What makes 'Carrion Throne' so Grimdark?

[DogWelder]

I have started reading Carrion Throne as the novel has made quite a stir in the 40k community with everyone remarking on how grimdark it was and how it offered a unique perspective into the horror of Terra in 40k.

 

So far though...I'm really not seeing why it is so special. Don't get me wrong its an interesting book with fun characters and an engaging plot but I'm not seeing the 'unique grimdark horror' I was expecting based on all the reviews. I've been paying close attention to the themes and settings described but I'm still not seeing it.

 

For example Terra, as described in the book, seems pretty normal as far as dystopian future planet cities go. Rampant poverty, mass starvation if the supplies don't keep arriving, brutal law enforcement, extreme disparity between the upper and lower classes...kind of common in many descriptions of Hive cities and commonplace across many sci-fi franchises. Star Wars and Judge Dredd have similar environments.

 

So what am I missing? I'd like to get the full experience reading the book so do you know what I should keep an eye out for?

Edited October 30, 2017 by DogWelder

[Bryan Blaire]

You’ve basically already described exactly what folks are talking about - it isn’t necessarily unique to the 40K setting, but it is something folks have felt lacking in many of the previous BL 40K books. You noted one influence for 40K, the Judge Dredd/2000 AD setting, but there are similar influences from the Dune series and other influencing works from when 40K was dreamed up.

[R_F_D]

What that guy said.

 

I think you've also got to bear in mind is that there's not a whole lot about Terra in BL fiction so a book set on Terra, with Terra itself being a significant supporting character was very attractive; certainly to me.

[DogWelder]

What that guy said.

 

I think you've also got to bear in mind is that there's not a whole lot about Terra in BL fiction so a book set on Terra, with Terra itself being a significant supporting character was very attractive; certainly to me.

 

Ah that makes sense. I just read 'the Beast Arises' series and 'Emperor's Legion' prior to this book so this I suppose I've already read tons of content about Terra which takes some of the initial majesty away.

Edited October 30, 2017 by DogWelder

[cheywood]

I'm reading the Beast Arises right now. Its depiction of Terra feels like a light sketch compared to the painting that is Wraight's depiction of it.

[ShadowSwordmaster]

In a way, you have Master of Mankind too. I think they might be setting the seeds, in a strange way, for the Siege of Terra itself.  There is also the deal with the Navigator Houses in Path of Heaven. It seems like Terra, as a setting, is for policial intrigue. 

[Taliesin]

What other BL books set on Terra would you guys recommend?

I'd like to see more of that.

 

What about Outcast Dead from Mc Neill for instance?

[Sandlemad]

Outcast Dead's not great but large parts of it are set in the Himalayan shanty towns around the 30k palace. The shorty story Blood Games and, to a lesser extent, Praetorian of Dorn also show the grubby 2000AD-esque bits of Terra, insofar as those were there in 30k.

 

William King's Wolfblade is the granddaddy of all depictions of dystopian Terra. It was, I think, the first deep dive into the contrast between high-spire politicking and the dystopian grimness of the rest of the planet. Maybe some of Ian Watson's inquisitor books have some stuff on Terra but you can really see King's influence in Carrion Throne and Watchers of the Throne (which is also very much worth a look).

Wolfblade has held up about as well as the other Ragnar stories, so it's a bit light and plain compared to modern day Wraight, French, ADB, etc. but the Terran stuff is decent.

[Xisor]

It's not Terra, but Hydraphur (a Segmentum Capital World, at least, so immediate next tier down from Terra & Mars in terms of political importance), but the Shira Calpurnia books in the Enforcer Omnibus are *extremely* good. Lots of politics and bleakness. (Crossfire/Legacy/Blind.)