First and foremost, a potential Culexus Assassin is chosen because he possesses a very rare genetic defect, something that is at once unique and yet utterly abhorrent to the Imperium. Every living being has some sort of presence in the Warp, where the soul is reflected through from the real universe. Once this process is complete, the temple introduces a range of stimms and cybernetic neural implants to alter the Assassin's state of mind into a boiling cauldron of murderous intent.

Assassinorum Kingmaker Black Library - eBook: Assassinorum Kingmaker

The Knight World of Dominion is on the verge of seceding from the Imperium, its court riven by factionalism and ruled by an increasingly unhinged monarch. With the aid of the shapeshifting Callidus assassin Sycorax, Raithe must remove the king from his throne—and safely steer a pro-Imperial candidate to victory through the brutal succession crisis that will inevitably ensue. His team will need to infiltrate a world steeped in chivalric codes, where every move risks discovery and every threat pilots an adamantine monster...for if the assassins fail, and Dominion falls, the entire sector will be plunged into darkness. A Ghost Amongst Devils (990.M32) - The Culexus Assassin Dranos is sent to destroy the Chaos Sorcerer Xantaka before he can conjure any more daemonic legions from the Warp. Being all but invisible to not only the aether-sight of Xantaka's Daemon armies but also his Rubricae bodyguard, Dranos simply walks up to the Sorcerer Xantaka and burns his brains to ash with a blast of negative energy. Damn! Damn! Damn! What an over-the-top and extremely cool Warhammer 40,000 novel that I deeply, deeply loved. Robert Rath really went out of his way to make Kingmaker as awesome as possible, and the result is an extremely thrilling, electrifying and epic read, loaded with so many cool elements. This was honestly one of the best Warhammer novels I have had the pleasure of reading and I have very little choice but to give it a full-five star read. I got this primarily for the assassins, but it was also a surprisingly fun look at Knight Households as well. The politics between two feuding families is the engine behind their story, and it doesn't disappoint. There's not a dull moment with them.Apart from Raithe, there is also a lot of focus on Sycorax, a Callidus assassin who specialises in infiltration and whose enhanced abilities allow her to morph her shape. Due to her role impersonating Rakkan for most of the novel, Sycorax is one of the most significant characters in the book, and she ends up with some thrilling and intrigue laden sequences. Watching her take on multiple personalities throughout the novel is really cool, and it was captivating to watch her more elaborate methods strongly clash with Raithe’s more direct attempts throughout the book. Sycorax also provides the reader with some of the best and most intense insights into being an Imperial Knight pilot, as she is required to bond with Rakkan’s Knight Jester for much of the book. Seeing an outsider character interact with Jester’s mind, which contains the spirits of its previous riders, was extremely fascinating, and you get a good sense of the difficulties and insanities involved with piloting such a machine. In addition, the experiences and memories she obtained from the link impacted on Sycorax’s psyche and ensure that she gets some fantastic interactions with Rakkan, while also gaining a better understanding of the people and machines she is trying to manipulate. Kingmaker is the Assassinorum novel I’ve wanted for years. Rath realizes the Assassinorum as unique and distinct from the Inquisition despite an oft overlapping remit, giving the Officio a Cold War spy vibe that really fits. There’s no religious mumbo-jumbo and everything seems much more centralized than you get in Abnett’s or Wraight’s work. However this book is decidedly more about the process of conducting an operation than the functioning of the Assassinorum as a whole. Rath focuses on how the assassins involved, all of whom are wonderfully well depicted in their interactions with each other and their targets, plan out/perform their mission. There’s also a lot of time spent getting to know the world of Dominion, to the point that this might be the best work on Imperial Knights in the canon. I generally don’t care for the ‘medieval nobles piloting mechs’ vibe it seems every Knight House has to have (why can’t they be diverse like the Titan Legios?), but Rath clearly put a lot of time into giving Dominion an engaging political identity and sense of character. In the broad view I think it’s a brilliant move to focus so much attention on whomever the Assassin(s) are targeting. Hopefully it will mean future books in the series, if they happen, vary considerably with each entry. The characterization of our two necrons "protagonist" is masterful, hinting at hidden depths seldom brushed upon in your usual w40k novel. There is, behind the rather expansive battle sequences and the more conventional aspects of a story set in this universe, an underlying meditation on the meaninglessness of time, the cost of immortality, purpose, wistfulness of the past and longing of the future - musings that are at the core of the ultimately nuanced spite that divides the forward-look The assassins always surprise me with how human they are, looking between this book and Nemesis. They're inspiring as well as relatable. Wraith for example, is a veteran Vindicare. He's the best of the best, but he's showing a bit of his age. Muscles and bones wearing down after decades of doing what vindicares do best, on top of a grizzled character. I was warned that this book is more Knight than Assassinorum, but I don't agree. I would say it's about 70-30 if favour of our killy boys and girls.

Robert Rath (Author of The Infinite and the Divine) - Goodreads Robert Rath (Author of The Infinite and the Divine) - Goodreads

Unlike other warriors of the Imperium, who are able to focus on war and war alone, the Assassin must be truly autonomous. Once an operative is in the field, he must be able to cross the galaxy from one side to the other, by means fair or foul. He must not only master his own lethal calling, but also be proficient in a dozen others. He must know how to drive and sanctify everything from an armoured bike to a small spacecraft, must be able to convince truculent Machine Spirits to do his bidding, and clean, disassemble and reconsecrate his wargear whenever necessary. He must have a professorial knowledge of the Imperium's history, organisation, and common languages. His understanding of Human anatomy must be complete, and every fact the Imperium has uncovered about the physicality of the xenos is bequeathed to him under oaths of secrecy. Few Human minds can process such vast quantities of information, let alone master them. Not all survive the rigours of their training with their spirits intact, and many have fallen into madness at the sheer quantity of the trials they face. Yet an Initiate that joins the ranks of his temple's operatives will have all these skills at his command. There exist two major temples of the Officio Assassinorum that specialise in untraceable kills, although not much information about them is available in Imperial records. For my third read Warhammer universe book, this was a fantastic experience. For one, you don't even need the knowledge of anything, because the book will just throw most of the information you need right at you, so you could enjoy the book even going blind. If you're no stranger to Warhammer 40k novels, you know the standard format. Big battles, Space Marines, Bombastic action.The most lethal assassins in the Warhammer 40,000 universe go face to face with a gigantic foe in the impressive and deeply thrilling Assassinorum: Kingmaker by amazing author Robert Rath. Ah brilliant, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! What a great book, right?! 🙂 Hopefully Rob will write more about these characters…fingers crossed! Despite not having Imperial Knights in the title this is the best Imperial Knighs book that I've read so far. So many deep dives into Assassin/Knight lore. Intricate descriptions. Great ending. The Officio Assassinorum is also known to maintain patronage over numerous minor Assassin temples and death cults scattered across the galaxy. Though they have not the pedigree of the Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor or Culexus, these temples are just as ferocious in their pursuance of the Imperial cause. What a wild ride! It’s a great mix of characters, action, suspense, 40k shenanigans, espionage, high court intrigue, Assassinorium drama, Knight action. Just bravo Robert Rath! Bravo!