# The Inquisition War



## Soul_Drinkers (Jan 27, 2010)

This book was written by Ian Watson I just really wanted to know what you guys opinion of it is.

As i read it he covered things like the black library, sneaking into the emperors own chamber, speaking with the emperor and tons more. But he really didnt use much detail or really anything and your left going wow that was really lame. Or one of the most sacred things done in 5 pages. Another problem is there are like a bunch of different stories all with a ok to good plot. Then near the end it all goes to hell. The plot becomes one dimensional and reallllllly lame. The ending makes you go, what a waste of time. 

oh not to mention its called the inquisition war and yet there is hardly any of that mentioned. overall I feel it was a massive disaster on epic perportions. 

Makes me scared of what will happen if somebody else tries to tackle such important events in the warhammer 40k universe.

I was scared even before I turned page one, "He tackles things no other auther has even tried to in the 40k world." oh boy lol.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

I've always wondered why no one wrote about an encounter with the emperor himself, talking to him, asking him questions, etc. 

I can think of a few reasons but still...

any chance you can write up the encounter with the emperor from the novel or summarize what happens ? I'll rep you ^_^!


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Or perhaps you cannot ask someone to ruin and circumvent intellectual property and instead either go on not knowing or seek out the book and find out for yourself.


I've had the book for years now, and while I personally have no love for it you should realize when it was written. The inquisition war trilogy came out around the time of second edition (I believe in the latter half of second edition.) So there are some things that Watson might have had the characters deal with or see, but didn't go into much detail about because there was none to be had.

There are meh parts to it, and the title is a bit misleading, but overall I found the trilogy to be interesting.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

darkreever said:


> Or perhaps you cannot ask someone to ruin and circumvent intellectual property and instead either go on not knowing or seek out the book and find out for yourself.


A summary of the encounter is an approach on intellectual property? 

There are also tons of examples on these very forums in which word per word verbatim is lifted from novels, it's not an issue unless you decide it is. This is a place for fans to discuss the series and thus promote interest in GS merchandise AKA $$ for them.



darkreever said:


> I've had the book for years now, and while I personally have no love for it you should realize when it was written. The inquisition war trilogy came out around the time of second edition (I believe in the latter half of second edition.) So there are some things that Watson might have had the characters deal with or see, but didn't go into much detail about because there was none to be had.
> 
> There are meh parts to it, and the title is a bit misleading, but overall I found the trilogy to be interesting.


Where I live, there are no bookstores that carry anything remotely related to WH40k and the time it would take for a book to arrive from amazon is akin to new technology being developed in the Imperium.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Malus Darkblade said:


> A summary of the encounter is an approach on intellectual property?


You never know what could set some companies off; its one thing for someone to quote word for word to explain certain things (though they probably shouldn't) but its another thing to request someone quote stuff word for word.


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## Soul_Drinkers (Jan 27, 2010)

The emperor speaks threw "many" voices. The inquisitor and his allys are in front of the golden throne.

"WE ARE CURIOUS" 
"WE HAVE FOLLOWED YOUR INTRUSION INTO OUR SANCTUARY OUR ANTRIUM AND ADYTUM
"my lord" Jaq sank to his knees. "I beg to report to you before I am destroyed. I may have uncovered a major conspiracy"
"THEN WE WILL STRIP YOUR SOUL. BARE. RELAX, MORTAL MAN OR YOU WILL SURELY DIE IN SUCH PAIN AS WE ALWAYS ENDURE."
ya da ya da ya the emperor strips him them................

"WE HAVE PUT BACK WHAT WE TOOK AND TASTED, INQUISITOR"
"WE ARE MANY INQUISITOR"
"HOW ELSE COULD WE ADMINISTER OUR IMPERIUM"
"AS WELL AS WINNOW THE WARP"
"HOW ELSE?"
"SO DOES THE HYDRA THREATEN US"
"IMPERILING OUR GREAT AND AWFUL PLAN TO STEER HUMANITY"
"DID WE OURSELVES DEVISE THE HYDRA"
"PERHAPS IN A PART OF US, SINCE THIS HYDRA PROMISES A PATH?"
"SURELY A MALEVOLENT PATH; FOR HOW COULD HUMANITY EVER FREE ITSELF."

My notes for readers who have no idea what the hydra is. 
the hydra is a sort of warp thing that some rogue illuminate members have made that if successful will link all the minds of humanity together to destroy the eldar, chaos, the chaos gods and everything else. But its feared by others that it may not do that but in turn may create a 5th CHAOS GOD.

ok back to the emperor lol

"THEN WE MUST BE MALEVOLENT TOO. FOR WE HAVE EXPELLED OUR SENTIMENTALITY LONG AGO. HOW ELSE COULD WE HAVE ENDURED? HOW ELSE COULD WE HAVE IMPOSED OUR RULE" 
"YET BY VIRTUE OF THAT WE ARE PURE, AND UNCONTAMINATED BY WEAKNESS, WE ARE GRIM SALVATION.

The inquisitor continues to listen.

"NOTHING THAT SAFEGUARDS HUMANITY CAN BE EVIL, NOT EVEN THE MOST STRENUOUS INHUMANITY. IF THE HUMAN RACE FAILS, IT HAS FAILED FOREVER.

"WHEN WE CONFRONTED THE CORRUPTED, HOMICIDAL HORUS WHO ONCE USED TO SHINE LIKE THE BRIGHTEST STAR WHO USED TO BE OUR BELOVED FAVORITE- WHEN THE FATE OF THE GALAXY HUNG BY A THREAD- WERE WE NOT COMPELLED TO EXPEL ALL COMPASSION? ALL LOVE? ALL JOY? THOSE WENT AWAY. IS TORMENT, A TORMENT THAT MUST NOURISH US. EVIDENTLY WE MUST STRIVE TO BE THE FIERCE REDEEMER OF MAN, YET WHAT WILL REDEEM US!!

"great lord of all, did you know of the hydra before now?"

NO, AND WE SHALL SURELY ACT IN DUE TIME."
yET SURLY WE KNEW HOW COULD WE NOT KNOW?"
ONCE WE HAVE ANALYZED THE INFORMATION WITHIN THIS SUB MIND OF OURS."
"HEAR THIS JAQ DRACO. ONLY TINY PORTIONS OF US CAN HEED YOU, OTHERWISE WE NEGLECT OUR IMPERIUM, OF WHICH OUR SCRUTINY MUST NOT FALTER FOR AN INSTANT. FOR TIME DOES NOT HALF EVERYWHERE WITHIN THE REALM OF MAN. INDEED TIME ONLY HALTS FOR YOU."
"WE ARE AN EVER WATCHFUL LORD, ARE WE NOT? DID YOU HOPE TO GAIN OUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION?"
"HOW ELSE SHOULD WE SOUL BIND PSYKERS AND OVERVIEW THE WARP AND BEAM THE ASTRONOMICAN BEACON AND SURVIVE AND RECEIVE INFORMATION AND GRANT AUDIENCES ALL AT ONCE UNLESS WE ARE MANY?"
"AND YET STILL WE MISS SO MUCH, SO VERY MUCH, SUCH AS THAT WHICH GUIDED YOU HERE."
"OUR SPIRIT GUIDED YOU."
"NO, ANOTHER SPIRIT A REFLECTION OF OUR GOODNESS WHICH WE THRUST FROM US."
"WE ARE THE ONLY SOURCE OF GOODNESS SEVERE AND DRASTIC, THERE IS NO OTHER SOURCE OF HOPE THAN US. WE ARE AGONIZINGLY ALONE!!!!"
"contradictions! these warred in Jaqs mind just as they seemed to coexist in the emperor's own multimind."


that is the end of the communion. haha there is all the info so hope that helps ^.^ there may be some spelling errors but i was typing very fast haha.

edit sorry some how i added in some links at the end they are all idk lol i dont know how i did that."


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## kaled (Jun 24, 2008)

My personal opinion is that the _The Inquisition War_, the first book in particular, is far and away the best 40k novel. The quality of the writing is much better than most of the second-rate drivel published by Black Library. In my opinion, most of the newer novels are little more than war-porn, action sequences with a bit of plot to tie them together, whereas Ian's novels explore more philosophical issues as well as having the conspiracy theories and obligatory action bits. That all said I do appreciate that the style Ian Watson uses is very different that that of the newer authors which may turn some readers off.

I find that Ian Watson's vision of the 40k universe doesn't clash much with mine, but that may be due to the fact that I started with 40k back in the days of _Rogue Trader_ - around the time the first of his novels were written. In fact, the trilogy is a bit of a whirlwind tour through the _Rogue Trader_ era background to the Imperium and manages to cover almost all of the early conspiracy theories and tie them together into a pretty good plot. What I know frustrates a lot of people I've spoken to is that these conspiracies are not resolved and the Inquisition War (BL chose that title, and it's not a good one as it raises expectations of the trilogy being something it's not) is an event that goes on in the background; but the story arc is not supposed to be about those things - it's really about an Inquisitor's descent into radicalism (written years before terms like puritan and radical entered the 40k canon) and how the conspiracy theories and everything else Jaq encounters push him down that road.

I admit that when I first read it, I too was somewhat dissatified with the ending to the trilogy. Looking back though, I think I was possibly too young to really 'get' it the first time around, but reading it again with the benefit of a few more years experience I found it a lot more satisfying and although I can't say that I like the ending, I think it works rather well.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

kaled said:


> What I know frustrates a lot of people I've spoken to is that these conspiracies are not resolved and the Inquisition War (BL chose that title, and it's not a good one as it raises expectations of the trilogy being something it's not) is an event that goes on in the background; but the story arc is not supposed to be about those things - it's really about an Inquisitor's descent into radicalism (written years before terms like puritan and radical entered the 40k canon) and how the conspiracy theories and everything else Jaq encounters push him down that road.



Looking at the trilogy with that in mind changes things for me; I always had this feeling that to a degree it was a fall from grace for Jaq, there are actually parts in which he makes no illusion of this. Seeing the idea confirmed by another is a help, because when you think about it the story of Eisenhorn is much the same, an inquisitor falls from grace and slowly becomes a radical.

Knowing that, and having always been armed with the knowledge that the trilogy has always been written regarding fluff many younger and newer readers/players have never seen before, it helps a great deal. Things will definitely be different when next I get the chance to read the trilogy again, as my collection of novels do not travel with me in their entirety...


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

kaled said:


> ...the first book...is far and away the best 40k novel.
> ...most of the newer novels are little more than war-porn, action sequences with a bit of plot to tie them together, whereas Ian's novels explore more philosophical issues as well as having the conspiracy theories and obligatory action bits.
> ...the style Ian Watson uses is very different that that of the newer authors....


The first book is good, but the others do tail off disappointingly. 

I think the problems with the series are the clash between "Ian Watson" and "war porn": Having read some of his non-40K books, Inquisition War is possibly his least cerebral book, so I wonder how much editing occurred to make the books more friendly to the core market.



kaled said:


> ...the trilogy is a bit of a whirlwind tour through the _Rogue Trader_ era background to the Imperium and manages to cover almost all of the early conspiracy theories and tie them together into a pretty good plot....


That I like less; I feel any one of the bits he picked up could have been a bigger plot.

The idea that so much of the background is all part of one big conspiracy takes away the feeling of multiple axis conflict and replaces it with right and wrong.




kaled said:


> ...I admit that when I first read it, I too was somewhat dissatified with the ending to the trilogy... reading it again with the benefit of a few more years experience I found it a lot more satisfying and although I can't say that I like the ending, I think it works rather well.


I agree that it is better the second time around; for me that is what makes it good, that I do want to reread it.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

The three books of the trilogy are totally aimless. It just follows a band of characters traveling the galaxy doing nothing. 

The short story between books 1 and 2 however, is REALLY good.


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## Warlock in Training (Jun 10, 2008)

I dont get it. 40k very motto is, In Grim Dark Futur There Is Only War, how does that not mean war porn? If Im reading a 40k Book there better be lots of epic battles with a good plot behind them, like Band of Brothers.


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## kaled (Jun 24, 2008)

Warlock in Training said:


> I dont get it. 40k very motto is, In Grim Dark Futur There Is Only War, how does that not mean war porn?


Why should it only mean war porn though? There are lots of 40k books that are simple (and mainly disappointingly formulaic) war porn. However, the war on the frontlines of a battlefield is only one aspect of war in the 41st millenium. What about the secret war fought for the Emperor's soul as featured in books like _Eisenhorn_? Or the war fought by the Arbites against those who break the laws of the Imperium as featured in books like _Legacy _and _Crossfire_? Or the war fought within the very soul of a servant of the Emperor as he realises the true depth of the conspiracies at the heart of the Imperium as in _The Inquisition War_? They're all valid looks at 'war' in the grim darkness of the far future - whether they're to your taste or not is a different matter...



> The short story between books 1 and 2 however, is REALLY good.


Both of the short stories are excellent in fact, but _Warped Stars _is the best 40k short story IMHO. In fact, I'd say that the trilogy is worth buying for that alone.


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