Book Club Book #108: The Rose in Darkness by Danie Ware

Every two weeks we read a new book in the WH40k universe and discuss it on our podcast. We invite you to read along with us and join in on our conversation via comments, Twitter, email, or vox cast.

For this episode, we’re reading The Rose in Darkness by Danie Ware. You can purchase it at Amazon, Black Library. and Audible.

From the back of the book:

Opal is a gleaming shrine world of saints and soldiers, beloved of the Emperor Himself. Sent to retrieve the skull of the revered Saint Veres, Sister Superior Augusta of the Order of the Bloody Rose and her squad find themselves in the midst of the capital’s holiest festival, a time of reverence and celebration. But all is not well – despite what its planetary leaders would have Augusta believe, political danger bubbles under the surface, and rebel attacks gnaw away at the city’s outskirts. The greatest threat, however, is yet to come.

As it becomes horrifyingly apparent that a Genestealer Cult has its claws under the planet’s skin, the Sisters realise that can mean only one thing: a hive fleet is on its way to Opal, bringing with it the planet’s doom.

Questions to ponder after reading The Rose in Darkness:

• Did you like the book?
• Which parts stood out to you?
• We have really struggled with the Sororitas in the past. How were these Sisters different? Better?
• What did you think of Augusta and her squad? Is Augusta a good leader?
• Kamilla is a key part of the book. Were you invested in her story? Where does she go from here?
• Corruption and the desperation it breeds have been large themes as of late. Why is that? Do you like it?
• Neither of us are fans of the genestealers. Were they effectively used in this book? Were they a good antagonist?
• Meta talk: The Imperium is obsessed with relics. Was Augusta’s mission to rescue the skull worth it? Are these relics really that important?