The Killing Ground: Graham McNeill
In the Nightmare world of Warhammer 40,000, no servants of the Imperium are more dedicated than the Ultramarines, who follow the teaches of the legendary Codex Astartes to the letter. Having escaped from the Eye of Terror, Uriel Ventris and Pasanius now face a greater challenge – they must fight their way home to their Chapter, for safety and redemption.
Okay, it’s been a long time since I’ve read and reviewed any new purchased 40k stuff, and I’m leaping back into action with The Killing Ground, the Fourth instalment in the six novel strong Ultramarines series, written by one of Black Library’s more popular authors, and one of my favourites – Graham McNeill.
As I found out whilst reading The Killing Ground, you don’t have to read the Ultramarines Omnibus beforehand despite McNeill referencing several incidents from the three novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar and Dead Sky, Black Sun. However, it certainly helps you to understand the two main characters, and you get a load of information about the Unfleshed.
Ah, now the Unfleshed. For any readers of Dead Sky, Black Sun, you’ll remember these beings worship the God Emperor despite being on Medrengard, fortress of the Iron Warriors, and they actually help Ventris and Pasanius to escape from The Eye of Terror.
Now, onto the actual novel. Aside from the return of the fourth Captain of the Ultramarines and his Sergeant, we get the Lord of the Unfleshed back along with several humans that each have a background linked with the mysterious area of the planet Salinas, known as The Killing Ground, which is off limit to humans and regularly patrolled by the Planetary Defence Force known as “Screaming Eagles”.
And these are the first Imperial humans that Uriel and Pasanius meet since before the Eye of Terror, but they don’t believe the exiled Ultramarines are still Astartes, as if you remember, they look like Renegades, as stated by Colonel Kain, a woman who is commander of the Screaming Eagles and one of the main figures in the Killing Ground Massacre.
As you start The Killing Ground, not much is revealed about the back story to Salinas, but turn more pages and it kind of drags you in by a hook and keeps you there.
Before I started these Ultramarines novels, I’ve been a hater of the “Ultrasmurfs,” but after reading the first three books, my mind has changed and now, having finished the fourth and midway through Courage and Honour, I am now torn between collecting the Ultramarines 4th and my beloved Blood Angels.
Also, Uriel and Pasanius are not the only astartes we see in this book, but that’s all I’m going to give away. This thing’s already got Minor Spoilers written all over it. Don’t make me go back and change it to Full Spoilers, okay?
Well, one thing’s for certain when you pick up the Fourth instalment of this Ultramarines series - Plot twists. And plenty. Again, this is a touchy subject that I don’t want to reveal too much about it.
It’s kind of a shame that most people won’t read these series simply because they’re plain, dull and boring Ultrasmurfs. They often place two and two together and think that the Chapter is boring, so the book must be boring. Trust me on this, it’s not. (If anyone can guess this reference to the “Trust me on This”, then they get a virtual cookie!)
High Point: The High Point for me in this novel was all the rich background to the Killing Ground and its earlier inhabitants.
Low Point: I read the book too quickly; it’s a curse that I seem to have. I can get through most books that I really like in an evening or so, despite trying to drag it out.
Rating: 7/10 – Great, but not as good as A Thousand Sons and other fantastic Black Library books out there.
Should you buy this book?: Defiantly, especially if you want to know what happens in the next instalment of the Ultramarines series. Also, stay tuned for my review of Courage and Honour, the 5th Installment in Graham McNeill's potrayal of the Ultrasmurfs.
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