It’s still insane to me how deep the Warhammer 40,000 rabbit hole really is. Just when you think you’ve got the lay of Wonderland, you open a door into another land of horror and wonder. Not that I’m complaining; the further I travel across the grim darkness of the far future, the more I love it!
Of the many factions warring for dominance over the stars, my favorite has to be the Necrons. Aesthetically they are, for lack of a better descriptor: really fucking cool! Malfunctioning cyber-mummies with godly powers awakening from their ancient slumber to reclaim a galaxy that was once theirs; tell me that isn’t the most badass thing you’ve ever heard! I would be building an army of them right now if I didn’t need to take out a loan to fund this hobby.
Since I can’t take out another mortgage on my home to fund my robot mummy collection, I’ll turn to the much cheaper alternative: books. I did some digging around the internet, gathering various opinions from various bloggers and YouTubers to find the best Necron book to start with. Every source I found pointed towards one particular title: ‘The Infinite and the Divine‘ by Robert Rath. So, when I had an Audible credit to spare, I picked it up.
Safe to say, it lived up to the hype. Of the handful Warhammer books I’ve read so far, this one is far and away my favorite. This is one of the most enjoyable science-fiction stories I’ve read in a long, long time.
Our story revolves Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner and their petty squabbles across time and space. When Trazyn steals a powerful artifact from the Eldari to add to his collection, Orikan arrives shortly thereafter to steal it. Unbeknownst to Trazyn, this alien artifact is the key to a dormant vault containing an unknown but extraordinary power, and Orikan is determined to sieze it for himself. Little do either of them know that this will send them on a millennia-spanning quest that will dictate the future of the Necron race, if not that of the entire universe.
Trazyn and Orikan are both phenomenally written characters. They’re plenty compelling on their own; a pair of immortal scientists pursuing their research, abiding only their own dubious moral codes. But they truly shine when they’re together. Their every conversation is a delightful blend of petty jibes, dry sarcasm, and professional respect. You can feel the extensive history between them in their every exchange, whether they’re chatting like old friends or trying to murder each other. It certainly helps that the audiobook’s narrator, Richard Reed, gives both characters a ton of extra personality and depth through his voice work.
With both our leading Necrons being immortal, this book gets to play around with time in very creative and interesting ways. This story doesn’t play out over the course of days, weeks, or even years, but centuries. Thousands of years pass between chapters; sometimes between paragraphs. The universe shifts and changes, but Trazyn and Orikan always remain the same catty gay robots we know and love.
Nowhere is this more clear than in the setting. In their pursuits of knowledge and power, as well as each other’s throats, our leads spend a lot of time on one central planet. Through their mechanical eyes, we see this world’s slow transformation from a monument of nature’s beauty to the standard horrific Imperium settlement. Since they frequently meddle in the natives’ affairs, the two Necrons even take an accidental place within humanity’s history. Often to hilarious effect.
While the Necrons are at the story’s head, many of the other factions get their time to shine. Not just the aforementioned Imperium and the Eldari; Orks and Tyranids play a large role as well. Come the grand finale, there are so many factions fighting that you’d think you were in a Warhammer free-for-all at your local game shop. If you’re looking for a good entry point into 40K, this is a rock solid pick; it gives you a delicious sampling of most of the universe’s major players without throwing you head-first into the bottomless rabbit hole.
Finally, the cherry on top: Robert Rath’s writing. The prose in this book are fantastic from beginning to end. He paints a beautiful painting with one paragraph, then makes you laugh with Trazyn-Orikan bickering the next. I absolutely love his writing style; I’ll need to check out his other works once I’m done with this article.
Which will be… uh, now, I guess.
‘The Infinite and the Divine‘ is currently my favorite piece of Warhammer 40,000 media. It manages to capture the series’ grim-dark tone while still being an incredibly fun read. Beautifully written and compelling from start to end, it’s a fantastic addition to an already amazing universe. Whether you’re just now entering the 40K Wonderland or you’ve been in the Emperor’s service for years, this book is a must-read.
Thank you all very much for reading! Until next time, stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Glory to the Infinite Empire!
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