Post by pogysnacks on Aug 27, 2012 3:13:13 GMT -5
The latest Horus Heresy novel follows the Blood Angels Chapter with solid character development, a hefty dose of behind the scenes chaos treachery done from the word bearers point of view, and a healthy expansion on the events in the Signus system leading up to the climatic, and rather cinematic, battle for Signus Prime...yes of course the meaty bit everyone wanted: the initial battles between Sanguinius and Ka'bahnda ...with a smattering of other demons including a very pitiful keeper of secrets that gets trolled by a word bearer and Ka'bahnda (i hate slaahnesh too, Blood for the Blood God!!)
The novel is a little bit all over the place as it delves into the Blood Angels genetic flaw, Horus and Sanguinius's relationship, and the Seeds of Horus's bitterness towards the Emperor, as well as his apparent jealousy towards Sanguinius.
James Swallow does a hell of a job with this one, although its not as powerful a read as Know No Fear, or as well written as A Thousand Sons, i would have to rate it as the 3rd best in the Heresy series. Bold statement yes, but the varied character personalities, and the portrayal of Sanguinius leave this novel as an emotionally driven epic tale. The human emotion displayed by the Primarch in contrast to his unrelenting fury is utterly flawless. You get a human feel from the super soldier aspect we all love, as well as the power of the human spirit in the face of hopelessness, and sheer terror..obviously the humans (normal ones) die, minus 1, but the point that the space marines show value in the average human life to a degree not scene very much in the 40k universe is actually quite refreshing. The blood angels show a human side in their weakness and doubt, as well as in their sorrow and resolve, something that the every day reader can relate with.
We also see the aftermath of what the effects of the Council of Nikea had on the Blood Angels and their soldiers, and their reactions to those who have disobeyed the edict, as well as their sorrow in learning of the fate of the Thousand Sons.
As i touched on earlier we see through verbal exchanges touched on in this novel after the Ullanor campaign the seeds of Horus's doubt in the big E.
For those that dislike james swallow, don't pass up this novel as it is entertaining from beginning to end, Meros, Raldoron and Kano are all awesome characters, and their unknown fates provide a nice level of tension to the story, and of course Sanguinius, even though his fate is widely known is even further cemented as a serious steamroller-full-of-wrath-badass-ass-kicking-machine...
seriously pick this one up
The novel is a little bit all over the place as it delves into the Blood Angels genetic flaw, Horus and Sanguinius's relationship, and the Seeds of Horus's bitterness towards the Emperor, as well as his apparent jealousy towards Sanguinius.
James Swallow does a hell of a job with this one, although its not as powerful a read as Know No Fear, or as well written as A Thousand Sons, i would have to rate it as the 3rd best in the Heresy series. Bold statement yes, but the varied character personalities, and the portrayal of Sanguinius leave this novel as an emotionally driven epic tale. The human emotion displayed by the Primarch in contrast to his unrelenting fury is utterly flawless. You get a human feel from the super soldier aspect we all love, as well as the power of the human spirit in the face of hopelessness, and sheer terror..obviously the humans (normal ones) die, minus 1, but the point that the space marines show value in the average human life to a degree not scene very much in the 40k universe is actually quite refreshing. The blood angels show a human side in their weakness and doubt, as well as in their sorrow and resolve, something that the every day reader can relate with.
We also see the aftermath of what the effects of the Council of Nikea had on the Blood Angels and their soldiers, and their reactions to those who have disobeyed the edict, as well as their sorrow in learning of the fate of the Thousand Sons.
As i touched on earlier we see through verbal exchanges touched on in this novel after the Ullanor campaign the seeds of Horus's doubt in the big E.
For those that dislike james swallow, don't pass up this novel as it is entertaining from beginning to end, Meros, Raldoron and Kano are all awesome characters, and their unknown fates provide a nice level of tension to the story, and of course Sanguinius, even though his fate is widely known is even further cemented as a serious steamroller-full-of-wrath-badass-ass-kicking-machine...
seriously pick this one up