The Book of Martyrs

[Roomsky]

Now that this is in paperback, anyone had a chance to read it?

 

I just finished up the first novella, by Worley. I’m pretty conflicted on this one, the prose is beautiful and it’s speckled with great moments for the characters and faction. But Worley really effectively provides setup for a mystery story before transitioning into full action after just 2 chapters, to the point it almost feels like a bait-and-switch. Those seemingly effective first 2 chapters don’t do the necessary legwork for an action story, and I was annoyed when the fighting just kept going. All the character moments are really on point but none of them go anywhere; setup and payoff is almost completely missing throughout.

 

I give it a meh so far but I’ll reserve full judgment til I read the rest.

 

[Roomsky]

Read Kelly's novella in one sitting on a ferry ride. Unsurprisingly, it's about the Tau.

 

Kelly's story is largely the opposite of Worley's. It's paced and structured WAY better, but his writing really isn't very good. I love the premise of a Battle Sister being interrogated by Tau, but boy is it less interesting than it should be.

 

So, another resounding meh. What both of these stories do excel at is showing Sororitas psychology and their obsession with dying for a cause. I don't expect Ware's story to hold up this whole book, but I hope it at least rounds it out with the same themes and ends on a high note.

[Roomsky]

Danie Ware’s is the best story in the collection, I think.

 

For one thing, it’s the one that most justifies its length. The other premises were very simple pitches stretched to novella length, while this story has more meaningful characters and plot beats. It uses multiple POV cleverly as well; all three stories are titled “the martyrdom of Sister X,” which doesn’t exactly leave the fate or success of their sole protagonist in doubt. Ware’s story having a wider cast of importance means she injects greater uncertainty into the outcome.

 

All that said, I wouldn’t call this story anything exceptional. It’s at about the level I generally expect from a Black Library book I don’t abandon or have fun whinging about. It’s competent enough, though certainly more even in quality than the prior entries.

 

Thematically it fits but is a bit more abstract than the other stories. Martyrdom, faith, and zealotry are on full display, but unlike the other two stories the battle sisters here don’t set out to die from the get-go. It makes the book thematically lopsided, and I think this should have been the middle story instead because of that.

 

All in all a pretty tepid collection for Sororitas diehards only.

 

Ware has a full novel getting a general release later this year, which I’d already have picked up but this novella does reinforce that decision. I wouldn’t mind seeing Worley get a longer commission either, as I’m curious to see if more breathing room would sort out his structural issues.

[sitnam]

I had hopes for a his book, but alas it seems lacklustre. I actually got the Triumph special edition but I haven't dived into it yet

[sitnam]

So I finished the first Martydom last week and am halfway through the second and Iist say I am pleasantly surprised

 

I think you are absolutely right Roomsky that the initial mystery and suspense of the first story is pretty quickly tossed aside for action. I feel that he could of developed the story into a much more personal cat and mouse between the martyr and the antagonist. That said, I enjoyed the invasion for what it was. Solidly written combat, and despite the fact Sisters are the focus, they are not infallible. No matter their bravery and skill, they could not defy the odds to obtain a "true" victory.

 

The Phil Kelly story is refreshingly good so far. I have been hesitant to investigate his Tau books due to my deep seated hatred of War of Secrets, but this story hits far better. The penitent ambush in the swamp is a particularly fun scene. Maybe Phil is a better author for listening then reading?

[sitnam]

saved thousands of lives

So I've finsiehd this, and the third story was actually my least favorite. I think maybe it was the voice acting, but I just never felt engaged with the story. I had liked Danies prior work in the Novella series, but this one fell a bit flat to me.  I wasn't particularly engaged with the setting or opponents like I was with the first two stories. I wouldnt say it was a bad story, but it just didn't fill my needs. I did like how the martyrdom was far less significant then the first two from a tangible and practical perspective. The first martyrdom

saved thousands of lives

the second martyrdom 

killed a high level commander

and the third martyrdom just...

saved a relic?

. Its a very 40k thing to happen.

 

Something I feel that both Worley and Kelly got right was actually making their characters seem representative of their orders. Worleys character gave a foreign perspective on the fanatical stoicism of the Valorous Heart, whereas any story about martyrdom will work with a Martyred Lady. Wares Bloody Roses just never really evoke that righteous fury that the order should have. I'd really like to see future sisters stories really delve into the different cultures of their Orders.

Edited April 15, 2022 by sitnam