Rate what you Read, or the fight against Necromancy

[Roomsky]

Fifteen Hours (Audiobook) - Mitchell Scanlon

 

You had this guy write Descent of Angels, huh New Fish? 

 

This frequently comes up as a classic Guard Book, and I think it generally deserves it. It's not exactly a spring chicken as far as the BL catalogue goes, but I think it holds up well. Don't get me wrong New Fish; the prose is mediocre, the characters are stock, and the plot's one you've seen before. But this time, there's ORKS, New Fish!

 

In all seriousness, this book succeeds because of how effectively grim it is. It's only occasionally over-the-top and there's no improbable heroics; it's just a very sober look at how crappy the Guardsman experience is. I like it, New Fish! I'd like more books in the same vein! Make me really believe it's a cold and uncaring Imperium out there, New Fish. The other effective piece is just that it's paced very well. It's short and doesn't last one second longer than it needs to, New Fish. The little vignettes showing things like how a single pair of mismatched numbers doomed Larn's entire squad inject that essential "40k-ness" into it as well.

 

But like I said, there's not much notable beyond all that, New Fish. There's a particular moniker that's repeated to an almost humorous degree, New Fish, so read this if you ever actually thought "wet-leopard growl" was overused for a cold shot of perspective.

 

New Fish/10 

[Sothalor]

THANK YOU.

 

The amount of people I see online ferociously :cuss: this book as some kind of masterpiece whilst "herp a derp muh wet leopard growls" makes me want to commit war crimes.

 

Yes, Fifteen Hours has some great thematic satire of the setting.

 

That doesn't change the fact that the prose is very clearly that of somebody's first novel, and I bet it's even worse on the page (the author doesn't appear to know what contractions are or how people use them in conversation, for just one example).

 

Alright, rant over.

[wecanhaveallthree]

'ERE WE GO 'ERE WE GO 'ERE WE GO

 

Fifteen Hours is a very good, very appropriate example of what I will christen the McNeill Effect. A book that is perhaps not a technically well-written work but succeeds due to excellent use of themes, characters or sheer authorial energy. It captures the mouthfeel of Warhammer, the absurdity, the nonsense, the chain of failures that lead to people suffering and dying in awful ways while also showcasing the positive elements of those involved in these terrible events. Resilience, pride, determination - the human spirit on full display against the grim darkness of the setting. Not a happy ending, perhaps never a happy ending, but we still emerge from the book with a 'good feeling'. We close it up and put it down and feel satisfied and full: it's a good literary meal with plenty to chew over afterwards. 

 

It's funny that this stripe of Guard novel all tend to be both successful and very fondly remembered. Gaunt's Ghosts is the obvious one, but those who share the same one-and-done vein - Rebel Winter, Gunheads, etc. - have the same warm glow to them. I'd pop the Macharian Crusade books in there as well, though they seem to have slipped out of the general consciousness these days.

[Nagashsnee]

8 hours ago, wecanhaveallthree said:

Rebel Winter, 

Fething LOVE Rebel Winter, great guard book great Vostroyan book.  Now i want to re read it. 

[EverythingIsGreat]

Fifteen Hours etc. side note:
It is possible that perhaps a near-future iteration of AI will be able to use the same formula to mass-produce similar stories at an astonishing rate. They may be as successful and enjoyable to read too. We won't be any less entertained by not knowing whether a human or a machine wrote it, either.

I remember both Fifteen Hours and Rebel Winter fondly. Don't remember what the stories were about, but it's a warm feeling anyway.

[The Scorpion]

On 6/24/2022 at 1:12 PM, Roomsky said:

 

The Successors

The only really worthwhile stuff here is Fehervari and ADB's material. Fehervari's is a really deep and intriguing short with plenty of ramifications for those who follow his work. ADB's stuff, though it probably should have just been in Spear of the Emperor, was at least unique and full of character. Almost all the other material falls into what I'm going to start calling "Brother Genericus Bolter Porn." MEDIOCRE.

 

 

I enjoyed the story about the Consecrators. Massively dissapointed that the Iron Lords one barely mentionned the Barghesi and went for generic bolter porn against Tyrannids instead. These short stories are where lesser tidbits of lore are to be explored. Case in points, the Mortifactors story: Posul is a :cuss:hole planet, and the cannibalism being explained as a matter of ruthless pragmatism ties well with the Moritifactors being sons of Guilliman at the end of the day.

[Firedrake Cordova]

Titanicus by Dan Abnett (audio-book version)

It's a little on the long side, but it's definitely a good book for the reasons previously elucidated by @Brother Lunkhead. I like how it didn't solely concentrate on the titans, with a large chunk of the story concentrating on several groups of infantry, and their experiences (including how terrifying titans are for infantry). There's a couple of points where I was thinking of the scene where the tripods emerging in War of the Worlds.

 

Whilst the audio-book is well-narrated by Toby Longworth, it does unfortunately suffer from production issues - there's some odd fluctuations in volume, there's a few parts where a word or sentence has clearly been re-recorded (it sounds like not in a studio), and there's a few parts where every sentence is preceded by a sharp intake of breath by the narrator. It's not enough to ruin the experience, but it's a bit jarring, and certainly disappointing.

Edited December 18, 2023 by Firedrake Cordova

[DukeLeto69]

Siege of Terra: Echoes of Eternity

 

My mammoth back-to-back read of the final SoT trilogy (oops quintology) continues. I am not going to write a review because I am rubbish at it, but will make some observations...

 

WOW! WHAT A GREAT BOOK! 

 

EoE is one of the best BL books I have ever read. It is certainly the best ADB book I have read. It is currently my no.1 best SoT book as well (Saturnine 2nd, Warhawk 3rd).

 

It is brilliantly written with great prose (without being purple). It has perfect pacing. Wonderful set pieces. Characters I actually cared about. A real sense of dread, horror and sadness. It felt epic yet intimate. It really is an excellent novel. It even contains a chunk of the best Primarch novella never written with an extended flashback to several points during the Great Crusade!

 

And that is part of the problem. I can see why ADB included the flashback but for me it doesn’t belong in the penultimate novel in the HH series. It should have happened years ago or at least been that unwritten Primarchs novella! He wanted to establish the relationships between certain characters to make the payoff in the novel set during the siege have more punch. I get it. Within the novel itself I get it and support it. But as book 7 in the Siege and book 63+ in the HH...!

 

Also reading the afterword, I get why ADB approached this novel how he did but...like it or not, I think a couple of short chapters touching on Perpetuals and Keeler (I know some hate them, and for the record I dislike the Perpetuals) would have felt like more continuity in the mini-series. It jarred, slightly!

 

Plus Khârn! I should not have to be a lore junky to understand why he is even in this book after Warhawk. Unless I missed it, it was never explained. Also Kargos, twice! Hmmm?

 

But those complaints feel somewhat churlish because EoE is a stunning novel. And I LOVED it!

 

It had some truly cinematic scenes, just one was the Herald of the Warmaster approaching the wall.

 

It had some truly heartbreaking moments for me (trying to be spoiler free so will just say...the almost dismissive and hidden/inconsequential  way in which the thralls were despatched was like “Wait! What? No!!!!!”)

 

I’m exhausted...in a good way!

Edited December 18, 2023 by DukeLeto69

[DukeLeto69]

Siege of Terra: The End and the Death vol I

 

Holy moly that was really really good. Perfect? No! It is bloated. IMO I would have cut some of the side plots and wrapped them into a separate novella(s) (Zephon and Rann, or Fo for example).

 

I cannot really compare it to previous SoT novels because it is only one part. Act 1 in a three act structure. If Abnett is indeed following a three act structure then it explains some of the bloat.

 

The writing is excellent. Simultaneously easy reading and complex quality prose. It feels GRAND. Truly EPIC. As befits the purpose. In fact it lifts the HH up a level beyond massive galactic patricidal fratricidal civil war to something existential for the entire human race. The HH is epic but this story makes it EPIC.

 

I am not going to get into spoiler territory as other reviewers have done that and done so far better than I can anyway. But I will say The Dark King is simply momentous and perfect in how it manifests in the story. I have seen some posters say they did not like this or that it felt too late to introduce this. I (respectfully) disagree. Doing a back-to-back read, this feels totally right to me. Plus The Inevitable City is just like...oh yes this is coming together nicely!

 

Also going to respectfully disagree with some fraters criticism that this was a retread of some things that came up in EoE. It really wasn’t. It was clearly a continuation and recognises that the scope is broader/grander and those things

 

neverborn materialising

were happening elsewhere in this continent spanning conflict. EoE zoomed in and narrowed the focus. tEatD vol I zoomed back out to remind us of the scale.

 

I am apprehensive to start tEatD vol II based on what many have said. Though, knowing this is Act 2 means it will inevitably be less satisfying until you read Act 3.

 

I suspect, as others have said, that all three volumes will, in the end, feel like there is an amazing masterpiece within the overlong bloat. But it does feel somewhat meta after the bloat that was the HH anyway. A fitting bloated finale if you will?

 

So the final act of the HH and the final act of the SoT and Act 1 of that final act cannot by it’s nature be a self contained novel. We simply cannot properly judge tEatD until we have read all three volumes.

 

Judging by the size of the Std HB and my expected wrist strain (and going back to work after xmas break) I may just finish volume II in time for the release of volume III.

 

Edit to add... @cheywood on the tEatD specific thread touches on something that I reckon I too may feel once I have read vols II & III... these Abnett books feel somewhat “other” like they are operating on a stylistic and thematic level that is different to the other SoT novels (inc Saturnine). They may end up not sitting quite right in sequence to the rest of the series. The other novels are good military sci fi. EoE is excellent military sci fi. But tEatD feel like something more. Not sure if that is thematically or philosophically, but based on vol I these work on a different level. Maybe they should have been a parallel strand showing “behind the curtain” while someone else wrote the final SoT novel? I am rambling now and not quite sure of my point. So I will stop!

Edited January 1 by DukeLeto69

[Scribe]

33 minutes ago, DukeLeto69 said:

Maybe they should have been a parallel strand showing “behind the curtain” while someone else wrote the final SoT novel?

 

Yeah, I think that would have been great, but impossible considering what Abnett's been doing so far. Just look at Amit alone, and now imagine a 'this is the end of SoT' with the Emperor, by non-Abnett, and then watch Abnett go off script in his own series?

 

No way they could get it to mesh.

[DukeLeto69]

24 minutes ago, Scribe said:

 

Yeah, I think that would have been great, but impossible considering what Abnett's been doing so far. Just look at Amit alone, and now imagine a 'this is the end of SoT' with the Emperor, by non-Abnett, and then watch Abnett go off script in his own series?

 

No way they could get it to mesh.

 

Yeah agreed the logistics wouldn’t work. My thought processes aren’t there yet, but I can only articulate it as tEatD vol I feels different and a bit “other”.

[neOh (AV)]

Lazarus: Enmity's Edge and Lord of Excess prequel-stories.

The Buried Beast by Gary Kloster
 

 

Captain Lazarus has recently become a primaris against his will, so he cannot psychologically accept a new body. He's stuck in the flames between his old and new selves, and doesn't know where to find the part that his current self is missing.

But duty, as always, comes first. Lazarus' marines has to find a long-lost Dark Angels ship buried somewhere beneath the surface of the mining moon Cynero and retrieve important records. However, for the captain, the wreckage may hide something much more.

This would be a typical story about the courages of a space marines, if not for one thing: the depiction of Lazarus' inner world as Astartes who actually crossed the Rubicon at death, but remained "on the other side". This is the main advantage of the story. Kloster focuses not on the physical consequences of the Rubicon (I will say more, at one point Lazarus almost loses the will to fight), but on the mental ones. I hope that in Enmity's Edge, Lazarus will not lose the interest set by the story and will not turn into another fortheempra.

 

A More Perfect Union by Rich McCormick

 

Spoiler

Xantine is a haughty veteran of the warband named Children of Torment with hundreds of demons trapped in his body. He's tired of living on the remains of Abaddon's campaigns, and wants to restore the greatness of the true Emperor's Children. However, the weak leader of the warband disagrees with him and wants to join the Black Legion instead, which also causes a terrible wound to the Xantine's pride, who has hated the Warmaster since the burning of Harmony. But he gets a chance for revenge when a new demon offers an unexpected alliance.

Honestly, this is the story that finally sold me on Emperor's Children. Mr McCormick describes what Fulgrim's Legion has become in the most luscious detail - living galleries, a hall full of people with severed limbs, drinks made from corpses, eating the dreadnought pilot... However, the author boasts not only of bloody scenes! The main cherry on top of the story is the EC, as strange as it sounds. Yes, part of it is still blade porn, but the rest, where Xantine doesn't butchers the Iron Hands, really attracts attention and makes reader interested in the hero's fate. I felt something similar when I read Brooks' The Brightest And The Best, which later became the gorgeous Harrowmaster. Come on, Rich, don't let me down.

Edited January 4 by neOh (AV)
Typo

[LemartestheLost]

On 1/4/2024 at 12:56 AM, neOh (AV) said:

Lazarus: Enmity's Edge and Lord of Excess prequel-stories.

The Buried Beast by Gary Kloster
 

  Hide contents

Captain Lazarus has recently become a primaris against his will, so he cannot psychologically accept a new body. He's stuck in the flames between his old and new selves, and doesn't know where to find the part that his current self is missing.

But duty, as always, comes first. Lazarus' marines has to find a long-lost Dark Angels ship buried somewhere beneath the surface of the mining moon Cynero and retrieve important records. However, for the captain, the wreckage may hide something much more.

This would be a typical story about the courages of a space marines, if not for one thing: the depiction of Lazarus' inner world as Astartes who actually crossed the Rubicon at death, but remained "on the other side". This is the main advantage of the story. Kloster focuses not on the physical consequences of the Rubicon (I will say more, at one point Lazarus almost loses the will to fight), but on the mental ones. I hope that in Enmity's Edge, Lazarus will not lose the interest set by the story and will not turn into another fortheempra.

 

A More Perfect Union by Rich McCormick

 

  Hide contents

Xantine is a haughty veteran of the warband named Children of Torment with hundreds of demons trapped in his body. He's tired of living on the remains of Abaddon's campaigns, and wants to restore the greatness of the true Emperor's Children. However, the weak leader of the warband disagrees with him and wants to join the Black Legion instead, which also causes a terrible wound to the Xantine's pride, who has hated the Warmaster since the burning of Harmony. But he gets a chance for revenge when a new demon offers an unexpected alliance.

Honestly, this is the story that finally sold me on Emperor's Children. Mr McCormick describes what Fulgrim's Legion has become in the most luscious detail - living galleries, a hall full of people with severed limbs, drinks made from corpses, eating the dreadnought pilot... However, the author boasts not only of bloody scenes! The main cherry on top of the story is the EC, as strange as it sounds. Yes, part of it is still blade porn, but the rest, where Xantine doesn't butchers the Iron Hands, really attracts attention and makes reader interested in the hero's fate. I felt something similar when I read Brooks' The Brightest And The Best, which later became the gorgeous Harrowmaster. Come on, Rich, don't let me down.

Quick question frater, how did you acquire these books? I'm dying to read them.

[Rob P]

Currently listening to Cypher: Lord of the Fallen.

 

I'm both impressed that such a short book manages to get 4 pov perspectives but have this feeling it's going to end without a revealing climax. I really like how everyone is characterised so far. When exactly does this take place? Post rift but pre Guilliman at Terra?

[lansalt]

28 minutes ago, Rob P said:

When exactly does this take place?

Cypher helped Guilliman reach Terra in exchange of an audience with the Emperor. But Guilliman distrusts him, so after they arrive he makes the Custodes detain Cypher and put him in the Imperial Dungeon.

[Rob P]

Currently listening to the Flesh Tearers collection of audiodramas. Not a fan of audiodramas because I can't really follow who is who when the action gets going etc, but thematically it feels right and production values seem good.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

On 1/6/2024 at 5:24 PM, LemartestheLost said:

Quick question frater, how did you acquire these books? I'm dying to read them.

 

Both are still available as eBooks on the Black Library site, although A More Perfect Union can also be obtained as part of the Galaxy of Horrors anthology, which is a much better value if you're interested in at least a couple of the other stories.

[EverythingIsGreat]

Sea of Souls by Chris Wraight, #7 in the Dawn of Fire Series

 

With apologies to the eponymous thread in this forum, I believe this is the place for a review. Feel free to move it if not.

 

Picked this one up following generally rave reviews on this forum. Not into the Dawn of Fire series and although the novel can be read as an (above average) free-standing horror novel, it may fill an important role in DoF. It rekindled my interest in the series, especially volume 4.

 

This appears as a naval warfare story, but there’s much more to it. There are stock characters from both naval fiction in general and WH40K in particular, though such descriptions don't do Wraight justice. The character portrayals and development are expertly handled. We are able to follow along in third-person, but not an omniscient one. Readers learn of events at the time and from the perspective of the actors who partake in them (with the exception of an unusual and interesting Appendix). Wraight goes into the culture of the Imperial Navy and specifically of a typical warship of the line in some detail, just that by itself (being a rarity in BL fiction) would make an interesting read for me. So the first six chapters are setup and introduction for the story, then the main storyline begins near the end of chapter 7. I hope this doesn’t sound like an opportunity to start reading at chapter 7. The setup chapters are required for the characters to be properly understood.

 

The protagonists, crew & passengers of an Imperial battle cruiser (The Judgement of the Void), take part in a large-scale naval action early on, but consistently overlook a rather crucial detail. The consequences (chief among them, the gradual entrenchment of self-deception helped by pre-existing character flaws) upend their reality and lead them to all kinds of wrong decisions. The build-up to the final revelation is nicely presented: Wraight gives plenty of space & page time for the creeping horror to develop, without unnecessary drama or gratuitous heroics. There’s also an epilog that reveals the causes of the ship’s fate. In the end it feels almost natural for the events to have unfolded the way they did. Corruption seems inevitable, especially the kind that twists a character’s abilities (tactical brilliance or combat prowess or technical knowledge or job function) into liabilities. It’s chaos, really.

 

Are there problems with the story? Things that should have raised suspicions in veterans of the Imperium’s many and varied wars are brushed over. Major plot-influence points are unexplained, and  a character that could have provided a more unorthodox, and more of a strategic big-picture view (along with plausible explanations to some questions) is conveniently killed off-stage and never takes part in the action. One may counter that this helps the story to narrow the focus to the fate of that battle cruiser and its crew. Perhaps that is why it was felt that an Appendix was needed.

 

 

Spoiler

What else is this about? A plot by Traitors to acquire the eighth and last Shard of Erebus, which has been in Inquisition hands for a while. The main schemer, Tenebrus, the self-proclaimed Hand of Abaddon could (my conjecture) conceivably put them back together to reconstitute the Kinebrach Anathame. He was/is also after the Star Child, to sort of annihilate it, something that may or may not have happened. However stabbing that kid with the Anathame could be a boon? Don’t know. It didn’t really kill Horus, but perhaps only because the Davinites had an “antidote”. Did Tenebrus also have a hand in setting the trap for the Imperials at their mustering point? That could give his plotting an inexpensive way to target the ship and its crew. In any case there is a lot of WH40K lore potentially coming together.

 

A thing that is nagging, apart from the fact that any ship commander should fortify, or at least constantly survey the ship’s Astropathic Choir in any engagement involving Chaos, is how early in the action the Choir was targeted. Granted that taking out an enemy ship’s long-range (Astropathic) comms is a plus. But seems hardly the type of target to waste resources on in a close quarters no-holds barred naval action involving thousands of ships. This should raise some suspicions at least? Another thing is the reaction of the Inquisition ship and its shadow during the assault by the Chaos fleet. Why run so early in the action? It gives away the position of an important asset, the Inquisition ship (coincidentally?) carrying the Shard of Erebus and risks setting a larger array of the enemy against it. Did at least part of the enemy participate/precipitate in the action just for this reason? A question that should have been obvious for the Inquisition personnel present, and also perhaps for those tasked to protect them.

 

In the end, The Judgement of the Void, now a demon-engine, returns to service for its new masters. So there may be or may not be future appearances.

 

 

Outside of overthinking the plot on my part, I would recommend the book without reservations for anyone who is looking for something a little different.

 

[Fedor]

On 12/13/2023 at 2:31 AM, wecanhaveallthree said:

'ERE WE GO 'ERE WE GO 'ERE WE GO

 

Fifteen Hours is a very good, very appropriate example of what I will christen the McNeill Effect. A book that is perhaps not a technically well-written work but succeeds due to excellent use of themes, characters or sheer authorial energy. It captures the mouthfeel of Warhammer, the absurdity, the nonsense, the chain of failures that lead to people suffering and dying in awful ways while also showcasing the positive elements of those involved in these terrible events. Resilience, pride, determination - the human spirit on full display against the grim darkness of the setting. Not a happy ending, perhaps never a happy ending, but we still emerge from the book with a 'good feeling'. We close it up and put it down and feel satisfied and full: it's a good literary meal with plenty to chew over afterwards. 

 

It's funny that this stripe of Guard novel all tend to be both successful and very fondly remembered. Gaunt's Ghosts is the obvious one, but those who share the same one-and-done vein - Rebel Winter, Gunheads, etc. - have the same warm glow to them. I'd pop the Macharian Crusade books in there as well, though they seem to have slipped out of the general consciousness these days.

 

Fifteen Hours is 40k as mid-20th-century science-fiction novella, clunky writing and all. It sits right in there with the tone of something like Second Variety. Dead Man Walking captures a similar vibe

 

I also strongly suspect those meming about "muh wet leopard growls" on the likes of Reddit are largely not the same people that would call it a masterpiece (or even read something that old not belonging to the HH).

[DukeLeto69]

THE END AND THE DEATH vol II

 

I don’t bother avoiding spoilers as my memory isn’t great anyway (and I remain in awe of many Fraters who remembered plot xyz or the characterisation of red shirt 3 etc) so I went into tEatD vol II with a high degree of trepidation.

 

But hmmmm it was WAAAY BETTER than I expected based on many of the reviews on here! Way better.

 

BUT...

 

It wasn’t amazing. It was good. In fact many moments were fantastic. But it is bloated. Very bloated. And that is frustrating because IMO there is a brilliant book contained within these 741 pages. A truly brilliant book.

 

You could cut out around 100-200 pages of sub plots and word counts focused on folks like Rann or Zephon and the book would not be remotely harmed by it. We get this is epic. We get the scale and scope of this is absolutely huge. The Fragments chapters give is that (and even they are overdone somewhat). We don’t NEED these sub plots.

 

I’m sure they aren’t bad but they are not needed in THIS book. A SoT short story Anthology would have worked a treat to capture all of that! Saying that, this was the first time I have ever skipped the odd page or speed read (and stopped paying attention) in any Abnett book. I WANTED to read the chapters that mattered TO ME not all of this spurious stuff. To me those chapters were the epitome of the bloat this book suffers from.

 

However, regarding the stuff I did want to read about, well that was excellent. Some was stupendous. Possibly subjective but I wanted to read about Keeler, Sigismund, Sinderman, the Perpetuals*, Dorn, Valdor, Malcador, Sanguinius, and the Emp. Abaddon and Horus. Plus maybe 60% of the Fragments. The rest, hmmm cut it out (inc Fo though I suspect you can’t and we will see why).

 

Others have already analysed in some depth the good the bad and the ugly of this book, so I won’t even attempt barring one thing...

 

The Dark King. 

 

I was worried. Really worried based on many fraters reactions that this was going to be awful but I don’t think it was. Doing a back-to-back read I did not feel TDK was shoehorned in or a glaring last minute edition. It felt fine to me. Also I have seen complaints about how quickly it was “resolved” in a single chapter. It wasn’t! The Oll/Emp TDK thing was spread over a few chapters and nicely spaced out. The penultimate chapter about it ends on page 643 and the final chapter starts on page 675. It does breathe a bit. But yes. This was probably the one thing that needed a bit more. As @DarkChaplain mentioned, perhaps one more chapter showing a premonition of the future under TDK, something to show that Oll really had a point and more than just words. The whole TDK may be over, buuut I am not fully convinced (probably have to eat my words though).

 

So that is the end (and the death) of my mammoth back-to-back read of Warhawk, Echoes of Eternity, tEatD 1 & 2. I am up-to-speed. I am ready for volume 3. My Std HB is on order. I won’t be years behind with this series any more. I am bracing myself. Bring it on!

 

*The Perpetuals have never been my cup of tea and I would be happy if they were not part of the HH or the lore. I don’t like the concept. But they are, so I need to know how it all pans out (and I will then head canon them away).

Edited January 19 by DukeLeto69

[Jareddm]

Creed: Ashes of Cadia by Jude Reid

 

This book has not gotten the discussion it deserves.

 

While not technically a sequel to Fall of Cadia, I would highly implore those who had a vested interest in any of the Cadian storylines in that book to give Ashes of Cadia a read. It is an intimate and character-driven story that deals with the whole gamut of Cadians and what it means to be a Cadian. Those who were on Cadia during the Fall, those who weren't, those who were born after the Fall, those who were integrated into other regiments and those from other regiments who were integrated into the Cadians.

 

The story is one of survival and holding on to the last glimmers of hope. Every character is driven either by a willingness to do anything just to make it a few more hour/days or to complete their last mission and give their lives meaning. The external conflict of a Death Guard Sorcerer, fittingly known as the Huntsman and his Poxwalker hordes are serviceable enough. But it's the internal conflicts where I feel the book really shines.  Laskari (post-Fall born Cadian), Ossian (former Cadian Medic turned Penal Legionnaire), and Ursula herself were the real standouts for me, though I give credit to Van Haast (Cadian turned Volpone) for being a deeper character than expected.

 

What surprised me the most early in the book was how much the Cadian's reputation has suffered in-universe. There's no, "planet broke before the guard did" solidarity here. Former Cadians are laughed at for failing to defend their homeworld. Ursula is treated like a propaganda piece by the Imperium and a mistake by many other Cadian leaders. She's done everything she can to distance herself from her father, who she sees as a catastrophic failure. It's quite brutal.

 

There's a bit of an odd timing element to the book though. I think it takes place somewhere between 30-40 years post Fall but it's unclear and never directly stated. Laskari, who's maybe 17-18, mentions that her grandmother fought with Color Sergeant Kell, which is certainly possible but seems too long given Ursula herself is only in her 50s-60s at best.

 

Overall I still think it was a fantastic book and a well deserved paring to Fall of Cadia. 9/10

[Colman]

13 minutes ago, Jareddm said:

Overall I still think it was a fantastic book and a well deserved paring to Fall of Cadia. 9/10

 

I certainly enjoyed it more than I expected to. 

I'm looking forward to Ciaphas Cain and Jurgen turning up again after breaking Creed the Elder out of Trazyn's stasis fields, which seems to me where all this is going.

[EverythingIsGreat]

1 hour ago, Colman said:

 

I certainly enjoyed it more than I expected to. 

 

I think I can say the same. Though was not 9/10 for me, overall a worthwhile read, with some interesting plot twists.

[aa.logan]

Ashes of Cadia was good, but too long by far. All the points raised about it are true, the depiction of the planet, the nods to other Cadia-set books and the Cain series (can’t think of references to ploins outside that series) are all incredibly affectionate and well done and it did feature genuinely moving scenes, but the very premise of the book is a bit daft even by the standards of 40K. Minor spoilers follow, broad plot brush strokes that might even be in the blurb…

 

Sending down just a squad of 10 plus a couple of supporting scions and penal legionnaires for ‘propaganda’ purposes? Surely the Imperium’s propagandists would either favour showing the overwhelming power of the fabled Hammer of the Imperium or just *lie* and get the footage of Creed jr. retrospectively…

[Jareddm]

Never read any Cain books so any references there went over my head.

And it's funny you think it was too long, as I read Ashes immediately after both TEaTD V2 and Fall of Cadia so Ashes felt like it flew by in comparison.

Edited January 22 by Jareddm