The Lords of Silence

[DarkChaplain]

This was already quoted earlier in this thread

 

Umm...did Mort just semi-confirm the return of the loyalist primarchs:

‘There are things I have seen, snatches of dreams that I never thought would be waked from. My brothers are stirring. You hear this? My brothers. Magnus revives his tedious old blood feud, but it will not end there. The few surviving loyal sons will be found again. ’ Mortarion chuckles. ‘Abaddon can do what he wishes. I no longer care for Terra – I was there, and damaged it so deeply it will never recover. My business now is, you might say, within the family.’
Vorx hears the words no longer care for Terra, but does not take them in. That must have been some mistake, some lack of understanding on his part, but it is rare for Mortarion to speak loosely, despite all the vagaries and part-prophecy that always litter his utterances.
‘I have seen this,’ Mortarion says, cracking a half-smile that makes the puckered skin above his rebreather flex awkwardly. ‘I believe I am the first to do so. Guilliman will revive. The numbers tell me this, and I have travelled far within the Garden to confirm it.

There are groves that hiss his name in the wind. I look into pools and see his face ­staring at me. Guilliman! Stiff, dreary Guilliman. I’d have preferred another one. The Lion, perhaps, whom I always quite admired. But one will do, even the dull one.’

I'm not sure whether the first and second bold portions contradict each other...

 

I replied there, too:

 

Mortarion knows they're still kicking. He's doing pretty hardcore witchcraft these days, anyway. Not like we don't at the very least have a statement from Russ that he'll be back anyway, or that the Lion is still alive but comatose... Mortarion doesn't make a timeframe for anything, though, and only has hard confirmation about Guilliman right then, ahead of time.

 

He confirms nothing outside of those things we already knew for the past 15 years or longer.
 

 

[b1soul]

Well, we didn't know for sure whether the surviving loyal sons would ever be recovered...or am I missing something?

[Bulwyf]

That was the first time it has been confirmed that all surviving loyal primarchs return and all the demon primarchs return.

[Marshal Loss]

Finally had time to finish it. Absolutely spectacular book, a must buy for all. When I asked LetsYouDown for his opinion on it while I was waiting for my own copy to arrive, he simply put it as "the book DG fans have been waiting or", and he was right. All those forum posts made asking Wraight to do a DG novel were worth the time investment. :P

 

The plot follows the Lords of Silence through the early days of the Dark Imperium. Wraight spends a huge amount of time describing and providing background for the Death Guard and the mortals that surround them, and it pays off. As others have noted, the characters are fantastic, and Vorx is somebody I want to see a lot more of. The nightmarish nature of Nurgle and explanations (that actually makes sense) of how and why people fall to Nurgle.

 

While Loyalists are not the focus of the book, the White Consuls (despite their dark end) come off really well. The Word Bearers are also incredibly cool. Mortarion and Typhus get brief appearances, and Typhus' in particular is easily the best he's ever had, a real look into his mindset and how the motivations of mortals and primarchs are going to be played off against each other in the new setting.

 

Surprised to not see any discussion (unless I've missed some posts) about Unification, the short story at the end of the Special Edition. It's an incredibly important story, one that has been badly needed for many years: it shows us the nightmare world of Barbarus, a glimpse of the Necromantic overlords, and - more importantly still - Mortarion in his role as a saviour. There's a better explanation there of the Death Guard's psychology and loyalty to Mortarion, of their arc, in this tiny short story than there is in any novel that has ever dealt with them. Normally I wouldn't be a fan of stories in Special Editions getting out into the world anytime soon after their release, but man, people need to read this.

[mc warhammer]

thanks marshal, you've convinced me to pick this one up

[Bulwyf]

I didn't get the special edition so I can't read that short story. It sounds great. One of the things that has always drawn me to Death Guard was Mortarion's original role as savior to the horribly oppressed people on Barbarus. After he gets the legion he then starts to overthrow tyrants in the Great Crusade. You can absolutely see why he would eventually turn from the Emperor as the Big E is the worst tyrant of them all.

[DarKnight]

I'm still making my way through this (not from lack of excitement, but due to the fact I want to absorb every single detail), but this is definitely one of my favorite BL books ever, and the best Chris Wraight book I've read. He presents the DG in a way that adds depth and makes plague marines accessible (!). I also enjoy that it fights against (in a way I'm sure he appreciates) how my favorite author AD-B sees traitor Astartes and how they feel about their Primarchs in the 41st.Vorx recongnizes all of the flaws of the primarchs, but HIS Primarch saved Barbarus from their overlords which gives him a loyalty to Mortarion that the Emperor could never replace and which hasn't diminished in 10 thousand years. I'm happy for DG fans, they finally have a flagship novel.

[Scribe]

I just realized I can order right off the GW site now. I will get this, and Slaves to Darkness, posthaste!

[Knockagh]

 

 

 

Read some of this at Warhammer Fest, have to admit I didn't care for it and didn't pick up a copy.

Even though it's Wraight, it didn't do anything for me.

I expect Haley's Dark Imperium II and The Buried Dagger will feature plots and developments much more to my liking.

Hate to drag this off subject but, Dark Imperium II? When was this announced and when is it coming?

https://www.blacklibrary.com/coming-soon/october/dark-imperium-plague-war.html

Ah I must have glimpsed over that because it doesn't show as a physical book in the coming soon page. I can't take electronics into work and I do most of my reading during lunch. Guess I will settle for a write up from someone else.

It will be released in print. BLs ever efficient site defaults to ebook for some reason without showing the various formats.

[A D-B]

I'm still making my way through this (not from lack of excitement, but due to the fact I want to absorb every single detail), but this is definitely one of my favorite BL books ever, and the best Chris Wraight book I've read. He presents the DG in a way that adds depth and makes plague marines accessible (!). I also enjoy that it fights against (in a way I'm sure he appreciates) how my favorite author AD-B sees traitor Astartes and how they feel about their Primarchs in the 41st.Vorx recongnizes all of the flaws of the primarchs, but HIS Primarch saved Barbarus from their overlords which gives him a loyalty to Mortarion that the Emperor could never replace and which hasn't diminished in 10 thousand years. I'm happy for DG fans, they finally have a flagship novel.

 

For the record, it's not what I think, necessarily, just what several of my characters have thought. But bear in mind the Legions I've written about after the Heresy: the two that have every reason to hate their primarchs most. The defining existence of the Black Legion, after all, is "The Primarchs screwed up, we'll take it from here."

 

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

 

I absolutely loved this book, start to finish. 

[DukeLeto69]

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

 

In a nutshell (if that is indeed possible) what is it about chaos that you agree on?

[A D-B]

 

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

In a nutshell (if that is indeed possible) what is it about chaos that you agree on?

 

 

That's not possible. It's more that we understand what Chaos is and how it works, and we don't disagree in the way the other quote suggested.

[Triszin]

 

 

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

In a nutshell (if that is indeed possible) what is it about chaos that you agree on?

 

 

That's not possible. It's more that we understand what Chaos is and how it works, and we don't disagree in the way the other quote suggested.

 

its a big wibble wobbly ball of mass, ever expanding, ever retracting. isn't it.

[DukeLeto69]

 

 

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

 

In a nutshell (if that is indeed possible) what is it about chaos that you agree on?

 

That's not possible. It's more that we understand what Chaos is and how it works, and we don't disagree in the way the other quote suggested.

Lol I thought it would be a tall order to explain something like that in a nutshell! Still I am very intrigued by yours and Chris' understanding of how chaos works but... If that requires a detailed essay then I expect many fraters would rather you spent the time working in your next book :-)

[SkimaskMohawk]

It makes 8 pointed stars appear on all available surfaces of any clothing, guns, armour or vehicles. Also horns.

[A D-B]

 

 

 

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

In a nutshell (if that is indeed possible) what is it about chaos that you agree on?

 

That's not possible. It's more that we understand what Chaos is and how it works, and we don't disagree in the way the other quote suggested.

Lol I thought it would be a tall order to explain something like that in a nutshell! Still I am very intrigued by yours and Chris' understanding of how chaos works but... If that requires a detailed essay then I expect many fraters would rather you spent the time working in your next book :-)

 

 

Nah, it's all in the sourcebooks, and our novels (Khayon explains a lot of it bluntly), and my posts, and generally accepted, well-known stuff.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Lerverly. :D Edited September 12, 2018 by Black Orange

[DukeLeto69]

 

 

 

 

Me and Chris, unsurprisingly, agree on Chaos 100%. (Most of the authors I interact with a lot and/or am close with tend share the same opinions on the lore.) We talk about the lore a bunch, especially Chaos, and Lords of Silence even has a mention of it in the preface, pertaining to Abaddon.

 

In a nutshell (if that is indeed possible) what is it about chaos that you agree on?

 

That's not possible. It's more that we understand what Chaos is and how it works, and we don't disagree in the way the other quote suggested.

Lol I thought it would be a tall order to explain something like that in a nutshell! Still I am very intrigued by yours and Chris' understanding of how chaos works but... If that requires a detailed essay then I expect many fraters would rather you spent the time working in your next book :-)

 

Nah, it's all in the sourcebooks, and our novels (Khayon explains a lot of it bluntly), and my posts, and generally accepted, well-known stuff.

Ha I thought you would say something like that (surely you mean 2nd edition sourcebooks) so that then begs the question implied by your post... Are there authors who do not share your (and Chris' and most of the authors you interact with) view of Chaos?

[Scribe]

 

 

Nah, it's all in the sourcebooks, and our novels (Khayon explains a lot of it bluntly), and my posts, and generally accepted, well-known stuff.

 

 

One would think eh?

 

I got this yesterday (very fast, love that the books are on GW proper now) and already had my first laugh.

 

"Demonstrably false. You're in a jar."

 

Enjoying the book a lot so far. :]

[Vesper]

I just finished it. Great book, really a treat. Chaos Marines are really spoiled to have so many great Black Library stuff these days. Between the Black Legion series, the Fabius Bile adventures and The Lords of Silence, plenty of trully amazing stories to read.

I've always had a soft spot for Plague marines, and Chris nailed it for me. Great job.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Vesper

[Scribe]

Have hardly put it down all day, super great.

 

EDIT: Finished it, just flew by. I'm at the point where Wraight is just a no doubt buy, only ADB has been at that point for me.

 

Enjoyed practically everything about it. 

Edited September 14, 2018 by Scribe

[DukeLeto69]

 

Nah, it's all in the sourcebooks, and our novels (Khayon explains a lot of it bluntly), and my posts, and generally accepted, well-known stuff.

 

One would think eh?

Not sure if that is partially aimed at me seeing as ADB was replying to something I asked but let me just say...

 

I am pretty certain my understanding of chaos would gel with ADB or the other authors. I have been involved in the W40k setting in some shape or form, since 1987. I have read most (but couldn't honestly say all) codexes, rulebooks and sourcebooks and a tonne of novels and short stories.

 

The point of my question was not to challenge or "out" what ADB believes about chaos and how it works but rather a genuine interest in his statement that he and Chris Wraight agree. Was just curious if there were a few key inarguable points on which they agree. AND more importantly the implication from one of the ADB responses that there are other authors (or studio guys I guess) who perhaps don't agree on some points. I was interested that this implied disagreement may be a "thing" as I would have thought (perhaps naively) that GW/BL had a pretty clear line in how chaos works.

 

Also from ADB posts in the past I believe I am right in saying that he holds 2nd edition chaos as his go to lore which again begs the question - have things changed since then and are there, therefore, others who do not subscribe to 2nd edition chaos lore?

 

Not read Lords of Silence yet (will defo buy it but prob in paperback) so not in a position to make a comparison with the Black Legion books.

Edited September 14, 2018 by DukeLeto69

[Scribe]

No, not aimed at you at all. The whole book, in combo with the Night Series, The Watcher's of the Throne, the Black Legion Series, all the source material (Liber Chaotica folks) etc etc etc. I guess its just still surprising to me when people get the big picture wrong.

 

I would be quite surprised if there are people 'in house' that disagree with ADB/Wraight and assume it was more a comment about the community missing the boat on things.

[DukeLeto69]

No, not aimed at you at all. The whole book, in combo with the Night Series, The Watcher's of the Throne, the Black Legion Series, all the source material (Liber Chaotica folks) etc etc etc. I guess its just still surprising to me when people get the big picture wrong.

 

I would be quite surprised if there are people 'in house' that disagree with ADB/Wraight and assume it was more a comment about the community missing the boat on things.

Gotcha!

[Ascanius]

There's a moment at the end of chapter 19 which feels like a reference to (ROT13) Gur Tbqsngure Cneg VV, given the dialogue and the character's name.