Alright, I admit it. When Dan Abnett publishes a book I tend to simply say "TAKE MY MONEY" at the local bookstore, especially when he brings back one of his most beloved and iconic series. And I have a disturbing tendency to read the whole damn book in one sitting. So, if you're interested in the first round of Eisenhorn vs Ravenor (Pariah) and don't mind being spoiled half to death, this thread is for you.
First, a no-spoiler review. Pariah is a very charming book, told from the first person like Eisenhorn, and that has a lot to do with the main character. The book really feels like it's a sort of diary written by a young woman, with the emphasis on woman as she's not a bloody annoying girl who's always pining over men or her destiny or whatever (This is NOT Twilight!). She's actually calm and collected for the most part, and this is despite the huge amount of crap that gets thrown at her - as she has to deal not only with the GrimDark of 40K, but also of a vast conspiracy that already involves a minimum of four different factions and counting.
In fact, the novel does feel very much like a "girl meets 40K" story, or more specifcally "girl meets VAST INQUISITION CONSPIRACY". For people just getting started on the Eisenhorn series, the lead character serves as a sort of proxy, sharing the reader's confusion but nudging them along the right way. For the seasoned vets who've read their Eisenhorn and Ravenor, she gives little clues and hints to reintroduce you to some of the series' recurring characters.
That said, it IS an Abnett book. So expect the usual Abnett style - abrupt ending, no real closure, and "DAMN YOU WRITE THE NEXT BOOK ALREADY!". But hey, it's the first part of a trilogy. It's to be expected
TL;DR: Abnett shows he can write as a girl. It's good.
Now, for the more spoilery details, plot summary: Spoiler
The lead character is Alizabeth Bequin, but she's NOT the same Bequin from Eisenhorn. This Bequin is instead Alizabeth's daughter (which Abnett hints cleverly by emphasizing her nickname - Beta). And no, Eisenhorn didn't sleep with the original Alizabeth's comatose body .
Anyway, Beta introduces herself as an Inquisitorial Agent training in a facility known as the "Maze Undue" (which she suspects is actually a corruption of the French phrase Maison Dieus - proving that French did in fact survive into the 41st Millenium as "Old Franc"). The facility basically trains untouchables/pariahs to be secret agents capable of impersonating almost anyone, a lot like Whedon's Doll House (but without the mind wipes). The facility is located in a city called Queen Mab, in the good old Angelus sector (Ravenor's old haunt). As far as Beta remembers, she was an orphan raised by a kindly Sister Bismillah working in the orphanage next door, and she was picked by the Inquisition because of her untouchable talent. She has no idea who her mother is.
Beta's training is going well but she eventually starts sensing something is horribly wrong. The facility is attacked by a young man whose ID is that of an Interrogator, but her mentors (after killing the young man) insists that he is a Cognitae spy. Beta begins to suspect that they may be attacked soon, and she eventually stumbles on a very poorly disguised (well, to longtime readers anyway) Patience Kys pretending to be a Sister in Beta's old orphanage. Beta ends up fighting Kys, who calls in massive reinforcements led by Ravenor. The Maze Undue is quickly burned to the ground by Team Ravenor, and Beta is forced to go on the run.
What follows next is the meat of the book, with Beta running from numerous factions who want her for some reason (to the point she begins grumbling that she's not a freaking grail). These factions turn out to include Eisenhorn, Ravenor, the Eclessiarchy, Word Bearers who are apparently allied to the Eclessiarchy (Yes, she went "WTF?" too. This is why I like her ), Emperor's Children, and the mysterious owners of the Maze Undue (who may or may not be one of the above factions). Oh, and along the way she picks up some new friends, including persistent Super-Hobo Renner, who she may or may not have fallen in love with.
(Note: And despite the snarky nature of the above summary, it's actually a well-described and pretty fun ride. It's better read than described)
Eventually, things get sorted out. It turns out that Sister Bismillah is actually Medea Bentacore (cue "Hurrahs!"), who spent the last two decades serving as Beta's surrogate mother. She's still working for Eisenhorn with Nayl (Hurrah!), and it's Nayl who reveals that their "deaths" noted at the end of Eisenhorn were faked to allow both of them to serve Eisenhorn again. Eisenhorn himself gets to meet Beta, which is kinda touching, and it's explained that the original Alizabeth (still in a stasis pod) had gone missing fifty years ago after the ship carrying her disappeared. Medea had then discovered Beta, who was apparently the product of some special genetic program created by the mysterious owners of Maze Undue.
Eisenhorn thinks that the owners of Maze Undue are actually working for some powerful guy named "The King in Yellow", and he's working to stop them. Beta volunteers to track down some leads.
Unfortunately, it turns out Beta's leads were planted by none other than Patience Kys, and Beta is quickly captured along with Super-Hobo by Team Ravenor. Ravenor introduces himself with Kara Swole, and points out that Eisenhorn had actually been declared a traitor 100 years ago (around the time Ravenor ended), because Eisenhorn was consorting with dark powers.
The novel ends with Beta going to her prison cell, only to find somebody already there ready to rescue her.
It's Cherubael.
Anyway, going to post some more notable and interesting stuff from the novel in a bit. This Includes scenes like the discovery of toys with the letter "CCCP" on them, the reemergence of a member of the Glaw family, the effects of Untouchables + Enuncia, and someody once again saying the words: "I am Alpharius".
That . . . makes utterly no freaking sense. Spoiler
Nayl had been working with Ravenor since the end of Hereticus and presumably left Inquisitorial service for good at the end of Ravenor's trilogy. Also, how the hell did Kara escape execution by the Inquisition after the whole Slyte affair? Sure, Gideon could be cleared, but Kara? No, not happening. She got the worst of Slyte's attention and even Gid's kind words would likely commute her sentence to beheading rather than burning alive.
CaiusWickersham wrote:That . . . makes utterly no freaking sense. Spoiler
Nayl had been working with Ravenor since the end of Hereticus and presumably left Inquisitorial service for good at the end of Ravenor's trilogy. Also, how the hell did Kara escape execution by the Inquisition after the whole Slyte affair? Sure, Gideon could be cleared, but Kara? No, not happening. She got the worst of Slyte's attention and even Gid's kind words would likely commute her sentence to beheading rather than burning alive.
Spoiler
How does Nayl make no sense. He states in this that he went back to his old life for a while till he heard that Eisenhorn was recruiting, at which point he faked his death and joined up. Where's the problem?
As for Kara, yeah, not a clue. Hopefully we get an answer in the next book.
As for questions, Beta's Pariah status is very strange. The Word Bearers claim she is barely a blank and when she has her limiter engaged she herself is vulnerable to psychic attack with Gregor actually forcing his will upon her. That's the first I've seen that happen to a limited blank, thought it just stopped them projecting their blankness
"May God stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk." - Ancient Egyptian Blessing
Ivanova is always right.
I will listen to Ivanova.
I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God.
AND, if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out! - Babylon 5 Mantra
Pariah is set 100 years after Ravenor. Nayl has had plenty of time to change his mind and go back to working with Eisenhorn.
Gideon was also apparently cleared of all charges, but forced into retirement where he got to write his books. Presumably Kara was exonerated alongside him. Note that Ravenor could have chosen not to tell everything to the Inquisition about Kara's actions
Soal-> Spoiler
Yeah, Beta's blankness was a bit weird too, but not unprecedented. Remember how Frauka stopped being a blank suddenly?Either the Maze Undue folks have incorporated this into her genetic build or their cuffs have.
I'd like to be that detailed but a spoiler is all I've managed for now. Besides, I did promise only a Review, Spoilers, and Notes .
Anyway, some additional notes:
Pariahs + Enuncia, and the four-way clusterfuck surrounding it Spoiler
Okay, now that we've established that Pariah is basically an introduction to Beta Bequin (daughter of Alizabeth) and how at least four different factions are going "Join us! Join us!", it's time to detail why everyone apparently wants Beta.
I've already covered how Beta is being trained to be some kind of super-spy. Everyone knows how useful Pariahs are. And we know the Cognitae are involved. How does it all come together.
Well, during one sequence where Beta is captured (by the Eclessiarchy + Word Bearers Faction), they force her to recite a long series of what she thinks are gibberish words. She does all this without suffering any ill-effects, which really excites the Word Bearers and the Priests. Finally, they make her speak one word which basically blows apart an altar - and she realizes that they've been making her read Enuncia.
Apparently, according to the jabbering Priests, the problem with Enuncia is that it has very, very bad effects on humans who have a warp signature. Warping reality with words tends to bring with it madness, injuries, and other bad stuff (like how Patience Kys got very ill just saying an Enuncia word back in Ravenor). Beta though? It apparently has no ill effect on her.
(Side note: And yes, like Kys she forgets the "word that blows stuff up". Until a crucial juncture where she's in danger and she simply says "I remember the word", again echoing Kys' experiences back in Ravenor. After that, Beta "feels" that she deliberately forgets the word until she gathers enough energy to use it again, making her the Warhammer 40K equivalent of a Dovhakin. Cue singing the Skyrim theme song ).
And now to make you even more confused... GOOD DAEMONS Spoiler
But that's not all. Pariahs apparently aren't just the key to making Dragon Born who can shout Enuncia without any issues. They're also the key to making "Angels" - warp spirits who are working for mankind instead of against it.
All graduates of the Maze Undue Academy eventually disappear and are never seen again (according to Beta). But one, named Judika, suddenly comes back. And every time Beta gets into trouble, Judika disappears and this horrible warp-spirit comes along and starts chewing scenery like Cherubael.
Eventually, after Beta and her companions (Judika included) are captured by Team Emperor's Children (led by Teke the Smiling One), they find out that Judika had been "implanted" with some kind of creature that allows him to manifest the war spirit. It's apparently some kind of spider which is ingested by a Pariah, which then turns the Pariah into a sort of daemonhost, except that they are supposedly "good" daemons. Teke is very, very pissed and very, very threatened by this development, and quickly proceeds to kill Judika and promises to kill the eight others like him.
Apparently, the Emperor's Children are NOT happy with the idea of good daemons, whatever they really are.
Eisenhorn vs Ravenor - You be the Judge Spoiler
Eisenhorn and Ravenor are apparently both after the people making the "good daemons" (King in Yellow). But there are hints that one, or both, are not exactly working in the Imperium's interests.
I've already covered how Eisenhorn was apparently declared a Traitor. I've also covered Cherubael's return. But I forgot to mention one other character - named Deathrow.
See, Queen Mab was apparently once a recruitment center for some big local war. The recruits were called "Warblind", and these were basically chemically-enhanced Guardsmen who've been utterly brainwashed into doing nothing but killing people (Cue Hidden Khornate Cult somewhere). The few who survived the big war were made into outcasts and kept in deserted sections of the city - and these very deserted sections were often used by Beta and her companions to move around the city without getting detected by the authorites.
However, in several instances Beta and her team found themselves being attacked by the Warblind or by one of the various factions. And each time, this big hulking Warblind named "Deathrow" came to her rescue. Is Beta really just that loveable?
Apparently, not. Because it's revealed in the end of the story that Deathrow was an agent of Eisenhorn's, who was just posing as a Warblind. And when Beta asks who he really is, Deathrow gives this answer:
"I am Alpharius".
So Eisenhorn's also consorting with the Alpha Legion. Not looking too good for Team Eisenhorn.
Meanwhile, Ravenor's still got the questions hanging over him. According to Nayl, Ravenor was forced into retirement after he blew up the Kell Mountains. There may be a chance that Gideon's gone rogue again just by being in the field again when he's supposed to be writing Sphere of Longing: The Rebuild. That said, at least he doesn't have a Daemonhost or an Alpha Legionnaire working for him.
Gideon did reveal one more detail though: He suspects that the King in Yellow is trying to discover the true name of the Emperor. Again, whether or not this is because the King in yellow really wants to make good daemons or make everyone his slave is up in the air
Old Sad Odds and Ends Spoiler
Finally, a couple of "typical Abnett" minor inclusions:
- There's a surviving member of the Glaw family who makes it into the story (who never appeared in the other books). This Glaw is trying to restore her family's glory and all that stuff. She helps Beta escape, but it turns out she was working for the Emperor's Children. She very quickly gets push to irrelevance and then disappears entirely; probably so she can come back at the worst possible time in another book.
- Remember that war involving Warblinds? Apparently it wasn't the first war of its kind to be fought in the Angelus sector. A couple of hundred years before the "last" war, there was another very similar war fought in the Angelus subsector - so similar that they both feature the same Saint! Is this Saint Sabbat-style reincarnation all over again? Or is this some kind of Chaos plot?
- Finally, and this is classic Abnett - there's a scene where Beta is impersonating a collector of rare and very old items. She's shown a collection of toys - which is a set of three rockets. The owner assures her that they come from the 1st Millenium, and Beta notices that the toys still have the letters "CCCP" written on them. When she asks what they mean, the owner replies "No one remembers anymore".
Kind of a sad reminder of "far future" portion of the whole 40K mantra
The bit with Enuncia and blanks is, if you ask me, a logical outgrowth. (Another outgrowth could have been that, when blanks speak Enuncia, nothing happens, but Abnett went with the former.)
And actually a lot of stuff make sense given what we know. The nature of daemons, of humanity's connection to the warp, the nature of the gods (actual entities of a realm or just really strong undercurrents in a big sea), and we'll find out what the fuck happened with the Alpha, or get an idea. As for good daemons and whatnot, Abnett likes this kind of fuckery. Anybody remember "daemon-king Yssaril" and the civil wars in the warp? I actually like those small things, because it shows someone who has reflected on the setting itself and thought about it hard enough to come up with conclusions despite the official policy of uncertainty.
There's nothing inherently wrong with good daemons. Some of the Eldar gods are benevolent and the warp entities associated with them, for example, would also be benevolent. Given the dog eat dog predatory nature of so much of the Great Ocean and that the most powerful warp gods are formed pools of concentrated emotion that possess no limits or restraint, it makes sense that most of them will be nasty pieces of work. Most, but not all. Compassion, mercy, and benevolence are emotions as well.
The Excellent Prismatic Spray. For when you absolutely, positively must kill a motherfucker. Accept no substitutions. Contact a magician of the later Aeons for details. Some conditions may apply.
Yeah, I was being snarky about Beta Dragonborn, but I do agree it's a logical outgrowth and a lot of the novel actually makes sense compared to what we've already seen.
Do note the weirdness of Beta's blankness though - apparently when her limiter cuff is turned to max she's actually suceptible to Psyker-magic; so a "true" blank may indeed be unable to use Enuncia, but a special on/off blank can.
Re Good Daemons:
Like I said, there's strands of Saint Sabbat here with the Saint Orpheus of the Angelus subsector - he seems to come back regularly to lead the subsector's army in a holy war of sorts every couple hundred years.
The thing is, the "good daemon" that Judika transformed into looks a heck of a lot like a daemonhost like Cherubael, rather than the really angelic Saint Sabbat.
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Oh, BTW, one more detail I forgoet:
The Pariah cover is a lot like the Ravenor cover, except it has the face of two (human) Inquisitors.
The end of the book gives us a preview of the cover for the next book in the series (entitled "Penitent"), and one of the two faces has turned into a distinctly daemonic face, implying that at least one of the two are definitely going to end up becoming evil.
Zinegata wrote:Trainwreck->
The end of the book gives us a preview of the cover for the next book in the series (entitled "Penitent"), and one of the two faces has turned into a distinctly daemonic face, implying that at least one of the two are definitely going to end up becoming evil.
To be honest I'm willing to bet that the third cover either has both faces demonic or switches the two about.
Zinegata wrote:Trainwreck->
The end of the book gives us a preview of the cover for the next book in the series (entitled "Penitent"), and one of the two faces has turned into a distinctly daemonic face, implying that at least one of the two are definitely going to end up becoming evil.
To be honest I'm willing to bet that the third cover either has both faces demonic or switches the two about.
Ravenor isn't going to fall, Abnett's previous works have made it clear that his writings are revered wisdom and almost required reading among the upper echelons. If he turned to such a degree as your suggesting his books would almost certainly be put on the restricted/burn list.
"May God stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk." - Ancient Egyptian Blessing
Ivanova is always right.
I will listen to Ivanova.
I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God.
AND, if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out! - Babylon 5 Mantra
Zinegata wrote:Trainwreck->
The end of the book gives us a preview of the cover for the next book in the series (entitled "Penitent"), and one of the two faces has turned into a distinctly daemonic face, implying that at least one of the two are definitely going to end up becoming evil.
To be honest I'm willing to bet that the third cover either has both faces demonic or switches the two about.
Ravenor isn't going to fall, Abnett's previous works have made it clear that his writings are revered wisdom and almost required reading among the upper echelons. If he turned to such a degree as your suggesting his books would almost certainly be put on the restricted/burn list.
That depends if his fall is known, the demonic face does not necciserily mean an externally visable corruption, and even if it was would it be noticable in his chair?
Okay, I'll concede on Nayl. I'm still reserved on Kara, though. I doubt the Inquisition is just going to take Gideon's word on anything, respected or no, when it comes to something like the Slyte incident. Also, remember Belknap likely testified to what happened as well.
That depends if his fall is known, the demonic face does not necciserily mean an externally visable corruption, and even if it was would it be noticable in his chair?
Don't quote me on that, but the Inquisition is liable to ban his books anyway. It's who they are.
Well, in Salvation's Reach it's claimed that Ravenor "died badly", so one can't rule out Ravenor getting fucked over by a daemon.
Dying badly, even dying badly by a daemon, doesn't necessarily mean you'll die by your own pet daemon. I'm putting on Cherubael turning Ravenor into mincemeat. Spoiler
Hell, since I'm at it, I'm puttting this: Cherubael is planning to cause Eisenhorn's death (pretty much for the same reasons he did with Quixos), have his physical body destroyed so he can return to the warp, and kill anybody who might compromise that plan (and Ravenor is quite likely to warn Eisenhorn if he finds out, which he stands a good chance of doing). It will also be a fittingly tragic end for Eisenhorn: ultimately mortal and fallible, he dies because of his own flaws.
Okay, I'll concede on Nayl. I'm still reserved on Kara, though. I doubt the Inquisition is just going to take Gideon's word on anything, respected or no, when it comes to something like the Slyte incident. Also, remember Belknap likely testified to what happened as well.
Belknap left the team before the trial, so I don't think he would have testified.
There are these wonderful things in the legal profession called subpoenas. They let you bring relevant persons in to testify and it's a bitch to quash them unless you are on some very solid grounds. Disobey and you can be tossed in jail until you're ready to be a good boy or girl. I'm pretty sure the Inquisition has something similar. Except there is no way to quash them. And they back them up with Storm Troopers. With bolters. And flamers. And battle nuns with flamers.
