Darkness in the Blood - Spoilers incoming

[kamedake88]

I reacted the same as you Red. I am now finding myself browsing ebay for the limited edition. I almost caved today. I wonder if someone with some clout could get BL and Guy to comment on this via twitter. 

[DarkChaplain]

We might be seeing the hardback release before December. If you've waited this long, I'd stay away from ebay and just wait the remaining months rather than paying scalpers.

[Taliesin]

Just FYI, hardback will be up for pre-order this weekend. I am getting it.

[Blood Angel Scout]

Is this one of the longest limited edition to general release timescales Black library have had? Even stranger considering we've seen Mephiston after he crossed the rubicon in City of Light.

[Taliesin]

Yes, very long. Another weird one was Spear of the Emperor, which was super expensive LE first and then became available 7 months later in a regular hardback that sold out immediately with another legendary miniscule Black Library print run.

 

I wonder how that conversation went with their printer. 

 

" So ADB is probably our most popular author right now.... the LE was very expensive but still sold out immediately...ADB's books are in high demand and coupled to this being an anticipated new series...we'll take a print run of 10 units please, thanks".

Edited October 29, 2020 by Taliesin

[DarkChaplain]

I mean, we used to have minimum 2+ year waits between limited editions and regular runs, so it's not the longest. It is unlikely that they actually intended for it to take this long, however. This entire year has been marked by insane delays.

 

Heck, I doubt they were even planning to make the next Horror anthology + Annandale's new novel for the imprint February(!) releases. Inferno! Volume 5 is only just out in print, but the ebook has been out for half a year at least, and we'd have been at Inferno! 7 soon on the normal schedule.

2020 has just been terrible all around for timely releases.

[Roomsky]

Darkness in the Blood – Guy Haley (Audiobook)

 

More enjoyable Haley fare, with his usual talents and shortcomings on display. It did help me identify a little more on why I’m not huge on his more recent 400+ page works: the plot and characters tend to be quite scattershot. It's usually not to be entirely clear what the point of the book is until you reach the end, and not in a “this tension is building but I don’t know to what” sort of way, more a “this plot is meandering” sort of way. I have separate issues with books like Wolfsbane and Devastation of Baal as well, but those books were both quite coherent compared to this and Avenging Son. Characters and plot threads appear and disappear for vast stretches as needed, and the book reads like three consecutive, interconnected novellas rather than a complete work.

 

The beginning action scene was surprisingly uninspired for someone who’s written as many books as Haley. I don’t know how many times I’ve read about a daemonic presence slowly revealing itself on a ship to recently arrived Space Marines, and this has no twists you would not expect. I got some hope when

Kyriss

showed up, but the daemon is squandered and only serves as a catalyst for the Mephiston plot which is the second novella’s worth of content. The daemon’s temptation to Dante and Mephiston was poor as well, it felt like an offer no one would possibly take, much less those being asked.

 

The Mephiston plot then suddenly moves to the forefront with such force that feels like it should be the point, but it isn’t the climax or, apparently, the point of the novel. It’s certainly interesting, as is the idea of the Black Rage’s truer nature, but it feels inserted from somewhere else. I sort of wish Hinks had been given Mephiston’s crossing the Rubicon and this book had more room to close out a trilogy of Dante vs Tyranids, which ends up feeling more like an afterthought here. For that matter, the possibility of Dante crossing the rubicon is barely given lip service, while I feel it’s compelling enough to be one of the book’s central conflicts. The focus just isn’t really here.

 

The final action scenes are serviceable, but again feel somewhat tacked on to acknowledge this trilogy has been about Tyranids. The whole Mephiston plot is sort of handwaved here as well, it all feels a bit easy considering the apparent stakes. The things happening away from the marines is much more interesting, which I’ll touch on shortly.

 

There is a lot to like here. Haley continues to have a good grasp of the Blood Angels, and the book is surprisingly effective as both an entry point for new readers, and as a continuation of previous works. A novice reader isn’t likely to feel they missed much, but various characters, cameos, and developments keep it rewarding for those keeping up with the setting and the series. I like his Mephiston quite a bit, and while I slightly prefer Hinks’ characterization, I won’t deny Haley probably writes the better novels.

 

As is usual for Haley, the baseline human element is the standout. The Admiral’s story is predictable, but very well done. While I think Haley often flounders when injecting flaws into superhumans, he’s quite good at doing the same for people. That said, it does mean the lack of epilogue for this story is doubly disappointing.  

 

Dante continues to be compelling under Haley’s pen, and his story has its own legs as well as a great intertwining with that of the aforementioned Admiral. I would like to have seen more of it, but what is here is good.

 

Ultimately, good but not great. If you have thoughts on Haley as a writer, this book won't change them. I actually think Haley’s writing is much better suited to short novels; besides Flesh and Steel all his best works have been sub 250 pages IMO, probably due to a need for tighter focus. It’s for that reason I’m actually quite excited for Astorath once that lands, hopefully it’s a tighter work that lives up to Haley’s best with the Primarchs books.

 

6/10

To Taste (the blood)

Edited November 26, 2020 by Roomsky

[Ishagu]

I've just started listening to the audio book, and am avoiding spoilers.

 

I'm really enjoying it, and I particularly like the officer with the American accent on the bridge of that one ship.