What Are You Reading?

[Lord of the Night]

Finished reading The Honoured. Anyone know if there are still Word Bearers in Calth’s underground left during M41/42?

Nope. The Ultramarines made damn sure of it.


LotN

[Squiggle]

just finished Nemesis by the excellent Mr Swallow. Decent read all told. Some excellent sections and some parts slightly pedestrian but overall a good addition to the Horus Heresy series.

[Xisor]

just finished Nemesis by the excellent Mr Swallow. Decent read all told. Some excellent sections and some parts slightly pedestrian but overall a good addition to the Horus Heresy series.

Oh heck, I'd quite forgotten that there's overlap between Nemesis and the Garro stories: time to set Garro aside and re-read Nemesis!

[ribbons69]

just finished Nemesis by the excellent Mr Swallow. Decent read all told. Some excellent sections and some parts slightly pedestrian but overall a good addition to the Horus Heresy series.

Oh heck, I'd quite forgotten that there's overlap between Nemesis and the Garro stories: time to set Garro aside and re-read Nemesis!

I read Nemesis when it was first released and now have absolutely no idea what it's about. I too have the hardback of Garro on the to read pile as well.

[Squiggle]

well I enjoyed it. not up to speed with the garro stories at this point. now on whatever is next in the series!

[Aristedes Colettas]

Finished Unburdened.

Currently reading Atlas Infernal by Rob Sanders. About 70 pages in and so far amazing especially the battle with the Deathwatch and the Harlequins. Read that battle twice. Amazing. I don’t know how everyone else feels but Rob Sanders rights so much detail and description on other events in relation to his characters that almost cries out for those stories to be written.

Loving it so far. I also picked up Carrion Throne and Emperor’s Legion and Dante recently. Chomping at the bit to read those.

Cheers

[Squiggle]

yep I'm a big fan of Rob Sanders. need to reread atlas infernal

[Xisor]

Man, I love Atlas Infernal. I totally get what you mean, Aristedes, his stories are jam-packed full of detail and casual mentions of other things; it really evokes a hugely intricate universe half-glimpses in the background of the story.

I know a few folk find that disrupts the flow of the stories so much that they find it lessens the enjoyment of a story, but for my tastes the opposite is true. Matt Farrer's novels manage the same intricate details in a similar way (and the second book of his Shira Calpurnia series manages not only to be my favourite BL novel, but my favourite novel outright!).

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I raced through the last quarter of "Nemesis"; what an overwhelmingly good book it is. I used to agree with folks that it was the prototypical "average" book in the Horus Heresy - better than half, but not as good as the greats. I'm very doubtful of that now!

Anyone looking to revisit something unusual would do well to re-read it.

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I've been dabbling in "Watchers of the Throne" a bit at a time, but I'm keen to conclude Garro before forging on with that and giving it my full attention.

[Lord of the Night]

Man, I love Atlas Infernal. I totally get what you mean, Aristedes, his stories are jam-packed full of detail and casual mentions of other things; it really evokes a hugely intricate universe half-glimpses in the background of the story.

I know a few folk find that disrupts the flow of the stories so much that they find it lessens the enjoyment of a story, but for my tastes the opposite is true. Matt Farrer's novels manage the same intricate details in a similar way (and the second book of his Shira Calpurnia series manages not only to be my favourite BL novel, but my favourite novel outright!).

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I've been dabbling in "Watchers of the Throne" a bit at a time, but I'm keen to conclude Garro before forging on with that and giving it my full attention.

Agreed! Some of the best parts of 40k novels are the little details that really bring the universe to life around you, and authors like Matt Farrer and Rob Sanders, and Chris Wraight, really excel at doing that stuff. Josh Reynolds does for AoS as well and what 40k he's written. I think one of the benefits of writing in an established universe like 40k is that you don't have to try and cram an entire universe of detail into a single series of novels, you can do it across a lot of different series and trilogies.


You should definitely. The Emperor's Legion is fantastic once it really gets going, but even before that because it's extremely fascinating to finally see a glimpse of how the 40k Lords of Terra function, what the Custodes have become ten thousand years after their dream died and the state of the Sisters of Silence which to me proved that the Imperium really doesn't learn from its past mistakes at all.


Finished the final novel in Peter V. Brett's phenomenal Demon Cycle quintology, The Core, earlier today and it was a hell of a ride. Simply a brilliant series of books that ended on a high note, with not a single weak entry in the whole collection. I'll be meeting the man himself on Friday afternoon and getting them all signed (yaay!) and i'll be making it a point to tell him that they are some of the best fantasy I've ever read. Can't wait to see what he writes next.

Next up i'm returning to Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse with The Language of Thorns, a beautifully coloured and illustrated collection of in-universe myths and fairy tales.


LotN

[Squiggle]

Currently reading The Human Legion by the normally excellent John Scalzi. Its part of the Old Man's War series of books which are uniformly great.

[Shaggy]

Just finished Chris Wraight's most excellent "Watchers Of The Throne : The Emperor's Legion"... and I thoroughly recommend it.

This works on several levels... Chris Wraight does seem to be very good at writing the non-combat side of 40K, so much so that I'm really looking forward to "The Carrion Throne" coming out in paperback. For some reason, the political side in 40K fascinates me (for me, it was the best part of the entire "The Beast Arises" series) and CW does it well. The evolution of the character of Tieron within just this one book shows that.

And then there are Aleya and Valerian... two virtually-unique viewpoints and a much deeper examination of the Custodians and Sisters that we have encountered to date (obviously this is mainly down to them finally being looked at game-wise first in HH and now 40K, but even so...). I was particularly intrigued by the non-combat side of the Custodians... there could be a lot to work with there.

One slightly-jarring note - although I have to admit that it is consistent with the overall direction that things are moving with GW - is that this is one of the more extreme examples of what I suppose you would call a rather negatively deconstructionist analysis of the Astartes. It's an almost dual-personality attitude from GW... the Space Marines are still their flagship 'product' (especially with the new Primaris Marines) but - in BL offerings especially - there appears to be a campaign to almost denigrate them at every opportunity. CW certainly doesn't hold back here, even though there is very little contact with Astartes... although he's a bit gentler with one particular chapter than the rest, for obvious (when you read it) reasons.

I sincerely hope that there's going to be more like this...

[Aristedes Colettas]

Finished Atlas Infernal. Three pretty sensational battles Deathwatch v Harlequins, Czevak and company v Grey Knights and Harlequins. More Czevak please Mr. Rob Sanders.

Now back to the Horus Heresy Book 33 – War Without End – Various Authors

Cheers

[Chun the Unavoidable]

My God - Jack Vance I haven't read: The Dark Side of the Moon.

[Aristedes Colettas]

Pausing reading War Without End at the The Harrowing story by Rob Sanders.

In light of the recently announced Sons Of The Hydra by Rob Sanders, I am going to go on a mini reading spree based on the Alpha Legion starting with Horus Heresy Book 7 – Legion by Dan Abnett

Cheers

[Rob P]

Finished The Fireman a few days ago. Really good read, but perhaps ruined by shows like the Walking Dead. Not quite as good (perhaps for aforementioned reason) as N05 4R2, but would still recommend.

Currently 25 or so pages into Dolly by Susan Hill.

[Shaggy]

After the recent death of Jerry Pournelle, revisiting an old favourite with him collaborating with Larry Niven (the two of them were almost joined at the hip!)... "Oath Of Fealty". Centred around an arcology newly built on the outskirts of Los Angeles... perhaps the very first shadowing of the 40K hive worlds?
It has dated, yes... but still a good read. And that immortal line - "Think of it as evolution in action".

[Chun the Unavoidable]

Night's Sorceries, Tanith Lee.

[Xisor]

Can't get over how good "Watcher of the Throne" was. Extraordinary book.

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Onto "Malodrax" now, great to be seeing a bit of daft /old school Imperial Fists chaplaining again. More: Ben's Chaos. Tremendous to see.

[Major Rawne]

Can't get over how good "Watcher of the Throne" was. Extraordinary book.

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Onto "Malodrax" now, great to be seeing a bit of daft /old school Imperial Fists chaplaining again. More: Ben's Chaos. Tremendous to see.

About halfway through Watchers of the Throne myself and there's an awful lot to like. Keen to get back to it.

Nice to see you're on Malodrax, one of my fav books so far this year.


Enough chit chat, what have I been reading I hear you cry. Over my lunches I've been making slow but steady progress on Seventh Retribution, which is improving as it goes along though is somewhat rougher round the edges than Malodrax.

In the evenings I've been dipping into Trial by Blood. Rather better so far than I thought it would be.

[Aristedes Colettas]

Finished re-reading Legion by Dan Abnett. Loved it as the first time around.
With my continued mini-reading about the Alpha Legion regarding the upcoming Rob Sanders announced novel Sons Of The Hydra, I am currently re-reading from the HH The Primarchs novel The Serpent Beneath by Rob Sanders.

Cheers