Sons of the Emperor - Primarchs Anthology

[TheRealMcCagh]

Any chance you could spoil those 3 surprises? (Obviously the Dread is Rylanor  ) Who knows when this novel will hit general publication

[m_r_parker]

Ok - if you guys want spoilers then it's your own fault 

 

Seriously - if you don't want this to get ruined then I suggest you look away...

 

The planet is Istvvan III, and the area the Thousand Sons have been passing through is the remains of the Choral City. The dreadnought in the hangar bay is indeed the remains of Ancient Rylanor of the Emperors Children, and on closer inspection is just on the brink of life after being buried underground for the past couple of thousand years. Some of the Kakophani were sent after the virus bombing to clear any remaining loyalist elements, but the Ancient was able to defeat them and use their equipment to send out a warp beacon that drew the attention of Magnus the Red...

 

However, his intended target was the Phoenican himself, who has now appeared on the other side of the hangar. Rylanor finally has the opportunity to lambast Fulgrim, to denounce everything he's done to the Legion, the Imperium and the Emperor. Fulgrim takes great pleasure in encircling the prone Ancient, revelling in what the remains of the Legion have become since the beginning of the Heresy. The Thousand Sons try not to intervene in what is happening, but can't help but notice that the body of the Ancient is covering something, something that Fulgrim has not yet spotted...

 

 

The Ancient has one last trick up his sleeve, an undetonated virus bomb to use against his Primarch and claim some degree of vengeance for the purging of the loyalist elements of the Legion. The Raptora within the group manages to get a kine shield in place over the bomb so that the life-eater virus is contained, preventing the death of everyone in the hangar. Fulgrim gives Rylanor a final chance to rejoin the legion, and to be made flesh again in any body of his choosing, to which Rylanor declines. Tapping away with his claws on the Ancient's sarcophagus, Fulgrim let's Rylanor know that this isn't a deal that can be turned down and one way or another he's going to be brought back to the Legion regardless, as he eventually cracks open the contemptor body and brings what physical remains of Rylanor onto the hangar floor. The Athenian in the group feels the absolute horror in Rylanor as he comprehends the fate he's about to endure, and physically sends across to the Phoenican that the Ancient deserves better, as he draws his bolt pistol and shoots his Raptora brother in the head - ending the kine shield and engulfing the hangar in the life-eater virus, ending the lives of everyone there and leaving Fulgrim empty handed. 

 

 

 

 

[TheRealMcCagh]

O damn, I was just being sarcastic about Rylanor. Didn't think they intended to ever wrap that up.

[m_r_parker]

m_r_parker top work again, as usual.

 

If you’ve read other BL works like Fear to Tread, any of the Imperium Secundus stuff or Ruinstorm: how does John French’s Sanguinius compare to other portrayals of the Angel?

 

That's difficult to say, the short story is really short - about 15 pages. And even that is dispersed across a couple of different themes and events, a lot of it from his PoV.

It is a more muted Angel than some of the other work, more remorseful. It is in the form of the winged destroyer that he comes into battle, and bears some of the knowledge that we'll see in FW's Malevolance about the Host of Destroyers, that there isn't a dedicated Destroyer force within the Blood Angel legion. Instead individuals are called upon at points to don the mantle of the Destroyer, to put aside their life for a time and to enact the role that is despised. This is reflected on Commander Alepho, who for the time of this one assault has been drafted into the Destroyer Host and don a silver death mask, who is an artist and poet and who Sanguinius knows will not be the same again afterwards, that his artwork will always be tinged with the darkness experienced that day. Somber is probably best to detail how this reads, this is a duty that Sanguiniuns does not like to enact, nor does he like seeing the impact it has on his legionnaires, but he can't bear to see that responsibility fixed upon a small subset of the Legion - so they have to perform that function at some time. 

There is a short piece in there, a flashback to when Sanguinius and Horus met on the Vengeful Spirit to discuss greater concepts over a board game (the amount of times important characters play old fashioned board games, BL have a bit of a thing with that) - Sanguinius is struggling with the dichotomy of their existence, creating a new Imperium of Man whilst destroying certain facets of it. Horus struggling with the thoughts of what will happen after the Great Crusade is over, "What happens after that? What happens to angels after a new heaven is made?"

 

I hope that helps, it's difficult to articulate at times.

[Indefragable]

 

 

m_r_parker top work again, as usual.

 

If you’ve read other BL works like Fear to Tread, any of the Imperium Secundus stuff or Ruinstorm: how does John French’s Sanguinius compare to other portrayals of the Angel?

That's difficult to say, the short story is really short - about 15 pages. And even that is dispersed across a couple of different themes and events, a lot of it from his PoV.

It is a more muted Angel than some of the other work, more remorseful. It is in the form of the winged destroyer that he comes into battle, and bears some of the knowledge that we'll see in FW's Malevolance about the Host of Destroyers, that there isn't a dedicated Destroyer force within the Blood Angel legion. Instead individuals are called upon at points to don the mantle of the Destroyer, to put aside their life for a time and to enact the role that is despised. This is reflected on Commander Alepho, who for the time of this one assault has been drafted into the Destroyer Host and don a silver death mask, who is an artist and poet and who Sanguinius knows will not be the same again afterwards, that his artwork will always be tinged with the darkness experienced that day. Somber is probably best to detail how this reads, this is a duty that Sanguiniuns does not like to enact, nor does he like seeing the impact it has on his legionnaires, but he can't bear to see that responsibility fixed upon a small subset of the Legion - so they have to perform that function at some time.

There is a short piece in there, a flashback to when Sanguinius and Horus met on the Vengeful Spirit to discuss greater concepts over a board game (the amount of times important characters play old fashioned board games, BL have a bit of a thing with that) - Sanguinius is struggling with the dichotomy of their existence, creating a new Imperium of Man whilst destroying certain facets of it. Horus struggling with the thoughts of what will happen after the Great Crusade is over, "What happens after that? What happens to angels after a new heaven is made?"

 

I hope that helps, it's difficult to articulate at times.

Thanks. Sounds like there’s a lot fit into 15 pages!

 

Hypothesis:

Hidden Content

I’ve noticed a subtle trend with BL writers and BA: they appear in a shockingly small amount of HH material, yet when they do, there’s a lot going on. ADB commented on how the BA were “licked and touched” by certain authors early on. I hypothesize that as a result, whenever other authors have gotten the opportunity to do much as mention the BA, they try to pack all their ideas in their at once. That’s what this (one and only?) BA story by John French kinda sounds like. One could argue Zephon in ADB’s MoM was a similar sort of all-ideas-rolled-into-one character. And the portrayal of BA in Graham McNeill’s Vengeful Spirit seems rushed and kind of bursting from the seams for the same reasons.

 

Just a thought of mine.

 

Edited February 16, 2018 by Indefragable

[m_r_parker]

I'm not sure, Indefragable - I think there's multiple things going on.

 

My honest first opinion is that whenever I see a writer cover the Blood Angels for the first time, it's almost like they're showcasing what they can do as an author. Like an audition, with the prize being to cover the Blood Angels and Sanguinius during the Siege. The guys at BL have a lot planned for the Siege, but a lot of the authors seem to be very interested in covering Sanguinius specifically, and therefore the Blood Angels in a more generalised sense. And why wouldn't they? Some of the most epic scenes during the Siege are directly related to the Angel; the battle of the Eternity Gate, boarding the Venegeful Spirit knowing that he would meet his death at the Warmaster's hand, defying Horus, and even in death being the catalyst for the Emperor to truly decide that Horus was irredeemable. Even the themes that come with Sanguinius are stronger than other Primarchs; honour, self sacrifice, purity of spirit, the literal personification of the epitome of humanity. I can only imagine that for an author this would become some of the most iconic elements of the Heresy series in it's entirety, and would sit alongside some of the works of John Blanche or Mike McVey for the next generation. 

I have no doubt that some authors have tried to align themselves with the Blood Angels early on in the series and claim them for their own. Like James Swallow did with Garro, Nick Kyme with the Salamanders, or Gav Thorpe with the Raven Guard. 

 

If that is somewhat the case, then I would think that John French has made a strong case for him covering off some of Sanguinius' story now that the Heresy is reaching it's final stage. The PoV style of Sanguinius' thoughts as he descended from a Storm Eagle towards the defences of a garrison they are about to hit is poetic. The nuance of him picking up random details whilst in the heat of an engagement, whilst simultaneously thinking back to previous events, feels exactly like a Primarch mind should be - and I for one would love to see how that plays out during the Siege. I would love to be in the Angel's thoughts as he's battling wave after wave of traitor forces, knowing that eventually he'll meet his end at the hand of Horus. That sense of foreboding and inevitability, thinking back to opportunities missed and asking "What if?".

[bluntblade]

To be honest, Indefragable, I find the best BL authors give that impression with almost any faction they handle. Wraight, French and AD-B always seem to add a wrinkle as a matter of course; the Iron Warriors cloudhammers in PoH for example, or Jubal Khan's admonition to Sigismund.

[Amun Ra]

 

 

m_r_parker top work again, as usual.

 

If you’ve read other BL works like Fear to Tread, any of the Imperium Secundus stuff or Ruinstorm: how does John French’s Sanguinius compare to other portrayals of the Angel?

That's difficult to say, the short story is really short - about 15 pages. And even that is dispersed across a couple of different themes and events, a lot of it from his PoV.

It is a more muted Angel than some of the other work, more remorseful. It is in the form of the winged destroyer that he comes into battle, and bears some of the knowledge that we'll see in FW's Malevolance about the Host of Destroyers, that there isn't a dedicated Destroyer force within the Blood Angel legion. Instead individuals are called upon at points to don the mantle of the Destroyer, to put aside their life for a time and to enact the role that is despised. This is reflected on Commander Alepho, who for the time of this one assault has been drafted into the Destroyer Host and don a silver death mask, who is an artist and poet and who Sanguinius knows will not be the same again afterwards, that his artwork will always be tinged with the darkness experienced that day. Somber is probably best to detail how this reads, this is a duty that Sanguiniuns does not like to enact, nor does he like seeing the impact it has on his legionnaires, but he can't bear to see that responsibility fixed upon a small subset of the Legion - so they have to perform that function at some time.

There is a short piece in there, a flashback to when Sanguinius and Horus met on the Vengeful Spirit to discuss greater concepts over a board game (the amount of times important characters play old fashioned board games, BL have a bit of a thing with that) - Sanguinius is struggling with the dichotomy of their existence, creating a new Imperium of Man whilst destroying certain facets of it. Horus struggling with the thoughts of what will happen after the Great Crusade is over, "What happens after that? What happens to angels after a new heaven is made?"

 

I hope that helps, it's difficult to articulate at times.

Just starting these after picking up the book this weekend, and I loved this story, even as short as it was.

 

"I am become death" indeed. Bring on the Destroyer Host!

[m_r_parker]

 

Just starting these after picking up the book this weekend, and I loved this story, even as short as it was.

 

"I am become death" indeed. Bring on the Destroyer Host!

 

 

 

Where did you pick up the book from? Just from this forum alone there's a lot of demand so I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in getting some, and not having to pay eBay prices.

[Amun Ra]

 

 

 

Just starting these after picking up the book this weekend, and I loved this story, even as short as it was.

 

"I am become death" indeed. Bring on the Destroyer Host!

 

 

Where did you pick up the book from? Just from this forum alone there's a lot of demand so I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in getting some, and not having to pay eBay prices.

At whw. There for a weekends gaming. Didn't realise it was so much in demand until I came on here to discuss it!

[Warpmiss]

So, it is in WHW! Those are good news! That way we can at least ask someone to get a copy.

[b1soul]

Kinda hoping Sang doesn't always come across as sensitive and compassionate, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

 

Time for the Angel of Wrath to manifest

[Slave to Darkness]

So, it is in WHW! Those are good news! That way we can at least ask someone to get a copy.

Good job you know someone whos going then :lol:

[helterskelter]

Gonna be all over that like a flannel it being in WHW worth the hours drive for a spot of lunch in bugmans and a mooch

[dcye]

Got my copy from eBay, excited to get stuck in.

[Amun Ra]

Kinda hoping Sang doesn't always come across as sensitive and compassionate, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

 

Time for the Angel of Wrath to manifest

No compassion shown here. He is very much the Angel of wrath.

[Mellow]

Is this likely to get a ”normal” release?

[Morovir]

I would think so, as the past WHW exclusive books have both been released, albeit around a year later (Meduson and The Undying King).

[TheRealMcCagh]

Kinda hoping Sang doesn't always come across as sensitive and compassionate, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

 

Time for the Angel of Wrath to manifest

 

That's what I've been waiting for. We've had the 'woe is me' Sanguinius, I want the 'acid in his heart' Sanguinius. I'd like to be shown why Horus feared him so much

[hopkins]

it's in WHW? fething hell, i went twice last week!

[hopkins]

it's in WHW? fething hell, i went twice last week!

Finally got hold of it and well impressed. A lot of these event anthologies can be filler heavy, but this was mostly killer

[D3L]

I kinda feel this has really slipt through the net, almost nobody knows this anthology exists and there's next to no write up online (apart from our Mr Parker's), heck it's not even listed in anything like lexicanum or whatever and it came out in February!

I can only say this is bad marketing in terms of making it a weekender only

Edited April 25, 2018 by D3L

[mc warhammer]

the price i saw for it on eBay is about all i need to know...until it’s reprinted

[m_r_parker]

If people are really jonesing for it (and I get a feeling people are) then if they're around at the Black Library Live event I wouldn't mind picking up a few copies for frater here, provided people can cover the cost of the book and postage. 

It's a fair anthology, there are some great stories in there while others are just OK, but I do like these collections of short stories where the overall story ideas don't warrant a full size novel.

[Tymell]

Hey all, sorry for the thread res, but I finally got a chance to read all these, and I really wanted to give my brief thoughts on the stories here, especially because I think (for the most part), this is a really solid anthology, and I eagerly look forward to these stories becoming more readily available.

 

The Passing of Angels - 8/10

At first I felt the descriptions were a tad too flowery and long-winded, but this quickly subsided. This is a great tale and adds some much-needed character for the Blood Angels. I really like the lore of them not having a dedicated Destroyer host, rather assigning it as a one-time duty to individuals, and having them don masks for it, taking up a role to lessen the impact of the horrific things they have to do. Some great dialogue and inner thoughts for Sanguinius, and on this occasion I felt his angst actually fit and worked well. Also, loved the line describing the descent of the Angels: "Made to bring enlightenment like falling lightning".

 

The Abyssal Edge - 9/10

Again, fantastic character work that does so much with the limited word count. Sevatar is deliciously psychopathic, the contrast between Magnus and Curze is palpable, and I especially like that while Curze is clearly monstrous, he also hasn't fallen as far as he will by the time of the Heresy.

 

Mercy of the Dragon - 8/10

Along with Artefacts, I think this shows that Kyme does some of his best work in short stories. This one alternates between scenes of the Emperor first talking with Vulkan on Nocturne, and a compliance with Vulkan at his side, along with Ferrus Manus. I liked that this one didn't drag, it didn't get bogged down in the Trials of Fire (which we know well from the Index Astartes article already) nor in long battle scenes at the compliance. It just serves its purpose of showing us how Vulkan differs and what makes him unique, while still highlighting that he can be a fearsome warrior.

 

Shadow of the Past - 6/10

The weak link for me. It's an interesting twist, and I enjoyed it early on with

Corax preying on the Word Bearers.

Alas, the ending feels horribly rushed, this really should've been a longer story.

 

The Emperor's Architect - 9/10

A fantastic setup for Perturabo's Primarchs book. Much like in that, Haley perfectly captures the flaws of his character (especially impressive since he never actually appears in person) and also shows the foundation cracks appearing in Olympia's structure. Most of all, great work with the human aspects and relationships on show here.

 

Prince of Blood - 10/10

Masterful. I didn't think anyone could match ADB's work with the World Eaters, and admittedly this builds upon that, but still, it's done with style. Angron is still the pained, tragic figure, Khârn is still wonderfully fleshed-out, Lotara is still giving as good as she gets. This one feels like a nice reflection of After Desh'ea, with Khârn going down warily to speak to Angron. I also appreciate that it gives a good explanation of what happened to the legion after the Shadow Crusade.

 

The Ancient Awaits - 7/10

As I'm sure was the case for others who read this, I was (pleasantly) surprised when they went back to

Rylanor.

I like the setup and idea here, it certainly works well enough, even if it doesn't really captivate as much as some of the other stories here.

 

Misbegotten - 7/10

In two minds about this one. On the one hand, I feel like the core point (of how dangerous the Primarchs can be despite outward appearances) could have been put across better. On the other hand, God-Emperor it's good to see Abnett's Horus again. This one makes me -desperately- want him to do Horus' Primarchs book.