Kingsblade spoiler free review

[HeritorA]

Tried to do Ab imo pectore (from the heart, from the soul) but got ourselves an Ab hoc et ab hoc (and so somehow, to no avail, so untimely and false).

 

That's actually how best we could transcribe new debut Black Library novel  Kingsblade  from Andy Clark. Andy tried to do his best and in the end result we got a truly adventurous 'juvenilitas' book. A novel for the young and bold, with the epitaph for the dreams of youth and it's ambitions. Actually I personally did not expect to get an adventure book instead of a bolter porn one. On that count I was pleasantly surprised.

Ad honores (for honor)

Narrative. Story follows two young and eager, but untested, Knight Errants as they take on the Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines on what quickly becomes an entire planet of enemies! At least that what synopsis tells us. But in truth we got much more then simply that. What we got is a knightly story - about damsels in distress, courage, heroics and full culture of honor in honorless Warhammer 40000 setting.

One third (or even half of the book depends on micro-conception) of it show us the internal and external mechanism and wheels of the Knight society in the war torn future of the 40000 setting. At some point you will ask yourself a question - how many books about medieval knights and heraldry did he read while he wrote this novel.

All the main strengths of this culture - honor, courage, greatness, ideals, chastity, sacrifice, passion are pinpointed with authors love and accuracy. At the same time Andy throughout the novel was able to show weaknesses of the knightly society: self-loathing, internal doubt, court intrigues, hate for their sires, pride and 'honor' that could lead to such a deadly mistakes.

What KIngsblade gives us is a story of war/despair/courage and youth that preliminary matured under the stress. But let's follow step by step. The Knight Houses of Adrastapol are both noble and righteous, and when the Imperial world of Donatos falls to the heresy of the Word Bearers, they are foremost in the vanguard to retake it. Led by High King Tolwyn Draconis, the Knights are peerless in battle and strike deep into the enemy’s ranks. But the war soon turns when a terrible tragedy strikes, casting the Imperial campaign into anarchy. As desperation grows, unblooded Knights Errant Danial and Luk must quickly learn the ways of war to prevent an unholy ritual or Donatos will be lost and all the noble Houses of Adrastapol with it.

And so they did through the baptism of fire and sorrow. When a tragedy occurs and an Imperial retribution force is shattered, two young Imperial Knight pilots must work together and learn the ways of war if they are to survive.

The story gives a Knights fanboy a dreamtime. All Knightly classes are present at the field at some point of time. Great actions sequences between the human meat shields, barricaded armour and Knights took most of the pages count. They are quite interesting to read and follow. The ending of the story did not surprise you that much, but that's not it's point. KIngsblade gives you - is a time of adventure and romantic ideals. Stuff, you would definitely not expect from the setting.

Also, it show you how scary Chaos truly is - an not by the hordes of damnation, but by insidious heresy it present on it's own. It could corrupt everywhere and everyone as a further story explain.

Characters.

After all 'Ad cogitandum et agendum homo natus est' (for thought and action the man was born).

Protagonists of the story and true shining stars of this book. They got the most space and more time to shine than everyone else. Daniel and Luk has gone an interesting transformation from the naive youths to a seasoned and war hardened veterans. Even through it was too quick for them to reach all the right conclusions - but that was done for the story sake.

The main antagonist of this story is not a deluded fool Tan Chimaeros and not even his 'beloved' Alicia with all that childish and naive treachery. Main antagonist of the story is Chaos Undivided, who via the ritual of Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr and eternal bickering between it's chaotic branches will never find a solution to it's own paradox. With the sole exception of Tzeentch of course. Ohhh, how he laughed in his Crystal Labyrinth in the end. Andy was able to show us the terror and nightmarish intelligence of warp entities. But at the same time the scene with the warp portals and daemon conjuring are too naive and all the 'horror' the author tried to show us with Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr does not give you any creeps. We saw that and much worse before. It's a w40k for feth sake. Not the shining rainbow unicorns. And not a novel so much dictated by the whims and absurdity of the Architect of Fate.

In general Varakh'Lorr gave me hopes at the beginning, but fell flat and cartoonish 'Megatron' style in the end.

Issues and cons

But here we go into the problems and cons. Even in the times of knights in shining armor and chivalry - the line of succession takes precedence the army is still follow the most experienced leader on the field. Not the naive boy 'out of blue'. In one moment we have an unexperienced, usually pretty stupid kid with naive ideas at the wheel of the war machine and the next he is a mighty strategist who can parse a lot of information in a blink of an eye? I do understand why it was done - after all Daniel should have gotten his victory and should have found his true self and High King characteristics. But from a child to a veteran in that small time period? After such a loss and tragedy? Unbelievable for a war story. Believable for an adventure one.

Also - I dreamed a lot to have a fully depicted engagement between loyal or renegade Knights and Space Marines or their Chaos counterparts. And I did hope to get one here. In the light of the word - I did get it, but in the light of the story/prose I didn't. The action sequences between CSM and Knights in general take several sentences and very quick to end.

Another issue - is the logic of antagonists. Spoilers ahead - an experienced war leader and old man, who fought on a lot of fronts during that 'scary' millennium; leader of a whole Knightly House - Gerraint Tan Chimaeros, does not know what will happen if you make a bargain with Chaos? After all his campaigns? Spurred by one Imperial act of transgression he decided to become a chaos worshipper? A man who spent all his life with chivalry and honor? That kind of man doesn't know who Tzeentch is? What happened after Word Bearers invade the world? That kind of man make a pact with CHAOS? Really?

Next would be prose. It is easy to comprehend, easy to follow, but at the same time it's too, let's call it simplistic. Maybe I'm a long term Abnett and Wraight fan and I do understand that to get to their level you need to write a lot, but anyway, it's like a student work after the Leman Russ book from Wraight.

Verdict. Andy has tried to create a war story with courage and honor, but ended up creating an adventure book with shades of teenager horror story. At the same time the book gives you almost exactly what it promised. It's a war on a larger scale – Imperial Knight scale! Old and novice Knight pilots against an entire world of enemies...

The most enjoyable it would be for the young 40k readers. After all it is a magnificent adventurous novel. Novel that put honor and knights chivalry on the first place in the dark and grimm universe. As for us, far older fans it is hard to forgive some 'war' related and character building mistakes. But even then Kingsblade appeal to our inner kid with all the towering engines of destruction, adventures and shooty-shooty on big scale.

I would rate it as 4 stars out of 5. It's not an 'EPIC' book, but an amazingly solid and good one. And definitely one of the best 'debuts' for Black Library in the last years.

Well done Andy Clark! Can't wait for your further stories and do believe that with time you will write a masterpiece.

[Kelborn]

Thanks, Heri.

I was considering it along with McNeils Knight stuff.

Seems to be solid enough to give it a try. :)

[DarkChaplain]

I read the tie-in advent short Becoming a while ago and liked it, even though the naming conventions irked me a bit. A lot of our names just slightly modified to look other, but I couldn't help but read them as Daniel and Luke anyway. Thankfully the surrounding story was good, so I want to give Kingsblade a try when I can get to it. Sadly, not high priority right now with all the other stuff still waiting.

 

But yes, it sounds like a promising novel.

[Taliesin]

I read the sample of Becoming and was quite turned off, it did indeed seem much more juvenile than is to my liking.

 

I guess this review confirms I should give this a miss, even though there is hopefully an audience that will like it.

[DarkChaplain]

To be fair, the short story is about teenage boys sparring before their ascension to knighthood, as the meta-layer, and the core of the story is about a veteran telling of his own becoming, as a teenage boy, and his first battle. I think for that the style of the short story worked well, and the framing was interesting.

[caladancid]

I did not think the story was juvenile at all. If the idea of the review is that focusing on teenagers makes the book a story for teenagers I think that is the wrong idea from the outset.

 

I think this fleshes out Knights in the same way Titanicus fleshed out Titans. Think how many actual battles were in Titanicus. Most were short.

 

Kingsblade gives a perspective that we haven't gotten before from the Imperial side. McNeill's novel, which I also liked, was (probably due to length) more of an action shot vs how the Knights work, what the Thrones do to you, and what it would be like to grow into total control of this incredible machine. Contrast that with the princeps who have been moderatii prior to taking command.

 

Kingsblade is a great novel that should appeal to many.

[Augustus]

Thats for the review Heritor A. Would you mind adding couple of line breaks into your post? Its a bit hard to read :)

[Apothecary Vaddon]

Mostly agree. Characters had flavor, story was fairly well-paced (didn't really think it dragged on significantly in any parts). Plot got a little predictable in some parts:

 

Like, of course Danial was going to fail his first time around, and of course they were going to do a long trek/quest style thing to kick ass and take names

 

But that didn't bother me too much, as the novel was pretty well written and well edited.

[HeritorA]

Mostly agree. Characters had flavor, story was fairly well-paced (didn't really think it dragged on significantly in any parts). Plot got a little predictable in some parts:

Like, of course Danial was going to fail his first time around, and of course they were going to do a long trek/quest style thing to kick ass and take names

But that didn't bother me too much, as the novel was pretty well written and well edited.

It is was a strangely pleasant surprise, which I wasn't expecting from BL nowdays. Usually all the new authors stuff are short and very blank. But 'Red Tithe' and 'Kingsblade' are really good books (not amazing - but good).

Thats for the review Heritor A. Would you mind adding couple of line breaks into your post? Its a bit hard to read

Sorry - will do next time. I was busy - just got home from the Horus Heresy Weekender.