Dawn of Fire - Avenging Son

[aa.logan]

I tore through this, and am kind of kicking myself for not getting the LE. I’m not the biggest film watcher, but in terms of structure, this feels very cinematic- the scene where Cawl shows off the capabilities of the Primaris is in so many superhero films; likewise where characters are saved by late interventions from their allies; shots coming from nowhere to best the foe towering above and the occasional wisecracking dialogue. Still feels like a 40k book though.

 

I’m not sure that I have more to add than what’s already been said, but the cast of characters is suitably varied and fleshed out enough that I’ll be happy to read them popping up in other books, and in some cases, disappointed if we don’t see them again. The ratio of mortal to Astartes was about right for my tastes, however much that I agree that the Primaris were introduced well. Please more human POV as the series progresses.

 

It’s great getting this new era properly fleshed out and connecting with other works; Guy gets the same sort of tone for life on Terra as Chris Wraight here. We see characters from lower down the social scale though, so the shift in perspective makes the bureaucracy of the Imperium even more maddening and faceless- it’s not like these characters are even aware of the existence of the High Lords, let alone able to contact them.

 

We also have, to my knowledge, a new alcoholic drink to compliment amasec- space whisky from Neo Caledonia.

 

I’m properly enthused for the rest of this series, Guy has sown some interesting plot seeds.

[WrathOfTheLion]

I did order the LE, but it is not here yet. The NL box has still not arrived either. US shipping has been right slow there, with that one sitting in the area for six days now...

[RedFurioso]

Should I read The Regent's Shadow before or after this book? Enlighten me, fraters!

[Ishagu]

Should I read The Regent's Shadow before or after this book? Enlighten me, fraters!

Watchers of the Throne > Dawn of Fire > Regent's Shadow

[Petitioner's City]

The extraction scene - utterly amazing! It's very Abnettian, a brilliant bitter Dunkirk. Edited August 18, 2020 by Petitioner's City

[Sete]

Thanks for the replies, will get it later on. I'm intrigued.

[DarkChaplain]

Since on the Bloodlines thread, folks discussed in-universe swears, I figure it's worth pointing out that there's another curse here:

 

What by the nine devils of Horus

 

Interestingly, this means that the number nine is still associated with Horus, the arch-traitor, even if the knowledge of the other Traitor Primarchs and Legions is lost to the wider public, and even parts of the Inquisition. Clever, Guy, clever.

[StormLion]

I really liked this book. My two biggest questions going forward are

1) What's up with the Nephilim?
2) Who is the Hand?

Edited August 22, 2020 by Kelborn

[Apothecary Vaddon]

The Hand looks to be the primary antagonist of the series/this part of the series. 

Edited August 22, 2020 by Kelborn

[DarkChaplain]

Man, I really wish all those folks complaining about this book having Guilliman and Ultramarines in it would actually read it for once. There's so much to the contrary in here, it's funny.

 

‘Theoretical only,’ said Guilliman. ‘For whatever reason they are present, these differences do exist, and they lead to misunderstanding between the sons of my brothers. I have seen this misunderstanding turn into suspicion, then suspicion turn to outright hatred. I will not allow this to happen again. It is especially important as Cawl has produced equal numbers of Primaris warriors from each strain of gene-seed. The time of the Ultramarines’ dominance is over.

That statement alone, after acknowledging that "current" M41 gene-heritage was about 70% his own, should say a lot about Roboute's intentions. Yeah, he's back, he's Lord Commander, and he's kicking off a new Crusade, but he's not posing his Chapter - or even himself - as the end all, be all of the Imperium. He works on contingencies all over the place, once more planning for his own obsolescence where possible. It's even stated that he's holding himself back when dealing with others to avoid overreliance on him solving all the problems, and cultivate worthwhile leadership structures.

 

Beyond the Victrix Guard, who don't even matter beyond being referenced as his honour guard, there are barely any Ultramarines in the story til at least halfway through. Instead of them, his adjutants are from successor Chapters that fought with him on the Terran Crusade.

 

At the very least, Chapter Twenty should be mandatory reading for anyone remotely interested in the paradigm shift of the Primaris Marines, Cawl's new tech, Guilliman's intentions, his attitude, and how the new lore around Primaris clicks into the old. There's no Primaris-drivel here, if anybody dreaded that. It's a nuanced look at what they mean to the Imperium, while being aware of their shortcomings - especially out of the box.

 

And then going right into the following chapter, and seeing a Primaris resurrection "ritual" in action? Yeah, Haley nailed it.

 

Bonus points for this line:

‘In the name of the Omnissiah, let there be life.’

Edited August 22, 2020 by Kelborn

[Gongsun Zan]

I came in expecting nothing, and now I really regret not getting the LE.

 

A really solid entry in terms of word-building and lore. The cast is a bit too big for one book, with not all the POV characters getting sufficient screen time, but thankfully they're all likable enough, and I suppose there's room for more development in later books. 

 

The last 20% or so was really dull though. 

 

7/10 seems about right. 

Edited August 23, 2020 by Gongsun Zan

[b1soul]

I think it makes a lot of sense for Guilliman to plan for the possibility that he might one day be removed from the table, so to speak. There's not guarantee that he'll never fall to his many, many enemies' blades and/or machinations.

[Pariah32]

Just finished this the other day. This is by far (for me) the best Guy Haley written novel. 

 

Why on earth was this not released way back when Primaris marines were becoming a thing?

 

Whoever was in charge of the cover for Dawn of Fire needed to get a better handle on the content, vibe and flavour, for I very nearly skipped this book based on the cover alone (I know don't judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to BL space marine covers, they are always what I think they are). However in this case the cover really does not do the novel any justice at all.

 

There should of been battle ships blazing across the cover with more of the human character's as well (Rostov or Fabian or even Nawra). Instead we get a big primaris marine in the middle (who it turns out does not show up till half way through the story and then after which he has a few action scenes) and some more primaris below with Messinius (who is way more of a main character). There is a small image to the left of commodore Athagey and above her an image of Guilliman who looks like another space marine! The cover needed to be grand, it needed to shine, it needed a lot more than what we got. There was nothing crusade launching about it.

 

The reason I'm annoyed is that this book was one heck of a great surprise for me and it should of been marketed a lot better. Even for new readers this is a great introduction into the setting whilst also going on to show some new and interesting aspects for long time fans.

 

I generally thought the 40k output from BL is severely lacking of late (apart from WH crime) and this book just turned that all around. 

[aa.logan]

Am I remembering right that the Primaris were ordered to close their breathing grills before entering combat? Is this a new thing? I can’t recall another instance of this, though equally, I’m not completely sure that it actually happened

[Razic]

I can’t seem to buy this in any actual book format , or any other recent release for that matter, did I miss something ? Is this a covid issue ?

I can’t seem to buy this in any actual book format , or any other recent release for that matter, did I miss something ? Is this a covid issue ?

[G_R_H]

 

 

Why on earth was this not released way back when Primaris marines were becoming a thing?

I think maybe it was planned this way, they have all of if not the majority of units out now, so it won’t feel like they’ll be used to plug new models. For instance we’re now on book 6 of this series and all of a sudden assault primaris start tipping up all over the show and justiciars, all shoe horned in. These can be now even naturally introduced to the setting. This whole series, feels to me at any rate, that they have learnt from the mistakes made with the Heresy (which I love but it was a bit muddled at times).

 

I am with you though I wasn’t sure about it, but took a punt on the LE and now they’ve tied me right into it.

[DarkChaplain]

Funnily enough, the cover has a discrepancy on the admiral, too. In the book, her augmetic eye is described as fairly close to the original, though still noticeably unsettling due to being mechanical. On the cover, she has the usual clunky augmetic.

[Scribe]

I can’t seem to buy this in any actual book format , or any other recent release for that matter, did I miss something ? Is this a covid issue ?

I can’t seem to buy this in any actual book format , or any other recent release for that matter, did I miss something ? Is this a covid issue ?

Picked it up today at a book store. Soft cover.

[DukeLeto69]

Probably my next read after Bloodlines (halfway through but work getting in the way).

 

I too nearly skipped this expecting a Space Marine Battles/Conquests vibe (yes a handful of those were ok, most simply were not).

 

However, this thread convinced me otherwise and if it neatly dovetails with Wraights excellent Vaults and Watchers series then that is all the better.

 

Agree the cover is meh! It just isn’t 40k to me.

 

Apparently some folks were upset by the black UM. Can’t say I even considered that or found it remotely bothersome. No the cover is just not very good. It has more of a Star Wars vibe to me (multiple portraits of key characters rather than an action shot of one/more characters)

 

I think a better cover for this would have been the alternative spaceship cover for Nexus doing the rounds.

[mc warhammer]

it doesn't fit my idea of 40k art, but maybe it'll pop more on the shelves to the filthy casuals? wait. i'm a filthy casual.

 

on the note of ultramarines who aren't white; some scholar on youtube was saying that while the legion would naturally have recruits of all looks, guilliman's geneseed should alter them to look just like him. including whitewashing them. which is some madly powerful racialist head canon at work.

[DukeLeto69]

For me the whole point on race for Space Marines is moot anyway.

 

38k years from now having colonised the galaxy and having multi generations evolving based on different environmental conditions (inc Ogryn, Squats, Ratlings) will mean 21st century concepts of race will no longer apply.

 

If there is a recruiting planet in Ultramar that has higher solar ray saturation then the humans on that planet would evolve with higher levels of melanin in their skin.

[WrathOfTheLion]

I too didn't like the cover, it was too busy and looked like a children's book to me. The main thing about the cover is that I almost didn't want to give the book a chance, because it didn't look serious. But that isn't too important. I took a chance and got the LE one, which is quite nice.

 

However, I am enjoying it so far, and will do a more full review after finishing it.

[aa.logan]

If only there was some sort of idiom about making predictions about the contents of a novel based on the artwork on it’s exterior that we could refer to...

[WrathOfTheLion]

The idiom is wrong 

 

In all seriousness there, the cover is part of the presentation of the book and does convey visual language. It absolutely will have an affect on whether someone purchases it, as all they have at first is the premise and the cover. So I do think it's worthy to note how the book is presented, just as it would be worthy to note the quality of its construction as well.

On that same note, the LE is quite handsome, and I think its construction is quite good.

Edited August 25, 2020 by WrathOfTheLion

[Apothecary Vaddon]

The cover is much more akin to what we saw during the SW NJO series than a typical 40k novel, which tbh I kind of found refreshing.