Renegades: Lord of Excess

[Roomsky]

Renegades: Lord of Excess - Rich McCormick (Audiobook)

 

Another debut novel! Another very good debut novel.

 

This is probably the most ambitious first book I've read since Fire Caste, at times to a fault. There's no 3-act structure here; the first third of the book provides some set-up and gets what I assume is the action quota out of the way, and the last two thirds are basically its own novel slightly compacted into a tighter space. This does make the book a bit messy, but has the benefit of being all killer and no filler after a certain point.

 

While that first third is the least interesting part, I still think it was pretty good. Traitor Astartes vs Genestealer cultists is a rare match-up, and unlike other BL books with similar openings (Wolftime springs to mind) this section still effectively sets up the dynamic of The Adored and gives each character enough development to make sure you're invested in what's to come.

 

The remainder of the book is basically the pivotal moments in Xantine's reign of his now world. The premise alone makes this worthwhile, and while nothing really has room to "sit" and take a breath, it's constantly interesting. The status quo shifts in basically every chapter as someone is always sowing new consequences to reap later. We get rebellions, shifts in political structure, rival Chaos cults, deals, and betrayals. It's never shallow; the themes and character work are more than adequate throughout, but the lightning-fast pacing may not be to everyone's taste. The unique premise certainly helps things in this regard, if this were a typical war story it wouldn't work nearly as well.

 

Our protagonist, Xantine, is a real treat. He sees the daemon sharing his body as a lover, which in itself already sets him apart from your typical Chaos marine, and he's the perfect blend of ambition and total lack of self awareness that I like to call "the Emperor's Children special." Xantine is a man deeply affected by Canticle City's destruction (see Talon of Horus) and is desperate to recapture the glory of his legion's past by reshaping his newly "conquered" world into something perfect. This proves difficult for him, since he expects everyone else to be simultaneously in awe of his brilliance but just as ambitious as he is. Like any good Child of the Emperor, being called out on this doesn't faze him. Man talks the talk and walks the walk, all while actually trusting the daemon living in his head.

 

Speaking of Emperor's Children, I was glad to see a backwater assume they're loyalists because of their name. The story never bothers with the population's grand realization that they're traitors, either - it's a cliché the story doesn't need.

 

The rest of the Adored receive good characterization, as well as each human POV from the world they're now squatting on. Check the amazon extract for any BL book before purchase to make sure the prose gels with you, but I certainly thought it was good. And honestly, despite how messy the pacing made it at times, it really worked for me. Kind of has that classic sci-fi quality of shoving the interesting bits to the fore at the expense of all else.

 

Definitely "To Taste," and my critical mind would probably give this a 7 or 8. Personally though, I've gotta give it a 9, the risks McCormick took with this all really worked for me. Man is the heir to Reynolds' III Legion throne far as I'm concerned.

 

Multiple reviews on Goodreads list "not important to the wider universe" as one of the book's few negatives. I die a little every time I see that sentiment.

[theSpirea]

Awesome review! I was debating whether to order a copy or not, and this review has convinced me (if I can still find a store with a copy available).

"not important to the wider universe" - I feel the same and it's actually these books that are the best ones.

[Roomsky]

33 minutes ago, theSpirea said:

Awesome review! I was debating whether to order a copy or not, and this review has convinced me (if I can still find a store with a copy available).

"not important to the wider universe" - I feel the same and it's actually these books that are the best ones.

 

I feel it's often overlooked that "big" plot developments just exist to sell models. GW tries to make that cohesive and exciting, sure, but they're just glorified advertisements and it shows. I don't disparage fanfiction, but things like Mortarion's Heart, Son of the Forest, Godblight, and The Great Work are just "fix-fics." These "exciting" novels that develop the plot are really just some poor author trying to make GW's hairbrained fluff decisions more cohesive; their story-telling ability will always be limited as a result. Even great books like Spear of the Emperor or Wraight's Watchers of the Throne devote significant time to cleaning up GW's messes, despite peripheral subject matter.

 

That's probably the most material reason why, IMO, these "unimportant" books will always be better - they can be stories first. Lord of Excess doesn't just feel like a story McCormick wanted to tell, but one he was excited to tell. He took some fertile, barely-tapped ground in the wider setting and built a fun story around it. It's the kind of book that reminds me what Black Library was made for. 

 

(This isn't to say I don't want novel adaptions of important developments from the codices, I just think they pull disproportionate focus away from better realized art.)

Edited April 30 by Roomsky

[sitnam]

7 hours ago, Roomsky said:

That's probably the most material reason why, IMO, these "unimportant" books will always be better - they can be stories first. Lord of Excess doesn't just feel like a story McCormick wanted to tell, but one he was excited to tell. He took some fertile, barely-tapped ground in the wider setting and built a fun story around it. It's the kind of book that reminds me what Black Library was made for. 

 

This reminds me of my experience with David Annandale books. His Guilliman novel was awful imo, but stuff like his horror stories or Death of Antagonis just have a different feel to them compared.

[Scribe]

On 4/30/2024 at 10:17 AM, Roomsky said:

Multiple reviews on Goodreads list "not important to the wider universe" as one of the book's few negatives. I die a little every time I see that sentiment.

 

Those people will be the ruination of the setting.

[sitnam]

Just finished this weird novel, and I loved it. I finished Harrowmaster last month, so I was expecting a similar story. Instead, this went in a far different direction and I loved it. Xantine is such a massive dork I couldn't help but root for him

 

One aspect I love is that the Imperium plays no role in the story. Serene has been isolated for so long it is practically an independent planet. Xantine doesn't seem to care at all about the Long War, wanting to play God King on his own rock 

 

The cast of characters has a few atypical members I wish we saw more of in CSM stories. It is great to see a young member of Chaos in Tarrakan. I'm tired of reading about yet another survivor of the Heresy ten millrnia in the future. Likewise, the Word Bearer is a nice addition. Chaos Warbands often have a mix of gene lines.

[grailkeeper]

Should I read this next or Deathworld?

[Roomsky]

1 hour ago, grailkeeper said:

Should I read this next or Deathworld?

 

I think Deathworlder is more consistently good, but besides the portrayal of the Tyranids it's more of a typical story told well.

 

After that first third, Lord of Excess shoots for the moon, I'd say it's more interesting even if it doesn't succeed 100% of the time.