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Warhammer 40,000: The stories of the future war

by Jonathan Gronli on Apr 27, 2008 at 07:36 AM
4 Comments

The book gives a more detailed account for events within the <i>Dawn of War</i> game and expansions.” width=“250” height=“381” align=“right” /><br /> <i>Warhammer 40,000</i> has been around for quite some time. It’s been a table-top miniatures strategy game, a pen-and-paper RPG, and it’s spawned a franchise of PC and console games (such as <i>Dawn of War</i> and <i>Fire Warrior</i>) Perhaps more importantly, its also been the subject of some incredible character-driven stories.</p> <p>The books feature deeper story lines than the PC or console games. The games tend to just give a very brief overview without giving the true scope of intergalactic turmoil. Naturally, the fiction and the pen-and-paper RPGs end up having better storylines that dive into the war-torn 41st millennium, since they take the time to build up the strife.</p> <p>Here are the basics: it’s the far future, and mankind has colonized the galaxy. Due to medical advancement, nearly everyone lives an extended period of time, and overpopulation, civil war, and attacks from alien races are threats that humanity has to deal with. After a while mankind is reunited after the God-Emperor, one of the most powerful psykers (psychics), takes control of the Imperium of Man. His goals were to rebuild and expand the empire man once had. This campaign ended thousands of years ago, in story years. Now it is a matter of preserving the empire. </p> <p>The protectors of the Imperium of Man are divided into three groups. There is the Imperial Guard. Briefly, the Guard is the regular army of the empire. There is the Inquisition, a group largely comprised of psychics that work in a clandestine manner. They are charged with seeking out anything disapproved of by the God-Emperor and destroying it. Lastly, the Space Marines are genetically engineered super soldiers. The Blood Ravens chapter of space marines, for example, is charged with the duty of learning obscure knowledge regarding their foes. They use that knowledge to vanquish their enemies. The Imperial Guard, Inquisition and Space Marines hold a great deal of influence on the events of the <i>Blood Ravens: Dawn of War Omnibus</i>.</p> <p>Aside from humans, there are multiple major alien groups from the books, which is where the fantasy elements come into play. Orks are essentially the fantasy genre’s orcs. They are generally attracted to violence. The Eldar are the elves of the future. Even though they fight the same forces as the Imperium, they end up fighting with the Imperial troops due to arrogance. Chaos Space Marines are Space Marines that have been tainted by the warp. There are also daemons that may emerge from the warp. These are the “evil” groups that hold the most sway over the events of <i>Blood Ravens</i>.</p> <p>This bizarre sci-fi, fantasy war series is easily described as <i>Lord of the Rings</i> meets <i>Star Wars</i> mixed in with a bit of Clive Barker. More books are to come out for the franchise. More games, including a MMORPG and <i>Dawn of War 2</i>, are in the works as well.</p> <p>Read [<a href=Black Library’s list of Warhammer 40000 novels]
Also Read [PDF samples of Black Library novels]
Also Read [fragland]

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Comments
  • Azrael said:

    I am a fan of the table top strategy game. Never paid much attention to the books.Now after reading your summary, I will definitely have to start reading the books.

    on April 27, 2008 at 05:35 PM - LINK
  • Jonathan Gronli said:
    Avatar for Jonathan Gronli

    Thank you for your comment Azrael. I like to open up a open conversation regarding different forms of entertainment. Hopefully more gamers and readers alike find this helpful on whether or not the book is worth while.

    on April 27, 2008 at 11:25 PM - LINK
  • danielcontoro said:

    Nice. There’s a guy I know at school who is always going on and on about the Horus events in Warhammer, and Warhammer in general, so this clarified a few things for me. Now remember: Danny wants a 3-6-0.

    on April 28, 2008 at 08:46 AM - LINK
  • Jonathan Gronli said:
    Avatar for Jonathan Gronli

    The Horus Heresy books are definitely worth while. This one I just wanted to focus on something that is directly based off of a game however. I might cover the Horus Heresy in-depth at a later time though. Now, little bro, in terms of upgrading your gaming tech…I would need to upgrade my gaming tech first. Sorry.

    on April 28, 2008 at 01:49 PM - LINK
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