Black Library jumps the shark... again

With Macragge's Honour. A 100-page graphic novel that costs 95€ (almost 1€ per page!) and that will be shipped after 10 weeks.

There is nothing wrong with Limited or Luxury editions, as long as there is a standard edition that most customers will buy. Loyal customers like me who have printed copies of most of the Horus Heresy books.

And there is nothing wrong with claiming a high price when the value is right, but 1€ per page and 2.5 months to ship it? warp travel is faster than that!

Something that I recommend though is watchning the promo video with Dan Abnett and Neil Roberts. At least until someone posts a PDF for all to read, until and if BL eventually releases a normal, reasonal, affordable copy. Because let's get this straight, that is what most customers will do and not because they like piracy, but because that is the only option GW is leaving.

Apologies for the rant but please allow me to use this small and remote corner in the net to express my frustration at what GW is trying to pull this time.

Anyone feeling the same? I'd also like to see if anyone is actually interested in purchasing this version.

Shadows Of Treachery Review

Shadows of Treachery is the latest Horus Heresy short story antology that Black Library has released. Unlike Age of Darkness, Shadows of Treachery feels much more solid and consistent; this is not only to a very solid roster of authors, but especially because it mainly focuses on 2 Legions, their Primarchs and First Captains, a similar timeframe and related events. In this case, it is the Imperial Fists and the Night Lords. 

Up to now, the Imperial Fists main contribution to the story so far was picking up the survivors of the Einsenstein after their escape from the Isstvan system, bringing the news to Terra and start fortifying the defences. The Imperial Fists were also in charge of retrieving as many supplies as possible from Mars when the civil war broke out in the Red Planet. It is also known what it was Rogal Dorn who organized the disastrous counter-attack that ended up with the dropsite massacre.

As for the Night Lords, we have had brief references of their skirmishes with the Dark Angels in some remote region of space, and I believe play an important role in the recent Vulkan lives, which I haven't read yet.

So what about this compilation? I was a bit disappointed with Tales of Heresy and Age of Darkess but given the roster of authors is top notch - Abnett, McNeill and Dembski-Bowden amongst other- and that the Legacy Edition was available, I went for it. See below a short review of each story.

The Crimson Fist by John French

This is the largest story in the book, almost a mini novel on its own. The Crimson Fist explains what happened to the Imperial Fists force dispatched by Rogal Dorn to support the other loyalist Legions in the fight in Isstvan V. About 20% of the Legion, which was a huge fleet in that time, was sent to Isstvan and did not participate in the dropsite massacre; we finally get to know their fate. Not that I want to spoil anything but the cover we can already see Imperial Fists with assault gear fighting Astartes of the +++CENSORED+++ legion. It might also ring a bell if you saw this amazing diorama from Games Day ...

In the story we get to know a little bit more about the impenetrable Rogal Dorn and the Imperial Fists' First Captain Sigismund (who had previously appeared saving some bacon in Mechanicum). On the other side we find out the origin of the bodyguards of the Primarch of the +++CENSORED+++ legion and get to know more of their efficient way of fighting. All in all an enjoyable read, if yet its final is not very imaginative.

The Dark King by Graham McNeill

The Night Lords are arguably of one the Legions that have spent less time in the spotlight (pun intended) and finally get some much deserved love, although they are still to get a full novell of their own. In the meantime, The Dark King preludes the origins of their Primarch Konrad Kurze in a similar fashion as other Primarchs have had mentions of their first steps in their worlds of adoption in their novels; think of Fulgrim or Perturabo but with some more detail.

I don't know much about the Night Lords lore and fluff but suffice to say, this story has a quite different flavour to those of other more normal Primarchs; Kurze arrives to Nostromo after being dispersed from Terra to find a violent hive society, and after sometime surviving by eating different types of meat (hint: there are no cows in the hives) decides to put some order on his on way, which is terror. This is where we see hints that things were not allright in the Night Lords legion many years before the Heresy, same as we saw in Fulgrim, Angel Exterminatus or A Thousand Sons, and rather than the Heresy was made possible because most of the traitor Legions were already hiding something. It is these little tidbits of information that together add a much needed sense to the overall story.

The Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett

Can the mighty, imprenetable, hard as a rock Rogal Dorn feel fear? if it's not fear, let's just call it a very deep concern. This short story is bolter porn-free and revolves around a conversation of Rogal Dorn and the Sigillite in Terra, where they discuss the origins of that fear. What can it be so grave, so daunting, so horrible that can affect Rogal Dorn? The Night Haunter is part of this conversation and we learn that Dorn and Kurze had some issues in the past, but is it Kurze the reason of the fear?

The Kaban Project by Graham McNeill

The second short story of Mr. McNeill explains the origins of that sentient machine that attacked Dalia Cyphera and her friends in the novel Mechanicum. Although this was not a part that deserved much explanation, it is very nice to have a complementary story around Mechanicum, for this is one of the finest Horus Heresy novels to date, and one that - time will tell - could be recalled in the future as the origin of a new Mechanicum army. The story itself isn't that great but again, those that enjoyed Mechanicum will be interested. Hopefully we'll get some more stories on the Knights next time?

Raven’s Flight by Gav Thorpe

In the context of the Horus Heresy storyline, one of the big questions marks so far is how could there be any survivors from Isstvan V, and especially how Corax got away. Well this short story sheds some light about it. Personnally I feel it gives a too simplistic explanation and that it could have been more developed but to be fair, it is only a short story and it's best to get a (simple) answer that no answer at all, IMO.


Death of a Silversmith by Graham McNeill

This is really a filler that adds nothing to the general storyline. A very short story on the Luna Wolves and a character we had not heard about in a long time...

Prince of Crows by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
The second story of the Night Lords and one that I found very interesting; after a series of skirmishes with the Dark Angels, the Lion manages to ambush the Night Lords and in leaves Kurze badly wounded after fighting him. The remnants of the Night Lords ships flee and it is up to their First Captain Jago Sevatar to take the control. To do so will have to fight the inherent treachery of his Legion if he wants to strike back at the First Legion. 

Conclusion

Whilst the previous Horus Heresy compilations so far have been somewhat disappointing, this book feels much more solid and consistent. it sheds some light around details or secondary affairs far from the main action that some might find interesting, and definetely gives much more context to the Imperial Fists and Night Lords. If you are not interested in neither the details or those Legions and just want to see the story advance, I would probably recommend to skip this lecture. Otherwise it makes for a pleasant distraction (I read it one story at a time while going to work in the train) and the Legacy Edition at 10.5€ is definetely a great value. Verdict: 3/5

Have you read this book? what do you think?

The Gaunt's Ghosts project

It often happens to me that I’ve read a BL novel, watched an action movie or browsed a comic and I want to produce a unit or army to play it in the 40k world. After devouring several Gaunt’s Ghosts novels I knew I was in one of those “have to field this” moments and started to figure out how to do it. In the end it’s just Guardsmen right?

How to play it

Well let’s recap what make the Tanith First-and-Only stand out from other units, from a military standpoint: the Ghosts are an elite light infantry unit that excel at scout and stealth operations. So basically are a foot unit with camo-cloaks.

In terms of weapons, they favor  flamers as the default special weapon although they also sport a sniper in each platoon (which based in the size and number, I’d say resembles a standard squad). Heavy weapons are less common but there is always an autocannon (“Try again” Bragg) or missile launchers, that they call “tread-fethers”, at hand. M’kay. That is a bit confusing to start with, as foot IG doesn’t like to move from behind the Aegis/home ruins and definitely do not scout up the field. On the other hand, Vets usually ride in Chimeras or even Vendettas and sport meltas or plasmas. Hmm.

The camo cloaks are expensive for what they do but even with that, their survivability and usefulness would be close to nothing. A possibility is using Al-Raheim (let’s call him Corbec if you know what I mean) and outflank 30 or 40 of them, with assorted power axes and melta bombs. I haven’t played against outflanking IG blobs in 6^th but in late 5^th they were nasty. Admittedly because the meta was so meched up that finding 150+ foot guardsmen was a surprising prospect. An ATSKNF character to lead them would be useful but a) I haven’t seen a single power armour dude in 7 books so far, which is refreshing and b) I’m not even sure I can find a way to do it. So let's leave it as a 30-40 men platoon with Al-Raheim; depending on points I’ll add a Lord Comissar Hark or Gaunt.

In 6^th, and specifically in a tournament context that is where I play the most, perhaps (note the italics) I could use them as sort of distraction unit, proving I don’t sink too many points there. Just show up in a flank near an objective and capture/contest it. Even better if use them with my usual drop pod wolves as there will be lots of units for my opponent to clean off his DZ. I don’t mind not using an über optimized list, as long as it’s not an auto-lose list, which admittedly this could very well be. Tell you what, I’ll run this in a couple of casual matches and see what it does. At least, it doesn’t care much about Flyers.

How to model it

There are 6 metal models still available in the GW site, but don't look that great. I believe more were released in the past but I'm not willing to spend eons on ebay to purchase them at a reasonable price. Well Cadians are relatively affordable aren’t they? But they look too formal, a well drilled unit out of the Eye of Terror’s West Point. The Ghosts are meant to be, well, way less formal. They all wear black matte fatigues and cloaks, but then some wear caps, some helmets, most go without any head gear. Then you have the Tanith-bred with long black hair and tattoos while the Verghastites are mostly slum gangers, although there are also PDP militia and refined career officers… and there are also female troopers. Cadians definitely don’t work. The Catachans, well I could use some parts here and there but not as the base. So after looking for a while at independent companies, I’ve found out a very nice unit from Victoria miniatures that looks like the real thing. The inspiration is obvious and the level of detail seems nice. For $45 I’m willing to give it a try. 

Camo cloaks, check.
Assorted heads, check.
Knives, different poses, accessories, check, check, check.

I also have some Kromlech bits that I purchased for my SW (like feral faces) and a few Krieg knives and weapons. After the first 10 are completed, I can start adding special characters like the sniper Larkin, female sergeant Criid or sergeant Domor with his augmented bionics. All in all sounds like a plan!

P.S. if it the outflanking blob doesn’t work, I’ll just use them as vets in a chimera. Or leave them to decorate the shelf where the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels are J

Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding Review

Time and time again I have been thrilled by Dan Abnett's work, especially in the Horus Heresy but also in other works such as Lone Wolf or Titan. And being Imperial Guard the very first army I had back in 2nd edition (metal Cadians from the warp!), I couldn't resist to have a look at one of Abnett's most celebrated stories, Gaunt's Ghosts. This review covers the 1st Omnibus featuring the first 3 novels: First And Only, Ghostmaker and Necropolis plus a short story that serves as epilogue for the third novel, In Remembrance.

So who is this Gaunt and who are the Ghosts?
Colonel-Comissaur Gaunt is hardened Imperial Comissaur who happens to be also Colonel of the Imperial Guard, so is both a military and political leader. After many years of service he is awarded command of a newly founded regiment, the Tanith 1st. On the same day in which Gaunt was making planetfall to the planet Tanith to be put in charge of his new regiment, a Chaos fleet striked out of nowhere and there was no one to stop them obliterating the planet. Gaunt was faced with a difficult choice: stay with his new regiment and die fighting for Tanith, or save as many men as possible so they could live to fight back another day. Gaunt chose the latter and so happened that Tanith only every raised one regiment for the Imperial Guard, never to be followed by another. On one hand he saved about 3.000 souls for the Emperor's service but that also won the enmity of most of them, who were negated the choice of fighting -and dying - for their home planet and families.

With no planet to go back to, with no family to defend anywhere, with a catastrophic event they couldn't prevent, the Tanith survivors are really ghost soldiers that tread from one war theater to the next with a grim resolve of vengeance and the bitterness all is lost for them. Ghosts is also a nickname from their very special scouting abilities, for the Ghosts use black fatigues and camo cloaks, and are extremely skilled at remaining unseen if they want to. Most of them feature tatoos in their faces and have black hair, making them look as a ragtag band to other rival regiments.

The Ghosts - grim, silent, tatooed badasses!

The novels

First And Only introduces the Tanith 1st, the first and only regiment the planet Tanith ever produced. It is an introductory novel to Gaunt and some of the most celebrated Ghosts as they fight against a Chaos invasion on the Sabbat system.

The second novel, Ghostmaker, is more of a collection of small stories are centered about remarkable members of the Ghosts: sniper "Mad" Larkin, hulking "Try again" Bragg, young Trooper Caffran, Colonel Corbec, Major Rawne (who happens to want to kill Gaunt for leaving Tanith to die), Chief Medic Dorden, Gaunt's adjutant Milo and a few more get his time in the spotlight. Personally I feel it is too early in the series for this type of introspective, that it would be better once we know more about the Ghosts, but I also can see it working the other way and in later novels it certainly helps knowing more background about the main characters.

The third novel, Necropolis, is where the action really kicks in. The Ghosts are called to defend a hive city in a nearby planet, in which turns out to be - guess what - the actions of Chaos. This is a pretty intense novel that raises the bar from the previous two, in terms of complexity, number and depth of the characters, and tension. The closing short story In Remembrance acts as epilogue of the fight in the hive, a few days after the war is decided


Veredict: 7.5/10
The novels are great fun and 15€ is a great price. I guess it just feels... a little too plain after the Horus Heresy. Take the 30k era,  most characters lie in a blur grey zone- is Magnus a traitor or just can't escape his destiny? would Horus have turned evil if the Emperor would have been closer at hand? In the Ghosts series there is usually a clear distinction between the good and the bad, right and wrong. That said, I'm growing fond of the Ghosts and can't wait to read more of their adventures. If you are looking for something different to read, give them a try.

Behold the mighty titan! Dan Abnett is back for good

In the early 2000's the Black Library released a series of graphic novels about the 40k fans wetest dream. Yup even more than the beloved Sisters of Battle, the Space Wolves flyer or the Genestealer cults: Titans! Well rejoice as the Black Library has compiled them all in a titanic *chuckles* 300 page book. Titan tells the story of a recently promoted Warlord Princeps, his struggles to man the mighty Imperius Dictation and his fight against the very worst nightmares the galaxy has to offer.

For someone who grew in the 80s the graphic style is alike to the comics I use to read back then, B/W inked with a less realistic, grim  look than we're used to. Where Lone Wolves had an incredible art at the cost of not many pages, this is far longer collection but obviously with a simpler art, yet very nice if you ask me. The titan looks absolutely badass! And with all the furious dialogues you can expect from the High Imperial Master Dan Abnett.

By the way, sorry for the slow post rate. Sometimes work / life dares to mess with the hobby life! I'm finishing some Deathwing Knights and Command Squad, I'll be posting pictures very soon.

The 5 Horus Heresy novels you can't miss!

Did you know the first Horus Heresy book was released in 2006? although the series really didn't start taking off until ebooks were made available in late 2010. All this time I have read and re-read all the novels (and re-re-read again some of those), courtesy of a long conmute on my way to the office. This is the Top-5 novels no Warhammer fan, no science fiction fan can miss. Here we go;



#5 A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeill

The Thousand Sons are one of the most special Legions. Warfare was but a side consequence of their real objective which was the collection of all knoweldge. Thus they tapped into the Warp, a vast ocean of emotions and knowledge, and thought they could control it. Thought they were ready for it. Thought it would not harm them. They were wrong.

This is a very enjoyable novel about a fall that should have never happened, for the Thousand Sons and Magnus were loyal and devoted servants of Mankind, and all their did was to enlighten the rest of our kin. Unfortunately for them, the Warp can't be controlled and can't be fooled, and gambling with its inhabitants will only yield disaster. This is again a tale of Mankind being about to reach its peak, only to fall onto the deepest of pits. The other part of the story is told from the eyes of the Wolves of Fenris in Prospero Burns.

Remarkable moment:

Magnus manages to reach Terra to warn the Emperor about the treachery of Horus, but wreaks absolute havoc in doing so and severely damages the Golden Throne, earning the Emperor's punushment through the Space Wolves.

#4 Horus Rising by Dan Abnett

Time has taken its toll and many novels have appeared since, but this is where it all began. For the first time we heard about Loken and Torgaddon, the Mournival, the remembrancers and many more classics. It was a time of hope and enlightment for Mankind. And this is precisely what makes this book so special: probably the only non-dystopic book in all of the Black Library; there was no grim dark future, no doom at hand for Mankind, but a vast Galaxy to be conquered, an interstellar empire to be instaured. The Emperor and His Sons were abroad, commanding vast armies the like of which had never been seen before. Mighty battleships carrying death incarnate in power armour for some, enlightment for others. There was nothing that could stop Mankinf. Nothing on the tangible side of the galaxy at least...

Remarkable moment:

Loken's induction to the Mournival probably sets the highest moment in the Crusade, the final moment of utopia, and the beginning of the end.

#3 Legion by Dan Abnett

Whereas this book tells about the fall of the Alpha Legion, this is first and foremost the only Imperial Guard centric book in an otherwise universe of power armour. Abnett has proven over and over again to be the Master of the Guard, and this time is no different: the real stars of the show are the troopers of the Jokers regiment and their Commanding Officers. Soldiers of flesh and blood, fear and emotions, lasguns and trenches. Non-enhanced, knowing the fear, the cold and hunger. And yet quickly become the stars of the show. Not even the guest appearance of John Grammaticus and the Cabal he works for can steal any of the spotlight.

Remarkable moment: 
Bronzi Hurtado is not a man to be bullied when taking a leak, not even by a mighty Astartes!








#2 Mechanicum by Graham McNeill

Behold the mightiest machines of the Mechanicum rise in arms! this has to be the biggest product niche GW has yet to explore. Hell even Squats wouldn't sell as much as a fully-fledged Mechanicum army. Let's face it, big robots have always been popular in sci-fi, but seldom have been this cool. Huge stalking giants, bearing weapons capable of taking cities down in but a few seconds, fighting for the supremacy of the red planet. And the Heresy seeds creating a huge ridge in the planet that could tear it apart. Knights, Titans, Legions, Adepts, Forges and even a mysterious Dragon  make Mechanicum a Black Library masterpiece. Just. Don't. Miss it.

Remarkable moment:
A loyalist Titan legion defending one of the latest standing Forges from the attack of Legio Mortis. Pure epic.


Remarkable moment #2:
A patrol of Mars Knigths (think about the Grey Knights Dreadknight and you won't be far off the mark) are the first to receive the Emperor upon His descent to Mars. They get blinded by a warm golden light and are kneeling before His presence without even considering it.  Heal thylsef, machine!




#1 Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett

In the grim future/past of the 31st millenium there is only war, and boy what a war! the greatest, most powerful forces the Galaxy has ever seen are fighting each other. And amongst them, the Space Wolves outstand as the most ruthless and dangerous of them all (Abnett dixit). Not even the psychic mastery of the Thousand Sons stand a chance against the Emperor's deterrent once their fury has been unleashed. For most of the novel we will get a different insight though, not of bolters roaring but of the Wolves in the Rout, the Fang, and of their ways through the eyes of an outsider named Kasper Hauser. The Council of Nikaea is at the center of the story and plays a key role on the events that are about to unfold. Of course  there are other forces at play, the same that got Hauser to Fenris in the first place, and that might have been working in the shadows for decades so this Council actually happens...

Remarkable moment:
The final fight between Primarchs Leman Russ and Magnus is truly a clash of titans, yet one that can only have a winner. Abnett is at his best portraying Leman Russ, who tries to look like a barbaric madman but turns out to be more of a cunning warrior than that.

And that's it. Perhaps Ultramarine players will think Know No Fear should be on this list, or BA players will vouch for Fear To Tread. This is of course a subjective list, so feel free to post what are your favourite Horus Heresy novels!

Dark Heart Review & saving money at the Black Library

Dark Heart is a short story by Anthony Reynolds set in the Word Bearers attack to Calth and makes a nice read for those who have enjoyed Know No Fear by Dan Abnett. Don't be fooled by the cover, this story is all about the Word Bearers and covers a scene towards the end of Know No Fear from their point of view. In Abnett's original novel, we pretty much see the Ultramarines side on this particular action and we don't get much insight onto what is going on Kor Phaeron and his boys end.

Now the good thing is that Reynolds doesn't just tell the same story from the other side of the mirror, but rather uses that context to give us some insight onto what the Word Bearers legion has become at this point. Even in the small calm before the storm, things stir where the Word Bearers tread!

All in all an enjoyable read, if only a bit short. But that's what you get for that price. Oh wait.


Price shaenigans, or how this costs 70% more in Europe than in the UK!

Now onto the rant... why does this ebook cost 70% more in euros than in pounds? and 26% more in USD than in pounds?

It is a well-known fact that international companies often have different prices across regions, beyond what the exchange rate fluctuations would justify. This is of course a profitability measure, as the price elasticity, competitive landscape and rest of variables affecting demand and supply can have significant differences. It is also use to protect margins against exchange rate fluctuations but let's not get too technical ;) GW's prices in Australia comes to mind as a good example.

And how to get around it

The good news for us customers is that unlike physical goods that can be restricted to a certain extent, online products like ebooks are far more difficult to bound to a geographical area. If you tried to order from the UK site of GW to say Europe, GW would stopped you from doing it with the UK prices as soon as you entered the destination address. However an ebook is purchased and downloaded, regardless of the adress the user has entered.

Simply register as a new customer with a UK address and order in pounds. Creating a new account takes a couple of minutes and you can order straight away and download the ebook. Unfortunately this only works with ebooks and not traditional paper books.

Angel Exterminatus Review

The Horus Heresy plot continues to move forward with Angel Exterminatus by Graham McNeill. As Mr. McNeill puts it, this book was meant to be the continuation of Fulgrim but ultimately became an Iron Warriors novel of its own. And a very good one. The Iron Warriors are one of the most popular traitor Legions and yet, after 25+ books we had only had a small glimpse at Perturabo's warriors in the format of a short story.

Well the wait is over and this is a great book that I'm sure will please most Iron Warriors fans out there. Not only we get to learn the reasons that led  Perturabo to turn his back on the Emperor and join Horus' side, but we see for the first time popular characters that appear in the 40k era novels like the popular Storm of Iron. The Emperor's Children also get their day in the sun as we continue to see their evolution and are now completely depraved and, well, chaotic.

The plot

After the Iron Warriors finally overcome an almost an impenetrable fortress defended by, yes the Iron Fists (note: the novel will become far less topical after the start), the Emperor's Children fleet shows up and Fulgrim requests help from his brother Perturabo in order to capture certain Eldar artifacts that could prove crucial to tip the balance towards the traitor's side.

As the story progresses we get to learn of the ways of Perturabo and his Legion, and McNeill does a great job to give the Iron Warriors their own personality and flavour. The way the Warsmiths - which is the Iron Warriors way to say Chapter Master -  fight behind the scenes for power and Perturabo's favour is most interesting.

There's also some stellar participation from some Iron Hands and Raven Guard survivors from Isstvan V . They may play a secondary part in the plot but boy, it's a good one.

Perturabo at war. The book contains 3 more illustrations.

High & Lowlights

As most of Graham McNeill's work, this is a good novel that moves away from the "bolter-porn" (as McNeill himself calls it) and digs deeper onto the ways of the Legions, their own concerns and interests, and fills some important gaps in the story so far. And importantly, it starts to shape their own heresy-era personality. It's not an eye-opener such as Mechanicum or A Thousand Sons were, and it's not filled with as much action as say Storm of Iron, but it is an enjoyable novel and has inspired me to paint the Dark Vengeance Hellbrute and Chosen in the yellow and black livery.

The hardback edition also contains 4 beatifull piees of artwork by Karl Richardson. In case you don't know him this is the artist behind the Lone Wolves novel. Top notch stuff.

On the other hand, unfortunately Angel Exterminatus doesn't really progress the story overall and just covers part of the Iron Warriors / Emperor's Children own story. At the moment this collection is the Black Library's cash cow but they're risking losing interest unless they can make significant movement forward.

Also let me bring this - the Black Library originally released the hardback edition at 25€ as the only way to get the book. While there are no complaints at all about the book's quality, the finish or the illustrations, I don't think fans will want to continue reading the next 20 or 30 installments in the series at this price. You can of course await a month or two until cheaper versions are released but it doesn't feel fair with the fans. If you must, please release the paper and hardback editions at the same time.

The veredict 7/10

Angel Exterminatus is all about giving the Iron Warriors some deserved visibility. The plot is rather predictable and the story might not move much forward, but the intent of the book is to provide the decorations, the set so to speak, so we can finally have a novel dedicated to Perturabo and the Iron Warriors. It is certainly an enjoyable read and a good inspiration if you are building or playing 30k era armies.

Mephiston Lord Of Death artwork

Black Library has posted today some wallpapers about its upcoming book Mephiston, Lord of Death. Sadly is not the original artwork (they will want to monetize it as well *sigh*) but what you see above these lines. If you're a hardcore BA fan you might want to check it out here.

Games Day 2012 Spain

Well I'm just back from the Games Day 2012 in Barcelona. What a day! I'm as thrilled and motivated to continue with my projects as I could possibly be. After all, it's difficult not to be inspired by so many great creations. Big dioramas or individual minis, the quality of Golden Demon participants was breath taking. I have to confess this is my very first Games Day after some ~20 years in the hobby, and will certainly not be the last one.

Huge battles with Flyers... yay

I'm also glad to have in my hands the GD'12 mini; this year is a very special one for me: the Blood Angels captain that was featured in the 2nd edition box. That was the box I began with so this sort of closes the circle. The mini is plainly awesome, and it was good to have the sculpter, Juan Diaz, around. He looked happy to be at home (well, 200 kms to the north but ya know) and was seemed content to give sculping tips to just everyone who swung by his table.

Golden Demon

It's difficult to convey my feelings after seeing so many great pieces of art. I consider myself a (relatively) good painter, and I've even won best painted army at a couple of tournaments, but the stuff at Golden Demon is well above my current capabilities. Some years ago I would have felt abashed but this time I'm just motivated to try and replicate this painting style. Things like creating shades, like line highlighting with different tones to reach almost a white, to paint faces in layers and not with washes... the list goes on and I made sure to take a pic on some minis that struck me the most. Below you can see some pictures.

Now, Anja from the 'Eavy metal team was there, and some of her creations too. The NMM Sanguinor, Astorath, Arjac Rockfist, Njal Stormacaller... these stood head and shoulders above anything else. I own the WD with the painting guide of the Sanguinor, you know full of high quality pics, but seeing the actual mini live makes you think she's sold her soul to Slaanesh (I'm kidding of course). I can only say, there were some incredible minis for the Golden Demon, whose owners probably spent weeks if not months with them. Well I don't know how long it took her to paint those minis, but with GW's release schedule, I suspect only a few days. I *believe* with practice and effort I could one day get closer to a Golden Demon level, but I *know* I will never be able to paint like Anja. That said, GD level is good enough to me so I'll be satisfied if I ever reach that level.

Beautiful subtle NMM touches

An epic battle worth 100 quid

Forge World

People were buying FW stuff like if there was no tomorrow. I had planned to buy the Space Marine Captain and Banner holder, and the new apothecaries, and began a small collection of a pre-heresy Legion. Instead I've decided to hold myself until I can paint those awesome minis to the level they deserve, and thus set upon myself to try to improve and maybe next year I'll be ready for that.

Black Library

Graham McNeill was the BL's VIP and was kind enough to have a Q&A session with the audience. But what caught my attention was some of the new books. Priests of Mars from McNeill himself looks tasty, especially after the monumental Mechanicum, and Fear to Tread's cover with Sanguinius fighting/falling to a demon gave many people a heart attack. Unfortunately the Black Library won't speed up things for a while and the final battle of Sanguinius vs. Horus in the Vengeful Spirit won't come anytime soon, but the reminiscence of the cover is evident.

Conclusion

Any 40k hobbyist worth his salt will greatly enjoy these events, and I love how you have so many different aspects of it available in just one event. You can play, paint, create stuff, talk to other fans and folks from GW, and also spend too much in FW goodies. I had a blast and I'm definetely looking forward to next year's edition.

Age of Darkness Review

Age of Darkness is a compilation of 9 short stories of the Horus Heresy, set in a time frame between Isstvan V and 2 years later. It is nice to see the story moving forwards, and hopefully the next few years until Horus reaches Terra won't require 20 books again.

The book has clear highs and lows. The first stories aren't really great, and some of them are plain boring.

This is a small recap of the stories:


Rules of engagement
Black Library's best-seller writer Graham McNeill brings this piece about Captain Ventanus, one of the main characters in Know No Fear. The story has advanced since the Word Bearers attack and we can start to see  some cracks in Ventanus' faith and loyalties. Since when does an Ultramarine, a captain nonetheless, questions the purpose of his actions? Interestingly I read this book after Know No Fear (which was launched before) and I think this order fits better, as the timeline is now in order and you have a deeper knowledge of Ventanus.


Liar's due
Set in a small farming settlement in a corner of the galaxy with no strategic nor military importance at all, tells the story of one of Horus' agents manipulating its inhabitants to their cause. It's one of those stories that help to provide richness to the HH background, covering small details far away from the main action. The story is far from exciting and seeing little action doesn't help much. I would say pass unless you're truly absorbed by the HH.


Forgotten sons
This is a rather strange story of an Ultramarine and a Salamander send to convince a world to stay loyal. They would not do this by bolter and chainsword as you would expect, but rather by debating against an iterator sent by Horus (?). The story is more interesting that the plot though and it has some memorable moments, such as the Salamander recollections of the battle at Isstvan V and the last moments in which he saw the Primarch Vulkan alive, fighting for his life and his honour. All in all a decent read.


The last remembrancer
A traitor vessel appears in the Sol system, carrying a lone remembrancer. Dorn and the Half-Heard will have to find out why he's here.



Rebirth
A Thousand Sons captain is held captive by a Space Wolf (is it?) and slowly remembers how he got there. He had gone down to the surface of Prospero to look for survivors.


The Face of Treachery
This is a short prelude to Deliverance Lost and depicts the evacuation of the few remaining Raven Guard from Isstvan V, and how the Alpha Legion are already pulling some strings. Interesting and helps to better understand Deliverance Lost, which is a fine novel on its own.

Little Horus
The story I was most looking forward too, both for the author (Dan Abnett) and the subject. Little Horus has some scars than Abaddon after the Isstvan events, but fights to carry on his duties. We see here the continuation of the Mournival as a 4-men group again, and some fight against the White Scars.

The Iron Within
Definetely the story I enjoyed the most in the book. Reminds me of Storm Of Iron from Graham McNeill, although in a much smaller scale. A few loyal Iron Warriors are holding a fortress and making their enemies pay for every meter they gain with the help of an Ultramarine captain.


Savage Weapons
The last story, and finally we get some bloody, direct action! after some time chasing each other in a lost region of space, Konrad Kurze and the Lion decide to confront each other in a lonely planet, just the two of them plus a couple of bodyguards.





A good number of stories and a fine selection of writers, unfortunately the end result is far from satisfactory.





The best
The Iron Within is the only truly good story of the bunch. Little Horus is passable but I was expecting more of Dan Abnett.


The worst
Some of the novels are plain boring, and most of them lack any action or interest. Save 2 or 3, the rest are not good enough to be published, in my opinion.

Rating
3/10 Accepting the format is different to a normal novel, the bar has been set too low for this compilation. The lack of action makes it boring to read at times, and the fact that the stories are short don't mean they can't have any depth, but sadly this is the case. Finally, it would have been nice to use the small stories to uncover some loose threads, some mysteries to be solved, or to shed light on Legions that are not getting much attention right now. Unfortunately, nothing of this happens and we get a  collection of dull, flat stories that will disappoint many BL readers. A good wasted opportunity.

Know No Fear Review

Know No Fear is the 19th installment in the Horus Heresy series, and a fine addition to the list. Author Dan Abnett explores one of the crucial battles of the Heresy when the Word Bearers attack Ultramar, the vast region of space controlled by the Ultramarines and in many ways an Empire on their own.

Surely the Ultramarines do not have a reputation like those of the World Eaters or the Space Wolves, but are nonetheless a perfect killing machine and the largest legion at the moment, so their destruction was a key step for Warmaster Horus. The novel provides a rich description on how the XVII Legion of the Word Bearers attack the XIII, Ultramarines, focusing in the first hours before and after the attack. As the Ultramarines casualties pile up and the Word Bearers draw close to victory, there is something inside each and every Ultramarine that makes them face the unexpected and fight to the end.

In the same fashion as we previously were introduced to the ways and customs of other chapters (like the Thousand Sons or the Space Wolves), Dan Abnett creates the Ultramarines personalities and ways, with their own ways to interact amongst themselves and their primarch, with their unique way of thinking, and pretty much erasing for ever the feeling that the only difference amongst Legions was the colour of their armours. Roboute Guilliman appears for the first time in the series (about time!) and his is a portrait of a perfectionist, a ruthless strategist that has everything under his control and expects only the best from their men. All in all it's very nice to finally see the origin on why the Ultramarines are like they are - they are just like Guilliman made them to be.

But don't get me wrong, this is not a book about how the Ultramarines repel the invasion and wipe out the traitors - this is a book about how Ultramar and its Legion is almost destroyed. The description about the attack is long and detailed, almost painful, and certainly most enjoyable by all the Chaos fans. The Ultramarines fleet is almost completely destroyed, the damage in Calth is unbearable and the loses of the XIII legion are above the 100K Space Marines, a most damaging blow to the heart of the Empire. Only their courage and honour will keep the Ultramarines fighting.

The best
Abnett's description of the Ultramarines through their customs and their prmarch is delightful; they will no longer be just Space Marines in blue. The book structure containing different sub-histories makes it very intriguing and addictive.

The worst
The 200-long pages of the Ultramar destruction are tiresome. One of the sub stories doesn't have a clear ending, perhaps that will come in another book.

Rating
8/10 Enjoyable, addictive and throughoutly well-written although the Word Bearers' attack description was too long for my taste.