I had the time of my life creating the characters who populate this story, and they’re an eclectic bunch. Oltyx must contend with the mad Phaeron Unnas, who disowned and disgraced him, as well as Djoseras, the heir who replaced Oltyx,” Nate tells us. Originally, this story was intended as a single book, with two distinct halves to its plot. But a larger tale soon became apparent. Everything I said about the first one applies here. Tie-in genre fiction shouldn't be this good at body horror, the experience of not living up to your potential, and mental illness. The line to get your attention is ‘Ancient Egyptian-styled alien androids’. But if you want just a little more to go on, here’s a simplified primer.

Oltyx knows he’s fighting a losing battle,” Nate says. “Even if he holds the line, his dynasty is crumbling behind him. It’s a bad situation.” En comparación con la anterior entrega, este se siente un poco repetitivo a veces y en ocasiones parece que se extiende mucho en ciertas situaciones. Algunas cosas no las terminé de entender y no hay mucha información por ahora en línea. Pero en general, esos detallitos no arruinan la experiencia. This review is already getting too long so I’ll end it here. Suffice to say if you want a sci-fi story that is something different – yet within a familiar SFF literary structure; if you are eager to explore a non-human POV that isn’t simply a human POV in a funny nose and green skin; if you are attracted to the idea of Ancient Egyptian-themed, reanimating yet steadily degrading (physically and psychologically) advanced robotic constructs that used to be alien people, who are horrified by fl*sh and want to reclaim and defend their antediluvian dynasties and sacred tombs – and the legions of sarcophagi deep underground with inhabitants just waiting to awaken . . . if all this takes your interest, and especially if you want all that with splashes of body horror, you should definitely give this book a shot. Warhammer Community: How the Twice-Dead King Series Offers Deep Insights Into the Madness of the Necron Mind (posted 15/9/21) (last accessed 3/10/21)If I'd have to boil down what Crowley's writing excels at - in this and his other works - I'd point to three aspects that particularly stand out to me.

So while the Necrons are human, it is an exploration of human interactions under different circumstances that's kind of cool. The revulsion in the lesson of executing every second soldier. Moments of redemption of subordinates who are permanently compromised. Sacrifices for your version of the greater good. And yes, petty revenge fantasies on social climbers. Something else I can wholeheartedly applause was the reference made to the genuine Egyptian Pharaoh Unas who is most well known for the be the first pharaoh with fully developed pyramid texts but even more so because of their content; the cannibal hymn. In this hymn, Pharaoh Unas is described as butchering the people and the gods, devouring their body parts to gain their strength and powers. It is an at times chilling text to read, not helped that every translation of it tends to go for this sinister tone and rhythm. Nate Crowley, inspired by the historical Unas, gives us Unass, the lord of the dynasty who himself has been touch by the dark words. Some might consider it to be to on the nose; but I say nay to you naysayers! In The Twice-dead King, Nate tells a story on an epic scale with humour, reality and respect for the Necron protagonists – they are all believable and engaging individuals. It may seem strange talking about the importance of ‘reality’ as a science fiction writer – but it is imperative. As a reader, we need to connect with characters, and for their desires and struggles to feel authentic. The more outré the setting, the more important this is. In a dystopian universe filled with daemons, world-devouring xenos, the grinding horror of the Imperium and general overblown gothic flamboyance, it is imperative to anchor a story with the authentic experience of what it actually feels like to exist here. The other major side character I want to talk about is Djoseras, Oltyx’s brother, who the protagonist blames for his exile. Djoseras is an excellent mentor character who was just as deeply impacted by the transition to a metal body as his brother. Despite Oltyx’s bitter memories about him, nothing about Djoseras is as cut-and-dry and you initially believe. Once you encounter him in person and see some additional memories for Oltyx, you really grow to appreciate Djoseras more, especially once you see him lead an army in battle. Oltyx’s multiple encounters with Djoseras add some outstanding emotional elements to the story, and each of his appearances were complex and compelling. Other side characters are introduced in this book, although most of them were only featured for a short time. However, they will probably have a bigger role in the future novels in this series, and Ruin serves as a good introduction to them. The Twice-Dead King: Ruin is just plain fun, while also being littered with blood and viscera and the horror of the taboos of flesh and the ways your family can break your heart.However, the further the necrons run, the more apparent it becomes that the humans will never leave them alone. Spurred on by his most loyal advisors, Oltyx embarks on a risky plan to find an ancient planet, said to be ruled over by a deadly king and his hordes. Making use of long-lost technology, Oltyx and his people undertake a deadly trip towards their goal. However, a far greater threat soon emerges in the very heart of his ship. The flayer curse that has long infected his people and which drove Oltyx’s father mad has returned, and soon thousands are infected. Forced to take drastic actions to save his people, Oltyx soon learns the full weight of responsibility and loneliness that all kings must bear. But this king has a dark secret that will threaten the entire Ithakas Dynasty. Can Oltyx control the dark urges that reside deep within his soul or will a new twice-dead king rise to reign over the Ithakas necrons?

But the ending sparks some questions, it's seems to heavily imply that Olytyx and Valgûl, the Fallen Lord are similar / the same person. If you want something more in-depth to the origins of the necrons, you could do far worse than watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuEka... For me to like a story, I have to care about the protagonist. For me to love a story, it has to genuinely open up my mind to new ways of being, and new realities of existing. And the Twice Dead King does this - I was immediately hooked into the pride, the fear, the horror of existing throughout the cold expanse of aeons - who you are when your physical self has gone, and who the others are that you knew before.I was genuinely surprised with how good it was. don't get me wrong, it is not that I expected it to be bad, but Nate Crowley elevated the setting, characters to that illustrious four star level of quality. As I have mentioned before when commenting on the necrons as characters, it is easy to write them badly. As either malfunctioning AI or as individuals who just happened to inhabit metallic bodies controlled Anyway, before I knew any of this, when I was first aware of the necrons a very long time ago, I had little interest in them. They didn’t seem much better than generic robots. A few things changed my opinion of them, mostly over the last two years. How do you make an undead race of terminators understandable as a culture and makes sense in the 40K universe? This is what this book and its predecessor attempt to answer and it does it magnificently. The undead are a standard trope and the undead armies controlled by lich-kings are standards of fantasy yet few attempt to make them anything more than just undead hordes. This book manages to do the impossible and make an undead army not only makes sense but also explain its culture and why it makes sense.

Gnarly stuff, but my focus immediately shifted to "hekatic decrees" and "language of reality". More on that after disintegrators. A pesar de sentirme perdido en algunas partes, principalmente por no saber tanto de los necron, el libro me pareció una obra maestra. No solo es emocionante sino que tiene un trasfondo bastante profundo del que se puede sacar bastante contenido e incluso reflexión. Ruin is a straightforward story about a decaying dynasty no longer capable of responding to the existential threat that is the Imperium of Man. The protagonist's plot is also very simple one about a reconciliation of brothers. For all that, the Necrons are on another level when it comes to technology, especially compared to the Imperials. The outcome of the conflict actually surprised me and it also impressed me due to the sheer martial ability of the Necrons. I also enjoyed the political maneuvering of the various courtiers- it puts the Necrons in a different light than just your average soulless killer cyborgs.An excellent sequel to an already excellent. Rich character development with a lot of action. The main characters are "humanized" quite capably while remaining alien. The ambiguity in the ending is great and leaves me wanting more. Oltyx makes blunders: he kills his closest advisors and is cruel when he doesn't need to be. He, as mentioned, makes no plans and has no long-term goals. But, as a reader (listener since I had the audiobook), I didn't feel like this was wholly his fault. The narration is so close to him and focused on the desparation to survive another day that his faults are not fully laid bare to the reader. Instead of seeing the slow decay, until the very end of the book, I kept wondering "oh ho, how will Oltyx escape *this* scrape". But then the numbers in his control dwindle down to nothing and he is broken in both mind and body. It was only at this point that I realized I had not been reading a space romp but instead the tragedy showcasing the slow destruction of a people due to the hubris of their leader.