What does BL and Its Authors Do Well/Poorly

[E.G.J.]

As the topic title states, what do we as readers think of the content of Black Library novels and fluff products?  What are things they typically do well and what are some areas where you think they could improve or things you would like to see more of?  I'm talking about content here, not business practices, so this chiefly concerns topical treatments, style, narratives, story arcs, setting and character descriptions, etc. 

 

I think we can also extend the discussion to cover individual authors.  

 

For me the pros and cons are as follows:

 

Black Library

Pros-

Descriptions of the warp or chaos tainted settings tend to be spot on, often conveying the unsettling, unnatural, and discombobulating nature of the immaterium.  

 

The conditions and lives of the Imperial Guard have, at least for me, cemented the grimdark milieu that is 40k.  Of all the settings and characters BL has cranked out I think these are by far the strongest.  

 

 Cons-

While descriptions of the immaterium or warp taint are typically good, demons and in particular their dialogue don't do it for me.  For the most part these sound under-developed and a little boilerplate.  The one exception is Cherubael in the Eisenhorn trilogy.

 

In the same vein the dialogue in most BL novels is pretty shallow.  There are some good quotable material, for sure, but for the most part it is fairly stiff and uninspired.  I would love to hear a Space Marine Captain try to explain some aspect of the universe to his men in some depth that plays out in-universe.  I.e. what would a high ranking individual tell his underlings about what chaos is, or what Eldar are all about.  Even though this has happened on a few rare occasions, the conversation typically implies that the reader already knows the topic being discussed.  Far too often these conversations don't go too much farther than declarations of xenos-filthiness and warp-scummitude, when in reality the existence of chaos and its relationship to Big E may be of big concern to the psyche of a marine (for all their psycho-conditioning they are not automatons).  We don't really ever see characters reflect on their own existence and condition in the universe (although it is sometimes implied), which to me could add tons of weight.

 

In terms of authors, I'm only going to hit two so as to not hog the conversation or write a wall of text (too late?).

 

Dan Abnett

Pros-  Abnett writes grand narratives.  Out of all the authors in the BL stable I have to say that when something really epic needs doing, Abnett is the one to do it.  Pacing and suspense is usually superb and character development pretty strong.  

 

Cons- While Abnett conjures grand narratives, I sometimes feel he has a difficult time wrapping them up in a way that does justice to how much he has built them up.  Know No Fear is an example of that.  When he seemingly has more room to be flexible he doesn't have this issue, which is probably why the Eisenhorn Trilogy still stands the test of time.  

 

 

McNeil

Pros- Very descriptive, which really facilitates placing the reader squarely in the setting.  The devil is in the details, and McNeil does a great job of describing some of the minutiae of the 40k/30k universe.  It adds depth and allows for some immersion and revelry that can otherwise be absent in straight bolter-porn.

 

Cons- This is strictly a personal caveat, but McNeil tries too hard to insert terminology and history from our world into 40k.  I cringed a little at the mention of the shiji in A Thousand Sons.  Mention of historical people with their names slightly misspelled are also pretty facepalm inducing.  In a universe where humanity has forgotten STC's and how to build certain types of tanks, it is difficult to imagine that knowledge that is often obscure and novel in our contemporary world could survive thousands of years, across planets where its application would be irrelevant, and somehow endure through periods where much more vital information was lost.....anyway....stop it, McNeil.

 

 

Ok, I'm going to stop there for brevity's sake.  What do you guys think?  What are your opinions on what BL or other authors do well/poorly.  What are things you want to see more/less of? 

 

 

[Perrin]

I think one problem with BL is that there is way too much emphasis on Space Marines/Imperial Guard and bolter porn, so other races and factions hardly get a look in. It would be nice for other factions to be explored more. Titanicus and the Path of the Eldar series are both examples of great stories that aren't focused on SM, now we just need more of them.

Unremembered Empire stands out for me as an example of Bolter porn messes up a good story. I have no idea if it was Dan Abnetts choice or whether he was pushed by the editors but I thought the whole second half of the novel with everyone chasing Super Curze was a let down. I can see why they may have felt they needed a really long action scene, as that's what sells, but I think they should have been a bit braver and stuck with a political thriller kind of thing.

The website is awful as well, as is their policy of not having a "Coming Soon" list. Why the need to keep upcoming releases so secretive? No other publisher does it, and I really can't think of any benefits.

It's hard to think of anything positives simply because there is no one else to compare BL to. They are good at finding new talent, and the Christmas Advent calendar and BL Live are nice ways of engaging with fans.

Can't really think of much to say about individual authors, there aren't any I don't particularly like anyway. I do think that there aren't many who are great at writing Space Marines. They're all way too human. ADB stands out in that department I think, and someone else in the back of my mind but I can't remember who or which book it was -_-

More Warhammer Fantasy would be great as well, still waiting for ADB to write something

[Jareddm]

I've really grown to appreciate the "harder" sci-fi that Guy Haley brings into his writings of Baneblade and Death of Integrity.  It's a real nice change of pace from instead of feeling like the world is "alive", feeling like it is actually plausible.  I find this to be the polar opposite of Graham McNeil and James Swallow's works, which feel much more fantasy than Sci-fi.

 

On that note, I find that Graham McNeil tends to write without necessarily thinking about the consequences of some of the precise wording he uses.  Furthermore I find any references he uses to feel very blunt and obvious.  For instance, the wording the Emperor used at the Council of Nikea led to far broader implications than previously believed, the reference to the Raven of Blood, the references to well known Iron Warrior characters in Angel Exterminatus.  Perhaps I've just become to engrossed in 40k lore, but to me, these practically scream off the page.

[Chaeron]

Given that all authors do it, I have no objection to the slightly varied names of historical figures. It's an interesting quirk.