The sequel to 2017’s Dark Imperium and the second book in the trilogy, Guy Haley’s Dark Imperium: Plague War continues the story of Guilliman’s ongoing battle against the forces of his brother Mortarion. With the Death Guard rampaging throughout Greater Ultramar, Guilliman makes for embattled Parmenio where he hopes to bring Mortarion to battle and kill his corrupted brother once and for all. Forces from both sides of the conflict are drawn to Parmenio, from Mortarion’s daemonic allies to the great space station Galatan, while Guilliman’s determined secular stance is challenged by growing evidence of something (potentially) divine making itself known.

There’s a tighter focus this time around, foregoing the grand sweep of the wider conflict and focusing in on events on and leading to Parmenio. That being said, there’s plenty of variety here with multiple character arcs (on both sides) showing events from various perspectives, including Typhus and Ku’gath on the Nurgle side, and Justinian, Frater Mathieu (both from book one) and various other Imperial servants (including a Reaver Titan princeps). They’re all headed for Parmenio one way or another, and for the most part their arcs are cleverly interlinked, each one serving a purpose and generating forward momentum. There’s perhaps less of Guilliman and the Ultramarines than you might expect, but it makes for a balanced narrative and an interesting mix of characters.

Familiar themes carry over from book one, most notably the ongoing attempts of both Guilliman and the Primaris Marines – in the shape of Justinian, now a Novamarine – to adapt to the Imperium and their places within it. Justinian’s difficulties in finding a place within his new Chapter contrast with the successes of Tetrarch Felix in the Ultramarines, as Haley continues to explore the integration of the Primaris, but really it’s Guilliman’s relationship with the Imperium’s faith that takes centre stage. Frater Mathieu plays a bigger part this time, and in conjunction with the strange manifestation on Parmenio there’s a really interesting discussion of how the Imperium sees Guilliman as the son of their god, how he sees his father, how he understands the need to maintain relationships with the Ministorum, and so on. There are few outright answers here, but lots of interesting questions and ideas.

In fact, there’s lots going on here in general, and Haley does a great job of balancing out the battles with the exploration of themes and posing of questions, although pacing-wise it might feel a little slow in places to anyone more interested in the action than the rest of it. Of all the subplots, Typhus’ part in the battle for Galatan is perhaps not quite as well integrated into the overall story as the other arcs, but perhaps we’ll see more context around that in the next instalment of the trilogy. Overall it definitely feels like this is setting things up for a payoff in the next book, with plenty of plot strands left tantalisingly dangling, but as a novel in its own right it’s complex, thought-provoking and entertaining, and should appeal to anyone keen to learn more about this important moment in 40k’s ongoing narrative.

This is definitely an epic book filled with epic characters. I had trouble really getting into it as I'm new to the Warhammer universe and I felt like I was missing out on a lot when reading the first book. Overall, it seems to be a great fantasy novel for those who love this universe.

What a journey it has been so far. I wait in eager anicipation for the third (and final?) installment in this series. Thank you Black Library and NetGalley for making this arc available to me, I do not know how to show gratidute through words. I can only hope it can be seen. Thank you

May contain spoilers.

I kind of got the sense, when listening to Dark Imperium (Audio Book), that the trilogy would be a big deal. But after finishing Plague War I have to revise that opinion and say that it has the potential to be one of the most important trilogies coming out of the Warhammer 40k universe since the original Horus Heresy trilogy. It literally has everything. From Primarchs to greater daemons, Primaris Marines to Sisters of Silence, Titan battles to a little thing that just could foreshadow the return of the Emperor in some way shape or form.

There are so many little cameos or big roles from named characters and other space marine chapters (I mean, at one point there’s a random reference to a squad of White Scars bikes just rolling on by … not sure why they were there and they were not mentioned before or after … but a cool name drop maybe?) that the entire thing just feels far too epic not to be something huge coming out of Black Library. I haven’t read too much 40k lore in recent years and the Dark Imperium series is the first time I have dipped my toes back in, but I am getting some serious ‘big fight feel’ moments emanating from this that I’m wondering if some massive revelations may come out of the final instalment. It really makes me wonder what GW/BL have planned going forward, especially as far as the Emperor of Mankind is concerned.

Roboute Guilliman’s character gets a lot more fleshing out in this offering and we see a side of him at times that we haven’t been shown before. The way Guy has handled the darker aspects of Guilliman is very compelling and is making me wish the next book was already in my hands. He also does wonderfully well at fleshing out Mortarion’s character, too. Not to mention a bit of history as to why the traitor Primarchs may have chosen the warp over the Imperium.

The novel literally has something for everyone but, in doing that, it always means it will have something that everyone dislikes. For instance, if you love titans going to war, you’ll really enjoy a certain part of the book. I find titans incredibly boring, so those parts were a massive chore for me.

One main problem I had was that the book started a little slow. It focuses way too much on lengthy chapters involving the priest that just don’t seem to deliver much pay-off. There was one character introduced near the start that I was quite fond of only to discover she didn’t really feature much at all. Hoping she gets more page time in the third book.

Even with my little niggles aside; I really feel this book was too powerful to score any lower than 5 out of 5. I have such high hopes for the third book and can only pray that it doesn’t fall short of what I hope it will be.

Another outstanding entry in the 40k universe! Dark, enthralling, and downright addictive, Dark Imperium: Plague War kicks all of the goals that readers expect from Black Library. The action is hectic and absorbing, the world building detailed and immersive, and the story interesting and layered. I can't wait for more!

The 2nd chapter in the Dark Imperium further delves into the next phase of the warhammer universe. Filled with more than the usual conflict against the forces of chaos, The reborn primarch is suprisingly more human and relatable than ever before. His characterization and the exploration into the nature of divinity gives added depth to an already entertaining read.