Deathwatch by Steve Parker – Book Review

Deathwatch by Steve Parker is rip-roaring Space Marine action at its best, spiced with plenty of morbidly gothic set-pieces, intrigue and an interesting cast of characters. It is one of those books that remind me why I started reading Warhammer 40K novels in the first place. Not as highbrow as the Horus Heresy series, Deathwatch is simply fun and furious Warhammer 40K.

Gathered from the many Chapters of the Space Marines, the Deathwatch are elite, charged with defending the Imperium of Man from aliens. Six Space Marines, strangers from different worlds, make up Talon Squad. On 31-Caro, a new terror has emerged, a murderous shadow that stalks the dark, and only the Deathwatch can stop it. Under the direction of a mysterious Inquisitor Lord known only as Sigma, they must cleanse this planet or die in the attempt.

---

#1 - Plot & Story

I am not going to lie. I enjoyed this book. A lot.

That said, if you see the 5 stars rating and head out to buy Deathwatch expecting a high-minded literary 40K masterpiece, you may be disappointed. Deathwatch is Black Library Space Marines pulp fiction, but it is easily among best of its kind.

The beauty of Deathwatch is that it takes a simple, downright classic Warhammer 40K tale: Space Marines from different Chapters – Ultramarines, Imperial Fist, Raven Guard and, for protagonist Karras, the wonderfully grimdark Death Spectres – come together to train in the Deathwatch. Meanwhile, a Genestealer cult is festering on an Imperial fringe planet. Obviously this particular Kill Team will end up dealing this cult. Meanwhile, the Inquisition is playing a shady double game!

The book actually takes time to build up tension and story. The Bolters don’t start blazing until page 300 or so, but when they do, its far more satisfying, because the stage was properly set. The characters are eager to finally get into a fight, and so is the reader.

For the first 2/3rd of the book, chapters alternate between those set on the planet of 31-Caro (Chiaro), where we slowly learn more and more about the “Xenos-infestation” festering at the heart of this mining world, and chapters detailing the handful of Space Marines that will become “Talon Squad”, the Deathwatch Kill Team sent to purge the aliens in the final act.

---

#2 – Why Deathwatch is Better Than It Ought To Be!

As simple as the premise is, Steve Parker truly makes the most of this “classic” Warhammer 40K story.

• Deathwatch Training - For a start, Steve Parker clearly has a soft spot for military tactics, spec ops, military jargon, etc.. . His first Black Library novel dealt with the Imperial Guard. Curiously enough, writing about Deathwatch allows Parker to carry over a lot of “modern military jargon” to Space Marines. These aren’t your typical “charge-in-with-a-chainsword” Space Marines (well, they are at first), but Deathwatch operatives. That added sprinkling of Black Ops vocabulary works surprisingly well.

• Death Spectres - If you think Steve Parkers passion for modern military would stop him going Warhammer 40K-style grimdark, you’d be wrong. The Death Spectres are 40K-Gothic dialed up to 11, and in all the right ways. They may well be my new favourite chapter. Even better, the Death Spectres background is not just skull-shaped window-dressing, but drives a whole different, larger plot that – presumably – will be fully resolved in future books.

• Genestealer Cult – The Xenos infecting the mining colony are truly fearsome. It might just be me, but (for a novel at least) Genestealer cults offer far more insidious story potential than the blunter “Tyranid invasion”. Roughly a third of the book doesn’t mention Space Marines, but instead reveals – chapter by alternating chapter – the depth of the corruption of Chiaro. These chapters are as much addictive page-turners as the Deathwatch chapters.

---

#3 – The Book To Start Reading Warhammer 40K

There are things I could nitpick, of course. I wasn’t that a fan of all characters, for example. Two of them struck me as odd “Space Marine Gimli & Legolas” knock-offs. The last “action-shock” also felt a bit forced, not at all unlike a “final scare” in a B action/slasher movie.

That said, I devoured this book in no-time at all. Above all, this book is unburdened by both the heavy gravitas of the Horus Heresy series and the need for excessive action by page 3, which defines Black Library’s Space Marines Battles series.

My new answer to anyone asking “what books should I read to get started in Warhammer 40K fiction?” is, from now on, likely to be Deathwatch.

• A “classic” 40K story
• Great characters (for the most part)
• Plenty of grimdark (done right)
• Building story and tension without rushing to the action
• Great action!

What more do you want? Deathwatch is a fantastic book!

• Also, it ends with a cliffhanger of sorts… sequel bait really.

Still, it is an awesome book.

Z.