Book Club #16: Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work by Guy Haley

This episode we’re reading Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work by Guy Haley. You can purchase on Amazon, or Black Library, and Audible.

From the back of the book:

Belisarius Cawl, Archmagos Dominus of the Adeptus Mechanicus is the most brilliant mind alive. For 10,000 years he has furthered the cause of mankind, working under the aegis of the Emperor and Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman to prevent the inexorable march of the alien and the traitor. Many call him heretic, but all must recognise the magnitude of his achievements, for who else but he was entrusted to create a new generation of Space Marines? Who else but the great Belisarius Cawl could even accomplish such a task?

Now, in the wake of the Great Rift and the Indomitus Crusade, his ambitions bring him to the long-dead world of Sotha, once home to the Scythes of the Emperor, now a barren wasteland devoured by the vile Tyranids. Accompanied by Tetrarch Felix and his elite warriors, it is here that Cawl believes the lynchpin of his mysterious Great Work lies. But uncovering it is a near impossible task, one in which the Archmagos must overcome an ancient evil that threatens to extinguish the last hope of humanity.

Questions to ponder during and after reading Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work:

Due to the nature of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work, the majority of these questions contain spoilers. Highlight to reveal questions 3-8.

• • Did you like the book?
  • Which parts really stood out to you?
  • There were several nuggets of history ingrained in the book. Which did you find most interesting? Which seem the most important?
  • So Belisarius Cawl has unleashed a rogue AI. What is the AI’s endgame? Do you think Cawl knows what is going on?
  • Cawl now has a vast reservoir of knowledge. What do you think he can learn? What do you think Roboute will say about this?
  • So Belisarius Cawl has unleashed a C’Tan in the universe. Where do they go from here? What did you think of the Emperor’s “blessing?”
  • This is the first time that we’ve seen the Genestealers’ long-term plan; xenos that are practically indistinguishable from humans. So much so they’ve infiltrated a chapter. What are the implications of this plot thread?
  • Let’s talk Cawl himself. His personality(ies), his relationship with Felix. Do you like or understand him any better than previously? Do you trust him?

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