Apostle by David Annadale

[sitnam]

I'm just finished this novel, and I'm kinda shocked or not see any discussion thread on here. I've been a pretty big fan of Annandale in 40k (NOT Heresy, his works there did not impress me) since reading Death of Antagonis back when I got back into the hobby (2018ish?). I quite enjoyed this novel, it's portrayal of the Word Bearers really pulled me towards them I haven't felt before. As a fan of Lost and the Damned, the portrayal of cultists and mortal followers also peaked my interest and had me wanting more from their perspective 

 

The antagonist Soroitas were also intriguing in their role as villains. I've read most of the Sister-centric literature, and this portrayal of them was a unique take. Mark of Faith and Pilgrims of Fire portrayed them as heroic saviors and crusaders (with their touches of grimdark, of course). None of that exists here. They are brutal, efficient, and merciless. They are also powerful. I often feel like Sisters are often portrayed as guardsmen in power armor; this book reminds you just how well trained and fanatical them are. Their portrayal reminds me both of Redemption Corp (Which is an insane and underappreciated novel, imo) and Twice-Dead King. The former is due to their shared antagonists being Sisters of Battle, the latter due to how terrifying it portrays the Imperium as antagonists.

 

I think my biggest disappointment was the lack of Annandales general wackiness I remember from Death of Antagonis and his horror novels. It was certainly there, especially towards the end, but it wasn't as prevalent.

 

Spoilers for DoA

Spoiler

That novel had a planetoid made of pure adamantine that would spin and grind against planets.

 

Overall, a quite pleasant read and I would definitely recommend. I'm baffled that they abandoned the Renegades imprint, because this alongside the recent NL novel felt like they should of been on that series.