Upcoming Dark Angels Novel

[The Shadow Guard]

I am sure most of you would be eagerly anticipating the upcoming novel "RAVENWING" to be released in January 2013! The description is as follows:

 

The Ravenwing stand apart from the rest of the Dark Angels Chapter – these dynamic Space Marines take to the battlefield upon steeds of adamantium and steel, and swoop from the skies in lightning-fast speeders to bring death to the foes of the Imperium. Led by the heroic Master Sammael, they prosecute war where their battle-brothers cannot, and are ever at the forefront of the Dark Angels’ campaigns.

 

Obviously this is based on current day Dark Angels as it mentions Sammael as the Master of the Ravenwing. What i find very interesting is the captio at the bottom of the front cover....

 

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Images/Product...e/Ravenwing.jpg

 

 

..... BOOK ONE IN THE LEGACY OF CALIBAN TRILOGY..... ;) Happy days are ahead!!!!

 

SG

[lost_angel]

This is easily one of the best book covers to grace a BL book in some time.

 

Be great to get more insight into the 2nd company. Fluff-wise; they've always been overshadowed by the Deathwing so it's about time they got some attention.

Have to say though, while the prospect of a DA trilogy is really exciting, I'd love to see someone other than Gav have a shot.

 

R

[Millicant]

Awesome! I agree, that's one of the best covers I've seen. Can't wait to read about the Ravenwing.

 

That being said, I just finished Deliverance Lost and I have totally lost my faith in Gav Thorpe. I'm sorry Mr. Thorpe - I'm a huge fan of your contributions to Battlefleet Gothic but unless there is a significant improvement, I fear that this will be another novel that I will be extremely disappointed with.

[Master Ciaphas]

Hail

 

Yep - the book cover is cool, awesome and stunning like there is no tomorrow...but the author is Mr. Thorpe. For that reason alone, I will give this book a pass...

 

Regards,

Master Ciaphas

[The Shadow Guard]

I was simply trying to bring to attention the fact that not one but three novels appear to be planned and am sad to see this thread degenerate so quickly in to gav Thorpe bashing. ^_^ ... and if "The LIn" novella is anything to go by... I am very happy for Gav to be writing it... One can't move away from the fact that amongst all the BL authors Gav at present appears to have had the greatest experience in relation to the Unforgiven..

 

I am a 40K unforgiven junkie..so I will certainly be buying all three novels when they eventually are released!! ;) :devil:

 

SG

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

That being said, I just finished Deliverance Lost and I have totally lost my faith in Gav Thorpe. I'm sorry Mr. Thorpe - I'm a huge fan of your contributions to Battlefleet Gothic but unless there is a significant improvement, I fear that this will be another novel that I will be extremely disappointed with.

 

Am I really the only person who liked Deliverance Lost? It was actually one of my favorite 40k novels, with lots of not-pure action. What's the reason people have for disliking it so much?

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

Im pretty keen for this novel and the subsequent 2. I will be getting them (and Malediction in August when it comes out)

[Grimdarkness]

Cool that book cover looks better then the sneak peak we got of it. I have to admit that my expectations going in well be low so I hope to be surprised.

[Interrogator Stobz]

That being said, I just finished Deliverance Lost and I have totally lost my faith in Gav Thorpe. I'm sorry Mr. Thorpe - I'm a huge fan of your contributions to Battlefleet Gothic but unless there is a significant improvement, I fear that this will be another novel that I will be extremely disappointed with.

 

Am I really the only person who liked Deliverance Lost? It was actually one of my favorite 40k novels, with lots of not-pure action. What's the reason people have for disliking it so much?

 

I liked it too (although not the best HH book by far), Gav's problem is he pops really random and stupid bits into his otherwise good stories that create issues for us Unforgiven loyalists and unfortunately his plots are predictable to say the least.

 

I have high hopes for this trilogy as I am a junky too. I expect those hopes to be dashed all the same. I will not be lead into despair ;)

 

s

[Kanis]

This is excellent news indeed! I am so pleased to see a new series for the Angels is coming, and I for one actually quite enjoy the workings of Mr. Thorpe! Many thanks for the heads up on this, this will be something to aim towards and a good anchor while at work! ;)

[The Shadow Guard]

That being said, I just finished Deliverance Lost and I have totally lost my faith in Gav Thorpe. I'm sorry Mr. Thorpe - I'm a huge fan of your contributions to Battlefleet Gothic but unless there is a significant improvement, I fear that this will be another novel that I will be extremely disappointed with.

 

Am I really the only person who liked Deliverance Lost? It was actually one of my favorite 40k novels, with lots of not-pure action. What's the reason people have for disliking it so much?

 

I too very much enjoyed Deliverence lost. The insight in to Corax's despair and the filling out of the Ravenguard bacground was great. Also brought about a greater level of respect for the all pervasive Alpha Legion... :lol:

 

On another note a surprise book that i enjoyed very much was "Legion of the Damned" detailing a new SM chapter "The Excoriators" and bringing to bear the LoTD..... very nice storyline, extremely well thought out and written in depth unlike the majority of the SM Battles Novels...

 

SG

[facmanpob]

I don't mind Gav Thorpe.....I mean he's not gonna win the Booker Prize but the books I've read by him have all been OK :(

[Master Ciaphas]

Hail

 

Well - I am also a junkie when it comes to Dark Angel fiction, but I have only been disappointed by Mr. Thorpe's writings...the plots and characterizations ring hollow with me. True, it might be because my expections are too high - but when it comes to the First Legion, I expect only the best. That is also why I am dreading that Matt Ward will be writing the fluff in our coming codex - after all, there are only so many Daemon Primarchs whose hearts we can inscribe names on...and refuse to kill, so that they can continue to blight the Imperium (facepalm)...

 

The cover looks cool, and it is of course interesting that there will be a trilogy - but since the writing is at about the level of an English primary class, I am...reluctant to praise the books just yet. To be fair, I have not yet read "The Lion" in the Primarchs anthology, but since Mr. Thorpe felt the need to publish praise from ADB on his blog (Mechanical Hamster), in order to promote "The Lion" novel, well...it just feels wrong to me (being well aware that "feel" is a really poor argument).

 

Now, the coming audio drama "Malediction" I am much more eager about; it is by an unknown author (to me at least), and the first Dark Angel audio drama...on top of which it sports our favourite dual-gunslinger in the back cover...Happy days!

 

Regards,

Master Ciaphas

[Xyon]

I look forward to this book and the next three to follow. I do wonder why they're telling us about it 8 months in advance though.

[Isiah]

..... BOOK ONE IN THE LEGACY OF CALIBAN TRILOGY..... ;) Happy days are ahead!!!!

 

I think the idea of something covering the more immediate aftermath of the schism (let alone a full-on trilogy) is what we've (or maybe just me :P) have been wanting for a long time. I hope though that not too much gets revealed -- I really would like as many grey areas to remain to make the Legions' Chapters' history/raison d'etre as shadowy as possible.

 

It'll be interesting to see what the HH series does for us during that period too - presumably nothing as we'll have this series - or maybe focus on a different aspect? Who knows.

 

It's just dandy that BL obviously feel the market is there to support such an undertaking as this. Once committed to a trilogy they can't really back out eh ;) ?

 

Cheers

I

[Aegnor]

Well... Still waiting for book 3 of Andy Hoare's "Rogue Trader" trilogy. Though hopefully whatever Gav produces will be a bit better than that! ;)

 

I'd be more excited if it were Abnett, ADB or Chris Wraight (really like his stories so far), but am ok with Mr Thorpe. Liked Angels of Darkness. Liked Deliverance Lost. Liked The Lion. Purging of Kallidus was adequate, not great but not terrible. His MacGuffins recently have tended to be wildly over-powered things that actually create more issues than they solve - the gene-code stuff in Deliverance and the Tchuchula (sp?) in The Lion.

 

So, I'm looking forward to this, but with a slight element of uncertainty.

[Master Ciaphas]

Once committed to a trilogy they can't really back out eh :P ?

 

Weeeell, actually, there was supposed to be a Battlefleet Gothic trilogy with "Execution Hour" and "Shadow Point" as the first two books, but the plug got pulled on that one, as the sales were too low (I think). Ditto for the Eldar trilogy which started with the book "Farseer"...which got cut after the first book...

 

Regards,

Master Ciaphas

[FerociousBeast]

I don't particularly care for any of the Black Library writers. Abnett and ADB are just okay, but pretentious and juvenile respectively. McNeill I have an especial aversion to (Mommy told me never to say "hate" so I'll stick with "aversion"). Thorpe is dull. The rest of the writers I've read are nauseating. So in that lineup, a mere "dull" isn't so bad. :lol:

 

Regardless, I'll be reading his novels. So, any guesses as to what the next two will be? Given his Eldar trilogy and the name of his first Dark Angels book, I'm guessing:

 

1) Ravenwing

2) Deathwing

3) Inner Circle

[A D-B]

I don't particularly care for any of the Black Library writers. Abnett and ADB are just okay, but pretentious and juvenile respectively.

 

I weep.

[Tellos05]

@FerociousBeast. Mate put up or shut up.

[WatchCaptainAzrael]

See? I tell you that A D-B can defend himself just fine, and here he is, visiting our boards with his prune-dry wit. ;)

[EPK]

@FerociousBeast. Mate put up or shut up.

 

Now now, that's just FB being himself - he is certainly consistent with his tough criticism. And of course he is entitled to his opinion.

 

 

Regardless, I'll be reading his novels. So, any guesses as to what the next two will be? Given his Eldar trilogy and the name of his first Dark Angels book, I'm guessing:

 

1) Ravenwing

2) Deathwing

3) Inner Circle

 

I like it, I hope so. Purging of Kadillus left me sad at how little the DW played a role - did any of them even speak? They have to be featured more so in Ravenwing just because of how much they work together. And if your predictions for a trilogy come true, all the better.

[Isiah]

Yep yep, let's leave the personal remarks at the front gates can we please?

[FerociousBeast]

@FerociousBeast. Mate put up or shut up.

Come now! Every community needs its resident grumpy contrarian, no? Think of me like the vinegar on your collard greens. A little unpleasant on my own, perhaps, but somehow I just make the rest of you sweeter!

 

I don't particularly care for any of the Black Library writers. Abnett and ADB are just okay, but pretentious and juvenile respectively.

 

I weep.

 

I'm sure you can handle the occasional tear amidst the adoration heaped upon you in every other forum you frequent... Might even be good for you! :)

 

I suppose I should be fair and state that I've only read two of your stories, First Heretic and Savage Weapons. I've not read your NL series which gets a lot of praise.

[ValourousHeart]

Hasn't BL already released 2 books titled DEATHWING, (one book & one short story).

They should be able to come up with a more original title, don't you think?

 

The BL authors are no worse than the myriad of writes from other genres out there.

The subject of the books probably has more to do with our discontent than the authors' ability.

 

The first part of the problem I see is that the story line is pretty much set up by someone other than the author.

In this case GW, who is in the business of selling models... not writing great fiction.

 

The second part is not so much of a problem as it is a fact about writing a good story in general.

It has a formula...

 

- We have a hero with a problem, who is battered by this problem until a moment of truth when they decide to do something about the problem.

- Once they decide to act, they will have to face a cascade of smaller obstacles and problems as they fight to achieve their ultimate goal.

- Along the way they are likely to have a sided kick who is a perfect contrast and/or an adversary (different from a villain) who will foul them up, belittle them and generally tell them they are crazy and it can't be done.

- They will face some sort of villain, who's chief aim is to destroy the hero's hope of happiness or to completely block them from solving the problem that the hero has set out to solve.

- All of this will climax into some sort of face off between hero and chief obstacle (maybe the villain) to achieve their goal.

 

In a happy story... the hero will be victorious.

In a tragedy... the hero dies.

 

In most fiction we expect a happy ending for the hero.

So we can't complain that we knew all along that the hero was going to reach victory.

 

The difference between a good writer and a mediocre one is that with the good writer readers won't be able to guess how the hero is going to win.

They just know he will.

It is the surprise of how (and the journey there) that we read the whole book in the first place.

 

The third part is that a good book should have lots of white space.

Why?

Because, instead of telling you what is happening or who is who in a story via long narrative passages, the writer is showing you through great dialog and succinct - yet illuminating use of scenery, character development and the weaving throughout of back story.