Anyone ever read the WARHAMMER 50K novels?

[FPAlpha]

Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon(although many will probably disagree with me on the last one)

I might have to hurt you now! Descent is.. not so good (regarding its place in the Heresy series.. a decent adventure novel but totally out of place in that series).

Oh i'm well aware that my opinion is pretty much the opposite to how most people view 'Descent'. But i view it as one of the stronger books in the series. The problem with the Dark Angels is that the turn of Luther, as laid out in Codex Angels of Death and onwards, was pretty much a case of "Chaos Did It", something that plagued the earlier 40k fiction (briefly resurrected in the form of "The C'tan Did It"), and was fairly black and white. Descent carries on what Gav Thorpe started in 'Angels of Darkness', giving the Dark Angels a more 3 dimensional background - sure the Fallen were wrong turning to Chaos, but given how Lion El'Jonson treated them can you blame them?

'Descent' also fulfills the same role as Horus Rising and False Gods, if we dont see what Luther was like prior to his fall, then why should we care about him?

Although i doubt i will sway anyone, i've been debating this with fellow GW enthusiasts since the books release and ive yet to convert anyone to loving 'Descent of Angels' . 'Battle for the Abyss' however, is a book where i share the majorities opinion. Ben Counter can do much better.

[

As i said it is a decent novel but it focuses on a totally secondary character (at best) for most of the time and only the last quarter or so makes the real connection to the Heresy series. We get a glimpse into the background of Caliban and the people living and fighting there which is good but we only get small scenes here and there with Lion El'Jonson and Luther which show the rift developing but that's it.

Compared with the Horus books that detail his fall, Fulgrim that shows the descent of an entire Legion (and furthers the main storyline) and Legion that has some huge reveal about the Legion it falls very short.

I haven't read the newest DA book in the series (it's supposed to be better) but i can't wait for the Thousand Sons/Space Wolf books

 

[SilentP]

I rather strongly disagree with this. A great deal of the enjoyment of the prequels lies in the contrast between them and the established Imperium of the 41st millenium, with its myths and legends about this era. They're still good novels, but someone new to the universe will be missing out on that extra layer of fun. They should be saved until later.


Marian

Agreed, sometimes it's better to read these novels after your at least somewhat familiar with the current state of the 40K universe, because otherwise, the significance of the events seems lessened. However, I think I'm a minority of 40K players in thinking that they shouldn't have gone into novel level detail with the Heresy in the first place, it kind of de-mystifies things for me, in a universe where myth, legends, propaganda and hearsay are rife and alive.

 

[MarianLH]

I find it useful to imagine them as just one more retelling of the story, one that tries to get the details right, but is still a retelling. Like all those "historically accurate" versions of King Arthur that were in vogue in the 90s.



Marian

 

[Spiderpope]

I might have to hurt you now! Descent is.. not so good (regarding its place in the Heresy series.. a decent adventure novel but totally out of place in that series).

Oh i'm well aware that my opinion is pretty much the opposite to how most people view 'Descent'. But i view it as one of the stronger books in the series. The problem with the Dark Angels is that the turn of Luther, as laid out in Codex Angels of Death and onwards, was pretty much a case of "Chaos Did It", something that plagued the earlier 40k fiction (briefly resurrected in the form of "The C'tan Did It"), and was fairly black and white. Descent carries on what Gav Thorpe started in 'Angels of Darkness', giving the Dark Angels a more 3 dimensional background - sure the Fallen were wrong turning to Chaos, but given how Lion El'Jonson treated them can you blame them?

'Descent' also fulfills the same role as Horus Rising and False Gods, if we dont see what Luther was like prior to his fall, then why should we care about him?

Although i doubt i will sway anyone, i've been debating this with fellow GW enthusiasts since the books release and ive yet to convert anyone to loving 'Descent of Angels' . 'Battle for the Abyss' however, is a book where i share the majorities opinion. Ben Counter can do much better.

[

As i said it is a decent novel but it focuses on a totally secondary character (at best) for most of the time and only the last quarter or so makes the real connection to the Heresy series. We get a glimpse into the background of Caliban and the people living and fighting there which is good but we only get small scenes here and there with Lion El'Jonson and Luther which show the rift developing but that's it.

Compared with the Horus books that detail his fall, Fulgrim that shows the descent of an entire Legion (and furthers the main storyline) and Legion that has some huge reveal about the Legion it falls very short.

I haven't read the newest DA book in the series (it's supposed to be better) but i can't wait for the Thousand Sons/Space Wolf books

'Fallen Angels' will be more to your liking, and it will probably make your opinion of 'Descent' as a Heresy book more favourable. I cant really say anything more without spoiling it.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

^Only if you're into SM:

Link.

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