Ask... JOHN FRENCH

[Liliedhe]

And another:



This one is for Warmaster. I guess Horus doesn't really count as a nice character anymore, but his ... audience certainly does. And he didn't deserve to star in very, very bad Shakespeare reenactments.

[Lord of the Night]

Hi John, quick question.

I read your short story Crucible yesterday, absolutely loved it. My question is, are you planning to write any more GK stuff in the future??

Edit: I've also started reading Ahriman: Exile and am really enjoying it thus far. I loved your description of the scent of corruption. "Crushed roses and fresh faeces." Now that is something unique right there.


LotN

[John French]

@Lord of the Nght
Really glad you enjoyed it. I would love to do more with the Grey Knights, and its a definite possibility for the future, just have to see how things work out. There is also a good chance that they will crop up in... other places...

[David Earle]

Hello John,

I just finished reading Ahriman: Exile, and wanted to say kudos. I had a lot of trouble putting it down. Well done on Warmaster too while I'm at it; I do enjoy a good villainous monologue.

One question only: Do you know what Chapter Astraeos and his kin were a part of? (I won't even ask about the Harrowing. Ugh, hook teeth.)

[Lord of the Night]

I actually have a question about Exile as well.

What happened to Kadin? I get what happened to Maroth, Ahriman's psychic assault broke his mind and allowed things like fear to take root in his mind. Maroth became a broken parody of a being. But Kadin was much different, he seemed a little sociopathic when he spoke to Astreos and he stopped complaining about Ahriman.

Am I right in thinking that parts of his personality were damaged by the Daemonic possession and that who he is now is his personality trying to fill in the gaps? Or is it something else entirely?


LotN

[Liliedhe]

Hello John,

[...]
One question only: Do you know what Chapter Astraeos and his kin were a part of? (I won't even ask about the Harrowing. Ugh, hook teeth.)

Spoiler: Bronze Gorgons? I admit this is conjecture, but I am definitely wondering where they are from, too.

I've also taken a liking to Astraeos and something tells me that is entirely unfortunate. For me.

Finally got sucked into the book yesterday, and it is totally awesome.

[John French]

Thanks guys, really pleased you are enjoying Ahriman: Exile

@David Earle and Liliedhe
What chapter are Astraeos and his brothers from? Well the honest answer is that you will have to allow me to keep a secret or two. For now.

@Lord of the Night
Yes, your right - the idea I had with Kadin is that he had most of his psyche burned away. The consciousness that remains is really a shell. He has lots of the memories, and some of the instincts and emotions of his previous self, but thy don't necessarily join up. Things that formed the core of his self become like pictures in his mind - he can look at them, even understand them, but they don't necessarily mean anything to him. More than a little sociopathic. That was the idea anyway, hopefully it came through.

[Mossy Toes]

Have somewhat belatedly read Shadows of Treachery, and in it, "The Crimson Fist."

Excellent story, though a few lines in it about gravitron topedoes and the like sets me off on a somewhat meandering chain of thought. I've read on AB-D's blog that you work for Forge World, so coupled with this clearly heresy-only technology being fired around, I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of "Battlefleet: Heresy" supplement to BFG in the works to accompany Betrayal and such.

I realize that it's a recedingly unlikely shot in the dark on my part, and that if something is being put together, you almost certainly won't be able to say anything--but even just a flat out denial would help set my mind at ease, on this count.

[Liliedhe]

I finished Ahriman: Exile. For once, no sad Panda .

Great book - I probably ought to feel sorry for Ahriman, but I don't. The old boy should know better, except he of course doesn't. It seems to me the ultimate irony of the TS is that they know so much and learn so little. Nice mystery at the end...

I kinda do feel sorry for Astraeos (who was my favourite character in the book), but it seems whatever it was that set him on this path happened long before he met Ahriman. I do have some suspicions to what that was.

Spoiler: I think his chapter is one of those wiped out in the Abyssal Crusade...

Also, the following is my favourite quote in the book:

Spoiler: "They are my brothers, not my slaves."

Which also prompts me to ask a question: Are the Rubricae indestructible? They certainly seem to be here.

[Bloody Mary]

After reading Atheme, I have a few questions.

Spoiler: Is Gog a Perpetual, were the Chaos gods preserving him or is he something else?

Spoiler: The knights who kill Gog--are they King Arthur's knights? Or is the king the Fisher King? Or maybe it's Galahad?
I'm guessing he's one of the Emperor's disguises--does it mean the Emperor was also Brutus?

[Words_of_Truth]

I'd also like to know in regards to Ahriman..

Spoiler: What chapter Astraeos and his brothers are from, is it an Astartes Praeses chapter? I know grey figures were involved in their destruction and I don't know if I'm recalling this properly but I think it said or implied it was their chapter homeworld which was attacked and they escaped from it or am I just getting muddled up with the rogue tech adept who merges with Titan Child or were both their worlds attacked by loyal Imperium forces?

[Liliedhe]

I didn't buy Riven yet - will have to wait for next month... - but I wonder if it will make me a sad panda again .

I do look forward to it, though, because I'm probably masochist.

[Dorian]

I NEED more Ahriman. I really do. After re-reading Ahriman: Exile 3 times already I' yearning for something new.

Mr. French, is your answer still "I can't say" in regards to another Ahriman novel?

[Liliedhe]

I really liked your Ahriman Calendar short *pictures Ahriman in a classic action pose*.

Spoiler: I also feel dumb because I only now got the meaning of his Horkos name. "I am a cursed oathbreaker?" Angsty much?

"See, daddy, how sorry I am? How very, very, very sorry and suffering I am? How guilty I am? Please, like me again, please?"

[Bloody Mary]

So, I just read Riven and mainly, I have this to say:

Spoiler: Also, are those really Necron!Iron Hands, or am I just paranoid?

[Liliedhe]

And I read Ahriman The Dead Oracle.

So, Ahriman is collecting the party for the RPG campaign?

Spoiler: And Ctesias is a ****. How dare he call Astraeos 'mongrel'.