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Does anyone know if there's a 40k novel that is solely about, or has a good portion? Life on a starship inthe 41st Milner? Maybe a tale about an admiral and his slow downward spiral into chaos. Space combat is all well and good but I'd love a bit more than just space pew pew pew.

If not then a book that has alto of involvement with navy soldiers ( soldiers? Sailors? Or just staff?) and fleet life?

Oh, crap. I can't remember the name of it, but the main character was a ship captain and they fight a Nurgle ship called the Contagion. It was very excellent.

 MWHistorian wrote:
Oh, crap. I can't remember the name of it, but the main character was a ship captain and they fight a Nurgle ship called the Contagion. It was very excellent.

That sounds like what I'm after!!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Was it called execution hour?

Read:
Execution Hour (Gordon Rennie)
Shadowpoint (sequel to execution hour)
Relentless (Anthony Reynolds)

Apparently the HH novel Crimson Fist is mostly about space marine ship combat, but I have not heard that it is good.

For some reason, I threw away my copy of Shadowpoint in disgust, but it is really immensely better than anything (other than Dan Abnett) published lately.

Relentless! I've been trying to think of the name to post here.

The HH novel Battle of the Abyss is also about ship combat. but it gets panned a lot. still worth looking into if your casting your net wide

The Gav Thorpe novel Farseer is about a rogue trader and spends a significant amount of time on his ship, too.

The Horus Heresy book Scars by Chris Wraight. It's quite well written too, unlike Battle of the Abyss.

It's set almost entirely in the void and you get to see how 3 different Space Marine legions approach void combat very differently in 2-3 large battles and a skirmish or two. Includes boarding actions, Primarchs, and things that haven't been explored in depth in fluff before.

Its also not a confusing entry into the HH franchise like some books as the main subject matter other than the HH setting is entirely fresh.

Battle for the abyss is terrible, but Mark of Calth has a good deal of void action and is really very good.

In 40k, Relentless is good, and if you're looking at how start ships function rather than void combat, then Legacy by Matthew Farrer is very interesting...

I forgot to follow this up.

I bought both execution hour and shadow point.

Execution hour I absolutely loved. It gets straight to the action but it's not too grimdark it's got a fairly small caste of characters but it suits me well. A couple of them are really memorable characters and you pray to the emperor they survive ( or get killed) This really was just a joy to read. One of the best books I have read in ages. 5/5 skulls

The sequal, Shadowpoint is a bit...meh. The problem was the elder. The elder parts of the story ( which are fairly important to the plot) just bored the he'll out of me. Some of it was good though. Naval captains from the previous book. Old crew ( not many new characters though...not such a bad thing really) but not nearly as exciting as execution hour 3/5 skulls.

I was in waterstones today looking for a new read and almost picked up a heresy novel but wasn't sure if there is a specific order I need to read them in. So I picked up a book at random "The death of antagonist" by David Annandale. Was a totally random pickup so interested to see what it's like. I want to read some of the hh novels but there's so many!

Cadian Blood was a good story with a small bit of space action, including the almost deathknell of a Nurgle capital ship.

Eye of Terror has a reasonable amount of space based japery. Some ship to ship and fleet combat, but it is not key to the book. Mostly about struggling to work as a trader on the edge of the imperium and beyond.

Short story Battle of Phall was all good void combat.

The Night Lords Omnibus has quite a few starship battles in it, even one where they steal a ship from Huron and fight his fleet. Amazing read.

i must be the only one who liked Battle for the Abyss...

Know No Fear has some good space battle action, plus you can't really go wrong with Dan Abnett...
i also enjoyed Huron in action in The Gildar Rift...

the Rogue Trader series from Andy Hoare was good...
Rogue Star, Star of Damocles, and Savage Scars...
lots of Tau space action...

there is plenty to choose from...

cheers
jah

Double Eagle is more fighters, but I really enjoyed it.

Wow this is my thread! Thanks to the OP and previous posters. My contribution: Ravenor by Dan Abnett does deal with the works of a handful of rogue trader vessels, although I think Mr. Abnett has a different definition of Rogue Trader than the bulk of other written material. The Eisenhorn trilogy also touches on space travel although only in mostly incidental ways, and the explanation of a certain rogue trader is frankly daft.

I'd just like to add that 'Priests of Mars' takes place entirely on board an Adeptus Mechanicus ship. Goes into a lot of detail about the miserable life of slaves, the maintenance of ships, shenanigans that occur on board between the different classes and departments of the Imperium (Ad-Mech fighter duels a Space Marine, as the IG soldiers watch on and place bets, cheer, etc), it's also laced with military and political intrigue, etc. Some decent battles with Eldar ships as well.

 novaspike wrote:
Double Eagle is more fighters, but I really enjoyed it.

I heard that was a good novel, haven't had a chance to read it yet.

 minigun762 wrote:

 novaspike wrote:
Double Eagle is more fighters, but I really enjoyed it.

I heard that was a good novel, haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Double Eagle is great.

There's a... Entirely or maybe mostly? imperial battleship bound novel about life in the innards of the ship and crawling around in the heat exhaust vents and cooling systems and what happens when the Geller field fails and how the gangs are organized. It also included the battleship going to war and what being a gunner was like. I think the main character was a political prisoner. Someone pompous and important that got too big for his britches and they just chain him up, throw him into the "machine" and he disappears, now being a nameless slave among the faceless masses. Or something. I can't recall the name of it, I may actually be making it all up Cadian Blood rang a bell but I don't think that was because it was the book I'm thinking of, just because it was a good book

There is a Horus Heresy graphic novel out which I thought was quite good. Nice bit of boarding action and space combat. I think it was called Macragge's Honour by Dan Abnett. The Ultramarines Legion 1st Chapter Master Marius Gage chasing Kor Phaeron of the Word Bearers Legion. Set in the aftermath of their fight at Calth. Kind of reminiscent of the fight in Wrath of Khan. Excellent stuff as we've come to expect of Dan Abnett.

You could also look at the Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Has quite a good chunk of life aboard a (Chaos) Space Marine ship as well as some void battles.

 bocatt wrote:

 minigun762 wrote:

 novaspike wrote:
Double Eagle is more fighters, but I really enjoyed it.

I heard that was a good novel, haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Double Eagle is great.

There's a... Entirely or maybe mostly? imperial battleship bound novel about life in the innards of the ship and crawling around in the heat exhaust vents and cooling systems and what happens when the Geller field fails and how the gangs are organized. It also included the battleship going to war and what being a gunner was like. I think the main character was a political prisoner. Someone pompous and important that got too big for his britches and they just chain him up, throw him into the "machine" and he disappears, now being a nameless slave among the faceless masses. Or something. I can't recall the name of it, I may actually be making it all up Cadian Blood rang a bell but I don't think that was because it was the book I'm thinking of, just because it was a good book

I believe that was Relentless.

Totally agree with the guys above, Execution Hour is a great read, really liked Semper and co. They had a couple of short stories as well, Wolf Pack I think, not sure on the other.
Death of Integrity and Ahriman Exile are also ship based though don't have too much to do with Imperial Navy side of things.
Though not a novel maybe something Fantasy Flight's Battlefleet Koronus expansion might take your fancy as that has lots of background on the naval side of things, life on board etc.

It would be nice to have something new written with a void combat focus.

Maybe from a Frigate's perspective

@minigun762


I looked it up and the cover looks right and the excerpt I read was familiar. It was a great read and I'm glad you reminded me which book it was!

Big necro.

Has anyone got a copy of relentless (prefer ebook) they would like to sell me? Im desperate to read it but nowhere seems to have it in the uk

Probably only about 25% of the book is ship based, but the first eisenhorn book xenon has room decent in ship chapters, and a nice counter boarding action as well.

You could also look at the Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Has quite a good chunk of life aboard a (Chaos) Space Marine ship as well as some void battles.

Yes there is an excellent sequence in Blood Reaver where the Exalted takes on the Red Corsairs iirc. Its written entirely from his point of view in void warfare. Definitely one of the better passages Ive read on ship to ship combat.

I'm more after what life is like aboard a vessel. I've bought priests of mars (and the rest) but I'm working through the UK election that involvement sitting in a room full of ballot boxes overnight so need some new material as I've had my fill of heresy. I'm re-reading gaunts ghosts for my fill of imperial guard (and just finished 15 hours for the billionth time)

But now I'm back into the void side of things so want something based up there and really want to read relentless

The book Atlas Infernal has a decent bit of it aboard a ship, even includes a pretty good talk of the geller field, and what it's like to fend off a daemon incursion from your ship kinda stuff. It's pretty good and doesn't just focus on the pew pew you sunk my battleship part of 40k in space