Draco

This book is a cold wet towel wrapped around the midriff of my mind, It drenches us with its lurid texts, the text that is the water dribbling from the frigid towel that is this book, soaking us until one can do naught but become united with one’s uncomfort.

I, too, am an avid reader and miniture gamer in the Warhammer 40k realm. The book introduces well-thought characters and keeps with the "fluff" of the game. It's a great start to a trilogy and I personally can't wait for the release of the next 2 books.My only complaint is that the author gets a little too wordy and descriptive as you become overly bombarded by adjectives and adverbs near the end. But for those new to Warhammer 40k and the "when's and where's" of the story line, this is a great start.

I first read this book (then called "Inquisitor") about nine years ago, when I was 11. I was (and am) fascinated with the Games Workshop's numerous gaming products, so I thought I'd give it a try. I loved it at the time, and after many years, many re-readings, and hundreds of other novels, it remains one of my favorite speculative fiction novels ever.Many bizarre events occur in this novel, and it would be impossible to describe them all. It is set in the universe of Warhammer 40,000, probably the most successful science fiction wargame ever. It will particularly appeal to GW fans, but even those not familiar with the game should have no trouble reading it, as Ian Watson describes the setting in considerable detail.The protagonist, Jaq Draco, is an agent of the galaxy-spanning Human Imperium. It is his job to root out all who would oppose the Emperor, an unspeakably ancient and powerful being who is both head of the Imperial government and god of the Imperial religion. Draco is trained to be absolutely ruthless in the destruction of his enemies, even if he must kill millions or billions of innocent people to achieve his goals. His job, already enormously stressful, becomes even more difficult when he stumbles across the Hydra plot. This massive conspiracy has enormous plans for the human race-- but whose side are they really on? In order to answer this question, Draco and his several companions travel all over the galaxy, from a hideously mutated world at the heart of Chaos to the legendary, grossly-overpopulated homeworld of Ancient Terra.Along the way, Ian Watson manages to ask a surprising number of philosophical questions. In a time when humanity is surrounded by enemies and absolute evil is an everyday reality, is absolute tyranny justified? Can the zealous agent of such a tyranny rise above his station in life to become a true hero? In a society built upon intolerance and hate, is love even a possibility?Such questions are there for those who wish to consider them, but they are by no means the only aspect of the novel. The story is one of adventure on a massive scale, covering just about every aspect of speculative fiction. For science fiction fans, there are spaceships, alien beings, and truly fascinating worlds. For fantasy lovers, there are magical powers and arcane secrets galore. For horror buffs, there are bizarre cults, hideous demonic entities, and brutal witch hunts. This book works on every level. There are fascinating characters, terrific (and often terrifying) atmosphere, ethical conundra, and darn good adventure. Whether you're looking for post-modern morale ambiguity or just an enormously entertaining read, you can't go wrong with this one.NOTE:This is the first book in a trilogy, books 2 and 3 of which are "Harlequin" and "Chaos Child." By early next year, all will be back in print.

I am only an occasional Warhammer player, but still feel inclined to read all the novels. I'm very glad I have. All Warhammer novels are great, but this is the best of the lot. Over the 12+ years that it has existed, the Warhammer 40,000 universe has become one of the most detailed science fiction/fantasy/horror settings ever created, via the massive amounts of flavor text contained in all of the publications. The monstrously over-populated hive worlds, the steaming alien jungles, the towering titans, the clunky war machines, the war-loving Orks, the hideous Tyranids, the cthulan Chaos Gods, and the terrifying fascist theocracy of the human Imperium have become a permanent part of my mentality. Ian Watson, in a dense, poetic stylie, brings this universe to life better than anyone else. His protagonist is Jaq Draco who, after a long career of mercilessly slaughtering the Emperor's "enemies", has stumbled upon a horrifying conspiracy to overthrow the Imperium. He must stop it, but is not quite sure where to start... Along the way, Draco begins to develop a conscience. For a man who lives to kill and destroy, this is the worst thing that could possibly happen... Draco's slow, painful transformation from an unfeeling killing machine to a feeling (and internally tormented) killing machine is one of the best parts of the story (which continues in Harlequin and Chaos Child, both highly recommended). One of the coolest (and scariest) parts of the Warhammer 40,000 game setting is that there are no good guys. The Tyranids and the Chaos Gods may be terrible, but it is hard to say that the human Imperium is any better. The horribly mutated Judeo-Christian religion which has sprung up around the Emperor is completely and utterly intolerant, calling for the brutal extermination of even the slightest heresy. In order to defend "national security", the Imperial defense forces are perfectly willing to destroy entire inhabited planets. This situation, also, is brilliantly handled by Watson. At the beginning, it is clear that no one has any freedom of thought whatsoever. Only slowly and painfully does Draco begin to develop this freedom, and it does not make him a happy man... And although this Imperium spans a million stars, it is obvious throughout that there is nothing even slightly progressive about it. From the absolute thought control, to the suffocatingly over-crowded cities, to the povery-stricken masses, the overall feeling is that of a reactionary empire in a state of unending decay. Late in the book, Draco visits the Imperial capital on Ancient Earth. Here, in the glorious human homeland, he finds a horribly polluted, horribly crowded world-spanning city, where gang members struggle in vain for meagre civil-service positions, where endless rows of scribes spend their entire lives copying records with simple pens, where people happily kill their neighbors as heretics, and cybernetically-modified cr

I am not a RPG Gamer, but a long-time Watson fan. This is an excellent read! In fact, it made me a WH40K fan. This is a gripping, epic tale of mankind's far-future struggles against weird and dangerous evil beings. Written in a tightly-plotted, delightfully detailed, deliriously baroque and wonderfully atmospheric prose that is Watson's inimitable housestyle, this is a SURE FIRE GOOD READ!! In case anyone is not familiar to the WH40K universe theme, the future of mankind in the forty-first millenium is a galactic human empire beset on all fronts by demon infestation (''Chaos''). The Emperor is some sort of psychic god on earth - half-dead, conscious only by din of sheer force of willpower sustained by technology - presiding over a huge Theocratic empire spanning lightyears, the ecclesiastical structure employing deadly force and ruthless subterfuge to protect human race against being overwhelmed by demonic contamination. Imagine the Spanish Inquisition ruling a galactic empire. The imaginative vista is panoramic, sweeping and jaw-dropping. The opportunities for good yarn-spinning is enormous:- this is a cross between the Spanish Inquisition and Isaac Asimov's galactic empire, only this time the Inquisitors are the good guys trying to keep humanity, well, human. Ian's plotting is fantastic, and his command of dramatic tension absolutely masterful. This is a classic and an amazing work. Anyone knows Watson's email? Been trying to compliment him personally for the longest time now ...B-)

Just to qualify, there are two sequels written to this book. The second book in the trilogy is called "Harlequin" and the third is called "Chaos Child".