Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm reading the Dawn of War book of Goto. I've read that he's one of the worst writers of the BL but since I had the book anyway, I decided to read it.

I'm a bit shocked. Blood Ravens are perhaps one of the worst chapters I've ever read of. They seem to have a lot of psykers in their ranks (non sanctioned nor controlled) and as it seems there are no controls over Captains... plus, they seem to be stupid, since a group of Explorers do not fall back when they find a squad of Alpha Legion waiting for them.

How come that there are so many psykers and semi-psykers among their ranks ? I know that this one is made by THQ and that Goto is not good, but nontheless now they are part of the 40k universe and I'd like to hear something from you all and what you think about them.

For me they are good for extermination.

they are apparently the remainders of the loyalist thousand sons (or there stooopid cousins yaal!)

Relic created them, not THQ, and Goto is a terrible writer whose work shouldn't be considered canon.

Seriously, don't read Goto's books. They're about as far from 40k canon as you can go without reading 'Peter Pan'.

Horrible book, but I found it interesting that they made Father Jonas Urelie a Blood Raven. Supposely he's the one that woke up the Necrons on Rathe's Paradise. There's a VOX transmission on page 5 of the Necron Codex that talks about Urelie's

The biggest problem I see with the Blood Ravens is how much they "work" with Xenos... Makes me SICK! lol

Funny thing with Blood Ravens is that you play through the entire campaign in DoW2... without ever fielding a librarian.

Kveldulv wrote:Funny thing with Blood Ravens is that you play through the entire campaign in DoW2... without ever fielding a librarian.

Ah, GW and their precious IP...

I blame Alan Merritt.

I don't think he does a good job keeping track of all the things he's supposed to be keeping track of...

What the hell good would a Librarian do against a Tyranid Hive Fleet?

I mean isn't there that whole "Shadow in the Warp" thing?

I am reading the Omnibus for Dawn of War right now, and am just about on book three, I can tell you while yes the writing is no grand work of art, you also have to examine the context, he's writing a book based on a computer game based on a table top war game...... how good a book could you have written?? (just curios, no special dig on you) The second book is actually MUCH better than the first, because it focus's on the Eldar and the Blood Ravens.
I really like the Blood Ravens fluff, as far as canon goes, I like it! If GW approves then it should be good enough for everyone else. The books also say that they have a lot of pysker potential as well as regulated approved Librarians. And even in the book Captain Angelos is being investigated for having "unsanctioned" visions.
The Idea of a chapter that can field combat squads of Librarians makes me smile! I love it.
As it stands there are MANY chapters that for one reason or another should be investigated. Lets start with a few of the "Main" Space Marine Legions, Space Wolves = genetic deviance, Codex deviation, Dark Angels = Half the chapter went traitor, codex deviation. Blood Angels = genetic deviation, (and lets not get into BA succesor chapters). Iron Hands = obsessed with weeding out their biological parts. (more machine now than man).
There are plenty chapters that get right up to that line of heretic and traitor.

Blood Ravens fluff--good.
C.S. Goto(ANY of his pieces, not "just" Dawn of War. I fething DARE you to read Warrior Brood)--so fething terrible he makes Stephanie Meyer look like Homer("The Illiad" Homer, not D'oh! Homer).

Kanluwen wrote:Blood Ravens fluff--good.
C.S. Goto(ANY of his pieces, not "just" Dawn of War. I fething DARE you to read Warrior Brood)--so fething terrible he makes Stephanie Meyer look like Homer("The Illiad" Homer, not D'oh! Homer).

i really am enjoying the Blood Ravens fluffy goodness in the books. I just got done reading "The Dark Tower" series (all seven books) b Stephen King, and i needed something a little farther down on the reading level chart, so i might be enjoying Goto more than i should i guess lol.

Two words. Multi lazors.

Nuff said.

If you want real fluff on the Blood Ravens, read the Lexicanum. C.S. Goto... I think Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight' books are actually more fluffy towards vampires than Goto's books are to Space Marines and all the 40k universe.

NUFF SAID!

I agree with hcordes in the consept that Blood Angels fluff is very cool, but C.S. Goto, has some of the worst work as far as literature goes and back fluff, but this is coming from some one who thinks that Librarians should have more fluff anyway, but C.S. Goto is a red flag, stay away from it.

Librarians have plenty of fluff, what exactly are you talking about?

My own 2 cents on Goto: You simply CANNOT swap a razorback and landraider in the middle of a scene with a terminator riding with a young potential recruit... a Razorback is NOT another name for a Land Raider.


So yeah... stick to what GW gives us on the blood ravens, not that nut job Goto.

Ensis Ferrae wrote:My own 2 cents on Goto: You simply CANNOT swap a razorback and landraider in the middle of a scene with a terminator riding with a young potential recruit... a Razorback is NOT another name for a Land Raider.


So yeah... stick to what GW gives us on the blood ravens, not that nut job Goto.

Goto's work DID get approved by GW. So there you go. while he most certainly isn't the best, his work got the "ok" from GW and the BL.

I actually like the Dawn of War Omnibus....... I found it very intriguing.

hcordes wrote:

Ensis Ferrae wrote:My own 2 cents on Goto: You simply CANNOT swap a razorback and landraider in the middle of a scene with a terminator riding with a young potential recruit... a Razorback is NOT another name for a Land Raider.


So yeah... stick to what GW gives us on the blood ravens, not that nut job Goto.

Goto's work DID get approved by GW. So there you go. while he most certainly isn't the best, his work got the "ok" from GW and the BL.

And his work is why they've reevaluated their stance on open submissions and have gone through weeding out the terribad authors.

Kanluwen wrote:

hcordes wrote:

Ensis Ferrae wrote:My own 2 cents on Goto: You simply CANNOT swap a razorback and landraider in the middle of a scene with a terminator riding with a young potential recruit... a Razorback is NOT another name for a Land Raider.


So yeah... stick to what GW gives us on the blood ravens, not that nut job Goto.

Goto's work DID get approved by GW. So there you go. while he most certainly isn't the best, his work got the "ok" from GW and the BL.

And his work is why they've reevaluated their stance on open submissions and have gone through weeding out the terribad authors.

which is all fine and good, cept someone somewhere ASKED him to novelize "Dawn of War", he was given a small window in which to write his FIRST novel. if you have the book go ahead a read the authors notes at the begining. Not saying it justifies calling a sub-par novel better than it really is, but keep in mind it was is first novel, he got asked to write it in a very short amount of time. He also had to try and be true to the RTS and the 40k universe at the same time.

It was not his first "writing". He wrote for Inferno prior.

And there's no excuse for just how fething terrible his books are, period. Warrior Brood is a prime example, as are the Dawn of War novels.

Oh, and Eldar Prophecy.

Oh, and Eldar Prophecy.

Even the name is uninspired....

Never read the GotoHereticalFluffMan's books.

But I do think the Blood Ravens are a cool chapter.

I bought Eldar Prophecy, and I never nerd-raged so much in my life, let me tell you.

I read Eldar prophecy as my fist 40k book and i almost stoped playing warhammer all together, thank god for dan abnett!

If a book makes you want to stop playing, I don't know what to tell you.
Honestly.

if a band makes a bad album, i get not being so into the band, but does that mean to have to stop listening to music?

Why do GW and the BL let goto even continue to write in the first place???

tigonesskay wrote:Why do GW and the BL let goto even continue to write in the first place???

contractual obligations, plus i think despite all the nay-saying "Dawn of War" actually sold relatively well for a first novel.... so if he makes them money in some form....

well seems we got a bit far off from the topic guys. I wanted to have your impressions on the Blood Ravens chapter (wich many of you did indeed) and not on Goto's writer capacity nor anything else. But thanks anyway guys

I've read before the saga of Ragnar so I have quiet an idea of what a "good" (?) book for WH40k should be... at least an intresting one.

It is true that there are a lot of chapters that are heretical or should require a complete check from the Inquisition... but the truth is that none of these are dangerous as potential librarians that are not protected against the perils of the warp.

Practicaly they can attract Tyranids, Chaos and whatever anywhere in the galaxy... this is a pretty bad thing. And I don't think that they are the remnants of the Thousand Sons loyalists since I read somewhere that they come from the Ultramarines chapter (and not as I've always thought, from the Blood Angels).

KOS wrote:well seems we got a bit far off from the topic guys. I wanted to have your impressions on the Blood Ravens chapter (wich many of you did indeed) and not on Goto's writer capacity nor anything else. But thanks anyway guys

I've read before the saga of Ragnar so I have quiet an idea of what a "good" (?) book for WH40k should be... at least an intresting one.

It is true that there are a lot of chapters that are heretical or should require a complete check from the Inquisition... but the truth is that none of these are dangerous as potential librarians that are not protected against the perils of the warp.

Practicaly they can attract Tyranids, Chaos and whatever anywhere in the galaxy... this is a pretty bad thing. And I don't think that they are the remnants of the Thousand Sons loyalists since I read somewhere that they come from the Ultramarines chapter (and not as I've always thought, from the Blood Angels).

Everything i've read at least recently has been that they have unknown origins. I like that there is a chapter that specializes in Librarians. They have chapters that specialize in just about everything else (blood angels = assault, Imperial Fists = defensive formations, etc) I'd love to see some sort of special rules for the Blood Ravens, cheap Librarians, squads of librarians, librarians as upgrades to squad leaders, would be super awesome! It makes me want to start a small army with like twenty different librarian models to choose from lol

Well it would be interesting, but they'd need some drawbacks.