The Beast Arises

[Roomsky]

Shadow of Ullanor

 

This book is a rarity, in that I need to review it twice. The first, simply as its own work. The second, as the climax of a 12 book series.

 

As its own work, I really enjoyed Shadow of Ullanor. Somehow, The Beast Arises has altered how I value prose, and I now appreciate Sanders' work much more than I had before. In a vaccuum, this is probably my favorite work of his. The prose is wonderful, and I say that because in a book so heavily composed of action, I was never once bored. The pace was breakneck, but pleasantly so, scenes were precisely as long as they need to be. As its own narrative, the only other things you could have filled Shadow of Ullanor with is travel time and battles no-one cares about. Sander's provided an extremely lean narrative that on reading was very pleasant. Because of this, I read it entirely in only 2 days, something no other book in the series has managed. Even better, Vangorich wasn't relegated to hiding in someone else's house for the entire plot this time!

 

As the climax of a 12 book series, Shadow of Ullanor is a failure. In part, it is all the times it left the reader asking "why?" Why wasn't the Phalanx used before? Why was Ullanor so lightly defended? Why did the accompanying chapters go back to waging war apart from the Last Wall? Why were there 6 beasts if nothing of importance was going to be done with them? Why was Zerberyn in this book? Why did the Goff Prime-ork's attacks oscillate between causing instant-death and merely injuring? The first confrontation with the Beast had 7 books of build-up. The second confrontation with the Beast had 1 book of build-up. Now, in the stunning conclusion: they invade Ullanor, for the third time, immediately after the second time, and succeed because they used the same tactic as the last attempt, only now it works because reasons. Not reasons we will ever know, of course.

 

The long and short of it is that Shadow of Ullanor is a great read if you divorce it from the 10 books that preceded it, which you can't because its a sequential series. Whoops.

 

 

The Beheading will be lumped in with my full-series review.

[Roomsky]

THE BEAST ARISES

 

 

So, The Beast Arises. A sequential series done by several authors. The Grand Experiment. Did it succeed? No. But it's still a very enjoyable read, and one I think is totally worth the time of people who enjoy the setting. 

 

 

Spoilers ahead and all that.

 

 

The Grand Experiment

 

 

The ambition of this project was unfortunately the source of most of its problems, all the while being the instrument of its success. The Horus Heresy has ballooned in popularity to the point of it swallowing a lot of interest normally reserved for 40k, and I have no doubt it is the direction that propelled it into its present standing. The Horus Heresy moves, even if we know how it ends. Who wants to read about some heretofore unheard-of guardsman dying in the trenches to achieve nothing of consequence? I do. Not many, especially when they can be reading about the hyper-important machinations of the forces destined to cripple the Emperor, or fail in his defense. And while the Heresy sort of lost momentum and ballooned out in the middle, it still has the allure of actually going somewhere, and somewhere drastic. It’s the road to a game-changer; we want to see how it happened. We want to be there the day Horus slew the Emperor. 

 

 

So, why not apply that to something else? Certainly, nothing as important is really available sort of The Scouring, but that's a direct sequel and basically a continuation. But a historical event, one shrouded in mystery that can sustain a long-running plot, seems the recipe for success. Namely The Beheading and an expansion on that one blip in the codex timeline that left everyone scratching their heads. And frankly, the idea of it really worked. There's a thread on this very forum excitedly speculating what they could do next with such a premise. The Badab War. The Age of Apostasy. And if you're foolish and insane charming and handsome, the Unification Wars. And frankly, I can't claim that The Beast Arises was anything other than gripping for this route, as I basically binged it and considering its sheer length and variance in quality, its a miracle I was still riveted by the time I got to Shadow of Ullanor, even fully aware of all its problems. I hope this series was a resounding financial success, because I want more Imperial history like this. Who needs to advance the plot when we've got 10,000 years of plots to advance, eh?

 

 

Another success, and what I think probably won several people over, was the rate of release. 1 book a month? Madness. But, pleasant madness. It was reliable, and it was easy to get excited about a plot thread and character when you knew it would be continued in mere months, basically without fail. This compares favorably compared to something like say, Zahariel's character arc. It’s impossible to know when or even if another entry into his story will be produced, making it rather hard to get excited about. No one sticks around for the promise of "At some point, we may continue the adventures of Zahariel! Also it might be under a different author! Also his character may be in-name only for all the changes made!"

 

 

Of course, that scheduling and direction is also the chink in the series' armor. Because now you need more than one author to fill out such a long-runner with such a tight release-schedule (and frankly, if it were a long-runner under one author, I'd rather get them sporadically every few years over waiting like 10 for 6 to be released in rapid succession). And so the troubles set in. The quality is the first of them.

 

 

Imagine if [POOR AUTHOR OF YOUR CHOOSING] wrote a book in The Beast Arises. Or, maybe imagine he wrote three. Would it matter that many of the surrounding books were marvelous? How much would it grate on you, to have your nice hardback series sitting on your shelf, reading off entry 5, 6, 8, 10, 12? And remember, this is a rigidly sequential series. No gaps like the Heresy, where you can pick and choose what to have up there. Those books are self-contained. When [POOR AUTHOR OF YOUR CHOOSING] releases a new book, it’s no skin off your nose, a better author will probably even make reference to that part of the plot later to fill things in anyway. When this rigidly sequential, you can't pick and choose. Not if you want anything to have any meaning, because character development is basically guaranteed. Each book must pick up from the last and lead into the next. And that's a problem when some of them are bad. I won't be rating individual books, but on a 10-point scale, my lowest is probably a ~3 while my highest is an ~8. That's a rather large gulf in quality one has to stick through to get a coherent experience.

 

 

The other problem is editorial. With so many authors, not only must quality be accounted for, but also continuity. People like to hold up Shadow of Ullanor for the collapse of proper continuity, but I argue it started with Book 2. There's a reason I'm not terribly fond of Predator, Prey. Like the Heresy, Abnett writing the opening book is a blessing in disguise. I am Slaughter introduced us to an age so developed, so distinct from m30 and m41, that those bereft of the ability to read all of I Am Slaughter before beginning their entry (probably all of them) had no hope of keeping things consistent. What happened to something like Attack Moons merely being extrusions of the Ork fortress through space? Either the editor didn't come down hard enough on Abnett, which they shouldn't have because the idea is amazing, or the other authors didn't get the memo. And no, it wasn't just portals like they were described as later. The Moon disgorged more fighters than it could carry because they were coming from a larger base that you couldn't see. In the distance between consecutive books the Beast's forces went from terrifyingly savvy legions to your average horde of Orks with teleporting moons. They read like totally distinct forces. Now apply that to basically everything in the series. When your opening takes pains to distinguish itself from 40k, while its sequels all fall neatly into 40k with a few surface-level changes, you’ve got a problem. Plot points are raised and abandoned basically immediately. There is no shared vision, and unlike the heresy, you can't claim it makes the universe larger because it’s the same POV characters talking to the same supporting characters in the same locations.

 

 

While it helped alleviate some frustration, the amount of last minute Band-Aid fixes The Beheading had to make did not help matters. While one of the series' strongest entries, and a rather wonderful finisher, there were a few too many explanations given to come across as anything other than attempts to cover up the sloppy editorial. Most of the explanations would have only taken a single sentence in their respective books, which makes it even more frustrating. The ill-placement of information is something that permeates the series as a whole, however, such as the disappearance of the powdered, well-armored Orks seen in I am Slaughter being hand waved as a warrior cast some 7 books later after reverting to the standard, over-sized garbage armor Orks common in 40k.

 

 

This could have been avoided by a mild shift of focus. Keep the consistent schedule. Heck, even keep the different creative team. But loosen the scope of the story. Have a book describing Koorland's first encounter with the Orks. Have a book about Drakan having a conniption-fit about the politicking on Terra. Have a book on Mars, about the grand experiment and Kubik's treachery. Have a book about various survivors across the galaxy, giving first hand impressions from various factions about this new, extra-green tide. Make them intertwined but able to stand on their own. But keep the schedule moving and the direction present. Take the best of both worlds.

 

 

 

I am Slaughter. Thane is here too.

 

 

Taking up about half of the important cast, The Fists and their Successors unfortunately get the worst of the story. Not say it’s all bad, but i haven't heard too many opinions about how we needed less intrigue on Terra and more shooting Greenskins. Black Library has a bad habit of releasing books that are vehicles for sweeping battle-scenes, which makes sense considering the tabletop game they promote until you look at what is rather transparently lauded in fantasy/sci-fi media. Dune is remembered for many things, its unique world and political machinations being rather prominent. Did anyone complain that we didn't get chapter after chapter of Sardaukar fighting Fremen? When Feyd-Rautha duels Paul at the end, its satisfying because we know each character, and because we've come to loathe Rautha and fear for Paul's future (sorry for spoiling a 50 year old book). But if you want something more contemporary, Game of Thrones is watched for its intrigue, not its battles, and not its sex. The generally mundane way in which most characters die adds to the tension, it makes it unpredictable. I wasn't surprised by an astartes death in Beast until The Beheading.

 

 

Koorland and Bohemond escape this because they get a lot of focus off the battlefield. But why read a chapter about them fighting Greenskins when we can instead read about them butting heads over the tactics of said battle? I won't disbelieve you if you tell me that they're fighting the Orks off screen. Show me snippets, enough to make the fighting visceral, but don't beat me over the head with it. 

 

 

Thane comes into his own when Koorland kicks the bucket, which is great once we reach that point, but it’s a shame he and his chapter are basically ciphers until then. Yes yes, bla bla Dantalion bla bla unadorned. Only when their mortality as a chapter became apparent did they become interesting, which is probably a trait to be avoided. I suppose they had to be inoffensive enough that they could make a convincing replacement for the Fists, but I would have rather read more about the Crimson Fists, Excoriators, or Black Templars, or perhaps one of the other successors who actually had no personality. (I'm looking at you, Iron Knights.)

 

 

 

The Deathwhat?

 

 

It was odd that the founding of something as significant as the Deathwatch was as abrupt as this part of the review.

 

 

 

The Beast Arises, for a bit.

 

 

I love the idea of the Beast, certainly. A force of Orks with their one weakness, their rather pronounced lack of thinking, stripped away. They are organized, efficient, and on the move. Unfortunately the execution is a bit of a blunder. Orks are an enemy race, I get that. They are valuable in what they bring out of the protagonists, while not being especially interesting on their own. And while they still serve that function well, this is supposed to be the Waaagh! 

 

 

So, in non-superficial terms, here is what the Beast accomplished: It took the piss out of Ghazghkull by making bigger, smarter Orks than it, with more forces that already controlled the planet it wanted. The series then took the piss out of the Beast by making it clear that a properly unified fraction of the Imperium would have crushed it no problem. The green tide sort of comes out of it all looking like a green nuisance, doesn't it?

 

 

This isn't to say there's not a lot to like. Black and White to imitate the Luna Wolves. Castes that will inevitably crop up given their speedy evolution. 6 leaders working in unison, potentially even a single psychic entity like the big E. Even an evaluation of Orkish infrastructure and pseudo-economics. And silly as that last one sounds, I would really have liked more of all that. Or, if the threat was supposed to be frightening, perhaps less. An even less comprehensible and unpredictable breed of Orks that seem to exist only to enslave mankind could have been quite threatening. As it stands, the Beast is somewhere in between, and doesn't capitalize on either of its strengths to make it truly stand out.

 

 

 

Nobody Cares, Zerberyn

 

 

Why is this even in here? While the plotline had its low points, I did enjoy most of what it brought to the table. It’s good to see reasonable traitors. It’s good to see a subtle and fairly believable fall to Chaos, paved with good intentions. I just don't know why it’s in The Beast Arises. I feel like we missed something, like the big moment for Zerberyn got edited out, but we got to keep the build-up and epilogue. Another thing that may have worked were the series less sequential, but it's very out of place in what we got.

 

 

 

Drakan Vangorich, Hell Yeah.

 

 

I've already gone over why the series needed more politics, so it should be no surprise that what we did get was the best part of the adventure. 

 

 

Vangorich was of course, the highlight. Definitely one of my favorite characters in basically anything, he was charming, funny, and intelligent, wrapped together with a very grey and grey morality to make a compelling deuteragonist. Every scene of his was a joy to read, and the gaps between often left me wondering when we'd return to the magnificent bastard. It is unfortunate the writers clearly didn't know what to do with him in the second act, resulting in a rather large part of the series having the Master of Assassin's basically bumming it at a friend's place. Hey, look! What's that? Up there, through the clouds! It’s another issue that could have been avoided in a less sequential series! Truly, it is a thing of beauty.

 

 

The High Lord's, with the obvious exceptions of the likes of Kubik and Lansung, were largely interchangeable and there was really no reason that had to be the case. The Beheading does an excellent job in filling in many of their non-existent personalities, but I see no reason why that was being done in the last book. Heck, there were twelve books to work with. Would have been so difficult to throw in a passage or two about the high-lord's goings on in each?

 

 

Veritus and Wienand sort of depended on the writer, but I enjoyed them nonetheless, as characters that don't need to obey the law tend to be rather compelling. Despite hammering it in that he was old repeatedly, I don't think enough pains were taken to describe just how old Veritus seemed. The dude is 1500, and he wasn't a young man during the Heresy, either. His death was much sadder than I expected considering how much an ass he was being in the early books, however, so kudos to Mr. Haley.

 

 

 

 

But what about the actual story?

 

 

Very enjoyable, but the structure it took wasn't necessarily to its benefit. The Beheading was obviously shorter than it could have been, and the series clearly struggled to find a direction once it passed the halfway point. An entire book was devoted to retrieving Vulkan. The book beforehand, one barely longer, featured the introduction of an entirely new character, his alliance with Kalkator and the death of Magneric, their discovery of Prax and the Ork's vision for humanity, and among other things, Koorland's elevation to Lord Commander. The plot was entertaining and gripping enough to warrant a full read, but the pacing is all over the place, and the inconsistency in quality between authors can make long stretches a chore to get through.

 

 

 

Considering what book 12 was, the threat of the Beast seemed a vehicle for what was happening on Terra. If that was indeed the intention, the narrative priorities were hilariously out of whack. If the war itself was to be the focus, then I suppose it’s a happy mistake we got what we did in the way of character work and intrigue. Either way, there is a lot to enjoy in The Beast Arises, or I sincerely hope Black Library is listening to some of the feedback. It did a lot right, and with a few tweaks, I think they could have a winning formula on their hands. 

[Master Ciaphas]

Excellent, excellent review, Roomsky! I most heartily agree with your review. There was so much potential in The Beast Arises, and indeed, a tighter story control and editing would have done miracles for the series as a whole.

 

If Black Library decides to do it again, I would be happy with bi-monthly installments and perhaps a smaller cast of authors.

[HeritorA]

I just finished The Beheading Monday night, and thus concluded the series. Overall, I am left mildly disappointed. Oddly, some of the best books of the series were written by Gav Thorpe, who is an author I am usually not a fan of at all. But his "The Emperor Expects" was IMHO the best of the series and I loved it.

Having finished the series, I completely agree that First Captain Zerberyn´s story was annoying filler, that could have been spent better on other things - like all the politicking going on on Holy Terra. The parts were no fighting was going, were without a doubt my favourite parts in all the books! And yes, at mentioned, some odd things were going on throughout - like Kubik fleeing as a wanted machine-man in one book, and being back on the Council in the next, with no explanation of why he is suddenly back in the good graces of the Imperium.

The series started out strong, fell significantly during the middle, only to climb a bit at the end. The Beheading was overall a good book, but the last 50 pages or so, which suddenly jump a hundred years or so, should have been almost a book by itself, and felt incredibly, incredibly rushed and detracted significantly from my enjoyment of the book in isolation and it will, alas, be a feeling of disappointment, that I will remember The Beast Arises with.

Regards,

Master Ciaphas

Exactly. Good points every one of them .

You've guys/gals given me much to think on. When I finally air the Guy Haley interview with Beheading (recorded in Dec.), hopefully next week's show, I think maybe a look at the series reflection as a whole as host/fans. So I'd appreciate your thoughts on the overall series here in this thread if you don't mind. If appropriate I can even read some out (so, like, no human/real world racial slurs and such).

You know my opinion - it is almost on 40 pages here. But it's best was said by Roomsky -

'Nobody Cares, Zerberyn Why is this even in here? While the plotline had its low points, I did enjoy most of what it brought to the table. It’s good to see reasonable traitors. It’s good to see a subtle and fairly believable fall to Chaos, paved with good intentions. I just don't know why it’s in The Beast Arises. I feel like we missed something, like the big moment for Zerberyn got edited out, but we got to keep the build-up and epilogue. Another thing that may have worked were the series less sequential, but it's very out of place in what we got. but the structure it took wasn't necessarily to its benefit. The Beheading was obviously shorter than it could have been, and the series clearly struggled to find a direction once it passed the halfway point. An entire book was devoted to retrieving Vulkan. The book beforehand, one barely longer, featured the introduction of an entirely new character, his alliance with Kalkator and the death of Magneric, their discovery of Prax and the Ork's vision for humanity, and among other things, Koorland's elevation to Lord Commander. The plot was entertaining and gripping enough to warrant a full read, but the pacing is all over the place, and the inconsistency in quality between authors can make long stretches a chore to get through.'

[DukeLeto69]

Roomsky what a well written and thoughtful summation of what many of us have been saying throughout this thread combined with some interesting thought-provoking additional insight.

 

I too really hope this was commercially successful enough to warrant more exploration of timeline events. I also hope folks at BL see this as a great but flawed attempt and know how they could do it better (and reading this thread and Roomskys post would be a good start).

 

For me the key points are 1. Tighter editorial. 2. Fewer authors to help with consistency and the tighter editorial. 3. Make the length of the series appropriate to the scope of the story to avoid potential padding and unnecessary sub plots.

[HeritorA]

Roomsky what a well written and thoughtful summation of what many of us have been saying throughout this thread combined with some interesting thought-provoking additional insight.

 

I too really hope this was commercially successful enough to warrant more exploration of timeline events. I also hope folks at BL see this as a great but flawed attempt and know how they could do it better (and reading this thread and Roomskys post would be a good start).

 

For me the key points are 1. Tighter editorial. 2. Fewer authors to help with consistency and the tighter editorial. 3. Make the length of the series appropriate to the scope of the story to avoid potential padding and unnecessary sub plots.

Fewer authors (3 top); editorial team created exclusively for that 'event'; 6 books  per series - half a year run.

Do not create unnessecary plotlines; do not use badly executed timejumps

[veterannoob]

Heh, y'all crack me up :)

[HeritorA]

Heh, y'all crack me up

We are doing our best lol!

Can't wait to hear what Guy Haley will say about at least half of that