Cybernetica- Request for Info

[caladancid]

I am generally a fan of Rob Sanders, and saw that I could pick up Cybernetica on iBooks. The price is a bit much for 200+ pages (especially for an ebook) but I might be convinced to do it. The sample was interesting enough.

 

Anyone have thoughts on this book? Worth getting despite supporting BL's ridiculous pricing scheme?

[Izlude]

I sort of bring up this book a few times, I honestly thought it was aweful, right there with Battle for the Abyess. I was looking forward to when it was first annouced..."Mars must be purged." Boy was I disappointed. Without trying to give spoilers:

 

1. It felt like a big cheezy video game with a "big boss" at the end of the book.

 

2. Definitely felt it was there to promote the mechanicum stuff

 

3. Dorn: While I was expecting him to crack some skulls (just wishful thinking) be nice to see something more about him

 

Overall painful to read, main character felt random and boring. I thought this book would have been more about the IF raiding mars to grab the armour and weapons, this would have been better! Anyways book has so much potential but really fell short. Even if it was free I probably wouldn't recommend it. The Honoured was somewhat better so I haven't totally written him off yet.

[Half Goat]

I agree wholeheartedly with izlude, a huge disappointment. I enjoyed the first chapter, and was hoping for some real character development and relationships between the various tech marines from the other legions in particular the Iron Warrior who seemed like he could have been an interesting character. But from chap one onwards, it's as izlude says a very cheap, childish video game with big bad boss level..eugh.

[Tymell]

A third vote for "garbage".

 

I don't enjoy Rob Sanders' HH work generally: The Iron Within was outstanding, everything else has ranged from passable to awful, and Cybernetica is firmly at the lower end of that scale. The writing itself is boring, ranking alongside Battle For the Abyss or Descent of Angels, it's mostly a chore to slog through. There are some good ideas, like a band of techmarines, exploring the relationship between the Mechanicum and the Astartes, and the idea of techno-heresy, but none of these are explored properly. The one really good bit of the story is later ruined, and in a way that is both painful in it's contrivance and feels completely unnecessary.

 

Definitely not worth dropping even a reasonable amount on, let alone what BL want for it.

[caladancid]

Well, that is disappointing. Thanks for all the input!

[veterannoob]

I actually liked it, but did have trouble with the first two chapters. I don't think it's a spoiler to say there's a scene where someone remembers something at the beginning to set up a character. But I was powering through it to prep for an interview with Rob Sanders on his 30k and 40k books. Still, I can see where the valid criticism fits in. It's not the first HH book tag line to make me imagine something completely different than what the book represents.