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2012/07/31 02:56:40
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Devestating Grey Knight Dreadknight
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Just finished reading this the other day.
All I can say is holy crap! Easily the best 40K novel I've ever read. ADB manages to give the Astartes character, without making them seem like frat-boys with bolters. The characters are believable, interesting, and fit the universe well. We get some lovely information on the way the universe and the GK/Inquisition in particular work, as well as some technical information about the capabilities of certain ships, warp travel/translation, and so on.
The story was compelling and character driven, really exploring the conflicts between various elements of the Imperium and the moral grey areas between what is necessary, what is right, what is easy, and what is wrong.
Loved it.
Anyone else read it?
PS - You can find it cheaper on Amazon than you'll get it from the Black Library or your local GW.
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"Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really want to see an angel?" |
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2012/07/31 02:58:47
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Regular Dakkanaut
New Orleans, LA
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I'll definitely check that out soon, thanks.
...although I still have like 6 or so novels that I purchased and haven't read, though, heh.
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2012/07/31 17:11:25
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
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Never been too interested in the grey knights apart from purifiers which I adore but just read the extract, holy crap is that good. Thanks for bringing this to my attention  
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Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis |
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2012/08/01 14:40:56
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Fixture of Dakka
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We were discussing The Emperor's Gift in the BL N&R thread and all agreed it's one of Black Library's best, possibly the best.
It's a brilliant novel all-round, not much more I can say than that.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/01 14:41:21
Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
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2012/08/01 20:16:37
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Stone Bonkers Fabricator General
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Seems to be getting universal praise. I should pick it up.
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2012/08/01 21:26:14
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Mutating Changebringer
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Are the main characters GKs?
If so I don't think I'll read it.
I want more Ork books. Maybe a Tau book or 2.
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2012/08/01 21:33:43
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Fixture of Dakka
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DeffDred wrote:Are the main characters GKs?
If so I don't think I'll read it.
I want more Ork books. Maybe a Tau book or 2.
Yes. However, Inquisitors and Space Wolves feature pretty heavily.
Understandably, there are no Orks or Tau to be seen.
I'll note that I'm not a Grey Knights fan at all, but still thought it was a brilliant book.
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Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
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2012/08/01 21:52:39
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Dakka Veteran
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DeffDred wrote:Are the main characters GKs?
If so I don't think I'll read it.
I want more Ork books. Maybe a Tau book or 2.
It's ADB, the guy who managed to make the Night Lords into somewhat relatable characters. I wouldn't discount the book just because of the chapter involved.
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2012/08/01 23:03:53
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator
Croatia
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Just Dave wrote:DeffDred wrote:Are the main characters GKs?
If so I don't think I'll read it.
I want more Ork books. Maybe a Tau book or 2.
Yes. However, Inquisitors and Space Wolves feature pretty heavily.
Understandably, there are no Orks or Tau to be seen.
I'll note that I'm not a Grey Knights fan at all, but still thought it was a brilliant book.
Hm,didn't read it...Is it better then the "Thousand sons"?
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ADB: I showed the Wolves revealing the key weakness at the heart of the World Eaters; showing Angron that his Legion was broken and worthless compared to the others; that he was the one primarch who couldn't trust his own warriors, and that they didn't care if he lived or died; showing that loyalty to brothers and sons is the heart of success for the Legiones Astartes, to the point even Lorgar makes a big deal out of saying the World Eaters and their primarch were massively outclassed by Russ, and Angron was too stupid to see the lesson Russ had sacrificed time, sweat, and blood, to teach. We're talking about a battle the Wolves won, by isolating the enemy general through pack tactics, and threatening to kill him, without a hope of defending himself. It was a balance, 50/50 - Angron overpowered Russ, and the Wolves were losing ground to the World Eaters; but Russ and his warriors had Angron by the balls, and barely broke a sweat. They won, no question. Lorgar even says: "The Wolves won, meathead."
Dorn won’t help you either. He’s too busy being the Emperor’s groundskeeper, hiding behind the palace walls. The Wolf is too busy cutting off heads as our father’s executioner, while the Lion holds on to his secrets, and has no special fondness for you. Who else will come? Not Ferrus, certainly. Nor Corax either. Even as we speak, I suspect he flees for Deliverance. Sanguinius?’ Curze laughed cruelly. ‘The angel is more cursed than I. The Khan? He does not wish to be found. So who is left? No one, Vulkan. None of them will come. You are simply not that important. You are alone.’ Konrad Curze to Vulkan
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2012/08/02 01:11:42
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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I'm about half way through it, at the part where they're on board the SW ship. I actually find it inferior to ADB's other works such as Night Lords, which felt like a real sci-fi novel series first and a tie-in to a tabletop game second.
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My Armies:
5,500pts 
2,700pts 
2,000pts 
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2012/08/02 07:38:30
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator
Croatia
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Just finished...WOW...Damn me if my love for the SW chapter didn’t increase tenfold....
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ADB: I showed the Wolves revealing the key weakness at the heart of the World Eaters; showing Angron that his Legion was broken and worthless compared to the others; that he was the one primarch who couldn't trust his own warriors, and that they didn't care if he lived or died; showing that loyalty to brothers and sons is the heart of success for the Legiones Astartes, to the point even Lorgar makes a big deal out of saying the World Eaters and their primarch were massively outclassed by Russ, and Angron was too stupid to see the lesson Russ had sacrificed time, sweat, and blood, to teach. We're talking about a battle the Wolves won, by isolating the enemy general through pack tactics, and threatening to kill him, without a hope of defending himself. It was a balance, 50/50 - Angron overpowered Russ, and the Wolves were losing ground to the World Eaters; but Russ and his warriors had Angron by the balls, and barely broke a sweat. They won, no question. Lorgar even says: "The Wolves won, meathead."
Dorn won’t help you either. He’s too busy being the Emperor’s groundskeeper, hiding behind the palace walls. The Wolf is too busy cutting off heads as our father’s executioner, while the Lion holds on to his secrets, and has no special fondness for you. Who else will come? Not Ferrus, certainly. Nor Corax either. Even as we speak, I suspect he flees for Deliverance. Sanguinius?’ Curze laughed cruelly. ‘The angel is more cursed than I. The Khan? He does not wish to be found. So who is left? No one, Vulkan. None of them will come. You are simply not that important. You are alone.’ Konrad Curze to Vulkan
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2012/08/02 07:46:56
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Devestating Grey Knight Dreadknight
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DatrhMarko wrote:Just finished...WOW...Damn me if my love for the SW chapter didn’t increase tenfold....
lol, I gotta admit I came out of it going "Space Wolves? More like Moron Wolves." I really disagreed with them and their position throughout the novel, but I love the way ADB characterised them, not as a caricature but as well rounded individuals on the opposite end of the spectrum to the Inquisition.
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"Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really want to see an angel?" |
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2012/08/02 07:57:42
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator
Croatia
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Kaldor wrote:DatrhMarko wrote:Just finished...WOW...Damn me if my love for the SW chapter didn’t increase tenfold....
lol, I gotta admit I came out of it going "Space Wolves? More like Moron Wolves." I really disagreed with them and their position throughout the novel, but I love the way ADB characterised them, not as a caricature but as well rounded individuals on the opposite end of the spectrum to the Inquisition.
Funny, the same thing I said about Lord Kysnaros and Grand Master Joros,what a PRICKS - btw IT takes a lot of ball's to stand up against "I" -but we can see from our pictures why we have different opinions...
And this is where enjoyed the most:
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/02 09:50:58
ADB: I showed the Wolves revealing the key weakness at the heart of the World Eaters; showing Angron that his Legion was broken and worthless compared to the others; that he was the one primarch who couldn't trust his own warriors, and that they didn't care if he lived or died; showing that loyalty to brothers and sons is the heart of success for the Legiones Astartes, to the point even Lorgar makes a big deal out of saying the World Eaters and their primarch were massively outclassed by Russ, and Angron was too stupid to see the lesson Russ had sacrificed time, sweat, and blood, to teach. We're talking about a battle the Wolves won, by isolating the enemy general through pack tactics, and threatening to kill him, without a hope of defending himself. It was a balance, 50/50 - Angron overpowered Russ, and the Wolves were losing ground to the World Eaters; but Russ and his warriors had Angron by the balls, and barely broke a sweat. They won, no question. Lorgar even says: "The Wolves won, meathead."
Dorn won’t help you either. He’s too busy being the Emperor’s groundskeeper, hiding behind the palace walls. The Wolf is too busy cutting off heads as our father’s executioner, while the Lion holds on to his secrets, and has no special fondness for you. Who else will come? Not Ferrus, certainly. Nor Corax either. Even as we speak, I suspect he flees for Deliverance. Sanguinius?’ Curze laughed cruelly. ‘The angel is more cursed than I. The Khan? He does not wish to be found. So who is left? No one, Vulkan. None of them will come. You are simply not that important. You are alone.’ Konrad Curze to Vulkan
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2012/08/02 19:05:29
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Guard Heavy Weapon Crewman
The Cadian Gate, USA
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It was a great book, I literally couldn't put it down. As someone who doesn't know a whole lot about GK or the First War, I found it highly entertaining and gripping.
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Cadian 118th Lasgunners/ 674th Catachan- 2303 points total
 Delta Swords |
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2012/08/02 19:20:26
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Fixture of Dakka
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Kaldor wrote:DatrhMarko wrote:Just finished...WOW...Damn me if my love for the SW chapter didn’t increase tenfold....
lol, I gotta admit I came out of it going "Space Wolves? More like Moron Wolves." I really disagreed with them and their position throughout the novel, but I love the way ADB characterised them, not as a caricature but as well rounded individuals on the opposite end of the spectrum to the Inquisition.
That's the best thing about the book; that it's so easy to take either side in the matter.
Personally, I would've done the same thing as Logan.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/02 19:20:43
Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
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2012/08/02 19:47:04
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator
Croatia
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Just Dave wrote:Kaldor wrote:DatrhMarko wrote:Just finished...WOW...Damn me if my love for the SW chapter didn’t increase tenfold....
lol, I gotta admit I came out of it going "Space Wolves? More like Moron Wolves." I really disagreed with them and their position throughout the novel, but I love the way ADB characterised them, not as a caricature but as well rounded individuals on the opposite end of the spectrum to the Inquisition.
That's the best thing about the book; that it's so easy to take either side in the matter.
Personally, I would've done the same thing as Logan.
Me to, and not because I'm a fanboy ofc:-), btw at the end "L" choping certain guys in specific manner - priceless
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ADB: I showed the Wolves revealing the key weakness at the heart of the World Eaters; showing Angron that his Legion was broken and worthless compared to the others; that he was the one primarch who couldn't trust his own warriors, and that they didn't care if he lived or died; showing that loyalty to brothers and sons is the heart of success for the Legiones Astartes, to the point even Lorgar makes a big deal out of saying the World Eaters and their primarch were massively outclassed by Russ, and Angron was too stupid to see the lesson Russ had sacrificed time, sweat, and blood, to teach. We're talking about a battle the Wolves won, by isolating the enemy general through pack tactics, and threatening to kill him, without a hope of defending himself. It was a balance, 50/50 - Angron overpowered Russ, and the Wolves were losing ground to the World Eaters; but Russ and his warriors had Angron by the balls, and barely broke a sweat. They won, no question. Lorgar even says: "The Wolves won, meathead."
Dorn won’t help you either. He’s too busy being the Emperor’s groundskeeper, hiding behind the palace walls. The Wolf is too busy cutting off heads as our father’s executioner, while the Lion holds on to his secrets, and has no special fondness for you. Who else will come? Not Ferrus, certainly. Nor Corax either. Even as we speak, I suspect he flees for Deliverance. Sanguinius?’ Curze laughed cruelly. ‘The angel is more cursed than I. The Khan? He does not wish to be found. So who is left? No one, Vulkan. None of them will come. You are simply not that important. You are alone.’ Konrad Curze to Vulkan
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2012/08/02 19:54:31
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Member of a Lodge? I Can't Say
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Yeah ADB rapidly became one of my favorite authors after I read Soul Hunter, he really adds the right depth to the characters and settings in his books.
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actiondan wrote:According to popular belief I cannot use drop pods because only the Imperium can organize itself enough to put 10 men in a container and fire it at a planet.
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2012/08/02 21:52:08
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Raging-on-the-Inside Blood Angel Sergeant
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The best bit had to be the battle with Angron.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/03 00:26:00
d-usa wrote:Orks are the GW version of R2D2. No matter how advanced the defenses may be, there is always an open serial port somewhere that can be pluged into and a firewall that was never configured.
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2012/08/02 21:56:34
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Fixture of Dakka
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Thamor wrote:The best bit had to be the battle with Angron.
Yeah, I liked that too and its nod to the work of another author, but please spoiler that part!
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/02 21:57:21
Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
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2012/08/02 22:11:31
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Slaanesh Chosen Marine Riding a Fiend
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Just Dave wrote:We were discussing The Emperor's Gift in the BL N&R thread and all agreed it's one of Black Library's best, possibly the best.
It's a brilliant novel all-round, not much more I can say than that.
That good huh? I wasn't going to pick it up when I saw it was hard back myself.
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2012/08/02 22:27:55
Subject: The Emperor's Gift
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Fixture of Dakka
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Yeah. Kinda slow to start, but all books of its type (a 1-off or 1st in a series) are.
Aaron Dembski-Bowden is a notoriously good Black Library author these days and Reds8n said "I've read ...ooohh.... 96%+ of all the 40K books (he probably has) and this one stands triumphantly above them all."
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/08/02 22:31:11
Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.
"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman
"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
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2012/08/03 08:33:01
Subject: Re:The Emperor's Gift
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Depraved Slaanesh Chaos Lord
Inside Yvraine
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I thought it was good.There are a few things that annoyed me though.
1. I'm growing a little weary of the constant nihilism in ADB's works. I understand that the WH40K-verse is supposed to be supremely grimdark and nothing ever really matters and there are no rules and you can do whatever, but I feel that it kind of detracts from the story. I don't want to spoil anything from the story so I won't list examples, but a lot of times it feels to me like the "/shrug" that's constantly in the story detracts from it.
Also, Anika. God damn. When she was first described to me in the story, I fell in love. A female Fenrisian Inquisitor? Hell yeah!
... and then she turns out to be whiny, impulsive, sentimental, and everything an Inquisitor basically isn't supposed to be. Her irrationality gets people killed, and instead of being a badass she-wolf her entire reason for existing within the story is to basically be Hyperior's moral compass. We don't even get to see her fight.
Very disappointing. And another thing, can I pleeeease have just one woman in 40K who isn't either having an affair with a dude or in love with him? Seriously, I understand that the men seem to not know how to develop a female character without using a relationship as the crux, but it's not that hard.
Patience Kys is probably my favorite female in the mythos, for that reason.
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