DarkChaplain Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I remember irradiated bullets hitting Thane and him thinking that without his helmet, he'd have been dead already. To me, the actual fight between Mechanicus and Fists Exemplar wasn't what any of those early scenes were about. The battle was besides the point. It was a trading of different blows, of bluffing and counter bluffing, raising the stakes all the while to see who backs down first, up until escalation. It was more about how the different participants reacted to it or felt in those situations of brother against augmented brother, than the actual mayhem. There didn't need to be massive battle descriptions to convey the sense of loss and tragedy of the Imperium tearing itself apart over arrogance and selfishness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger9gamer Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I remember irradiated bullets hitting Thane and him thinking that without his helmet, he'd have been dead already. To me, the actual fight between Mechanicus and Fists Exemplar wasn't what any of those early scenes were about. The battle was besides the point. It was a trading of different blows, of bluffing and counter bluffing, raising the stakes all the while to see who backs down first, up until escalation. It was more about how the different participants reacted to it or felt in those situations of brother against augmented brother, than the actual mayhem. There didn't need to be massive battle descriptions to convey the sense of loss and tragedy of the Imperium tearing itself apart over arrogance and selfishness Yes, but it was basically a no-sell because we didnt see the damage happening to the anyone else. They may as well have been shooting airsoft pellets at them. if they included one little sentance detailing how some fell to the radiation poisoning despite their armor then it would be a threat! but instead there was little impact to the scene. I really feel that the scene would have benifitted from the inclusion of such weapons though. neither side would be backing down, both sides treating the other like they were enemies in a warzone, bringing even harsher weapons of war on each other in an attempt to make the other back down. Hell, Thane dropped an orbital bombardment on them! the battle pretty much escalated to the use of bigger weapons by then. also another complaint: yes, I played battlefleet Gothic Armada. I played the Orks. I know they ram a lot... but would ya stop making it so it's their only friggen attack in this book?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkChaplain Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 We already had the Orks outgunning, outboarding, and outblackholeing the Imperium. It's time for some good old ramming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger9gamer Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 So I finished the book. There was a lot of problems across the entire thing, but they had some cool parts. I ragged on the battle for mars but the whole part where the infiltrators attacked out of nowhere was really cool. The description of the neurostatic aura thing was awesome. I wish Thane had a duel with the Infiltrator alpha though, mostly to show that even with his head getting fethed up with he could still kick ass. The scene where they meet Vulkan for the first time was cool The scene where the mechanicus takes over the gravity machine was also cool, but I'm a mechanicus fanboy over everything. But for the bad... yea, that whole scene with mars was cussin stupid. Wished Rob sanders wrote this book instead. In fact almost all the fight scenes feel like they were farted out, and considering the whole novel is pretty much fight scenes? yea... Where the Heck were the Salamanders?! If your going to show the friggen Primarch maybe have his own legion fight along side him rather than being feth knows where polishing their hammers and anvils. Annadale wrote the salamanders before too! he could have included them easily. It would explain how Vulkan got to the planet too. He is just sort of there! maybe a small line saying he brought a small craft over would make things complete? Otherwise it feels like he just popped out of the ground randomly. So, They are gathering the original chapters to attack ullanor. Cool. You have Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, an Imperial Fist... wait a second, what's missing? I feel like there were more original legions... Oh right they didn't mention them! yup, only main codex chapters here! not one mention of the Iron Hands, Raven Guard, White scars or the Salamanders. The Primarch the whole book was based around and his legion wasn't mentioned one time from what I remember. Honestly, that whole part puts this book on the bottom of the list for me. So far, the order of books from greatest to least now is this: 1. Predator, Prey 2. Throne World 3. The long war 3. Emperor Expects 5. The last wall 6. I am slaughter 7. Hunt for Vulkan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkChaplain Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Vulkan seems to have detached himself from everybody, including his own Chapter. We'll get some answers about that I am sure, but really, its not like it was advertised everywhere that Vulkan was even still alive. The Inquisition knew, but nobody else, including the High Lords, seemed aware. We don't know yet what happened to the rest. Their absence is worrying, but we still have five books left to explain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veterannoob Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Just curious, is anyone doing or noticing this re: TBA series? Started 100% at book 1, 75% book 2, 50% book 3, and so on? Did anyone pick it up after a few books in or stop after a few books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xisor Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 The Inquisition knew An Inquisitor, wasn't it? Given the early details of the Inquisition as given in "Inquisitor" and "Thorians", I'd expect Vulkan's continued existence is wrapped up not in how to save the Imperium, how to win battles, how to protect an Inquisitor's secret weapon... but inextricably linked to the battle for the Emperor's soul... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Dougal Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 So, little question for anyone who's interested: how do you all feel about the rotation of authors so far in this series? We've officially crossed the halfway point now, and while overall I'm happy with the series, I do wonder about how they came up with and carried out this particular format. I've never seen its like before, and there does seem to be unique challenges that come with it. Character behavior, for instance, and certain plot developments that seem to shift with each new entry. How do you all feel about it? Does the good outweigh the bad? Could the concept be improved somehow? Would you like to see this type of series again? (I think I would. I've never seen a novel set in the epochal reign of Goge Vandire.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I would prefer that everything is written by Abnett, Bowden, Wraight and French ...but that's just me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Rohr Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 So is Vulkan kind of just traveling the Imperium helping where he's needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkangilos Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 So is Vulkan kind of just traveling the Imperium helping where he's needed? That is making me think of the 90's tv show "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger9gamer Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Just curious, is anyone doing or noticing this re: TBA series? Started 100% at book 1, 75% book 2, 50% book 3, and so on? Did anyone pick it up after a few books in or stop after a few books? Honestly, no. This book series, despite the rants about the last book I had, is still one of the best 40k stories I have read. Good action, the politics are interesting, the stakes are high as hell... overall i'm very happy with it! So, little question for anyone who's interested: how do you all feel about the rotation of authors so far in this series? We've officially crossed the halfway point now, and while overall I'm happy with the series, I do wonder about how they came up with and carried out this particular format. I've never seen its like before, and there does seem to be unique challenges that come with it. Character behavior, for instance, and certain plot developments that seem to shift with each new entry. How do you all feel about it? Does the good outweigh the bad? Could the concept be improved somehow? Would you like to see this type of series again? (I think I would. I've never seen a novel set in the epochal reign of Goge Vandire.) I'm over halfway in and I still don't know how I feel about it, because certainly the characters feel different. Throneworld's vangorich is different than Predator, Prey's Vangorich, and both of those are different than The Last Wall's Vangorich. I kinda noticed that some authors create other characters rather than use the storie's main characters. Plus this offers a smorgasbord of different writing styles all in one series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xisor Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Personally, I almost wish they'd gone further. More disaster, but less... *action*. The politicking and strange, almost investigative anxiety of finding out what is happening (and the exhausting effort involved for the characters) is an utter delight. By far, it's the best bits of all seven novels. And, to that end, I'd rather the series included more of it than less. (And I don't think it's a 'less is more' situation. Very much: more is more!) In any event, it's a great, different series. I hope that's factoring into their sales and the feedback all involved are getting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Out of curiosity, do the books support or contradict the fan theory that the Chaos gods planned for 10,000 years to stagnation? I haven't read any of them yet, but curious whether the post-Heresy Imperium was doing ok (i.e. not heading towards stagnation) before all the TBA ruckus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apothecary Vaddon Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 They don't really address that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Dougal Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Personally, I almost wish they'd gone further. More disaster, but less... *action*. The politicking and strange, almost investigative anxiety of finding out what is happening (and the exhausting effort involved for the characters) is an utter delight. By far, it's the best bits of all seven novels. And, to that end, I'd rather the series included more of it than less. (And I don't think it's a 'less is more' situation. Very much: more is more!) In any event, it's a great, different series. I hope that's factoring into their sales and the feedback all involved are getting! I don't mind the action. What's an Ork invasion without brutal, savage violence in it, yeah? And half of the story is about The Beast, and how the Orks of Ullanor were/are a true and scary threat to Mankind. Seeing what they're capable of on a grand scale like this, how they're behavior and organization evolve and advance; this is how the Orks survived 60 million years of Eldar dominance. This is what they are capable of. All I want from this series now is some part, some point of the story where we speak to The Beast. Or better yet, a part from his perspective. We already know he's the size of a building, maybe even the size of a Titan. But how smart is he? What does he talk like? Why do I keep picturing the Godfather when I imagine it?! But you're also right about the politics, the scheming and shadow play. That's a big part of the appeal, and I kinda wish they could fit more into it. Like in the latest book, it's only 200 pages, which is on the lower end of things for this series. Maybe they had time constraints (which I can well imagine with a book coming out each month) but if they could've fit more I would love to see more inside the minds of the High Lords, or watch them argue and work with each other. This is the first time they've done this kind of series in Black Library, but I hope it's not the last. As good as it is, I'm sure they can learn from this and do better in the future. The Age of Apostasy begs for this kind of coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Antipodes Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 As does the Abyssal Crusade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apothecary Vaddon Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Personally, I almost wish they'd gone further. More disaster, but less... *action*. The politicking and strange, almost investigative anxiety of finding out what is happening (and the exhausting effort involved for the characters) is an utter delight. By far, it's the best bits of all seven novels. And, to that end, I'd rather the series included more of it than less. (And I don't think it's a 'less is more' situation. Very much: more is more!) In any event, it's a great, different series. I hope that's factoring into their sales and the feedback all involved are getting! I don't mind the action. What's an Ork invasion without brutal, savage violence in it, yeah? And half of the story is about The Beast, and how the Orks of Ullanor were/are a true and scary threat to Mankind. Seeing what they're capable of on a grand scale like this, how they're behavior and organization evolve and advance; this is how the Orks survived 60 million years of Eldar dominance. This is what they are capable of. All I want from this series now is some part, some point of the story where we speak to The Beast. Or better yet, a part from his perspective. We already know he's the size of a building, maybe even the size of a Titan. But how smart is he? What does he talk like? Why do I keep picturing the Godfather when I imagine it?! But you're also right about the politics, the scheming and shadow play. That's a big part of the appeal, and I kinda wish they could fit more into it. Like in the latest book, it's only 200 pages, which is on the lower end of things for this series. Maybe they had time constraints (which I can well imagine with a book coming out each month) but if they could've fit more I would love to see more inside the minds of the High Lords, or watch them argue and work with each other. This is the first time they've done this kind of series in Black Library, but I hope it's not the last. As good as it is, I'm sure they can learn from this and do better in the future. The Age of Apostasy begs for this kind of coverage. There are no time constraints, the entire series was written 1-1.5 years ago. It's on a delayed release schedule so it's consistently set at one month per book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkChaplain Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 It wasn't though. Guy Haley is still working on the Beheading as far as I am aware, and a bunch of authors were working on their contributions this year too. David Guymer shed some light on the order they were written recently as well (no, it wasn't 1 to 12), and how he had to rewrite parts of his later novel to replace a character that just died in another book. They certainly started years ago with Abnett (and I am Slaughter was listed on Amazon forever before we even knew what it was), but the schedule has been crazy, as GW and BL had put it on ice for a long time after the management changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veterannoob Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 It wasn't though. Guy Haley is still working on the Beheading as far as I am aware, and a bunch of authors were working on their contributions this year too. David Guymer shed some light on the order they were written recently as well (no, it wasn't 1 to 12), and how he had to rewrite parts of his later novel to replace a character that just died in another book. They certainly started years ago with Abnett (and I am Slaughter was listed on Amazon forever before we even knew what it was), but the schedule has been crazy, as GW and BL had put it on ice for a long time after the management changes. Actually Guy posted his final completion a few months back. The series started about 3 years ago, went through the first three then there was about 1-1/5 year gap before it picked back up again, and the remaining nine were commissioned and worked on in a unique concert of authors, but when promo started not all books were completed yet:) I pull this directly from the authors in our coverage/author interview with each book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morovir Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 In the latest book (out today), I especially liked the introduction of Ancient Selatonus, a great hero from the battles of Calth-That-Was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronDrake28 Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 In the latest book (out today), I especially liked the introduction of Ancient Selatonus, a great hero from the battles of Calth-That-Was Damn, why'd you have to go and say that, I need this book now XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Valrak Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 In the latest book (out today), I especially liked the introduction of Ancient Selatonus, a great hero from the battles of Calth-That-Was Who is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH79 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 In the latest book (out today), I especially liked the introduction of Ancient Selatonus, a great hero from the battles of Calth-That-Was Who is he? My sentiments exactly lol Furthermore has anyone read / finished this yet? This is by far the one book i am the most anxious about listening to, Vulkan is a character i have warmed to throughout the Heresy and would be happier with a sunshine and rainbows ending to his story as opposed to what we classify as the norm with 40k. Will be picking this up along with 6 & 7 to marathon all 3 towards the end of the month... the self imposed wait since book 5 has pushed my desire to hit that "spoiler" tag to it's limit lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morovir Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 He is Sergeant Selaton, who accompanied Ventanus on Calth in the Horus Heresy (see Know No Fear and Mark of Calth) I presume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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