Pariah - No one expects ... the Alpha Legion?!

[Quixus]

For the most part I found the first part of Dan Abnett's Bequin trilogy very entertaining. What really threw me though was when Alizebeth asked Deathrow who he is and he answered "I am Alpharius." While I could see Eisenhorn working with the XX legion, it seems a bit much to involve the Alpha Legion there. I expect Abnett to clear that up in volume two or three, but what are your thoughts and speculations at this time?

[Nineswords]

It's not much of a stretch at all - it's a logical extension of the Alpha Legion Abnett presents to us in the heresy book LEGION. Both serve the Emperor, but do so in ways the Imperium at large find heretical. I personally find it hugely exciting and completely appropriate where this grey area of methods vs. loyalty is being explored. After all, it's a running theme throughout the Eisenhorn, Ravenor and now the Bequin trilogies.

[ninjasuperspy]

I really liked the various Chaos Marines in Pariah. Abnett did a great job of making the Word Bearers, the Emperor's Children and the Alpha Legion distinct from each other and completely terrifying to the regular humans. The thing with the Alpha Legion is I have to wonder if any of them are still

doing the Horus Heresy mission of destabilizing the Imperium to save the Galaxy and how many have outsmarted themselves and are actually serving Chaos.

 

 

But even at that, Eisenhorn's radical nature aside, I have to wonder what he has to offer an Alpha Legionnaire to get him to work with an Imperial Inquisitor. Cherubael I get, but 'Alpharius'? That's one of my top questions going into the next book.

[Quixus]

Yeah I know, It just seems that the Alpha Legion is behind each and every shady dealing in the Imperium. And if so you gotta ask why they didn't have contingencies against the Warmaster or any other legion turning even before getting the information from the Cabal.

 

@ninjasuperspy: I don't htink the hidden question will ever be answered.

As to what Eisenhorn can offer the Alpha Legion, I think the Cognitae or whoever is behind them are simply in the way of one of the legion's convoluted schemes. Taking them out via an intermediary while observing and making sure that intermediary does not thwart their plans, seems very AL to me. What this scheme however is we do not (yet) know, and thus it seems a bit forced to me to also include the AL in this series.

 

And yes the different marines were awesome, even though we did not get much to see of Deathrow's capabilities as a marine.

[Perrin]

I was under the impression that Deathrow was acting independently from his Legion, like some renegades and traitors do. Obviously there is still the question of what Eisenhorn can offer a traitor marine but it will be a lot cheaper and easier than hiring the entire AL. No reason it has to be the entire Legion.

[Ishagu]

SPOILERS

[Hyaenidae]

If there's anyone at BL I actually trust to write the XX Legion, without turning them into conniving, mustache twirling idiots, it's Mr. Abnett. He redefined the Alpha's in his Horus Heresy book, and I am actually excited to see how he plays this out alongside his greatest achievements in writing, being Ravenor and Eisenhorn .

What should be really scaring folks is if Eisenhorn isn't working for the Legion; they're working for him....

[Quixus]

What should be really scaring folks is if Eisenhorn isn't working for the Legion; they're working for him....

Well Deathrow never gave Bequin a different impression, its only the reader to whom the phrase "I am Alpharius" has particular meaning. BTW are the names of the Traitor Primarchs known to the genereal population or the student's of that school?

[Brother Heinrich]

God just finished this book last night, when I read that line I sat bolt upright in bed and scared my wife awake. She asked me what was wrong and I turned to her and said, "Alpha Legion! Out of :cussing nowhere! Amazing!" to which she said 'whoopdy-do' and passed back out.

 

I freaking love Abnett, the twists he throws in blow my mind, time and time again. I'm really looking forward to seeing where he goes with this arc. Not to mention Deathrow was an awesome freaking character, as is the whole concept of 'the warblind.' 

[Kol Saresk]

I loved how the Ecclesiarchy got along so well with the Legion that birthed their doctrine.

[helterskelter]

Someone fetch..... The Comfy Chair! I feel I now need to buy and read this book

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Someone fetch..... The Comfy Chair! I feel I now need to buy and read everything by Abnett

 

Fixed that for ya

[helterskelter]

But Abnett wrote ultramarine and I still cannot let that one go. Not yet. And between him and Nick Kyme sometimes it makes me want to put a bolter to my head rather than read on but I start therefore I must finish!

[Dumah]

But Abnett wrote ultramarine and I still cannot let that one go. Not yet. And between him and Nick Kyme sometimes it makes me want to put a bolter to my head rather than read on but I start therefore I must finish!

 

Care to elaborate on that?

 

Also what is this "ultramarine" you speak of? Do you mean that he wrote about the Ultramarines? There's no book or story of that name, as far as I'm aware.

[Brother Heinrich]

If you're referring to the Ultramarine series, that was penned by Graham McNeil.

[Quixus]

My guess is he is referring to the Ultramarines movie.

[helterskelter]

Im referring to the emperor awful film.

Nick kymes writing style grates on me quite a bit. I've said elsewhere on the forum I notice his sentences are shorter until a bolter is involved then it gets more fluid until the shooting stops.

Dan abnetts style I find quite slow, granted he can spin a good yarn, but sometimes I can find his work as slow as Gerrards game (stephen king) which was so painfully slow I had to put it down, but as there are my favourite superhumans involved I force myself to continue reading. If it feels forced it saps the enjoyment out of it.

 

this is just me personally however, I know many others enjoy his work moreso than I

[Dumah]

I rather enjoy Abnett's penchant for writing actual story. Most of what you find otherwise is just bolter porn (with a few exceptions). Different strokes, I suppose.

[Kol Saresk]

I prefer the varying degrees. Bolter porn has its moments. So does intrigue and guile. Inquisitor focuses on the latter versus the former. Abnett pulls it off quite well.

[Dumah]

Oh I don't deny that a little bit of the 'ole BOOMstick is necessary and often times enjoyable, I just prefer that there's something more behind it than "You are the enemy! Therefore I will fight you!".

[Kol Saresk]

I wasn't disagreeing with you.

[Brother Heinrich]

I'm right there with you guys, I just started the Gaunts Ghosts series again last night and as always I'm instantly enthralled. Abnett brings actual good writing to a realm that mostly consists of bolter porn and chest thumping Astartes THAT SHALL KNOW NO FEAR. I love the stories he weaves and I like that it's slow to the build, thats what make his action moments all the more poignant. He understands that it's not always about chainswords chopping and bolters boltering. Those quite introspective moments are some of the most powerful moments in 40k literature, the side we don't get to see often, the human side.

 

For instance reading last night in the beginning of first and only where he's talking about the flash forward to Fortis-Binary and he goes into awesome detail simply about how damn good the Colonel-Comissar's morning bacon and eggs are in that hell of trench warfare. Man I can :cussing sympathize with that. It's all in the details that many BL authors seem to feel are unimportant. They paint in broad strokes, "White Marines kill Green Marines, FUR TA EMPRAH!" but Abnett and a few others actually take the time to pluck you out of your chair and transport you, mind and body, into the 41st millennium. 

 

Yeah his work on the Ultramarines movie wasn't the greatest, but honestly I'm willing to bet GW gave him about as much creative leeway as a :cussing anvil.

[Quixus]

Oh you will be in for a ride. IMHO The Founding (first Omnibus) is a very necessary story arc, because it pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the ghosts' exploits, but it gets even better further down the line. Abnett is no G.R.R Martin, but expect good people to die.

 

Later on you will not only get insights to what makes the servants of the Imperium tick, but the other side as well.

 

I suggest you take your time reading the novels. Finishing a book before the next one is written and having to wait for it is very frustrating. Come to think of it, if Abnett had written faster, I probably wouldn't have picked up that awesome Trilogy about the 10th of the VIII from that guy who was also involved in the New World of Darkness (one of the most unnecessary reboots in game history), A D-B.

 

What really disturbed me about the Ultramarines movie is that it does not fit with the established fluff anf GW and Abnett should know that. The movies gives us the impression that the newly formed Tactical squad are raw recruits. By the time the marines go into a tactical squad they are veterans who have seen it all. They have already served as scouts, devastators and assault marines. Grrr.

[Brother Heinrich]

Oh you will be in for a ride. IMHO The Founding (first Omnibus) is a very necessary story arc, because it pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the ghosts' exploits, but it gets even better further down the line. Abnett is no G.R.R Martin, but expect good people to die.

 

Later on you will not only get insights to what makes the servants of the Imperium tick, but the other side as well.

 

I suggest you take your time reading the novels. Finishing a book before the next one is written and having to wait for it is very frustrating. Come to think of it, if Abnett had written faster, I probably wouldn't have picked up that awesome Trilogy about the 10th of the VIII from that guy who was also involved in the New World of Darkness (one of the most unnecessary reboots in game history), A D-B.

I've read through all the way to His Last Command if I remember correctly, so this is more of a re-read that will sweep up all the new little short stories as well as the Sabbat Worlds anthology. I love the series and worked through it over the 5 years I was in the Marine Corps, for a non-veteran, Mr. Abnett seems to know us pretty well. So much so that there were definitely some manly tears shed over parts of those books, times when I would re-read a sentence 5-6 times because I just didn't want to believe what it actually said.

 

What really disturbed me about the Ultramarines movie is that it does not fit with the established fluff anf GW and Abnett should know that. The movies gives us the impression that the newly formed Tactical squad are raw recruits. By the time the marines go into a tactical squad they are veterans who have seen it all. They have already served as scouts, devastators and assault marines. Grrr.

Oh yeah, the movie was complete BS, but the story was so radically un-Abnett that I'm willing to bet GW had his creative nature completely changed to the floor and beaten into submission. That farce was GW's ham-fisted attempt at using cinema to sell more Ultramarines, not an actual attempt to create a well thought out story told by the epic grandeur of a movie screen.

[Iron_Within]

On the note of the Alpha Legion themselves, I would think they've fallen into individual autonomous cells operating with impunity to broadstroke orders given from higher up (to which intrigue and betrayal starts). I wouldn't be surprised if the Alpha Legion become responsible for one of the more radical sects, Istvaanians spring to mind. More likely the gits pop up all over the place and often opposing cells find themselves at odds, much like some of the Inquisitors like Eisenhorn.