Assassinorum: Kingmaker (Robert Rath)

[theSpirea]

I've been praising Robert Rath everywhere since his very short story he wrote for Black Library: The Garden of Mortal Delights. It was the best short story of 2019, I loved it. I secretly hoped he would stick to AoS as that setting desperately needs quality writers, especially now after Josh Reynold's departure. He moved to 40K right after that :( (luckily there are two very promising authors for AoS, Strachan and Ozga, all hope is not lost yet).

 

I enjoyed every single story I've read by him he's done under BL (the weakest being Bleedout, the extremely short chapters didn't really work for me but it was still above BL's average). There's only one I haven't read yet, the short story from Sabbat War anthology.

 

I recommend reading Rath's first three Assassinorum short stories. They are not required but it helps going into the novel already familiar with some of the characters and some events from the short stories are referenced.

 

Assassinorum: Divine Sanction (2019)

This one introduces Sycorax, Callidus Assassin, who is one of the main characters in the novel. We get to see how she operates and shows her abilities. There's a pretty sweet "easter egg" but I'm not going to spoil it for you.

 

Assassinorum: Iron Sight (2020)

The Vindicare Assassin Absolom Raithe is the main protagonist here and also one of the main characters in the novel. This is from Raithe's early days. It is his fifth mission, the final target that would secure his status as a journeyman.

 

Assassinorum: Live Wire (2020)

Back to Sycorax and introduces a new character Programmator Quavarian his project Conqueror_Wyrm. Both quite important in the novel.

 

 

Assassinorum: Kingmaker (2022). After three appetizers we're getting to our main course here. A full Assassinorum novel. 400+ pages, approx. 105K words (The Infinite & The Divine was the same length). Split into 4 Parts, totaling 38 Chapters. I had high expectations for this one. Not only because it's by Rath but because I knew barely anything about Assassinorum but they seem like a cool faction. Unfortunately, the previous short stories I read in the past (Ben Counter and Joe Parrino) were not that great.

 

Now, strangely enough the BL mentions only two assassins in the synopsis and only two are on the cover (Sycorax and Raithe) but there's a third one Avaaris Koln – Vanus Temple who is as important as the other two.

 

The book reads like spy/assassin novels by John Le Carré. I don't want to reveal too much but there might be spoilers further on.

 

What is the book about?

As the title suggests, it's about Assassins and about the Knight World of Dominion. There are two knightly houses, House Stryder and House Rau. Each rules a hemisphere. There's a quite clever background story how that happened. It works well for the purpose of the novel. A single High Monarch rules Dominion. He has absolute power over both houses. Only offsprings of political marriages between the houses can be candidates. This is, in a way, to secure "balance". I'm not entirely convinced this type of government would work but I didn't spend extra time thinking about it.

 

I usually don't enjoy stories about Imperial Knights, I can't connect with two big robots fighting each other. Clark's Imperial Knights novels read like Transformer's fan-fiction (I'm in a minority here, these books were well received). Warlord by Annandale wasn't any better. But Rath pulled me in, the history, customs, culture, it's all there and helped me care about the characters/pilots and the whole family/houses shenanigans.

 

The first chapter briefly shows the things over at Dominion are not going well. Then we are quickly introduced to our three main Assassins. This is going to be Raithe's fiftieth elimination/mission. That means nomination for Sicarius Primus. He came a long way since the introduction in the short story. He's in charge to set up a team and for this specific mission he needs experts from other Temples. Sycarux and Koln join the team. They have to cooperate but their nature is to work solo or with other members from their own Temple. All three protagonists are well written, Rath handles obvious and subtle differences between the individual Temples and you get to see how they operate. Their strengths and weaknesses. It's hard to pick a favourite, I liked all three of them. Perhaps Koln was a bit in the background but it was redeemed by the end of the book. I'm not going to reveal more of the plot.

 

I'd say Rath nailed the pacing. This was a perfect length. There are no dull moments, it doesn't drag. The moment I started thinking about the other character, the next chapter was about that specific character. When the plot moved forward I was hoping the author would address this and that particular character and what they are doing in the meantime because they are not in the spotlight. And he did exactly that. Just a quick note, a page or two to address it.

 

Rath is playing it safe, following a formula of classic spy novels. There's nothing wrong with that, he does a good job at doing so. This a solid spy/sci-fi novel set in 40K. I would go as far as to recommend it to people new to the setting. It definitely helps if you're familiar with the setting, you get more out of the book but it's not necessary to understand the plot and enjoy the book.

 

There's a potential for a sequel so I hope the sales meet BL's expectations and they are going to commission prequel/sequel.

 

I'm giving it 8/10. Highly recommend it to everyone.

 

Question I was asked in the Upcoming BL thread where did I get the ebook so early. There are a few smaller retailers who sometimes have the book available the day it goes on pre-order. Might not be intentional and we're not talking Amazon here so I'd rather not shift unnecessary attention to them by naming them. (One of the bigger ones is Kobo.com).

[byrd9999]

Awesome overview and review, Spirea. Thanks!

 

I'm a big fan of Robert Rath's too. The Garden of Mortal Delights was superb (and I'll second Richard Strachan as being an awesome AOS writer also), as was Mindshackle, and I loved the fast-paced action of Bleedout. I have his 2 necron stories on the shelf waiting to be read, and it looks like I'll be picking up Kingmaker once it hits paperback.

 

Does anyone know if there are plans to publish the 3 assassin shorts in a paper format at any point?

[Ubiquitous1984]

I really want to listen to this soon, but I first need to invest the time and money in those three short stories.  Is there an audio version or anthology that includes them?

[Taliesin]

They have not been anthologized or otherwise appeared in print.

[nagashnee]

Sounds likes a must buy for the Knight World lore alone, shame the short stories are  pain to track down tho.

[Kelborn]

Sounds likes a must buy for the Knight World lore alone, shame the short stories are pain to track down tho.

Was about to say the same. Knights are an awesome addition and I can't have enough of them.

 

Bit off topic, but speaking about Knights, any news on Andy's series? Left Twitter a while ago and I'm not up to date on that front.

[grailkeeper]

This book is really excellent. I think I have fairly high standards for books and am usually (politely) negative about a fair few BL offerings. This one is really well written. I'd recommend it to non BL fans.

 

One thing that differs from his previous novel is that this one doesnt try to be funny. The infinite and the divine was hilarious. This one is a straightforward thriller. It doesnt suffer for lack of humour though. 

[cheywood]

This book is really excellent. I think I have fairly high standards for books and am usually (politely) negative about a fair few BL offerings. This one is really well written. I'd recommend it to non BL fans.

 

One thing that differs from his previous novel is that this one doesnt try to be funny. The infinite and the divine was hilarious. This one is a straightforward thriller. It doesnt suffer for lack of humour though.

If you haven’t read his Crime novella, Bleedout, I think it’s worth a look. One of the more intense 40k reads I’ve experienced.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

I gave it a read this weekend.

 

I was expecting good as I've enjoyed the short stories to date and I am largely a fan of the specific stories that Rath cited as his inspiration for Kingmaker.

 

It was better than I expected. Would absolutely buy book two if such an animal is ever birthed. For that matter, I'd probably pick up anything Rath does in the 40K-verse.

[Sothalor]

Sounds likes a must buy for the Knight World lore alone, shame the short stories are  pain to track down tho.

 

I just went on the Black Library website and searched for "assassinorum": all three short stories are instantly available there. As far as I can tell they were only ever released as eShorts - I'm not aware of them ever being in print.

[Noserenda]

After the Infinite and the Divine anything by Robert Rath is an auto buy for me, couple of Chapters in and its excellent, great narrator too. The Assasinorium support folks are straight out of Bond so far too. Keen to listen to more :D 

[Sothalor]

Assassinorum: Kingmaker – Robert Rath

 

A fun, fast-paced espionage thriller that’s a great read on its own merits as well as a great showcase of how 40k as a setting can be fluidly adapted to various genres and story types.

 

Kingmaker feels like a spy movie in terms of its plot and characters. There are political machinations, hidden agendas, murky loyalties, factions maneuvering both openly and in the shadows, while characters try to navigate byzantine networks of relationships as deadly as a battlefield. It’s very much a plot-driven novel, where events and actions are the primary movers of narrative threads.

 

The first major praise I have for Kingmaker is its tone and atmosphere. Not necessarily the worldbuilding (though that’s no slouch here), but the overall genre experience. I’m not a connoisseur or expert in spy thrillers or the like, so somebody better versed in them would be more suited to comment on specific tropes, trappings, etc. I can say that Kingmaker feels very cinematic. From the first act of assembling the assassin operative team – opening with the various members mid-operation, the Liaison and his chain-smoking, ‘that’s need-to-know’ mannerisms, to the briefings and status reports, to the recorded conversations and the middle-act montage-like rapid sequence of sub-operations, this novel has a very distinctive feel in the reading.

 

Second is the prose, which works in tandem with Kingmaker’s genre atmosphere. It’s punchy, fast, rapid, and fits perfectly. It reminds me of a movie with rapid editing – quick cuts, brisk scenes – all of which drives an unrelenting forward momentum. This is reminiscent of Rath’s Bleedout for the Crime series: quick, short chapters that feel like camera cuts and scene transitions.

 

Combined together, these two factors make Kingmaker a very pleasant ride. It goes by faster than its page count would suggest.

 

Kingmaker is also a great showcase of the versatility of 40k as a setting to host different genres of fiction while maintaining its own distinctive flavor of gothis science fantasy. This is a novel that manages to bring together Cold War-esque cigarettes-and-cynicism spy shenanigans, royal family feudal power games, demon cyberwarfare, and giant stompy robots (with the digitized accumulated souls of previous pilots) all in one madhouse package and make it all feel natural.

 

If I had to criticize, I have two nitpicks. The first is that the last third is probably the weakest. Trying to minimize spoilers, I’ll just say that it goes very action-heavy and almost feels like there was a quota of big Knight action scenes that needed to be fulfilled. There’s a fairly drastic shift in tone, scale, and atmosphere – almost like watching The Bourne Identity suddenly turn into the Tiger tank battle of Fury. Rath manages to pull it off, but I would say that Kingmaker didn’t need a big climactic action battle – the intrigue and small-scale personal drama could have carried things and might have made for an even stronger, more cohesive spy thriller package. I hope the reception of other lines like Crime and Horror convince the editors at BL that not everything needs big action setpieces.

 

The second is that maybe its pacing is a little too fast for itself sometimes. There is quite a list of characters, all hyphenated names with intricate familial ties, loyalties, and animosities. However, I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them, or even understand the web of relationships tying them to each other. I was constantly flipping back to the dramatis personae at the beginning for reference, and I can only imagine that this would be exacerbated in ebook or audio format. This isn’t necessarily a major issue because most of our narrative perspectives are from the assassins, who are more interested in them as targets. It’s just that Kingmaker tosses a veritable blizzard of names at the reader, concentrated in the second act, and it gets overwhelming.

 

Other than that, Kingmaker is just overall a fun time. The three assassins making up the Officio team all get their moments to shine and have great interpersonal chemistry. They were surprisingly – though pleasantly – human, with a smart focus on how their personalities and viewpoints integrate with their equipment and methodology instead of bland codex regurgitations.

 

It works well as a stand-alone story, but has enough ties to something bigger going on that I could see Rath build this out into his own little series. Either way, I hope this does well for him.

 

So all-in-all, great read: fast-paced espionage thriller with fun characters that evokes certain genre tones/atmosphere whilst integrating it into a 40k tapestry.

 

Definitely recommended.

 

[sitnam]

I'm about 10 chapters in, which isn't very far, but must say I love what I'm reading so far. Memorable/cool scenes hook me, and the intro chapter for Sycorax is very cool.

[Sothalor]

Yeah I loved the intros for the team. They just ooze spy thriller cold open - and the whole bit with the Liaison all "I'm talking to Sycorax, I just don't know which one of you is Sycorax," is peak Callidus hilarity.

[ShadowSwordmaster]

This is something I need to pick up now.

[Ubiquitous1984]

Has anyone read this without reading the sequels?  I'm itching it fit this book in, but I don't have the desire to read ebooks compared to audio/physical books right now.  

[theSpirea]

Has anyone read this without reading the sequels?  I'm itching it fit this book in, but I don't have the desire to read ebooks compared to audio/physical books right now.  

Those three short stories are all prequels and not necessary. You're fine reading just the novel.

[Ubiquitous1984]

 

Has anyone read this without reading the sequels?  I'm itching it fit this book in, but I don't have the desire to read ebooks compared to audio/physical books right now.  

Those three short stories are all prequels and not necessary. You're fine reading just the novel.

 

Thank you!  I meant prequels but thanks for spotting the mistake, my brain isn't working very well today!

[Knockagh]

I’m about half way and I haven’t read anything else in the series, if that’s the right word. So far it’s a super read. Really enjoyable, great characters and a very compelling read.

[Noserenda]

Just finished it today, top stuff even if, as mentioned, the last act gets a bit confusing trying to keep various knights straight in my head! Did not expect the exact mayhem that went down, some excellent twists and turns. Definite 007 vibes from the Assassins at times, helped i think by the dry english diction on the audio book :D 

Didnt read the short stories, kinda interested to but not enough to individually buy e-shorts right now.

Robert Rath has definitely established himself as an Auto buy author though! 

And he even topped Chekov's genestealer imho with Chekov's Purple people eater :D 

 

[Sothalor]

They're all short, and each is a snapshot of an Assassinorum operation in progress. They're much more action-centric than Kingmaker's political intriguing.

 

The Live Wire short is the most directly related to the novel.

 

The conquerer_wyrm does play a major in Kingmaker, and Live Wire could serve as a sort of origin story for the daemon virus.

[sitnam]

This book was fantastic. Robert Rath is up there with Nate Crowley as new authors to look out for. I would say this is an early number for novel of the year, but Twice-Dead King: Reign edges it out. 

 

I desperately hope Rath gets a sequel greenlit

[nagashnee]

I finished this over the weekend, and i really really enjoyed it, simple no showy solid story telling, great grasp of the lore, great worldbuilding, great characters and some genuinely surprising twists.  I am glad i listened to this thread and bought this book. 

[cheywood]

I’ve wanted a quality Assassinorum novel for years. Yes I know Nemesis and Execution Force technically do exist, but I prefer to forget that fact whenever possible.

 

Kingmaker more than does the job. Rath realizes the Assassinorum as unique and distinct from the Inquisition despite an oft overlapping remit, giving the Officio a Cold War spy vibe that really fits. There’s no religious mumbo-jumbo and everything seems much more centralized than you get in Abnett’s or Wraight’s work. However this book is decidedly more about the process of conducting an operation than the Assassinorum as a whole. Rath focuses on how the assassins involved, all of whom are wonderfully well depicted in their interactions with each other and their targets, plan out/perform their mission. There’s also a lot of time spent getting to know the world of Dominion, to the point that this might be the best work on Imperial Knights in the canon. I generally don’t care for the ‘medieval nobles piloting mechs’ vibe it seems every Knight House has to have (why can’t they be diverse like the Titan Legios?), but Rath clearly put a lot of time into giving Dominion an engaging political identity. In the broad view I think it’s a brilliant move to focus so much attention on whomever the Assassin(s) are targeting. Hopefully it will mean future books in the series, if they happen, vary considerably with each entry.

 

I do have one complaint about the book, which is that Rath doesn’t do a great job setting up some of the knight scenes. The details and events that were present were great, but it was hard to put everything in its proper place. I could’ve used more detail on where things were in relation to each other. I noticed this at the end of The Infinite and the Divine as well. I’m sure if I went back to the part in the book where the geography of Dominion was defined a little more it would make enough sense, but it was a little confusing to read in the moment.

 

Overall I really can’t say enough about how excellent Kingmaker is. It’s impressive that Rath can follow up The Infinite and The Divine with such a wildly different novel and have each be similarly brilliant. This is up there with TDK: Reign as my book of the year so far. Can’t wait to see what Rath (and Crowley for that matter) does next, be it a sequel or something new.

[Knockagh]

Finished this a week or so ago. Superb book. Throughly enjoyable. Haven’t anything more to add that folks haven’t already said. So just adding my voice to the choir. Brilliant stuff. Rath has become a must buy author. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of these folks. Would love a book with an assassin getting in and out without being discovered at all by anyone. In and out without a trace.