HH Book 44: The Crimson King

[HeritorA]

How could you not like Perturabo smashing Fulgrim's face into a clockwork Warhound?

That's the point - you could ask anyone  and almost everyone remember only that one scene. Everything else was blank and went into Sharrowkyn shenangians.

 

I am a little worried about Crimson King based on Graham's last few novels (though I haven't read Master of Prospero yet so maybe he's good again). I really liked Angel Exterminatus for all the development it gave Perturabo, and Fulgrim was a great villain, but I found all the Sharrowkyn and pals stuff frustrating and largely nonsensical.

 

Vengeful Spirit is probably my least favorite Heresy non-anthology (that I've read). Horus was an idiot, Mortarion was very OOC, the Knights Errant story was ham-fisted and not half as epic as it wanted to be, the manner of Horus' empowerment was wholly unnecessary, and gosh darnit Abaddon's gravelly voice explained away by being caught in an explosion was even more unecessary. The only plotline I could tolerate was the House Divine stuff, and I really wish it had gotten its own book instead of being mired in all the crap surrounding it.

 

That said, much as I liked Fulgrim, A Thousand Sons was still an oddly huge leap in quality for Graham's writing, so maybe tackling Magnus again will prove fruitful. A Thousand Sons also had my favorite portrayal of Russ, so here's hopin

In my humble opinion I will totally agree with Roomsky on VS quality.

 

And as DC said -'I'd like to read another Sevatar story more than one about Sharrowkyn, but I wouldn't mind if he got toned down a little from his super badass representation...'

 

 

 

Sevatar has quirks and vulnerabilities (I made a similar argument about Rey a while ago) that stop him from just being "this guy who's the bestest".

 

As for the Crimson King, I'm intrigued, but I'm not that great a fan of McNeill's work so kind of apprehensive. For me his writing lacks the flair of AD-B, Wraight and Abnett.

 

while i can't say i'm a big fan, i will say that his stuff is an easy read. and i don't mean that it lacks complexity, just that it all tends to flow quite easily. it's not a chore to read on a technical level.

 

Exactly - Storm of Iron his 'sales pitch' novel was really easy to read and comprehend.

[bluntblade]

I am hoping that McNeill reins in the cameos here. Some of the ones in ATS are quite nice, but they get a bit wearying, and the fact that he only has a small group from each Legion cross paths often makes the universe feel that bit smaller. I'd much rather have had that Thousand Son be pals with Luc Sedirae, the other with Captain Konenos of the Emperor's Children rather than Fulgrim and his inner circle.

[Augustus]

He absolutely needs to reign in the cameos.

 

I don't have any beef with Sharrokwyn. As b1soul said I don't see much difference between him and Sevatar sans an acerbic attitude that many on here enjoy.

 

My problem with AE is the Pert in there was too late. His characterization was very well done if it came before the heresy. All this honorable stuff at letting his enemies escape and get some licks in cause they deserved it.

 

I guess with nature of the shattered Magnus concept he's immune from a ooc representation of him but I'm still nothing sure.

[godking]

Graham McNeill is hit or miss with me loved Angel exterminatus and Thousand sons disliked vengeful spirit found fulgim to be meh.

 

He seriuously needs to reign in the cameo's though we get it at one time you created an iron warriors character you don'nt have to a passing reference to that character in every book that you write.

[Tymell]

Cameos (or perhaps more specifically foreshadowing for later books) was one of my major gripes with Angel Exterminatus. It felt like half the individual plot lines in the book were just there to set up his existing Storm of Iron novel. The very end in particular had nothing to do with plotlines of the HH setting, and was purely setting up Storm of Iron, and was not a good note to end the book on. And this was in a book which already suffers from too many plot threads competing for space.

[bluntblade]

Which sounds very like the complaints I've heard about Vengeful Spirit.

[Tymell]

Which sounds very like the complaints I've heard about Vengeful Spirit.

 

I didn't have any such problems with that. I can't even think of any such examples in there (setting up his existing 40K work I mean), if there were then I think I missed them completely :p

 

I liked VS for the most part, my only real issue was with how Horus didn't really come across as the tactical genius he's supposed to be.

[DarkChaplain]

Aye, I can't remember anything of the sort for Vengeful Spirit either. Angel Exterminatus is really where it peaked. His Mark of Calth novella Calth That Was sets up things for his Ultramarines novels via Ventris and M'Kar, but those events were simply part of the Underworld War and it made sense for him to elaborate on them with his post-Know No Fear story.

[HeritorA]

To be honest all the Graham shenangians with young that character, old that characters are not working anymore. VS and AE were simply bad books  - with poor plotlines and written like an Ultramarines series after book 2. Blank, rushes, uninteresting.  Maybe - just maybe we would be lucky again and 'The Crimson King' would be a new 'TS' or 'Storm of Iron' and not VS or AE.

[Carach]

VS: Horus towards the end when some of the folk have caught up with him. 

 

and the blood angels cameo. 

 

These 2 scenes irritated me.

 

otherwise the book was nice enough

[HeritorA]

Probably we would have a conclusion (or start) to all that broken shards theories.

[Taliesin]

So, June 3rd it goes up for pre-order.

 

Excited about this one.

[R_F_D]

Has Graham McNeil posted/commented anywhere on the interactions or linkages between Crimson King and Magnus the Red?

[Izlude]

I am personally curious how Sharrowkyn is connected. I remember in one of the novella where he faces a primarch (won't spoil it in case :@) and was spared because Magnus wanted him alive...

 

I know many dislike him but I enjoy Sharrowkyn...nice to see some loyalist badasses cause you know there are bunch of loyalist non primarchs running around the 40k world like Lucius, Khârn, Ahriman, etc. 

[JH79]

I am personally curious how Sharrowkyn is connected. I remember in one of the novella where he faces a primarch (won't spoil it in case :@) and was spared because Magnus wanted him alive...

 

I know many dislike him but I enjoy Sharrowkyn...nice to see some loyalist badasses cause you know there are bunch of loyalist non primarchs running around the 40k world like Lucius, Khârn, Ahriman, etc. 

This. He was such a breath of fresh air in a world where the bad guys all seem to be on another level... a laoyalist who seems just as OP as many of the traitors? Yes please!!

 

Plus he's Raven Guard, that automatically makes him badass!

[bluntblade]

The main complaints I've seen are less that he was powerful, more that his oomph wasn't really justifird and he wasn't that interesting as a character - compared, I suppose, to the likes of Sigismund and Corswain. I'm reserving judgement until I read AE.

[hopkins]

utterly hyped for this book

[Tymell]

The main complaints I've seen are less that he was powerful, more that his oomph wasn't really justifird and he wasn't that interesting as a character - compared, I suppose, to the likes of Sigismund and Corswain. I'm reserving judgement until I read AE.

 

Personally I didn't find him to be a problem in Angel Exterminatus. The book has it's issues, but all I recall Sharrowkyn doing of any real note was defeating a particular traitor in combat. It marked him out as a very skilled combatant, but nothing felt bad about it (that I remember anyway).

 

It was only in Seventh Serpent that I felt he was actually starting to become a bit too much.

[HeritorA]

I am personally curious how Sharrowkyn is connected. I remember in one of the novella where he faces a primarch (won't spoil it in case :@) and was spared because Magnus wanted him alive...

 

I know many dislike him but I enjoy Sharrowkyn...nice to see some loyalist badasses cause you know there are bunch of loyalist non primarchs running around the 40k world like Lucius, Khârn, Ahriman, etc. 

'Sharrowkyn we need your ninja shenangians to steal a cup from Tzeentch palace - to make me whole again' -something like that. Graham likes Dead Space - so it's probably 'Isaak make us whole again'

 

The main complaints I've seen are less that he was powerful, more that his oomph wasn't really justifird and he wasn't that interesting as a character - compared, I suppose, to the likes of Sigismund and Corswain. I'm reserving judgement until I read AE.

Let be honest - the novel would be how 'Magnus' totally went to the dark side and all that shards shenangians. It's not Siege of Terra - it's probably even set at the middle period of the Heresy or even the start of it right after the Burning of Prospero

[Pariah32]

I'm super excited for this, I'm actually looking forward to how there is an army of space wolves going face to face with the thousand sons on the front cover!

[Izlude]

Yeah definitely will get this as well...just need to figure out what else to get with it so i can avoid the insane shipping charge to the US...for a 30 dollar book the shipping is 20 bucks! I think it gets waived if you buy above 50 bucks. The only problem is that I have all the hardcover HH books that I like. The only thing I would like to get is the $150 poster of PoD but I can't justify paying 150 for a poster!

 

I am currently reading Magnus in the Primarch series and I have to say I like it alot which makes me look forward to this one. I liked AE alot in terms of the IW stuff (despite how annoying it was he kept trying to form some bond with Fulgrim when it was clear as daylight what Fulgrim wanted...).

 

Even though I can't pronounce half of the characters's names in the 1k sons, it is neat to see their "younger" self and then to see them again in the Crimson King would be cool. My only complaint is the coverart...oh man...what's up with that? I am a sucker for good coverart even if the book is so-so. For example AoC and Corax were okay as stories but I liked the art alot.

[HeritorA]

I'm super excited for this, I'm actually looking forward to how there is an army of space wolves going face to face with the thousand sons on the front cover!

As with UE the scene probably would be covered in the last 2 pages of the novel, lol

 

Izlude - you are not the first to mention Magnus proportions and heavy metal zigs :)

[Mellow]

Sharrowkyn is good. He is one of very few decent individuals on the loyalist side where as the traitors have a million of them and outclass the loyalists at literally every turn making them look and sound stupid at every turn.

 

So having one competent loyalist is a breath of fresh air.

 

 

Looking forward to HH 44 :)

[HeritorA]

Sharrowkyn is good. He is one of very few decent individuals on the loyalist side where as the traitors have a million of them and outclass the loyalists at literally every turn making them look and sound stupid at every turn.

 

So having one competent loyalist is a breath of fresh air.

 

 

Looking forward to HH 44

There is a big difference between competence and 'ninja' godlike mod, lol

 

Now I definitely think Magnus will ask him to steal something under the nose of Tzeentch

[DarkChaplain]

Sharrowkyn is simply a Mor Deythan. It comes with the territory.