Iron Warriors Novel...

[Ju'kosian]

Just finished Skull Harvest: Somebody punch Housou please, it made me twitch.

well if he keeps going like he does, he'll get punched and worse :D

I mean he let a low-life retarted Ultramarine exile and a bunch of other rejects enter his keep (while there were 2 companies besieging him) and then got almost his ass handed back to him.. seriously..

 

Forrix or the 'warmsith' would have dealt with those a long time ago..

I hope they both die.. Ventris AND Honsou. so that maybe a Real Iron warrior can lead those iron warriors instead of that halfblood..

[Walter Payton]

Just finished Skull Harvest: Somebody punch Housou please, it made me twitch.

well if he keeps going like he does, he'll get punched and worse ;)

I mean he let a low-life retarted Ultramarine exile and a bunch of other rejects enter his keep (while there were 2 companies besieging him) and then got almost his ass handed back to him.. seriously..

 

Forrix or the 'warmsith' would have dealt with those a long time ago..

I hope they both die.. Ventris AND Honsou. so that maybe a Real Iron warrior can lead those iron warriors instead of that halfblood..

 

Here here! Iron within, Iron without!

[minigun762]

I buy it as soon as possible. As other have said, you like it you keep it, you don't you could sell it on. Nothing to loss really & the art work we seen in the preview is brillaint

 

Ok you win, I broke down and bought it. Only 375 left when I was done.

 

I'll try to hide the $70 book from the fiance haha. :D

 

EDIT: oh and I'm definitely in the camp of "let them both die"

[Iron-Daemon Forge]

Has anyone else got there copy yet (those that order it on the release last week). Just though with the P&P price it would have arrive sooner than later.

 

IP

[Brother Nihm]

I'm guessing that we're paying for the artwork, # of pages and quality of print - not the speed with which it is delivered. :lol:

[Ju'kosian]

I'm guessing that we're paying for the artwork, # of pages and quality of print - not the speed with which it is delivered. :(

Like most of the times with GW :lol:

[Brother Nihm]

I'm guessing that we're paying for the artwork, # of pages and quality of print - not the speed with which it is delivered. :)

Like most of the times with GW <_<

It's not bad really, it just arrived today. In total, seven days delivery time from the UK to Denmark.

 

The book is a lot smaller than I expected (based on the photo) though. 95 pages, but still quite thick due to the way they did the binding. It also stands just a wee bit higher than the average BL book.

[Ju'kosian]

Wasn't at home today..have to work offcourse... So I'll have to wait untill next week..

Any hints on what happens brother nihm :-)

[Iron-Daemon Forge]

I'm guessing that we're paying for the artwork, # of pages and quality of print - not the speed with which it is delivered. :)

Like most of the times with GW :(

It's not bad really, it just arrived today. In total, seven days delivery time from the UK to Denmark.

 

The book is a lot smaller than I expected (based on the photo) though. 95 pages, but still quite thick due to the way they did the binding. It also stands just a wee bit higher than the average BL book.

 

Mine still not turn up after being in the house all day due to the snow weather :lol: Hopeful it arrive tomorrow afternoon or Thur moring. Though codex Blood Angels did arrive :D

 

How many pagies are art work Nihm & care to say who/what the art work are on (bar the once we seen on the preview of course)

 

IP

[Brother Nihm]

@Ju'kosian

The IW plan to assault a Star Fort. :rolleyes:

 

@Insane Psychopath

There's about 18 pages with small illustrations and text. Then there's 8 full pages with large illustrations.

They depict Honsou, a Daemon Prince, Vaanes, Grendel, The Newborn, Adept Cycerin, schematics of a Ramilies class Star Fort and an Iron Warrior Battle Barge called Warbreed.

[Iron-Daemon Forge]

Just got my books that 5.25pm there, chaos gods favour me :rolleyes: 273 & 274.

 

Art work is really nice. New born not how I exspected him in term of looks but it nice to finial see these fellow Iron Warriors in such brillaint art work IMO :)

 

Now to wait 18 more days until I get my hands on Chapter Due (pre-release that Conflict Scotland).

 

IP

[Ju'kosian]

a Daemon prince ?? could/would that be The Warsmith ?? :lol:

[Gree]

Some spoilers ahead.

 

 

Honsou and his forces are freeing M'Kar the Reborn, the Daemon Prince mentioned in the Marine Codex. Calgar was unable to slay him so he had the Librarians bind him into a Star Fort. Honsou and his forces are invading the fort to free M'kar. This really solves the problem of Honsou planning to invade Ultramar with a mere 17,000 warriors. M'kar has a huge daemon army at his command.

 

 

Awesome book, that was money well spent.

[Narkjin]

a Daemon prince ?? could/would that be The Warsmith ?? :lol:

 

 

Then he lost his wings...I cannot find them @the artwork ;)

[Rain]

@ Gree

 

Hmm, that's interesting to know. I didn't buy the book myself because the price seems a bit inflated shall we say for a 90 page novella and some artwork. Especially as one of the pictures in the preview has an Iron Warrior with a mohawk. Yeah... Oh and it doesn't matter how many minions Honsou invades Ultramar with he will still lose because the Ultras have 2+ plot armor saves and plot feel no pain. You just can't match that.

 

Which is of course for the best because nothing amuses me like Ultramarines killing an Imperial Fist and his wacky gang of friends. That's what you get for being an IW fan I guess, your legion is given to a guy that makes the central character a bloody Imperial Fist.

[Gree]

@ Gree

 

Hmm, that's interesting to know. I didn't buy the book myself because the price seems a bit inflated shall we say for a 90 page novella and some artwork. Especially as one of the pictures in the preview has an Iron Warrior with a mohawk.

 

Cadras Grendel has been described as having a mohawk for years now.

 

Yeah... Oh and it doesn't matter how many minions Honsou invades Ultramar with he will still lose because the Ultras have 2+ plot armor saves and plot feel no pain. You just can't match that.

 

I don't doubt Ventris's victory, but I can be quite certain the Ultramarines won't get away unscathed.

 

Which is of course for the best because nothing amuses me like Ultramarines killing an Imperial Fist and his wacky gang of friends. That's what you get for being an IW fan I guess, your legion is given to a guy that makes the central character a bloody Imperial Fist.

 

Honsou is only half-Fist actually. But his blood is quite irevelant as the novella makes it quite clear that he is pure Iron Warrior.

 

Honsou........He is truely the most dynamic Iron Warrior I have seen. Comparing his actions to the Traitor Legions is intresting. Honsou did not fight in the Heresy, but was evalated after the war, yet none can deny his hatred for the Imperium. Yet at the same time Honsou directs more importance to his own goals. He does not want to sit on Merangard and spent the rest of his life in the fortress. He is the dynamic side of the Chaos Marines, he wants to move out and do things (Made fairly clear by his line in Skull Harvest about destroying fortresses) He is a uniter, working alongside chaos marines and renagades of all sorts to acheive his goals. Honsou has vision of how to pursue the Long War, a cold fire of detrimination that Forrix only gained at the end of Storm of Iron.

 

Honsou is probably my second favourite Chaos marine character for this reason. He gives fire to the Iron Warriors.

[Walter Payton]

second favourite Chaos Marine character

 

Who is the first?

[Gree]

second favourite Chaos Marine character

 

Who is the first?

 

Talos, who else?

[Ju'kosian]

second favourite Chaos Marine character

 

Who is the first?

 

Talos, who else?

:rolleyes: :lol:

 

too bad it isn't the Warsmith.. M'kar the reborn, I think he's mentioned in the Space marine codex is he not ??

I think it's safe for me to guess that the final will be in the next Ultramarine novel, chapter's due ??

 

The ultramarines will probably be victorious.. So guess we'll can say our goodbye's to Honsou :)

and hopefully to Ventris as well

[Gree]

second favourite Chaos Marine character

 

Who is the first?

 

Talos, who else?

:rolleyes: :lol:

 

too bad it isn't the Warsmith.. M'kar the reborn, I think he's mentioned in the Space marine codex is he not ??

I think it's safe for me to guess that the final will be in the next Ultramarine novel, chapter's due ??

 

The ultramarines will probably be victorious.. So guess we'll can say our goodbye's to Honsou :)

and hopefully to Ventris as well

 

McNeill has said this is the end of the arc, not the series. Or at least's that's what I heard.

[minigun762]

Mine arrived today. 5 day shipping considering on the west coast of the US isn't too bad at all.

 

It is ALOT smaller then I imagined.

[Rain]

Sorry but I disagree about Honsou Gree, partially for the reasons you cited actually, but mostly for the following: the drama of the CSM's is largely created from the fact that they are traitors, Honsou is not a traitor. Most CSM's at one point threw away all that they fought and bled for in order to gain something that they never did gain and have therefore been driven into madness, cynicism, and self-destruction. Honsou was presumably just some slave or cultist that managed to survive the trials and became a marine, he never betrayed anything, Chaos is all that he knows, he is loyal for the sake of loyalty, just like the Imperial Fists. This to me makes him boring, he also seems to believe that Chaos is mankind's salvation or somesuch which sounds like something a Word Bearer would think. Which brings me to--

 

Honsou does not behave like I imagine IW to behave. Now I understand that everyone has their own image and blah blah but this is really annoying because both Forrix and the Warsmith behave exactly like I always imagined IW's behaving, and even Krueger fits well, making it almost seem purposeful. As you yourself said, he is a uniter, and that is very against the IW ethos. The IW have always been suspicious, skeptical, and distrustful, and like to keep to themselves, trusting no-one else. Hell, ADB's Night Lords have more "IW features" to me then Honsou as they are constantly shown to distrust not only the BL, but even each other. The united legion is the Black Legion and if Honsou was a BL character it would all make sense, but he isn't and it doesn't.

[Gree]

Sorry but I disagree about Honsou Gree, partially for the reasons you cited actually, but mostly for the following: the drama of the CSM's is largely created from the fact that they are traitors, Honsou is not a traitor. Most CSM's at one point threw away all that they fought and bled for in order to gain something that they never did gain and have therefore been driven into madness, cynicism, and self-destruction. Honsou was presumably just some slave or cultist that managed to survive the trials and became a marine, he never betrayed anything, Chaos is all that he knows, he is loyal for the sake of loyalty, just like the Imperial Fists. This to me makes him boring, he also seems to believe that Chaos is mankind's salvation or somesuch which sounds like something a Word Bearer would think. Which brings me to--

 

Honsou does not behave like I imagine IW to behave. Now I understand that everyone has their own image and blah blah but this is really annoying because both Forrix and the Warsmith behave exactly like I always imagined IW's behaving, and even Krueger fits well, making it almost seem purposeful. As you yourself said, he is a uniter, and that is very against the IW ethos. The IW have always been suspicious, skeptical, and distrustful, and like to keep to themselves, trusting no-one else. Hell, ADB's Night Lords have more "IW features" to me then Honsou as they are constantly shown to distrust not only the BL, but even each other. The united legion is the Black Legion and if Honsou was a BL character it would all make sense, but he isn't and it doesn't.

 

That's why Honsou is truly interesting for me. He is like the new hip look of the Iron Warriors, he himself sees himself as the one to carry that hatred of the Emperor, while he beleivs that Forrix fell into stagnation and forgot that.

 

Nihm edit: From the rules gentlemen: ABSOLUTELY NO OFF-TOPIC DISCUSSIONS. Particularly in regards to politics, nationalism, religion, moral/ethical debates.

[robertsjf]

He is like the <snip> of the Iron Warriors........that's probably a poor example. :tu:

Nihm edit: same as the above.

[Gree]

I'll post a bigger review now.

 

 

This novella had a pair of short stories before this, in Planetkill and Heroes of the Space Marines, detailing what Honsou and his merry band of Chaos Marines were doing between the events of Dead Sky, Black Sun, and Chapter’s Due.

 

The illustrations and various side pictures are quite cool, although Vaanes looks like he is fat, Honsou looks like an old man and the Newborn not like Ventris at all. Cadaras Grendal was on the mark though. We do get an excellent view of a Ramilles class starfort, something very awesome, as well as the Warbreed, an Iron Warriors battle barge.

 

Previously, Honsou gathered an army of pirates and renegades to attack Ultramar. Pursuing knowledge taken from the ancient books from his old fortress he strikes off to a distant planet.

 

The planet is a remote, forsaken wind-blasted place. The descriptions here are quite interesting, with the paint blown off the Iron Warrior’s armor. Here Honsou seeks a seer called Moriana, who advised Abbadon during the Gothic War (Note, he refers to Horus as ‘’Luprecal’’ a nice Heresy reference)

 

Here he meets Moriana, an old crone who talks with Honsou about M’kar the Reborn, a daemon prince mentioned in the 2998 Marine codex. Honsou plans to free the daemon, as he hates the Ultramarines even more than Honsou does, and would make an obvious ally.

 

(Here we learnt that the newborn, the Ventris clone is coming apart, in other words destabilizing, I’ll talk about that later on in the review.)

 

Anyway we next see introductions to Altarion, an Ultramarines Dreadnought who is somewhat delusional, Oltantor, an Ultramarines 5th Company sergeant and Siblya, a member of the Inquisition.

 

These characters are fairly forgettable, all of them dying by the end of the novella, but Altarion manages to be quite endearing with his fits of insanity in between scenes. Siblya seems fairly cool as well, with her personal guard of Elite Guardsmen.

 

Anyway Honsou’s fleet attacks the Starfort, after being aided by sorcery I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty details of the battle, save that they are very well written and it’s WWI IN SPACE……literally. The actions scenes are punchy and very in spirit to the 40k universe, it feel natural and flows quite well.

 

McNeill seems to enjoy writing siege scenes, as we have a fairly big chunk devoted to describing the construction of fortifications and the preparations for a siege on the Indomitable.

 

It’s rushed in some places, but that’s to be expected considering how short the novella is meant to be. Out of them all I enjoyed Vaanes scenes the most, something about my love of ninjas I guess. Honsou comes close to death but comes out kicking ass as usual and Grendal is pretty much the brute killer as usual.

 

I did like out McNeill dropped hits about the Corsair Queen and the Ogryns, as well as referencing the Berserkers that appeared in Skull Harvest. Votheer Tark‘s war machines were quite good as well, it’s nice to see the daemonic war machine side of Chaos explored in greater detail.

 

I also like how Honsou is portrayed as pure Iron Warrior in spirit, despite his mixed heritage. He has absolutely no love for the Emperor and is an Iron Warrior to the bone, but different in some ways.

 

Eventually Honsou and his band of merry warriors make it to the end, kill the Ultramarines and the Interrogator and free M’kar who comes out in an explosive fashion. Excitingly they fight an Eversor assassin , in probably the coolest scene in the book. The Newborn really gets to shine here.

 

Notha Estassy dies though, fighting the assassin, which is a pity, considering how much I liked his character in his short appearance. He seems quite humorous and appealing with his androgynous manner. I thought McNeill would keep him alive until Chapter’ Due, but I guess I was wrong.

 

In the end it’s clearly set up for the events of Chapter’s Due. I’d like to make a prediction that one of Honsou’s followers betrays him in the books. Most likely it will be the Newborn.

 

We already have McNeill foreshadowing this at the end of Skull Harvest with Huron Blackheart warning Honsou of betrayal. This, provided with Vaanes’s nostalgia in Iron Warrior leads me to believe that either the Newborn or Vaanes will betray Honsou.

 

In all 9/10.