Well, the main praise comes from the boldness and extent of the topics covered in the three novels. The Galaxy, the Quest for Knowledge, Explorators... All that jag.
And there's some wonderful turns in it, varyingly creative and clever.
Even McNeill's lack of subtlety didn't bother me too much.
But really, a story about the C'tan and AI and the Omnissiah and the fate of Earth and Mars?
It shouldn't hinge, nuWho-esque, on the power and wonderfulness of love.
The characters a nd plot was exceptionally fun to read through, but decisions involved vexes me no end. Galatea actually being an evil villain? Humbug.The Magi all being so human? Humbug! The Black Templars being less credible and convincing Space Marines than Uriel Ventris? HUMBUG!
I digress though. A lot of great stuff in here too. The Magi remained compelling for me - specifically Kryptaestrex, Azuramagelli and Blaylock - I have a secret wish the whole story had just been about them and the dubious assistance of 'is he a baddie (no, he isn't)' Galatea.
There's immense scenes to it too. Crossing the Halo Scar, the setting and reminisces of the Vitalis, the various disasters with the Titans, the reconomy on of the Cadians when Dahan's dome had been helpfully reordered by Speranza?
Some great stuff. It really made the trilogy a sheer joy to read. And I think it galvanised me that I'd like to see more. As adventures in 40k go, this is amongst the best. Perhaps not right on the level of Atlas Infernal or the Ahriman books, but it trumps a lot of others. I'd love to see Abnett, Chambers, Farrer or Sanders to turn their hands to this sort of thing. Obviously Abnett has Titanicus and Chambers has his brilliant Mechanicus shorts, but Farrer and Sanders have only sort of skirted the edges in passing. Then again, Farrer did the best Mechanicus in passing in the Shirakawa stories, and seeMs to have done a bit more recently, whilst we're still waiting on Sanders' Cybernetica novella.
Humbug. But also enjoyment.