Quickies: KNF + Betrayer + PoC + Primarchs + UR + Scars + AE

[mc warhammer]

KNOW NO FEAR- Exceptional. Felt like reading a film script, not because it was action packed but due to the "in the moment" feeling created by the narrative. The author seems to understand economy of words and presentation regarding characterisation; show don't tell. It was some of the best I have seen in the series, which is no small feat for what is seen by many as an action story. The idea of betrayal as empowering rather than shameful was also great. The entire story was gripping and deeply moving by turns. Abnett has a way of making each legion he writes feel utterly distinct and exceptional in their own way.

 

BETRAYER- Enjoyable. The author also seems to understand what to reveal and what to leave open to interpretation with characters like Angron while exploring Khârn just deeply enough. Even minor characters feel like real individuals. Loved the pitiable almost desperate depiction of the World Eaters legion. Even knowing that attempts to redeem them from within are doomed to fail before they even start doesn't take away from the ultimate tragedy of events and that is due to ADB’s skill at the keyboard. For some reason, Argel Tal felt tacked on here and I found it hard to find what the priestess' resurrection added to the novel. The drawings are silly.

 

PRINCE OF CROWS- Great. Much the same positives as Betrayer. Konrad's self deception and hypocrisy were fantastic, with Sevetar seeming like the only legion member with his eyes open. Great exploration of love and loyalty through the first captain in a legion of backstabbers and cut throats- the best characters possess inherent contradictions. I'm a fan of how ADB finds a way to balance all the hyper-masculinity of the 30/40k setting with believable female characters who actually serve a strong purpose. Sev surfing on a rocket made me cringe.

 

REFLECTION CRACKED- Insipid. Cringed the whole way through, from woeful dialogue ("You are a worm, and an ambitious worm at that") to the laughable pleasure torture your primarch scene. The premise is a terrible idea; it makes the reader wonder what the point of a dameonic possession was in the first place, if Fulgrim is simply going to corrupt himself anyway. It doesn't come across as a necessary progression for the character and more like an author or story that can't make up its mind. Fulgrim's own justification makes no sense (saying that the daemon had started him on the path of guilt-free self indulgence makes little sense when at the apex of his dealings with daemon, that guilt was enough to make him wish for oblivion) unless he is lying to himself and his legion. Which might be nice, though there are no hints to this that I can see in the story. The only interesting part was Fulgrim's theory that what hinders progress towards inevitable universal perfection is evil...but this is so poorly understood and explained by the Primarch, let alone demonstrated in his actions that it just seems like a philosophy outside the author's skill to portray.

 

FEAT OF IRON- Boring. Skimmed to the end. Sick of seeing statues/paintings/symbols/constellations/troll dolls of 20 beings with 2 of them hidden. Yeah, I got it.

 

SERPENT BELOW- Intriguing. More so than the possible split between Omegon and Alpharius (how does one soul stop working in harmony anyway?), the intrigue was in exploring the psyche of a legion so deeply and utterly devoted to its mission that it deceives and works against all elements of itself. The action made me yawn a bit (though at the same time, the action was somewhat the exploration of the legion’s character), but all in all it was well written stuff and achieved what it set out to do: kept me guessing the entire time and left me with, yes, more questions than answers.

 

UNREMEMBERED EMPIRE- Fun and provoking. I can see where some readers have their problems with this novel (though I had none with Guilliman almost dying by having his head pulped or Konrad making two legions trousers’ brown) as the story doesn't seem to have clarity of purpose that KNF possessed, however there are enough satisfying character moments and thematic explorations to balance that out for me. Particularly enjoyed seeing the other side to Guilliman's personality- the part that can be embarrassed (that was hell funny) and endearingly optimistic (the 18 seats at the table was quite touching). It was also interesting to see that the Space Wolves don't view themselves as elite astartes and more like ragged dogs with a dirty job to do. This makes sense to me- since when are executioners ever praised? All in all, a patchy but still excellently written effort. Pictures still silly.

 

SCARS- Satisfying. The plotting left something to be desired, but the character portrayals more than made up for the lacking plot, resulting in a page turner for me. This author has come the closest to Abnett's ability to portray a legion with a unique world-view and personality, not just in the customs and general disposition but also insofar as the mixed feelings and attitudes that come with being on the fringe (embracing it while resenting it simultaneously). I'm glad the authors are exploring complexities such as a loyalist legion with an independent streak, rather than the simpler traitor/loyalist separation displayed so far. The actual story itself felt like it warranted a much bigger stage to play out on- I would have been happy to see the legion civil war play out over 3 novels rather than 1. This is an author I'll keep my eye on. Pics haven’t stopped being silly yet.

 

ANGEL EXTERMINATUS- What. I thought I'd found my flow with McNeill's writing; reading some bits and skipping most of the others. I was enjoying this one through selective reading. Then I came across that line where an Iron Hand said "I hate when people conceal their faces because it means they have something to hide", so I stopped.

[Wulfkry]

agree on pretty much everything you wrote there.  Side note.  nice pic of Jamukha from Mongol... as cool as that movie was it was still disappointing...A movie on Genghis khan has got to be like some 6-9 movie lotr style epic...

[hummus]

Know no fear was hard going I thought

But agree on rest

[mc warhammer]

Agreed, Wulfkry. The movie doesn't quite work but the bits with Jamukha do. I just fast forward to those. Hummus, I can't say I blame you for feeling that way. While I've enjoyed all of Abnett's work that I've read, I can see how it might bore others or be a hard trek that doesn't seem worth the effort.