| Title | : | Malleus (Eisenhorn, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0743411765 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780743411769 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published December 27, 2001 |
Malleus (Eisenhorn, #2) Reviews
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I'm still really enjoying Inquisitor Eisenhorn and crew. This series has surprised me, I wasn't sure that I'd like any of the W40k book since I never played the games. I will definitely finish up this series and read the one that features Ravenor (plus go back and try the Horus Heresies series).
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Every bit as fun and exciting as the first novel in the series without ever feeling like a retread or rehashing of the same old stuff. The attention to detail and the fleshing out of the worlds, the people, and everything else in the background truly makes this a standout and really made me appreciate just how immense and thought out all of this is, and it is only my second full length novel in the Warhammer 40K universe. I thought the first book started out on a small scale and grew to a grand galaxy spanning adventure while this one was opposite and started out with an immense planet-wide disaster/action scene and shrunk down to a more personal lone wolf with a vendetta sort of story. An amazing cast of secondary characters and pretty awesome bad guys populate these pages and kept me thoroughly engaged and there were enough hints thrown out about other stuff going on or that had already happened to make me beyond stoked to continue reading these books. This is as good as it gets for me and I've had a blast reading every page. Five, I now love Dan Abnett, stars.
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'Malleus' is one of the better examples of novel "Sequelitis". What I mean by this is that the novel doesn't rehash the same old scenarios from the original but instead produce something new.
'Malleus' takes the characters and the world that was established in the original novel, 'Xenos', and then builds on it. The stakes are higher, the threats are more potent, and there is no guarantee of anyone's safety.
Nothing highlights this point more clearly than the Holy Novena on Thracian Primaris. A victory parade so large it was said to stretch 20 miles long, it included two Adeptus Astartes Chapters, 500,000 Imperial Guard, over 300 Inquisitors, representatives of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy, Departmento Munitorum, and Imperial Navy as well as a number War Machines from the Legio Titanicus. All of which, looked upon by millions of Imperial citizens across the entire planet. This was a celebration of such epic proportions, there to entirely showcase the strength, pride and the martial power of the human race... That is until it all goes horribly wrong.
What happens next is one of the most devastating acts of terrorism that could ever possibly be envisioned. During the bloody aftermath, our hero, Gregor Eisenhorn, discovers an act of treachery so abhorrent that it will test his loyalty to the Inquisition to its limits.
This is because ‘Malleus’ is a book all about choices. Eisenhorn is presented with a threat to the Imperium that will require him to put aside his puritan beliefs in favour of pragmatic radicalism. He has to choose as to what lengths he will be willing to go to defeat his old enemy, the daemonhost Cherubael, and its dark master, Quixos. Even if this means learning proscribed and forbidden lore that will threaten his standing with the Inquisition. Eisenhorn must suffer being labelled a ‘Heretic’ by his closest allies to achieve victory.
My favourite scene from this book comes from when Eisenhorn must ask an old enemy for help, and is told is that to receive the knowledge he seeks on daemon summoning and banishment he has to cross a line. A line that once crossed cannot be walked back over. Eisenhorn will have to make a choice right there and then to seek aid from a known heretic to be able fight Chaos with Chaos. And to Eisenhorn’s credit, it is a decision that he does not waver over.
Eisenhorn is a man of principles but he is also a man not afraid to make hard choices. -
-La insidia del Caos se esconde en todas partes, incluso entre quienes lo combaten.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Malleus (publicación original: Malleus, 2001), Gregor Eisenhorn es envenenado durante la persecución de una xenófila que realiza ritos y brujerías de los eldars oscuros. Debido a ello, su camino se cruza de nuevo con el cazador de brujas Arnaut Tantalid y después recibe la orden del Gran Maestre Inquisidor Ubertino Orsini para que asista a la Sagrada Novena en Tracian Primaris, planeta hiperindustrializado y sobrepoblado, donde descubrirá que la Inquisición sospecha de él, por crímenes contra el imperio, debido a ciertas acciones del demonio Cherubael. Segundo libro de la trilogía Eisenhorn.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/... -
Todo lo que estaba bien o excelente en el anterior se mantiene y la escritura de Abnett mejora.
Eisenhorn hace lo mejor que puede e igual sufre, gajes del oficio de cualquier inquisidor que trabajar en nombre del Dios Emperador, cuya muerte es eterna y su nombre ya olvidado. -
It's been six years since I last read Malleus in full. Six years during which I held the Eisenhorn trilogy in the highest regard. Six years of rose-tinted glasses, looking back fondly on that nostalgic trilogy. Six years in which I have maintained that, to this day, the adventures of Gregor Eisenhorn, Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, still remains the best introduction a newcomer to Warhammer 40,000 can have when it comes to the fiction.
Now, six years later, fresh out of a re-read of Malleus, hotly anticipating
The Magos, the unexpected 4th Eisenhorn novel, I still maintain that position. I was fully prepared to feel disappointed in at least some aspects of the novel, this turning point in Gregor Eisenhorn's career. I was ready to accept that a re-read might taint my fond memories. What I did not expect was just how well the classic still holds up to this day, and how it consistently engaged me with every twist and turn. In hindsight, I even noticed more points to like, things Abnett introduced and built up early on that popped up again later to enrich the ongoing developments. Things that, knowing where everything is headed, even beyond the trilogy itself, impress me even more today than they did way back when.
Malleus never really lets up. Despite spanning years, the first person narrative maintains great pacing, glosses over inessential aspects while still retaining a sense of scope and depth that most other novels rarely manage to achieve. To this day, I want to read Interrogator Inshabel's report on his dealings during the events of Malleus, due to how intriguing Abnett, through Eisenhorn, made that particular aside appear, without ever going into any sort of detail. To this day, I wish to see what spooked Harlon Nayl to the point of only ever speaking about it over plenty of booze. I`d love to read more about Titus Endor... apart from his.
Strange Demise, I mean.
I can't even begin to describe the satisfaction I feel now, after my re-read. All the beats still ring loud and clear. Malleus still remains one of the strongest, best novels in Black Library's vast range. Considering the Publisher will be celebrating 20 years with the release of The Magos this month, I'd argue that this is the highest praise one can give out. -
Still enjoying the vast universe and the grimdark atmosphere, however, I couldn't quite get into the plot of this one as much. There were a few too many characters to keep track of without more of the narrative's attention being focused on them. Additionally, for much of the book I was unsure why Eisenhorn was making the choices he made and why the plot was unfolding the way it did. The story felt a little too loose; it was less cohesive, more scattered than in Eisenhorn's previous adventure.
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Whoooaaaaa man what a mindfuck. Not only did this book have me distrusting every dang character, it also gave me whiplash as it flip flopped between boring me and making my head spin from EVERYTHING HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE. While there were definitely some parts that were a bit of a snooze, every last one was completely necessary. I just wish the book didnt fizzle so hard at the end.
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This second book in the Eisenhorn series is nearly as good as the first. *Malleus* is a dark and dystopic space opera anti-heist novel with noir atmosphere. Morever, the renegade crew, quasi-scoundrels all (except maybe Aemos and Gregor), are defenders of the Imperium of Man against the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. The philosophical ambition of this novel is surprising. Considering it's a Warhammer 40k novel, it's surprisingly literary and readable. In *Malleus* Abnett meditates on the thin line seperating good and evil and how fanaticism can ambush good intentions and transform good into evil despite good's best intentions. One of my favorite elements of these two Eisenhorn novels is the artful and leisurely pacing, and specifically so in *Malleus.* At 430 pages (my trade paperback version) several years are treated. Unlike a lot of light, IP-fiction, the novel isn't just action scene after action scene. There is a complex plot and background conspiracy that is dramatically revealed incrementally. If you're a Warhammer 40k fan, you'll appreciate all the elements of the 41st millennium that are lovingly showcased here. If you're not a 40k fan, chances are that the rich secondary world and intriguing characters will enthrall. Last note: Abnett is very good at rendering intriguing relationships among characters. His characters are not isolated but interact in surprising ways, allies and enemies alike.
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English (but not so good) / Italiano
The Inquisitor this time is prey instead of hunter but I must say that the thing is perceived scarcely except the interrogatory and his sporadic clashes with the Witch Hunter Tantalid. This, however, doesn’t damage another exciting adventure made of intrigue as well as action, although I would have expected more from the final fight versus the heretic. But magnificent the epilogue with Cherubael, a character by now essential part of the saga, as well as nemesis of the protagonist - whose behavior is becoming increasingly reckless and ambiguous.
Italiano
L’Inquisitore stavolta è preda anziché cacciatore ma devo dire che la cosa si percepisce appena se si escludono l’interrogatorio e i suoi sporadici scontri con il Cacciatore di Streghe Tantalid. Questo però non va a danneggiare un’altra emozionante avventura fatta di intrighi oltre che d’azione, benché mi sarei aspettato di più dallo scontro finale con l’eretico. Magnifico invece l’epilogo con Cherubael, personaggio ormai parte integrante della saga, nonché nemesi del protagonista - la cui condotta si fa sempre più spregiudicata e ambigua. -
3.5 / 5
I'm finishing the third one as I type. And I have to say, I've been waiting for a long time for this series. I've been searching it without knowing ever since The Mentalist and Death Note ended.
It's not those series, but it has a vibe I am addicted to.
This book suffers from Middle Book Syndrome. Although the structure of the first book in the trilogy, this one doesn't have a structure in the same way. It's acts are weird, sometime ranging from a scene to third a book.
That being said, the book manages to continue the plot of the first book and still give a threads-tied ending to it.
Which is really intersting, as I am finishing the third book and I can say, not all is done :D
A delight popcorn read. I'm going to miss Eisenhorn a lot. -
A brilliant book. I can't wait to see what happens next.
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For this review I shall stick to a single, if not the single moment of the book, where Abnett convinced me (as if that was necessary) of his wit and daring. To avert spoilers, I'll keep it abstract. The hero faces down a secondary, however all the same menacing threat to mankind. The tumultuous, one-sided, definitely losing battle is drawing to its horrible conclusion as the hero settles on a suicidal, naive action that either succeeds or dooms him and everybody else.
End of chapter.
The next chapter carries on with something completely different, equally enthralling, almost more than the lethal scene from one page ago. There is no need for Abnett do draw out the finer details of said threat going down, to prolong the scene unnecessarily by illustrating how the broken but triumphant band regroups, cleans up the colossal mess, etc., etc., these obvious and overall repetitive trivialities.
"No", indicates Abnett, "you, my reader, are well aware that the hero was successful, he's up and well as you can see for yourself. I'll give you the important details in timely fashion, as a side dish to the more savory content, but for now let's carry on with the actual tale, my stories need no padding to fill a whole novel."
That's Abnett for you. Cheeky bastard. -
A good sequel that expands on the original without retreading the same plot as the first book.
Dan Abnett falls into his usual trap of winding books up a bit quickly at the end. But the overall journey and world building is well worth the read. -
Breaking Up: A Review
Listen... um. We need to talk.
It's not you, it's me. You've got everything a book's supposed to have - interesting characters, a solid plot. Things happen - interesting things! I'm just not that interested.
I hope you have a good 3rd book. I really do. I just won't be there to read it.
All kidding aside, I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't like the first two books in this series. It's not even that I didn't like them, but I didn't look forward to returning to them, and never had a hard time putting one down, even in the middle of an action scene. Two books into the trilogy is enough for me. And that's saying something. -
I don't get it, it's not more of the same, it's not as good as the first one, the introduction of many characters just for them to die off, the time skip of 100 years which really seems weird.
Maybe I just don't like first person books but damn the description of anything wasn't that good and I LOVE hive cities in 40k.
I feel like I have to finish the next one because cherubael or whatever is the only good thing about the book, kinda really annoying how Abnett has to spell out to you every step of the way that Eisenhorn is slowly becoming rebel the epilogue was a bit of a shocker but it was still obvious because he had done it before just with a rebel inquisitor and not a demon-host. -
The second book in Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn Trilogy, it's pretty much the same type of story as the first book (Xenos).
The plot is a little more complex, the main character a little more complex, and the action even better written than before.
It's still a fluff book for the Warhammer 40k Universe, and if you aren't interested in that and haven't read the first book, it's probably not extraordinary enough to be worth a read.
I am glad that I read it. -
No le doy las cinco estrellas porque la resolución del libro (y las muertes de algunos personajes secundarios) me parecen un poco precipitadas. Por lo demás, estoy disfrutando está lectura de la aventuras de Eisenhorn.
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Published the very same year as the seminal Xenos, this is set a hundred or so years after the conclusion of the Necroteuch affair. Following a near-death experience at the hands of Beldame Sadia, Eisenhorn reluctantly returns to his estate on Thracian Primaris to join a great celebration taking place. When disaster strikes during the Triumph, Eisenhorn sets out to discover the culprits, but despite his best intentions he begins to find that his reputation has been tarnished by his association – such as it is – with the daemonhost Cherubael.
It’s typical Abnett, and another reminder of why this series is still considered among the best that Black Library has to offer. It’s everything an Inquisition book should be, undoubtedly a little darker than Xenos, already hinting at where Eisenhorn might end up and foreshadowing events yet to come, and while it would work perfectly well as a standalone story it’s definitely best considered as the point in the series where things start to take a turn for the worse for Eisenhorn.
Read the full review at
https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/03/... -
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A nasty and devastating trap that Eisenhorn mostly evaded. Mayhem, countless losses, escaped prisoners, servants of the Chaos. Amidst it all – suspicion and anger spreads like wildfire as eyes turn to Eisenhorn. How has inquisitor been everywhere, always present, yet is mostly unharmed? Realizing he stands among enemies, Eisenhorn must make a quick decision: flee and confirm their own ideas, or stand down in hopes he’ll be believed, let alone allowed to speak.
My Opinion: A wild hunt through very unusual places, meeting with people who even as friends – pose danger, following obscure and unnerving leads. All the while, even reading Eisenhorn’s own testimony, doubting his bloody sanity… A well written book, with great characters who, since the last one, became more autonomous, more irreplaceable for the integrity of the tale being told. If you want Science Fiction that is as good as High Fantasy, this is it. -
The character development in this book was so, so good. It picks up 100 years after the events in Xenos, the first book in the Eisenhorn trilogy, and we slowly learn some of what has taken place during the past century. This is the only 40K series I’ve read (thus far) so I’m sure if you were a bit more familiar with the universe and lore you would recognize a lot of what is discussed from this period. Thankfully I didn’t find it to be told via info-dumping but rather the events were revealed slowly in a way that felt natural to the storyline that was taking place.
Whilst I was a bit put out that not everyone from the first book were involved initially, this became rectified and explained over the course of the novel in a very satisfying way for me. Overall though Eisenhorn is again the star of the show, obviously. For most of this book Eisenhorn must fight to clear his name against the accusations that have been slung against him and that made for such an entertaining read. The action was just as good as the first book and I can’t wait to finish this trilogy and see what is in store for Eisenhorn next. -
Was a bit less fond of this one than the previous. Still good, but whereas the first one started off rather slow and uneventful, it took its time gradually building into something really strange and impressive by the final act.
This one, instead, lays down its best cards early on with a powerful scene of epic tragedy. After that, it continues in a meandering fashion, with far too many characters introduced - and too many singular words in general obfuscating the prose. When the name of the Big Bad is revealed most of the way through the book, and we feel no connection to it because it's just yet another idiosyncratic name to take on board and attempt to remember alongside the myriad forgettable/easily-interchangeable others, that's not ideal. The end is pretty anti-climactic too.
That said, there are some great scenes and vivid settings, and the overall standard and level of depth and detail is high, with strong worldbuilding and complex prose. It's just all a bit unwieldy and unfocused, especially on a character level. -
Good mystery set in the 40k universe. At times the story can feel sluggish, and several action scenes are unnecessarily long. Eisenhorn as a character has not changed much since the first book, which is arguably good and bad for the story. As an Inquisitor, Eisenhorn has grown a lot in the past century; as a person not so much. The first entry in the series had a lot more descriptions of Eisenhorn and company in their down-time, which I enjoyed. Malleus lacked such scenes, opting for more drawn out action. This isn’t to say that the action was bad. Dan Abnett knows how to write very descriptive action. Horus Rising is one of my favorite books, due in large part to the numerous battle scenes. But there comes a point in an action sequence where the reader can become bored or overwhelmed. This is the 40k universe, brutal action is at the point of its stories, but even in times of war there are moments of quiet. Hopefully Hereticus will feature a good balance of action and downtime.
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A definite improvement on Xenos. Nothing cliche here and there is a much higher degree of intrigue in the plot as well. Dan Abnett really shows his writing chops here and the settings and character once again shine. It felt more like a deep and lived in universe in this book (not that the first book was really lacking in this) but I appreciated just how much it was that way. I enjoyed reading Malleus and while I'm sure I'll take a break from this series in the near term so I don't get burnt out, I do look forward to reading the final volume in this trilogy.
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This is another good book in the Eisenhorn series. This book uses the tried and true "good guy accused of something he didn't do" trope, but this one is believable, and has a far reaching consequences beyond just this book.
Great fun read, recommend to any Eisenhorn fans. -
3,5
Ligeramente irregular, pero muy satisfactorio en determinados momentos. Sigue siendo una losa para mi la narración en primera persona y el climax me parece atropellado teniendo en cuenta el camino recorrido. Por eso no le pongo nota mas alta, pero sigue siendo un caramelo. -
This book would've been five stars if Abnett didn't end the book in such a rush. It honestly felt like he got tired writing the story and just wanted it to be over. That on top one of my favorite characters getting an off-page death earns a four-star rating from me for what was a really enjoyable book the rest of the way.
