Novella series

[Roomsky]

Stop it

 

I don't think it will make a convert out of you or anyone else dead set against Annandale; but for those like me who are always frustrated by those kernels of quality in his otherwise mired work, its great. To me its a sign that Annandale just needs a better editor, even an out-and-out battle book from him might be interesting if the focus is on the how and why of the war and its leaders, rather than how pretty the gore is.

[Knockagh]

I jest... in part. It would be wonderful if Annandale has swallowed the magic author mushrooms. But your right I probably am beyond conversion. I’ve read, spent money on and wasted too much precious reading time on too many books by him and ended up so terribly disappointed. I can’t understand why BL have pushed him into such a position of prominence, the answer must be that he must sell books. He’s had multiple limited editions, been active in the Heresy, a leading light in AoS fiction. He must be good, just not for me!

[Kelborn]

Just bought the (for me) most interesting ones.

 

Think I'm gonna start with Kyme's as this wasn't covered thus far.

 

Let you know, when I got something of interest.

[Roomsky]

The Bloodied Rose - Danie Ware

 

Can it be? Good Sisters fiction? Praise the emperor.

I really enjoyed this. I need good prose, man, and Ware is no slouch. There's scarcely a wasted word here, but the story remains full of character and background detail. The Sororitas are quite distinct for new characters (didn't read Mercy) with only a novella's worth of character development, and there's a suitable amount of ritual to everything. What's more, I loved the depiction of chaos here. It's one of my favorite factions, but I've always hated it being shown as omnipotent, and only superficially tied to the symbology that is supposed to be at its core. Chaos here is shown as creeping and insidious, but corruption hardly occurs overnight, and it's shown as having several genuinely exploitable weaknesses. It's the creeping dread, but the daemons it spawns are hardly invincible or inevitable. Best of all, the nature of corruption shown here makes it more understandable as to why the Imperium functions in the way it does around warp phenomena. 

 

Most surprising is that the first half of the book is largely just suspenseful build up. I won't go into detail, but I loved the slow mounting of visceral clues as to what's been going on. The novella isn't perfect, some of the pacing in the last half is uneven, and when the cultists and flesh hounds are finally revealed after so much tension building, they just kind of show up. Not exactly the capper I was hoping for to that "slow" burn. Even so, I'd love to see a full Sororitas novel out of Ware, hopefully this one sells well enough to justify it.

 

ANR: 8/10

[Aqui]

The Bloodied Rose - Danie Ware

 

Can it be? Good Sisters fiction? Praise the emperor.

I really enjoyed this. I need good prose, man, and Ware is no slouch. There's scarcely a wasted word here, but the story remains full of character and background detail. The Sororitas are quite distinct for new characters (didn't read Mercy) with only a novella's worth of character development, and there's a suitable amount of ritual to everything. What's more, I loved the depiction of chaos here. It's one of my favorite factions, but I've always hated it being shown as omnipotent, and only superficially tied to the symbology that is supposed to be at its core. Chaos here is shown as creeping and insidious, but corruption hardly occurs overnight, and it's shown as having several genuinely exploitable weaknesses. It the the creeping dread, but the daemons it spawns are hardly invincible or inevitable. Best of all, the nature of corruption shown here makes it more understandable as to why the Imperium functions in the way it does around warp phenomena. 

 

Most surprising is that the first half of the book is largely just suspenseful build up. I won't go into detail, but I loved the slow mounting of visceral clues as to what's been going on. The novella isn't perfect, some of the pacing in the last half is uneven, and when the cultists and flesh hounds are finally revealed after so much tension building, they just kind of show up. Not exactly the capper I was hoping for to that "slow" burn. Even so, I'd love to see a full Sororitas novel out of Ware, hopefully this one sells well enough to justify it.

 

ANR: 8/10

Agreed. Her prose has been the most consistent and fluffy in regarding Sisters. I posted on the Black Library Facebook page saying she should get the chance to write a full blown book. They responded that they'd pass the idea on. Of course, that doesnt mean anything will come from it, by I hope so.

[cheywood]

With the Sisters getting a major model update and Ware publishing multiple pieces of SOB fiction I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a novel planned. Maybe a surprise release ala Dark Imperium, Soul Wars, and Blackstone Fortress?

[Knockagh]

The Bloodied Rose - Danie Ware

 

Can it be? Good Sisters fiction? Praise the emperor.

I really enjoyed this. I need good prose, man, and Ware is no slouch. There's scarcely a wasted word here, but the story remains full of character and background detail. The Sororitas are quite distinct for new characters (didn't read Mercy) with only a novella's worth of character development, and there's a suitable amount of ritual to everything. What's more, I loved the depiction of chaos here. It's one of my favorite factions, but I've always hated it being shown as omnipotent, and only superficially tied to the symbology that is supposed to be at its core. Chaos here is shown as creeping and insidious, but corruption hardly occurs overnight, and it's shown as having several genuinely exploitable weaknesses. It the the creeping dread, but the daemons it spawns are hardly invincible or inevitable. Best of all, the nature of corruption shown here makes it more understandable as to why the Imperium functions in the way it does around warp phenomena.

 

Most surprising is that the first half of the book is largely just suspenseful build up. I won't go into detail, but I loved the slow mounting of visceral clues as to what's been going on. The novella isn't perfect, some of the pacing in the last half is uneven, and when the cultists and flesh hounds are finally revealed after so much tension building, they just kind of show up. Not exactly the capper I was hoping for to that "slow" burn. Even so, I'd love to see a full Sororitas novel out of Ware, hopefully this one sells well enough to justify it.

 

ANR: 8/10

Sounds great, I enjoyed her story in inferno and had good expectations for this. I like the slow burn, we need some good solid sister fluff not straight to the Dakka. It’s s little down my reading list but I think it’s just moved up a few!

[Aqui]

As I said previously, it will help to read her first e-short "Mercy" first. It brings far more of "The Bloodiest Rose" into context :)

[Petitioner's City]

Wanted: Dead is an excellent novella, one which passes the Bechdel Test with flying colours, focusing on one character in particular from a double-crossed Escher gang, her partner and another ganger. It features female Goliaths, a disabled Van Saar, includes details about pregnancy and family in the Underhive, and the underhivers who join the house gangs, and is very detailed and characterful whilst being an efficient, quick read. Loved it. 

[Kelborn]

About two or three chapters into Auric Gods.

 

As of now, we got two different Custodes protagonists: one being an eye of the Emperor, the other being on Terra. As of now, it feels like this should have been released along the Custodes codex.

 

Of interest might be

 

that the Custodes got some daemons captured in the Oblivion Vault. Until the events of the Great Rift only on a handful occasions did a Custodes enter certain cells, fighting against the captives as a form of training. Now, the acting Custodes assumes, this kind of drill will be done more regular.

 

I'm not an expert in terms of prose and such. Until now, I'm enjoying it thus far.

[Red_Shift]

I really enjoyed the short story Mercy in Inferno and so far The Bloodied Rose doesn't disappoint. Come on GW and green light a full novel! Finally well written sororitas characters.

[RikuEru]

About two or three chapters into Auric Gods.

 

As of now, we got two different Custodes protagonists: one being an eye of the Emperor, the other being on Terra. As of now, it feels like this should have been released along the Custodes codex.

 

Of interest might be

 

that the Custodes got some daemons captured in the Oblivion Vault. Until the events of the Great Rift only on a handful occasions did a Custodes enter certain cells, fighting against the captives as a form of training. Now, the acting Custodes assumes, this kind of drill will be done more regular.

 

I'm not an expert in terms of prose and such. Until now, I'm enjoying it thus far.

Anything noteworthy to spoil about the Eye of the Emperor Role or the Character atleast? I mean general fluff

[Kelborn]

Into chapters six. The Eye of the Emperor only appeared in chapter one thus far and was mentioned by other Custodes.

 

Don't want to write the entire story down, so basically what happens

 

As of now, four Custodes charakters were introduced:

 

Meroved = Eye of the Emperor, who got his own Majordomo and ship including training facilities, who notices his combat speed dropping and taking a shower (is it just me or does BL feature a lot of shower scenes these days? :P)

 

Cartovandis = member of the Solar Watch, stationed away from Terra

Adio = member of the Solar Watch, stationed on Terra, not able to hear the voice of the Emperor anymore

 

Varogalant = member of the Shadowkeepers and brother of Ardio, blames himself for what happened in the Dark Cells deep within Terra like most of the Keepers do

 

We got a interesting discussion between Adio and about the Emperor. Ardio believes that they should fit across the stars, joining Guilimans efforts as the Emperor will not heal anymore from a wound done to him 10K years ago. He says that the voice Cartovandis heard was "just" His will and he has to accept that. (= The Emperor is absolute. He is all. He is eternal.

Cartovandis refuses to believ this. Rather he thinks that if a Primarch can be resurrected, the Emperor could be, as well.

I name it interesting as both have very different views on Big E and a possible return of him, Ardio even naming the Palace a tomb, etc.

 

Then we got a pov of a Shadowkeeper, who blames himself for joining the battle during the events of Watchers of the Throne and leaving the Dark Cells alone. When they realized what happened down there, the Shadowkeepers returned into the vaults just discover that those left behind were slain and several Dark Cells were emptied. About 100 years later, some were refilled again but several occupants are still out there. Furthermore, it is revealed that the Shadowkeepers guard ancient horrors and monstrous things from the Age of Strife down there.

 

Then, we join two investigators pursueing a series of suicides on a closeby world of Kobor. Said suicides are way too bloody and abnormal.

 

My assumption: said lost relic of old times is somehow connected to Kobor and our Custodes characters will team up against it.

 

Generally speaking does it tie in very well with what we got by Aaron, Chris and Dan, refering to all of their Custodes stuff. If it keeps up until the end, I'd even want more done by Kyme.

[Mellow]

Did I read Dreadwing wrong in that it says the Invincible Reason is 50 kilometres long?!

[DarkChaplain]

Gloriana class ships were apparently around 20km minimum. 50 seems like a stretch, but it only uses that exact number to state how much of a mess the warp exit was.

 

The Invincible Reason was the first to slip free of the warp.

It broke into the silence of real space as if onto black ice. Break thrusters fired along its prow and up the battlemented emplacements of its central ridgeline. Turbulent energies conjured by the interaction of the unreal with the real snapped from bow to stern over its pockmarked armour, summoning a halo to the immense basalt figures that stood bestride the cardinals of its dorsal spine, Dark Angels with swords raised and pinions unfurled. The remainder of the fleet followed momentarily. Space itself burst aflame as reality was ripped apart, kilometre after kilometre of void-black warship extruding from the beyond. The fires guttered briefly as the wound scarred over, flames capering after the escaping warships before the pressures of reality finally snuffed them cold. From the stillness of space it was a ballet of precision and beauty.

Aboard the bridge of the Invincible Reason it was the frantically unchoreographed derailment of a fifty-kilometre-long, nineteen-car locomotive.

 

To me it seems more like a statement about the fleet's exit than the precise measurements of the Gloriana. Nineteen-car locomotive, other warships following on from its example.. Sounds more like a figurative statement.

[Red_Shift]

Read Steel Daemon which was ok - disappointing ending for me.

My dad is down for the weekend (I'm 34) and read the sisters novella - declaring it to be one of the best black library books he has read. Bearing in mind I think we have read most of them since black library launched all those years ago. Skipping forward I think to 4 (I don't read Kyme).

[Kelborn]

Well, I enjoyed Auric Gods.

It was an entertaining read. A tiny bit predictable but still enjoyable. Reminded me of some old Sci-Fi movies but can't say which one.

 

The concept of the (spoiler alert)

 

Cult of the Illuminated was especially interesting. A cult trying to awake Big E with the help of an AoS artifact and the descendants of the Sigillites? Count me in!

 

As we haven't got that much about the Custodes, this one is a nice addition. As I said earlier, it would have been a very good addition to their codex' release in February, as it dives into the different factions within the Golden Legion. Especially the insight into the Shadowkeepers was, at least, interesting for me. Don't expect an essay about them but now I got a better understandment of what they are actualy doing and how I could make use of them for some homebrewn stuff.

Currently reading Dreadwing. I, too, think that Guymer should get a second chance to write some DA stuff. But that's something for another thread. :)

[aa.logan]

I spent a very pleasant afternoon with The Bloodied Rose and Wanted: Dead watching snow occasionally.

 

Both of them make good use of the novella format, doing what they do and not outstaying their welcome.

 

I assume that everyone agrees that the quality of BL fiction has improved over the last 20-odd years, but when I say that The Bloodied Rose would have fitted in perfectly with the Deathwing anthology, I’m not slagging it off. As others have mentioned, it really does capture the old, insidious nature of chaos, especially the

cult hiding in plain sight

in a better way than other, longer books have. I’m definitely looking forward to a longer work by this author.

 

Speaking of looking forward to more works by an author, Wanted: Dead. This brought me back to how I felt upon the original release of Necromunda, totally capturing my imagined landscape and adding so much more to it. The snapshots of gangs in their downtime, glimpses of ‘civilian’ life and even attempts at exploring the economy of the Underhive all while maintaining a light, pulpy tone.

 

I’ve got to be honest, I was most excited and looking forward to reading about the relationship between Jarene and Quinne- references to romantic relationships are more common than you might expect in The BL, but this is by my count only the 3rd non-hetero one (the others being between rememberancers on Prospero and a PDF trooper in the Beast Arises)- and it didn’t disappoint. The gangers are, by most modern moral standards, horrible people, but they a shown to care about each other. The romantic relationship is nice and subtle, not in a ‘ewww lesbians rubbing it in our faces’ way, more in the way it doesn’t intrude into the shootouts and heists that everyone reads this sort of thing for really. It adds to the story, but it’s incidental, it’s great that they’re both women in terms of representation, but like a real-world lesbian relationship they’re still people. I’m just dead pleased that there is some LGBT representation in 40k and am now *really* looking forward to Mike Brooks’ Navigator book where he promises more of the same, safe in the the knowledge that I like his writing too.