The Magos

The Magos is structured differently from the three novels that preceded it: it combines a collection of shorter Eisenhorn stories — some previously published, some new — with a novel-length investigation that connects them. The result is something closer to a career retrospective, covering cases and moments that span a significant portion of the Inquisitor's working life.

The anchor narrative follows Eisenhorn as he pursues the enigmatic figure known only as the Magos, a figure whose identity and purpose carry implications stretching back decades. Abnett uses this investigation to revisit corners of the setting that the trilogy did not have room to explore, while keeping the same character voice that readers will recognise from the earlier books.

What sets The Magos apart from a simple anthology is that the connecting tissue matters. The shorter pieces are not filler; they illuminate aspects of Eisenhorn's history that change how the reader understands the events of Xenos, Malleus, and Hereticus. Abnett is deliberately adding context rather than just adding pages.

The Magos is primarily for readers who have finished the original trilogy and want more time with a character they already know. It is not the right starting point for the series, but for dedicated readers of the Eisenhorn and Ravenor universe, it delivers material that only a writer with full command of his creation could produce.