Ragnar Blackmane by ADB out now ebook

[Taliesin]

Having now seen a physical copy there is no doubting this is a novella. In fact even though it has 174 pages of text, the story starts on page 7, and then there is a remarkably large number of blank pages in the book. Remarkably large really, the publisher is clearly trying to fill out what is already a short story. This book is around 150 story pages if I am being generous. It is shorter than the Garro novella they just released as well.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Stay on topic, which is the content of the story.

 

the pricing has nothing to do with how good or bad the story is.

 

(and it's awesome)

[Taliesin]

We are very much on topic; pricing and actual size of the book are part of the package.

It's not defined by the thread starter that it should solely be about content discussion ( and if anyone feels like doing so, they are of course welcome to jump in).

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Let me adjust my above statement:

 

Stay on a topic that won't boil down to the same, oft repeated, getting old or any variant you prefer gripe about BL prices that pepper way too many threads in this sub forum.

 

It's not that I entirely disagree on BL and its prices, just that we all would rather see a constructive thread about an excellent story than another whine fest over something neither we nor the author has any control over.

 

Want a constructive thread about price griping? Start one. I'll probably agree with most of it

[A D-B]

And it's just a novella?

...or someone uploads it as a pdf.

Admittedly, no, it's not a novella.

If Ragnar Blackmane is more than 40,000 words, I guess you're right.

It is, so yes, I'm right.

Taliesin, on 20 Jan 2016 - 11:39 PM, said:

Having now seen a physical copy there is no doubting this is a novella. In fact even though it has 174 pages of text, the story starts on page 7, and then there is a remarkably large number of blank pages in the book. Remarkably large really, the publisher is clearly trying to fill out what is already a short story. This book is around 150 story pages if I am being generous. It is shorter than the Garro novella they just released as well.

You're still wrong.

I hate to do this, because I don't want it to be marketed as an average length novel, either. I've always been 100% upfront about its length. But it's quite literally not a novella, no matter how many times you say it is. Can't you just call it what it is: a short novel? Why is it so important to you to mislabel it?

As I mentioned before, in a link earlier in this thread (and one you quoted back):

Yes and no. You'll note that I don't leap in to argue or defend any of GW's pricing, as it's nothing to do with me, and as collector of various non-essential geekieries I don't have a balanced perspective on what's reasonable and what's not. I'll gladly drop £200 on models I'll never paint, yet the idea of paying that much to get my car fixed leaves me cold and feeling like I've been kicked in the balls.

And when I explain publishing lengths, I do it in word counts. Not pages. 176 pages means nothing to me, because so many books are different sizes with different presentations and different fonts, etc. Raw word count is the only valid statistic, and regarding novel lengths, BL isn't really out of line with the publishing world. Bear in mind that a lot of absolutely classic novels are what you'd consider novellas, even though they're not.

Animal Farm. The Hitch-hikers' Guide to the Galaxy. All Quiet on the Western Front. Slaughterhouse 5. Lord of the Flies. The Catcher in the Rye. Brave New World.

They're not novellas. There's no way around that. They're just not. I appreciate you've got your criteria but given the evidence you may choose to rethink it. Ragnar is about as long as most of those - and longer than several of them - just to grab them as examples.

Hell, even National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) sets the word count for participants at a minimum of 50,000 words. That's a fairly short novel, but it's still a novel. Otherwise it would be called National Novella Writing Month.

Don't take this as a blanket defence, but rather an explanation. I'm not going to be sad if someone doesn't think it's worth the money, and I'm not going to be offended by it. But it's not a novella.

[Kelborn]

Well,

 

it is still depicted as a novella on BL homepage.

 

I don't say that it is one, as you clarified it for numerous times, but it should be edited on the page as well. Not for us, as we can read your explanation, but for those fans who aren't part of this community and might want to buy it.

[A D-B]

Well,

 

it is still depicted as a novella on BL homepage.

 

I don't say that it is one, as you clarified it for numerous times, but it should be edited on the page as well. Not for us, as we can read your explanation, but for those fans who aren't part of this community and might want to buy it.

 

I'm not sure why BL changed it (it used to say novel on the ltd. edition release), and it doesn't really bother me that they did. I only jumped in to explain it the first time because it was listed as a novel back then and people were saying it was a novella. If it'd been marketed as a novella from Day 1, I'd not have said anything. (And nor would anyone else, since the original controversy was people saying BL was lying, when they weren't.) I had to comment here because it bugs me when people have the evidence, the actual explanation, quote it in their posts, and then still argue the opposite point. That's not just wrong, it's also bizarre.

 

But that silliness aside? I'm really glad peeps are digging it.

[Kelborn]

Ok, got your point.

Just thought that it should be changed.

*Silliness aside? I'm with you!*

Yeah, seems like you again did a quite good job here.

If I wouldn't have some problems with obtaining it via BL homepage.... I think I even would buy it as well. As I'm currently reading Stormcaller AND working on a Germanic / Viking themed Knight House allied with the Vlka Fenryka, I'm currently on a SW trip. *take my money...take my soul... just give me more SW stuff! -.- *

That being said, you got me again and even more ashamed of my previous post. *note: think first, than write something down*

Think it's kind of funny how every author who dealt with the Wolves gave them another personal touch: King = badass warriors with cliché type of humor

A D B = best buddies of mankind (and badass as well)

Wraight = troublesome bunch of badass characters who need to deal with their own problems (I'm thinking of Jarnhammar)

Long speech short: I love the wolves!

[Kodanshi]

 

every author who dealt with the Wolves gave them another personal touch: King = badass warriors with cliché type of humor

A D B = best buddies of mankind (and badass as well)

Wraight = troublesome bunch of badass characters who need to deal with their own problems (I'm thinking of Jarnhammar)

 

What did Abnett give them? Intelligence?

[Kelborn]

Oh, you're right.

Haven't read Prosperro Burns until now. Therefore I can't say anythinh about that. Did he gave them a personal touch?

 

Btw. who introduced the whole viking like words, ie calling the Fang Aett?

[veterannoob]

I haven't read (but of course, I own them) the original Bill King SW novels yet so I can't say of that was in there before. But if you mean numbered names for companies I did see in HH and hear in HH audio books & dramas the Nordic numbers. So from the spelling that you wrote here it looks like that was meant to be number one, however some of the numbers are off a little bit just to keep it so it's not completely a match. Like tra (sp?) being three.

[Kol Saresk]

Oh, you're right.

Haven't read Prosperro Burns until now. Therefore I can't say anythinh about that. Did he gave them a personal touch?

 

Btw. who introduced the whole viking like words, ie calling the Fang Aett?

That was Abnett. King(and Lee) both made them very human and very drunk. Abnett gave them that very, heavily Nordic theme where they called everything something else and have like twenty different names. In the 30K, A D-B follows Abnett's suit and in 40K, he follows King and Lee.

[Kelborn]

Thanks.

So Abnett started it. Seems like I need to read Prosperro Burns next.

[Kodanshi]

If you think of it as a 'sequel' or something to A Thousand Sons, it might disappoint you. It's more like a documentary in the life of the Space Wolves, with a short ending about the sacking of Prospero. To me (wasn't really a SW fan), Abnett made them extremely understandable and definitely more than savage beasts.

[Kelborn]

Thank you, Kodanshi.

 

I'd heard of that. If it's like a documentary of their life, it would be more interesting for me as I'm currently working on a Germanic or Viking themed Knight Household. If I could get some inspiration out of it, than it would be even better. ;)

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Once you read it, I would like to dispute that its like a documentary of their life. Anything further I say would spoil key elements of the book.

 

WLK

[HeritorA]

Wolves are ambiguous bunch of slave dog , who can't do right. Boring, overpowered vikings in space

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Wolves are ambiguous bunch of slave dog , who can't do right. Boring, overpowered vikings in space

Am I the only one to find this so amusing because this is the edited version?

[veterannoob]

I was a little surprised when the first unedited message popped up on my phone;)

[Sete]

HeritorA laying some truth ahahah.

[Kelborn]

Well... Ok...

 

So you're a member of team Edward, aye? :P

 

Can live with that. ;)

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

I was a little surprised when the first unedited message popped up on my phone;)

 

I was almost interested in the OG message, but Herry is working off of some old (and thankfully) outdated info. the recent Wolf releases have moved away from Vikings in Space and towards a more Nordic/Germanic combination.

 

and I can see where that isnt everybody's cup of tea,I just dont see why the time would be wasted in such an nonconstructive message.  If something bothers me enough to drop pretend curses on a forum, i'll just leave that thread.

[Carach]

Thanks.

So Abnett started it. Seems like I need to read Prosperro Burns next.

it's a good book imo. some people criticised it somewhat at release but i find it to be one of the best of the HH collection with First Heretic. Everyone's just done.. right.

[Dantay VI]

I haven't read the Ragnar Blackmane book, but I am looking forward to picking it up.

I do not much care for Bill King/Lee Lightners portrayal of Ragnar and the Wolves, however I think that it is a by-product f the time (as in he didn't have much lore to work with).

As the 40K universe has expanded, I hope that AD-B has managed to evolve the Wolves.

The one thing I did like about Kings writing was how the stories were all flashbacks and how those past actions affected his actions in the present.

 

As for Prospero Burns. It is an incredibly insightful book.

 

Chris Wraight is also a great write, between him and Dan Abnett. I do not think the Wolves would have a forum here, or an identity as good as the one we have now . I sincerely hope that AD-B is able to add to it in a positive way.

 

HeritorA, you are entitled to your view, although I am not sure if it has anything to do with the book or just Space Wolves in general. Such vitriol and non-constructive posting however does nobody any good. Congratulations fella, you have earned a coveted spot in my exclusive "person whose posts get ignored club"

[HeritorA]

dantay_xv

My problem is with the SW Legion in general. In the universe of 30, 40K most @unreal@ Legion with all the fetishes and wolf hides, selfrighteness, pride etc.etc.  with haters everywhere still exists. And yes - they are overpowered sons of bitches. Intentionally done so by BL.

Fething SW killed a GREY KNIGHT CHAPTER MASTER! GREY FETHING KNIGHT CHAPTER MASTER WITH PSIONIC LEVEL OF ALPHA! Are you fething kidding me.

Another wolf puppy kills a SM in a HONOUR duel to first blood? And sent his brothers :cuss off - really? After which SW make him a company leader?

Sure - why not left only SW in 40k. Why you need anyone else - SW could do everything - eat, sniff, find you out of everywhere, fething lol!

 

As for Prospero Burns - it was a book written by a talented author, which is a joy to read. But it has nothing to do with what it name suggest 'Prospero Burns'. Last 20 pages doesn't fethingly count.