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Gravitas Shortfall posted:It's trash. Oh yeah, I remember know. I had two of those books and I can't remember anything besides something about a space marine turning into a spider man ("drider", is probably the proper term). Soul Drinkers was so trashy, I eventually sorted the books out from my shelves and just threw them into the paper bin.
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Sep 5, 2020 16:45
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'I wish they'd known the Heresy was going to be a long series going in' *Monkeys paw curls* Coming from the Black Library this Xmas. Horus Heresy 83: Ferrus Strikes Back.
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Sep 5, 2020 16:46
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Always fun to imagine that Chaos shows Horus a future where everything is pretty much the same in 40k except there is a webway gate connecting Terra to all the Imperial worlds in the galaxy Horus and the traitors all have statues, and Horus is like, "Cool. So what's the problem?"
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Sep 5, 2020 17:07
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The number of demigod primarchs who just take at face value a "vision" some nebulous force shows them is too drat high
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Sep 5, 2020 17:17
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aphid_licker posted:The number of demigod primarchs who just take at face value a "vision" some nebulous force shows them is too drat high Worst thing about Legion, but I suppose Abnett had hit that "oh gently caress gotta wrap this up" point
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Sep 5, 2020 17:47
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MariusLecter posted:Always fun to imagine that Chaos shows Horus a future where everything is pretty much the same in 40k except there is a webway gate connecting Terra to all the Imperial worlds in the galaxy Horus and the traitors all have statues, and Horus is like, "Cool. So what's the problem?" Terra might be less of a poo poo hole, I vaguely remember a snippet that basically said that one of the Emperor's pet projects was restoring the ecology and general function of Earth which got basically out on the back burner during the latter stages of the Crusade/start of the heresey.
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Sep 5, 2020 19:35
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Between Fulgrim/Horus and the skull, and the Iron Hands and his cybernetically revived body, Ferrus has arguably gotten just as much or more screen time as a corpse than he did alive. It's like a hosed up version of the already hosed up Cadaver Synod.
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Sep 5, 2020 20:20
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Wrote up a big ol' review of Horus Heresy 2 for goodreads, here it is if anyone's interested. I gave it 4/5 stars, on par with HH1. If you don't know what this book or series is, for the love of the Emperor do NOT start here, it'll be super confusing. If you do know what the Horus Heresy is... here we go. The book that details Horus' final steps and ultimate betrayal of the Imperium. What started as whispers of corruption in the first book is now loud and out and proud, and the sense of tragedy from the first book has shifted to a kind of triumph, as Horus steps fully into what he is and what he wants. And that's the fatal flaw of this book: I hate to say it, but Graham McNeill is not Dan Abnett, and he cannot write characters with the same deft nuance that Abnett can. Which means that Horus' final fall comes across very strangely, and I've had to wrestle with my interpretation of what happened so it all fits with what came before and what comes after. This complaint stretches to the rest of this book - subtlety is done away with. Loken was a straightforward man before, but now he is Captain Boyscout. Erebus was unnerving before, now he is Evil Incarnate. In some ways this works - the complete devotion of the converts to the religion of the Emperor is written brilliantly. The anger of the marines who have firmly embraced chaos - Abaddon comes to mind. But mostly it's frustrating. ... So why did I give this book four stars, same as the first one? Because Graham McNeill can write chaos and horror better than almost anyone. When he writes Nurgle's victims, when he writes body horror, when he depicts that final fatal duel between Horus and the traitor, it's outstanding. He's in his element with awful things, and for that alone I'm glad he got to write this section. Jubal's transformation in Abnett's Horus Rising was awful, but I shiver to think of how much more awful it would have been in McNeill's hands. Because the grand scene in the temple felt right, like Horus was shown - oddly - the correct shades of truth. He was shown Earth as it was, and Earth as it is. He was shown the Emperor's religion circa 40k, and frankly, that was brilliant. Rich in description, rich in horror. And then he was shown - and this is where truth is impossible to determine - the moment when the infant Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy. This is where my thoughts on Horus finally relax, as I begin to understand this complex man: he has struggled his entire life for the Emperor, for a father who imposed his will and power on him, and then badly misjudged his sons. Horus wants to venerate and respect him, but he is natively jealous, ambitious. He is a man who craves the adoration of others, and here is the ultimate threat to that: the Emperor's eclipsing star. I don't believe everything changed when Horus was placed in that temple and given those visions. I believe he was corrupt before then, and it took the failures of the previous book, the stresses of being the Warmaster, and then finally everything falling into place as he realized who he was and what he wanted. I believe that Horus would and could have turned traitor without the machinations of chaos, simply because of the Emperor's track record with dealing with rivals. But chaos sped things along, Erebus was there, and Loken - the point of view protagonist - is left to spend most of this novel horrified, confused, and angry. He is one space marine trying to hold back an avalanche, and I suspect he will die soon, crushed by the weight of the Heresy. So. As is typical with Graham McNeill's works, it's flawed but a fast read and it nails the horror of the setting. It gets the character writing through - mechanical as it is, it still delivers the right "ah, poo poo" weight to certain moments. Could there have been a better way to open the Heresy? Perhaps, but this is the book we got, and by the Emperor, it's a good one.
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Sep 5, 2020 20:53
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I've been getting back into reading black library again recently, and a friend was curious so I shared some of the usual suspects, however... When I chose a first book to recommend he read it wasn't Abnett or ADB, it wasn't anything good or great, it was Warriors of Ultramar by Graham McNeill.
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Sep 6, 2020 02:13
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What did your friend do to you
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Sep 6, 2020 06:28
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victrix posted:I've been getting back into reading black library again recently, and a friend was curious so I shared some of the usual suspects, however... Pros: will be fast and fun (mostly) with great horror bits Cons: flat characters, boring action Opinion: it's not the worst introduction to 40k but depending on your friend they'll either want more or decide to never read 40k ever again. If I were trying this weird experiment on a friend I'd give them the next book in the series as it shows Graham McNeill at his goriest best.
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Sep 6, 2020 06:57
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Well at least it wasn't Dead Sky, Black Sun.
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Sep 6, 2020 13:22
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Facehammer posted:Well at least it wasn't Dead Sky, Black Sun. Or The Reflection Crack'd.
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Sep 6, 2020 13:29
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victrix posted:I've been getting back into reading black library again recently, and a friend was curious so I shared some of the usual suspects, however...
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Sep 6, 2020 13:44
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Arquinsiel posted:It's a solid bolter porn book to be fair. If friendo doesn't like it then maybe the wider setting just isn't for them. TBH I like the setting but I have zero interest in bolter porn and nonetheless the Library has plenty of stuff for me to enjoy. I've read the Cain books, then Eisenhorn/Ravenor/Pariah, then Requiem Infernal, I'm now finishing the Fabius Bile trilogy, and will probably grab either Bloodlines or Shira Calpurnia afterwards. My least favourite part of every single book so far has been the apparently-mandatory firefights.
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Sep 6, 2020 13:52
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Are there any books that deal with the fact that Astartes are basically child soldiers with all the disturbing implications of that? Spear of the Emperor dealt with it a little as a reason for a character to hate the chapter but not in depth.
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Sep 6, 2020 13:54
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VanSandman posted:Are there any books that deal with the fact that Astartes are basically child soldiers with all the disturbing implications of that? Spear of the Emperor dealt with it a little as a reason for a character to hate the chapter but not in depth.
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Sep 6, 2020 14:04
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VanSandman posted:Are there any books that deal with the fact that Astartes are basically child soldiers with all the disturbing implications of that? Spear of the Emperor dealt with it a little as a reason for a character to hate the chapter but not in depth. I'd say ADB's The Emperor's Gift touches on this with Hyperion, and there's a short story that you could dig up called On Mournful Wings that's older but it's about like 12 year old twins participating in a brutal trial to join a Marine chapter. Not sure what collection it's in but it always stuck with me, it really highlights how hosed up the trials are and the fact that kids are actually dying in them.
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Sep 6, 2020 15:49
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a lovely king posted:I'd say ADB's The Emperor's Gift touches on this with Hyperion, and there's a short story that you could dig up called On Mournful Wings that's older but it's about like 12 year old twins participating in a brutal trial to join a Marine chapter. Not sure what collection it's in but it always stuck with me, it really highlights how hosed up the trials are and the fact that kids are actually dying in them. Doom Eagles, I think.
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Sep 6, 2020 16:11
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VanSandman posted:Are there any books that deal with the fact that Astartes are basically child soldiers with all the disturbing implications of that? Spear of the Emperor dealt with it a little as a reason for a character to hate the chapter but not in depth. The Dante book also covers his pre-Blood Angels years from the beginning of his trek to participate in the selection trials through the entirety of his trials.
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Sep 6, 2020 16:12
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Pyrolocutus posted:Between Fulgrim/Horus and the skull, and the Iron Hands and his cybernetically revived body, Ferrus has arguably gotten just as much or more screen time as a corpse than he did alive. It's like a hosed up version of the already hosed up Cadaver Synod. Weekend at Manus's
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Sep 6, 2020 17:11
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Miguel Prado posted:Has anybody read the original Soul Drinkers by Ben Counter? Any good? I read it ages ago, it was the second 40k book I read (the first book being Grey Knights, as they were my favourite unit in Dawn of War), so my recollections are very vague, but I remember the Main character, a Librarian, at some point grew 8 Arachnid legs and it taking him until the end of the book to realise "Maybe this is a Chaos mutation?" I didn't continue reading the other books after that. kanonvandekempen fucked around with this message at 09:38 on Sep 8, 2020 |
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Sep 8, 2020 08:46
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kanonvandekempen posted:I read it ages ago, it was the second 40k book I read (the first book being Grey Knighs, as they were my favourite unit in Dawn of War), so my recollections are very vague, but I remember the Main character, a Librarian, at some point grow 8 Arachnid legs and it taking him until the end of the book to realise "Maybe this is a Chaos mutation?" I didn't continue reading the other books after that. A GIFT FROM THE EMPEROR! Truly I am the chosen one and Dorn(?) has given us divine providence! -Sarpeedon It's great how one of them loses their hands, sticks gladius swords or something into the stumps and just goes berzerk all the time and this is also nothing to be concerned about either.
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Sep 8, 2020 09:14
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They aren't great books but I am fairly certain there was a greater demon of change and a refugee priest who was actually tzeentch aligned basically loving with his mind the entire time. Edit: Also basically the entire chaplain hierarchy was corrupted by tzeentch if I remember, which would go a long way. Telsa Cola fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Sep 8, 2020 |
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Sep 8, 2020 10:48
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I was rereading the Angron origin book and there was a unit called the Unbroken, because they’d never broken in combat. But like..,that’s every space marine, right? Is there an instance of a space marine unit running away in the fluff?
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Sep 8, 2020 19:29
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Space Marines retreat all the time for all sorts of reasons, such as being unable to hold a position. They don't break from cowardice however. It sounds like the Unbroken never retreat at the cost of high casualties.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:33
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The Night Lords come to mind.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:33
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Azubah posted:The Night Lords come to mind. The Lost and the Damned by Guy Haley posted:Panic gripped Skraivok’s gut. The blade was heavy. It would not respond as it had. Where before it accentuated his skills, lending him greater speed and strength, now it did nothing. Raldoron pressed his attack, battering at Skraivok with a flurry of blows that he could barely deflect.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:37
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von Metternich posted:I was rereading the Angron origin book and there was a unit called the Unbroken, because they’d never broken in combat. But like..,that’s every space marine, right? Is there an instance of a space marine unit running away in the fluff? They retreat when necessary and they probably lose faith in winning hard fights all the time. They might just not do the followup and leg it to save their own skin like a normal person.
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Sep 8, 2020 19:40
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I think it was in Dawn of War 1 with the Force Commander who had the morale broken line: "Initiate a tactical withrawal!"
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Sep 8, 2020 19:50
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In the Let The Galaxy Burn story collection theres a short story about Black Templars fighting a khornate hoard and one of them pitches an absolute fit when ordered to fall back, to the point the CO says if he opens his mouth again hes going to be basically damnatio memorioed. They fall back after basically doing harrassing attacks and right before the hoard reaches their line infighting breaks out and the hoard basically kills itself. They mop up and the CO goes "This is why I am in charge"
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Sep 8, 2020 20:00
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I remember that story. It's really good and explained the old 3rd ed Black Templar chapter traits really well.
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Sep 8, 2020 20:02
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No Good Men arrives on Friday, Guy Haley's Flesh and Steel drops in October. E: Is the Ogryn voicework in that audio drama good? Is the Ratling inexplicably Irish? 
Schadenboner fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Sep 8, 2020 |
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Sep 8, 2020 20:07
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Schadenboner posted:No Good Men arrives on Friday, Guy Haley's Flesh and Steel drops in October. You've been a one person army convincing me to check out Warhammer Crime and I'm VERY close to pulling the trigger drat you
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Sep 8, 2020 22:16
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Don't do it and spend that money on that $200 Cadian action figure
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Sep 8, 2020 22:24
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Telsa Cola posted:Don't do it and spend that money on that $200 Cadian action figure If I'm going to spend 200$ on an action figure it's going to be a Transformer, maybe a Devastator or ghost Starscream.
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Sep 8, 2020 22:29
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Schadenboner posted:Is the Ogryn voicework in that audio drama good? Is the Ratling inexplicably Irish? I loved the Ogryn voice work. Its by a lovely comedian called Paul Putner. Older britgoons might remember: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt66zTLUh8A
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Sep 8, 2020 22:35
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Uh, No Good Men has been out for over a week. I posted about it earlier. It is extremely good. It has a story about the Bloodlines probator as well as several others and every one is great.
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Sep 8, 2020 22:57
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Arquinsiel posted:I remember that story. It's really good and explained the old 3rd ed Black Templar chapter traits really well. Hell yeah, that story kicked rear end. The best way to kill a mob of khorne worshippers: deprive them of blood and skulls until they all murder each other.
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Sep 8, 2020 23:04
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Anyone have a recommended reading list of Abnett's 40k but non-HH work? I've read Haunt's Ghosts and the Eisenhorn/Ravenor stuff, and I'm not sure where to go next. I just really like his style of "good and compelling novels that happen to take place in the 40k universe".
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Sep 9, 2020 03:35
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