Book three in the Black Library Novella Series 1, Nick Kyme’s Auric Gods is a sort of 40k-noir story crossed with an exploration of the role of the Adeptus Custodes in the Dark Imperium era. On a world at the fringe of the Sol system, peacekeeper Ursula Gedd and the shadowy Meroved – once a Shield Captain of the Adeptus Custodes, now an Eye of the Emperor – investigate worrying patterns within their city, Vorganthian. Meanwhile on Terra, three Custodians are gathered by Trajann Valoris and sent out from the Throneworld to recover a dangerous artifact, stolen from deep beneath the Imperial Palace.
It begins as almost two stories in one, each with its own set of well-drawn characters, which gradually come together as the book progresses. In Vorganthian we’re introduced to Gedd and Meroved, two wildly different characters who nonetheless forge an enjoyable rapport, and whose street-level investigations nicely scratch the ‘domestic 40k’ itch. Gedd provides the most human, relatable viewpoint of the story, a classic rough and ready investigator, while Meroved feels sort of like a cross between an inquisitor and a Heresy-era Space Marine. The three Custodes on Terra are much more what you’d expect from the archetype, and share a familiarity that’s gradually explained and contextualised – including a powerful flashback to a momentous earlier moment on the Throneworld.
Each of the two parts could happily have supported a longer story in its own right; a full-length investigative noir novel featuring Gedd would be an absolute joy (a sort of grittier, swearier version of the Shira Calpurnia stories, perhaps), while there’s endless scope for more Custodes stories. Kyme gets the trio of Custodians just right, injecting enough warmth and compelling backstory for them to be relatable and interesting as well as satisfyingly powerful, along with variety in their purposes and mindsets which plays nicely into the narrative while providing a perfect excuse to delve a little into the fascinating question of what their role should be in the new era of the Imperium. Meroved is different again, older and wearier than the others, and aware of his mortality in a way we don’t often see in post-human characters.
As well as compelling characters there’s a pacy, entertaining plot which allows the two parts to develop and yet hang together as a whole, with short chapters cycling between different viewpoints helping to maintain momentum and keep the pages turning. It’s most effective while the two strands are separate, giving the characters chance to shine away from the usual battlefield settings and explore some of the lesser-seen corners of the Imperium. As the two collide it becomes a bit more like your typical 40k story, albeit still entertaining, as the big picture comes together and the danger being faced gradually becomes clear. There’s even an intriguing hint of something genuinely unexpected lurking behind the antagonist’s grand plan. All told it’s a cleverly constructed story which manages to be both an insightful exploration of one element of the ‘new’ 40k IP and a satisfying reminder that 40k is just as much fun away from the battlefield.
Auric Gods is book 2 in the Black Library Novella Series 1. You can read reviews of the rest of the books in this series by following this link.
