I know this book came out several years back now but I only just finished it. I don't mean it has taken me that long to read lol. I bought it when published. I was really looking forward to it for several reasons:
1. Redemption Corps was really good and showed Rob Sanders to be a talent to watch.
2. It had been a while since we got a novel set away from the front line and battles of space marines and imperial guard etc.
3. I love, no let me just say I LOVE stories about Inquisitors and it was through the Eisenhorn omnibus that I rediscovered my love of W40k having been off the scene since the mid 90s (when I stopped playing the game). In 2006 Having been bitterly disappointed by the Dune books written by Brian Herbert I was looking for "something" that fitted my Sci Fi aesthetic and bang, I saw the Eisenhorn omnibus in a quite large BL section in Waterstones and it opened (reopened) a whole new world of grim dark to me.
4. However, in 2011 it was some years since the Eisenhorn and Ravenor books (I confess these are my favourite BL books) Bequin was just wishful thinking at this stage and it was clear Sandy Mitchell would likely never finish the Dark Heresy series (such a crying shame)...
5. And then Atlas Infernal comes out with blurb and premise that sounded very cool (if perhaps a bit of a copy of the Ian Watson book Inquisitor/Draco).
So. I read it but only managed 50 or so pages. I just could not get into it despite trying. So it went back on my shelf until this week. However, something made me determined to pick it up (actually I think it is the curiosity around Ahriman and that my next target set of books are those by John French).
I have now finished AI and...I have mixed feelings.
I couldn't quite put my finger on it until today but in summary:
1. It felt very episodic. Probably would work better as a serialised story in a Hammer and Bolter type anthology.
2. Czevak always ALWAYS had the answers to solve a problem or challenge.
3. Strangely it didn't feel grim dark to me?
4. Klute continues to act like Czevak's acolyte despite having been a fully fledged Inquisitor for a long time (wasn't sure how long but a long time). They were not acting like peers! Just don't see Ravenor giving Eisenhorn that kind of reverence!
5. Perhaps because my mindset and view of Inquisitors has been set by reading the Abnett and Mitchell books, (and Watson) Czevak just did not fit my minds eye view of an Inquisitor in fact...
The book felt more like a Doctor Who story!
And then it hit me why this book doesn't work FOR ME...Czevak reads like a pompous smart ass who never quite tells anyone what is going on but always seems to know the solution to everything. Just like Doctor Who. It is all so convenient.
And therein lies a problem for me, if I just do not like the lead character then I cannot feel the book. I HATED Czevak really hated him and so I didn't really care about what happened to him!