Vassakov Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 So, I've got my shiny new copy of Tales of Heresy, a compliation of short stories set around the heresy. First thing I'll say is the book overall is pretty good, Abnett and McNeill are on top form with Blood Games and The Last Church. But, there is a treat for the Son's of Russ as well - Wolf at the Door. And believe me guys, it makes up for Battle for the Abyss where we're all basically barbarians who shout and drink a lot - I mean, we do, but we're so much more than that. We pick up the tale with Bulveye, Wolf Lord of the 13th Great Company - who are those who followed Russ before the Emperor cames to Fenris, and ascended to the ranks of the Astartes. Because of this, they are known by the other Wolves as the Greybeards, but call themselves the Wolf Brothers ( :blink: ) It focuses on the end of a 7 year campaign to bring a sub sector to compliance - with the captial world conquered, they recieve a message from Russ - to assemble the VI Legion at Telkara, before making roads to Prospero... However, Bulveye's work is not yet complete - a final planet remains. However, it has a secret... The planet is frequently subjected to Dark Eldar raids, and the planetary senate has given in and offers human sacrifices to them. The Wolves are ambushed by the DE and their ship destroyed. The remaining Wolves under Bulveye launch a guerilla war against the DE and forge a shakey alliance with a group of natives who also want the DE gone - entirely understandably. The book also has one of the most bitter endings I've ever read. Basically, you're getting a recommendation from me - hopefully we'll see more of this from Prospero Burns but for now it's an excellent little read. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Mage Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Sweet, Ill have to pick up a copy of that. Thank you! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919089 Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEFF4i Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Its out!? Ahhhhh, gotta go get it! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919410 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Bjoern Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I´m glad that i pre-ordered it. It should be arriving soon. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919433 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vassakov Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Aye, it is out. I have noticed that some of the BL releases have been hit and miss with recent novels though - for example, I got Battle for the Abyss over a month before it was "supposed" to be out, but Mechanicum was right on the money...? As for the story itself, it's well written and puts a slightly different spin of the Wolves - not barbarians, but not regimented warriors of the slightly naive packs of the Ragnar series - Bulveye is portrayed as an old, perhaps slightly tired warrior. Still lethal and honourable, but not a hot headed psycho which is how the SW in BftA came across. My only real criticism is that Mike Lee (the author) appears to have got his research mixed up. Although Bulveye is said to be the 13th Companies Lord, it was my belief that Jorin Bloodfang held this title. Furthermore, the reference to the Wolf Brothers appears to be thrown in haphazardly and the Wulfen is nowhere to be seen... perhaps a Rune Priest can correct me? Don't mistake me, it's still excellent - just slightly head scratching. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919446 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Bjoern Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Aye, it is out. I have noticed that some of the BL releases have been hit and miss with recent novels though - for example, I got Battle for the Abyss over a month before it was "supposed" to be out, but Mechanicum was right on the money...? As for the story itself, it's well written and puts a slightly different spin of the Wolves - not barbarians, but not regimented warriors of the slightly naive packs of the Ragnar series - Bulveye is portrayed as an old, perhaps slightly tired warrior. Still lethal and honourable, but not a hot headed psycho which is how the SW in BftA came across. My only real criticism is that Mike Lee (the author) appears to have got his research mixed up. Although Bulveye is said to be the 13th Companies Lord, it was my belief that Jorin Bloodfang held this title. Furthermore, the reference to the Wolf Brothers appears to be thrown in haphazardly and the Wulfen is nowhere to be seen... perhaps a Rune Priest can correct me? Don't mistake me, it's still excellent - just slightly head scratching. Don´t know what to make out of Bulveye. Old sources talked about Jorin Bloodfang others of Hirkon Grail (WD article about the Lost Companies from May 2000) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919461 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Lord Mjolnir Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Hi guys, Picked my book up on Saturday from GW. Must say I am not really impressed with the SW story. Would have been good to have some Wulfen in there. ISn't Bulveye the very same lord that turns up the latest Ragnar novel? If this is the case I would say the 13th Legion have been retconed. I suppose it is a short story though so you have to remember that when comparing it to full novels that can include more detail and fluff. Mjol Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919555 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfBitten Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I enjoyed it. I especially liked the portrayal of Bulveye as the almost reluctant, but utterly devastating, warrior that really was doing what he considers best for mankind as a whole. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919561 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vassakov Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Hi guys, Picked my book up on Saturday from GW. Must say I am not really impressed with the SW story. Would have been good to have some Wulfen in there. ISn't Bulveye the very same lord that turns up the latest Ragnar novel? If this is the case I would say the 13th Legion have been retconed. I suppose it is a short story though so you have to remember that when comparing it to full novels that can include more detail and fluff. Mjol Bloody hell... yeah, I think your right. The 13th are being retconned. Let's see what the new Dex brings, but it ain't looking good lads. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919571 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ra1stl1n Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Don´t know what to make out of Bulveye. Old sources talked about Jorin Bloodfang others of Hirkon Grail (WD article about the Lost Companies from May 2000) Well besides GW loving to mess up the story,since the 13th company of that era was not some great company it most probably had more than one "wolf lord" in the sense of captains in it since at the time Russ was there and all answered to him imo. Also Bulveye was the lord of the warriors in the 13th warrior(so i guess he got put into the 13th company) and seeing that the novel came before 40k i guess they could have had him there way before. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919585 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperion Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I enjoyed it. Nice and bleak at the end. Pity about the shameless name-plundering (Bulveye is a King of the Northmen in The 13 Warrior). Couldn't the author at least have picked one of the other Northmen, instead of being so blatant? This kind of name-dropping really detracts from the story for me. And is another irritation about GW's IP stance - if they are so concerned then why do they blatantly rip everyone else off. Whoever owns Michael Crichton's IP should be rather annoyed right now. I wondered about the wulfen issue - there was the suggestion that they all succumbed to the beast within during the fighting. Maybe we'll find out that the radiation damage has meant the next time they change they won't change back, or something similar? I suspect that they will all become full wulfen, and therefore Bulveye (sigh!) will not be Captain for the whole of the Heresy. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919592 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendrik Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 bulveye appears in wolfs' honour and says he's the axe man of the Russ p 304 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919645 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durfast Spiritwolf Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I believe that "Buliwyf" (pronounced Bulvi) was the character in 13th Warrior and that name, and indeed the whole story, was drawn from Beowulf. The word does have Norse routes as Bulvikis Bay and Bulvikis Headland are both found on the Lithuanian coast and are the only place names in Lithuania with the words "Bolja" (norse "wave") and "vik" (norse "gulf") in the title and may well be named after an old Norse settlement sited nearby that took advantage of the natural harbour there that lay along the viking river trading routes to Byzantium. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1919854 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrolleif Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Definetly going to have to pick it up now. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1920245 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Mage Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 They arent being retconned... there were many wolf lords. While we werent quite the same as other legions we still had battalion command style structures right? So amidst each of the 13 "companies" would be several battalions.... bulveye is one such wolf lord. Or does he have nearly a thousand troops with him? There were after all over 10k space wolves during the great crusade. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1920308 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vassakov Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 To be honest, I'm not sure Grey Mage. The story alludes to a multiplanet campaign in its closing stages. When the message comes through to rally the Company and procede to Prospero, Bulveye gives the order and then sets off on this "adventure." It certainly seems to suggest that he had the 13th Great Company with him, but perhaps I've misinterpreted it. Either way, no mention of the Wulfen is made so it's entirely possible that the auther just got confused. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1920730 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ra1stl1n Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Well in the Ragnar series he most certainly didnt have a great company of the time at his command,more like 30-40 bodies (wulfen included) and i really dont think that's all that's left of the 13th company. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1920782 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beef Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 PEople you need to rememebr Legions then were huge, Each great company could have been anything from 5000 SW to 10.000 warriors strong. Each great company would have cpatains or Wolf Lords and be commanding squads the size of great companies now. So the 13th could in fact have lots of Wolf lords leading parts of it with over all command with Jorin bloodfang. Just think of it as the SW chapter as it is now was basically one of the great companies, Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985547 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLΠFLY Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 The story does not explain about 13th Company members that go Wulfen but it does possibly provide some clues in regards to the very high levels of radiation they are exposed to while on the planet. No mention is made of Rune Priests gating or why this company went off alone. Bulveye does come across as very headstrong and independent, even moreso than your typical Space Wolf. I found it very interesting that they refer to themselves as the Wolf Brothers in the beginning of the story. Jorin Bloodfang could simply be a Wolf Lord that came before or after Bulveye. 0b :sweat: Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985564 Share on other sites More sharing options...
clanfield Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 its still a damn fine story and i for one realy like bulvi and his boys ,for once it showed the sons of russ as more than a bunch of drunken barbarians ,the ending was very sad but utterly brilliant im sure well see thease boys again in prospero burns Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985702 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaveriK Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 The story does not explain about 13th Company members that go Wulfen but it does possibly provide some clues in regards to the very high levels of radiation they are exposed to while on the planet. No mention is made of Rune Priests gating or why this company went off alone. Bulveye does come across as very headstrong and independent, even moreso than your typical Space Wolf. I found it very interesting that they refer to themselves as the Wolf Brothers in the beginning of the story. Jorin Bloodfang could simply be a Wolf Lord that came before or after Bulveye. 0b :) Rune Priest didn't acquire the ability of gating until they were in the eye for some time. It was said that the warp, unlocked certain abilities that the Rune Priest harnessed and acquired to guide the 13th from the peril of the Eye of Terror. So there wouldnt be any reason as to why Rune Priest would know how to prior to the burning of Prospero. It has been explained why this company went off alone in the short story, Bulveye told his men several times why they had to stay. He had to honour his oath and follow through, it was the Fenrisian way. Space Wolves don't and can't over look something so minimal as to leave a world unattended when the conquest of mankind sent forth by the Emperor was to unite humanity. It was their duty to the Allfather and an oath taken. All Space Wolves come off across as very headstrong and independent, and Bulveye is no exception. Since he was the main character and focus of the short story, then of course he would seem allot more so than your typical other Space Wolf. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985708 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLΠFLY Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Often GW uses short stories to introduce main characters that will appear in novels such as Ciaphius Caine and Uriel Ventrius. 0b :) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985718 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLΠFLY Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 If the warp unlocked the ability to gate then can we assume the rune priest has been corrupted? 0b Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985723 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaveriK Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 If the warp unlocked the ability to gate then can we assume the rune priest has been corrupted? 0b Any Space Marine is susceptible to corruption from Chaos. You might as well say the entire 13th Great Company has been corrupted, it just depends on how you look at it, and a little common sense. Just keep in mind, even after decades inside the Eye of Terror they are still the only loyal warriors fighting traitor marines in the Eye of Terror. Wulfen or not, they are still loyal to their oaths, loyal to Russ and the Emperor so are they corrupted? have they been? maybe other factions in the Imperium may think so, but really... are they? you tell me. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985741 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK BLΠFLY Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 I asked the question first young pup. 0b Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/163294-wolf-at-the-door/#findComment-1985775 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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