Lucifer216 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 If you’ve not read the previous novels in Aaron Dembski-Bowdens’ excellent trilogy about the bitter and battleworn remnants of what once was the Night Lords 10th company yet, you’ve been missing out of some of the finest work to come from the Black Library. Void Stalker continues the story of Talos and his curiously likeable band of amoral transhuman killing machines with the same quality we’ve come to expect from ABD. However, the first half of the book does suffer to some extent from “seen it before syndrome” with a number of events feeling like they’re retreading old ground. I also was somewhat nonplussed by the culmination of a duel between Xarl and a <deleted by order of the Ordo Spoilus> as a more physically feasible, but equally desperate means of turning the tables, might have worked better. The only other issue I had with the book is Talos' character development; his change of heart seemed somewhat abrupt and the reasons for it didn't feel particularly clear or convincing. That said, I admit that I read books extremely quickly and it may be that with a second reading, I'll have a better understanding of his choices. With those relatively minor complaints aside, Void Stalker throws a number of great curve-balls at the reader, and I was left actually feeling sorry for Uzas, who had previously been one of the least likable characters in the series. The use of foreshadowing is very well done and the ending, which serves as a new beginning as much as it brings the tale to an end strikes a wonderful balance between sacrifice, loss and the promise of rebirth, while giving table-top Night Lords enthusiasts great ideas for a 13th Black Crusade campaign… I suspect that one of the tensions ADB might have experienced is the conflict between the reader's emotional attachment to Talos and his band and the desire to see them succeed and the fact that success without loss is not in the spirit of the Grim Darkness of the far future. I think ADB gets the balance absolutely right in this regard. On a related note, Void Stalker continues to emphasis that although Chaos Space Marines might on average have more experience than their loyalist kin, they suffer from their comparative ill-disciple, keeping the performance of the protagonists well grounded and keeping true to the spirit of the setting. The Eldar are also handled very well and take a suitable toll on the Night Lords, in a manner that makes both sides come off well. The kill count might have been slightly higher than some might like, but the overall feel comes off as being very balanced. The human characters, in particular the relationship between Septimus and Octavia work well to highlight the differences between humanity and the Chaos Marines, without stealing the limelight. I suspect the author drew a lot from his experiences as an expectant father and I wonder how much that influenced their eventual fate… All in all, I have a few niggles, but on the whole, Void Stalker is a greatly satisfying conclusion to an epic trilogy, which in my view has done for the Night Lords what Eisenhorn and Ravenor did for the Inquisition, turning some great basic concepts and imagery into something far more compelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Nihm Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Still a few months till we get it here. Also, only 4,5? I bet someone won't be happy about that. :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Ulkesh Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 How'd you manage to get your hands on a copy? I didn't think it was out until May... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucifer216 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 A friend of mine picked a copy up for me at the SFX weekend :jaw: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Ulkesh Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Ah, that explains it. I'm really jealous - this is the book I'm most looking forward to this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gree Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I’ve got a question. I know we have a scene with a bunch of Ultramarines successors coming into fight the Night Lords, but is there any kind of detail mentioned at all? Any new chapters? Are the Silver Eagles mentioned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThulsaKane Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Still a few months till we get it here. Also, only 4,5? I bet someone won't be happy about that. :tu: Why not? 4.5 out of 5 is still an excellent score by any measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Nihm Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Still a few months till we get it here. Also, only 4,5? I bet someone won't be happy about that. :D Why not? 4.5 out of 5 is still an excellent score by any measure. Let's just say that in the past, 8/10 wasn't considered great either. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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