Gav Thorpe as a BL Writer - Honest Review Please?

[Brother Captain Kezef]

I like how Gav has humanised Corax. He has done a good job of walking the balance between a "super hero" and a real person. Corax comes across as very aware of what he is but also aware of what he wants to be.

 

He rarely uses his stature or powers amongst his allies and comes across as a leader who tries to be "first amongst equals" where possible but knows when to pull rank. Gav Thorpe always grounds the character in his background as an idealistic freedom fighter, which is something that is so important to never lose sight of.

 

Some of his antagonists are a tad "cardboard cut out" but on the whole he is a good author that I really enjoy reading.

[HeritorA]

I like how Gav has humanised Corax. He has done a good job of walking the balance between a "super hero" and a real person. Corax comes across as very aware of what he is but also aware of what he wants to be.

 

He rarely uses his stature or powers amongst his allies and comes across as a leader who tries to be "first amongst equals" where possible but knows when to pull rank. Gav Thorpe always grounds the character in his background as an idealistic freedom fighter, which is something that is so important to never lose sight of.

 

Some of his antagonists are a tad "cardboard cut out" but on the whole he is a good author that I really enjoy reading.

 

He did that indeed, but that does not made 'Deliverance Lost' and other Corax adventures any better, sadly

[Brother Captain Kezef]

 

I like how Gav has humanised Corax. He has done a good job of walking the balance between a "super hero" and a real person. Corax comes across as very aware of what he is but also aware of what he wants to be.

 

He rarely uses his stature or powers amongst his allies and comes across as a leader who tries to be "first amongst equals" where possible but knows when to pull rank. Gav Thorpe always grounds the character in his background as an idealistic freedom fighter, which is something that is so important to never lose sight of.

 

Some of his antagonists are a tad "cardboard cut out" but on the whole he is a good author that I really enjoy reading.

 

He did that indeed, but that does not made 'Deliverance Lost' and other Corax adventures any better, sadly

 

 

Allot comes down to personal choice. I enjoyed all of Gav Thorpe's Raven Guard novels

[HeritorA]

Indeed. We all have our own opinion. For a lot of us Gav Raven Guard and Kyme Salamanders are the worst what happened to the Black Library Horus Heresy range

[Brother Captain Kezef]

Indeed. We all have our own opinion. For a lot of us Gav Raven Guard and Kyme Salamanders are the worst what happened to the Black Library Horus Heresy range

 

I don't see that from gav's writing, he really fleshes out the Raven Guard.

 

However some of this comes down to expectations, especialy with favoured legions/factions.

[Knockagh]

I have loved Lorgar and Jain Zar. They rank up there with my favourite BL books in the last few years. Maybe more because of the worlds they delve into. Pre Imperium stuff I find fascinating. I haven't read the DA books as I know I won't like them, too shooty shooty space mariney for me. His other eldar books have been fab too. Maybe he should stick to aliens and humans outside of the marine corps.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I enjoyed reading all of his DA novels.

[HeritorA]

I enjoyed reading all of his DA novels.

 

A lot of fans did. A lot didn't - Angels of Darkness was positively received by the most of the reader fanbase. In case of Ravenwing and Unforgiven it was more like 50 % who like them and 50% who hated how he create a story.

 

On the other hand the bigger majority of fans are in adoration of his WFB novels/novellas.

[Xisor]

Really love his stuff and style. My only misgiving is that I find his Marine stories a touch dry (very enjoyable and very to my tastes), but I'm conscious that that dryness is something other people seem to not enjoy as much as myself.

 

Jain Zar and Asurmen were utterly lovely books, JZ especially. (Also only just noticed the abbreviation.)

 

If you're curious, and perhaps nostalgic and also out for a tremendous disaster story, "The Doom of Dragonback" is an astonishingly good book. Can't recommend it enough.

[HeritorA]

Really love his stuff and style. My only misgiving is that I find his Marine stories a touch dry (very enjoyable and very to my tastes), but I'm conscious that that dryness is something other people seem to not enjoy as much as myself.

 

Jain Zar and Asurmen were utterly lovely books, JZ especially. (Also only just noticed the abbreviation.)

 

If you're curious, and perhaps nostalgic and also out for a tremendous disaster story, "The Doom of Dragonback" is an astonishingly good book. Can't recommend it enough.

Ahhh, thank you Xisor - "The Doom of Dragonback" was amazing and interesting for it's 'catastrophic parts' 

[Never_born]

Whether you like his writing or not, Gav is - unquestionably - a genuinely great guy, with SO MUCH knowledge of Warhammer and 40k lore.

 

I spoke to him recently to mark the 20th anniversary of his first Black Library short story, and we talked for over 90 minutes...I could have spent that long just listening to his thoughts on writing for audio!

 

Anyway, the first part of that interview is now live, if you'd like to take a look:

 

https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/09/02/gav-thorpe-talks-twenty-years-of-black-library-part-one/

[b1soul]

It,'s really a matter of taste...

 

To me, this is very bland writing:

 

Though the Hall of Decemial was large, it was still close confines for a firefight and the erupting battle soon fell to hand-to-hand combat between those loyal to Luther and those who had been of mind with slain Belath. Chainsword teeth screeched across ceramite armour and sharp combat knives glittered in the lamplight of the hall. Armoured gauntlets crashed against war-plate and flesh. The shouts of both sides were deafening.

 

To me, this is very colourful writing...

 

The sound ripped from Grimur’s throat as he broke from the dark. A ragged hole still glowed red in the breached bulkhead. A Space Marine in white armour had just run through it, two more behind him. Grimur could see the raptor head on their shoulders, and the flecks of liquid metal cooling on the armour plates. Blue light danced across his axe as he leapt across the gap. Behind him he heard chainblades and power fields light as the pack broke from the dark at a run. The white-armoured Space Marines were turning, the muzzles of their guns moving with their eyes.

They move as one , thought Grimur as his arms swung up, the head of his axe dragging lightning behind him. Like a single animal.

The Space Marines fired.

[DarkChaplain]

Not really the same type of scene, though. The first quote has a top-down perspective, whereas the second puts the reader in the shoes of a specific character. One is about a scene unfolding, the other is about a character involved in the events directly, allowing for internal monologues and personal experiences.

 

On top of that, the first quote is the first paragraph in a new chapter, simply intended to reintroduce the stage, after just getting back from the other side of the galaxy and the second plotline. The next paragraph introduces the reader to Luther as he sweeps his gaze across the unfolding mess, before giving way to Zahariel doing basically the same thing the second quote does.

You cut off right before the first quote would really get to the nitty gritty, while taking double the text for the second quote to make your point, with an excerpt from the middle of a chapter towards the end of the book.

Edited September 2, 2017 by DarkChaplain

[bluntblade]

Having only read Raven's Flight and not had any inclination to delve further, can someone quote me anything equivalent to, say, Wraight describing the Kalium Gate or French's duel between Sigismund and Jubal Khan?

[Xisor]

Having only read Raven's Flight and not had any inclination to delve further, can someone quote me anything equivalent to, say, Wraight describing the Kalium Gate or French's duel between Sigismund and Jubal Khan?

Not offhand, but his "Malekith" and "Caledor" novels both had me in tears; the middle book, "Shadow King" presents an absolute hell of a story. Poetic & heartfelt.

 

---

 

I found his recent "Jain Zar" to be very easy going, yet also very serious. Well worth a keek.

[Charlo]

Off the cuff, but I really enjoyed Angel's of Caliban a lot!

[b1soul]

@DarkChaplain

 

Sure...but I haven't read anything by Gav capable of pulling me into a scene.

 

His style is very flat

[Kenzaburo]

Hm, I 've read some of his shorts and listened to the audio book of Deliverance Lost. While audio books tend to have the advantage to get me through a slow or sluggish read, they can sometimes still drag on. I felt that way with Signus Prime, for example. But DL was neither sluggish, nor slow. I was surprised how much I liked the Raven Lord and his legion. 

 

I've also read and listened to quite a number of conversations and interviews with Gav and can attest to him not only being a nice guy, but wanting to listen to him even more, while he talks about 40k lore.

 

I still have the Sundering trilogy on my shelf, that I need to read. Glad to hear, that it's top notch stuff.

[HeritorA]

Having only read Raven's Flight and not had any inclination to delve further, can someone quote me anything equivalent to, say, Wraight describing the Kalium Gate or French's duel between Sigismund and Jubal Khan?

Nope - cause there are none.

ON the other hand Raven's Flight was soo long ago - and by that time at the beginning it stand as an amazing piece for the tragedy and drama of HH. Nowadays it is viewed differently. But in my humble opinion  - it is one of the best things Thorpe ever wrote. And we all nowadays became too greedy and overspilled with 'good stuff' so old foliants are viewed differently nowadays.

[veterannoob]

Hm, I 've read some of his shorts and listened to the audio book of Deliverance Lost. While audio books tend to have the advantage to get me through a slow or sluggish read, they can sometimes still drag on. I felt that way with Signus Prime, for example. But DL was neither sluggish, nor slow. I was surprised how much I liked the Raven Lord and his legion. 

 

I've also read and listened to quite a number of conversations and interviews with Gav and can attest to him not only being a nice guy, but wanting to listen to him even more, while he talks about 40k lore.

 

I still have the Sundering trilogy on my shelf, that I need to read. Glad to hear, that it's top notch stuff.

yeah, I was surprised by how much I like this book and the story. I told Gav once when I see Dark Angels or Raven Guard I get meh but some of the stories have been really good, enough to convert me to an appreciation of the legions/chapter.

[HeritorA]

 

Hm, I 've read some of his shorts and listened to the audio book of Deliverance Lost. While audio books tend to have the advantage to get me through a slow or sluggish read, they can sometimes still drag on. I felt that way with Signus Prime, for example. But DL was neither sluggish, nor slow. I was surprised how much I liked the Raven Lord and his legion. 

 

I've also read and listened to quite a number of conversations and interviews with Gav and can attest to him not only being a nice guy, but wanting to listen to him even more, while he talks about 40k lore.

 

I still have the Sundering trilogy on my shelf, that I need to read. Glad to hear, that it's top notch stuff.

yeah, I was surprised by how much I like this book and the story. I told Gav once when I see Dark Angels or Raven Guard I get meh but some of the stories have been really good, enough to convert me to an appreciation of the legions/chapter.

 

Heretek ;)

[veterannoob]

 

 

Hm, I 've read some of his shorts and listened to the audio book of Deliverance Lost. While audio books tend to have the advantage to get me through a slow or sluggish read, they can sometimes still drag on. I felt that way with Signus Prime, for example. But DL was neither sluggish, nor slow. I was surprised how much I liked the Raven Lord and his legion. 

 

I've also read and listened to quite a number of conversations and interviews with Gav and can attest to him not only being a nice guy, but wanting to listen to him even more, while he talks about 40k lore.

 

I still have the Sundering trilogy on my shelf, that I need to read. Glad to hear, that it's top notch stuff.

yeah, I was surprised by how much I like this book and the story. I told Gav once when I see Dark Angels or Raven Guard I get meh but some of the stories have been really good, enough to convert me to an appreciation of the legions/chapter.

 

Heretek

 

  

[HeritorA]

veterannoob

Asslicker   BL should definitely give you a job next year

[brother_b]

Interesting that this guy is an author. He was always the nerdy young dude that lost battle reports in WD. I think I'll have to check out one of his books.

[hopkins]

Interesting that this guy is an author. He was always the nerdy young dude that lost battle reports in WD. I think I'll have to check out one of his books.

 

plenty of white dwarf and design studio bods went on to write BL books

they have the knowledge, just a question of transferring that into something well written