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Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

From Track of Words:

https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/12/13/rapid-fire-david-guymer-talks-the-court-of-the-blind-king/?fbclid=IwAR1C4TjXx3o7di5ATYRLFZ3u1r2NnSlyCaAtupSWGg72sTKwnrouH70gw5Q

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to Black Library author David Guymer about his new Warhammer Age of Sigmar novel The Court of the Blind King, which is available to pre-order tomorrow in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats. It’s the first time the Deepkin have had a novel of their own, so if you’re interested in this (relatively) new breed of Warhammer aelves, this is the book to check out!


Let’s get straight to the questions and David’s answers, to find out more.



Track of Words: What’s the elevator pitch summary for The Court of the Blind King?

David Guymer: It’s Game of Thrones with Idoneth Deepkin.

ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?

DG: Our ‘hero’ is Prince Lurien of Briomdar, adopted son of the late queen. He’s cruel, conceited, unproven and unpopular, but determined to seize the throne. On his side is a namarti slave called Namaríel who sees the prince’s ambition as the perfect means to realise her own.

In addition to that there’s a huge supporting cast of princes, queens, sylvaneth, and champions of Nurgle

ToW: Where and when is it set?

DG: In the Green Gulch of Ghyran, the ‘when’ isn’t so important except to say that it’s current, so post-necroquake

ToW: What appeals to you about the Idoneth Deepkin as characters to write about?

DG: They are so bitter about their existence. They’re failures and they know it. They had everything and they lost it. Their own creator tried to destroy them. Slaanesh wants to devour them. They have to harvest the souls of other races so that their children will live. They are the most unbelievably messed up race in the Age of Sigmar and that makes for fantastic stories.

ToW: There’s a lot of Idoneth terminology and mythology in this book, which might be unfamiliar to readers considering how new the Deepkin are to Warhammer. What would you recommend fans check out before reading this, to get the most out of it?

DG: Most of it is stuff that I made up myself so a reader new to the Deepkin should be ok with it. I also hacksawed quite a bit of lore from Graham McNeill’s High Elf books and the Malus Darkblade series, referencing the fact that most Deepkin culture and myth is derived from what they’ve forgotten of Teclis’ teachings. The novel builds on the world I started to establish in the short story, The Learning, and one character from that story does pop up here, so the completests out there can certainly start there, but it’s not essential.



ToW: By their nature the Deepkin are isolationist and (largely) not very keen on extremes of sensation…or even each other. Did you figure out how to deal with that in advance, or was that something you tackled during the writing process?

DG: Yes and no. I’d dealt with a similar problem when writing my Iron Hands series, having to come up with innovative ways to write dialogue for characters who are physically incapable of performing the shrugs, smiles, nods and so on that break up regular conversation. The bigger problem that I ran into, actually, was in making them not Iron Hands, and that’s definitely something I grew into as I wrote and developed a better understanding of what makes the Idoneth unique.

ToW: Why this story? Of all the possible stories you could have written about the Idoneth, what made you go for this one?

DG: This is the Idoneth’s first appearance in novel form and so I wanted to show everything. I figured that a tale of war and intrigue between rival enclaves (throwing in some sylvaneth, Nurgle, and even my own tabletop army, the Beastclaw Raiders) was the best way to show the many and varied ways that it’s possible to be Deepkin.

My personal favourite were the Dwy-Hor. If I had the skill or the patience to convert wooden face masks and armour for my Idoneth, then I would definitely be building an army of them now.



ToW: This is a very different style to your Hamilcar stories, for example, although there are still some great touches of humour in there. Do you think writing about Hamilcar affected how you wrote this book?

DG: That’s probably a better question than you realise as this was the first novel that I wrote after Champion of the Gods and Force of Personality so Hamilcar and his particular style were very much still in my mind when I wrote this. It caused me some problems, slipping into first person every so often, dropping jokes where it wasn’t appropriate, until my mind slipped into the proper grimdark gear. The humour that’s in there is mostly pretty dark, and normally at some other poor soul’s expense. Lurien has a definite streak of black humour running through him. His retainer Éodrain, who was never in my outline and who I tried to leave behind or kill off so many times, provided great relief as well.

ToW: What do you hope Age of Sigmar fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?

DG: That they’ll be as cold and desolate inside as an Idoneth!

ToW: Do you have any plans to write more about Prince Lurien and the Idoneth?

DG: This was a really tough book to write, really tough, partly because the Deepkin are so alien and so new, partly because it came after Hamilcar and Realmslayer which were very different projects, and partly just because I had a lot of stuff going on. I have a long-standing theory that the books I find the hardest or enjoy the least (The Last Son of Dorn, Slayer) will be the ones that fans love the most, and so when I turned The Court of the Blind King in to my editor I joked that the fans would love it so much I’d end up writing six more. I probably wouldn’t complain if that happened though.

Probably.

***

Thanks as always to David for taking the time to answer these questions! Keep an eye out for a review of The Court of the Blind King coming very soon, and in the meantime if you’d like to check out my reviews of David’s other stories you can find them all here.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





I'm actually quite interested in his book, tried to write deepkin before but it didn't turn out so well for reasons he pointed out.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Not a huge fan of unlikeable characters, and his previous short story with Idoneth in it was all about showing how mean the ID are (even though it seems to be mostly his own take on the race, derived from very vague battletome lore).
   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






The battletome seemed to lay out how heartless they are in relatively clear terms, at least to me.

Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.

I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. 
   
Made in us
Ollanius Pius - Savior of the Emperor






Gathering the Informations.

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
The battletome seemed to lay out how heartless they are in relatively clear terms, at least to me.

The battletome, their interactions with other races in other battletomes, etc, etc.

Anyone expecting them to be Keebler Elves living in a giant kelp forest is in for a damned rude awakening.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Cronch wrote:
Not a huge fan of unlikeable characters, and his previous short story with Idoneth in it was all about showing how mean the ID are (even though it seems to be mostly his own take on the race, derived from very vague battletome lore).


I think a good writer could still make a reader care about an unlikeable character through plot devices and such.

I mean, Malus Darkblade could've been a great villain in another hero's story, but what we got was Malus's epic quest(s) against antagonists who were for the most part more unlikeable than him, to prevent a fate worse than death, so we rooted for Malus. The powers that be for The End Times stories did him absolutely dirty.

Gilead from Gilead's Blood was an donkey-cave, but he had a decent (for an elf) sidekick who kind of grounded him throughout that book, and Gilead pledged himself to a good cause against impossible odds at the end of the novel, so we cared about his fate.

Those are just a couple examples from Black Library stuff, but if you cast a wider net you can see some other works that have unlikeable dudes in interesting stories. Game of Thrones is famous for that, for instance.

YMMV, of course.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in us
Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle






I read none of the Mallus books, and I still felt like the ending he got in End Times was crummy.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Kanluwen wrote:
 NinthMusketeer wrote:
The battletome seemed to lay out how heartless they are in relatively clear terms, at least to me.

The battletome, their interactions with other races in other battletomes, etc, etc.

Anyone expecting them to be Keebler Elves living in a giant kelp forest is in for a damned rude awakening.
I have never seen any expectation from anyone that they would be nice. Where did you see that people thought they would be nice?

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/12/17 06:04:24


Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page

I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.

I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Kanluwen wrote:
 NinthMusketeer wrote:
The battletome seemed to lay out how heartless they are in relatively clear terms, at least to me.

Anyone expecting them to be Keebler Elves living in a giant kelp forest is in for a damned rude awakening.

I realize smug dismissal is your default mode, but please stop putting words in mouths, it's rude and I don't think you washed them well enough.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Some more commentary, via Warhams Comm

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/12/18/discover-the-deepkin/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=BL&utm_content=blblindking181220&fbclid=IwAR0SwQSg_EZWESaXiBreuqKUE9cFXHJJn5_nwBwwgCHRMYUN-lAilerRzTQ

One of the joys of reading Black Library books is getting to explore the cultures of the Mortal Realms and 41st Millennium, delving deeper than a codex or battletome. Tomorrow, you’ll be able to do that with the Idoneth Deepkin, as David Guymer’s new novel, The Court of the Blind King, goes on pre-order. Here’s David to tell you what you can learn about the enigmatic sea-dwellers.

David: Writing the first novel for a new faction is the sort of thing that (for obvious reasons!) you only get to enjoy once. Everything that goes beyond the remit of the battletome is there to be established for the first time. In short, what Dan Abnett did for the entire 41st Millennium in Xenos and First and Only, I got to do with the Idoneth Deepkin.

If you want to know how a race of undersea aelves eats, writes, worships, travels or pieces together the little gems of culture left to them by a god they hate, then this book is for you. If you ever wondered what happens when ethersea hits Everwinter, then boy have I got you covered.

The Court of the Blind King is a tale of ambition and warring houses in which our thoroughly unpleasant antihero, Prince Lurien, and his even less pleasant Namarti paramour, Namaríel, conspire to claim the vacant Jade Throne of Briomdar. Deep down, though, it’s a quest story, with Lurien exploring both sea and land in search of the allies he needs to win his throne.


Looking forward to this. Hopefully I finish Stephen Kings "The Outsider" before this drops and I can jump right in.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in si
Charging Dragon Prince





I also hacksawed quite a bit of lore from Graham McNeill’s High Elf books and the Malus Darkblade series, referencing the fact that most Deepkin culture and myth is derived from what they’ve forgotten of Teclis’ teachings. The novel builds on the world I started to establish in the short story, The Learning, and one character from that story does pop up here, so the completests out there can certainly start there, but it’s not essential.


I quite enjoyed in this particular detail. Wonder if he read any of the William King works.

I enjoy the story and wonder how much detail in regard to Teclis is going to show up in the future.
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





Finished the book, the story is well...Okay to say the least. Honestly, it seems to me that David took a few liberties with the Idoneth lore. If you are deep into the fluff of the faction I don't know how you would feel about the book, but those who have no idea? I think they would enjoy it more.

Also one small tiny pet peeve, the story is entirely from Lurien's perspective, I am wondering why is it written in third person? Should be first in my opinion, I think it would have sold the culture more.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/23 04:00:33


 
   
Made in us
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Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

I'm enjoying it, personally.

I'm near to the end of Part 1 I believe, I liked the descriptions of an Idoneth raid and how the Alfrostun struck back. Not really invested in the Idoneth lore to the point where I find anything egregious, but the sheer "alien-ness" of Idoneth culture and how they interact is sometimes off putting. Started with the audio-book and rocked that up until chapter 7, but switched back to the e-book just so I could perceive the "visuals" at my own pace.

I should have this done before or Christmas, so I'll have a more thorough review/summary shortly.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 nels1031 wrote:
I'm enjoying it, personally.

I'm near to the end of Part 1 I believe, I liked the descriptions of an Idoneth raid and how the Alfrostun struck back. Not really invested in the Idoneth lore to the point where I find anything egregious, but the sheer "alien-ness" of Idoneth culture and how they interact is sometimes off putting. Started with the audio-book and rocked that up until chapter 7, but switched back to the e-book just so I could perceive the "visuals" at my own pace.

I should have this done before or Christmas, so I'll have a more thorough review/summary shortly.


How they raid and setup one is wrong if you follow the book. My annoyance is the fact it's the first Idoneth book and they went with a sub-par Malus darkblade plot.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/23 21:26:51


 
   
Made in us
Ollanius Pius - Savior of the Emperor






Gathering the Informations.

shinros wrote:

How they raid and setup one is wrong if you follow the book.

Elaborate.

And remember that Briomdar are weird.
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 Kanluwen wrote:
shinros wrote:

How they raid and setup one is wrong if you follow the book.

Elaborate.

And remember that Briomdar are weird.


True, but things are done by council instead of the standard kings and queen's as shown in the book. I was also annoyed how they say Oh king's, prince's etc just decide to go on a raid and people just turn up.

Again raids are organised by council and during the actual raid? No magically manifesting ship wrecks or sea creatures. Etc David went for broad strokes, really big broad strokes.

Edit:Also he wasn't in Briomdar.

I will bring a post I did in Tga. To point out this is for someone else. I will spoiler tag it just in case.

Spoiler:
Point 1 - There is no reason to have a raidlord title since an Enclave has multiple kings and queens. The leader of a Phalanx is dubbed a king or queen.

Point 2(This is my point talking about the large battles and Idoneth mudering each other should be rare). You are correct on a level, de'comhrac was created to prevent civil war, it's a form of ritual battle between kings or even armies. But here's the thing Vanglyr didn't even say the word. Considering the ritual significance I think the council should be present since it's a ritual battle between kings or queens, but here's the thing. Vanglyr isn't a king he's a raidlord. *rolls eyes*

Point 3. There is no rightful heir since there are multiple kings and queens in enclaves who actually lead phanlaxes, there are no "rulers" of the enclave wholesale. So a major part of the book falls flat on its face since things are run by a council. A enclave is run jointly by it's Akhelian and Ishraan castes. Also per the battle tomes. "It is the goal of every Akhelian to one day be given command of their own phalanx, an honour which is earned rather than inherited. Consequently, each phalanx is led by its most experienced warrior, who is named King or Queen."

So all the Enclaves in the book are not being run properly at all.

Point 4. I didn't get much of that, I mean it would been great to have an actual chapter where I don't know a human soldier encounters this scary monster and is killed. One of the perks of the third person which isn't used.


Edit: Reading my battletome further, I just find more inconsistencies, why is the Vanglyr going to the Assambral when he is not even a king? He's lower than a king, his problem should have been dealt with the Enclave council. Why is the Assambral listening to someone who is not even on the ruling council of an enclave? Also said council doesn't really exist in the book I should add. Plus there is no such thing as raidlords, that's what's causing the mess in this story and making the king's and queens out like their whfb counterparts.

This message was edited 12 times. Last update was at 2019/12/24 14:13:59


 
   
Made in pl
Longtime Dakkanaut




The same author didn't know deepmares don't need control magic and are the only species that is easily tamed/not blinded by the Idoneth...
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





Cronch wrote:
The same author didn't know deepmares don't need control magic and are the only species that is easily tamed/not blinded by the Idoneth...


Honestly I don't like the book anymore after going through my tome again. It's the first Idoneth book for the setting and you don't bother to even follow the battletone properly. I knew something was off when I was reading it, but I wasn't really sure until entering the discussion on tga.

This is a basic High/dark elf story with some Idoneth sprinkled on top. This isn't really an Idoneth book at all. It's a simple sub-par malus darkblade story. I am actually really dissappointed since now reading his interview again that's exactly what he said he was going to do.

At least dark harvest appears to be good, Josh Reynolds rarely dissappoints.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/24 14:12:28


 
   
Made in us
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Gathering the Informations.

Good. The battletomes don't actually give exacting detail on half the stuff you're grousing about, so I'm not sure what made you think that any novels would be a 1:1 port of battletome fluff.
   
Made in gb
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 Kanluwen wrote:
Good. The battletomes don't actually give exacting detail on half the stuff you're grousing about, so I'm not sure what made you think that any novels would be a 1:1 port of battletome fluff.


The battletome is pretty clear that Kings or Queens don't run the enclaves. It's also clear the enclaves are run by council. It's also clear that being a Akhelian king or queen is purely s military rank and that there are multiple in an enclave.

Those simple facts makes this book nonsensical. And yes if you are going to write a book about a specific faction the least you can do is follow the basic lore of them.

The Idoneth are not a blasted monarchy with kings and queens making the decisions.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/12/24 15:06:26


 
   
Made in us
Ollanius Pius - Savior of the Emperor






Gathering the Informations.

Read page 24 of the Deepkin book again.

With the exception of the Fuethan, most enclaves seek a balance of power between the members of their Isharann and Akhelian castes. Even if one faction outnumbers the other, they share rule of the enclave.


Next part is crucial, so I'm setting it in a specific area:
Throughout the histories of many of the major enclaves, however, this status quo has not always been maintained; for long periods of time, either the Isharann or Akhelians have dominated.


I haven't had time to go get the novel yet, but seriously it seems like you're making a mountain out of a molehill. The whole "Kings" thing never made sense without the context of it being an homage to ancestry that they never knew and a heritage that they would never understand beyond myths from Teclis.
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 Kanluwen wrote:
Read page 24 of the Deepkin book again.

With the exception of the Fuethan, most enclaves seek a balance of power between the members of their Isharann and Akhelian castes. Even if one faction outnumbers the other, they share rule of the enclave.


Next part is crucial, so I'm setting it in a specific area:
Throughout the histories of many of the major enclaves, however, this status quo has not always been maintained; for long periods of time, either the Isharann or Akhelians have dominated.


I haven't had time to go get the novel yet, but seriously it seems like you're making a mountain out of a molehill. The whole "Kings" thing never made sense without the context of it being an homage to ancestry that they never knew and a heritage that they would never understand beyond myths from Teclis.


That passage makes it clear that it's still a council, the council merely has more members of a certain caste.

The whole point of the story is Lucien appleaing to kings and queens who for some reason rule their enclave so he can get his own enclave back.

But Akhelian kings or queens DON'T rule the enclave they are generals who earn a seat on the council and earn the right to lead a phalanx and earn some say in how things are run. The book is giving the apperance that they are a monarchy when they are not.

Also for some reason there are Isharaan queens for whatever reason.

Edit:Also from the Akhelian king page.

"While each enclave relies upon the strength of its Akhelian Kings, their judgement is equally vital, for every life lost in a raid is offset against any that are saved by capturing of souls. Futhermore, Akhelian Kings must be skilled statesmen, for they sit alongside powerful Isharaan as members of their enclave's ruling council."

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2019/12/24 16:09:43


 
   
Made in us
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Gathering the Informations.

It also makes it clear that in military matters, the Akhelians have authority.

At this point, there's no real value in discussing this further. You've got a bee in your bonnet. Have fun!
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 Kanluwen wrote:
It also makes it clear that in military matters, the Akhelians have authority.

At this point, there's no real value in discussing this further. You've got a bee in your bonnet. Have fun!


Right, ducking out of the argument even though when this was discussed in tga he responder agreed with me largely.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

About halfway through now, nothing really bothering me. But like I said, I'm not too invested in Idoneth lore that anything inaccurate is jumping off the page and ruining my vibe.

There is a great quote where the lead character ruminates on the morality of how Idoneth collect souls. How some hate the lengths they have to go to for their race and are remorseful, while others hold no more regard for the souls they reap than a human would a piece of meat for dinner. That's the kind of stuff I like. Things that add layers to the race and paint them in a sad but noble light, or just a tragic mercilessness.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 nels1031 wrote:
About halfway through now, nothing really bothering me. But like I said, I'm not too invested in Idoneth lore that anything inaccurate is jumping off the page and ruining my vibe.

There is a great quote where the lead character ruminates on the morality of how Idoneth collect souls. How some hate the lengths they have to go to for their race and are remorseful, while others hold no more regard for the souls they reap than a human would a piece of meat for dinner. That's the kind of stuff I like. Things that add layers to the race and paint them in a sad but noble light, or just a tragic mercilessness.


As I said if you are not hugely invested in their lore you will greatly enjoy this book. I talked with an Idoneth fan and he agrees some of the stuff said in the book is weird But it's okay so far, I am just a harsher critic.

Writers in my opinion should follow the basic outline in the tome, I don't want to go back to the days where writers can put back flipping terminators into the book.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

shinros wrote:
where writers can put back flipping terminators into the book.


Ha!

Yeah, I was going to say that I'm not getting any CS Goto "Eldar Prophecy" type vibes from the novel, just a few little mistakes in my opinion. YMMV.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 nels1031 wrote:
shinros wrote:
where writers can put back flipping terminators into the book.


Ha!

Yeah, I was going to say that I'm not getting any CS Goto "Eldar Prophecy" type vibes from the novel, just a few little mistakes in my opinion. YMMV.


Those were they days lol. Anyway as I said I tend to be harsher, I'm sure its a fun light read. But I personally can't overlook something so glaring that can be found by reading two pages in the tome.

When I read those pages again the story tipped over for me like a row of dominos. Even someone who loves the book admits David guymer messed up on the conception of what is a king or queen in the Idoneth.

*sigh* oh well I hope you enjoy the book to the end nels.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/24 16:23:47


 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

I generally like David Guymers stuff, but I'm having trouble finishing this one. About 80% done.

I think its the pacing that bothers me the most. I feel like this could've done better as a novella series that culminates in a full novel, rather than it just being dropped all in one go.

There are parts that I like and I don't think this is a terrible novel, for what its worth. Its just not grabbing ahold of me like the last few AoS books have (all WH Horror, for what its worth).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/01/03 16:29:37


"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Eternally-Stimulated Slaanesh Dreadnought





 nels1031 wrote:
I generally like David Guymers stuff, but I'm having trouble finishing this one. About 80% done.

I think its the pacing that bothers me the most. I feel like this could've done better as a novella series that culminates in a full novel, rather than it just being dropped all in one go.

There are parts that I like and I don't think this is a terrible novel, for what its worth. Its just not grabbing ahold of me like the last few AoS books have (all WH Horror, for what its worth).


I think this is another issue. Overall I think there are many wasted characters in the novel. It's also kinda sad to hear you are having trouble finishing it.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

shinros wrote:
[It's also kinda sad to hear you are having trouble finishing it.


It was more due to the distractions of the holidays, to be fair.

I finished it the other night. I'd give it a "Fair" rating I suppose. I didn't hate it, and I'd return for a sequel but only if its more focused* than this novel. I didn't really care for the pacing of this novel, though that might have just been me not being able to give it 100% of my attention while reading this.


*Like a war against the Sylvaneth, Alfrostun and the Nurgle kingdom (led by a female Nurgle'd up Giant, that was a cool concept) all would make for some neat stories in isolation. But jumping from one raid against the Alfrostun then jumping straight to Nurgle kingdom felt forced. I get why it happened story-wise, but it just didn't feel organic, I suppose.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/01/08 22:51:44


"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
 
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