The Emperor's Legion (Volume 1) (Watchers of the Throne)

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Great Offscreen War: While the story is largely a political drama, there are no less than four different conflicts mentioned as happening offscreen. Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Several people note that in his determination to release the Custodes, Tieron is acting extremely unlike his usual self. Some suggest that he simply found a cause worth fighting for, while others wonder if the Emperor isn't acting through him. Tieron himself is unsure. In The Emperor's Legion, we have three primary viewpoints. The first of these is Imperial Chancellor Alexei Tieron who looks after the interests of the High Lords of Terra, the twelve nominated peers of the Imperium who rule it in the Emperor's name. He is no High Lord himself, but he has equal political power and can affect great changes should he put himself to the task. Which is what much of the novel is about for one of the great debates before the High Lords when the novel begins is to (potentially) redefine the role of the Adeptus Custodes within the Imperium. Said to be ten thousand strong, they are a potent legendary force and with the affairs of the Imperium as dire as they are, redeploying some of their number to active warzones would be a great advantage. And so the law itself must be changed, and Alexei intends for that to happen. During the battle for the Imperial Palace, the Sisters of Silence dropship arrives just as the Custodians are starting to be overwhelmed by daemons. At least some (although likely more than just some) Sisters of Silence resent how they've been treated, as little more than cast off of the Adeptus Terra. There is even some thinking that the seperartion of the Custodes and the SoS was perhaps a way to reign in the influence of the Talons of the Emperor.

Villain with Good Publicity: Imperium Eterna's goal in The Regent's Shadow is to become this; by setting up and supporting the Splintered, they "prove" that the Reform Council is unable to keep the peace on Terra, while they swoop in and destroy them. First Person Snarker: As Aleya has always been something of an outsider to the Imperium's structure, her points of view are full of her poking fun at the nation's various insanities. Watcher of the Throne is basically what's happening on Terra while the 98% of Gathering Storm is having its own thing. This book is focusing on the political aspect of the imperium and giving us readers the perspective of a Custodes inside the throne room. We didnt see Guilliman fix the corruption in the imperium yet we seen the revival of the Remembrancer in the current timeline and of course the Custodes and Sisters of Silent fighting in the frontline once again.Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnoughts are still in service in the 41st millennium (No idea why they aren't allowed in 40k 8e tabletop then...). They're called "Revered Fallen" by their fellow Custodes. The next is about "what is unknown" and what he didn't get a chance to explain, like what his intentions of the Imperium as it currently stands. Unsurprisingly, the Custodes are well aware of the existense of the Grey Knights. Also, both the Grey Knights and the Deathwatch are something of an open secret within the High Lords. Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Lev Tieron believes that the Custodes are a Sleeping Giant, as ten thousand Super- Super Soldiers could help swing the balance of battle in favour of the Imperium - if they were allowed outside of the Palace. His plot in The Emperor's Legion revolves around trying to awaken said giant. At least some Custodes have direct command over regiments for defence of the palace. The character Valerian has command of 4,000 normal human troops.

Nothing about any kind of strategic or tactical decisions. Nothing about how they are using terrain or why they use specific equipment (except that it feels good to smash enemies). Not even in which way some troops are better at fighting than others. Even lore specific details are uncommon. Sure, I didn’t expect battle reports, but god damn, some kind of substance would be nice instead of a constant stream of dry, academic flavour text. Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Valerian makes something of a habit of it, atypically for a Custodian. It's tolerated mostly because things come up his way most of the time.Some Custodes ponder that the Grey Knights might be a better embodiment of the Emperors legacy other than themselves because they were "His last great weapon". This is something that they never speak out loud, but amongst them it persists.

If you aren't familiar with the above events, you won't enjoy this book as much, although I think it'll still entertain (well worth becoming familiar with these events FYI). For anyone who is familiar, you will really enjoy this book. It has 3 perspectives. The key functionary who serves the high lords of Terra. A Sister of Silence (they hate that name), mostly abandoned by the Imperium and making her own way through a universe that hates her kinds. And a member of the Custodia Guard. Through the lenses of these three characters we get to experience what happened on Terra (and some parts elsewhere) when Cadia fell and the grim darkness of the far future got that bit much darker. Four Grey Knights and a Custodes are an extremely potent fighting force. This number waded into the broiling mass of the 88 Blood Legions of Khorne and tore them apart for a decent amount of time. The Anthema Psykanna character (Sister of Silence) was the least interesting of the three. Most of her scenes were her fighting daemons and heretics and overall being angry. While that is par for the course in Warhammer, it was less interesting than the perspectives of the Secretary or the Custodian. It can take at least two years of wrangling for the Officio Assassinorum to get a warrant to use an Eversor Assassin.

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The Unfought: Asterion Moloc, the Minotaurs' Chapter Master, is hyped up as an extremely deadly warrior, and his men serve as The Heavies throughout the second book, but despite coming within inches of battling Valerian, the new Master of the Administratum convinces him to leave before the two can come to blows. Karma Houdini: Not counting their losses in the battle with the Custodes, the Minotaurs are never punished for siding with Imperium Eterna, despite the fact that assaulting the Custodians would spell death for any other Chapter. A: Again, yes. I’ve got plans for a second book, and more after that if there’s an appetite for them. As ever, finding time to write them is the problem – coming up with the ideas is not! When I read this book, I was set on giving it two stars. That did not feel entirely fair. Sure, the terribad language overshadowed everything, but the book itself wasn't that bad? What was this book about? I kind of remembered one long ongoing conflict but could not remember details of when, where or why. I decided to re read the entire book. I was greatly surprised to find this book was brilliant. Its not just Custodes doing stuff, it's a great depiction of 40k Terra. After learning what horus heresy Terra was like, the author does a great job of comparing the two through only the barest knowledge his characters possess. The reader of course is able to fill in the blanks and see the greater decline the Imperium is in before the Indomitus Crusade.