[QuickTidal]

T77, on 15 September 2016 - 02:45 PM, said:

I just finished the first three Horus Hersey books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm about halfway into The Flight of Eisenstein and I'm really liking it so far. It continues the story line.

I've got FLIGHT, and FULGRIM in my ToRead pile as well. Loving this series!

[Garak]

It is a good series. Some books can be skipped (Nemesis, Outcast Dead, Damnation of Phythos, Battle for the Abyss are the ones I avoided) but I love the series. Plus, they've taken most of the audio stories, eshorts and novellas and put them into anthologies, which is pretty good (the anthologies are worth it btw). On and the be aware that some books won't be what you expect, ex: everyone though Descent of Angels will show us the Dark Angels during the Heresy but instead it shows them during the Great Crusade (this actually sets up stuff that will become relevant later on).

[T77]

QuickTidal, on 15 September 2016 - 04:18 PM, said:

T77, on 15 September 2016 - 02:45 PM, said:

I just finished the first three Horus Hersey books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm about halfway into The Flight of Eisenstein and I'm really liking it so far. It continues the story line.

I've got FLIGHT, and FULGRIM in my ToRead pile as well. Loving this series!

Me too! I am more into fantasy than SciFi, but this is as good as any fantasy I've read, although there are fantasy and horror elements in this series. Eisenstein is getting even better as I progress.

[QuickTidal]

T77, on 16 September 2016 - 01:37 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 15 September 2016 - 04:18 PM, said:

T77, on 15 September 2016 - 02:45 PM, said:

I just finished the first three Horus Hersey books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm about halfway into The Flight of Eisenstein and I'm really liking it so far. It continues the story line.

I've got FLIGHT, and FULGRIM in my ToRead pile as well. Loving this series!

Me too! I am more into fantasy than SciFi, but this is as good as any fantasy I've read, although there are fantasy and horror elements in this series. Eisenstein is getting even better as I progress.

Yeah, I'm a bigger fantasy guy than sic-fi...but this rides that line and leans more into fantasy so I'm totally into it. It's a sweet hybrid.

[QuickTidal]

GALAXY IN FLAMES by Ben Counter starts decently enough and the first part of the 3-part book was as good story wise as the previous volumes were...but Parts 2 and especially the messy Part 3 dropped my enjoyment quite a bit.

It really feels like this should/could have been a 150page book/novella as Counter pushes a small amount of information out to fluff up the book length. So little actually happens and happens so slowly that I keep thinking "Jeebus, get to the point."

Spoiler

Things that happen in Parts 2 & 3 of the book: Heresy revealed/found out by some people. So we know that the betrayal is coming, but it's mingled with the Astartes on-world purposely spread apart and trying to get back together AND fight the enemy while Saul encounters unending troubles trying to warn everyone. I mean, sure? It just felt so padded. Some of the late game turns to Heresy (Lucius, and Aruken) come off as plot points rather than organic. Aruken especially spent almost half the last book coming round to the loyalist thinking...only to turn at the last second and kill Cassar? Meh. The third act is a huge mess, with the only thing mattering that Tarvitz and Co. give the Eisenstien the chance to escape, and Loken and Torgaddon fighting their mournival brothers. Torgaddon dying is (I guess) expected...but still sucks...Loken's supposed death (since it didn't occur I'm willing to bet he's alive) felt a bit hackneyed.

It just felt like what should have been wrapped up quickly was not. And it felt like both Loken and Torgaddon KNOW some hinky shit is about to go down before the deployment to Isstvan III, but they pointedly ignore it because "Some battle will make us feel better"....I mean WOT?

Oh and Horus's plans are the same throughout the book. Virus Bombs strike from orbit. Then Orbital strike. Followed by Orbital firebombing. Okay, we get it, you have to stay back from the fighting....but jeezus Counter, come up with another way for him to attack.

Now, this doesn't sour me on Counter as a writer...but it's probably pretty telling that he only wrote one other book for the Horus series. He had big boots to fill from Abnett and McNeill...and sadly he doesn't fill them....he just kind of plods them along.


I liked the ending of the initial trilogy...but I feel like it could have been MUCH shorter and still hit all the major points.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 21 September 2016 - 11:43 AM

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 21 September 2016 - 11:41 AM, said:

GALAXY IN FLAMES by Ben Counter starts decently enough and the first part of the 3-part book was as good story wise as the previous volumes were...but Parts 2 and especially the messy Part 3 dropped my enjoyment quite a bit.

It really feels like this should/could have been a 150page book/novella as Counter pushes a small amount of information out to fluff up the book length. So little actually happens and happens so slowly that I keep thinking "Jeebus, get to the point."

Spoiler

Things that happen in Parts 2 & 3 of the book: Heresy revealed/found out by some people. So we know that the betrayal is coming, but it's mingled with the Astartes on-world purposely spread apart and trying to get back together AND fight the enemy while Saul encounters unending troubles trying to warn everyone. I mean, sure? It just felt so padded. Some of the late game turns to Heresy (Lucius, and Aruken) come off as plot points rather than organic. Aruken especially spent almost half the last book coming round to the loyalist thinking...only to turn at the last second and kill Cassar? Meh. The third act is a huge mess, with the only thing mattering that Tarvitz and Co. give the Eisenstien the chance to escape, and Loken and Torgaddon fighting their mournival brothers. Torgaddon dying is (I guess) expected...but still sucks...Loken's supposed death (since it didn't occur I'm willing to bet he's alive) felt a bit hackneyed.

It just felt like what should have been wrapped up quickly was not. And it felt like both Loken and Torgaddon KNOW some hinky shit is about to go down before the deployment to Isstvan III, but they pointedly ignore it because "Some battle will make us feel better"....I mean WOT?

Oh and Horus's plans are the same throughout the book. Virus Bombs strike from orbit. Then Orbital strike. Followed by Orbital firebombing. Okay, we get it, you have to stay back from the fighting....but jeezus Counter, come up with another way for him to attack.

Now, this doesn't sour me on Counter as a writer...but it's probably pretty telling that he only wrote one other book for the Horus series. He had big boots to fill from Abnett and McNeill...and sadly he doesn't fill them....he just kind of plods them along.


I liked the ending of the initial trilogy...but I feel like it could have been MUCH shorter and still hit all the major points.

Been a while since I read these QT, but I believe Flight of the Eisenstein is up next. That one is quite creepy. Plus there should now be books on the Wordbearers and the Emperor's Children, both of which were good.

Your read is bringing back memories. Someday I have to finish this series

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 21 September 2016 - 11:54 AM, said:

Been a while since I read these QT, but I believe Flight of the Eisenstein is up next. That one is quite creepy. Plus there should now be books on the Wordbearers and the Emperor's Children, both of which were good.

Your read is bringing back memories. Someday I have to finish this series

Yup, that's the one I've got next in the ToRead pile from the series. It will be cool to see the people who got aboard the Eisenstein and possibly Terra?

[T77]

Continuing on with the Horus Heresy. Finished Fulgrim and thought it was great. About a third of the way into Descent of Angels and really liking it so far. Fantastic series so far!

[Morgoth]

So, if I wanted to read, say 3 W40K books, and consider that I was an active player back in the day, what would you recommend?

[polle]

Morgoth, on 13 December 2016 - 08:22 AM, said:

So, if I wanted to read, say 3 W40K books, and consider that I was an active player back in the day, what would you recommend?

The first few that come to mind are the Space Wolf novels (at least those written by William King). I have fond memories of those as they were one of the first novels I read set in the 40K universe.

Aaron Dembski-Bowden's Night Lords novels (Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver, Void Stalker) are also excellent in my opnion.

Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn Trilogy is also a classic.

[QuickTidal]

Morgoth, on 13 December 2016 - 08:22 AM, said:

So, if I wanted to read, say 3 W40K books, and consider that I was an active player back in the day, what would you recommend?

I'd recommend Dan Abnett's initial Gaunt's Ghosts books (FIRST & ONLY, GHOSTMAKER, NECROPOLIS), which were my entry into the series way back when, and they contain JUST enough elements of the entire WH40K universe to give you a solid taste of everything. You get mostly Imperial Guardsmen (the Ghost books are about a specific regiment), but also some Inquisition, some Space Marines, some xenos, and the various other Adeptus chapters.

If you are into Space Marines mostly, go for anything by Graham Macneill.

If you are into Inquistion stuff, go for Abnett's EISENHORN trilogy.

And Amph usually recommends The CIAPHAS CAIN series for a kind of FLASHMAN-style set of stores with a brash captain who falls ass backwards into victories.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 13 December 2016 - 01:34 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 13 December 2016 - 08:22 AM, said:

So, if I wanted to read, say 3 W40K books, and consider that I was an active player back in the day, what would you recommend?

I'd recommend Dan Abnett's initial Gaunt's Ghosts books (FIRST & ONLY, GHOSTMAKER, NECROPOLIS), which were my entry into the series way back when, and they contain JUST enough elements of the entire WH40K universe to give you a solid taste of everything. You get mostly Imperial Guardsmen (the Ghost books are about a specific regiment), but also some Inquisition, some Space Marines, some xenos, and the various other Adeptus chapters.

If you are into Space Marines mostly, go for anything by Graham Macneill.

If you are into Inquistion stuff, go for Abnett's EISENHORN trilogy.

And Amph usually recommends The CIAPHAS CAIN series for a kind of FLASHMAN-style set of stores with a brash captain who falls ass backwards into victories.

I highly recommend the Ciaphas Cain books. Gaunt's Ghosts are great if you want grim combat, tactics and politics. But the Cain books are the only WH40K books which are humourous, sarcastic and snarky.

[Macros]

I'll second QT on gaunts ghosts

They're the only 40k I've read,but they were ace.

Black company in space

[Macros]

Will be picking up on my Gaunts ghosts this week (had stopped at sabat martyr for some reason)
Quick question regarding something that was rolling around in my head at the time of reading it ( please forgive my lack of recalling names)

Spoiler

The squad leader? For verunhive? That was getting the messages in his pocket, prescient notes. Was that a chaos action or are people just so fucking paranoid that anything paranormal is regarding as chaos and so must be expunged? Surely the emperor of man and the saints are paranormal, how did the know the notes weren't from the emperor of man somehow? Or is it a deliberate fear hyped by the emperor's minions to feed the black ships with the bodies he needs to stay functioning?

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 17 January 2018 - 10:14 AM, said:

Will be picking up on my Gaunts ghosts this week (had stopped at sabat martyr for some reason)
Quick question regarding something that was rolling around in my head at the time of reading it ( please forgive my lack of recalling names)

Spoiler

The squad leader? For verunhive? That was getting the messages in his pocket, prescient notes. Was that a chaos action or are people just so fucking paranoid that anything paranormal is regarding as chaos and so must be expunged? Surely the emperor of man and the saints are paranormal, how did the know the notes weren't from the emperor of man somehow? Or is it a deliberate fear hyped by the emperor's minions to feed the black ships with the bodies he needs to stay functioning?

Spoiler

I THINK you either mean Gol Kolea, or Ban Daur. But it's more likely Kolea. It's hard to recall that far back, but Gol has been the one getting weird things telegraphed to him over the course of the books...and to answer your question, I think it really is Chaos and not paranoia. And the more the b books go on the more insidious you realize that Chaos actually is and they really DO have to jump at every instance of possible taint.

[Macros]

Spoiler

i think it was Kolea.too long ago to remember exactly. he gets dragged off to the black ships at the end of Martyr. A
nd i just remember thinking it would be something typically dark, hypocritical and twisted in the 40K universe, I mean the Imperium of man is basically a pastiche of every empire and tyrannical leadership system ever experienced in earths history mashed into one gigantic horrid mess. The only difference is an actual real external threat in Chaos. But the emperors need for minor physkers (iirc) is great so fueling such a witch hunt would be expedient for him. After all, all the notes Kolea got were beneficial to the Ghosts, The Martyr and the Imperiums struggle against chaos in general. But then I suppose the lure of chaos is always portrayed as a slippery slope, maybe that's how it gets you

This post has been edited by Macros: 17 January 2018 - 09:35 PM

[Macros]

Agun Soric is the guy I was thinking of

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 18 January 2018 - 07:22 PM, said:

Agun Soric is the guy I was thinking of

Oooooohhhhh. I'd forgotten about him.

Yeah, I think that was just witchcraft/Psyker stuff...and not directly Chaos-related...

[Macros]

Figured it wasn't chaos so was he really taken to feed the emperor then, but its the fear of chaos that the black ships can use as a reason to lift minor talents. I mean, there are high level psykers running around that are well respected aren't there?

[Macros]

Finished Traitor General and rolled straight in Last Command.

Traitor General was full on action but Last Command was just non stop.
And in the female head commissar we have a new umbridge level of horrid character to hate on.

Love the change in Rawne too