Mechanicum

[Dràyhèn]

It's very well written (duh it's Abnett, right?)

Wrong.

It's Graham McNeill.

[Raven Angel]

Its well worth the read and while the end soured a bit for me I don't really see how things could have turned out didfferently. Very good book :mellow:

[edinburger]

Hi there compleate and total NooooB here but been a long term reader and i have a question about Mechanicam. Is it true that the Mechanicum has only been in the Imperium for 200 years or so? Whats the story with the Mechanicum during the big E's grab for power on Terra with the other clans?

 

Thanks Guys :blink: :P

[Solid Zaku]

Actually, the Mechanicum has been around before there was an Imperium. During Old Night (aka, the Age of Strife), the Mechanicum stayed on Mars, working on technology and keeping their stuff largely in order. Terra, however, was stuck in techno-barbarism, and considered lightbulbs scary monsters and the like. Apparently, it hints that the Mechanicum tried a few times to take (or learn) the mechanical secrets hidden on Terra, but were often beaten back by the many warring factions of Terra. Then the Emperor came along, whipped Terra into shape, and offered the Mechanicum the technological secrets of Earth and sovereignty of all Forge Worlds in return for their aid in the Great Crusade. Bada boom, bada bing.

[Raven Angel]

Crap I want to reply but I can't find the BBCode for setting up spoilers and don't just want to put it in the open. Help please ^_^

[Raven Angel]

There is actual some evidence that befor the treaty of Olympus the Emperor actual fought off several Mecanicum incursions on Terra.

[Solid Zaku]

Wherein? I didn't catch any of that in Mechanicum.

[Raven Angel]

Ok fixed as noted

 

 

I belive the the Fabricator General remember this fact in some of his thoughts and it was one of the things he dispised about the Emperor. I don't have my copy infront of me right now but beleive it was in the same part where he's think that the treaty was forced on him as had he refused the Emperor would have just concored the planet any way.

 

[Tyrannicide]

Raven Angel - The spoiler tags can be found under the 'Insert Special Item' tab on the full reply screen.

 

I liked your review, though you gave away a few minor points to the story that could have used with a bit more spoilers or at least a warning, other than that good stuff! ;)

[saadeath]

i felt the same way at the start of fulgrim.

[chromedog]

I quite liked Mechanicum.

I've not finished any others of the Horus Heresy series though - I try not to read BL if I can avoid it.

True, there are a few good books in BL, but they are woefully outnumbered by the tripe of CS Goto et al.

[dark_claw]

i have been a mech nut for well over a year now and i have to say i really enjoyed the book, im doing an admech army for 40k and almost the entire thing is converted, the book give a great insight into the whole background of one of the biggest tech races of the 40k universe

[Ceardog]

I enjoyed Mechanicum I am actually almost finished reading it a second time. I found it interesting, and really i am not a very technical type person. The HH novel that took me forever to finish was Legion the whole behind the scenes thing seemed more like a large scale conspiracy theory book. The secret goings on made it different and I eventually enjoyed it immensely. If your having issues finishing or enjoying Mechanicum put it down for a while and restart it.

[DarKnight]

Ive been kinda hesitant to read it but I think Ill give it a try.

[Hergrmir]

I had no interest in the Mechanicum. I thought Knights were just kind of neat, and Titans were only just useful for something different in Epic. I thought there'd never be novel the BL would put out that wasn't at least 50% 'one-dimensional main character turns to a direction that involves a grisly enemy, swings his (never her!) far too well described weapon, and cleaves/chops/slices through one of said grisly enemy's body parts or another, with a little bit of gore splatter or screaming or shouting at the end.'

 

Mechanicum changed all that for me. I only bought it because I'm a completionist, and finally decided to get around to reading it. The first bit was slow going, getting used to the characters and who they were. Then it got going, and what I really love about it is that aside from having decent action (and for me that's hard, because I'll just skip most of hte action scenes in BL books) here were characters that were slightly more than one-dimensional. Particularly Cavalerio and Kane - both of these characters were peppered with little quirks and thoughts that had nothing to do with their roles in the story, but the fact that they had such screentime showed that they were rounded.

 

It had everything - grand betrayals, glorious last stands, character development, small-time little mundane things like Severine's attraction to Jonas or Rho-Mu 31's joking, and some pretty badass action scenes. I also like that you really got a sense that the Imperium might have actually been worth defending from what Zeth was doing - unlike a lot of the HH books (which I still enjoy), Mechanicum gives you glimpses of what could have been. Abyss's weapons rack servitor was just the latest in a long line of bits that had me convinced the 31st millenium wasn't really any better than the 41st, but Mechanicum suggests otherwise.

[Brother Irenik]

chromedog you have got to read the other HH books! They're awesome! I need to get Fallen Angels and then The Burning of Prospero when it comes out.

[Solid Zaku]

Aww, c'mon Herg, where's the Sister love in 'Faith 'n Fire'? Plenty of heretics purged in that one.

 

But on a more serious note, Mechanicum was a bit of a techno-babbling drag until Horus' envoy started having fun with the Fab. Gen. I was rocking back and forth in my chair absolutely giddy when the scrapcode started to flow.

 

I was rather disappointed how the Kaban Machine was turned from basically Johnny 5 with a plasma cannon in the self-titled short in the Collected Visions book, to basically a bloodthirster with a plasma cannon in the next. Not much in the way of character progression in what could have been a helluva character.

 

Oh yeah, and Space Marines, for like two paragraphs. Basically, you start really NOT liking Astartes by the end of this one.

[Veteran Sgt. Valour]

So, nearly a year later, and I still haven't finished the book. I just found it the other day, tucked in my nightstand. I looked it over and thought to myself, "Let me go see if there is any further compelling argument to finish this". Sure enough, there is. Thanks for all the insights, encouragement, viewpoints, etc. I am going to pick it back up (after I finish Rynn's World), and will be sure to post here with what I think when done.

[JohnGrammaticus]

I haven't read Mechanicum yet and plus i couldn't get it because it hasn't really caught my interests yet.

[Veteran Sgt. Valour]

OK, just finished Mechanicum last night. I have to say, not my favorite of the Horus Heresy books. Long stretches of boring parts, followed by what seemed to me to be rushed combat sequences told in a style that was, I don't know... odd? Someone earlier said the ending had a twist... I think the ending stunk. The whole sub-plot about the "dragon", seemed invented half-way through the book, and had very little bearing on the story, in my opinion. Maybe there is more to it, but I didn't recognize any of it... and I am somewhat familiar with the history of the 40K universe.

 

The best part to me was the few brief pages of Rogal Dorn striding through the Emperor's palace, dreaming about ways to make it stronger... and of course his mention of the two lost Legions.

 

By far this was my least favorite book in the series so far, but I am glad to have finished it for completion sake.

[Aurelius Rex]

While I found that it was by no means a great book, I found it far more readable than most books by McNeill. I could finish it, and after faltering at Fulgrim after just one repetition of 'perfection' too many, I found it much better. Don't even get me started on 'Dead Sky, Black Sun...'

 

The Dragon / C'tan is a sub-plot which has bubbled along in the background since Codex Necrons for nearly a decade now, and has been mentioned many times on the B&C and elsewhere. It was nice to get a bit more examination of this aspect, and I thought it was one of the best parts of the book. :)

 

The ending was odd, but then- rightly or wrongly - as a part of an ongoing series this set of books often ends without reaching a satisfying conclusion.

[mob16151]

I quite liked Mechanicum.

I've not finished any others of the Horus Heresy series though - I try not to read BL if I can avoid it.

True, there are a few good books in BL, but they are woefully outnumbered by the tripe of CS Goto et al.

 

 

If you decide to get into the HH. I'd recommend Tales of Heresy, as your next pick. It does a nice job of shining alittle light on some of the Unification war's, and the Custodes.

[Veteran Sgt. Valour]

The Dragon / C'tan is a sub-plot which has bubbled along in the background since Codex Necrons for nearly a decade now...

 

Interesting. I wish I had known The Dragon was a C'tan... I did not make that connection. Having never read the Necron codex or spent any time on their background, it was not apparent to me.

 

It still doesn't change my impression of the book. But at least that makes a little more sense now. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Machine God]

I read all the books in order but while waiting for Mechanicum to be released I picked up a copy of Dan Abnett's 'Titanicus'. Despite what others thought it I found it full of action and could barely put it down. When Mechanicum then hit the shelves it (Mech) made so much more sense to me.

 

Wait, people didn't like Titanicus??? That book was amazing, I could hardly put it down. In fact I think I read it in 2 sittings.

What, it took you two sittings? Damn, I finished Titanicus in just under five hours. Started reading at three pm, paused to have dinner and finished in time to catch a movie later that night. Mind you, it only took me a single weekend to finish Lord of the Rings. Awesome book by the way.

 

So You took 2 sittings to read it also!!! You took a break for fuel!

 

It wasn't a "Just one more Chapter Book!"

[Monstra Sumus]

Someone put somewhere back on the first page, and i'm lazy, its late.

 

Their point was about the chaotic side of the Mechanicum calling themselves the Dark Mechanicum as if they were in the wrong and evil. Well yeah, its a bit stereotyped but its a McNeil book.

 

Whilst enjoyable, he does have a horrible tendancy to Black and White everything. Dark Mechanicum with evil bionic monocles and twiddly dastardly metallic moustaches abound!