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Night Lords #3
Void Stalker
The third in the bestselling Night Lords series.Talos leads First Claw further down their dark path, until the eldar of craftworld Ulthwe foresee a great conflict centered around the Night Lords, and the xenos muster for battle!
The third book in the Night Lords trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Talos and the rest of First Claw continue down their dark path, until it crosses that of the alien eldar – the Farseers of the Ulthwe craftworld divine a great threat posed by the Night Lords, and seek to bring the myriad skeins of fate back into alignment before their prophecy can be fulfilled. With the wrath of the ancients upon them, Talos reluctantly leads his warriors into battle once more...
The third book in the Night Lords trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Talos and the rest of First Claw continue down their dark path, until it crosses that of the alien eldar – the Farseers of the Ulthwe craftworld divine a great threat posed by the Night Lords, and seek to bring the myriad skeins of fate back into alignment before their prophecy can be fulfilled. With the wrath of the ancients upon them, Talos reluctantly leads his warriors into battle once more...
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
April 1, 2020
This was a good ending to an action-filled series that I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how much I’ve enjoyed. As I’ve noted about the prior two books, this is very dark, both the plot line and the characters - In no way would you consider the Night Lords to be good guys. But, despite that, I still found myself drawn into the story and pulling for these guys. And what a resolution! Definitely fitting. I’m already trying to decide which of this author’s other books I want to track down! 4/5, darkly action-packed stars.
December 19, 2019
Brilliant finale to an amazing series. All the pieces and hints from the preceding books come together in a fitting, action-packed, and tragic final act where I found myself being mad at myself for caring and rooting for what are essentially the bad guys. The opening chapters do not shy away from showing the heartlessness and brutality of the First Claw and does a good job of reminding the reader that these guys are not fighting for truth and justice only to make you care about them and hope for their survival, at least for me it was like that. Really, really excellent writing. Dembski-Bowden puts everything together and cooks it on high heat until shit starts exploding, everyone is getting torn up and dismembered, and bloody pieces are flying everywhere, but he does it with heart. Who cares if you are into Warhammer 40K or not, read this series as it is a perfect blend of action, fantasy, science fiction, and horror that also doesn't skimp on character development or feelings.
April 24, 2012
First, my "who should read this" advice: the order in which EVERYONE, from warhammer beginner to warhammer seasoned, should read these books is:
1) Lord of the Night -- a great introduction story by Simon Spurrier
2) Soul Hunter -- the first part in the trilogy
3) Throne Of Lies -- an in-between audio drama
4) Blood Reaver -- the second part in the trilogy
5) This book, Void Stalker, the final (?) installment in the Night Lords Trilogy
ADB must have read my review of Lord of the Night, seen the final comment about how the scene in which an astropath is used to send an astropathic dream-message beyond his will is FUCKING SCARY. And he must have thought: "oh, a challenge..."
The Night Lords -- lead by Talos , the Prophet -- make for their ancient fortress world to prepare their last stand against their Eldar hunters. In the mean time they enact some wanton slaughter on entire populations, and prepare an atrocity for the Imperium on a scale that baffles me even now.
Contrary to their Chaos Marine cousins, the Word Bearers (as depicted in The Word Bearers Omnibus) they don't want to commit the atrocities for the sake of them, but only to teach the Imperium a valuable lesson... and, granted, partly for revenge. The characters are all still human, accidentally elevated to superhuman proportions. Able to strike deals with the Powers of Chaos (though most loathe to do so), or punish entire cities singlehandedly.
But their humanity deep below enables them to grow in character. More and more about their separate drivers become gradually clear as the book progresses...
... that is, until everybody dies at the end. Don't worry, this fact is "spoiled" at the very start of the book, but still the way they go is glorious. For some, unexpected, characters the end is downright dramatic; for others, also unexpected, you get the feeling that they got what was coming to them (be it good or bad).
For me, the book excelled also in giving insight in different interesting parts of the story as well as persona's:
- Who or what is the Void Stalker ?(for the two first books: the Soul Hunter is Talos, the Blood Reaver is Huron Blackheart)
- How far does the (un)wanted corruption by the Ruinous Powers in Talos' brothers go ?
- Why on earth are Eldar involved all of a sudden ? (hint: they were also involved in Lord of the Night)
- How does ADB succeed in topping Simon Spurrier's Scary Navigator Scene (I'm still nauseous)
The story, the persona's, the feeling of the world and the desperate universe the Night Lords and their slaves find themselves in all come together near the end of the story, and you'll be moved to tears as everything finally unfolds.
And then the last sentence will hit you like a brick in the face...
1) Lord of the Night -- a great introduction story by Simon Spurrier
2) Soul Hunter -- the first part in the trilogy
3) Throne Of Lies -- an in-between audio drama
4) Blood Reaver -- the second part in the trilogy
5) This book, Void Stalker, the final (?) installment in the Night Lords Trilogy
ADB must have read my review of Lord of the Night, seen the final comment about how the scene in which an astropath is used to send an astropathic dream-message beyond his will is FUCKING SCARY. And he must have thought: "oh, a challenge..."
The Night Lords -- lead by Talos , the Prophet -- make for their ancient fortress world to prepare their last stand against their Eldar hunters. In the mean time they enact some wanton slaughter on entire populations, and prepare an atrocity for the Imperium on a scale that baffles me even now.
Contrary to their Chaos Marine cousins, the Word Bearers (as depicted in The Word Bearers Omnibus) they don't want to commit the atrocities for the sake of them, but only to teach the Imperium a valuable lesson... and, granted, partly for revenge. The characters are all still human, accidentally elevated to superhuman proportions. Able to strike deals with the Powers of Chaos (though most loathe to do so), or punish entire cities singlehandedly.
But their humanity deep below enables them to grow in character. More and more about their separate drivers become gradually clear as the book progresses...
... that is, until everybody dies at the end. Don't worry, this fact is "spoiled" at the very start of the book, but still the way they go is glorious. For some, unexpected, characters the end is downright dramatic; for others, also unexpected, you get the feeling that they got what was coming to them (be it good or bad).
For me, the book excelled also in giving insight in different interesting parts of the story as well as persona's:
- Who or what is the Void Stalker ?(for the two first books: the Soul Hunter is Talos, the Blood Reaver is Huron Blackheart)
- How far does the (un)wanted corruption by the Ruinous Powers in Talos' brothers go ?
- Why on earth are Eldar involved all of a sudden ? (hint: they were also involved in Lord of the Night)
- How does ADB succeed in topping Simon Spurrier's Scary Navigator Scene (I'm still nauseous)
The story, the persona's, the feeling of the world and the desperate universe the Night Lords and their slaves find themselves in all come together near the end of the story, and you'll be moved to tears as everything finally unfolds.
And then the last sentence will hit you like a brick in the face...
June 11, 2018
In the end, this wasn't as good as the previous two books. It almost feels as if Dembski-Bowden lost his motivation while writing the series and decided to try and push for a big twist that wasn't really a twist.
There are some things that worked really well in this book. A lot of secrets get revealed that have been in the shadows since the first book, so that is a good pay off for the readers. The combat is also done really well, and for the first time, we actually get to hear about what it feels like being inside terminator armour, which to me is HUGE as the weird forward hunch gets addressed and I like how the author described that. It lent a lot to the story and the world building. Plus, as mentioned, no one had ever touched on that before.
The eldar are also handled really well, which was nice to see as they don't get a lot of love fiction-wise. But against the Night Lords they just felt... wrong. As if a different alien, or different faction of the eldar would have worked. I mean, striking scorpions excel at stealth and shadow work, so it would have been interesting to see them face off. Heck, Karandras probably would have worked better than the Phoenix Lord they chose.
But in the end, this is an okay novel. Talon's shift of character gets annoying, as he flip-flops between moods and character traits enough that it becomes a distraction and makes his character feel groundless. Where before he seemed to have a goal in mind, and a personality, in this novel he didn't, and it really dragged the novel down in my opinion. The terror tactics of the Night Lords gets handled well, and I was impressed by the sheer butchery that occurs in the story, pushing the envelope of what I am sure Black Library would publish. But still, it's not enough.
If you are reading the series, then you will most likely read this novel. This was my second time, my first time resulting in me falling asleep mid book, losing my spot, and not caring afterwards about picking it up. I am glad I finished it this time, though sadly it kind of killed my interest in the Night Lords legion. Oh well, perhaps you will enjoy the story more than I did...
There are some things that worked really well in this book. A lot of secrets get revealed that have been in the shadows since the first book, so that is a good pay off for the readers. The combat is also done really well, and for the first time, we actually get to hear about what it feels like being inside terminator armour, which to me is HUGE as the weird forward hunch gets addressed and I like how the author described that. It lent a lot to the story and the world building. Plus, as mentioned, no one had ever touched on that before.
The eldar are also handled really well, which was nice to see as they don't get a lot of love fiction-wise. But against the Night Lords they just felt... wrong. As if a different alien, or different faction of the eldar would have worked. I mean, striking scorpions excel at stealth and shadow work, so it would have been interesting to see them face off. Heck, Karandras probably would have worked better than the Phoenix Lord they chose.
But in the end, this is an okay novel. Talon's shift of character gets annoying, as he flip-flops between moods and character traits enough that it becomes a distraction and makes his character feel groundless. Where before he seemed to have a goal in mind, and a personality, in this novel he didn't, and it really dragged the novel down in my opinion. The terror tactics of the Night Lords gets handled well, and I was impressed by the sheer butchery that occurs in the story, pushing the envelope of what I am sure Black Library would publish. But still, it's not enough.
If you are reading the series, then you will most likely read this novel. This was my second time, my first time resulting in me falling asleep mid book, losing my spot, and not caring afterwards about picking it up. I am glad I finished it this time, though sadly it kind of killed my interest in the Night Lords legion. Oh well, perhaps you will enjoy the story more than I did...
May 21, 2025
An outstanding conclusion to the Night Lords trilogy.
I remember when I first listened to Soul Hunter, I found myself incapable of tolerating Septimus as a character. However, at this point the weak and subservient artificer enslaved to Talos is no more, who has now become a more assertive character no longer able to tolerate the torment he had become accustom to from First Claw, whose sole motivation is now keeping Octavia safe.
This series adds much-needed nuance to the Night Lords, and the Traitor Legions in general. It's too easy to stereotype the VIIIth Legion similarly as the XIIth is in terms of mindless brutality, but it would be doing a disservice to equate them to the murder hobos they seem to be portrayed as like in the Angels of Caliban novel. Don't get me wrong, the Night Lords are very fucked up, especially by 40K standards, but even then, a character like Talos and somehow even Uzas give some complexity to the characterization of this legion.
Void Stalker is the end, and the way it concludes surely feels that way. It wraps everything up in a very satisfying way. In particular, there is a moment after Talos releases Septimus and Octavia from his servitude encouraging them to escape from the Echo of Damnation to avoid Variel's and his aims to turn Octavia's child into a Night Lord. Before making their move, they see Talos and First Claw off as they prepare to leave for Tsagualsa, Septimus wishes Talos goodbye and Talos gives him a nod in response.
There's also a pretty damn cool last stand from a character, and it's very fitting tonally for the Night Lords.
I highly, highly recommend this book, and this series in general. It's somewhat of a shame that the other Traitor Legions aren't depicted with this level of distinction, though I hope when I get around to reading the Talon of Horus, this continues.
I remember when I first listened to Soul Hunter, I found myself incapable of tolerating Septimus as a character. However, at this point the weak and subservient artificer enslaved to Talos is no more, who has now become a more assertive character no longer able to tolerate the torment he had become accustom to from First Claw, whose sole motivation is now keeping Octavia safe.
This series adds much-needed nuance to the Night Lords, and the Traitor Legions in general. It's too easy to stereotype the VIIIth Legion similarly as the XIIth is in terms of mindless brutality, but it would be doing a disservice to equate them to the murder hobos they seem to be portrayed as like in the Angels of Caliban novel. Don't get me wrong, the Night Lords are very fucked up, especially by 40K standards, but even then, a character like Talos and somehow even Uzas give some complexity to the characterization of this legion.
Void Stalker is the end, and the way it concludes surely feels that way. It wraps everything up in a very satisfying way. In particular, there is a moment after Talos releases Septimus and Octavia from his servitude encouraging them to escape from the Echo of Damnation to avoid Variel's and his aims to turn Octavia's child into a Night Lord. Before making their move, they see Talos and First Claw off as they prepare to leave for Tsagualsa, Septimus wishes Talos goodbye and Talos gives him a nod in response.
There's also a pretty damn cool last stand from a character, and it's very fitting tonally for the Night Lords.
I highly, highly recommend this book, and this series in general. It's somewhat of a shame that the other Traitor Legions aren't depicted with this level of distinction, though I hope when I get around to reading the Talon of Horus, this continues.
October 9, 2024
"He was a good guy.... murderer, traitor, cold blood killer and heretic.... but still a good guy."
May 17, 2012
Great conclusion to the Night Lords series by Mr. Dembski-Bowden. This is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe where the bad-guys and good-guys run a fine line. The story is based around a group of "Traitor" space marines who must fight the Imperium, other traitor chapters and at times themselves. There are times they appear human in their frailties even though they are what could be considered far evolved from that. At times they appear as a line from Jessica Rabbit, "I'm not bad Eddie, I'm just drawn that way."
The Night Lords are cruel, demanding and vicious, but in the context of a universe where there is only war, perhaps no more so than any other entity. The fact that they recognize the cruelty inherent in their lives and the lives around them perhaps make them more sympathetic as characters than the factions that matter-of-fact accept the situations and horrors that people find themselves in.
Mr Dembski-Bowden deserves kudos for another job well done. The story is crisp and to the point, well worth the time if you enjoy science-fiction, military fiction or adventure.
The Night Lords are cruel, demanding and vicious, but in the context of a universe where there is only war, perhaps no more so than any other entity. The fact that they recognize the cruelty inherent in their lives and the lives around them perhaps make them more sympathetic as characters than the factions that matter-of-fact accept the situations and horrors that people find themselves in.
Mr Dembski-Bowden deserves kudos for another job well done. The story is crisp and to the point, well worth the time if you enjoy science-fiction, military fiction or adventure.
March 21, 2012
Unreserved, unrelenting excellence. Arguably more indulgent and maudlin than the preceding books, but maintains and exceeds the quality, charm & taste of its forebears.
April 28, 2013
I admit it. I actually cried during a couple parts of this book. I won;t say who or what happened. I won't spoil it for those who may have not read it yet.
April 3, 2025
MY HEART. UZAS MY BABY. TALOS MY DARLING. SEPTIMUS MY ANGEL. So much fun, such a good intro into the universe too
Read
November 20, 2024ADB should write a book that doesn't make me want to kill myself. I think that's a pretty novel idea.
Read a lot of bats stuff, now. Nothing I haven't loved or at least liked a lot, but it has such a unique capability to make me feel kind of miserable. You go into this book knowing that it's probably not going to end well- the very first chapter sets you up for "this is going to end poorly"- but you start to think (or hope, or pray) that the conclusion isn't as foregone as it seems. Being systemically stripped of that hope is... painful, to say the least.
I have a deep abiding love for the author's work because, as I've noted in a lot of my previous reviews of it, I feel like he really cuts to the heart of what I personally find compelling about Space Marines specifically- mostly in that they're not actually people and most of them have less emotional intelligence than the average teenager. This feels... very much prevalent with Night Lords, who come from a baseline of "our father never loved us and then he did suicide by cop". First Claw are all children with violent urges and massive suits of armor.
Whoever said Talos is kinda babygirl with it- you're absolutely right. That's Blorbius Scrunklius right there. I love him dearly- he should have never been Astartes and it probably would have been better for everyone involved if he'd died when Nostramo blew up.
Anyways, as the first 41st millennium literature I've read, this trilogy is great. Painful! Extremely painful! But genuinely lovely. Would recommend.
Read a lot of bats stuff, now. Nothing I haven't loved or at least liked a lot, but it has such a unique capability to make me feel kind of miserable. You go into this book knowing that it's probably not going to end well- the very first chapter sets you up for "this is going to end poorly"- but you start to think (or hope, or pray) that the conclusion isn't as foregone as it seems. Being systemically stripped of that hope is... painful, to say the least.
I have a deep abiding love for the author's work because, as I've noted in a lot of my previous reviews of it, I feel like he really cuts to the heart of what I personally find compelling about Space Marines specifically- mostly in that they're not actually people and most of them have less emotional intelligence than the average teenager. This feels... very much prevalent with Night Lords, who come from a baseline of "our father never loved us and then he did suicide by cop". First Claw are all children with violent urges and massive suits of armor.
Whoever said Talos is kinda babygirl with it- you're absolutely right. That's Blorbius Scrunklius right there. I love him dearly- he should have never been Astartes and it probably would have been better for everyone involved if he'd died when Nostramo blew up.
Anyways, as the first 41st millennium literature I've read, this trilogy is great. Painful! Extremely painful! But genuinely lovely. Would recommend.
April 17, 2012
Original Post (including links): http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/04/...
I’ve read pretty much everything from Aaron Dembksi-Bowden, from Aurelian to Cadian Blood, and even the upcoming The Emperor’s Gift (Which is awesome, I might add), and I don’t think I haven’t liked a single thing by him. Each novel and short story is epic, and indeed, two of his short stories (At Gaius Point, which can be found in The Legends of the Space Marines Anthology and Savage Weapons, his addition to Age of Darkness, another anthology,) made it onto my Top 5 Best Black Library short stories, which the full list of can be found here on my own personal writing blog. He’s so good that he’s the only author on there to have two short stories out of the five slots available. So, naturally – I had very high expectations for Void Stalker.
And Aaron Dembski-Bowden did not just meet my expectations, oh no. He did the impossible, and exceeded them, which makes Void Stalker one of the best novels that I’ve read in 2012 so far that were released in the same year. This stands alongside novels such as Anne Lyle’s superb The Alchemist of Souls. But I’ve rambled for too long. Without further ado, after the blurb, let’s explain why I felt that the conclusion to the Night Lords Trilogy is as good as I felt it was.
"The hunters have become the hunted. The Night Lords flee to the dark fringes of the Imperium to escape their relentless pursuers – the eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé. Their flight takes them to the carrion world of Tsagualsa, where their primarch died and their Legion was broken. There, history will repeat itself as a deadly assassin stalks the shadows, and the Night Lords are drawn into a battle they are destined to lose."
Aaron Dembski-Bowden is my second favourite Black Library author, ranking just behind Dan Abnett. However, there are times when he almost surpasses Abnett as my favourite BL author, and Void Stalker is one of those times. Everything about the novel was just… well, awesome. I couldn’t put it down, and I don’t think there is a single thing that I disliked about Night Lords #3. This is truly a must buy novel.
The author himself has seemingly, over the course of the Trilogy, done something that shouldn’t have been possible. He’s made Night Lords likeable. For anybody who knows their background, then you know that the Night Lords Legion were originally recruited from their homeworld, Nostramo and the Night Lords didn’t just pick anyone to fill their legion before the Horus Heresy, oh no. They picked the most vicious, bloodthirsty and violent of the criminal underworld to fulfil their ranks. Murderers, Rapists, Serial Killers, the lot, possessing no unifying belief, honour or martial creed. They are some of the most ruthless of all the Space Marine Legions, and not only has the author presented them well, he’s made them likeable. Before reading this trilogy (Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver & Void Stalker) I’d never thought that I’d be actually rooting for Chaos Space Marines – as Soul Hunter, if I recall correctly, was my first CSM novel.
And not only that, but let’s mention Uzas here, one of the members of the Night Lords First Claw. In the past few books he’s been portrayed as a bloodthirsty follower of the Blood God Khorne, but in Void Stalker, we get to know more about his background. And, of all the Night Lords that we’d be feeling a little bit sorry for at the end, Uzas was the one that I would have least expected to have sympathy for. Aarom Dembski-Bowden has achieved this spectacularly well, and has done more things besides. Character development is frequent not just in this epic conclusion but also the whole trilogy, and I think that no member of First Claw that we saw in Soul Hunter has emerged the same by the end of Void Stalker.
On top of all that, Dembski-Bowden has managed to include romance. Not only romance, but well written romance between two characters (non-Astartes, mind you) in a place and time that we didn’t expect. Come on, this is Warhammer 40k, a Universe where there is only war. It takes a nothing short of a genius to get believable romance on the paper in such a grim-dark future, and the author has hit top marks here, again.
If you thought that some characters were going to remain safe throughout the whole Trilogy, think again. Nobody is safe in Void Stalker, and when I say nobody, I mean nobody. In this book, even Talos himself is just as likely to be slain as a minor character. With the tension so high in the last Night Lords novel, every fight scene is made gripping, heart-pounding, and you’re left wondering if this could be the last fight for the character(s) involved. The action is of course, well-written consistently throughout Void Stalker. The novel is action-packed, and is not all bolter-porn, oh no. This is how Chaos Space Marines should wage war, intense, brutal action that will have you hooked right the way through. Trust me when I say this, you will not want to put Void Stalker down.
Aaron Dembski-Bowden has made the Night Lords trilogy as a whole not just a must read novel for Black Library fans, but all readers of science fiction. If you don’t mind anti-heroes, then there shouldn’t be a reason why you should read Void Stalker, or the previous novels and accompanying short stories. The pace is even throughout the novel, fast and relentless, and there isn’t a dull moment in the novel itself, no moment where you will want to be skipping forward a few pages. Void Stalker is a novel that you will want to cherish every moment of it, as it is the final novel in the trilogy after all. In fact, the only bad point that I can find about this novel is that it, well – ended the trilogy. I would have loved the author to continue writing more Night Lords, as Void Stalker only left me wanting more and more. I may have to re-read this trilogy at some point now.
Having already read The Emperor’s Gift (You’ll see a review closer to its release date, and let me tell you – that is something special), I will look forward to whatever Aaron Dembski-Bowden brings out next, and I hope that he continues to match the quality that he puts out.
Verdict: 5/5
I’ve read pretty much everything from Aaron Dembksi-Bowden, from Aurelian to Cadian Blood, and even the upcoming The Emperor’s Gift (Which is awesome, I might add), and I don’t think I haven’t liked a single thing by him. Each novel and short story is epic, and indeed, two of his short stories (At Gaius Point, which can be found in The Legends of the Space Marines Anthology and Savage Weapons, his addition to Age of Darkness, another anthology,) made it onto my Top 5 Best Black Library short stories, which the full list of can be found here on my own personal writing blog. He’s so good that he’s the only author on there to have two short stories out of the five slots available. So, naturally – I had very high expectations for Void Stalker.
And Aaron Dembski-Bowden did not just meet my expectations, oh no. He did the impossible, and exceeded them, which makes Void Stalker one of the best novels that I’ve read in 2012 so far that were released in the same year. This stands alongside novels such as Anne Lyle’s superb The Alchemist of Souls. But I’ve rambled for too long. Without further ado, after the blurb, let’s explain why I felt that the conclusion to the Night Lords Trilogy is as good as I felt it was.
"The hunters have become the hunted. The Night Lords flee to the dark fringes of the Imperium to escape their relentless pursuers – the eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé. Their flight takes them to the carrion world of Tsagualsa, where their primarch died and their Legion was broken. There, history will repeat itself as a deadly assassin stalks the shadows, and the Night Lords are drawn into a battle they are destined to lose."
Aaron Dembski-Bowden is my second favourite Black Library author, ranking just behind Dan Abnett. However, there are times when he almost surpasses Abnett as my favourite BL author, and Void Stalker is one of those times. Everything about the novel was just… well, awesome. I couldn’t put it down, and I don’t think there is a single thing that I disliked about Night Lords #3. This is truly a must buy novel.
The author himself has seemingly, over the course of the Trilogy, done something that shouldn’t have been possible. He’s made Night Lords likeable. For anybody who knows their background, then you know that the Night Lords Legion were originally recruited from their homeworld, Nostramo and the Night Lords didn’t just pick anyone to fill their legion before the Horus Heresy, oh no. They picked the most vicious, bloodthirsty and violent of the criminal underworld to fulfil their ranks. Murderers, Rapists, Serial Killers, the lot, possessing no unifying belief, honour or martial creed. They are some of the most ruthless of all the Space Marine Legions, and not only has the author presented them well, he’s made them likeable. Before reading this trilogy (Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver & Void Stalker) I’d never thought that I’d be actually rooting for Chaos Space Marines – as Soul Hunter, if I recall correctly, was my first CSM novel.
And not only that, but let’s mention Uzas here, one of the members of the Night Lords First Claw. In the past few books he’s been portrayed as a bloodthirsty follower of the Blood God Khorne, but in Void Stalker, we get to know more about his background. And, of all the Night Lords that we’d be feeling a little bit sorry for at the end, Uzas was the one that I would have least expected to have sympathy for. Aarom Dembski-Bowden has achieved this spectacularly well, and has done more things besides. Character development is frequent not just in this epic conclusion but also the whole trilogy, and I think that no member of First Claw that we saw in Soul Hunter has emerged the same by the end of Void Stalker.
On top of all that, Dembski-Bowden has managed to include romance. Not only romance, but well written romance between two characters (non-Astartes, mind you) in a place and time that we didn’t expect. Come on, this is Warhammer 40k, a Universe where there is only war. It takes a nothing short of a genius to get believable romance on the paper in such a grim-dark future, and the author has hit top marks here, again.
If you thought that some characters were going to remain safe throughout the whole Trilogy, think again. Nobody is safe in Void Stalker, and when I say nobody, I mean nobody. In this book, even Talos himself is just as likely to be slain as a minor character. With the tension so high in the last Night Lords novel, every fight scene is made gripping, heart-pounding, and you’re left wondering if this could be the last fight for the character(s) involved. The action is of course, well-written consistently throughout Void Stalker. The novel is action-packed, and is not all bolter-porn, oh no. This is how Chaos Space Marines should wage war, intense, brutal action that will have you hooked right the way through. Trust me when I say this, you will not want to put Void Stalker down.
Aaron Dembski-Bowden has made the Night Lords trilogy as a whole not just a must read novel for Black Library fans, but all readers of science fiction. If you don’t mind anti-heroes, then there shouldn’t be a reason why you should read Void Stalker, or the previous novels and accompanying short stories. The pace is even throughout the novel, fast and relentless, and there isn’t a dull moment in the novel itself, no moment where you will want to be skipping forward a few pages. Void Stalker is a novel that you will want to cherish every moment of it, as it is the final novel in the trilogy after all. In fact, the only bad point that I can find about this novel is that it, well – ended the trilogy. I would have loved the author to continue writing more Night Lords, as Void Stalker only left me wanting more and more. I may have to re-read this trilogy at some point now.
Having already read The Emperor’s Gift (You’ll see a review closer to its release date, and let me tell you – that is something special), I will look forward to whatever Aaron Dembski-Bowden brings out next, and I hope that he continues to match the quality that he puts out.
Verdict: 5/5
July 14, 2025
An excellent finish to what’s become perhaps one of my favourite sci fi trilogies of all time. There is a higher barrier of entry here, it being a 40k novel, so some background is good to have. But with that, this trilogy is fantastic.
I do think this book is the weakest of the three, and maybe closer to 4.5 stars because I felt like a lot of the intrigue plot wise didn’t come around until the last half, with the first feeling a little less enticing. But it still delivers on all the monstrosity the 8th legion expects. The character work is still excellent, Talos being a really interesting character here, having to come to terms with the fact he’s sort of the leader now of a group of people he hates. The ending is dramatic and soap opera esque like all good 40k is, and the epilogues are satisfying.
Even though First Claw and the broader space marine are still inhuman, Dembski-Bowden provides a great deal of humanizing these absolutely unredeemable characters. It makes you wish they weren’t as awful as they are. Providing pathos to this group of people I don’t think is particularly easy. But he sticks the landing with everyone here I think.
Maybe not the most accessible sci fi, but definitely as good of an introduction to 40k world building and story telling as there is.
I do think this book is the weakest of the three, and maybe closer to 4.5 stars because I felt like a lot of the intrigue plot wise didn’t come around until the last half, with the first feeling a little less enticing. But it still delivers on all the monstrosity the 8th legion expects. The character work is still excellent, Talos being a really interesting character here, having to come to terms with the fact he’s sort of the leader now of a group of people he hates. The ending is dramatic and soap opera esque like all good 40k is, and the epilogues are satisfying.
Even though First Claw and the broader space marine are still inhuman, Dembski-Bowden provides a great deal of humanizing these absolutely unredeemable characters. It makes you wish they weren’t as awful as they are. Providing pathos to this group of people I don’t think is particularly easy. But he sticks the landing with everyone here I think.
Maybe not the most accessible sci fi, but definitely as good of an introduction to 40k world building and story telling as there is.
April 27, 2017
This book is full of over-the-top torture and body horror, punctuated by brief attempts at levity that feel out of place in the rest of the grossness. Some of this may be due to writing about a murderous sect in an established universe but other writers of chaos space marines (see: Fulgrim) manage to encapsulate the abhorrent nature of the legions without resorting to chapters describing their deeds in lurid detail.
Particularly if you've never read Warhammer 40k fiction or are looking to enter the genre, I'd not recommend this book as a starting point.
The aforementioned torture/murder scenes make up my most severe negative critique but the confusing characters make a good second. None seem to have set personalities, changing regularly whenever the plot needs to move in a new direction.
On the positive side there is a cute subplot towards the end featuring one of the most ruthless Dreadnoughts taking an injured human as a ward and caring for them. An honourable mention also goes to the incredibly sad story thread featuring the slow-of-mind Uzas.
Particularly if you've never read Warhammer 40k fiction or are looking to enter the genre, I'd not recommend this book as a starting point.
The aforementioned torture/murder scenes make up my most severe negative critique but the confusing characters make a good second. None seem to have set personalities, changing regularly whenever the plot needs to move in a new direction.
On the positive side there is a cute subplot towards the end featuring one of the most ruthless Dreadnoughts taking an injured human as a ward and caring for them. An honourable mention also goes to the incredibly sad story thread featuring the slow-of-mind Uzas.
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February 28, 2025
The problem with this book -- indeed with the entire trilogy -- is that I don't care for the characters at all. They're awful, malicious, sadistic brutes. They're constantly squabbling and bullying...but it's all so pointless. It's well-written, and the premise SEEMS like it should be fascinating, but the characters are so loathsome that I'm only finishing this book for completion's sake. Aaron Dembski-Bowden CAN write, he's clearly talented, but he spends three books taking a Chaos Legion of traitorous Space Marines and going NOWHERE with them. Meanwhile in a single book Chris Wraight took another Chaos Legion of traitorous Space Marines and wrote The Lords of Silence, a legitimate work of literature.
March 8, 2025
An excellent ending to the series. The trilogy feels like one continuous narrative, where each book builds on the last, offering a richer experience the further you go.
Uzas is probably the most interesting character to me; a madman driven by Khorne’s bloodlust, yet unmistakably a Night Lord. The two can never really mix.
“‘I. Never. Worshipped. Anything.’ Uzas aimed the chainaxe at his brother’s head. ‘You never understood it. The Legion raises icons to the Powers when it suits them. Whatever the cost, wars must be won. I am no different. No different!’”
Without hard spoilers, I can say that I wanted just one thing from him the entire series: a pure, Khorne-fueled, supernatural battle with an epic enemy to close out his story. But alas, it never came.
We got something so much better; something far more tragic.
Uzas is probably the most interesting character to me; a madman driven by Khorne’s bloodlust, yet unmistakably a Night Lord. The two can never really mix.
“‘I. Never. Worshipped. Anything.’ Uzas aimed the chainaxe at his brother’s head. ‘You never understood it. The Legion raises icons to the Powers when it suits them. Whatever the cost, wars must be won. I am no different. No different!’”
Without hard spoilers, I can say that I wanted just one thing from him the entire series: a pure, Khorne-fueled, supernatural battle with an epic enemy to close out his story. But alas, it never came.
We got something so much better; something far more tragic.
Read
September 25, 2020Consider this a review of all three of the Night Lords books. First I think it's impressive to make 9 foot tall merciless demigods empathetic but I found myself quite enjoying reading about there exploits. That and its good to see a human PoV on the inner workings of Chaos that isn't just *gargle grunt* ahh shoot the thing with the 3rd head.
Couple of words of warning. First these aren't cheery books, they're incredibly grim (obvs it's 40k) but the action is well done and the moments of character is some of the best in 40K. Second I wouldn't make these your first insight into the 40K world (for that look to the first 3 books of the horus heresy). There's a lot of bits of lore that require at least some idea of the universe.
Definitely the best 40K chaos PoV books I've read.
Couple of words of warning. First these aren't cheery books, they're incredibly grim (obvs it's 40k) but the action is well done and the moments of character is some of the best in 40K. Second I wouldn't make these your first insight into the 40K world (for that look to the first 3 books of the horus heresy). There's a lot of bits of lore that require at least some idea of the universe.
Definitely the best 40K chaos PoV books I've read.
August 25, 2025
Ця книга зникла у моїй голові за кілька днів. Історія про темну сторону десантників трансгуманізму. Тут не про переможців зі світлого боку, які звитяжно і шляхетно воюють із силами зла, а про зло, яке вперто, всупереч усім випробуванням та переслідуванням, залишається собою.
Буде у мене на полиці разом із трилогією Айзенгорна. Наразі треба зачекати, доки якесь інше видавництво в Україні зможе купити права на видання книг Black Library.
Буде у мене на полиці разом із трилогією Айзенгорна. Наразі треба зачекати, доки якесь інше видавництво в Україні зможе купити права на видання книг Black Library.
March 2, 2025
The perfect end to a trilogy I feel only got better. Despise being a legion everyone should despise the 8th are just fantastic in this story and the series as a whole. It feels criminal there's been no follow up to that final page but if we don't hear from 10th company again, they've more then earned their place as one of the best stories in 40k
June 4, 2025
Acechante del vacío ha sido un placer con todas las letras. La conclusión de esta trilogía sabe quedarse a medio camino entre la novela bélica y la historia de terror, cogiendo lo bueno de ambos géneros y ninguno de sus defectos . Muy equilibrada en todos sus aspectos, sabe proveer de todas las emociones fuertes que un fan de la franquicia requiere, culminando en un final apoteósico un viaje que me ha dejado sin aliento en más de un momento. Sin duda, mi trilogía favorita de la Black Library (y mira que he leído un puñado).
Para más datos, la reseña completa aquí :)
https://meitnerio.blogspot.com/2022/0...
Para más datos, la reseña completa aquí :)
https://meitnerio.blogspot.com/2022/0...
March 15, 2025
What a great ending to a great trilogy.
April 11, 2022
The finale of the Night Lords trilogy. I was emotional, I was pumped up, I was amazed at how the story turned out. Fantastic as ever.
January 17, 2024
4.25 A solid ending to a very fun series!
October 25, 2022
Well written story, I liked how it culminated as it always does on a planet but the prophet still lives!
July 14, 2025
Mmmmmmm yummy slop
August 23, 2025
7.5/10 (good-very good)
January 26, 2021
Spoilers for the Night Lord series.
I just finished this book and I had a lot of problems with how this last book was done. After reading the entire seines (Massacre, Shadow Knight, Soul Hunter, Throne of Lies, Blood Reaver, The Core and Void Stalker) I really like the characters and the first 2 books are amazing.
However the third one, Void Stalker, was pretty bad imo. First of all I hated the start when Talos has that weird fever dream/vision...thing and talks to the corpse of Ruven. It was confusing and did little to serve the plot.
The next thing that I disliked was the plan Talos had. The psychic scream using a Navigator and Astropaths. Are we really meant to believe Talos, a young (like 300 years old) Chaos Marine came up with a plan to cause anarchy across dozens if not hundreds of worlds that no other Chaos Marine has ever came up with? Stupid. There are many others traitors that know more of the Warp but haven't done it on such a scale. Why? It was hardly difficult they did it in a few weeks.
Malcharions return did nothing, served no purpose and was just there to fill page space. Ignoring that, it was very stupid to have the War Sage die to protect a character (Marlonah) who has like 10 lines in this almost 400 page book.
Variel survives being stabbed with an Eldar spear despite all others who are stabbed by the same weapon dying instantly. Ugh, plot armour 🙄
Septimus and Octavia getting away with a happy ending was really boring, if there's ever a series in which no one should have had a happy ending it's the Night Lords series.
What happened to Deltrian? He's just left floating in the void without a Navigator so does he just die? Starve to death? We don't know, he vanishes from the story.
The Eldar in the book were interesting to see, I always like getting to read about Eldar ships but Jain Zar...oh my god what did they do to you?! Jain Zar gets punched, kicked and hit so much. At one point Talos tricks her into trying to block his sword and KICKS JAIN ZAR IN THE FACE! Not only that, but earlier a dying Marine was able to stab the Storm of Silence herself in the back of the leg because...apparently Jain Zar is slow and has no reflexes these days. Then Talos cuts her arm off, then she almost dies when he lets her stab him as he sets off some grenades.
After that she apparently becomes Gollum as she crawls around consonantly saying 'Jain Zar, Jain Zar' until a Dreadnought stamps on her.
Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence, the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees themselves in this book was what I would expect a normal Howling Banshee Exarch to fight and act like.
The epilogue also bothered me. How is Lucoryphus alive? But I can't say what bothered me exactly about the last part it just...it bothered me.
So in conclusion this book was pretty bad. For this to be how such interesting characters end their story is just....disappointed.
I just finished this book and I had a lot of problems with how this last book was done. After reading the entire seines (Massacre, Shadow Knight, Soul Hunter, Throne of Lies, Blood Reaver, The Core and Void Stalker) I really like the characters and the first 2 books are amazing.
However the third one, Void Stalker, was pretty bad imo. First of all I hated the start when Talos has that weird fever dream/vision...thing and talks to the corpse of Ruven. It was confusing and did little to serve the plot.
The next thing that I disliked was the plan Talos had. The psychic scream using a Navigator and Astropaths. Are we really meant to believe Talos, a young (like 300 years old) Chaos Marine came up with a plan to cause anarchy across dozens if not hundreds of worlds that no other Chaos Marine has ever came up with? Stupid. There are many others traitors that know more of the Warp but haven't done it on such a scale. Why? It was hardly difficult they did it in a few weeks.
Malcharions return did nothing, served no purpose and was just there to fill page space. Ignoring that, it was very stupid to have the War Sage die to protect a character (Marlonah) who has like 10 lines in this almost 400 page book.
Variel survives being stabbed with an Eldar spear despite all others who are stabbed by the same weapon dying instantly. Ugh, plot armour 🙄
Septimus and Octavia getting away with a happy ending was really boring, if there's ever a series in which no one should have had a happy ending it's the Night Lords series.
What happened to Deltrian? He's just left floating in the void without a Navigator so does he just die? Starve to death? We don't know, he vanishes from the story.
The Eldar in the book were interesting to see, I always like getting to read about Eldar ships but Jain Zar...oh my god what did they do to you?! Jain Zar gets punched, kicked and hit so much. At one point Talos tricks her into trying to block his sword and KICKS JAIN ZAR IN THE FACE! Not only that, but earlier a dying Marine was able to stab the Storm of Silence herself in the back of the leg because...apparently Jain Zar is slow and has no reflexes these days. Then Talos cuts her arm off, then she almost dies when he lets her stab him as he sets off some grenades.
After that she apparently becomes Gollum as she crawls around consonantly saying 'Jain Zar, Jain Zar' until a Dreadnought stamps on her.
Jain Zar, the Storm of Silence, the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees themselves in this book was what I would expect a normal Howling Banshee Exarch to fight and act like.
The epilogue also bothered me. How is Lucoryphus alive? But I can't say what bothered me exactly about the last part it just...it bothered me.
So in conclusion this book was pretty bad. For this to be how such interesting characters end their story is just....disappointed.
July 23, 2012
Let's be clear on something from the get go. Somewhere, there is a LARGE pile of asses, all heaped on top of each other, reaching to the sky. And all of them were kicked there by one Mr. Aaron Dembski-Bowden. This author is growing in my esteem with every book he puts out.
As I said in my review of Blood Reaver, ADB is writing about BAD GUYS, not just BAD GUYS but horrible, murdering, raping, sonsofbitches! And you care about each and every one. Void Stalker is no different in that regard, your heart is broken at their losses, suffering, anger, betrayal and finally deaths. If you are shocked that I wrote that, two quick notes, this all started with SPOILER ALERT, and if you read VS you are rooted in place by the rain soaked prologue of Talos' last vision...which includes all of First Claw's deaths, his slaves leaving, and walking himself to his own execution. I never really enjoy prologues, but this one, THIS ONE, had me riveted, even if I knew it could not possibly be...and then IT WAS!
Mr. Abnett has created a cadre of characters in the Gaunt's series that I have grown to be very fond of. It took a few books, but once I was in, I was in, and EVERY one of their deaths breaks my heart, but it makes the series excellent. Mr. Dembski-Bowden achieved that same level of amazing character pathos in a shorter amount of time with First Claw and the slaves.
I am still shuddering with rage and sadness a little (finished the book less than 12 hours ago), the echo of the emotional connection I felt to Uzaz and Cyrion in their final confrontation was truly a literary delicacy.
Read the Night Lords Trilogy, read all of it, start today. I read about Space Marines and the Imperium of Man, probably because I played them for so many years before these novels replaced playing the game for me, and to read about heretics and those who would put their boot heels on the throats of my heroes is anathema to my nature, but I absolutely LOVED this series.
Mr. Dembski-Bowden is a rare talent in the Black Library stable, I hope he stays, I hope he keeps writing, and I hope I get to keep reading it. I almost wish this tale was not couched inside the 40K universe, because it is so hard to convince those outside of it that it is approachable and excellent Sci-Fi.
Please, read this series, that is all.
As I said in my review of Blood Reaver, ADB is writing about BAD GUYS, not just BAD GUYS but horrible, murdering, raping, sonsofbitches! And you care about each and every one. Void Stalker is no different in that regard, your heart is broken at their losses, suffering, anger, betrayal and finally deaths. If you are shocked that I wrote that, two quick notes, this all started with SPOILER ALERT, and if you read VS you are rooted in place by the rain soaked prologue of Talos' last vision...which includes all of First Claw's deaths, his slaves leaving, and walking himself to his own execution. I never really enjoy prologues, but this one, THIS ONE, had me riveted, even if I knew it could not possibly be...and then IT WAS!
Mr. Abnett has created a cadre of characters in the Gaunt's series that I have grown to be very fond of. It took a few books, but once I was in, I was in, and EVERY one of their deaths breaks my heart, but it makes the series excellent. Mr. Dembski-Bowden achieved that same level of amazing character pathos in a shorter amount of time with First Claw and the slaves.
I am still shuddering with rage and sadness a little (finished the book less than 12 hours ago), the echo of the emotional connection I felt to Uzaz and Cyrion in their final confrontation was truly a literary delicacy.
Read the Night Lords Trilogy, read all of it, start today. I read about Space Marines and the Imperium of Man, probably because I played them for so many years before these novels replaced playing the game for me, and to read about heretics and those who would put their boot heels on the throats of my heroes is anathema to my nature, but I absolutely LOVED this series.
Mr. Dembski-Bowden is a rare talent in the Black Library stable, I hope he stays, I hope he keeps writing, and I hope I get to keep reading it. I almost wish this tale was not couched inside the 40K universe, because it is so hard to convince those outside of it that it is approachable and excellent Sci-Fi.
Please, read this series, that is all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2024
The grand finale of Aaron Dembski-Bowden's Night Lords trilogy made for a cracking read as Talos and his warband strive to end their tale on their terms... Their return to their beginning, the savagery they unleash upon Tsagualsa's population for trespassing where they shouldn't and their final desperate clash with the Eldar, particularly when the xenos bring out one of their best, made for epic reading that had me hooked (plus it made a change for a 40K final battle involving Chaos Space Marines where their final opponent aren't Imperials)... I definitely enjoyed this more than I expected to, and finally understand why people have been urging me to read this and its predecessors for years...
"Die as you lived, son of the Eighth Legion. In midnight clad."
"Die as you lived, son of the Eighth Legion. In midnight clad."
January 23, 2022
Weird third and final part to the Night Lord trilogy.
1) When Talos & co meet the arch regent for the first time, the regent asks them: who are you and why are you slaughtering my people? Talos answers that he doesn't need to give him answers and is about to kill him when the Night Lords suddenly urgently need to leave. When they return to the regent a while later nothing had changed but for no reason the regent became a VIP. Talos now needs him to tell him where the astropath guild is and there is plenty of time where Talos informs the regent of all their plans and ambitions. Yet he was initially just going to axe him, no questions asked? It makes no sense.
2) The Eldar. There are not a lot of Eldar left yet apparently the Eldar of Ulthwe have no problems to send hundreds of "weak" Eldar to their useless and nonsensical deaths. It makes zero sense, especially when their lemming rush is followed by stronger Eldar who actually can cause some casualties to the Night Lords. But even that is a waste, because they have a SuPeR hErO who carves through the Night Lords like a knife through butter. WHY not just send her immediately? Such an enormous and useless waste of Eldar lives when one super-Eldar can just shred through them all. It was so bad it took me out of the story.
And finally, when the whole final Eldar assault has reached its conclusion and they are about to achieve their goal.. They ruin it with a silly victor's speech that takes way too long and results in a deus ex machina that foils their objective, when they could just have ended right there and then. But no, they speeched too long and then a magic spaceship comes and the Eldar has to run away. Yet one cut would have finished it. That is really bad writing, it was like watching a bad movie, and it was very frustrating to read.
In general, the book gives closure to the series and there were still some good parts, but man, there were absolutely some frustrating sections. I would still recommend to read the book as the last part of the trilogy to finish the story, but it is definitely also the worst book of the three.
1) When Talos & co meet the arch regent for the first time, the regent asks them: who are you and why are you slaughtering my people? Talos answers that he doesn't need to give him answers and is about to kill him when the Night Lords suddenly urgently need to leave. When they return to the regent a while later nothing had changed but for no reason the regent became a VIP. Talos now needs him to tell him where the astropath guild is and there is plenty of time where Talos informs the regent of all their plans and ambitions. Yet he was initially just going to axe him, no questions asked? It makes no sense.
2) The Eldar. There are not a lot of Eldar left yet apparently the Eldar of Ulthwe have no problems to send hundreds of "weak" Eldar to their useless and nonsensical deaths. It makes zero sense, especially when their lemming rush is followed by stronger Eldar who actually can cause some casualties to the Night Lords. But even that is a waste, because they have a SuPeR hErO who carves through the Night Lords like a knife through butter. WHY not just send her immediately? Such an enormous and useless waste of Eldar lives when one super-Eldar can just shred through them all. It was so bad it took me out of the story.
And finally, when the whole final Eldar assault has reached its conclusion and they are about to achieve their goal.. They ruin it with a silly victor's speech that takes way too long and results in a deus ex machina that foils their objective, when they could just have ended right there and then. But no, they speeched too long and then a magic spaceship comes and the Eldar has to run away. Yet one cut would have finished it. That is really bad writing, it was like watching a bad movie, and it was very frustrating to read.
In general, the book gives closure to the series and there were still some good parts, but man, there were absolutely some frustrating sections. I would still recommend to read the book as the last part of the trilogy to finish the story, but it is definitely also the worst book of the three.
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