation attracts the attention of hidden forces, and soon Erasmus and his acolyte Spinoza are being hunted – by heretics, xenos, servants of the Dark Powers, or perhaps even rival elements of the Inquisition itself. They eventually discover a terrible truth, one that if allowed to get out could undermine the very fabric of the Imperium itself."

I know I've been slacking lately. Please address complaints at Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV team; the Stormblood Expansion just launched a week ago and I had to catch up on the story up to that point the rest of the month. Considering how much I adore the game's storyline and characters (the best you'll find in an MMORPG, I'd argue), reading actual books wasn't a priority lately.
But hey, this one's fantastic so I breezed through it anyway!

The Story:

"In the hellish sprawl of Imperial Terra, Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Erasmus serves as a stalwart and vigilant protector, for even the Throneworld is not immune to the predations of its enemies. In the course of his Emperor-sworn duty, Erasmus becomes embroiled in a dark conspiracy, one that leads all the way to the halls of the Imperial Palace. As he plunges deeper in the shadowy underbelly of the many palace districts, his investigation attracts the attention of hidden forces, and soon Erasmus and his acolyte Spinoza are being hunted – by heretics, xenos, servants of the Dark Powers, or perhaps even rival elements of the Inquisition itself. They eventually discover a terrible truth, one that if allowed to get out could undermine the very fabric of the Imperium itself."

The Review:

The Carrion Throne is the kind of novel I've wanted Black Library to publish for years and years. I was honestly worried I'd be putting my expectations up too high - the announcement excited me like few Black Library releases had in recent years. But some things sound just a bit too good to be true, don't they? It has been a long time since BL had greenlit a proper, full-on Inquisition novel and now we're seeing two series kick off in 2017 (John French's Horusian Wars being the other). Fingers crossed that this would be good, then.

Spoiler: It was fantastic!

The novel delivered that sense of thick atmosphere of grit and intrigue that the setting has lacked a great deal in recent years, outside of some exceptions. There is no glorious war here, but plenty of misery under the vener of righteousness and piety. It is easy to think of Holy Terra, humanity's home and the God-Emperor's seat of power, as a jewel of the Imperium. Chris Wraight sets the record straight once and for all and makes it very clear that it is a terrible place to live for all but the elite few, including the Inquisition. People are afraid and driven to extremes, living off scraps and knowing little to no justice in life.

In a way, Wraight even leveled big criticisms against the Inquisition's modus operandi, both through his depictions of them in action and their hypocrisy throughout, but also by pitching Erasmus Crowl's philosophies against those of his new Interrogator, who previously served under a major hardliner. They clash in ideological ways, if not openly, which serves to keep things tense for the reader. It is easy to glorify the role of Inquisitors as the ultimate authority, the righteous gun to the head of heretics. The Carrion Throne explores the adverse effects of their creed in great detail and, by focusing on Interrogator Spinoza's shift from one master to another and all the uncertainties that come with it, forces the reader to reevaluate their views on the Inquisition's activities in more ways than one.

The bulk of the book is formed by two strings of investigation, one mainly led by Inquisitor Erasmus Crowl, the other taken over by Interrogator Luce Spinoza. As can be expected, both intertwine on various points, especially as the Sanguinala, a massive festivity on Terra, draws closer. As pilgrims once more swarm the hives of Holy Terra, misery grows stronger still and more subversive elements cause grief for the local law enforcement and Inquisition. What starts as a series of gruesome murders promises to endanger the Imperial Palace and the Sanguinala themselves. What better way to cause chaos than to bring down doom on millions of pilgrims in front of the Eternity Gate?

So Crowl and Spinoza are working against time, pursuing leads as to the killings while also looking for a missing Inquisitor, interrogating rogue traders, performing autopsies and infiltrating Mechanicus strongholds. I don't think we've ever seen as much of "modern" Terra as we do here. Not only does The Carrion Throne take us places on and around the planet, but it also showcases many walks of life on the Throneworld and the way their lives are governed by fear. I was particularly impressed by pious Spinoza's shock and disbelief at seeing a statue of a Space Marine defaced and demanding the crowds around her to show a similar reaction, only to realize they're numb to it all.
In other parts, it felt horrific with what supposed luxuries the people on Terra are somewhat content with, like living in tiny hab-units. Living plants are a miracle to this sorry lot and there is little light to illuminate the dark corridors of Terra's underbelly.

The two leading characters Crowl and Spinoza were brilliant to read about too. Their dynamics as new mentor and adopted student were unique and full of tension due to clashing philosophies. Crowl himself has a lot of depth to him, not all of which has been explored just yet. There's much that I'd love to see covered bit by bit in future novels. Spinoza meanwhile already had a short story, Argent, to showcase her time under her former master and how she got honored by the Imperial Fists. Her development in The Carrion Throne was spot on and potentially more satisfying than Crowl's, simply because of her own crisis of faith and overall doubts after coming to Terra, whereas Crowl has a long history in his role already and, having been on Terra for a long time, adjusted his methods.

Crowl's retinue was, dare I say it, about as compelling as Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn retinue. Only of few of them were along for the ride for a substantial amount of time, but even the short scenes we got of some, like archivist once-Yulia Huk, are hard-hitting sections. It was compelling seeing her role in things and how both Spinoza and later Eresmus interact with her. There was a level of sadness there, of longing, that made Eisenhorn's group feel more happy-go-lucky than expected. Crowl's storm trooper captain Revus may not smile much, but his fierce dedication to the job and attitude complemented the Inquisitor's own tremendously well. Comedic relief comes in the form of sergeant Hegain, whose exchanges with Spinoza first felt a bit cringey due to the acolyte's stiffness, but opened up a good deal as characters developed and grew closer.

In my opinion, Wraight created a cast of characters that work exceptionally well together and are compelling to follow around, one and all. There was nobody I didn't care for in some capacity or wanted to learn more about. Each and every one of them deserves further exploration, whether in future novels or short stories like Argent.

The involvement of the Custodians had me excited and anxious both, seeing how Games Workshop had just printed rules for use of the Emperor's personal guard on the tabletop when they had been a defensive, reclusive force for the past 10,000 years. I was afraid that we'd be seeing a lot of them in action where they - in my opinion - do not belong. To my utmost relief, Wraight did not do that at all. In fact, I was surprised that they even relented to do as much as they did, which, until the climax, wasn't much beyond dialogue with Inquisitor Crowl.

On top of that I enjoyed the way these golden defenders of the Throne were presented, mainly through their "leader" Navradaran. In his interactions with Crowl it easily becomes apparent that his cohort have been very disconnected from the Imperium at large. They still maintain their exceptional martial prowess and intimidating presence, but their eyes are turned inward towards the Emperor's inner sanctum. In fact, Navradaran was the first Custodian Crowl had encountered or even heard of venturing outside the Palace's inner wards. His attitude and situation serve to strengthen what was known about the Custodes from a lore standpoint while making them as awe-inspiring as they needed to be here.

This is exactly what the novel needed to show. This book, for all its talk of glorious victories of ages past, the breathtaking views of the Imperial Palace, the sheer unlimited authority of the Inquisition, is one of vicious contrasts. While the wider Imperium reveres Holy Terra and considers life there a sign of immense status and luck, reality is a punch in the gut.

I cannot remember a book that has fleshed out the Imperium's society on a similar level since Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn and Ravenor novels. I guess it really is down to the Inquisition books to deal with the gritty details of these things. Even beyond the dynamic plot developments, Wraight managed to fill his book with little pieces of fluff. For example, there's a book mentioned alongside others called "My Wish to Generate Children with You is Only Exceeded by My Devotion to Him"! Nevermind what the Sanguinala brings to the table to shape Imperial culture, or the fantastic retinue Crowl has serving under him. It covers all the things I wanted out of this book.

It boggles my mind that it took Black Library this long to once again publish a novel of this caliber. The setting needs this in many ways rather cynical look at the Imperium's self-righteous hypocrisies. Seeing how well the Warhammer 40,000 universe has lent itself to this style of content featuring Inquisitors and their retinues in the past, I am happy to see its like back in production. But even aside from my relief in those regards, I still believe that Chris Wraight has truly outdone himself here and written one of his best books to date in The Carrion Throne.

Now, excuse me while I try to convince some friends to join me for a session of Fantasy Flight Games' Dark Heresy Pen & Paper Roleplaying Game (which the license expired on so FFG isn't selling it anymore, of course). I've been wanting to do that for years, but this novel has certainly increased my desire for more Inquisition adventures by a tenfold...

Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne on Goodreads

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When Jyn Erso was five years old, her mother was murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. But despite the loss of her parents she is not completely alone—Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary in order to resist Imperial tyranny, takes her in as his own, and gives her not only a home but all the abilities and resources she needs to become a rebel herself. Jyn dedicates herself to the cause—and the man. But fighting alongside Saw and his people brings with it danger and the question of just how far Jyn is willing to go as one of Saw’s soldiers. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in...and who she can really trust.

Here we go again with another Star Wars novel. Catching up more and more with the New Canon material, thankfully!
This one's a somewhat unexpected treat in my eyes, seeing how it wasn't part of the Del Rey lineup of adult novels. Like Lost Stars, Rebel Rising proves these classifications foolish once again.

The Story:

"When Jyn Erso was five years old, her mother was murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. But despite the loss of her parents she is not completely alone—Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary in order to resist Imperial tyranny, takes her in as his own, and gives her not only a home but all the abilities and resources she needs to become a rebel herself. Jyn dedicates herself to the cause—and the man. But fighting alongside Saw and his people brings with it danger and the question of just how far Jyn is willing to go as one of Saw’s soldiers. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in...and who she can really trust."

The Review:

Rebel Rising is, essentially, the Jyn Erso Story. If Rogue One didn't give you enough about its protagonist or seeing her parents Galen and Lyra in Catalyst wasn't enough either, this novel (oddly billed as a Young Adult novel and not published by Del Rey like usual) has you covered.

I would, however, recommend reading Catalyst first. Maybe I would even say to watch Rogue One ahead of time too, or at least read the novelization's prologue sections. The reason for that is very simple: Rebel Rising fills out the time between Galen Erso's abduction by Orson Krennic and Jyn's forced recruitment by the Rebel Alliance. It covers the better part of Jyn's life and a good chunk of Saw Gerrera's terrorist acts. I am actually sad that this released so long after the movie did, because it did a bang-up job fleshing out their relationships.

In the movie, Saw and Jyn never quite felt as "close" as they should have been, all things considered. The novelization by Alexander Freed did a better job having Jyn reflect on her time with Saw, but Rebel Rising invests a lot of time in making the rebel leader and the Erso girl feel like an odd patchwork family. Saw's love for the girl bleeds through in a lot of places, even if Jyn herself is plagued by doubts. It was a highly compelling dynamic to follow for about half the book, before their paths inevitably diverged.

But Rebel Rising does not simply set Jyn on her path to become a stubborn young woman, but sees her trained by Saw and his rebel bands. It was a lot of fun seeing her confrontations with some rivals for Saw's appreciation and have her stumble headfirst into the horrors of the rebel terrorism against the Empire. It really helped showcase Saw Gerrera as a dangerous individual who the Rebellion might want to steer away from just as much if not more than he does want to stay out of their business of unity.

Yes, there are plenty of gruesome, traumatic experiences waiting here. Jyn is being remade by the events in the book, inevitably losing the rest of her innocence. There's even a romance plotline popping up at some point that turned Jyn's life even more tragic. She's lost a lot of things throughout her life. With all that is shown here, I cannot really understand why Rebel Rising was billed as a Young Adult novel. Thematically it is as strong as most of the "Adult" lineup. Don't let this classification deter you from the novel!

Beyond some much-needed character development for Jyn and Saw, there's a bunch of decent action to be found. Once Jyn leaves Saw's group, things become more adventurous for the young woman. She is constantly forced to reevaluate her stance on rebels and imperials and forced to work with some slimey scumbags to save her bum. Beth Revis shows Jyn as a person of character, however, which tremendously helped make her a compelling and engaging subject for the novel.

On top of all that, Rebel Rising subtly references things and even just turns of phrase from Catalyst and the Rogue One novelization. It slots in so neatly with these that, if you want a comprehensive and satisfying collection, there's no way you should pass up on this book. It clearly is the missing link that I wanted out of the Rogue One arc for a long while now.

You're right, of course. I am gushing a little much. That should show you how much I enjoyed it, of course. Another thing I appreciated though was the choice for relatively short chapters. If you've read my Leman Russ: The Great Wolf review, you'll know that I have a distaste for bloated, overly-long chapters. Here they were easily digestible and well-paced. I cannot stress enough how much it helps me stay invested in a book!

If there's anything negative I can say without going too deep into spoiler territory, it would be that the novel didn't have room to cover everything. There are a few missing years just before the events seeing Jyn imprisoned and ready for the movie. It only makes quick reference to some of the things she got up to in that timeframe, with some of them being interesting enough to warrant further explanation (for example, apparently Jyn spent nearly a year on Takodana, where Mas Kanata's castle is located. If that doesn't hold potential for some more fiction, I don't know!).

Beth Revis managed to fill a large gap in character development that desperately needed plugging. She defied the Young Adult descriptor in how she approached the matter and made her book a compelling read for even older fans of the franchise. Thanks to her work, I can finally say I get Saw Gerrera and Jyn's reluctance in joining the Rebel Alliance. As an extension to the past year of Star Wars material, I'd call it a must-read. Thankfully Disney/Egmont have finally gotten around to publishing their books in standard B-Format Trade Paperbacks now so it lines up neatly next to the rest of the Rogue One saga. So if you're like me, with shelf-OCD, you should be pleased.

Star Wars: Rebel Rising on Goodreads

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