Peter Fehervari’s Dark Coil

[nagashnee]

Finished the Reverie late last night, loved it, kept me hooked in a dream like quest for the truth some great characters and while not horror nice and spooky enough .

[DukeLeto69]

Finished The Reverie. Thought it was excellent. PF clearly set out to write a more accessible novel leaving less for the reader to conclude/deduce for themselves but still more esoteric and complex than the vast majority of everything ever published by BL.

 

The prose is excellent and highly evocative. The story is mysterious and wyrd fiction rather than all out horror, but for me that was perfect.

 

I am awful at writing reviews and generally steer clear but this book “feels” right. I love the structure, symbology and motifs that all just work together.

 

Being a PF book this not an “easy read” but I would say that along with CotSD it is his “easiest read”.

 

Really loved it.

[Felix Antipodes]

Also just finished The Reverie. Great book on many levels. I was amazed at the level of detail he put into the Chapters organisation and history considering it is effectively dead and gone, replaced in their conversion into the Angels Penitent. If only other authors put this level of detail into existing Chapters they would stand out as more that a list of names.

[DukeLeto69]

I think PF is an artist. He puts so much effort and passion into his work and that clearly shines through for me.

 

Some of the authors working for BL come across as more in it for the tie-in pay check. That might sound harsh but there are certainly books that cone across as tightly fitting the brief of “get the story/characters from A to B and include these TT units x many times”.

 

I don’t think PF would do anything except subvert that brief - Vanguard being an obvious example.

 

Of course there are also several very talented authors who manage to balance/reconcile the GW/BL tie in universe requirements with good storytelling very well indeed. They have found the sweet spot that allows them to also earn their primary living from writing (the key being able to write fast to release a lot of product to live off advances OR generate big sales for royalties).

 

Ironically/sadly PF does not appear to generate sufficient sales to secure the royalties to live off AND doesn’t write fast enough to take on multiple commissions to secure advances PLUS I do not think PF would really want to write lots and lots of very clearly tie in novels as prefers to plough his own furrow.

 

What worries me is that PF may stop writing novels for BL. That would be so terribly sad (to me). He has indicated that a lot is riding on The Reverie, which I took to mean “do the sales/royalties justify the effort and loss of income from the day job (TV editor)?”

[Dumah]

I just finished Requiem Infernal and I just have to say...what a trip! Mr. Fehervari is for sure a genius and I love love love his dark corner of the galaxy! His work is a shining example that characters and stories don't have to be at the center of the 40k narrative to feel significant and I can't get enough of it. He makes every faction shine with it's own unique and reprehensable character, leaving me wishing he would take on yet more.

 

Next stop, The Reverie.

[byrd9999]

Just finished The Reverie. Fantastic!

 

Spoilers, beware.

 

This one started a little slow for me. Reverie is a suitable title, because everything seemed undefined, uncertain, very mutable. Someone else described it as "fugue" like, which is very apt. The only problem with this is, like dreams, they can be too ephemeral. Like people describing their dreams, it means so much more to the dreamer than the listener, and can come across as disjointed or indulgent. It felt very Fehervari, but not very 40k.

 

However, the book reached a point, about halfway through, where it seemed like the narrative "woke up", if you'll forgive a tortured metaphor. Probably around the time the techmarine Ennio Zann was injured in the blast and remade himself to be more machine-like. The second-hand half of the book was more solid, more grounded in the reality of the wider Imperium, and it was here that the dreamlike set-up started to pay off.

 

The story picked up pace, the threads started to come together, the alternative names and different timelines began to resolve into a gripping narrative. The pay off that Satori had manipulated Idryss Glass's personality during his induction trial as a means to bring the Reverie into the heart of Malpertuis was a great moment of surprise, and really casts delicious doubt on how much Satori is a "good guy".

 

As for the continuation of the Dark Coil, it seemed to me like this book is central to the mythos, like the heart of the Coil is seeded here. I thought the text seemed to suggest this in a couple of places, and it would be great if I had a quote to hand... but I don't. It was also interesting that Satori disappeared into his mirror at the end, and the maguffin in The Thirteenth Psalm is the recovery of a mirror, but upon following this up, the mirror in the Thirteenth Psalm was made by Athanazius. There is the vision near the end of it, of a planet with 7 spires, leading us into the world of Requiem Infernal and Spiral Dawn.

 

This was beautifully written, as all Peter Fehervari's prose is, but this was extra smooth and dreamy.

 

Peter Fehervari gives me something that no other Black Library writer does: an indefinable quality, a unique take on his corner of the Imperium, a twisted sandbox, and I'm grateful that I got to read more of it.

 

9/10.

 

 

[DukeLeto69]

@byrd9999 that is a really well written and spot on review far more articulate than my effort.

 

There are always layers in PF books. Will need to read again but I think each “movement” had a different feel and rhythm with the first actually set in The Reverie being the most dreamlike (as befits the nature of The Reverie itself)

 

Like all of PF stories and novels this will definitely benefit from repeated reads to peel back layers, motifs and symbolism.

 

Sadly I still doubt this will secure the wider audience PF needs to make writing economically viable as.

[Fire Golem]

Just finished my reread of Fire Caste. What a book. Phaedra is such a hellhole. Literally feel unclean at times, reading it. 

[Tyriks]

I recently read Fire Caste, my first Fehevari novel.  I am not going to lie, I was pretty let down by it.  Maybe I had too high of an expectation based on all the glowing reviews here but I found the story pretty dull, and the prose was nothing special for me.  The Arkhans were fairly interesting as a regiment, and uncovering their history was probably the highlight for me.  

 

I will say though I am impressed at the sheer number of Star Trek references he managed to slip in.

[DukeLeto69]

Fire Caste is my least favourite of PF’s books. I actually enjoyed it significantly more the second time I read it. The first time I struggled to keep track of the huge cast and changes in POV.

 

My re-read (I guess going in knowing what to expect) was much more fun, including spotting the linkages with other Dark Coil stories.

 

Right now my order of preference goes...

 

1. Requiem Infernal

2. The Reverie

3. Cult of the Spiral Dawn

4. Fire Caste

 

IMO one of the great things about PF’s work is that they all warrant and reward a 2nd or 3rd read. There are layers and depth, although not an easy read.

[byrd9999]

I feel like I ought to be taking notes when I read the Dark Coil... but in a good way, if you know what I mean :) 

[DukeLeto69]

Not sure if sales of The Reverie have been good but if we all want more Fehervari goodness in our lives we need to get out there posting some positive reviews on places like Goodreads and Amazon.

 

I am gathering my thoughts on what to say.

[Master Ciaphas]

Hail

 

So - I just finished The Reverie. Finally.  Now I just need to read Requiem Infernal, and I am through my entire Peter Fehervari back log. 

 

Just my two cents about The Reverie:

 

Probably the most straight forward, and the least convoluted, story of them all. All in all, I liked it, very dreamy in its execution - and quite "horrible" in the fates of many and the world building. It is possible that it is just me, but I did not catch that many references to his other works, though I finally got confirmation of who the Undying Martyr character is - which is nice.

 

Absolutely a recommended book, and even though it is about Space Marines, they are - in my opinion possibly the least Space Marine-y characters I have yet met in Black Library litterature. They might just be highly trained humans, rather than transhuman warriors.  

 

Faithfully,

Master Ciaphas

[sitnam]

I recently finished the Reverie myself. It took me a while to get into it, especially getting through the Second and Third Movements. I enjoyed them, but they didn't really draw me in. The end of the book was fantastic though, and I went back and read Crown of Thorns and Thirteenth Psalm. I'm dying to see where the Reslendent/Pentimento story goes next.

 

I'm now 75% through Spiral Dawn and I love it. This story pulled me in way quicker then the Reverie did. It's probably the best "product placement" novel I've read from Black Library. It does a good job highlighting the GSC range whilst still being a good novel. The scene where the Riven Hunter gets beat down is probably one of my favorite Ogryn scenes ever. Despite having a plethora of characters they are all pretty memorable and distinct

Edited February 23, 2021 by sitnam

[Master Ciaphas]

Indeed. Cult of the Spiral Dawn was the first of his novels I read. After that I went and got all of what was available in ebook format. And have bought Requiem Infernal and the Reverie in paper format. 

 

Cult could probably have done with another 50 pages or so, to round out the story, but I really liked it! 

[DukeLeto69]

Same here - my first Fehervari read. I bought it when it was “Genestealer Cults” expecting little more than a straight tie in to the Codex (normally avoid but love me some GSC) and was blown away. Great book. Really great. Bought it again with the new name to get print edition of the short story.

 

It was my springboard and have subsequently read everything by PF since then. I still have a big soft spot and hope one day we get a sequel!

[Kelborn]

After finishing my current audiobooks from a different IP, I might give a shot on Reverie.

Anything I should be aware or have read before starting it? Like, is there a must-read beforehand? Or can I jump into this one as a "stand alone"?

[Gongsun Zan]

After finishing my current audiobooks from a different IP, I might give a shot on Reverie.

Anything I should be aware or have read before starting it? Like, is there a must-read beforehand? Or can I jump into this one as a "stand alone"?

 

I think it functions pretty well as a stand-alone - chronologically speaking it happens earlier than the rest of the Dark Coil, although as with all of PF's novels there are a couple of references that link up with his other books. 

[DukeLeto69]

Ok folks not 40k but check out this and look who is listed as an author on the cover...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sword-Planet-BAEN-BOOKS/dp/1982125780/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=sword+and+planet&qid=1620235801&sr=8-5#immersive-view_1620331177169

[DarkChaplain]

Thank you kindly. I didn't even need to read the description and just straight up preordered it.

 

Looking at the list, I also spot Tom Toner. I got three of his books sitting on my shelf (a trilogy), and while I still haven't made proper headway into the second book, I've really enjoyed the first. His prose can be super dense, but he's got pretty complex ideas and paints up a flowery picture. I should go and work through book two this year, maybe.

 

I think Tom is another author who'd be cool to see featured in an Inferno! volume one of those days.

Edited May 6, 2021 by DarkChaplain

[Lord Marshal]

[sitnam]

I just finished Fire Caste. Lived up to all expectations, and it was interesting reading the Dark Coil in a somewhat backwards release order (Requiem, Reverie, then Spiral)

 

The real treat though was Vanguard. The ending of that story was chilling. I love how Fehervari writes AdMech

Edited September 9, 2021 by sitnam

[archmagos]

Bit disappointed that the Fehervari story in the Accursed anthology is just a reprint of his Nightbleed short story from last year. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic read, but I had expected something new. Can't get enough of the dark coil, hopefully something else is on the horizon for us.

[DukeLeto69]

Bit disappointed that the Fehervari story in the Accursed anthology is just a reprint of his Nightbleed short story from last year. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic read, but I had expected something new. Can't get enough of the dark coil, hopefully something else is on the horizon for us.

We can but hope!

 

I would love new material and would also love a couple of omnibus/anthologies collecting together all the Dark Coil stories.

 

Heck if they gave Firecaste the same treatment as Genestealer Cults and renamed it, addes a short(s) and gave it a new physical print run, I would but it again!

[byrd9999]

I don't do e-literature, so I haven't read Nightbleed yet so I'll definitely pick up Accursed.

 

There are still some shorter Fehervari works that I haven't read, and the Fire & Ice novella, because the anthologies are too expensive online, so I would love an anthology of Fehervari's collected (non-novel) works.