Dead Men Walking: Steve Lyons

Dead Men Walking: Steve Lyons

When the Necrons rise, a mining planet descends into a cauldron of war and the remorseless foes decimate the human defenders. Salvation comes in an unlikely form – the Death Korps of Kreig, a force as unfeeling as the Necrons themselves. When the two powers go to war, casualties are high and the magnitude of the destruction is unimaginable.

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Dead-Men-Walking.html

Okay, Dead Men Walking is my second venture down the road that is Imperial Guard Black Library Novels, not counting The Gaunt’s Ghosts series. It is also my first fluff encounter with the Death Korps, and my first novel with Necrons as the main opposition. And, if I’m honest, Dead Men Walking focuses more on the inhabitants of the world under attack by the Necrons. The world is in fact Hieronymous Theta, and it is a doomed world, as the Iron Gods have risen to reclaim the planet that was once theirs.

Now, moving on, this story was a great read, and gave some great information to the background of the Death Korps of Krieg, and equally about the Iron Gods, the Necrons, and how they are viewed from a normal person’s point of view in the forty-first millennium.

Dead Men Walking was an enjoyable Imperial Guard Novel, and as this is the first time I’ve read a novel by Steve Lyons, who wrote Ice Guard and a Novel in Imperial Guard Omnibus, Vol. 1. The main characters were all flushed out and well-developed, given plenty of background and plenty of time in the spotlight. There’s also one or two heroic sacrifices, and the Death Korps of Krieg are portrayed brilliantly.

Yes, I know, some of the main characters will die, perhaps even your favorite ones, but Steve Lyons does make sure that nobody is safe – every time you turn the page you wonder, will this character die? Will he or she live? In that way, Lyons keeps the reader hooked as they want to try and find out about their favorite, as each character escapes one problem and is immediately thrown into the next.

Dead Men Walking may seem slow at the beginning, but when the Death Korps arrive, and the Necrons turn up in full force, it suddenly turns into an action packed, fast paced and a great page-turning Imperial Guard adventure, that really captures the grim-dark setting that the 40k universe is known for.

I’m pleased to say that Dead Men Walking contains no errors that I noticed, and overall there were little bad points about this novel, easily one of the better Black Library books out there that I’ve read.

Indeed, the only major downside to this novel was that I found the front cover to be a bit dull compared to the newly released ones, like The First Heretic and Garro: Oath of Moment. (Both of which I’ve reviewed, by the way).

Rating: 8/10

Should you buy this book? If you’re a fan of the Death Korps of Krieg, Imperial Guard, Necrons or just want to expand your knowledge of the 40k ‘verse, then this book’s for you.