Emperor's Mercy

This is one of the best Warhammer 40,000 books I have ever read. I can't believe this is Henry Zou's first book. Everything is incredibly detailed, from the characters to the weapons and all the combat scenes. The plot is straightforward: the Archenemy is searching for an ancient relic in the Medina Corridor. Inquisitor Roth is sent to find out more information. Meanwhile, the military wants to pull out and set up defenses elsewhere. They believe the Inquisition is chasing a fairy-tale. This sci-fi story takes on a the form of a mystery when Roth realizes that one of his own group is a traitor, after many assination attempts on his life. The points-of-view were easy to follow, and I liked being able to "track" the story through so many different characters. If you've never read this series before, this is a good book to start with because it doesn't require knowledge from the other books to understand what's going on.

One of the main aspects of Warhammer 40K is that humanity is regressing, losing and forgetting the knowledge that was gained in the distant past. This is why to some who are not familiar with 40K it would seem there are contradictions. Mr. Zou has an understanding of the 40K universe that many don't have. The detail, creativity and imagination that went in to this novel is second to none. Another great author in the Black Library stable. I very much look forward to more from Henry Zou. I don't like to give away to much when it comes to reviews for books but if you are a fan of the 40K Inquisition then this book is for you. The main character is Inquisitor Obodiah Roth. One thing I noticed that others familiar with 40K have said is that Roth does not behave like other Inquisitors or that the military commanders don't have the typical fear of the Inquisition that has been portrayed in other works. It would be absurd to think that in a galaxy where humanity has spread to virtually every corner that every person or persons would behave in the same way as others in similar roles. To me what Mr. Zou has given us is the differences that would likely occur. Highly recommended for any military science fiction fan.

Henry Zou captures the elements of a wonderful 40K story better than anyone since Dan Abnett. His characterizations are very well-done and the emotions they experience are nicely drawn and convincing. The setting is nearly tangible from the gatherings of generals in boardrooms to the combat on various planets between the Imperial Guard and the forces of Chaos. The different environments have great attention paid to them, truly creating a setting that immerses the reader. While the plot initially follows a linear pattern, with the characters moving from here to there to there according to the plot development, in the end it does not detract from the story. The story is presented as something of a mystery, though in such a fashion that the reader is left without some of the necessary information to solve it. There is something to be said that there are a number of callbacks to ancient Terra instead of to other various planets in the 40K universe, but as with the linear plot development it does not really take away from the story. There is a bit of the immortality of the primary characters that pervades so many other books and universes, but in this case it follows the established pattern of how the great personages in the 40K universe develop; Abnett does much the same in his Ghosts, Eisenhorn and Ravenor books. The characters do seem to undergo some growth as the story progresses, so they are not as flat as some other 40K characters. There are a number of failures on the parts of the heroes, which is nice to see in addition to the victories (which are all pyrrhic at best). This is a story of betrayal, redemption, struggling against overwhelming odds, and a mystery set against the backdrop of good versus evil on a magnificent scale. There are some slight flaws, like the overuse of some esoteric words (reprove, poleaxed, tinnitus, for example) and some inconsistencies in the travel time between worlds and other mechanics of the universe, but the story itself is wonderful. It's the same dark resolution that pervades so many of the 40K books, so don't read this expecting any kind of happy ending. Zou also sets up a nice sequel with the last few passages. Hopefully we will see more of the Hunter in a subsequent volume. I will be eager for a second helping.

I've always been of the opinion that you don't have to play Warhammer 40K to enjoy the Black Library's offerings. If you do, it will certainly enhance your enjoyment of the books, but it's not necessary. I know this because when I started reading these books, I wasn't playing the game. I don't know how many people out there might not read these because of the attached table-top gaming system, but if that's the case, they should rethink their position, because they're really missing something. If you're a fan of dark, gritty futures as opposed to Star Trek's bright, shining future, then the 40K novels are for you. The tagline, "in the grim dark future there is only war" really says it all. This is military sci-fi on steroids. Henry Zou is a nice addition to the Black Library's barracks of writers. His style is economical. He doesn't waste time with long descriptions or analysis and his characters don't spend pages pondering their decisions or motivations. The scenes are typically clipped, almost movie-like, shifting from character to character and place to place so the action never bogs down. Never is a large block of anything, description, dialogue, or action, allowed to break up the flow of the story as it races towards its conclusion. At the heart of the storm is Inquisitor Obadiah Roth, a young-ish man, a man not entirely sure of himself but not precisely wet-behind-the-ears either. And even when not certain he is doing the right thing, he is not a man afraid of making a decision when there is a decision to be made. It's easy to like a decisive hero. Mr. Zou's story manages to capture the horrors and reality of an invasion by the forces of chaos without dwelling on it. In some 40K stories I've found the descriptions of horrors a bit unsettling, almost as if the author revels in it, but Mr. Zou does not. In these situations, less is more. Our imaginations are far more effective than a gruesome, slow-motion essay in abomination. That is not to say that there is any lack of violence in this story. It's the 40K universe after all, and in that regard we get what we expect. If I had any complaints at all it was that sometimes the description or analysis was a little too brief, but I'd rather less than more, as I was still able to follow the story. I loved the characters, including the supporting cast (and I think we saw just the right amount of them). The dialogue is realistic, the action sequences well done, and the story line carefully developed. I never once became frustrated by Roth, and for me, frustration or impatient with the protagonist is the kiss of death. If you love a rousing good story you will love Emperor's Mercy. If it doesn't make you want to fight for the emperor, then I don't know what will.

This is my first Warhammer 40k novel. I played the games ages ago in middle school and high school, so I'm vaguely familiar with most of the overall concepts - but not being up to date didn't make a bit of difference anyway. Mr. Zou does an excellent job interspersing bits of Imperial history and setting the stage in an already crafted universe. That's not the best part of this book, though. Mr. Zou has a military background, and it shows through in his vivid depictions of battle scenes, descriptions of battle tactics, and overall taut feel of the combat. There's no author without a clue putting together descriptions of combat, oh no, this guy knows his stuff, and it makes for a much, much more engaging read. Following Inquisitor Obadiah Roth throughout the Medina system in his quest to solve a mystery before being annihilated at the hands of Chaos, Emperor's Mercy starts out interesting and gathers steam as a moves along, to climax in an epic planet wide battle for the fate of the universe. This book was a really fun read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in science fiction battles, Warhammer 40k, or gothic future combat.