Nightbringer

by Graham Mcneill

Today I review a Space Marine classic: Nightbringer. I’ve either read this so many years ago that I’ve forgotten, or not at all. So, I wanted to see if it holds up in 2023. The Ultramarines have a stereotype of being too generic as the poster boys for Games Workshop. How much do the tales of Uriel Ventris, the Ultramarines Captain and main character of this book, do to dispel that notion? Let’s find out.

Nightbringer is a book that maintains a sense of foreboding throughout, despite rattling through action at a rapid pace. In the early stages, it does a good job of setting the scene. The world of Pavonis is led by several cartel factions, and one or several of them is fomenting dissent. They sense that, since the Imperial tithes of the world are drying up, now is a good time for revolt and change.

The Ultramarines are sent to accompany Ario Barzano, an Administratum adept, to investigate why the tithe has dried up. Of course, events transpire to not be as simple as that. Dark Eldar raiders turn up, and they are not the only Xenos they encounter as the eponymous name suggests. This is a mild spoiler, but the Necrons do show up, albeit briefly. When this was written, the Necrons were in their more mysterious phase as a mainly unexplored faction – and it really works in this book. The perspective is more that the Imperium knows very little about them. They are teased and barely mentioned until the very end, but it works very well for building tension. Similarly, the Dark Eldar (now in more recent times known as Drukhari) are excellently done. Some of the scenes of torture are surprisingly graphic, and although it’s not scary I was surprised by how gory some sections were – not one for younger readers. The inclusion of these xenos, then, is characteristic of their factions and effective inclusions introducing horror, tension and awe.

It's worth noting some of the descriptions of the Dark Eldar torture rooms and the Nightbringer are absolutely fantastic. Although the former is a bit gory, it really does create tension and the descriptions of the Nightbringer’s mere presence implanting dread are evocative.

Courage & Honour

The characters are strong, too. Ario Barzano is fantastic, and his twist later on is excellently done – although I suspected something, I didn’t predict it. He is everything you don’t expect and expect, but it all feels within the realm of possibility. Uriel Ventris is full of courage and honour, and doesn’t seem to have much in the way of negative traits, so you might feel the stereotype does fit somewhat. He’s not unlikeable, but it would be good to see more sides of him. I look forward to seeing if this is the case in the later books, though (which I will review). Mykola Shonai, the governor who has struggled to manage the events on her world is passionate when things deteriorate, but you’re rooting for her to get a happy ending. The same can’t be said for the cartel heads, but they are not one-dimensional and are great in their roles.

Practical and...practical

The action rattles along rapidly, but never feels rushed. In fact it’s a great strength to support the interesting cast of characters, from Leman Russ tanks and Leman Russ Conquerors bombarding on another, to the Adeptus Arbites trying to stop full on riots breaking out to the Ultramarines smashing through – or getting smashed – by xenos. The Ultramarines feel powerful but not invincible. The tension of the potential outbreak of riot matches the story and plot ramping up, and the clashes with the Dark Eldar or the Necrons later on add 40k spice to the mix. The action is great, you’re always engaged and wanting to know how it turns out.

So what does Nightbringer do wrong? Well, not much as it turns out. You might feel it rattles through the action a little too quickly (I didn’t) before its onto the next scene, but it does signpost and have clear development of the plot that’s easy to follow. Uriel Ventris himself does come across slightly flawless, he’s good to his friends, courageous in battle and the model Space Marine, which is perhaps the intent somewhat as this book was written a while ago.

Final Score

Although Nightbringer is not flawless it definitely hits the mark. The action is fast-paced, dynamic, and varied, keeping you interested. The characters are likeable or dislikeable, you are rooting for the ‘good guys’ (as any 40k fan will tell you the lines are usually more blurred than this) and it makes for a page-turner. Some of the descriptions stay with you – the Dark Eldar and Nightbringer in particular for example, and make it a memorable read. It also has barely any filler – at less than 300 pages, it was crammed full of quality, making this a 40k space marine classic.

9/10