Book for holiday!

[Paceyjg]

Will be off on holiday for a week tomorrow and looking at my 'to be read shelf', Help me decide which one to take!

 

Plague War

Cadia Stands

The wicked and the dammed

Godblight

The regents shadow

Bloodlines

Flesh and steel

Requiem Infernal

The dark city

Ahriman Eternal

 

I'll check back in a couple of hours :)

 

[System Sound]

Requiem Infernal for me personally is the best BL book. So I would definitely recommend that.

 

But I also hear very good things about Regends Shadow, if you read the previous two novels in the series of course.

 

Ahriman Eternal is good too. But French's TS is a bit neutered compared to McNeils TS. Still a good series though

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by System Sound

[Lord Marshal]

Requiem Infernal.

 

Accept no substitutes (except another Peter Fehervari novel).

 

 

[WARMASTER_]

Regents Shadow or Dark City both are fantastic!

 

Dark City ends a brilliant series

 

Regents Shadow tops the Vaults of Terra IMO and quite possibly shows the myriad schemes of Imperial politics, power struggles and players in one novel better than any before! We’ve got Custodes, Sisters, Space Marines, High Lords, Inquisition yet all are shown to have their strengths rather than one being a punching bag to raise up the other 

 

Requiem Infernal is also a fantastic read so I wouldn’t begrudge anyone that choice 

[Sothalor]

I think this may be slightly dependent on what other activities/focus you may be doing during your holiday.

 

Are you travelling somewhere? Have a multitude of activities/events/gatherings planned? Are you going to be "busy," in other words?

 

If so, something very contemplative may not necessarily be the best choice for you. If you're constantly going to be interrupted or only have short snippets of time for reading, that might inform your decision.

 

If that is the case, my personal recommendation for something relatively "light" in terms of prose density, plot intricacy, and the sort of "mental demand" engagement would be Bloodlines. It is a standalone novel, doesn't require reference or foreknowledge of larger setting-wide events, and is structured like an archetypal crime thriller. If you're familiar with noir mysteries many of the tropes and trappings should map quickly and entertainingly to the 40k canvas. It's a good read that works on its own.

[DarkChaplain]

If you won't be able to sit down in peace and quiet for some alone-time, I wouldn't recommend bringing Requiem Infernal.

 

It's an absolutely brilliant novel, but it's one that demands your attention. It requires the reader to be open to it, to put in some effort as well, rather than just consuming the book passively. Fehervari's works want to engage with the reader in a more active role - you're intended to think about what's happening, to draw conclusions, come up with theories, and take something away from the experience that is very much your own.

 

If you can't give it that attention, you'll not only be doing the book a disservice, but yourself as well. I know, because I had to put the book on hold for far too long and pretty much re-read the first half three times before I finally reached the state of mind where I could fully soak it in, instead of having loud neighbors ruin my attempts to read it (let alone depression issues around the time of release!).

 

Kinda broke my heart to tell Peter I hadn't managed to finish it yet, but I also told him that this was entirely on me and my circumstances at the time. Frankly, I'm glad I waited til I could give it the love it deserves - of all the Dark Coil works, it's the one I think works the hardest to envelop you in its mysteries, and no way in hell would I have been fine with ruining my experience by way of outside (or indeed inside) distractions.

 

That being said, read it as soon as you can guarantee the time and stress-free environment - it's brilliant.

 

Now, for positive recommendations to take, I'd go with the two Crime novels you got listed: Bloodlines and Flesh & Steel. They're great, fast-paced enough to get you hooked, detailed with highly effective world building, but they don't demand nearly as much brain power by comparison to Requiem Infernal. I sincerely wish they'd be getting their sequels announced soon. Warhammer Crime has been a joy so far.

[Urauloth]

Yeah, Requiem is certainly good, but it almost wants you to take notes so it can test you later. I also recommend taking one of the Warhammer Crime novels, they're both top-notch. I think Flesh & Steel is a bit faster-paced than Bloodlines, and it touches base with familiar 40k things a little more - Bloodlines pushes its boat out a bit further into slow-burn noir territory.

 

Godblight, it should be noted, is the sequel to Plague War, and shouldn't be read out of sequence. It's also widely regarded as disappointing (for good reason imo) so if you're only taking one book, don't make it that one.

[aa.logan]

One (1?) book on a holiday is an alien concept to me, but I’ve got to echo the sentiments about the book having being right for the type of holiday.

 

If you’re going to be able to focus on the book for prolonged spells, Requiem Infernal is a good book, but one that really needs focus.

 

The two crime books you’ve listed are amazing and I was going to second the suggestions that either of them should be your book until I saw Cadia Stands in your list. It’s *perfect* for a holiday book - it’s got a nice chunky narrative but the way it’s split into different PoVs mean it can easily be dipped in and out of. It can be read just as well as an odd chapter here and there or in sustained spells. 

[Paceyjg]

Cheers for all the responses fellas. 

 

I took Requiem and although I haven't finished it yet, am enjoying it a great deal!

[killianness]

On 5/25/2023 at 3:10 AM, DarkChaplain said:

If you won't be able to sit down in peace and quiet for some alone-time, I wouldn't recommend bringing Requiem Infernal.

 

It's an absolutely brilliant novel, but it's one that demands your attention. It requires the reader to be open to it, to put in some effort as well, rather than just consuming the book passively. Fehervari's works want to engage with the reader in a more active role - you're intended to think about what's happening, to draw conclusions, come up with theories, and take something away from the experience that is very much your own.

 

If you can't give it that attention, you'll not only be doing the book a disservice, but yourself as well. I know, because I had to put the book on hold for far too long and pretty much re-read the first half three times before I finally reached the state of mind where I could fully soak it in, instead of having loud neighbors ruin my attempts to read it (let alone depression issues around the time of release!).

 

Kinda broke my heart to tell Peter I hadn't managed to finish it yet, but I also told him that this was entirely on me and my circumstances at the time. Frankly, I'm glad I waited til I could give it the love it deserves - of all the Dark Coil works, it's the one I think works the hardest to envelop you in its mysteries, and no way in hell would I have been fine with ruining my experience by way of outside (or indeed inside) distractions.

 

That being said, read it as soon as you can guarantee the time and stress-free environment - it's brilliant.

 

Now, for positive recommendations to take, I'd go with the two Crime novels you got listed: Bloodlines and Flesh & Steel. They're great, fast-paced enough to get you hooked, detailed with highly effective world building, but they don't demand nearly as much brain power by comparison to Requiem Infernal. I sincerely wish they'd be getting their sequels announced soon. Warhammer Crime has been a joy so far.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         And there is one reading but with a totally different genre. I have no idea whether someone is interested, but I'll write just in case. "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is something I really liked. I needed to write a uni paper on it so that I read it. And my group also recommended look at here and read provided The Yellow Wallpaper essay examples, which also were interesting to read. And they helped me a lot with paper writing. So I can recommend such a story because it's for sure worth reading.

You're so right. I started reading Requiem Infernal a few days ago, and the novel is absolutely fantastic. I read it only at night or when my roommate is not home because I need to focus fully. I don't remember the last time I have been reading something like this.

 

And Flesh & Steel is the next one on my reading list, I've heard a lot of positive reviews of it, and I hope I'll like it too.

Edited July 30, 2023 by killianness