Dead men walking, the necrons weren't the villains.

[The silent but deadly king]

I just read this novel that had the necrons as 'villains' and i must say that it was pretty clear the necrons were more civilized and humane than the imperium was.

[Jings]

Necrons were less villains, more just a "force of nature" in that book if I remember right. This was oldcron lore where they were single-minded beep boops just going round killing :cuss for kicks. But they were still going around chopping up people and "eating" them so not exactly humane or civilized. They just wanted the humies off their lawn.