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Personally I like Pre-Heresy SW better, it may just be writing styles but if you read books like Prospero burns and compare it to any of the books from the Space Wolf series the Pre-Heresy SW seem more serious, gritty and grim. To me they suit the grimdark nature of 40k better and it's almost like the Post-Heresy SW have lightened up.

I'm current;y reading prospero burns, and their is alot of nordic iconography and I really like that. I also like that they really don't like being refered to as space wolves.

I had a couple hours to kill today so I read Prospero Burns in B&N today and it's making me want to turn my SW into pre-heresy I especially like how they referance an actual historical figure in the rememberancers name which is also the character that Antonio Banderas played in the 13th Warrior.

It's funny, but what you describe (about how the nature of the SW has been written) is actually a reversal of the core concepts, or atmosphere, of the 40k and 30k universes respectively.

The time during the great crusade (at least at the beginning) was one of great hope, of humanity wiping out anything that dared to stand up to it with the might of its legions, and the Imperium being carved out in a not much more than 2 centuries. I think this change in 'spirit' between 30k and 40k is why so many find the former attractive, aside from all the modelling and painting differences, it represents a completely different outlook. A time when humanity really had a shot at greatness, and of bringing the universe to heel, before it all went pear-shaped and we began the slow and painful slide to destruction!

So I think the differences are more to do with the authors who wrote the books, and also to do with the development of the concept of the Space Wolves. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the new 'Battle for the Fang' continued along the path laid out by Dan Abnett, and there was a whole lot less cheerful belching in beer halls, and far more gritty realism. Not that I disliked the Will King books (they were well written, and perhaps most importantly enjoyable to read) but I think Abnett has given the whole SW concept a kick up the backside.

I like pre-heresy SW better...
They seem so much more... well more.

Actually, I like post-heresy better. Although Prospero Burns is a great novel and does really well to encourage people to actually respect the Space Wolves, the whole reason I love the Space Wolves so much is that they stand up to the Imperium and it's oppressiveness. In the Grim darkness of the far future, the Space Wolves stand out as heroes to me. Actually, they're anti-heroes. They don't do the job in the best looking manner and they're not the most popular guys around, not least with Terra who try and fail to control them, but they have a highly successful combat history and stand up for the often forgotten innocent civilian.

That's what I love about the modern Space Wolves is their heroic nature. They have a bad reputation, they like to enjoy themselves but above all they're still noble, decent men that stand up for those who cannot protect themselves. There's no denying it, in 40K the average human has a pretty damn bad way of life, but at least the Space Wolves serve to protect them rather than their own goals. They don't have any ulterior motives like some Chapters (eg. Dark Angels), they just try to protect humanity and serve the big E. The High Lords are commonly callous bastards and the Space Wolves don't serve them, they serve the Emperor.

That's what I love so much about the Space Wolves. Add to that their almost unparrelled ability in war and they're my favourite chapter. Pre-heresy I found them to be less noble and more of a 'instrument' of war. Whilst Space Marines should be like this and I still like the pre-heresy SW's. However, the difference is they could afford to near-blindly follow the Emperor because he had humanities best intentions at heart. The High Lords however are much more greedy and prone to abusing their power IMHO.

I typically try to avoid commenting in threads dedicated to the SW's as they always dissolve in to mindless hatred in one form or another, but I like this question and it's why I started playing with the SW's in the first place.

+1
Post heresy for me. While i haven't read propero burns, from what i've seen i like the post heresy a lot more. As just dave said, they're the closest to the good guys we have. During/before the heresy they were like all the other chapters: instruments of war. The Emperor's hairy fist, and proud of their barbarism. afterwards... they had to think for themselves and did. The ultramarines told them they had to break up their Legion into chapters... so they did. and it changed nothing. They live hard, play hard, and protect their charges.