Oh and small note here, tachyon arrows are hella OP in this book. Djoseras takes out an Imperial Titan with his (don't ask me what class of Titan, the book doesn't say, but it's the largest of three so we're at least talking a Reaver). And apparently there are multishot variants too, though this OBVIOUSLY isn't reflected in the tabletop, but with things as OP as ahemaheamhammerheadrailgunahemahem I can't think of why that would be. This book is so good I've defected to the Necrons now and don't want to hear any more organic nonsense out of any of you. Amazing fiction that got it all: A catching adventure of the most sophisticated undead, spiced up with occasional horror, sudden humor and unexpected moments of all too humane emotion. 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.

Oltyx, the protagonist, is an exiled Necron princeling unable to understand the truths of his relationships because he is so wrapped up in his own despair and envy and bitterness that he’s warped his own memories to support his misery, unable to appreciate even the facets of his own subconscious that don’t support his narrative, until he is forced, again and again, to confront his own past.

Nate tells a story on an epic scale with humour, reality and respect for the Necron protagonists - they are all believable and engaging individuals, and you are immediately drawn into their reality. And the reality Nate has crafted is the really impressive thing here. It would be absolutely wrong to say that this book humanises Necrons, because it doesn’t. That would do a disservice to the care Nate has taken to craft a reality and lived experience that is uniquely Necron, in the way the characters perceive the world, their plight, their past, their future and how they communicate, the memories and emotions that remain and how they process them. While the plot of Ruin is really a vehicle for adding to the Necron's lore in a more readable way than tabletop-friendly Codex, I enjoyed it alot for the diversions and the relationships. Freed a little from the drudgery of service that a human character tends to be subject to in Warhammer 40K, Oltyx (the single POV for the story) has a wry humour and reflectiveness that is memorable. It's believable that he can play the bad hands he gets dealt well. Theres both a sense of reolstuon and harbinger for a story where he doesn't even win! 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. I don't know if I'm going to finish this. Author Nate Crowley has somehow found a way to make a story involving cannibal robots boring. The few interesting character moments cannot save just how dull the narrative and action is. My eyes glazed over at every action scene.

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. The Necrons are the Warhammers Undead race like in traditional fantasy but because its Warhammer they mixed them with terminators and threw in Egyptian mythology and out came a wholly original alien species. The mythos is well crafted and a ton of fun and the protagonist in this book is well written and you care for him and want him to succeed. That's right you care for an undead terminator with multiple personalities if that is not enough to make you realize this was well written I'm not sure what is. If you’re already a fan, you’ll recognise all the units, wargear, and esoteric technologies found on the tabletop woven into with a deeper exploration of their inner lives and culture.But the ending sparks some questions, it's seems to heavily imply that Olytyx and Valgûl, the Fallen Lord are similar / the same person. But can we talk specifically about the ending, and how it low-key changes/enhances a pretty large part of Necron lore? We've had multiple references, since 5th edition, of Valgul the Bone King, and his kingdom of flayers on Drazak. Ruin is the first novel in The Twice-Dead King series, which looks set to explore the Necrons and their place in the current Warhammer 40K universe. This was the second Warhammer 40K novel from author Nate Crowley, who previously released the intriguing Ork-centric novel, Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, as well as several short stories/novellas set in the universe. Crowley makes full use of his talent for getting into the mind of fictional aliens to create an excellent and enjoyable read that I had a wonderful time listening to. See the struggles of the Necron court from their own eyes, and discover the lengths one Lord will go to for the status they desire. 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.

Nate Crowley is an excellent writer, and I really like his work overall. He's taken the basic concept "killer robot space skeletons ruled by an immortal pharoah based on a franchise meant to sell figurines" through a serious journey with a lot more character/pathos than you would expect for the basic outline of the setting. For being the 2nd Necron book I've ever read, the 1st being The Infinite and the Divine, I have to say this is right on with the other in being amazing and well written.

For my first review this is perhaps a bit short but I feel like delving to deep into it would be a waste of the story. I found particular enjoyment out of the side characters and among these the deathmark Lysikor was an absolute joy, I do hope to see more of him/it in any future installments. 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 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. Following on from The Twice-Dead King: Ruin, this sees Oltyx – now king of Ithakas – attempting to lead what remains of his dynasty to safety. Aboard a deteriorating flagship, and pursued by a vast fleet of vengeful humans, Oltyx has to come to terms with his newfound power, while bearing the responsibility of finding a way to safeguard his people. The pressures of leadership are great though, and as well as the external threats he also has to maintain the loyalty of his subordinates, and come to terms with who he really wants to be. Llenó y sobrepasó mis expectativas. Incluso en algunos aspectos me sentí identificado con algunos elementos de la historia.

The characters are all interesting and most of them see a nice amount of development, the main character especially. Maybe it’s a little cliche, but it’s also maybe the most heartfelt story arc of any BL character, which is a little ironic considering Necrons don’t have souls or feelings. It’s as if Crowley skimmed the online wiki for some footnotes on the 40k universe and just used this as a canvas to write his own teen drama. As with ‘The Infinite and the Divine’ the alien immortal cyborgs behave exactly how humans would. It is bad writing on the part of the author, and a large stab to the nuts of the Necron race as a whole, as they’re finally given one of their own few novels to feature in - and it’s just Dune, but with the ‘human’ tag replaced with synonyms that Crowley dragged from the wiki. Follow the exploits of Oltyx, who, having finally been granted the throne of the Ithakas Dynasty, now faces far greater threats, from within and without. He soon learns that the lessons of kingship are not quite what he had hoped.Contrasted with this is his penchant for Horror. Despite the levity of its humor and the apparent enthusiasm for the more absurd sides of necrons society, this is a grim, dark book. The necrons are not just a horror to the puny humans that rose up in their wake, but their existence itself is a horror *to them*. Oltyx in particular struggles with the memories of his time as a biological being and the trauma of his whole civilization being lured into the furnaces of the C'tan to be transformed into unchanging, unfeeling beings of metal and energy. Many chapters are pure body- and existential horror which really got under my skin. Absolute garbage. Nate Crowley wrote a teen’s light fantasy novel about a royal youth in space struggling against his newfound burden of leadership and a deadly family secret. 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. 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.