‘Mechanicum’ – Graham McNeill (Black Library)

In the universe of the fortieth millennium there is only war, brutal and unrelenting, and this makes it the perfect scenario for Games Workshop’s ‘Warhammer 40,000’ war games. After all, the slogan “In the far future there is some war but, on the whole, people tend to get on really well with each other and hang out at barbecues instead” doesn’t have the same ring to it (although I could see ‘Warhammer Barbecue’ becoming a cult favourite in time...)
In all the wars documented in Warhammer history, none have been bloodier than when the Imperium of Mankind turned on itself in civil war. Under the influence of the forces of Chaos, Warmaster Horus took humanity to the brink of destruction in the final battle for Earth itself...
‘The Horus Heresy’ series documents the most important events of these tragic times and ‘Mechanicum’ tells the tale of how the civil war touched the weapons factories and forges of Mars...

Oldest of the Forge Worlds, Mars is home to the Adeptus Mechanicus; an organization dedicated to the rediscovery of ancient technology and its use in furthering the aims of the Imperium. It is also the main source of weapons and munitions for the Great Crusade to reunite Mankind.
All is not well on Mars however. Disagreements over doctrine threaten to split the hierarchy of the Mechanicum whilst mutterings grow against the Emperor and his plans for Mars. Centuries of rivalry between the Titan Legions (think huge robots bristling with weaponry and towering over all) are danger of becoming open warfare.
Just the kind of conditions for the cunning Warmaster Horus to exploit and gain a valuable ally in his war against the Emperor...

The biggest problem I had with ‘Mechanicum’ (and with the other ‘Horus Heresy’ books that I have read so far) is the fact that these aren’t so much stories as they are accounts of the history of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. If you know anything about this history at all (and I do, a little...) then you will know how it all ends. This lends a certain inevitability to the tale that robs proceedings of more than a little spontaneity and tension. If you don’t know your Warhammer history then this won’t be a problem at all, if you’re a hardcore fan then I reckon you’ll love digging into the minutiae of the conflict and not worry too much about the ending. There is plenty of minutiae to be found...

Mars is a simmering pot of feuds and hostility at the best of times and, over the course of the book, we get to see how this ultimately ends in bloodshed on an epic scale. There is also a real sense of tragedy that unfolds as we see people’s dreams of securing technology for the good of the Imperium crushed by those with less wholesome ambitions. With the emphasis on all out warfare, ‘crushing’ means just that. ‘Mechanicum’ has a death toll of billions...

There is some politicking but the book moves so quickly that you don’t really get much of a chance to find out what it’s all about. The bottom line is that sides are being formed and there is no neutral ground. When civil war arrives on Mars, the pace is picked up even more and battle is joined in a cacophony of explosions, Titans, traitors and death.
The action itself is very intense and I was left feeling that perhaps the book was aimed too obviously at its war gaming audience to appeal to the casual reader. There’s a lot of referring to ordinance only really familiar to regular gamers and, like I said, this is a ‘history’ that fans will get the most out of.

At the same time though there is something incredibly stirring about the images of gigantic Titans striding to war across the Martian landscape and facing down their enemies in ruined reactors and silos. The Knights of Taranis are much smaller in scale but their chivalrous approach is equally stirring and their final charge is well worth the price of admission.

‘Mechanicum’ is definitely one for the fans but it is a very entertaining read that anyone with a little ‘Warhammer History’ will get something out of. I’m already eager for ‘Tales of Heresy’, the next book in the series...

Eight out of Ten.