Description

Nightbringer is Graham McNeill's 2002 debut novel and the first book in the Ultramarines series, introducing Captain Uriel Ventris as the newly appointed commander of the Chapter's Fourth Company. On the industrial world of Pavonis, years of Dark Eldar raids have left the population fearful and the ruling cartels increasingly hostile to Imperial authority. Ventris and his Ultramarines are sent to investigate the xenos threat, but soon find themselves caught up in a growing conflict between the planet's powerful factions. As violence spreads through the cities, the Adeptus Arbites struggle to contain the escalating disorder while the Ultramarines pursue the Dark Eldar and attempt to prevent Pavonis from descending into civil war. Behind the fighting, Ventris begins to uncover evidence that the threats facing the world are not as straightforward as they first appeared. The first Ultramarines novel, Nightbringer combines Space Marine warfare with planetary intrigue and a substantial role for the ordinary institutions of Imperial government, establishing Ventris and Sergeant Pasanius Lysane as the central characters of the series.