Bloody Books: THE TWICE-DEAD KING: RUIN by NATE CROWLEY

Nate Crowley is no stranger to the Necrons, having already taken on a novel full of the chrome conquerors in under-appreciated "Severed", so to have him back to pen a two-part series that focuses on these metal menaces further was always going to be a happy moment.

Ruin (and it's continuation "Reign") focus on the Necron Lord Oltyx, who is currently in his three hundredth year of exile when he discovers a vast Ork Waaagh inbound to his once-home. It is telling that the only way he is able to rise above the misery and bitterness he feels to actually do something is when he discovers the larger threat that the Orks signal. Oltyx decides that to warn his once-brethren is the only way to save himself, and his people, and that he must break the rules of his exile to awaken his father and brother.

Crowley has an innate ability to take something as truly inhuman as the Necrons and present them as engaging and full of character. Oltyx is not written as a human in a steel skin, but immortal mind in a prison of synthetic flesh. He is joined by five additional "subminds" who in theory are derived from him but each has enough character to differentiate from their master . He is dry but with a sense of humour that elevates him above a lot of other Necrontyr from the setting. He is arrogant to a fault, but pragmatic alongside it. Condescending to those he deems beneath him, but is willing to do the nigh-impossible task of change and learning. He becomes relatable through the tale, but the sheer otherness is never far from the page.

Whilst a character study of a xenos race is always to be applauded, Crowley manages to create some astonishing action and digs into the horror of what it is to be a Necron. Oltyx and his companions (and I will put forward that the decrepit Praetor Neth is a masterclass of character writing) are a window into the slow decay that grips the Necrons, as well as presenting how each manages to cope with the traumatic events of Biotransference.

Or, in some cases, fail to deal with it.

Oltyx's journey is melancholic, and the arc takes him from the proud exile to a shamed explorer, and to see the decline of the mind and spirit of his race through his eyes is heartbreaking, whether it's Neth carving out the deeds of each of his warriors upon their metal skin or Olytx's horrifying moment of panic when he realises he cannot control his breath.. as he has none.

The tone here is a fine tightrope walk of absurd and tragic, and Crowley moves between them with an incredible ease. On the surface there is plenty to enjoy as a dive into the Necrons, and to see how they view the "upstart species" that have come to power as they lay dormant. Underneath this though is a sadness, one exploring the loss of identity, of memory. The risk of being too in love with legacy, tradition and the past. It's a must read as it is one of the highest points of Black Libairy outputs in a collection of very good years for the publisher.