The Master of Mankind

Nice while it lasted, but won't re-listen.

Master of Mankind is to my mind, peak Aaron Demski-Bowden, with regards to strengths as an author and style of writing. There's a LOT of good in this book and a lot that's just fascinating, but be sure that you don't take anything that The Emperor says at face value, otherwise you might find yourself confused. Without wishing to spoil, suffice it to say that The Emperor's interactions are specifically crafted in such a way as to maximize His charismatic appeal to the person or party with whom He is speaking. As a rule of thumb, His statements throughout the Horus Heresy series should rarely be taken as a representation of His own opinions, but rather as a tool for Him to exercise His will; So far in the series, the only exceptions are in His interactions with Malcador, Constantin Valdor, and a very select few of His sons. If you are still a bit new to the lore, be sure to keep this in mind throughout the story, or you may well find yourself lost.

It should also be said that while ADB's strengths as a writer are evident, so too are his biases. It's difficult to pinpoint or provide any examples without giving spoilers, but for those who don't know, the author is well known for being something of a cheerleader for the Chaos faction, and his own personal daddy issues are a poorly kept secret within the 40K community. I mention this not as a jab at the author, but to provide context; If you find yourself scratching your head at moments in the story that just seem a bit off, knowing the above might be helpful. At least it was for me. I can only speak for myself here, so take this for what you will, but I can honestly say that my story experience would have been negatively impacted had I not been aware of some of the author's personal leanings beforehand, and I hope that this context might similarly help the experience of others, particularly those invested in the Horus Heresy series.

Overall, I'd ultimately really only recommend Master of Mankind to those invested in the Horus Heresy series or 40K as a whole. It's certainly no Horus Rising or Wolfsbane, but there's enough to keep your interest if you're waiting for other new releases in the series. For those who are still learning about the franchise, it's far from inaccessible, but bear in mind the points of context above. If you're freshly new to the lore however, steer clear, Master of Mankind requires a mild-to-moderate amount of background knowledge; If you're interested in the franchise and want to learn more, you'd probably find Horus Rising, Flight Of The Eisenstein, Legion, or The First Heretic more approachable.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Makes the Emperor Sympathetic

I liked how the Emperor is portrayed here. He’s a man who has an aura of authority. But still a man. And even though people see him as all powerful he still has limits. Not his own, but those imposed by how psychic power and everyone else work.

It’s great insight into his personal feelings with the Primarchs and how everything is pushing him to one goal. And how getting to that goal requires relying on unreliable tools such as the Primarchs and mankind itself.

The narrator is great and provides a good mouthpiece to all the characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ave Imperator

Your reading a 40k review, it's doubtless what brought you here. Love him or hate him the Emperor is one of the driving forces of the War Hammer universe. This book puts in better perspective his life, reasons, and why the 40k is how it is. Great story, brilliantly presented, and worth it even if you don't care for the factions involved, there is something for all. including a lurking horror that may bring a new player to this universe's horizon.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Glorius

I love it like Fulgrim loves mirrors. You won't be disappointed I promise! One of the top ten Warhammer books forsure

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic.

Slow to get going but man is it worth it. Incredible. Ending alone fantastic. Also drive me closer, I want to hit it with my (chain)sword!

my cup of tea

does an excellent job of blending 3 imperial forces together and has a great climax

A masterpiece

Aaron Demski-Bowden, Keeble and the War in the Webway... Perfect. I binged this book, left me utterly devastated and joyfull at the same time.

absolutely incredible

I was hooked from the beginning! This book is a must listen! I hated to press pause.

Amazing!

This book is a true gem in the Horus Heresy series that is in no way shape or form lazy in its writing. The writers have a firm understanding of the 40k universe and have delivered a story that could very well be a good first read for newcomers

Awesome. Great writing, great Audio performance

Awesome. Great writing, great Audio performance. I’m a fan of the lore and universe but new to the Horus heresy.