Book Club Book #95: The Iron Kingdom by Nick Kyme

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 Dawn of Fire: The Iron Kingdom by Nick Kyme. You can purchase it at Amazon, Black Library. and Audible .

From the back of the book:

A war-weary Battle Group Praxis arrives at the Knight world of Kamidar, ruled by the Iron Queen Orlah, to return the queen’s slain daughter and heir, who died in Guilliman’s name. In truth, the Imperium’s mission here is twofold: to strip Kamidar of its resources in order to resupply the flagging armada, and to prepare the Ironhold Protectorate to become part of the defensive Anaxian Line, a crucial bulwark for the Indomitus Crusade.

Yet Kamidar’s Knights have survived for many years without the Imperium’s aid, and what should have been a simple reunion between allies soon becomes a vicious feud. As division turns loyal souls against one another, the agents of Abaddon move in the shadows, seeking to manipulate this growing rift to their own ends. Can the Imperium restrain itself from laying an old ally asunder, or will the Hand of Abaddon arise triumphant, halting the Avenging Son’s reclamation in its path?

Questions to ponder after reading The Iron Kingdom:

• Did you like the book?
• Which parts stood out to you?
• What did you think of Orlah as a queen? Is she a good, effective ruler? Did you sympathize with her story?
• Kesh has returned! What is going on with Kesh? Are you invested in her continued survival?
• Ariadne has a lot of opinions. What did you make of her philosophy? Was she important to the narrative?
• Throughout the book, Morrigan’s and Herek’s cat-and-mouse is a constant thread. Are you curious about Herek? Did you like Morrigan?
• What did you make of the Lareoc subplot? Were you surprised by his end position?
• We’re on book 5 of the Dawn of Fire series. What is your overall opinion of the series so far? How does this book contribute to the Indomitus Crusade?
• If you could “fix” the Dawn of Fire, what would you do?