I liked Warriors of Ultramar about equal to how I liked Nightbringer, the previous book in the Ultramarines series. They are similar and close in quality, but if I had to choose one, I may have to give Nightbringer the nod. There seemed to be a lot more battle scenes in this one and a lot less (for lack of a better term) intrigue. That made it a little less compelling for me. Although I do enjoy battle scenes to an extent, they are hard to continue chapter after chapter and still keep the story interesting. My mind kind of drifts off into a sort of haze when I read lots and lots of battle descriptions. Maybe I am kind of weird in that, but I remember feeling that way about movies too. Friends of mine would describe movies and say "man there are so many good fight scenes" or "this fight scene was awesome" or "that was awesome" or whatever, and I always just kind of nodded along.. but the truth was and is that I'm much bigger on the intrigue or the drama or the espionage or even the internal politics than the scenes of battle.

Perhaps that's what I missed in Warriors of Ultramar. The bulk of the text leans post heavily on the battle action and less on the behind the scenes espionage and politics than in the previous book. I started out really interested with the emergence of the other factions of Space Marines, such as the Mortifactors, and later the Deathguard, but their differences quickly evaporated into battle scenes, and that's far less interesting for me.

This is the second novel in the Uriel Ventris series of Ultramarine novels by Graham McNeill. After NIGHTBRINGER I didn’t quite know what to make of this series. The ‘sophomore effort’ really got me hooked, however.

Here’s the reasons this was fun:

First, this was my introduction to the Mortifactors, Successor Chapter to the famed Ultramarines. That added a fun dimension to the conflicts surrounding Uriel’s constant weighing of whether or not to strictly adhere to the Codex Astartes.

Second, the side characters Learchus and Pasanius become very intriguing as the novel progresses. I found myself wanting much more time with them.

Third, fun Tyranid battles! I’m (relatively) new to 40K and I thought these would be generic xenonorph knockoffs (they are), but they were interesting enough to provide some fun/gross action. The adaptive nature of this particular xenos was handled in a very interesting way by McNeill.

What I didn’t like so much:

Too much time with tertiary characters! Snowdog and Sister Joaniel didn’t add much to the story for me. I’d much rather have been spending time with Fourth Company, the Mortifactors, or even the Death Korps of Krieg (very underutilized here).

Definitely four stars; enjoyed it more than NIGHTBRINGER. I’m hoping the next installment DEAD SKY, BLACK SUN gives me more lore. I’m ready for a Chaos-based story, especially after the Pasanius cliffhanger!

You know what? 5 stars. This was fun.

Though I am biased because I've always liked zergs in Starcraft. (well, obviously not like like, but find it fascinating as biological weapons and alien civilization intend on mindlessly destroying anything. It's a metaphor to the extreme of the survival of the fittest, but let's not talk here about metaphors.)

So this novel is pure and simple the fight against a tyranid invasion. Plenty of action (more than enough), slim but sufficient characterization for its purpose, some new lore about the Warhammer 40k Universe.

If words like zerg or warhammer don't sound familiar to you, then better skip this one, or why not, pick it up just because you're curious (by the way, it's part of a series of loosely connected novels called The Ultramarines).

For the emporer!

1.Leviathan

Short story serving as a intro for the book. After the events of the previous novel, Captain Ventris receives a new mission to cleanse a space hulk but he will get more than what he bargained for in those halls. Short and scary and bloody and a tasty introduction for what will follow.

2.Warriors of Ultramar

The novel proper. Hive fleet Leviathan is approaching the world of Tarsis Ultra and it is up to Captain Ventris's Ultramarines and their allies to stop it.

Besides the main point of view of Uriel Ventris several other minor characters have their own secondary stories and arcs. These are brief and scattered but offer a nice change of pace and altogether different perspectives than that of a Space Marine.

In terms of story and characters there isn't much to talk about. The plot is very simple but frankly it doesn't need to be more than it is. Throughout the book Uriel struggles with his decisions which often clash with the Ultramarines doctrines up until the end when he finally comes to terms with his purpose. It's a nice bit of growth even if a bit shallow.

The most biggest draw of this book is the action. From the start of the book it starts to build and keeps building until the very last pages. Everything is described in vivid details and the author manages to paint a very thorough picture of what it would be to find yourself in the middle of such a conflict. No punches are pulled here, a ton of characters die in very graphic ways and even if there are some more heartwarming bits scattered in places, overall the book is very grim and dark.

In conclusion, this is Warhammer 40k turned up to 11. Everything that was good about the first book has been brought back only bigger and nastier and bloodier. Sure, the Ultramarines are still often a bore but this book is about a Tyranid invasion, and it is a damn great one.

A massive tyranid invasion leads Uriel Ventris of the Ultramarines into an exciting 40K adventure.
Well written characters, some of whom manage to survive having their name mentioned.
The action takes place on land and in space, all of which is done in an engaging style.

There's a good focus on the human side, from civilians, planetary militia and the ruling class. Breaks the usual mould and doesn't have the rulers being incompetent or interfering.