I can’t believe I read a novel in the Warhammer universe and that it was also good. Warhammer has always been on the fringes of my radar, given my nerdy interests. It’s always seemed inscrutable, though—a massive collection of books, video games, tabletop games, miniature figurines, and more that span multiple eras in the far future and almost four decades in our timeline. One thing I started and continued to hear as its popularity grew was that the lore is excellent. But where to start? Horus Rising was one of two entry points that came recommended and so I figured “why not?”

The book itself is a war novel, with many of its familiar tropes—the hierarchy and regimen of military organization, boots on the ground perspective of battles, the use of press as a way to positively propagandize an ongoing campaign. It’s familiar enough to ease the introduction of genetically engineered soldiers, the walking tanks they become in their power armor, the galaxy-spanning theaters humanity’s war is waged in, and a steady drip of high concept future technology.

At its core, Horus Rising asks the same questions war novels tend to. Is what we fight for just? Is our cause more noble than those of our enemies? Do we deserve victory because of some higher purpose? It explores these and more with a balanced hand, visceral action, and with prose that is better than it ought to be.