Helsreach: The Book. What did you guys think of it?

[HellJumper117]

For me, I fell in love with it when I first read the book. The scene where Grimaldus rallies the Desert Vultures with his speech comes to mind often and it's almost like I can picture it within my mind.

 

However, Nerovar being all whinny and crying was out of character for a Black Templar, to say the least. Also, Grimaldus not wanting to lead the Helsreach Crusade was quite odd, isn't it an honor to lead a crusade (even if its against such overwhelming odds)

[Wade Garrett]

Grimmaldus wasn't unhappy because his Crusade was against overwhelming odds. He was upset because he was stuck in a sideshow while the bulk of his Chapter was fighting the real campaign in orbit.

[Zeruvar]

Helsreach was bad.....

 

 

Badass!! Haha im sure im not the only templar player who decided on a BT army after reading the book.

 

+1 on Nerovar being extra whiny, I guess because he knew the whole thing was useless. Although considering he is in Grimaldus' command squad, you'd think he would have the experience already of being in rough situations.

 

But lets not all forget our annoying but amusing Guardsman, Andrej. I was sad for him when he tells Grim he found out the irl he was going to propose to died while he survived it all.

[Vincent val Munshin]

Manly tears were shed. My personal favourite bit was when Grimaldus slammed his banner down with the rest of the Steel Legion. I'm a sucker for a speech.

[tvih]

I had already chosen and bought BT stuff before I got Helsreach, but once I chose BT it was obvious that I had to get my hands on it. Overall it was a good read, but I did find it a bit annoying how A D-B had a habit of skipping some of the most tense situations. The duel with the huge Ork, the duel with the ancient servitor thingie (although at least that was partially dealt with "in retrospect"), the collapsing of the Temple and eventually getting out of there, and so forth.

 

As for Nerovar, yeah, he was perhaps a bit over the top in whininess. While he was quite new apparently, it just didn't seem like normal behavior for a full-fledged battle-brother. And he was one, not some "lowly" neophyte.

[Zeruvar]

Manly tears were shed. My personal favourite bit was when Grimaldus slammed his banner down with the rest of the Steel Legion. I'm a sucker for a speech.

Oh yeah that was a good one. I wish there were more BT novels of this caliber. Heres to hoping the rumours about adb going back to BT is true

[Mike Zulu]

As for Nerovar, yeah, he was perhaps a bit over the top in whininess. While he was quite new apparently, it just didn't seem like normal behavior for a full-fledged battle-brother. And he was one, not some "lowly" neophyte.

While probably whiny for a Templar, I thought his character was appropriate as an Apothecary. Since they're essentially field medics for the chapter, I can't imagine they would have the same level of zeal and ambition that Black Templars typically show.

 

As for the book itself, I felt it was a great insight into the Black Templars, but an okay book overall. I don't enjoy ADB's disconnected writing style.

[HellJumper117]

I chose BT after reading Helsreach, simply because Grimaldus was such a badass.

 

Yeah I totally hated the parts where ADB skipped the Ork Duel, the Techmarine duel and how he clawed his way out of the temple (Though to be honest, crawling out could be quite boring).

 

Jurisian also had a very... weird ending

[Zeruvar]

Yeah the techmarine portions just felt tacked on.

 

Im sure not every BT was a diehard "purge, maim, kill" type character, and what you said about apothecaries being field medics might give them a different outlook as a space marine, but I just thought since Nerovar was a member of the command squad, I assumed he would have more experience compared to the rank and file Initiate.

 

But then again maybe at that point he must have been jaded already from his experiences which would actually make his lines in the book more reasonable.

[HellJumper117]

I liked the parts where he wrote from the perspective of Grimaldus. It sort of gives us an idea into how the Templars view the world from their perspective (not kneeling to the Prioress and all that).

 

I wish they had written how Cador died. Not just "lol stabbed in the back quite dishonorable you know".

[Cretheus]

I was a BT player when I first read the book and overall I really enjoyed it, it was a fast paced and really enjoyable read. I especially liked the relationship between the titan princeps and grimaldus. Andrej as well was a really good way for a non-space marine reader to relate to the battle.

I have read at lot worse books from black library and I have read better but it was a brilliant on the bus, waiting for a train read it is possibly not a book I would sit down and read before modelling or instead of watching the goggle box where I would probably prefer something like caiphas cain etc ... but that's only my opinion.

 

Would just like to add anyone starting to get into a BT army or starting to read the BL books would definitely recommend

[Firepower]

Andrej.

 

'Nuff said.

 

:teehee:

[Uaronain]

 

 I quite enjoyed the book, and in fact it encouraged me to dust off my BT army and get back into
warhammer 40k. All of you guys are being hard on Nerovar but I think you are
missing the point as to why he is crying, or showing emotion. The crusade of
100 knight brothers was destined to die. The gene-seed is precious; to lose so
many of them at once is tragic. Never again will they grow into new initiates. He
was grieving for the chapter’s loss.

 

[omo667]

 

 

 

 I quite enjoyed the book, and in fact it encouraged me to dust off my BT army and get back into

warhammer 40k. All of you guys are being hard on Nerovar but I think you are

missing the point as to why he is crying, or showing emotion. The crusade of

100 knight brothers was destined to die. The gene-seed is precious; to lose so

many of them at once is tragic. Never again will they grow into new initiates. He

was grieving for the chapter’s loss.

 

 

 

And that's wrong.

A truly pious BT would die with cry "For the Emperor" on his dying lips.

There is no greater glory than dying in battle against enemies of Imperium.

[Uaronain]

 I agree that normal BT would be just like that omo, but an apocs job and duty is to perserve the gene-seed. Not every templar is the same, trying to paint EVERY BT with one broad stroke is just wrong. Most sword-brethren yearn to die with glory in battle but not every brother is going to. They are after all still part human, and if for soem reason they feel guilt, shame or any emotion for that matter is not far fetched; theya are not machines.

[Urkh]

I'm currently reading it for the first time! Keep me out of this thread!

 

So far, I've found it disgusting how nice Grimaldus can be to the humans in the hive. However, i really liked when 

he was in Stormherald with Zarha and he gave her three mistakes, and then he was out of there. She made those three mistakes, and Grimaldus was prepared to destroy the entire titan, with himself inside of it, for her heresy.

 

[Marshal Varas Mortez]

The book was great, like others have said, not the best of reads compared to other BL books, but still very good, in fact I have found this true of all the space marine battle books, whilst good there are better series out there. Needless to say I am of course getting them all and seeing how our chapter obviously is superior to those of our cousins.

[Tiger9gamer]

I loved the book, And it is one of my favorites Right after to Rynn's world. I loved the action and desperation in Rynn's world finale, and if Helsreach had just a little more of the in depth action, then It would be my favorite!

[Zeruvar]

I'm currently reading it for the first time! Keep me out of this thread!

 

So far, I've found it disgusting how nice Grimaldus can be to the humans in the hive. However, i really liked when

he was in Stormherald with Zarha and he gave her three mistakes, and then he was out of there. She made those three mistakes, and Grimaldus was prepared to destroy the entire titan, with himself inside of it, for her heresy.

 

My 2 cents. I think grimaldus is more accepting of regular humans because he is a "space marine". The emperor created the astartes to locate the shards of humanity after the age of strife and be their protectors. So i would guess he acts this way among the normal humans because that is how the emperor would expect his marines to be.

[Brother Sellsword]

I really had a good time with this book, and I'm a fan of ADB's style and other stories (Night Lord books are awesome). I agree with the previous posters that showing the BT's more human traits is needed for a better story. If you boil all BT down into mindless zeal machines then they would be little more than loyalist berserkers. I think the interaction with the Salamanders in the book shows that yes, there were scenes where BT characters showed more of their human side, but they still have a mission and agenda and the preservation of mere mortals only serves to help them further that mission and is not humanitarian in any way. As for the "whining". Imagine yourself at war. Your fellow soldier is not only a brother at arms, but truly your brother, and you have been fighting together for hundreds of years. If he was then brutally slaughtered in a conflict you considered to be a senseless suicide mission, a side mission for that matter, which you felt wouldn't even be mentioned in the history books because the bulk of your unit was fighting the more major battle elsewhere, I think you would be a bit distraught over his death...

[tvih]

I would probably be yes, but how about a genetically modified, indoctrinated killing machine? And it's not that they shouldn't have feelings at all, but Nerovar...

[d3m01iti0n]

Great book. Nero crying was understandable to me so I dont see what the big deal is.

 

Anybody read Priests of Mars? The BT squad in that is great.

[redmapa]

I read priests of mars only because there was a BT squad, kick ass book and the BTs were bad asses, manly tears were shed at the end..

[Urkh]

Just finished "Helsreach"! I want a movie.

 

(semi-spoilers inboud: i don't think this really ruins anything in the book, but to each their own, (and you probably shouldn't be in this thread if you haven't read it anyways!))

I personally wanted to see more of Emperor's Champion Bayard throughout the book. I didn't like that he was really only at the end. I also didn't like how he would describe a long section of something that happened, then says "That was 'X' hours ago". 

 

I did like how Grimaldus's character was wrapped up at the end, though I did wish ADB had written the part with him crawling out through the rubble. I also wanted to read the fight between him and the armored ork when liberating Stormherald.

 

Nerovar was the character I was sympathetic with the most, as most people have already stated. He's doing his job, but it doesn't matter because the gene-seed will never get back to the Eternal Crusader, and he knows this, and it's killing him.

[tvih]

Just finished "Helsreach"! I want a movie.

Nerovar was the character I was sympathetic with the most, as most people have already stated. He's doing his job, but it doesn't matter because the gene-seed will never get back to the Eternal Crusader, and he knows this, and it's killing him.

Pff, he just lacked faith () as demonstrated by the fact that eventually the gene-seed was indeed recovered. And no, this isn't specifically mentioned in the book.