Deathfire. Done. At last. SPOILERS.

[b1soul]

Seems like an incredible amount of salt coming from an Iron Hands fan.

No...seems like someone who is accurately saying that Kyme is terrible, which he most certainly is

[HeritorA]

 

Seems like an incredible amount of salt coming from an Iron Hands fan.

No...seems like someone who is accurately saying that Kyme is terrible, which he most certainly is

 

And that's is Universal truth - sadly

[veterannoob]

Seems like an incredible amount of salt coming from an Iron Hands fan.

No...seems like someone who is accurately saying that Kyme is terrible, which he most certainly is

Wow. Deathfire certainly wasn't near my top fav HH books but if it's a universal truth Nick is terrible than I'm once again breaking all laws of the universe. Guess that nice fire & brimstone southern preacher was right

[Roomsky]

I don't think Kyme is universally terrible. His prose is better than Gav's, though not by much, and I've never taken terrible offence to his short story writing, especially his Ultramarines and Emperor's Children stuff. Mr. Narek ain't bad either.

 

But man, his Salamanders are all kinds of awful, as are any legion that need to interact with them for any reason. Loyalists? Astounded by their unmatched wisdom. Traitors? Powerless before their military and tactical might.

 

I Wouldn't be surprised if the Salamander's third book includes this little exchange:

 

"Father, I have conquered the warp and death to reach Terra."

"This is good, my son. Unfortunately, I feel our defeat is inevitable. The only strategy I have devised that may halt the traitors is to clog the streets with civilians, so the traitors will be slowed by their sheer mass while we shoot them."

"Your wisdom is great, father, but if I may, here is a better way, that will minimise both civilian and loyalist casualties."

"Truly, you are the most even-headed of my sons."

[Praetor of Calth]

 

But man, his Salamanders are all kinds of awful, as are any legion that need to interact with them for any reason. Loyalists? Astounded by their unmatched wisdom. Traitors? Powerless before their military and tactical might.

 

I Wouldn't be surprised if the Salamander's third book includes this little exchange:

 

"Father, I have conquered the warp and death to reach Terra."

"This is good, my son. Unfortunately, I feel our defeat is inevitable. The only strategy I have devised that may halt the traitors is to clog the streets with civilians, so the traitors will be slowed by their sheer mass while we shoot them."

"Your wisdom is great, father, but if I may, here is a better way, that will minimise both civilian and loyalist casualties."

"Truly, you are the most even-headed of my sons."

 

Hahahhaha I nearly spat out my tea laughing at this. Pretty much describes every Kyme novel to a T.

 

I disagree though, Kyme is a terrible writer there's no hiding from it. I wince every time I see his name on a book cover.

 

Vulkan Lives and Deathfire were both pure torture to get through.

[veterannoob]

I don't think Kyme is universally terrible. His prose is better than Gav's, though not by much, and I've never taken terrible offence to his short story writing, especially his Ultramarines and Emperor's Children stuff. Mr. Narek ain't bad either.

But man, his Salamanders are all kinds of awful, as are any legion that need to interact with them for any reason. Loyalists? Astounded by their unmatched wisdom. Traitors? Powerless before their military and tactical might.

I Wouldn't be surprised if the Salamander's third book includes this little exchange:

"Father, I have conquered the warp and death to reach Terra."

"This is good, my son. Unfortunately, I feel our defeat is inevitable. The only strategy I have devised that may halt the traitors is to clog the streets with civilians, so the traitors will be slowed by their sheer mass while we shoot them."

"Your wisdom is great, father, but if I may, here is a better way, that will minimise both civilian and loyalist casualties."

"Truly, you are the most even-headed of my sons."

OK, the dialog there is hilarious

[HeritorA]

But man, his Salamanders are all kinds of awful, as are any legion that need to interact with them for any reason. Loyalists? Astounded by their unmatched wisdom. Traitors? Powerless before their military and tactical might.

I Wouldn't be surprised if the Salamander's third book includes this little exchange:

"Father, I have conquered the warp and death to reach Terra."

"This is good, my son. Unfortunately, I feel our defeat is inevitable. The only strategy I have devised that may halt the traitors is to clog the streets with civilians, so the traitors will be slowed by their sheer mass while we shoot them."

"Your wisdom is great, father, but if I may, here is a better way, that will minimise both civilian and loyalist casualties."

"Truly, you are the most even-headed of my sons."

Hahahhaha I nearly spat out my tea laughing at this. Pretty much describes every Kyme novel to a T.

I disagree though, Kyme is a terrible writer there's no hiding from it. I wince every time I see his name on a book cover.

Vulkan Lives and Deathfire were both pure torture to get through.

Greatest torture ever

[JH79]

I think most people have quite strong feeling about both this and the previous Salamanders entry in the HH... but thinking things over I've just realised that Kyme has received quite a bit of criticism over the depiction of the Salamanders home world having next to no defenses upon the arrival of the Deathguard warship in the latter part of the Novel, to me this seemed quite strange at first... however, ADB describes the Word Bearers own home world to be in the same state during the early chapters of The First Heretic.

While I'm certainly not comparing the two authors, both have completly different pro's and con's, but still just saying that if the Word Bearers home world can be unprotected by orbital defences etc then why not the Salamanders home world too... after all why would any Astarties home world need such resources for self defence when near enough the entire Galaxy has been brought to compliance?

[Xisor]

No orbital defences for Colchis? I don't recall that. Magnus teleported/magicked himself in at some stage.

 

Moreover, I'd imagine orbital defences would be something that's required, if only for practice more than any genuine threat.

 

And, besides, space is big. The gulf between inhabited planets is fantastic. And in three dimensions. Every world is a frontier in space, after a fashion. There'd be very few 'safe and shadowed' places. Very few indeed.

 

And, as said, plenty of orbital defences is good for local industry. And employment. In Angels of Caliban the titular planet is rather heavily barricaded itself, and that was mostly without the Lion's paranoia.

 

As I see it, it was pretty basic rendition of a planetary seige at the height of the Heresy.

 

"They're invading!"

"Who are?"

"Those blokes over there!"

"Everyone stand in a line..."

 

It just felt so small scale, so parochial. I can imagine it being acted out over dinner. "The fleet (pepper & shakers) attacks from over here (behind a tea spoon), then they bombard the planet (dinner plate)... but the peas are ready for them *shoves mashed up carrots over*..."

 

The idea could be very cool, very evocative. But we still ended with two shakers, a plate, a spoon and some leftover veg.

[JH79]

No orbital defences for Colchis? I don't recall that. Magnus teleported/magicked himself in at some stage.

Moreover, I'd imagine orbital defences would be something that's required, if only for practice more than any genuine threat.

And, besides, space is big. The gulf between inhabited planets is fantastic. And in three dimensions. Every world is a frontier in space, after a fashion. There'd be very few 'safe and shadowed' places. Very few indeed.

And, as said, plenty of orbital defences is good for local industry. And employment. In Angels of Caliban the titular planet is rather heavily barricaded itself, and that was mostly without the Lion's paranoia.

As I see it, it was pretty basic rendition of a planetary seige at the height of the Heresy.

"They're invading!"

"Who are?"

"Those blokes over there!"

"Everyone stand in a line..."

It just felt so small scale, so parochial. I can imagine it being acted out over dinner. "The fleet (pepper & shakers) attacks from over here (behind a tea spoon), then they bombard the planet (dinner plate)... but the peas are ready for them *shoves mashed up carrots over*..."

The idea could be very cool, very evocative. But we still ended with two shakers, a plate, a spoon and some leftover veg.

Haha! I'll never be able to have a sit down meal again without picturing the Deathguard assaulting the Salamanders home world!

As for Colchis described in The First Heretic, check out the beginning of "Chapter 9 - Crimson King, The City of Grey Flowers, Blessed Lady". The world is described, unlike much of the emergent Imperium, as unprotected by vast orbital weapon platforms and having little in the way of industrious space stations for re-fueling etc... so from this perspective at least the Salamanders are not alone.

[HeritorA]

No orbital defences for Colchis? I don't recall that. Magnus teleported/magicked himself in at some stage.

Moreover, I'd imagine orbital defences would be something that's required, if only for practice more than any genuine threat.

And, besides, space is big. The gulf between inhabited planets is fantastic. And in three dimensions. Every world is a frontier in space, after a fashion. There'd be very few 'safe and shadowed' places. Very few indeed.

And, as said, plenty of orbital defences is good for local industry. And employment. In Angels of Caliban the titular planet is rather heavily barricaded itself, and that was mostly without the Lion's paranoia.

As I see it, it was pretty basic rendition of a planetary seige at the height of the Heresy.

"They're invading!"

"Who are?"

"Those blokes over there!"

"Everyone stand in a line..."

It just felt so small scale, so parochial. I can imagine it being acted out over dinner. "The fleet (pepper & shakers) attacks from over here (behind a tea spoon), then they bombard the planet (dinner plate)... but the peas are ready for them *shoves mashed up carrots over*..."

The idea could be very cool, very evocative. But we still ended with two shakers, a plate, a spoon and some leftover veg.

Haha! I'll never be able to have a sit down meal again without picturing the Deathguard assaulting the Salamanders home world!

As for Colchis described in The First Heretic, check out the beginning of "Chapter 9 - Crimson King, The City of Grey Flowers, Blessed Lady". The world is described, unlike much of the emergent Imperium, as unprotected by vast orbital weapon platforms and having little in the way of industrious space stations for re-fueling etc... so from this perspective at least the Salamanders are not alone.

You missed the copied scene from Avatar - where Nocturne nature rises against Death Guard - lol

[Xisor]

JH79 - I can only assume that's a boon of Colchis being early days, and as yet unfortified. Or blame Lorgar for being negligent. Or it being a point of principle. That said - good point.

 

HeritorA - you evoke an interesting image in mentioning that. Not the 'horde of lizards', avatar style, but I rather like the idea of Nocturne itself being a bit of an enigmatic git about it. "The life eater hasn't worked: why?" "I don't think it was ever tested in the midst of an exploding mountain range that decided to become volcanoe just as we attacked, sir..." "Well, that'll have killed the Salamanders off."

 

Over the next few days and months dribs and drabs of battered, blasted, buried Salamanders dig themselves out or are otherwise 'ejected' from their temporary tectonic tombs in the planetary crust and make their way back to civilisation...

 

Same effect of deus ex machina, but much neater!

[Phoebus]

Two quick things:

 

1. No matter what Colchis was like, Nocturne was defended. It had an entire fortified moon. The "modest garrison" and the ships Rhy'tan was referring may have been comparatively small in number (meaning, by the standards of a legion), but any force posted on Prometheus will have dwarfed that which Laestygon brought to invade. More to the point, it's frustrating that Kyme acknowledges all these things but dismisses them with a throwaway line, of the "they won't get here in time" sort. As if Prometheus is on the other side of the system or something. As if the remnant of an annihilated legion will not have been on full readiness to protect their homeworld from precisely the sort of threat Laestygon represents.

 

2. Nocturne as a sort of special environment whose own deadly nature poses a problem for even the Life-Eater virus is an interesting concept, but that sort of thing is not even alluded to by the author.

[Xisor]

Absolutely, Phoebus. Absolutely!