Where to start reading Dark Angel novels?

[HsojVvad]

Long story short, I have a very bad memory. So I forgot what I was told. Also depression struck me again so I have stopped modelling. I want to get out of my funk. I had so much planned for my Dark Angel minis, but dropped them because of my depression. I want to start again, but I got no inspiration. With the toxicity on the net again, I get less and less inspiration even more. 

 

So I thought why not try and read some Dark Angel novels now. I can't remember what the order is, so I am wondering if Legacy of Caliban is a good place to start? I know it's a collection for four Dark Angel books. Would that be like book one, or is there a book one and I should start from there?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[FerociousBeast]

"Where to start reading Dark Angel novels?"

 

My answer: Don't.

 

Black Library novels rarely ascend past the tawdry red light district of bolter porn to the heady heights of mediocrity. And compared to the larger set of Black Library novels, Dark Angel novels are average at best.

 

To add injury to insult, recent entries from Gav Thorpe to the Dark Angel "canon" have significantly changed cherished bits of fluff from the codex and Index Astartes days for the worse--much worse.

 

If you haven't subjected yourself to any Dark Angels novels from the Black Library, I wouldn't start now!

[Major_Gilbear]

I would suggest something totally different and palette-cleansing... The two Inquisitor trilogies by Dan Abnett.

 

They are some of the better Black Library books IMO, and not being related to Space Marines (but still very 40k) might help you find your Dark Angels modelling "appetite" again. :)

[jbaeza94]

I'm a simple reader, and I find black library books entertaining.

Angels of Darkness is good in my opinion, I would start here. I enjoyed reading the angels of caliban series, especially master of sanctity. The ending of the series was a little strange though.

 

The horus heresy books are a nice read, the second da book was better than the first in my opinion.

[m_r_parker]

I wouldn't say that they are all quite that bad. I quite enjoy Angels of Darkness, even if it is relatively old. Most of the newer stuff is pretty bad in the whole, and if you go into the Horus Heresy series can be quite confusing. 

 

I would specifically avoid the short story collection Lords of Calliban, I bought that and could only get through the first story (which was only about 5 pages long) without giving up on it and returning it to the bookshelf where it has remained to this day. I half thought about returning it to my local GW but wasn't sure whether you could do that with books or not. 

 

If you can find it, try to get a copy of Let the Galaxy Burn - a really early omnibus of short stories. There's a couple of good DA focussed ones in there, but it's really difficult to get hold of as it went out of print years ago. I only stumbled on mine in a random bookshop when I was in New York on holiday. 

 

If you're set to go down the HH route, there are some notable exceptions to the 'pretty bad in the whole' statement. 'The Lion' and 'Savage Weapons' are pretty good, albeit short. Personally I like half of Fallen Angels, the half that focussed on the Lion away from Calliban, rather than the other half of the story focussed on Luther and Zahariel.

 

A general rule of thumb - older Gav Thorpe stuff is great, newer Gav Thorpe stuff is bad. 

[Chaplain Lucifer]

Rule of thumb I would avoid anything DA related not written by AD-B if you have a faint heart or anything less than steel resolve and faith in the Legi...ahem... chapter.

[Rob P]

Angels of Darkness is definitely the starting point.

 

The story in it continues into the Dark Angels 40k trilogy which starts with Ravenwing, then Master of Sanctity, and concludes with The Unforgiven.

 

If you read Angels of Darkness after the Heresy stories it will ruin the impact of the question asked in it.

[ThatOneMarshal]

Is raven wing any good?

[jbaeza94]

I liked ravenwing.

[Phoebus]

HsojVvad,

 

My first recommendation is to detach yourself emotionally from the Dark Angels novels, novellas, and short stories you do read. My subjective, personal opinion is that they're a mixed bag at best. They are loaded with inconsistencies, especially when stood next to the Codices, etc. More importantly, both character development and the plot itself take a distant second place to hammering home a theme.

 

All that having been said, I would argue that there's no point to avoid a chronological reading of the Dark Angels saga:

 

1. Descent of Angels, by Mitch Scanlon, takes you as close to the beginning as it gets. Two young initiates of the Order give you a glimpse at the Lion and Luther before the Emperor arrived in Caliban.

 

2. Gav Thorpe's "Call of the Lion" is a short story that shows us Astelan during his loyalist days, pre-Heresy.

 

3. Angels of Caliban, also by Gav Thorpe, is the most recent Heresy novel, but has flashbacks that show Luther immediately after his exile to Caliban. For this reason, I'm listing it both here and later in this list.

 

4. Fallen Angels, by Mike Lee, shows us the Lion in action during the opening stages of the Heresy, as well as the beginning of the betrayal on Caliban.

 

5. "Savage Weapons," by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, shows the first confrontation between the Lion and the Night Haunter during the Thramas Crusade. it also introduces Corswain, the Paladin who will become the Lion's Seneschal.

 

6. The Lion, also by Gav Thorpe, wherein the primarch of the First Legion seeks an artifact that could decide the Thramas Crusade.

 

7. "Cypher: Guardian of Order" is an audio short that serves as little more than foreshadowing for what is to come on Caliban.

 

8. "Grey Angel" by James Swallow, has agents of Malcador the Sigillite going to Caliban to ascertain the loyalties of the Dark Angels there...

 

9. Prince of Crows, also by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, focuses primarily on the Night Lords, but does detail the end of the Thramas Crusade.

 

10. The Unremembered Empire, by Dan Abnett, shows us the Lion arriving in Ultramar, his purpose being to ascertain Guilliman's intent and whether or not he needs to suppress yet another traitor.

 

11. "Master of the First," by Gav Thorpe, shows the continuing rebellion on Caliban, and the roles played by Astelan, Luther, and others...

 

12. "By the Lion's Command," by Gav Thorpe, shifts the focus on Corswain, who is taking the fight to the Death Guard, seeking out Leman Russ, and casting an eye toward Caliban - unaware of the rebellion there.

 

13. Angels of Caliban, which, besides flashbacks, shows us the Lion, Luther, and the Dark Angels in the most recent days of the Heresy.

 

From there, we go to the 41st Millennium:

 

1. Bill King's "Deathwing" is the seminal short story that forms some of the core mythology of the Chapter.

 

2. Pandorax, by C.Z. Dunn, shows the Dark Angels teaming up with the Grey Knights to thwart the machinations of the Black Legion on a planet with a daemonic secret.

 

3. The Purging of Kadillus, by Gav Thorpe, shows the Dark Angels led by Belial taking on Orks on Piscina IV.

 

4. Angels of Darkness is perhaps the signature Dark Angels novel. Overshadowed by recent revelations, Astelan's attempts to convince his captors that the Lion was a traitor made for perhaps the most controversial - and compelling - Warhammer 40k reading of the time.

 

5. The Legacy of Caliban novels (the novels Ravenwing, Master of Sanctity, The Unforgiven).

 

6. The Lords of Caliban anthology (which includes the short stories "Honour of the Third", "A Hunt in the Dark", "Battle Brothers", "Accept No Failure", "Holder of the Keys", and "All Must End".)

 

7. Ascension of Balthasar and Dark Vengeance, also by C.Z. Dunn, focusing on Balthasar, Master of the Fifth Company.

 

8. Ragnar Blackmane also features a Dark Angel character somewhat prominently, but is probably too pricy a buy if you're just looking to read about Dark Angels.

 

9. The Legacy of Russ features the Dark Angels as semi-antagonists.

 

There are easily half a dozen other short stories whose names I just can't easily recall right now. Some are newer, some are older. They vary in quality and relevance.

[HsojVvad]

Thank you everyone for your comments. Yeah I tried reading some Black Library novels and some are ok. I think I read the first two books of some Inquisitor. Damn forgot his name. I tried reading the first Horus Heresy book and didn't get past page 100, but I loved the Alpha Legion book Legion. 

 

I am just in a mood for some Dark Angels, that is all. Cant get any worse from having depression and reading all the toxicity on the internet about my beloved hobby. I even became jaded again and started arguing with people on the internet again about plastic toy soldiers. What is going on? LOL so I am grounding myself what got me into 40K. Tyranids and Dark Angels. Bought Deathwatch for Genestealer Cults and the Dark Angle mini, so now it's time to read some Dark Angle books no matter how bad they are. :P

 

A big THANK YOU to Phobeus. That is what I was exactly looking for. Thank you. 

[Phoebus]

My pleasure!

[FerociousBeast]

Deathwing is a good story, and captures that early 40k feel that has tragically been completely lost over time.

 

Angels of Darkness is worth reading, not because it's a good book--it's not, as I have attempted to show several times in the past here--but because it is one of those cornerstones of Dark Angel fluff, and all DA fans should read it in order to understand the DA's context since then.

 

The Horus Heresy novels are a total mixed bag. If you read all of them, you will witness five different authors trying to come to grips with who and what the Lion is, and at the beginning of the series, how to deal with someone who many fans really wanted to see, but who had a minor role in the Heresy. Characteristics and characters change from book to book, the Lion does some REALLY daft things, and all told the Dark Angels come across as a bunch of Keystone Cops.

 

The Horus Heresy is also where Gav gets ahold of the chapter and starts to rewrite its history and motivations in a pretty egregious manner. This revisionism carries through to his recent Dark Angel trilogy, where it culminates in one of the biggest and most unforgivable bits of Keystone Coppery in perhaps the entire setting, recasting one of the most important events to the Dark Angels and their fans in a truly unforgivable way.

 

I will not say more on the subject, other than to say Gav's introduction and use of the Tuchulcha character was singularly misguided and indeed out of character for the Dark Angels. I personally have decided all of the Tuchulcha nonsense is fan fiction, and have reverted back to the early codices as the primary and authoritative source of fluff background.