Yarrick: Imperial Creed, a review.
Commissar Yarrick. A legend in the universe of Warhammer 40k. The Old Man that saved Armageddon, that stood against the great Waaagh! of the second war for Armageddon. Many are the tales of his indomitable will, of his refusal to bend or break against his many foes. He is the bearer of the 'Evil Eye' that Orks fear and the man determined to bring an end to the 'Beast of Armageddon'. The Commissar in this tale is not yet that man. He has yet to face the many trials that will shape him into the figure of legend. Much of this story is told from the perspective of Yarrick as he recounts the events of his youth, the older Commissar noting his own views on his actions within the events as they unfold. It is a narrative that works well as we also switch to other characters to relay events that Yarrick did not witness firsthand. David Annandale does a great job of moving between these characters and holds the story together well overall. This was a far better story than I had been expecting.
The prologue begins with the events surrounding the doom of Mistral. Detailing the events that will drag in Yarrick and continue to be felt many years after their initiation. It starts with a preacher of the Ecclesiarchy, a small man that preaches with little more than bitterness and resentment towards all those around him that have rubbed him the wrong way. This man falls afoul of an accident as he wanders from one hab to another. He walks a path less frequented and falls down a narrow chute, injuring himself badly on the way down. It is here that the whispers begin, and in this moment of weakness, the preacher accepts the aid of something he should have stood against. The story proper opens up with Yarrick, beginning his time as a new Commissar, having only recently completed his time amid the Schola Progenium and having earned his new position and identity. No longer does he stand with the soldiers of the Imperium, it is his place to guide them, to stand apart and usher them as the will of the Emperor dictates. Yarrick is placed with the 77th Mortisian Infantry Regiment and watches them for the first time onboard the Scythe of Terra as we are introduced to him. He stands there with his peer, Seroff, and the Lord Commissar Simeon Rasp, the older man seeking to teach the new officers as they watch the forces mustered beneath them. This story is very much centered around Yarrick coming to grip with his new role, about the lessons the events teach him, and how they will shape the man that he will eventually become. These forces have come to Mistral to put down a heretical uprising by one of the Barons of this world, though things will rapidly spiral beyond their initial intent and expectation. What starts out as something small becomes far greater and deadlier than any had anticipated, leading to death and chaos on a grand scale.
The character work here is solid. Yarrick is an interesting enough protagonist, the young commissar shaped by the horrors that emerge upon this world, retelling the tale from his point of view. I enjoyed how the older man reflected on his previous choices with the wisdom of age and experience. His handling of Saultern, the Captain of the Third Company, highlights his own views on how to tackle his role and how he views how the Commissariat should function. The story, in general, is focused on corruption and faith, though that is something of a simplification in many regards. It is interesting to see how the elements of Chaos and Daemons are handled from the position of a Commissar. It is a unique approach that deviates greatly from that of such forces as the Space Marines. The use of the character Wangenheim is done with just the right amount of weight, his innate sense of self-worth, and his use of the Ecclesiarchy to his own ends is handled well by Annandale. The selfishness of Wangenheim and his abuse of his position of power play heavily into the overall arc of this story. Without him, it is safe to say that much of this would have played out differently. Though, how differently is open to debate. I liked the conflict between Yarrick and Inquisitor Krauss, of how they clashed on a very fundamental level whilst working, largely, to the same ends. Krauss is a very unforgiving character, bound to the rules of his position with no amount of leeway given for those that fall under his gaze. The use of a squad of the Sisters of Battle, the Adepta Sororitas, is interesting as we see how they appear to the rank and file of the Warhammer universe. The power-armored warriors of the Ecclesiarch are bound to Wangenheim through his politicking and are caught between their duty and their desire to do more. It is only as a specific kind of threat arises that they are freed from their duty to Wangenheim.
The action within this book is done in the typical fashion of the Warhammer 40k universe. It is brutal and well written throughout, not too graphic but provides enough detail to feel the weight of these events. The scale of the battles escalates as the book unfolds, the fights carrying more weight and import to them as the depth of corruption is unveiled. The fighting, as it reaches the climax of the book, becomes more focused and detailed, as Yarrick and the others clash with a piece of the Realm of Chaos itself. Seeing how these mere mortals face off against this terror is a perspective that is both interesting and terrifying. The Realm of Chaos has always been something that has been shaped by the perspective of the author, Annandale does a great job with his descriptive work of such a fell influence. The twisting, mutating nature of this perverse Realm seeps into the 'real world, and they fight desperately to prevent it from spreading to the entirety of the planet.
Yarrick: Imperial Creed is a solid read with some great set pieces, along with a character that is interesting with a decent amount of development throughout. I am looking forward to reading through the rest of the series, though that is tempered somewhat by the reviews of the books. Yarrick has always been a character that I have wanted to learn more about, and this is a good place to start. It lacks a certain something that would push it into being a great book but is well worth a look for those interested in the central character.
This book is a solid, 3.5 out of 5 stars, in my opinion. Any fan of Warhammer 40k should give this book a read, though I would say there are better options out there. David Annandale is a decent author, and I've read several of his other novels over the years. I am looking forward to what other works he has yet to come out.
