The Bolthole

Just an idle idea that's been bouncing around my brain for a bit, now, that I figured I'd elaborate on. The trick, I think, is not solely basing an author on "has written about this legion," but more their position in the hierarchy of BL authors and the way they approach 40k: Matt Farrer, for instance, might have written an excellent portrayal of Angron in "After De'shea," but there's no way he's not the Magnus of the BL stable, the wonderfully warped ideas what he throws out.

Hmm. That does raise the specter that some of these comparisons might not be too kindly, if we think them all out. Who wants to be Angron or Fulgrim, anyways?

Lion El'Jonson - Gav Thorpe
Fulgrim - Ian Watson
Perturabo -
Jaghatai Khan -
Leman Russ - William King
Rogal Dorn -
Konrad Kurze - Si Spurrier?
Sanguinius - James Swallow?
Ferrus Manus -
Angron -
Roboute Guilliman - Graham McNiell, the one who produces some great stuff and some, erm, drier sections of the Codex Astartes.
Mortarion -
Magnus the Red - Matt Farrer, indisputably.
Horus Lupercal - Dan Abnett, the charismatic Warmaster
Lorgar Aurelian - AD-B, the charismatic orator (well, AB-D could also be Sanguinius, the golden poster child hero of the fanbase)
Vulkan - Steve Parker
Corvus Corax -
Alpharius Omegon - John French and Rob Sanders. I will stand by this choice firmly. If you disagree you are plain wrong.

Then there's Pyroriffic, the Lost Primarch, of course, as our lovely S. P. Cawkwell.












... Sigmar - William King (again)

(I'm very, truly sorry that I couldn't resist, Ath)

Athelassan wrote:Ian Watson would be an obvious candidate for a "lost Primarch", methinks.

Hmm. Watson might earn himself Fulgrim, for his orgiastic excesses and gyno/phallic overtones. I'd hesitate to slap him on Dorn, Pain Glove or no, since the lurid Watsonian prose might not mesh with the more... stoic Dorn.

Leman Russ - Bill King
I was thinking this right off the bat, both for his prodigious early work on the Space Wolves and also for his being one of the earliest published writers in the stable. Also he claims easily take all the other authors in a fight. And often starts them. (Might not be true, but he's from the right, grim bit of Scotland [same place as my mum's side of the family]. So it might as well be true- the story fits, facts be damned. Like Russ would want.)

Which leads me to:

Vulkan - Steve Parker
Foremost, he's one of those insane fitness types - I could happily imagine he's by far the strongest of the authors. Second of all, he's one of the most prominent campaigning and 'bleeding heart' (to be much more disparaging than he or Vulkan deserves - though arguably, it's a bit of a compliment if viewed in the right light - compassionate, empathic) of of the authors too.

Now that's not really to say that the others are less compassionate or any of that, but that it just feels particularly notable in Steve's work. Also his bits of fiction are particularly endearing and in many ways low key, very human. Rynn's World especially so. Also, his works can be exceptionally well crafted. And he'snot prone to haste (in publishing).