Aegnor Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Reread this over the last two nights. Damn it's a good book. When a novel you're re-read in keeps you up til 3am to finish it, that's a sign of it being a pretty good book. Love the Ultras as they are depicted in this book so much. Venatus and Thiel are great characters. It was good rereading it with Betrayer and Unremembered Empire having since come out and seeing the threads that would be followed up emerging. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Abnett, ADB, and now Wraight. These are the only competent writers on the HH team. Swallow, Thorpe, Kyme, and McNeill are hit or miss...and by that I mean 1% hit, 99% miss Know No Fear is fast-paced and engaging. Same with Unremembered Empire. Abnett is a skilled writer. I mean...I'm not a big fan of Alpha Legion or Space Wolves, but I can still appreciate how much better Legion and Prospero Burns are than Fear to Tread (Blood Angels are one of my favourite legions). Reading Know No Fear was like watching a big-budget sci-fi war movie with my mind's eye. Abnett's prose is vivid and descriptive. His sentences are quite succinct but each usually packs a punch. The Bion Henricos-Aximand-Hibou Khan engagement in Little Horus was one of the most entertaining fight scenes I've read in a while. Blood Games was also a great example of sci-fi action done right. Some writers have flat prose. They have trouble breathing life into their writing. I don't think this could ever be said of Dan Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3683923 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plague Angel Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Hey, Guy Haley's had a Heresy entry or two! Know No Fear might be my favorite Heresy novel, though I still haven't read all of them yet. I wasn't as fond of Unremembered Empire, but I feel KNF did something Abnett's good at: he told a story so huge it felt like it potentially spawned a subsetting. Mark of Calth was evidence of this, the same way other writers have wound up writing about the Sabbat Worlds. I could see myself starting a Successor Chapter focusing on the memory of Calth, or trying to put some unifying Calth iconography on a 30k Ultras army if I wound up going that route. Abnett isn't (specifically) my favorite Black Library author, honestly; he may be technically the best, but he writes a whole of stuff besides 40k, so I don't really think of him as "a Black Library author." My favorite Abnett writing is his Marvel work; I'd much rather read an Abnett comic than an Abnett novel. Both are good, but I feel one helps his strengths shine more. But KNF felt very visual, like others have said, and so it felt like a step above Abnett's already high-quality usual work. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3683940 Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Abnett isn't (specifically) my favorite Black Library author, honestly; he may be technically the best, but he writes a whole of stuff besides 40k, so I don't really think of him as "a Black Library author." This actually shows in his writing. Some of his 40K work feels distinctly un-40K-ish Aaron and Chris are more "40K" than him if you will I'm not familiar with Haley's HH work but he hasn't written a full novel yet. I'll reserve my opinion until then Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3683970 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Rohr Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Abnett has that tendency. Some stuff feels right at home in 40k (Gaunts Ghosts), other stuff feels more cinematic like it's from another genre (UE) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3684702 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sothalor Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I'm totally okay with that. For me, Abnett totally gets that "meaningful conflict is the soul of drama." He's got a way with characters that makes me like them or at least understand them. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3685305 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilofix Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 On recommendation from others, I recently just got Know No Fear, Soul Hunter, Rynn, etc. Having started them all (yes, I probably have ADD) - I feel like if a movie were to be made of 40K - it should just open in the middle of KNF. Like forget about introducing the viewers to the universe of 40K, forget about the background, etc. - just start it right in the middle then get to the former later. Lol. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3686480 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aegnor Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 The freighter crashing into the space docking yard would be the right spot to open. Then cut back to the start of the book "136 hours earlier"... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3686606 Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Know No Fear would make for an epic movie. A good way to engage a viewer new to a universe is to throw them into the middle of the action. In media res (or something like that) Ultramarines are obviously the noble good guys, Word Bearers are the daemonic bad guys. It wouldn't be hard for viewers to figure out the basics from there Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3686783 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SvenONE Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Know No Fear would make for an epic movie. A good way to engage a viewer new to a universe is to throw them into the middle of the action. In media res (or something like that) Ultramarines are obviously the noble good guys, Word Bearers are the daemonic bad guys. It wouldn't be hard for viewers to figure out the basics from there Totally agree easy to pick up book, I think it was a perfect time for it to appear in the publication timeline when it did. I think it has enough of the flavor of the action of 40K (let's face it, 40K universe has virtually no exposition, it just is) while encouraging a new reader to go see how we go to this point. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3688789 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonewolf86 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Know No Fear is brilliant and certainly one of my favourites. By contrast I found UE really terrible-bland filler and missed opportunities I thought. Prospero Burns and Legion are very good though. Vulkan Lives was a disappointment, though there were some good bits (mostly the Istvaan flashbacks) but I did like Kyme's Salamander Series. McNeill is mixed; A Thousand Sons was great and I like Angel Exterminatus too. Vengeful Spirit was a bit disappointing. ADB's work of Betrayer, First Heretic and his couple of shorts are really good too. I really rate Chris Wraight. I loved his two Scars books and his 40k stuff is brilliant. I hope they get Rob Sanders to write a book on the Death Guard and the Imperial Fists. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3689197 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdemayo Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 IMHO, Dan Abnett writes like a god. He always seems to find exactly the right visual image, and just the right word to express it. This talent is especially noticeable in Know No Fear's present tense. Abnett is at his best, I think, when he is not writing Primarchs (or other major players) directly, but when he pursues a tangential story, looking from the bottom of the Imperium up. Again, Know No Fear shows this very well, with its multiple characters, many of whom are quite humble (for Space Marines) , and not too much from the perspective of Guilliman himself. The only book I've been really disappointed with so far has been Unremembered Empire, which just seems like a hot mess of ridiculous plot threads from other authors that have to be lovelessly resolved. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3689466 Share on other sites More sharing options...
battle captain corpus Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Yeah Know no Fear is Abnett on form with Marines defo. His work in the HH series has been frankly a dependable support structure for some otherwise hediously mediocre works (Swallows Fear to Tread and the awful DA books) in my opinion. ADB, Chris Wraight and Guy Haley are also the notable top guys too I think. Know no Fear just took it to another level for me, and the way BL used it as a leap frog for short stories etc going forward showed great planning and attention to what we all wanted. ...and the short story by Anthony Reynolds keying into Marduk's beginnings was the icing on the cake! BCC Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3689573 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Juan Juarez Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Know No Fear is, in my opinion, one of those stories that has some suitably epic moments amongst some great ones but that there are also parts of the book that are ever so slightly "meh". That said, my favourite moment is the whole "censured for positing Marines versus Marines" plot line - masterful. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693337 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A D-B Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 The only book I've been really disappointed with so far has been Unremembered Empire, which just seems like a hot mess of ridiculous plot threads from other authors that have to be lovelessly resolved. Ahem. Confirmation bias. Ahem. Other way 'round, as it happens. A lot of the plot threads end there because several authors had to get those characters and storylines there specifically for that book. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693400 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plague Angel Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 The only book I've been really disappointed with so far has been Unremembered Empire, which just seems like a hot mess of ridiculous plot threads from other authors that have to be lovelessly resolved. Ahem. Confirmation bias. Ahem. Other way 'round, as it happens. A lot of the plot threads end there because several authors had to get those characters and storylines there specifically for that book. The afterword by Abnett right in the novel itself said as much. It talked a lot about his process and all the collaboration he had to do. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693612 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A D-B Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 The only book I've been really disappointed with so far has been Unremembered Empire, which just seems like a hot mess of ridiculous plot threads from other authors that have to be lovelessly resolved. Ahem. Confirmation bias. Ahem. Other way 'round, as it happens. A lot of the plot threads end there because several authors had to get those characters and storylines there specifically for that book. The afterword by Abnett right in the novel itself said as much. It talked a lot about his process and all the collaboration he had to do. I've not read the afterword, but I can imagine it, yeah. I recall more than one meeting with a chunk of time devoted to how to get all of those characters to Imperium Secundus, so they were there for the events of Unremembered Empire and what comes after it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693622 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave to Darkness Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Know No Fear would make for an epic movie. A good way to engage a viewer new to a universe is to throw them into the middle of the action. In media res (or something like that) Ultramarines are obviously the noble good guys, Word Bearers are the daemonic bad guys. It wouldn't be hard for viewers to figure out the basics from there funny, when i read it i saw the word bearers as the good guys rising up against the oppressive dictatorship of the imperium, casting aside the shackles of slavery and giving hope to all those who want to be free. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693663 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 As a Word Bearer myself, what is the above post I don't even . Know No Fear is when we go from "Humanity would live on through the sacrifice of the chosen few" of Argel Tal in The First Heretic to the "Unworthy dogs! Walk before us, for it is better that you all die a thousand deaths than that a single las bolt scratches our pretty red armor paint" Marduk displays in the Dark Disciple trilogy. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693699 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kol Saresk Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 As a Word Bearer myself, what is the above post I don't even . Know No Fear is when we go from "Humanity would live on through the sacrifice of the chosen few" of Argel Tal in The First Heretic to the "Unworthy dogs! Walk before us, for it is better that you all die a thousand deaths than that a single las bolt scratches our pretty red armor paint" Marduk displays in the Dark Disciple trilogy. I know. It was a beautiful moment. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693707 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Well, personally I thought Marduk was indulging his ego at the expense of the greater mission, and that if he hadn't wasted half the cult soldiers trying to keep dirt off his shiny armor, Kol Badr might have been able to hold the Astra Militarum off until the ritual was over. If you want my opinion, Sabtec is the only real XVII Legionaire in that entire bunch of prima donnas Jarrulek was saddled with...but this has sweet Fanny Adams all to do with Know No Fear. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693714 Share on other sites More sharing options...
karden00 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Know No Fear would make for an epic movie. A good way to engage a viewer new to a universe is to throw them into the middle of the action. In media res (or something like that) Ultramarines are obviously the noble good guys, Word Bearers are the daemonic bad guys. It wouldn't be hard for viewers to figure out the basics from there funny, when i read it i saw the word bearers as the good guys rising up against the oppressive dictatorship of the imperium, casting aside the shackles of slavery and giving hope to all those who want to be free. Chaos called, they want their b!tch back. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3693718 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilofix Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I re-read KNF last night in one sitting before bed. Still a good book for me. But bad move on my part because, even at age 40, I had a dream where I was a character in it. What's ironic is I usually play Chaos, but I ended up being different Loyalist characters in my dream. I would always get killed, then I would be a different character, then I would get killed again, and repeat, lol. I guess it must have been the way the book reads with the different character perspectives. My mind was just replaying the whole thing in first person. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3699612 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kol Saresk Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I re-read KNF last night in one sitting before bed. Still a good book for me. But bad move on my part because, even at age 40, I had a dream where I was a character in it. What's ironic is I usually play Chaos, but I ended up being different Loyalist characters in my dream. I would always get killed, then I would be a different character, then I would get killed again, and repeat, lol. I guess it must have been the way the book reads with the different character perspectives. My mind was just replaying the whole thing in first person. Or it was just reminding you the fate of all Loyalists is too die. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3699619 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Father Ferrum Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Or it was just reminding you the fate of all Loyalists all things is to die. Fixed that for you. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290935-know-no-fear-revisiting-with-appreciation/#findComment-3699767 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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