Black Library Advent Calendar 2018

[Marshal Rohr]

The characterization is hampered by the length, so I can't hold it against him. You're looking at an exchange that lasted minutes with years of context building up.

[b1soul]

I think it clashes with the context already provided in other works.

 

Malcador is a subtle, wily manipulator.

 

Why make an enemy out of Horus and potentially the Khan and Alpharius? It'll be harder to manipulate Horus if he hates your guts. Unless Malcador wants Horus to hate him or he's teaching some extremely heavy-handed lesson, but why? Seems rather unnecessary...and it does come back to bite Malcador. Horus researches his true identity and deeds and plans to unmask him.

 

The Emperor displayed some bad parenting techniques...but this is arguably worse.

[Marshal Rohr]

Malcador is only subtle and wily because that's how he presented in the limited exposure to him in the series. He used to be a warlord. Hes an alpha psyker. He ruled empires and conquered kingdoms on his own. He's not just one thing, he's many things. Malcador was already Horus enemy by nature of the rebellion, adding layers to it is just a ymmv moment. They weren't friends or close beforehand.

[Enosh]

Good ol' Laurie, opening the holiday salt mine early.

 

yeah, damn people wanting some consistency out of the writing and not just an author vomiting all over the (e)pages

[b1soul]

@ Marshal Rohr

 

You can be a subtle manipulator and also be a lot of things that don't clash with being a subtle manipulator...sure.

 

At the end of the day, Malcador can be anything authours want him to be. I simply don't think Malcador is emotional, petty, or egotistical in such an overt manner. I don't think he's prone to lashing out with such naked power unless there's something critical to gain, something really outweighing the substantial cons of doing so.

 

Yes, Malcador could lose his cool in certain situations. I just don't think what happened plausibly justified his reaction. To me, it didn't read like believable nuance built upon existing context. It was simply jarring. The initial reactions of the Khan and Alpharius were odd as well.

[Marshal Rohr]

I see your point, I was just saying it didn't seem out of place for me. It was meant to be a moment of drama, to expand the relationship between Horus and Malcador, and provide some spicy nuggets about the Lost Primarchs. In so far as that, I think the story worked, but its a ymmv story.

[LordOfIron]

I thought black library had a few "in house" authors? Or at least I thought they advertised for that position a few years ago.

[TheRealMcCagh]

In a vacuum, I thought it was a pretty cool short. But within the universe as a whole it doesn't seem to fit the characters. Why is Malcador so petty and spiteful in here, but then just turns the other cheek when Lorgar backhands him across the plaza? Why act like the wise old grandpa to Leman Russ? I understand why Horus would want see his brothers remembered, and Alpharius looks up to Horus like a big brother. Khan seems like he is just there because he is on Terra pre-siege and needs to complete the circle plot wise. It kind of reads like Goulding just wanted to stir the pot a little bit and plant these questions then turn around and say 'too bad I can't tell you the answer, it's just going to be a big mystery I guess!'

[nagashnee]

That is pretty much his whole deal as an author tho. Teasing things that we KNOW will have no payoff.

[Carach]

re council

 

anyone chuckle at the kindofwords coming out of Horus as he was being choked? 

 

mal...al..

 

https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Malal

 

also re. the people saying Malcador acted out of character, why would u wanna cause issues with these Primarchs etc etc:

 

It is stated in the story itself that Malcador did not want to go the direction of confrontation, but the Emperor commanded he do it. I expect to make sure Horus and his initial little band are under no illusions as to what the Imperium is to be...

 

I am wondering what the timeframe of this story is though - like has Alpharius already had his meeting with our Xenos buddies? Its pre-Triumph for sure though..

[Scribe]

That is pretty much his whole deal as an author tho. Teasing things that we KNOW will have no payoff.

 

Agreed, this would seem to be the point. Which is fine. Its a teaser short. Sure, whatever.

[DarkChaplain]

In a vacuum, I thought it was a pretty cool short. But within the universe as a whole it doesn't seem to fit the characters. Why is Malcador so petty and spiteful in here, but then just turns the other cheek when Lorgar backhands him across the plaza? Why act like the wise old grandpa to Leman Russ? I understand why Horus would want see his brothers remembered, and Alpharius looks up to Horus like a big brother. Khan seems like he is just there because he is on Terra pre-siege and needs to complete the circle plot wise. It kind of reads like Goulding just wanted to stir the pot a little bit and plant these questions then turn around and say 'too bad I can't tell you the answer, it's just going to be a big mystery I guess!'

 

I mean, the entire thing with Lorgar happened in front of basically an entire Legion, plus Ultramarines. It was utterly theatrical from start to finish, orchestrated to prove a point. The Emperor coming down to humble Lorgar didn't require Malcador to do anything at all. Heck, I'd argue that Lorgar's assault made the entire thing more potent as a reprimand. It directly showed that Lorgar's zealotry has robbed him of reason and restraint.

 

Malcador was many things to many Primarchs at different times. He showed Mortarion that there was a planned psyker-obsolescence coming up, via the Webway Project. He councilled Dorn. But he also went and orchestrated countless assassinations throughout the Imperium's history, to the point of going right behind the Emperor's back to try and assassinate Horus. Dorn is shown at times to be at odds with Malcador. He ordered the eradication of witnesses or even just unsuitable loyalists that might learn about the Knights Errants' secrets or Titan. At multiple points, Garro seemed to feel his life at risk for refusing Malcador. Heck, Malcador got grumpy when Garro told him his loyalty was to the Emperor, not Mal.

 

While Malcador usually appeared as a wise man, he has his own agendas divergent from the Emperor's own ideals. Many Primarchs, even the loyalists, have had mixed feelings, or outright disdain, for the Sigillite.

 

And the Khan? The Khan has been said on numerous occasions now to have been close to Horus. He is anti-tyranny to begin with, and erasing the Lost Primarchs from memory and history would probably stike him as about what he feared to begin with. Heck, Horus relied on him well enough that he counted on the Khan to turn to his banner and Malcador didn't trust him to stay true to the Imperium.

 

[TheRealMcCagh]

I'm not sure i completely agree with your assessment of Malcador. In The Board is Set Malcador is emphatically loyal to the Emperor, it didn't seem like he was divergent from the Emperor at all. And which is worse, worshiping the Emperor as a God and convincing others to do the same (in direct opposition of the Imperial Truth), or saying the name of your dead brother? Why take the abuse from the Emperor's wayward son, but then pecker slap his favorite son in front of the High Lords of Terra? If he's willing to choke Horus and say 'this is the Emperor's will, and I am his proxy, so deal with it' then why does he tell Lorgar 'oh, well, okay. I tried. Obviously I'm just a messenger.' Have we ever seen Malcador be confrontational before? He's always just been the man behind the curtain, pulling strings and subtlety manipulating others. There is none of that here, he just Darth Vader's Horus in front of everyone like some kind of power play. Where is that dominating personality when Dorn busts in to his secret meeting and rips the masks off? Obviously that rubbed Malcador the wrong way, but he just sighed and said how he disapproved. He's not throwing Dorn out the window because he's tired of these insolent children, as he appears to be in Last Council. And that happens after all this betrayal, when it would make more sense to have Malcador quicker to abandon his facade.

 

It just seems out of place that that is the moment Malcador flips his lid. When he never has before and never (for the moment) has since.

[Marshal Rohr]

Considering this moment is well before the others, perhaps that's why he doesn't flip his lid.

[Karthak]

I think the whole situation was just nuts. This isn't an unpopular Legion getting chastised, this is the Regent of Terra nearly murdering Horus Lupercal, the First Primarch, the most successful one and popular one. As the Forge World books pointed out, Horus was exceptional at making connections and engendering loyalty. He was on another level to the other Primarchs even before he became Warmaster. If Malcador hadn't stopped, the Luna Wolves would have gone into rebellion immediately, with a lot others following them in outrage. It would have kicked off a civil war right then and there.

[Demigod]

I look at it as Malcador showing the newly established High Lords that it is they who are in command and not Horus and the primarchs. From what I red after Horus gives his speech and Malcador just turns around and goes to his chair for his staff it was written that there were loud gasps ( at treating a primarch like that ) . After Malcador completely humiliates Horus and the other primarchs are seen begging for his life there will be no doubt on who is in charge.

 

Also this would make it perfectly clear to anyone that the lost primarchs are not to be talked about ( you may as well voluntarily mind wipe your self ) because if Horus is going to get almost chocked to death over the matter , god knows what would happen to anyone else.

[b1soul]

@ carach

 

Malcador was driven by his old rage as he choked Horus.

 

Malcador asks Horus how does he know the Emp didn't command him to remove the statues.

[mc warhammer]

 

 

In a sane world the short story would be a philosophical debate between Horus and Malcador on the merits of honoring the dishonored dead - possibly even providing commentary on present-day events circling the same subject. Unfortunately what we get instead is characters behaving like children and acting in a manner that even Homeric heroes would find inappropriate. 

 

 

i like this philosophical debate thingy you suggest

[mc warhammer]

my feeling is that this is always going to be the challenge when writing about II and XI- authors will have to manufacture explanations for not mentioning their names.  each new attempt to find a fresh reason can potentially push it further into contrived territory.

 

i don't have a huge problem with it, but it does take me out of the story for a beat.

 

i imagine that it might be more of an issue if they ever did a series based on the great crusade 

 

 

The eagle stamped pressure door slid open and the primarch of the II legion stepped onto the Vengeful Spirit. His armour was...a blur. The primarch's face, normally so familiar to Horus, was similarly obscured by what seemed to be a smudge.

 

I must give my contacts a clean later, thought Horus, however time is currently of the essence and visual hygiene must wait.

 

Horus spread his arms wide open to embrace his brother, second born of all the fraternity and one of his closest friends.

 

"It has been too long-chuga chuga chuga toot toot."

 

A train went past at that exact moment, rumbling so loudly that the name of Horus' brother was forever lost to Imperial records. 

[Carach]

@ carach

 

Malcador was driven by his old rage as he choked Horus.

 

Malcador asks Horus how does he know the Emp didn't command him to remove the statues.

 

and earlier on malcador is thinking to himself and states that he didn't want to go this direction but the emperor has commanded it.

[DukeLeto69]

I thought black library had a few "in house" authors? Or at least I thought they advertised for that position a few years ago.

 

They do have some "in-house" writers but to the best of my knowledge none of them have that as their primary job. You have folks like Nick Kyme who is a BL editor and you have folks like Andy Clark who (I think) works in the GW studio on game design and/or writing background books and fluff.

 

GW/BL have a history of allowing existing staff to pitch ideas for fiction and some get through. I suspect they have to do the fiction writing "in their own time". That is how Gav Thorpe started writing fiction before going freelance.

 

However, most of the authors who write for BL are freelance (as is the nature of most authors generally).

[Mellow]

The Last Council was interesting because there was wording there that suggested Malcadors appearance is just a facade much like The Emperor changes his appearance.

 

Man of Iron was good. It showed a complete level of dominance over the Mechanicus and (I thought) hugely sarcastic. I’ve not read the Blackstone novel but I may if the robot is featured?

[Burni]

The robot is featured in the novel... in one sentence.

[Carach]

the blackstone stories are fun little things 

[b1soul]

In Man of Iron, who or what is UR-025 referring to when it says

 

I have met the Omnissiah. The real one, not the Earthling corpse