Rate what you Read, or the fight against Necromancy

[Sothalor]

Fire Caste – Peter Fehervari

 

Two things right up front about this one: 1) It’s horrendously misnamed, and 2) It’s a work any 40k connoisseur would be well recommended to track down and read.

 

The description blurb for Fire Caste presents this novel as an Imperium versus Tau throwdown; this is mostly inaccurate. If you’re looking for a detailed exploration of Tau lore, culture, or even just action scenes, this book does not focus on those. Really, the Tau play a fairly minor – albeit, important – role in Fire Caste. The focus of the book is mostly on an Imperial Guard unit thrown into a long-running war on one nasty planet and the toll it takes on them. In many ways, Fire Caste reminds me of some classic Vietnam War films like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now. It’s not a bolter porn book, though there are plenty of action scenes. It’s not horror the way a lot of Black Library stuff does it in the sense of daemonettes flaying faces off, rather it’s a sort of slow-burn psychological horror. There’s no glory to be had here, only misery, madness, and horrible deaths.

 

One of Fire Caste’s strongest points is how atmospheric it is. From the malevolent jungles of Phaedra to the dejected ramblings of Holt Iverson’s journal, Fehervari nails the tone of the sanity-blasting meatgrinder of an experience he puts his characters through. There are two things I want to specifically praise here.

 

First: knowledge and answers, or the lack thereof. The characters of Fire Caste are not privy to the ins and outs of the setting the way most readers probably are; they’re forced to operate from positions of ignorance. Similarly for the reader, there are many more questions raised and hints glimpsed than answers given.

 

Second: the narrative voice – the prose itself – changes to match the viewpoint character in any given scene. I think far too little BL fiction utilizes this sort of writing craftsmanship. Admittedly, this is a little bit like complaining that Ye Summer Blockbusters of Explosions don’t tend to have exemplary screenplays; let’s be honest – we don’t typically consume these media for their high literary qualities. However, given that it feels like the last few BL works I’ve been going through have been much more on the “tell don’t show” side of things like character viewpoint and development, this was such a breath of fresh air.

 

These two factors combine together to make for a grim, unsettling read. I would almost describe it as unpleasant, so immersive is the experience of these characters’ journeys into madness and horror. I totally mean that as a compliment; it’s horrible because you’re experiencing it through these characters’ minds, trapped on this miserable hellhole of a planet, and not because you’re told so by an omniscient narrative voice.

 

My main criticism of Fire Caste would be that I think there might have been a few too many characters. The narrative viewpoint jumps around a great deal, and there are a lot of names to keep track of. As it is the middle act gets a little muddled. I think some of the character arcs were similar enough that excising one or two of them might have tightened the focus and pacing up.

 

The other thing I might note is that this... style and substance of book won’t be for everyone. It’s a fairly significant departure from most of what Black Library does these days. The plot is heavy on questions and implications, light on answers. The prose is florid, borderline purple at times. I can quite easily see how it could be off-putting for somebody approaching this expecting something like Gaunt’s Ghosts or the Night Lords series or any of the Space Marine Battles novels.

 

That said, understand going in that Fire Caste is not your typical 40k novel, and you’ll find a richly textured read that manages to present some of this setting’s feelings and themes with a subtlety and craft that many other BL works don’t even try for.

 

ANR: 9/10

Highly Recommended

[Roomsky]

Shadows of Treachery - Various

 

Definitely one of the series' best anthologies, and a sort of precursor to the themed collections we'd start getting later on. It's a good read, decent short stories (and the excellent Lightning Tower) book ended by some of the sagas best novellas in The Crimson Fist and Prince of Crows. My only real issue is that most of the stories feel a bit truncated. The Crimson Fist and Prince of Crows could both easily have been twice their length, if not full novels with a few more plot points. The Kaban Project and Raven's Flight are both good as well, but feel like diet versions of Mechanicum and Deliverance Lost respectively, considering how many characters and plot points they share with the novels that would follow. A strong collection that leaves you wanting more, but maybe not in the best of ways.

 

To Taste

ANR: 7.5/10

[Roomsky]

Ahriman: Sorcerer - John French

 

Well, that was much better than the first time I read it. The Ahriman series is probably the one that most warrants multiple read-throughs in the Black Library catalogue. The amount of threads and plot points French manages to weave together, be they resolution from Exile or setup for Unchanged, is above and beyond the norm for the studio, and it still manages to be a compelling tale all its own. The book is also much improved from Exile, with more solid pacing and much more distinct character voices from the cast. Gone is the guy in Ahriman's clothing doing Ahriman things, Ahzek is now every bit the mastermind you'd expect, and it's glorious. Beyond a few headscratchers regarding characters' abilities, it was odd to see a maimed and blanked Ahriman tank several Gray Knights bolt shells, my only gripe is the presence of Sanakht. He was a well fleshed out and interesting character, but is another in the long line of traitor marines being used post-heresy before the Siege was written. This book is hardly the only guilty party here, but you lose a bit of the tension when you know Amon, Sanakht, Eidolon, Delvarus, Kaiseron, etc all make it through because authors decided to use recognizable names over making new characters. Within the book itself though, its mostly balanced out by Sanakht being one of the casts' strongest characters.

 

ANR: 8/5/10

To Taste (based on your threshold for warp shenanigans)

[Jareddm]

Ahriman: Sorcerer - John French

 

Well, that was much better than the first time I read it. The Ahriman series is probably the one that most warrants multiple read-throughs in the Black Library catalogue. The amount of threads and plot points French manages to weave together, be they resolution from Exile or setup for Unchanged, is above and beyond the norm for the studio, and it still manages to be a compelling tale all its own. The book is also much improved from Exile, with more solid pacing and much more distinct character voices from the cast. Gone is the guy in Ahriman's clothing doing Ahriman things, Ahzek is now every bit the mastermind you'd expect, and it's glorious. Beyond a few headscratchers regarding characters' abilities, it was odd to see a maimed and blanked Ahriman tank several Gray Knights bolt shells, my only gripe is the presence of Sanakht. He was a well fleshed out and interesting character, but is another in the long line of traitor marines being used post-heresy before the Siege was written. This book is hardly the only guilty party here, but you lose a bit of the tension when you know Amon, Sanakht, Eidolon, Delvarus, Kaiseron, etc all make it through because authors decided to use recognizable names over making new characters. Within the book itself though, its mostly balanced out by Sanakht being one of the casts' strongest characters.

 

ANR: 8/5/10

To Taste (based on your threshold for warp shenanigans)

Dan Abnett mentioned that the desire to start writing an exciting post-Heresy storyline for every HH character was a major problem the authors had during the Siege meetings. They had to calm down and make sacrifices if they wanted the Siege to feel meaningful in terms of its brutality. They likely saw how many stories already had major Heresy-era characters and how many they were already required to keep alive.

[Roomsky]

Gaunts Ghosts: Traitor General - Dan Abnett

 

Now we're talkin`.

 

I've enjoyed everything since Necropolis, grown to like the characters and gotten into the groove of Guard stories, but this is the first in the series I really loved. The smaller cast gives so much better a feel for all involved, including the newcomers Cirk and Landerson. Rawne thankfully comes into greater focus, and we get an excellent pay off to Gaunt's actions way back in book 3 with the titular traitor general. The small cast also means the book really gets to breathe instead of everything fighting for space like in prior entries, with characters like Brostin finally poking into the 3-dimensional. This is also the first time the forces of Chaos have been anything approaching interesting in this series, with a fascinating look into how their forces operate, and a surprising amount of nuance to the culture of Gaur's legions. And of course, this is the introduction-by-reputation to Anakwanar Sek, who has more presence than any of the Crusade's other shadowy antagonists combined, thus far. If I had to nitpick I'd say the stuff in Untill went on for just a tad too long; Uezkull was the least interesting of the enemies but we seemed to spend the most time with him. And I personally could have used more Criid, though she's hardly the Ghost most in need of development. All in all though, very excited for what comes next.

 

Must Read

ANR: 9/10

[DukeLeto69]

@Roomsky re Traitor General

 

So nice to see this book get big love. It has always been in my top 3 GG novels but a lot of folks aren't so keen - mostly because if the Chaos Marines bit. A smaller “squad” may have made that better but for me it was still fine.

 

One word sums up this book and the chaos ruled planetary horror it reveals = Wirewolves

[Sothalor]

Dark Imperium – Guy Haley

 

 

It’s fair to say that Dark Imperium and its continuations form one of Black Library’s tentpole series to accompany 40k 8^th edition’s lore developments. As such, it’s undoubtedly going to be divisive in the subject matter it covers, and the scope of its potential material is also quite broad and sweeping, which is evident when reading this. It has some structural flaws, but overall I found it to be an enjoyable read – and practically a mandatory one if you’re invested in staying “up to date” with the 40k storyline.

 

Dark Imperium focuses on the end of the Indomitus Crusade and the beginning of the Plague Wars, and features a variety of characters and viewpoints. One could make a strong case that Roboute Guilliman is the protagonist, but we’ll revisit this in a bit. I think it’s worth noting that this is very much an establishing novel in a series; there are more setups than payoffs, and that noticeably hinders this novel’s ability to stand on its own. Of course, it’s the first in a series, so that is understandable.

 

In terms of prose, Guy Haley here is fine. Dark Imperium’s prose style is competently bland; it doesn’t stand out in any way (good or bad). I don’t mean that as an insult – to be able to have the prose act as a chameleonic narrative delivery vessel is no mean feat. It gets the job done, trundling through dialogue, exposition, internal monologue, and action scenes with functional workmanship.

 

As a story, I’m simultaneously appreciative of and frustrated by Dark Imperium. This work is probably the most definitive expansion of post-Gathering Storm lore and detailed look at some of the new fixtures of 8^th edition’s background. By focusing on smaller details and a closer scale, the worldbuilding is on point here. Everything from Guilliman’s disgust with cyber-cherubs and his uneasy relationship with the Ecclesiarchy, of the mechanics of an orbital deployment of Inceptors, to the logistical challenges of keeping said Inceptors supplied with ammunition when they’re acting behind enemy lines. It’s details like the language having drifted over ten thousand years, the accuracy of the calendar being a casualty of the Imperium’s nightmare bureaucracy, or the tensions with the Primaris units whose members are comprised of all those yet to be assigned to specific Chapters, that add a richness beyond the battle-centric nature of the gaming books.

 

Specific kudos go to Haley’s depiction of Roboute Guilliman here as well; not only is the Primarch’s prowess and fortitude – both physical and mental – on display, but his vulnerabilities are finely showcased. Guilliman is a man ten millennia from his own time, thrust into a galaxy beyond his worst nightmares, saddled with the weight of a dying empire, and profoundly alone. Haley’s work here is top-notch, drawing on established characterizations whilst deftly extrapolating developments and directions that feel like natural, organic consequences for everything that Guilliman has been through.

 

It’s in areas like these where Dark Imperium shines – drawing back the curtain of battles and explosions to get into the heads of an array of characters experiencing first-hand one of the most tumultuous and momentous periods of their epoch, peeking into the details and fleshing out the comparatively sparse framework that is 40k post-GS. I have a strong suspicion that this novel was commissioned to coincide with the Dark Imperium box set, with the requirements that it feature Guilliman, Primaris Space Marines, and Death Guard. Hell, in a few sections I can practically see the editor’s notes – “Alright, remember Guy, you have to say the Primaris are taller and stronger”, “Make sure to specify they’re using Auto Bolt Rifles”, “Did you include that bell the Death Guard miniature has hanging on his back?” This is a novel that could easily have been three hundred pages of “Teh Blue Spess Mehreens fought Teh Poo Spess Mehreens”, all “roaring bolters” and “growling chainswords” and “swayed asides”, and I very much appreciate Haley’s efforts to do something more with this.

 

Unfortunately, some of those factors that I enjoyed about Dark Imperium are paradoxically also its major issues. Whilst I appreciate the wide and varied glimpses and snapshots of life at the end of the Indomitus Crusade and the beginning of the Plague Wars in Ultramar, they are a double-edged sword for this novel’s narrative structure. First, the scope and progression of events and plot points feels oddly incomplete, as if there isn’t quite a wholly realized story within this book by itself. Now yes, this is one part of a series, but this is particularly egregious; it feels like watching Star Wars: A New Hope from only the Mos Eisley cantina to the escape from the Death Star, interspersed with in-universe documentaries on things like Stormtrooper equipment, X-Wing doctrinal usage, or vignettes of random Red Squadron pilots.

 

As a result, Dark Imperium’s plot and pace are all over the place – quite literally. Many scenes don’t flow from one to the next with any sense of fluid progression, leaping from character viewpoints, locations, and time frames with jarring abruptness. In some ways this book feels like a series of shorts stitched together rather than a single story. Individual parts and sections are interesting, there are compelling scenes and nifty ideas brought up, but the whole feels somewhat lesser than the sum of its parts ought to be.

 

This lack of focus extends to other aspects of Dark Imperium. It lacks a traditional protagonist arc. Is it about Roboute Guilliman and his dealing with ten thousand years of culture shock and ongoing catastrophe? Kind of, but not really. Is it about Felix, Primaris Captain with unforeseen duties thrust upon him? Kind of, but not really. Is it about Justinian, Unnumbered Son whose brotherhood finds itself at an end along with the war they’d been fighting? Kind of, but- You get the idea. Established characters from the lore show up for cameos, but their scenes contribute little to the plot. Because the narrative keeps jumping from character to character, it tends to be incoherent about their arcs when combined with the shifts in location or time skips. Events and scenes that could be payoffs for one character aren’t because they occur from the point of view of someone else. Some characters exit the novel with no resolutions or denouement. Some just don’t feel like they contribute anything to the plot, which leads to pacing problems with a novel of this length.

 

My other issues with this one are much more nitpicky. I’m not a huge fan of how the Nurgle daemons are depicted; they’re comedic and rather ‘human’, but it’s the drastic shift in tone for their scenes that bugs me the most. I wouldn’t normally mind tonal shifts for different scenes and narrative perspectives, but I think in this particular instance it exacerbates the problem of Dark Imperium’s unfocused structure because there are already a lot of jarring transitions. Some of the battle scenes have that slightly artificial tone Black Library works can fall into, of feeling like advertisements for the latest model releases. This of course is very much a subjective thing, and given how much the book feels like it was devoted to not doing that, it’s only conspicuous here because of how good many other parts are. And while battle tactics in most all BL publications are, well – not the products of trained military professionals, some of the ones here are egregiously bad.

 

In sum, Dark Imperium is a book with some substantial issues, but it manages to make up for many of them with some strong character work (particularly Guilliman), worldbuilding, and a willingness to bring some compelling ideas and questions to the table. It is intrinsically tied with post 8^th lore developments, and if you hate those, this honestly is unlikely to change your mind. I’m personally still uncertain about many elements of it, but I did enjoy Dark Imperium and what it tried to bring to the setting.

 

 

ANR: 6.9/10

To Taste

[Roomsky]

Angel Exterminatus - Graham Mcneill

 

This started with a bang and ended with a whimper. I disagree with those that say you have to be in camp French or camp Mcneill, I found their character for Perturabo gelled completely fine. I'd go so far as to argue that Perturabo reads better in this book having just come from The Crimson Fist, the juxtaposition of how others see Perturabo and how he sees himself are an essential part of his character, and this books plot. Honestly, I think the Lord of Iron has been one of the best served by the Heresy series, he has a long running arc with distinct beats, and is a pretty convincing show of self-acceptance for a villainous character. Some things have improved for me since the last read as well, the Sisypheum crew is at least quite memorable, and Sharrowkyn actually isn't the worst here (I think The Seventh Serpent is where he went too far). Graham always does best with the legions largely untouched by others, and that shines through for the Iron Warriors, and I still maintain the Emperor's Children are great antagonists. Unfortunately, the book hits a brick wall in the last third. I was actually astounded how much of the book was left after they landed on Iydris, very little of substance happens and really should have been at least half the page count, it's a good 200 pages! I really can't get over how much of a drag the last third of this book is, the action is empty, there's a startling amount of standing around, and what Mcneill thinks is psychedelic is just ill-defined. But of a disappointment once everything wraps up, TBH.

 

To Taste

ANR: 6/10

[b1soul]

How does Graham go too far in Seventh Serpent?

[1ncarnadine]

How does Graham go too far in Seventh Serpent?

 

I can't speak for Roomsky, but I assume it's that extremely silly moment where Alpharius (?) shows up to tell Sharrowkyn that Magnus has plans for him.

Edited June 28, 2019 by LetsYouDown

[Roomsky]

How does Graham go too far in Seventh Serpent?

 

Sharrowkyn in Angel Exterminatus is a very competent warrior that nonetheless fits into a limited role: that of assassination and stealth. Fulgrim planned his headshot, Lucius is still learning, and Fabius was hardly expecting that kind of attack. He reasonably capitalized on the situations presented, all the while being aware that he had to think and choose wisely his targets. His personality is melancholic, he's quiet and not especially insightful, and Tarsa can spot him even while stealthy. He's a very powerful character, but somewhat believable for his position.

 

Sharrowkyn in The Seventh Serpent is an unrivaled duelist who spouts wisdom and "profound" words that everyone else has mysteriously become unable to produce themselves. He's immediately correct about Meduson, faces no meaningful repercussions for it when nobody believes him, and then duels Alpharius before being told how good he is, and then is spared because Magnus has plans for him. All of this occurs within a hundred pages and, misused though the term is, is a Mary Sue in all the ways AE Sharrowkyn is not.

 

He also turns from a Drizzt expy into Drizzt himself, which is creatively bankrupt even for Mcneill. It's all very amusing because I still think Seventh Serpent is the better piece.

[DarkChaplain]

To be fair, Sharrowkyn is the outsider in The Seventh Serpent's band of super excited Iron Warriors. Nobody else is thinking clearly about it anymore, due to their attachment to Shadrak as their figurehead. They refuse to acknowledge any sort of possible doubt in favor of hope. Sharrowkyn can afford being suspicious, while the Iron Warriors realize how screwed the Sysypheum is, and know that their now-legendary warleader may save their butts, somebody who has been around since the old days of the Storm Walkers that they've looked up to all along.

And the way I read it last time, when Shattered Legions released, Sharrowkyn's social standing among the crew did suffer for it. He was told, if I remember correctly, that he was the odd one out and his voice meant jack all afterwards.

[Roomsky]

To be fair, Sharrowkyn is the outsider in The Seventh Serpent's band of super excited Iron Warriors. Nobody else is thinking clearly about it anymore, due to their attachment to Shadrak as their figurehead. They refuse to acknowledge any sort of possible doubt in favor of hope. Sharrowkyn can afford being suspicious, while the Iron Warriors realize how screwed the Sysypheum is, and know that their now-legendary warleader may save their butts, somebody who has been around since the old days of the Storm Walkers that they've looked up to all along.

And the way I read it last time, when Shattered Legions released, Sharrowkyn's social standing among the crew did suffer for it. He was told, if I remember correctly, that he was the odd one out and his voice meant jack all afterwards.

 

Certainly, but I doubt that stuck when it turned out he was right all along. All I would have asked is that maybe Tarsa could have gotten a bigger piece of that pie, as he wouldn't be on the same hype train as the Iron Hands either. Also not buying into the hype is all well and good, but someone who looks like Meduson showed up, exuded low-key primarch-level charisma, and is flying Meduson's ship, I'm not saying it's entirely unreasonable someone saw through it, but that it comes across as more convenient than I would have liked. Mcneill's certainly never been subtle, and it's always struck me as easy to tell who he bends reason for in order to make them look cool.

[bluntblade]

It rather parallels how he told us that Erebus' deceit was so very subtle, whilst showing rather the opposite.

[Roomsky]

Cadian Blood - ADB

 

This was a nice surprise. Minor issues aside, this holds up much better than most BL authors' first contributions to the universe, and I was pleased to find that a one-off guard book won me over so easily. The cast was great, if a little vanilla, and the soldiers under Thade's command were just distinct enough to give you all you need to know about Cadian shock troops. I'm glad Aaron noticed there weren't any women here for future books, but I don't think it detracted from this one too terribly, in fact I hardly noticed. While the plot was a bit bare bones, it calls back to the Heresy very effectively, using just enough mystique and intrigue about so distant an era to great effect. It's all very readable, but hints of greatness often shine through. The antagonists were a big surprise, and while their leader's actions came across as a tad schizophrenic at times, I still much preferred his portrayal here than anywhere else I've read about him, in all honesty. And holy :cuss, the medal received for slaying a Thousand Sons legionary was probably one of the most effective uses of the universe for comedy I've read. All in all, a solid read.

 

ANR: 7/10

To Taste

[Xisor]

Re: Cadian Blood - how about that nova cannon?

 

Gotta love some nova cannons. Some authors manage to "squander" them and make them just very memorable scenes.

 

Others manage to make 'em something quite brilliant. (See also: Warriors of Ultramar.)

 

---

 

I've been rereading Status: Deadzone. What a damn vivid & eclectic assortment. Very enjoyable. Really curious to find out what happened to all the authors!

 

(Prompted by finishing Outlander and Mike Brooks' awesome wee short in Inferno #1. And urgency about getting through the Kal Jerico stories before Josh's [AMAZING LOOKING] LE hits the shelf...)

[Roomsky]

The nova cannon was indeed wonderful. I think Aaron used "ceased to be" to describe the parts of the ship hit by it both times though, so bit of a damper. Maybe it should have swayed aside...

[Roomsky]

His Last Command - Dan Abnett

 

Gaunt's Ghosts may be the best example of "more than the sum of its parts" I've ever consumed. I stand by prior assessments, the first 2 books are mediocre and unnecessary, and while things start to get good around Necropolis, the series really doesn't become great until book 8 (how often can you say that, eh?). Stuff like His Last Command can only have the punch it does after so many books of buildup. Now, that said, this book is the first that does more than handwave what happened last time, which is what really puts it up there for me. A whole book of the bittersweet reunion after Gereon was frankly heartbreaking, and whatever you might say, I defy anyone not to wonder "maybe the Ghosts really will remain forever divided." The forces of Chaos are unfortunately back to being just mooks to kill, but considering how personal this story was for the regiment I can forgive it, as the books priorities were really in the right places. The Lost is shaping up to be everything the series' reputation promises.

 

Must Read

ANR: 9/10

[Roomsky]

Tallarn - John French

 

French likes his intrigue, and boy so do I. In exploring the "why" of Tallarn rather than the "what," I know he ticked a lot of people off, but I got far more out of it even on a re-read than one might expect out of a collection with a big tank on the front of it. I loved Witness, for it's bleak reflection on things to come. I loved Executioner, for generally just being a good war story, and I loved Ironclad for being French's usual web of intricacies invariably pulled together right at the end. Siren was the weaker link for me, but only because it was surrounded by such strong works, it just seemed a bit standard in a book so good at bucking the norms of the series at large. If I had one genuine criticism, it's that the multi-work format was quite unnecessary and probably hurt what could have been an even better final product. The weakest link in Ironclad was the actual tank stuff, and combining and replacing that with Tahirah and Lachlan from Executioner would have made for a great through-line that would probably have even done better by the readers who wanted more of the actual war. While I think this is a far better single-author collection than Corax, I'll give the latter this: it actually used it's multi-work formatting to some success. Here, it's superfluous at best and detrimental at worst.

 

To Taste

ANR: 8/10 because of my personal love for French

[Roomsky]

Y`all gotta read some older books.

 

The Armour of Contempt - Dan Abnett

 

This was quite good, but probably the weakest entry in The Lost thus far. The return to Gereon should have been far more exciting than it was, and this time round didn't really come across as anything but your standard enemy world + a few proper nouns thrown in so we remember where we are. This is especially noticeable since Chaos was at the best it's been back in Traitor General, but now the faction is completely faceless. No talk of Isidor Sek Incarnate, and a barely passing mention of a life ward, it just makes what was such a unique setting last time feel generic. The plot, such that it was, was also a little thin, even with the twist ending. That said, the book was still a joy to read. I didn't think I'd like Dalin, but his portions ended up being my favourite parts and really hammered home that Abnett, though he doesn't tap into it often, does truly understand what a monstrous creature the Imperium is. The action ranged from decent to great, and the beast was at least a unique non-standard foe to kinda sorta make up for how lame the rest of the enemy was. I'll also give it that it's the first book in the series where I found a character's death to be all that affecting. All in all, a damn good read, maybe not a great one.

 

ANR: 8/10

My other rating doesn't make sense in a series.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Roomsky

[Espresso]

Space Marine Conquests - Apocalypse - Josh Reynolds

 

This is the most recent book in the Space Marines Conquests series and unfortunately follows the template of the precedent books in terms of shallow plots, one-dimensional characters and mediocre narrative. Harsh? Well I think I can be, a little, since Reynolds has always been one of my favorite BL authors. The book follows the events around two standards foes, one one side we have the cringingly archetypical Imperial Fists, White Scars and Raven Guard, and on the other the classic villains in the form of the Word Bearers. As you can imagine the plot is pretty narrow, the Imperial Fists build walls, the Raven Guard skulk around and the White Scars act as the comic relief all the while the Word Bearers sacrifice people to the Dark Gods and perform a series of tactical mistakes which allows the resident heroes to save the day. It is not to be said that the book is shallow, the world building is quite excellent, the supporting characters are interesting and the revelation at the end of the book is quite a shake for one of the oldest institutions of the Imperium, yet even so I struggled to keep my interest in the story as the chapters flowed. A redeeming quality of Apocalypse are the well written dialogues and verbal sparring between the Word Bearers. Josh has managed to inject some solid philosophy into the XVIIth legion characters and those segments were a joy to read. 

 

Not apocalyptic enough

 

ANR: 6/10

[Roomsky]

Know no Fear - Dan Abnett

 

Oh god Emperor, save me from their wrath.

 

This was more than a little disappointing. Know no Fear was the third Warhammer book I read, but unlike Horus Rising it doesn't stand up so well to that re-read. I'll start with the good, and I do want to be fair, this is still a good book. Know no Fear single-handedly redeemed Guilliman and the Ultramarines in the eyes of the wider community, and I didn't really get any less of that on the second go. Guilliman is surprisingly likable, as are all Dan's Primarchs, Thiel is a fantastic character and a great contribution to the series, and Dan shows his skill in injecting depth into characters with very little screentime with Gage, Telemechrus, etc. Same goes for most of the supporting cast, Persson and his gaggle of people are a great sprinkle of human vulnerability in this story of apocalyptic warfare, and the Word Bearers work better here as antagonists than they do filling the villainous role anywhere else in the series. And of course, the writing style is wonderfully unique for a Heresy entry, and for a book so stuffed to the brim with violence, it remains diverse throughout.

 

So what is my big issue here? Well, there are minor ones. I actually liked the climax of the book and how quickly it all ended, but it's in serious need of a denouement, other critics aren't kidding when they say the book just stops. The wide cast that worked so well establishing the scale of the conflict is a detriment when half of them just stop appearing without any resolution, and the relentlessness of the violence means the plot can run a bit thin. But there is a bigger issue. I have given a name to my pain, and it is Remus :cussing Ventanus.

 

I think Ventanus is the most boring character Abnett has ever penned. He has no personality, he has no memorable lines, and his most memorable action is carrying a flag around. This would all be less of an issue if he didn't occupy a good quarter of the book. Ventanus plants his feet, grabs what are roughly pages 250 - 350, and pulls with all his might in an effort to keep the story from going anywhere engaging. He's not stoic or muted, French's books are full of stoic and muted characters and I love them. Ventanus is a Cipher who only seems to be here because he's the hero of Calth, and boy does he drag this book down.

 

To me great surprise: To Taste

ANR: 7/10

[mc warhammer]

just an aside, i don't mind abrupt endings. in movie terms, i love it. boom. black. roll credits

[b1soul]

I don't think Ventanus drags down Know No Fear. Know No Fear is not an exercise in character exploration or philosophical inquiry into the nature of 40K.

 

It's a present-tense action extravaganza with characters struggling to survive under extreme shock and duress. It's definitely more plot-driven than character-driven. It's like a good Michael Bay movie.

[Sothalor]

Ciaphas Cain: Choose Your Enemies – Sandy Mitchell

 

 

 

The latest entry in one of Black Library’s more venerable series, Ciaphas Cain: Choose Your Enemies brings all the standard trappings one would expect to see established over the course of ten novels, but also plays it safe and brings nothing new to the table.

 

The Cain series, for those unfamiliar – or because it’s been five years since the release of the previous novel – follows the eponymous Commissar Ciaphas Cain, publicly acclaimed Hero of the Imperium and self-professed coward just trying to survive the galaxy’s latest attempts to kill him. The books are for the most part self-contained adventures, with most of the continuity coming in the form of long-running characters rather than ongoing plot threads, war zones, or character arcs. They’re written from an in-universe perspective as Cain’s private memoirs, edited by his longtime ally/lover/sometimes boss Inquisitor Amberley Vail , with commentary from her in the form of footnotes, and interspersed with passages from other works to provide additional background and context. They tend to be more lighthearted in tone than most other Black Library publications, with references, self-aware jabs, and dark humor in abundance.

 

Choose Your Enemies follows the Cain formula to a fault. First, the prose. If you’re familiar with the series, you know that Mitchell sticks to certain stylistic choices. Most of Cain’s first-person narration is punchy and quick, full of wry asides, self-deprecation, and in-universe metaphors, but also with a certain repetitive vocabulary, especially when it comes to describing the hygienic state of his aide, Gunner Jurgen. You’re bound to read passages you’ll swear you’ve read before. It’s light and easy reading, but ten books in it feels a bit stale, like a tasty pizza reheated one too many times.

 

Second, plot: Choose Your Enemies also sticks to the format of most of the Cain novels. Things begin with some deployment against Enemy A, usually on some Planet X that Cain cares little for. Complications arise, Cain tries to find something to occupy his time to avoid the front lines, and in the process stumbles across Factor B, the true threat of the day. More shenanigans ensue, during which some solution for resolving the situation with both Enemy A and Factor B comes to light, the day is saved, and Cain comes out of it all with even more of a heroic reputation than before. Again, if you’ve read the other entries in the series, you’ll be familiar with all this.

 

That’s probably my biggest criticism of this one: it plays things so safe. There’s practically no development in any of the characters, either Cain or the supporting cast, and that seems a bit of a shame. Maybe that had to happen, given the gap between this book and the previous one, as a sort of feeler to gauge continued interest in the series. Still, compare this series with Gaunt’s Ghosts at ten books in, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. That’s not an entirely fair comparison, given that the two series are deliberately different things, but the point is that one has had long-running character arcs, dynamics, payoffs, and consequences, whilst the other feels considerably more constrained by sticking to its episodic and formulaic nature.

 

So do I recommend it? Well, at the end of the day Choose Your Enemies is still a Cain book – a fun, easy read that’s a good time with some reliable standby tropes. I’m a little torn, honestly. This one is so formulaic and safe that it almost feels… lazy? It doesn’t build on the setting or showcase exemplary character work, and certainly takes no risks nor pushes the characters. At the same time, that predictability, that formulaic construction might be exactly what some are looking for. If you enjoyed the previous Cain works, you’ll probably enjoy this one, though it won’t likely stand out to you. And if this book feels like a series treading water, at least it’s a competent swimmer who picked a spot with a decent view.

 

 

To Taste

ANR: 6.5/10