Fall of Macharius (3) (The Macharian Crusade) Paperback – July 7, 2015

Great read but, honestly, I wish it were longer and more in depth. Like all GW novels they're capped at 340'ish pages. This is one of Mr. King's better works though. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it.

This was a good book. However, I don't recommend it for anyone who hasn't read prior books in this trilogy- it's not a standalone novel.Definitely action oriented, but the first person narrative from a grunt-turned-general's bodyguard does show some perspective into both enlisted and high command cultures within the Imperial Guard. William King is a solid author, and I do highly recommend this series to fans of "Guard Warfare" set in the 40K universe.

great book bringing an end to the series. Felt a little rushed, which is weird as its a rather long book, but was still a good read and totally suggest it. Now i just feel a little sad there wont be any more to it.

If your a fan of the Macharius series then this is a must have for the conclusion of the series.

It was ok! Not that impressed though.

excellent

Kudos to William King for limiting himself to only three books. For those of you that have read the first two, one cannot help but wander off and imagine the countless battles spanning the entire crusade. The third book gives some detail into the extent of the Crusade and the enemies fought, but again this series could have been broken into three to four more books easily.A book like this always brings a nostalgia of sorts because of the "looking back" moments, but the true gold is the love that was built for the characters in this series. That being said the only con I can muster up is the lack of closure( for me ) that comes to Sergeant Lemuel. The first book opens up with the Sergeant remembering his comrades, and looking back on the crusade, and it also mentions that he'd not seen them for some thirty years. An obvious hint to the fate of most, and a statement that it's been a total of 60 years(Thirty in the crusade+thirty years later. I hope that's right.) since he enlisted, but what happens to him? Besides the obvious of him continuing to serve, and being a hero, for some odd reason I can't help but ask what happens to him?When it comes to reading WH40k novels I only read those tales of the men and women serving in the Imperial Guard, and for those of you like me this series is a must have in your collection. There are very few, if any at all, that top this great read.

First posted on Amazon.co.uk on 6 July 2014This is the third – and last - “episode” of the Macharian Crusade. As readers of the previous episodes know already, just like most of those that know about Warhammer 40K, and as the title rather suggests, the story will somehow end with the demise of Macharius. So you have the impression that there is not much suspense in the story.This, however, would be somewhat unfair, because it is the circumstances of his demise that matter, as the formally all conquering general comes under increasing strain, is faced by the treason of one of his formally most trusted and most talented lieutenants, and confronted by the envy and plots of his other supposedly faithful generals.The first part of the book is rather superb, with the story of the terrible campaign on Loki being once again told by Lemuel, one of Macharius’ bodyguards. The description of the trench warfare and living conditions is simply horrendous, largely inspired by what happened during World War One on the Western front, including the use of poisonous gas by the enemy. The author even manages to make the trench fighting of WWI almost look like a picnic (I am, of course, exaggerating, but not that much!), if only because the imperial forces are fighting against the forces of Chaos in general, and against zombies.in particular.Another interesting feature in this story of Macharius, who seems to have been loosely inspired by Alexander the Great, is the way his inevitable fall is presented. As you will find out by yourselves when reading the book, just about everything is stacked against him, including some of those that are supposedly on his side, including a rather unpleasant intriguer from very high up in the Ecclesiarchy acting – at least officially - on behalf of the High Lords of Terra.I will not mention any more of the plot to avoid spoilers. Suffice is to mention that the hero, true to form, decides to go out with a bang and meets his end in a somewhat unexpected way, with the help of the only allies which keep faith with him (but, again, I will not mention who they are to avoid spoilers). This leaves Lemuel as the sole witness and survivor to tell the true story of what really happened.Four stars for a title which, while perhaps not exceptional, I enjoyed and found better than the previous one.

Item as described and arrived in good order

After reading 'Angle Of Fire' and 'Fist of Demetrius' I was excited to read the final book in the trilogy.In a way, the book is bittersweet. By the title, you can guess that this is going to be the last book featuring the beloved character of Macharius. I would have loved to have a larger pool of literature to read about him, similar to the 'Guants Ghosts' books. Perhaps there will be others that are retrofitted into the literature such as 'prequels' or what not, but that is a topic for another time.This book finds Macharius in a no win situation of a trench war similar to world war 1, but on a planet wide scale. Unable to bring most of his skills to bare because of his supply lines and politiking from those in the Imperial chain of command, his star is no longer on ascension.The book outlines his final battle, and throws some neat twists and turns into the flow as you watch things unfold. As always, the characters in this trilogy are top notch, war more enjoyable than King's typical 'space wolf' novels, imho. If you've ignored this trilogy because of your experiences with his other books, you should consider giving this trilogy a try. It is definitely worth your while. You'll know after 'Angle of Fire' if you want to proceed, I was hooked after book 1.

A decent enough finish but the whole series could have delivered more. I think the three books would make a better single novel, albeit a large one!

Love this author

good read