HH Book 47: Old Earth

[cheywood]

Just sent the mods a message asking about it. Immediately thought it was heritorA.

[Phoebus]

Unless they’re the same individual, Anakwanar was a poster from the Heresy Online forums.

 

By the way, did I miss something? What happened with HeritorA?

[Kelborn]

I thought as well of Heri. Oo

He does have a Brother, though...

 

Heri was excommunicated / exiled from this board, as it seems.

[cheywood]

Oh I could be totally wrong. I don't want to start a heretic hunt. Probably best to let Anakwanar be and let the mods sort out any issues if they exist.

[Huggtand]

Just finished the audiobook and must say that I really enjoyed it.

 

The prose was more fluent and not as stilted that I found in Deathfire (the only HH-novel I haven’t finished yet). And the only negative side of it was that the first chapter where Vulkan gets started was a bit slow.

 

I actually liked that Eldrads mission against the cabal was rather spartan in the telling. It was a running side plot where you got the highlights as it went along. Any more time to it would have sidetracked the main story too much.

 

There was not much bolter porn in this novel witch I think is a big positive and most of the focus is to build motivation for the main characters. Especially it let you get to know the Iron Hands a lot better (or worse J). I can understand that Medusons demise can rub people the wrong way but for me it was a fitting conclusion of the power struggle between him and the Iron fathers. Yes the end could have been a page or two longer but I didn’t feel it was rushed.

 

The Vulkan arc was not spectacular but not bad either. The best part for me was the ending with his return to the palace. I think it was nice to have Vulkan in the background and see the other stories evolve around him on the journey.

 

A positive surprise for me was the short inclusion of the arbites arc.

 

Personally I thought it to be an above average book in the HH series

[Moonreaper666]

Where is Vulkan stationed on the Imperial Palace?

 

I wonder if this retcons the part where Sanguinius protected one of the gates on his own

 

(Would be more interesting and sensible to have Vulkan and Sang together at the last gate)

 

(Sort of good guy version of Angron and Lorgar on Nucreria)

 

 

My thoughts on the Talisman

 

It could probably kill the God-Emperor permanently, that is why it is a last resort

 

 

 

It seems the Cabal were right in the wrong way

[Mellow]

So basically after Master of Mankind my thoughts were:

 

The Emperor wasn't stuck to the Golden Throne at this point due to him walking about

 

Then once I'd finished Old Earth:

 

I got the impression that as far as The Emperor is concerned he is now stuck on the Throne right up until the "big fight" at the end

 

So there's that I guess.

 

Plus now with Vulkan bringing

 

the talisman which is essentially a self destruct for the Throne and possibily ​all of Terra​ I presume it's linked to the final order thing that the Grey Knights have. So the added twist in the current timeline of the Throne failing means that it could be bye-bye-Terra if the Thone does just break on its own!

 

Poor Eldrad

He's the only Eldar to probably want to help Humanity against their mutual enemy. I presume at this point he can now see the 40k future even though he has seen Oll Persson sacrifice himself and avert a Horus victory. He was probably hoping that killing off various evil perpetuals would give The Emperor a better change of winning.

 

It was also said that The Emperor

was once a man... Eldrad states it as an in-universe fact when he says "Your Emperor was once a man. Of a kind, at least". I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that prior to him going to Molech and gaining "warp-power" He was just a powerful psychic and after Molech He became more like a God. Just like Horus has now done.

[DarkChaplain]

Magisterium by Chris Wraight also alludes to the Emperor being stuck and silent after Master of Mankind. Whether that happened right after the book ends or a little later doesn't really matter at this point, I think. We always knew he'd have to sit on the golden pot until the finale, when Malcador swaps seats for just long enough to confront Horus.

[Mellow]

Malcador

 

is hinted at not wanting the talisman put in the Throne at all. Which seems odd that it’s HIS note as the final act for the Grey Knights. Maybe he changed his mind in the time between it being put in and the time of him being dusted.

[Phoebus]

Malcador

 

is hinted at not wanting the talisman put in the Throne at all. Which seems odd that it’s HIS note as the final act for the Grey Knights. Maybe he changed his mind in the time between it being put in and the time of him being dusted.

 

The imminent destruction of everything you hold dear at the hands of the agent of the Ruinous Powers might change your perspective on matters!

[DarkChaplain]

You also have to consider that

 

Malcador put it into the hands of the Grey Knights Grand Master, and the Grey Knights don't even exist in the series yet. By the time of the Siege, Titan is hidden for centuries already. So Malcador would now have to rapidly execute the whole Grey Knights/Inquisition plan, start the recruitment/training plans on Titan and make deals with Janus, hand the Terminus Decree over and all that.. He's in a bit of a rush now.

[TheRealMcCagh]

Did we ever figure out what happened to the two Raven Guard marines Dalcoth and Norn? I remember them being active when they attacked the flotilla right before finding Vulcan, but after that I don't remember them getting mentioned.

[Tymell]

Did we ever figure out what happened to the two Raven Guard marines Dalcoth and Norn? I remember them being active when they attacked the flotilla right before finding Vulcan, but after that I don't remember them getting mentioned.

 

I don't believe so, the last we see of them is being with Meduson's forces before his final assault.

[Kilofix]

Haven’t read Old Earth - does it take place chronologically after Master of Mankind? Thanks.

[Tymell]

Haven’t read Old Earth - does it take place chronologically after Master of Mankind? Thanks.

 

I believe both end at the same time.

 

Vulkan arrives at the Palace as the Imperial forces are making their final withdrawal from the Webway.

 

It's not clear exactly how long either book lasts, but this would indicate taking place around the same timeframe.

[Mellow]

If that is the case and they end at the same time then that throws out my initial thought that The Emperor is stuck on the Throne. MoM shows Him doing other things so I got confused with the timeline.

Hopefully the Webway is closed properly at the moment and some other catastrophe causes it to rip open during the Siege

[Tymell]

I could be wrong, but that's how I took it.

 

If I remember correctly, Vulkan walks through the Impossible City, seeing signs of the war there, and when he gets within sight of the gateway into the Imperial Dungeon, he sees Imperial forces withdrawing against a daemonic horde, with the doorway closing. He then finds another way around, gets to Terra, and is brought up to the gate from the other side, the side the Throne is on. There he finds the gate closed and sees those same forces (or what is left of them), battered and bruised from that fighting withdrawal. I took all that to be the closing part of Master of Mankind.

[Roomsky]

HH 47: Old Earth

 

I must admit I was not at all looking forward to this. Nick Kyme and novels do not mix, even less so those about Salamanders. Yet instead of vapid prose, Old Earth provides the pedestrian. Instead of Forgettable characters, Old Earth provides the adequate. Instead of a plot that goes nowhere, here is one that half-bumbles along. For other authors these things would be criticisms, but for a Kyme Salamander’s book, they are an exceeding of all my expectations. Somehow, Old Earth is not my least favorite of this year’s HH offerings, and while I disliked Ruinstorm, this is by no means a victory by default.

 

This is without a doubt some of Kyme’s best writing. I may even consider picking up the MM paperback when it rolls around, as opposed to the willful ignorance of the preceding works.

 

The Good

 

This book benefits heavily from having 3 concurrent plotlines. I’m unconvinced Kyme has the ability to produce 400 pages of worthwhile content, as evidenced in the dreadful Deathfire. To combat this, we seem to have 3 novellas mashed together, and they’re all fairly interesting. What’s more, the frequent shift between them keeps interest high, you don’t spend enough time with any of them to grow bored, and it’s much harder to notice the book’s many shortcomings.

 

My favorite of the three is definitely the Meduson plot. While, much like Grammaticus, Kyme’s Meduson pales before Abnett’s, there’s still enough of the character there to remain likeable and fairly layered. The story plays like a genuine tragedy, with character’s meeting their doom and earning their triumphs in reflection of their character traits, already a step far and above Deathfire or Vulkan Lives. Character’s certainly act either illogical or insane at times, but it meshes well enough with their characterization that it’s rarely forced.

 

Eldrad’s B Plot is fine enough, helped greatly by the brevity of his chapters. Avoiding unnecessary detail, they often cut right to the challenges of bumping off the Cabal, avoiding unnecessary rumination, or the difficulty in getting there. I never had any great disdain for the Cabal plotline, but I won’t deny its satisfying to see Eldrad pull the rug from under them.

 

I quite enjoyed the Sons of Horus in this tale, and Kyme writes what I think’s been sorely lacking from most other HH tales: the dread of Horus’ shadow. You can feel the Warmaster’s presence through the whole story, be it on panicked Terra or in the myriad fleet actions against Tybalt Marr, Old Earth makes sure you know the impact of Horus’ betrayal, while in so many others he’s just kind of… around.

 

By far the biggest boon for this book is a plot that actually goes somewhere, and even better, one that doesn’t fly in the face of all logical sense. The pacing is strong, the story beats meaningful. This is all tied together from some vastly improved prose, leagues better than the amateurish Vulkan Lives.

 

 

The Bad

 

Okay, so the Iron Fathers strap Ferrus’ hand to a golem and say that it is by his will that they rule the legion. Even in the more reasonable world of 30k, I don’t see how unveiling this farce lead to anything other than their collective murder. If not by the Iron Hands at large, then certainly by Vulkan. It’s so hilariously disrespectful I’m still trying to figure out how they survived this story.

 

http://pro.bols.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Chaos-Manus.jpg

Their next gambit would have certainly seen them killed, however.

 

I like Vulkan better here than in Vulkan Lives, but his is still the least interesting plotline. No real thinking going on here, just stakes made nebulous by Vulkan being opaque and their overcoming of every obstacle. I also found the Drachsword largely interchangeable.

 

The prose is improved but still not great, and these gems still managed to materialize:

 

“Vulkan Leaves”

“Shut up Ferrus, you are dead” (Props to Jonathan Keeble for making that line hilarious.)

“Canker Sword”

 

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/266/946/66b.jpg

 

The tale benefits from a lot of leeway when it comes to logic, the most glaring being the question of why Vulkan needed to forge Terra’s self destruct button. Surely the Emperor could have done so himself is he was also able to orchestrate the creation of Vulkan, his death, resurrection, and forging of the medallion before travelling through the webway to Terra itself.

 

Putting aside my disbelief that the Iron Fathers survived the Ferrus Fiasco, that Meduson made no effort to demote or detain them after the fact is equally baffling. There’s a big difference between vocal disagreements and an attempted coup.

 

Vulkan seemed remarkably cordial with the various Eldar he came into contact with this story. I know I know, primarch wisdom and all that, but this is the scourge race of Nocturne, the one’s he burned alive out of spite rather than tactical advantage. Would it hurt to show him a little more perturbed by their presence, or using their tech for that matter.

 

 

Verdict.

 

Jonathan Keeble and lowered expectations made me enjoy this far more than I ever expected to. If nothing else, I applaud Kyme for the marked improvement from his previous endeavors, be it natural maturation as an author or accounting for past criticisms. It’s a very flawed product, as I said the title characters are the worst part about it, but I can hardly say it isn’t worth a read. For that reason I give it a pass. No, it wasn’t great or even very good, but it was enjoyable enough.

 

 

Arbitrary Numerical Rating: 5/10

[bluntblade]

Wait, you mean

 

Meduson did nothing to punish the Iron Fathers for mutiny and the desecration of Dad's remains? That seems pretty out of whack with Iron Hands' lore, never mind common sense. Weakness and fractiousness are to be cut out when they can't be alloyed into something stronger.

[Mellow]

Kyme, Swallow. Neither should be authors really. It’s not their calling

[b1soul]

They're decent Codex writers IMO

 

I have the same feelings about Thorpe...good ideas, weak prose

[DarkChaplain]

Don't forget Phil Kelly.

[Roomsky]

Wait, you mean

 

Meduson did nothing to punish the Iron Fathers for mutiny and the desecration of Dad's remains? That seems pretty out of whack with Iron Hands' lore, never mind common sense. Weakness and fractiousness are to be cut out when they can't be alloyed into something stronger.

 

Basically, yes. The whole situation didn't seem to affect his planning, there was a conversation with Aug about it, but that was all.

[bluntblade]

That's about as jarring as Loken failing to take the hint ahead of Isstvan and Abaddon failing to disguise it at all.

[Moonreaper666]

Hidden Content

Eldrad might be right about the Cabal


After all the destruction of the Traitor Forces on Terra is worth the permanent death of the Emperor and the destruction of the Astronomican and Holy Terra itself

The deaths of the Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Loyalists Primarchs/Astartes, Mechanicus and Trillions of Terrans is ONE HECK OF A BONUS!

Well, the stakes very high indeed