Strata Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Good morning everyone, For a while now i've been giving some though to starting a force of blood angels, a loyalist force to counterbalance the traitors that i currently have. But what ive come to realize, aside from some of the very general things, I don't know much about the sons of the angel. I was wondering what books you all would recommend to read, which ones are good, and which might be better off avoided. And, more specifically, 40k era, not heresy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 You definitely gotta read Dante and Devastation of Baal. The Mephiston novel is great as well but focusses mostly on Mephiston and less on the Chapter itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandion40 Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 As sfPanzer said read Dante then Devastation of Baal. Dante is 2 stories alternating, it follows the rise of Dante from a child on Baal Secundus to a captain of the Blood Angels and also shows Dante in the lead up to the events in Devastation of Baal, both stories are very good and give great insight into the character of the chapter. Dante is THE Blood Angels novel. Devastation of Baal shows probably the most important event for 40K BA as the nids lay siege to Baal, it also mentions and gives some limelight to quite a few successor Chapters as virtually all of them were present for this battle. Good if you’re looking for a successor to collect, but plenty of room to insert a homebrew chapter if that’s your thing. Then there’s 2 Mephiston novels, the first is good but I’ve yet to read the 2nd. Great insight into Mephiston and the hope and uncertainty surrounding him in the first. I would also recommend the Lamartes novel as a great insight into the twin flaws. There is also a flesh tearer series of novels but I can’t speak to the quality as despite being a massive Blood Angel fan I’ve little interest in the Flesh Tearers. I suffer from a little of the uncanny valley feeling when it comes to most BA successors. Fear to Tread from the Heresy line is a defining moment for BA and the novel is ok. There’s also the Rafan omnibus, Like a lot of people I don’t like these novels, they’re not very accurate to the background in my opinion, especially the earlier ones, and the BA come of as hopelessly naive and downright incompetent. It’s difficult to describe but I’d say the author got the Blood Angel character ok but utterly failed at the marines side of the Blood Angels, so their doing Blood Angely things but their behaving like guardsmen more than Marines. To put it in RPG terms It’s like the author took the Blood Angel character class and applied it to the imperial guard race instead of the Marines race. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluejayJunior Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Second what these guys said. I just started rereading Dante because it's probably my favorite 40K novel. I would definitely recommend Fear to Tread as well. I know it's a Heresy book, but it does a lot to inform the state of the Blood Angels in 40K. Definitely a good background book to learn about them. I'm also currently reading Trial of Blood. It's about the Flesh Tearers. I am enjoying it so far, if you're interested in reading about successor chapters. I think it's a good way to see how different chapters deal with their Flaw. Also for successor chapters, Death of Integrity is a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indefragable Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Listen to this: https://www.blacklibrary.com/new-titles/featured/hunger-mp3.html ...technically Flesh Tearers, but close enough. Dante and Devastation of Baal are also worth a shot. Though it's only side story, the character of Dominion Zephon in Master of Mankind also is probably one of the single best literary depictions and exposes about what it means to be a Blood Angel. I think Fear to Tread in the Horus Heresy is a must read for anyone interested in the BA. Granted, it has mixed reviews and is a bit of a love/hate read, but IMHO it's a piece of lore that you kind of have to see for yourself. One of the first non-cameo depictions of Sanguinius and simply put, the Blood Angels are about Sanguinius. Not only because he is their genesire, but literally their entire existence and way of life revolves around his legacy and "gifts" to them. If you want to know the boys from Baal, you first want to know the Angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Zephon was the best portrait of a Blood Angels character in the whole Black Library by far until they dropped the Mephiston books, Dante and Devastation of Baal. Loved reading the passages with him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escaflowne_Z Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I just finished the Mephiston book, and I found it to be among the worst Black Library novels I have ever read. The Dante book was excellent, and I echo the Master of Mankind recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I just finished the Mephiston book, and I found it to be among the worst Black Library novels I have ever read. The Dante book was excellent, and I echo the Master of Mankind recommendation. Which of the three? There are two new ones which belong together and an older one. Mephiston: Blood of Sanguinius was great imo. Mephiston: Revenant Crusade I yet have to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escaflowne_Z Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 I finished the one on the world of Divinus Prime, I forgot the name of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenith Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Best of the BA, in my opinion: in almost no particular order: The Trial of Gabriel Seth (Flesh Tearers Omnibus) 3rd Ed BA codex 2nd ed wargear book Chapter Approved: Blood Angels Fear to Tread Soul Hunter Dante Blood Quest If you're desperate Deus Encarmine series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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