Review: The Last Days of Ector - Guy Haley

The Last Days of Ector by Guy Haley
My rating: 10 of 10 stars

This was my eightieth book I've read this year. I don't count short stories but this year I've heard some audiobooks so that help achieve this mark. One thing is for sure: It couldn't be a better book to commemorate.

Some minor spoilers ahead but with a title "The Last Days of Ector"...

The story is set on Ector, one of the planets in the Valedor System (or Duriel System if you are an Eldar). There we see some gang wars as a way to impress the Crimson Castellans who watch and enlist the best of the best. One of the best is a female who is turned out because of that... particularity. With her another man-boy is turned out because he defended that she should be accepted. Insubordination is not a trait Crimson Castellans appreciate - if you want to know why - it's not reveal in this book but I bet it has something to do with half the chapter turned to Chaos some years before.

After the ordeal they become aware that a hive fleet Leviathan is inbound to the planet. The Crimson Castellans say that the three planets are doomed. There is no stopping them (is not said here but they had fought another Hive Fleet several years before). The three governors disagree to help one another but they all will stand and fight. After all billions and billions lives will perish since is not possible to evacuate them all. After this meeting all the tale is focus on Ector (Valedor will be dwelt in another novel written by the same writer).

From this moment on the book tells us of fighting in different hives and the encounter with some eldar who strangely enough are helping humankind.

Some interesting points.... Brother-Sergeant Yoth is important because the eldar Isarion said that he should not hesitate 53 years from this day in the planet Malefix. The phoenix lord Asurmen makes an appearance even if brief. It was interesting as well as the Crimson Castellans made their choice. Either they defend to the last man or try to escape because as you should know (I told you before :) half their numbers fell to Chaos and most of them (good guys and chaos guys) died at the... claws of the tyranids.

I really enjoy the aura of despair, of unavoidable defeat and of the grimdark the 40K transcribes. People talk about grimdark of other fantasy books but so far this world is the grimmest. If I am not mistake this guys coined the term grimdark(ness) and this book is that. Look at the title. There is no hope before the Great Devourer. All will perishable. The only thing you can do is sell your lives dearly. I think I had a solution for this... do what Switzerland do.. Every house should have a firearm. If Ector with countless billions had one arm for each inhabitant they would not fall.

Read this - then go to Valedor as I am going to do...

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