The Black Legion

[ninja6fett]

The Primarch thing doesn't line up.

 

Beast Arises: All Primarchs gone, Traitor legions have not yet returned in force, Imperium has had relative peace for centuries.

 

Lore: Dorn dies in a Black Crusade.

 

It's frustrating that for as much effort as was taken with Beast Arises some stuff like that slipped through. Though I guess they could retcon Dorn's disappearance to the Scouring/shortly after the Iron Cage (they backed away from him being definitively dead years ago).

[Morovir]

We know that Rogal Dorn was alive to instigate the Third Founding from The Aegidan Oath, which suggests that he survives the First Black Crusade.

[Mellow]

Dorn is still alive. I've seen proof in The Emperors text to speech videos.

[Arkangilos]

The Primarch thing doesn't line up.

 

Beast Arises: All Primarchs gone, Traitor legions have not yet returned in force, Imperium has had relative peace for centuries.

 

Lore: Dorn dies in a Black Crusade.

 

It's frustrating that for as much effort as was taken with Beast Arises some stuff like that slipped through. Though I guess they could retcon Dorn's disappearance to the Scouring/shortly after the Iron Cage (they backed away from him being definitively dead years ago).

Nope, the beast arises happens after the first Black Crusade. First book abstract says that, or so I thought :/

[DarkChaplain]

The Beast Arises was around 50 years before the 2nd Black Crusade. The 1st happened around 800 years before it, so plenty enough time for Dorn to bugger off and get himself dismembered and the Imperium to become massively complacent.

[ninja6fett]

The Beast Arises was around 50 years before the 2nd Black Crusade. The 1st happened around 800 years before it, so plenty enough time for Dorn to bugger off and get himself dismembered and the Imperium to become massively complacent.

 

 

 

Nope, the beast arises happens after the first Black Crusade. First book abstract says that, or so I thought :/

 

 

 

 

I stand corrected! Thanks.

 

So Dorn and possibly more Primarchs could be mucking about in the next book.

[HeritorA]

My review of the newest installment for Abby and company.

Review length haven't given me the opportunity to describe ALL the flaws - but hope to rectify it here.

 

We are returned wrote A D-B. And he did indeed.
 

We are returned

It was a long run for Black Library publication since the The Talon of Horus release. Long time of wait, questions to the author and imagining that 'Konan' vs Warlord moment are here at last. Who would have thought that it would take me so long to actually finish Aaron Dembski-Bowden novel. 
Well, there are a lot of reasons for that. Part of them is based on me and the fact it is one heck of a novel. All humors combined. It's a story of BL and Abaddon written for all (not BL fans only).
Before the dive into the murky waters of a good novel let's talk about spoilers. By that point of my reviewer life you should know-I mostly do a spoiler free reviews or with the minor spoilers. 
So this case would be the same - minor spoilers ahead.
Story,characters,style
This novel is written in such manner that I can't disect it for separate sections to review. I will do it in one go. Let's set something straight from the start. It is Khayon novel about the Black Legion. Not the chronologic list of events. That's why what he saw and feel take precedent over what really happened. Is he a trustworthy storyteller? Is his narrative is without flaws? No and no - but, as with everything Chaos and Warp related you could dissect a line of half-truths and revelations.
And revelations we will have.
As a true master Aaron Dembski-Bowden use prose and Khayon descriptiveness as a gift to show what the life in the Eye truly means, what is to have freedom and how best to use it.
I will quote this novel many times. After all each quote is well written and fully deserve it's time to shine. And each quote is probably describe the matter at hand much better than I ever will. 
We are shown the true resourcefulness in the Eye and level of strategy required to exist and fight.
Abaddon has always seen value in sorcerers and recruited them to our cause by any means necessary. In a realm where Navigators are hopelessly lost to madness... our vessels were guided by those gifted in the Art. Though far from a fail-safe method, use of sorcerous guides was the only–way to keep our fleets in cohesion.
Abaddon himself is going through the evolution. Khayon and Ezekarion, Abaddon lost and found brotherhood saw how he - future Warmaster of Chaos and Eye of Terror has become distracted and closed up:
As time had passed... Abaddon became evermore a warlord of the Eye rather than the simple, blunt instrument he had been as First Captain of the SoHorus... And yet Ezekyle himself diminished in ways few eyes outside the Ezekarion seemed to see. The malady that struck him burned slow in his blood, eating at him month after month. He grew distracted, insular, listless. The life in his golden eyes never faded; rather it seethed and turned sour. He had begun to grow apart.
And that malady always was a horrible 'End of Empires', sword of destiny and killer of innocence - 'Drachy'en'. At last through the eyes of Khayon we saw how the call of the Blade truly impact future 'Warmaster' and lead him to the eternal war with himself. That call that will end of day with the death of the dreamed empire or Abaddon himself:
Sometimes I could almost sense what tore at his thoughts. Something? Someone? A presence, voiceless but far from silent, existed somewhere out there in the deeper dark. It called to him. Or threatened him. Or cursed at him... To look into Ezekyle’s soul was always a matter of discomfort. He was but one man, alone and unbreakable, but his soul swirled with thousands of other voices forever pressing against his being. Was one of them stronger than the others? Was that what I was hearing?... I confess that his distracted stoicism has always chilled me – the warp itself, the galaxy’s own reflection, cries for his attention and yet he resolutely ignores it. The pressures of such an existence must be beyond reason.
How the sword influenced everything from the beginning-its begets the question-whose choices were actually made now and in the future - Abaddon's or proposed by the sword:
That sword. By the Shifting Many, how much of what we have done has its roots in the wielding of Abaddon’s sword? Oceans of Imperial blood have run beneath that blade’s edge. Rivers of our own have flowed because of it. We fought a crusade to claim it. We have spent an eternity slaughtering those that would take it for themselves...
The sword itself have a destiny - the one fully entwitted with BL. We will eventually see at some point how that merge of the Warmaster and the sword will play out. But for now - it is an echo of reality and promise of victory over the odds and Death of Empire:
name spoken only as the blackest curse. These are all imperfect translations of the weapon’s true name, for the blade was forged in no mortal realm, nor was it fashioned by mortal hands. In the wordless... within the eternal howling of the daemonic choirs, echoes the name Drach’nyen. Within the eternal song of howling, weeping madness is the fate-spun promise of the Emperor’s death, of His Imperium carved clean of ignorance and false faith... Usargh, Skaravaur, Mal-Atar-Sei… They are all aspects of the same thing: Drach’nyen, the End of Empires, a creature with its genesis in the warp-threaded conviction that it exists only to kill humanity’s king.
And hand that guides it all is Moriana. Moriana the crone, dark heart, prophetess of the damned. The way author uses her is masterful:
Drach’nyen was the second of the Pantheon’s treacherous bribes. I have no doubt that the first was far more insidious, no less bloodthirsty and calls herself Moriana.
That's a 'prophecied' future - the one where Abaddon distractions had not yet threatened to compromise his leadership, but the more feverish and gaunter he will grew, the more uneasy his brother would become. 
But we are not where yet - it is still to come and come it will if Aaron will continue working on the series. 
Author also shown Abaddon emergent hypocrisy. That could be seen at one moment of his 'forgiveness to a 'serve' not a brother: 
And get up, fool. You are no knight, and I am no king. We are brothers here.
Plus at last the real 'Symbolism' of the black has been explained: Black to symbolise freedom from the past, to declare our loyalty to none but ourselves.
Author sees the real war and struggles inside Abaddon. He is truly afraid of others losing the brotherhood that remains:
You stare at me with suspicion... It’s because you are afraid. Afraid that I will fail you as our fathers failed us. Afraid that after rediscovering brotherhood I will be deceived into abandoning it once more. Afraid that the madness that claimed Horus will seep into my skull and leave me the same preening, deluded husk...
And thus we see future 'Warmaster' as a true warlord. But he is not a warrior alone - through the tasks of Khayon we see him as a leader and a builder. And build he did - with diplomacy and fire, even if stopped by others failures:
There is more to forging alliances than intimidation and threat. You’re too cold. Too detached, too guided by reason. Too…’ and here he paused. ‘Too Tizcan.
He could be 'merciful' but he is 'torturer' if needed:
Servitors intravenously fed him the bodily waste of our Legion’s slaves to keep him alive. He survived for five miserable months.Such is the price of defiance.
Also Abaddon knows how Chaos deities bless or curse:
His faceplate was a snarling visage of bone and ceramite, bestially crowned by dark biomechanical horns... We have an expression for such warp-wrought changes on our flesh and armour: ‘The Gods know his name’. We use it for those that have attracted the Pantheon’s attention and favour. It is not always a compliment.
On why BL is named Black Legion: 
We did not call ourselves the Black Legion. That name came from those we faced across the fields of battle. It was a curse more than a rallying cry in those distant days. ‘Black Legion!’ they would howl in mockery, with all the disgust of calling us orphans, traitors, scum.
And what A D-B probably did best - in 1 question sentence he explained how youthful memories transpires with reality then we mature:
Have you ever returned to a familiar place, an old haven perhaps, or a place that burns strong in youthful memory, only to find its soul has changed with the passing of time?
A lot of stuff is left unattended for a good reasons - not all tales could be told:
These tales are exactly what one might expect in such an ascension. This chronicle will gain nothing for relating them in yet more detail.
And through it all the main point is written - Black Legion is not invincible: I will not lie, not even here, for deceit would be useless. The Black Legion’s history carries its share of shame and bitterness.
While writing the main line Aaron did not forget his talent for descriptiveness of details. Plus as a forums guest and the one who always speak with the fans - he made hints and answered a lot of 'naive, foolish' and irrelevant fan questions/theories in this book. 
For example-on a sleep issue and sleep for SM:
Soon enough, he stopped sleeping. Sleep is rarely a concern for the warriors of the Legiones Astartes. We are able to subsist on mere hours of such healing rest each week, and we are capable of long periods without it entirely, albeit with a strain upon our physiologies. Yet Ezekyle claimed he no longer sought the respite of slumber at all...
Another answer for the difference between warrior and duelist, reminded anew: 
She...has won every duel she ever fought for me.’‘She would last all of three seconds on a battlefield,’ he pointed out.‘...I would never commit her to a battlefield. She is a killer, not a warrior.
Again he masterfully explains time and it's flow in the warp:
many aspects that define life in the Empire of the Eye. Within that realm where physical and corporeal laws go to die, temporal stability is another maddening casualty. Time exists only as a fractured idea, different for every one of us.
About Legion logistics in the eye and it's issues we have a solid answer at last. Why BL being strong on plunder and cursed with problems from the beginning:
For all of the ways in which the Legions are stronger than we once were...– there are twice as many ways in which we are weaker. Supply lines no longer exist, leaving our guns starved of shells and our warships hoarding diminished supplies of energy and resources. Few warbands can lay claim to the materiel of a Mechanicum cruiser or a forge world within the Eye, and those that can must fight endlessly to protect it from rivals. Slaves die or lose their minds to the warp as easily as they breathe. Whole fleets scatter to the warp’s winds, for Eyespace is far less stable than the material realm. Battle­ships die of thirst, fuel-dry and crippled in the dark void, to be forgotten or swallowed as part of a macro-agglomeration space hulk. Warbands fight amongst themselves over ammunition, territory, plunder, even clean water... There is no true agriculture in the Eye, no harvest worlds supplying sustenance necessities; whole worlds and fleets survive on the flesh and bones of the unburied dead, or the warp-stained roots of alien plants, or the corpulent bodies of mutant livestock. 
And he continues with the example of the recruitment issues: 
recruitment for the Nine Legions is a matter of hellish difficulty. We lack anything like the reliable resources we once had to sustain ourselves and maintain our genetic lines. I could not even begin to estimate the number of ‘bastard’ legionaries born after the Heresy, forged with gene-seed raided from Space Marine Chapters loyal to the Golden Throne... There is no swifter way to lose warships than by hurling them towards the Great Eye’s edge. Perhaps I paint an ugly picture with all these truths. We are so much stronger than we were, yet so much weaker. We have such zealous purity of purpose, weighed down by impoverishment, treachery and desperation. 
As the story progress we eventually got to the point a lot of us and Black Legion/Black Templars fans in particular dread and hoped for. First time we saw the meeting of the 'crusaders' after the Scouring events. Two legends met each other. Two ideal warriors and builders, two beliefs and universal truths, two freedom routes bound in chains of duty and vindicta. 
How author can done that meeting of warlord and king probably was the only way possible to make 'everyone' happy. And so we see the meeting not in full - but through the eyes of our storyteller - Khayon the Wanderer. 
And even thus we saw reaction that meeting will have for the future. Abaddon was awed -
he witness with his own eyes the same level of 'belief' and 'vindicta', as he have himself. And that made them real brothers and their warp-lit and tired eyes gleamed. That's the best depiction of Sigismund after the HH to date:
The stain of failure clung to him as it clung to us, and rather than drape himself in funereal black out of a need for revenge, he had darkened his armour as a statement of atonement and redemption... Every one of us knew that blade’s legend. Many of us had lost brothers to its killing edge... The blade was forged to honour the Emperor, the king of kings, the Master of Mankind... Age had weathered his skin and frosted his hair, but his shoulders were unbowed, and no oculus distortion could hide the icy fury in his eyes. Vindication burned in that gaze. He had waited for us here, down the many decades... 
It's the best poem to the Emperor's Champion ever, written in just a few sentences:
paid more heed to the fact that the Black Knight, at a thousand natural years of age, could still have stood toe to toe and matched blade to blade with practically any warrior in the Nine Legions. Age had slowed Sigismund, but all it had done was slow him to a level with the rest of us.
As for the full Black templars 'chapter' the author described it best in short terms:
«The Black Templars were a Chapter, but they were a Chapter on a scale the Imperium has not seen since the halcyon, blood-bitter days of the Heresy.»
Add to that a splendid depiction of the passage of time for everyone who spent life in the eye and came back: «The pain you feel is time going forwards. You are feeling the weight of your bones and the running of your blood as your body ages around you. What you feel, Tzah’q, is the passage of time. That is why your mind aches.»
And shine glimses of light on our others beloved characters like Firefist, Masqued Prince, Ashur-Kai, Nefertari etc. But it's a Black Legion novel - Legion as a force of all, not particular brotherhood which in general Ezekarion is. 
Flaws. 
As for the issues - there are a lot (which doesn't make it a bad novel). It makes this novel first in a long run of Black Library publication in 2017 which you really want to talk and discuss about. 
All my friends, review colleagues and BL authors by now definitely know how I love and adorn that part of the W40K universe we called 'void warfare' and BL/GW usually skip pass as quickly as they could. That's understandable due to the main range of the tabletop being 'land' battles.
But I always believe that authors who love the setting on the same level as me would try to provide so light on the conflict in the void. After all before we get to the terrain of a landmass you need to drop the forces where from a big or small space ship. 
Then I saw the chapter titled 'Void war' and having read previous description of the space combat by A D-B in his previous novels - I do expect it to be in all the best traditions of the Battlefleet Gothic. 
And me personally was hugely disappointed. Don't get me wrong - that particular chapter and other glimpses Aaron written throughout the novel is really good. But - it is not the void war Aaron can do best. He had written great example of the void war on the major scale in one of his previous tomes - the one we like and call 'Betrayer'. 
But here Aaron followed his other treat he is so fond off. He did shown a void war of an apocalyptic scale - but make it really a 'camernoss' one. He took the space conflict - and shown it on the level of one ship and through the eyes of one person.
Again, don't get me wrong - it is artfully written. But then I see two colossal battlefleets colliding in the dark of the void - I expect to see the names of the ships, their classes, tonnage, crews. Dying, burning, the manner of their death. What Aaron did - he had written it all through the free prose and the eyes of Khayon seeing actions of the Vengeful spirit. Yes, that 'Glorianna' flagman actions are beyond any sane tolerance, what it did is amazing. But at the same time - it totally ruin the epicness of the real 'apocalypse' conflict. Don't know why - maybe author was tired, or simply hasn't known how to write another global space war - but he chopped it to small pieces. And we all know that he prefer to write 'small scale' fleet engagements from his previous books. Just remember the NL trilogy and the EG - they all contain actions through the yes of 'one' ship and 'one squad' in general. I do understand authors reluctance to write 'epic space war' - but well, sometimes jewels do appear (same Betrayer). Also 'this' void war fully ignore the 'kiss principle'. That one universal rule of warfare same author never ignored in his own previous books. Here we have an unstoppable VS vs the might of the Black Templars fleet, all alone in it's dark glory and link with Anamnesis. He should have shown the real prowess of the Black Templars in the void. All the conflict we saw is a way to one-sided. VS killing everything. The only mention that BL took horrendous losses has passed in one note from Khayon. Instead of being shown in all it's glory the kind John French did in the 'Crimson Fist'. I haven't felt the real war going on. And that's the first time Bowden do disappoint me with his void war. 
I do understand that it's not the sole point to show the war he did in Betrayer but that's not how you show the glory of the void war concentrating solely on Vs and explaining events as 
«Time passed. Lives ended. Warships died»
But I do want names, classes, tonnage manner of death etc. not the prosaic:
«I watched ships full of my brothers crumble in ruin, populations of the mutated and the mad sucked in corpse-falls from sundered hulls. I watched vessels that had anchored proudly in the skies above Terra now dying in droves, as Sigismund’s sons were reduced from an armada to a fleet, and from a fleet to scattered formations.»
I would say this - instead of another 'Night lords' void conflict ship to ship I would have definitely read another Nuceria. 
Another major issue - is numbers for the CSM forces.Through masterfully depicting their recr/logistics issues at the same time author show how 'hundred of thousands' attack the Imperium.But that's minor issues.
I want to talk a lot about small inconsistencies - but review symbols restriction does not give me that option. So - till we meet again on the fields of BaC Aaron.
Final score 
I gave this amazing novel 4,5 out of 5 stars. Though disappointing void war and logistics issues have place, we got, what we were promised. Aaron has written a story of brotherhood, suffering, dreams come true, freedom taken and destiny dawning on it's prey. 
While reading you will see a lot of hints as to what will happen in the future. A line put where, a glimpse of the future here etc. That's the real trait of the talented author - to write it's own decisive book and plan for the future at the same time.

 

[HeritorA]

And now a little more about flaws:

1) Daravek. Aaron started really good wit that character - that start of an assassination attempt/adventure mode/psyche proweness and abilities of Daravek/Khayon are truly masterfully given to us - portion by portion.

But after that Daravek image is totally ruined. In the part with the Warp Ghosts Thagus shown as a naive foolish and greedy warlord, in full contradiction to his previous view at the beginning. Also we haven't seen at all how Nurgle favoured his 'son'. It all was skipped on the rush to the ending.

I do understand that this is a Khayon/Abaddon/BL novel - and this 3 are the main protagonists. And all the story are made for and about them. But at the end Thagus was shown as even more pathetic attempt of an antagonist.

He is absolutely on the different polar side from what he should have been. And I/we should have expected more from Aaron in writing a truly believable and 'horrible' antagonist for the main party.

It started awesome and fallen flat in the end.

 

2) Ezekarion. Again - the story was written for Khayon/Abaddon/BL. But Ezekarion and it's hierarchy is the cornerstone of what BL epitomise. While adding additional length to Khayon views, Abaddon ambitions and BL progression - still more pages could have been given for the Firefist, Masqued Prince, Valicar etc. They are present - they have a string of dialogs to each of them. But they do not feel 'alive' on the same level as Khayon/Abaddon/BL. Of course they are additional passengers here - but they are not a solid passengers with a free will.

It is almost sad how the story goes. 

Again - even Delvarus through a nice fanservice feels more like a bystander added just for the fanservice of it all and to show how far BL reach can go.

 

3) Depth of Abaddon belief. You could count him as a strange soul raging against the storm while standing in a boat in the middle of Atlantic. But that doesn't help to feel how predestined it all was. I got a feeling that from the moment he got the 'Talon' he 'WAS' predestined to hear the 'call of the sword', to meet Moriana and to build the Empire of an Eye. In that case - it makes him a hypocrite of grandest proportions. Also that makes him a very fragile individuum - the one who would lose everything just to make it by his own choice. To be vindicated in the eyes of his 'brothers' (especially on the Imperium side). His vindicta is a hypocritical assumption based on his own desires. True - at least half of the CSM have it for the Imperium of Mankind. But does anyone go to such lengths for it's own measure? That makes Abaddon truly unique in all his rage against fate.

But at the same time - it was all predestined? Moriana parts lead us exactly to that conclusion. But if that's the case A D-B - then Abaddon is not free of the Gods- he is their biggest joke and best puppet.

 

A D-B I'm truly curious about your opinion.

Also, in comparison with the Master of Mankind > this one I will definitely re-read - it has so much awesome quotes and ideas in general that I would definitely find time to run it at least one more time.

(If you would have made space for some awesome void war 'Betrayer' type - I would have bought you half the bar at Belfry )

[HeritorA]

And also quite forgot to mention (or no symbold left to do that) - that amazing part with the chats with the Inquisition, especially after the moment of remembering the victory.

 

«There are those among the Legions that regard the devastating conflict as an unmitigated victory, and there are those that see nothing but harrowing loss in the defeats they sustained. The truth, as ever, is in the grey that exists between the black and the white. We did not call it a crusade. To us, it was the opening campaign of the Long War, and even that suggests a level of ­organisation that could scarcely exist. There was no overall conflict to judge. It broke down into a hundred wars between individual fleets and warbands rampaging their way through the segmentum. Warlords from the Nine Legions sought their own glory; champions shed blood and raided slaves and offered sacrifices in the myriad names of the Pantheon they either willingly served or courted for favour. Cadia was no fortress world in that era, and lacked the defences it boasted in the millennia since, but the Imperium rose against us with inevitability if not alacrity, and we were forced into a protracted war that devastated both sides...
«You see, even in our vaunted malignancy, we still observed the formalities. War must be declared.»

[HeritorA]

Veterannoob have you read this novel already? What is your opinion?

When we can get A D-B for the podcast on Black Legion and to answer his 'crimes' against the void war

[Conn Eremon]

This thread is being reopened for discussion on the Black Legion novel.

 

To reiterate, this thread is for the discussion of the novel only, and not to debate the practice of spoilers. The Black Library forum rules have been updated to be more clear. Please give them a read before continuing the discussion.

 

=][=

Conn

[veterannoob]

Veterannoob have you read this novel already? What is your opinion?

When we can get A D-B for the podcast on Black Legion and to answer his 'crimes' against the void war

Starting the audio tomorrow or Wednesday. And yes, guilting AD-B into doing it now on the show :) Can't back out after being called out...lol!

[HeritorA]

 

Veterannoob have you read this novel already? What is your opinion?

When we can get A D-B for the podcast on Black Legion and to answer his 'crimes' against the void war

Starting the audio tomorrow or Wednesday. And yes, guilting AD-B into doing it now on the show Can't back out after being called out...lol!

 

Splendid - curious as to his views on fans joy/critic to his BL book ;)

[Loesh]

Looks around cautiously,.

 

Is it...safe?

So i'll be collecting my thoughts in a larger post sometime in the near future most likely, but...I think Black Legion actually got me to like...the Black Legion, and perhaps even Abaddon himself, shocking I know, but for years i'v considered them to be the weakest link in Chaos Legion lore up to this point and their writing has suffered badly for it, this is something that elevates them to be probably my second favorite Legion now after EC because it's just...solid writing, what can I say? I know I sometimes come off, or usually come off as biased against certain groups in storytelling on 40k, but I try to look at the Legions as the sum of their parts, I can enjoy okay to below average novels on the strength of a Legions thematics, which might come off as blind fanboyism but honestly I just see it as a natural extension and benefit of having a solid body of work to hold you up. The Black Legion has never had that for me, they have always been...badly written on a good day, and it compiled to a point where I was gaining a negative opinion that was constantly being reinforced by things like Pandorax.

I think I could...maybe...get behind them in this series though, I have since stopped flinching away from Black Legion material with the expectation that it's going to punch me in the face for daring to be an optimist, maybe that'll continue outside ADB's work now too.

[Sandlemad]

Just realised that Amurael of the Ezekarion in this book is presumably the same Amurael the Corrupted from the background snippet start of the 3.5 edition CSM codex. The one who was cut in two by a Khornate daemon and went mad after being interred in a dreadnought, the one who was blasting Crimson Fists apart.

 

A lot of these guys have bad deaths in their future.

[Vesper]

I really enjoyed the book. It was everything I wanted from the series and more, so pretty awesome.

 

The extra First Edition story was a nice addition. It isn't as subtle and nuanced as The Wonderworker, but it still does the job.

 

My favorite parts of the book were probably Telemachon-related. How awesome was it to see him disappointed to have Khayon forced to duel before Daravek and co ? How great it was to have him rush in the bowels of the Eternal Crusader without answering his fellow Black Legionnaires only to have the opportunity to slay Sigismund himself. And that awesome clash with Khayon on Maeleum about Nefertari's feather he kept :

 

'Is this from her wings ?' I demanded

'But of course.'

'You deseased creature. Stalking her. Watching her.'

'And more.' The onyx of his eyes flashed with reflecting light. Telemachon was smiling. His facemask didn't change, but I sensed whatever was left of his face behind the silver twisting in mirth.

 

Amazing. More awesome Telemachon please ! He is consistently enjoyable, creepy and cool.

 

On Sigismund's death, I liked how AD-B banked on mirroring the bet Khayon did against Daravek's champion, but having it fail this time. Shows how close Sigismund was to succeed, and how outmatched he was by Abaddon in a subtle way. Good writing is good.

 

In conclusion, great book, great additions to the Black Legion's cast, so much potential going forward. Daravek was perfect. The few twists worked and were actually unexpected. The ferrymen part was handled really, really well too. I've always had a soft spot for those ghosts of the Warp, so that kind of characterization of them pleases me greatly. When does the next book in the series come out ?

 

Just realised that Amurael of the Ezekarion in this book is presumably the same Amurael the Corrupted from the background snippet start of the 3.5 edition CSM codex. The one who was cut in two by a Khornate daemon and went mad after being interred in a dreadnought, the one who was blasting Crimson Fists apart.

 

A lot of these guys have bad deaths in their future.

Good catch ! I remember this stuff !

[Loesh]

It's certainly a far cry from what colored my first experience with the Black Legion, which was Abaddon opening fire on impossible to perfectly recreate ships in Battlefleet Gothic if one of your units failed a command roll. :P

[Calas Typhon]

Finally my Limited Edition arrived and I have finished it, bought the audiobook and going to start it when I head to the gym later. It was a great read.

 

Just found out it was singed too, which I did not realise when buying!

[HeritorA]

Finally my Limited Edition arrived and I have finished it, bought the audiobook and going to start it when I head to the gym later. It was a great read.

 

Just found out it was singed too, which I did not realise when buying!

Glad you enjoyed. If it wasn't for the flaws I mentioned It would have been a masterpiece. But in all sincerety - mightly solid book. 4,5 out of 5 fully deserved

[The Doctor Of War]

• Finished it this morning, just like Talon of Horus i couldn't put it down until i was done. If ADB swings by this thread at any point, i have to say well done and more please.The only downside is now i fancy doing a Black Legion army. My poor wallet.

[bluntblade]

Yep, superb. Though I'm not entirely clear on

 

Exactly when Daravek worked his sorcery on Khayon. Am I right in thinking it was sheer bloody-mindedness that allowed Khayon to defy it in the end?

[Fire Golem]

Finished it last night. It's excellent. Not much else to say, I lack the insight of a lot of fellow Fraters unfortunately, but it really is a fantastic book, and I really hope we get a third in the future.

[1ncarnadine]

Yep, superb. Though I'm not entirely clear on

 

Exactly when Daravek worked his sorcery on Khayon. Am I right in thinking it was sheer bloody-mindedness that allowed Khayon to defy it in the end?

 

I think it's more like modern performance magic. If you don't know the trick it's very convincing, but as soon as you do it's just someone performing slight-of-hand. Khayon figuring out the "trick" meant that Daravek lost his power over Khayon.

 

As for when... any time after Horus 2.0 smashed Gyre and before Khayon started trying to assassinate Daravek?

 

Also, some thoughts on the Warp Ghosts (credit to the recent eclipse for this one):

Assumed names in a novel are usually laden with meaning, so when I read the section where it turns out Saronos is Ashur-kai I figured there had to be a deeper one behind that name. Turns out, uh, probably?

 

Saronos is not a word, or not one that quick Googling can find, so I guessed that it was a bastardization of another word to be 1) not so obvious and 2) sound cooler. Yesterday, because of the US solar eclipse I learned about the Saros series, Saros being a Greek term referring to eclipse cycles. An eclipse is a point in time where two astral bodies are in the same position relative to one another... Kind of like how Ashur-kai and Saronos exist at the same time and same place only for a short duration of time?

 

Could be, or I'm really reaching.

[Fire Golem]

 

Yep, superb. Though I'm not entirely clear on

Exactly when Daravek worked his sorcery on Khayon. Am I right in thinking it was sheer bloody-mindedness that allowed Khayon to defy it in the end?

 

 

I think it's more like modern performance magic. If you don't know the trick it's very convincing, but as soon as you do it's just someone performing slight-of-hand. Khayon figuring out the "trick" meant that Daravek lost his power over Khayon.

 

As for when... any time after Horus 2.0 smashed Gyre and before Khayon started trying to assassinate Daravek?

 

I really like the performance magic analogy, I think that works really well. As to the when, I'm pretty sure it was when Khador fought at Drol Kheir, where Khayon was meant to have died. Daravek says that they've met 6 times and Khayon only remembers 5, and he also doesn't remember Drol Kheir, so I think it was then that they first met and Daravek did whatever he did to have some control over Khayon.

[HeritorA]

Yep, superb. Though I'm not entirely clear on

 

Exactly when Daravek worked his sorcery on Khayon. Am I right in thinking it was sheer bloody-mindedness that allowed Khayon to defy it in the end?

 

He knew the reason why Daravek has hold on him. That's why the 'spell' was broken. But ending and that part especially is one of the less good parts of this novel. Daravek as antagonist was totally ruined in the end.