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Hi there,
Today I finished reading a Thousand Sons and have just started to Prospero Burns. I've to admit A Thousand Sons is now one of my favorite HH book but Prospero Burns starts very "well":
It's very violent, crude and adult in it's description of war and people. Ofc it's Dan Abnett but I wasn't expecting that from a HH novel.
I read Nemesis a few weeks ago and, if it's not a bad book in itself, wasn't as interesting or convincing.
The last time I was that involved in a HH book was with Fulgrim I think.
What about you ?

First heretic is next on my list, I won't have to wait for long !
Mechanicum was indeed a good read too, even though I never even tried audio books

I will soon finish my Emperor's Children arc with Fulgrim, and start my Scars and Path of Heaven coming in the mail. However would you say that I need to start by the Primarch book (Jagathai Khan) ?

 Karak Norn Clansman wrote:
I have only read a few books so far, but I was deeply surprised with the quality of Angel Exterminatus. Easily the best work of Graham McNeill I've ever come across. The descriptions of the world rise above and beyond anything one normally finds in Black Library.

It's not the story as such that I'm impressed with (it's good enough), but the handling of language.

I rarely expect much in the way of flowing, beautiful writing with Black Library, of words making simple events elevate to a higher level, but Angel Exterminatus was clearly an inspired piece of work much of the time.

Never have I had to stop reading Warhammer novels in order to take notes and copy down fine turns of phrase as often as when I read that book.

It was almost as enjoyable and recommendable as reading 40k novels by Matthew Farrer and Ian Watson's Space Marine (1993), and damn me if the writing in Angel Exterminatus didn't flow better and was imbued with more inspired vision than those stellar works much of the time.

Reading that, I'm actually a bit sad that some may be lost in translation
Translating is betraying. Maybe one day I'll read it in English ...
I particularly enjoyed the beginning of Prospero Burns, the Fenris part, with the crude and grim description of the battle, it sounded so real, so realistic. Then...there was the rest of the novel.

The Fulgrim Primarch book is ...special.
While I enjoyed the slower pace of the book, the more political byzantine scheming orientation of it in comparison to bolter porn, there are big flaws.

I particularly enjoyed the bits of the past (the past of the IIIrd, the past of Chemos, etc)
The culpability of Fulgrim of not having been there to help his sons earlier
The difference in the way Fulgrim and Guilliman make diplomacy / subvert worlds peacefully
The imperial agents
The way the people of Byzas see the Astartes, acknowledging their superiority, but not being able to grasp how powerful they exactly are

That's actually kind of refreshing and to have an eye into Fulgrim's grief is eye opening
We can understand that he is not just an arrogant peacock, but that he thrives to become better because he has to do as least as much as the others, with less. With a wounded legion. With judgement by his peers. That reminds me of Alpharius, being found last, that has to prove himself too, mainly by new and superiors way of making war.
He seems to be under pressure, and terrible aware that the balance of his legion depends of him and that no error, no miscalculation, are allowed if they are not only to shine and take their place in the great crusade, but to survive.

The inclusion of Fabius is very interesting. This sheds light on his personality and motivations and why he is the way he is, and it's really well done, and on why Fulgrim tolerates this character, despite being revolted by him. There is a very telling moment when he speaks about simple mortals and tells about bringing them up, enlightening them. Obviously it plays in the theme of the Phoenix, new birth etc but there is a bit of that with Fabius, he wants to "fix" him too and Fulgrim being Fulgrim, he thinks he can and will do it.
That and necessity. Necessity is deeply rooted in Fulgrim's mind and he talks quite a lot about that and being pragmatic and not idealistic. Kinda fun seeing he is totally idealistic himself but okay.


Now, there are big letdowns:

The Astartes characters are awful. Terrible. I can't believe someone read that and thought: "oh yes, that's how elites warriors behave"
They literally fight and talk to each other like children, including in front of people they are supposed to impress and appeal. They throw nicknames at each others and almost go to hands about that several times in 280p book....

Fulgrim is constantly speaking about how he outmatched and outmanoeuvred all the political opponents on Byzas, and made them into a single, easy to decapitate, target while he is spending the whole book doing... absolutely nothing and not getting a single answers to his questions.
Like, really ?
And finally being outmatched by mortals minds (like his men being outmatched by mortals warriors), admitting it at the end of the book but obviously not learning his lessons as the Horus Heresy would show
Would have been maybe better if he truly thought he won, setting his worries asides and giving him confidence and setting him on the path of Heresy
Oh and Fulgrim being said to hate philosophy made my day
I a legion known to embrace all forms of arts and education (marines are actively shown thinking and speaking about songs and musics they write, amongst others things), he is apparently supposed to hate philosophy

Maybe I should read it again I don't know



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 BrookM wrote:
Prospero Burns was a massive letdown for me after a Thousand Sons.

But I hope you'll have a better time with the White Scars.

Haha yes, I was so hyped up after the first few pages, I considered it one of the best black library book at that time
And then I kept reading ...
Thanks, anyways I'll start reading them this month !

I have been gifted the Marneus Calgar Marvel book, for my birthday, and I must say it's a pretty solid one, and it is quite pretty in addition. I just despise the fact it is post primaris, as the best parts are when we see actual marines in good old MKVII armors, in actions

Is there any prerequisite before reading Master of Mankind ? Does it spoil some narrative arcs ?

I've just finished "The path to Heaven", and oh, Throne, I did enjoy the White Scars arc !
I actually love the Death Guard bits, totally unexpected but very telling. I'm buying the books about the battle of molech and buried dagger as I'm typing !
It's a nice final touch to the Emperor's Children arc that I started so long ago, and seeing the Traitor Legions mid transformation, already corrupted but not yet the full fledged Chaos legions, was so interesting !
But the second book is so sad, with


The Khan is definitely a great character, he does feel like a Primarch, he is a totally different one from Fulgrim, who is so bad written