The Infinite and The Divine (Warhammer 40,000)

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Trazyn and Orikan have been enemies for millennia, but when Orikan steals the Astrarium Mysterios from Trazyn's collection, believing it to be the key to unlocking an ancient power, the two are dragged into direct conflict. Orikan's work is clearly derived from mathematics - he deals in 'astral algorithms', 'algebraic poetry' and 'cryptomantic equations'. Throughout the novel, we see these different forms of knowledge in competition, as each adapts to the others strengths and weaknesses. As an author, he's known for working with the publisher Black Library, writing fiction set in the worlds of Warhammer. As riddles unwind and ancient secrets are revealed, the question remains: will their feud save the necron race or destroy it?

Published in 2020, the novel follows two Necron lords, Trazyn the Infinite, a collector of ancient artifacts, and Orikan the Diviner, a powerful chronomancer.But when an artefact emerges that may hold the key to the necrons' next evolution, these two obsessives enter a multi-millennia game of cat and mouse that ends civilisations, reshapes timelines, and changes both forever. Though he can appreciate something of Orikan's particular skill, he can't even attempt to replicate it.

This scholastic rivalry is based not just on imagined Necron society, but also the same kind of dynamics that fuel competing theories of knowledge today. As riddles unwind and ancient secrets are revealed, the question remains: will their feud save the necron race, or destroy it? the first time we see him make use of it in the book, he's in the process of unlocking one of Trazyn's locked museum doors, rewinding whenever the security system is about to desintegrate him. Indeed, it's noted that except for the small detail of being made into undead robot murder machines, any actual fight between them would have been laughable more than anything else - they are best suited for mental rather than physical competition.By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Think ambushes, assassination attempts, sneaky time manipulation, technological wonders and ancient melodrama resulting in a few impressively madcap action set-pieces (including battles against dinosaurs, just for that added bit of fun).

If one of these ridiculous fanatics actually found a species for us to transfer our consciousness to. After Orikan steals the Astrarium Mysterios from Trazyn’s galleries on Solemnace, their enmity escalates into a deadly feud as, over the course of millennia, each attempts to outdo the other in pursuit of the ancient artifact and the power (or in Trazyn’s case, the collectible history) they hope it can unlock.However, there is one aspect of the book's core themes that hasn't really been highlighted here before as far as I can see, so I decided to break my 'lurking only' rule to share some thoughts. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Interestingly, when they confront the matter of their conflicting memories, they speculate these memory alterations were done deliberately by the C'tan to stoke rivalries among the newly forged Necrons in an effort to control the more intelligent ones. There is a slight irony, of course, that the 'Infinite' - quite the mathematical concept - refers to the humanities Necronities scholar, while the 'Divine' - a rather spiritual term - is the scientist.