Peredyne Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I just finished Reading the omnibus, and I have to say Kudos to ADB. Every other portrayal of the Night Lords just left me thinking "another chaos group, meh". This portrayal of the Night Lords is inspiring. I don't even truly see them as Chaos Space Marines, but true Traitor Marines. And the final dialogue between Uzas and Cyrion was nothing short of astounding. All of these characters became so 3 dimensional that I was entranced by the whole saga. Thanks to the author's efforts in bringing them to life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimm. Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I have long thought that ADB should author the entire range of books published by Black Library. I know that would be impossible for him to do, rather too much of a demand upon the poor fellow's time but he is a skillful story teller indeed. Check out First Heretic and Betrayer.. I love those books too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatus Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 A very cool series indeed. For the most part the characters felt right. Though there were a few unfortunate moments where it kind of went "aw, they aren't so bad after all". That's not really what I want to see from Chaos Space Marines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helterskelter Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Not strictly chaos though, yes Uzas runs around all khornate every so often but Talos and his happy bunch give nothing to the pantheon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Red Thirst Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 A very cool series indeed. For the most part the characters felt right. Though there were a few unfortunate moments where it kind of went "aw, they aren't so bad after all". That's not really what I want to see from Chaos Space Marines. Yeah but those moments are followed by: Slaughtering an entire planets Astropath population just to get the attention of some loyalist Space Marines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimm. Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 A very cool series indeed. For the most part the characters felt right. Though there were a few unfortunate moments where it kind of went "aw, they aren't so bad after all". That's not really what I want to see from Chaos Space Marines. Yeah but those moments are followed by: Slaughtering an entire planets Astropath population just to get the attention of some loyalist Space Marines And it's exactly that which makes their story so great. ADB lulls you in with those moments of personal weakness then *BAM* they skin you alive while you're taking a potty break.... I imagine ADB may have read some of that type of WWII pulp fiction that was produced in the 50's-60's etc. The gallows humour he employs, the brothers in arms who don't really like each other but will do everything they can to protect each other. It's all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilofix Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Some questions - may likely lead to Spoilers: 1. I understand that from very early on the 10th Company were trying to survive (limited men, ship falling apart, warp taint, etc.) but had they not been in such bad shape, what would they have been pursuing? Or more specifically what would Talos have been pursuing (as opposed to Vandred / The Exalted)?Would they have just followed the 13th Crusade around?2. Do you think other NL Warbands are in the same sorry state? Or were those circumstances just more so for the 10th Company? Thanks for the opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrafficCustodes Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Some questions - may likely lead to Spoilers: 1. I understand that from very early on the 10th Company were trying to survive (limited men, ship falling apart, warp taint, etc.) but had they not been in such bad shape, what would they have been pursuing? Or more specifically what would Talos have been pursuing (as opposed to Vandred / The Exalted)? Would they have just followed the 13th Crusade around? 2. Do you think other NL Warbands are in the same sorry state? Or were those circumstances just more so for the 10th Company? Thanks for the opinions. Just my thoughts, but... 1. He's a lot of things, but Talos isn't one to kneel - his attitude towards his "betters" (not just Vandred, but Huron and Abaddon) makes me think it's unlikely the Soul Hunter would suborn himself to anyone but the Night Haunter. And even that might not be a smooth relationship. "To survive" seems goal number one for most Night Lords, with "Death to the False Emperor!" being a solid second. So even if they'd had a thousand warriors instead of a hundred, they might have behaved in exactly the same way: murdering defenseless planets, running away from any fight they couldn't win, hurting the Imperium in any way they could but still looking out for #1 in all situations. My personal feeling? Talos and the 10th would have ended exactly the same way no matter what shape they were in, as long as Talos was in charge... since once he has control in book 3, he doesn't show any aversion to changing the warband's path drastically. But only AD-B knows for sure. 2. If you haven't already, I recommend reading the Horus Heresy novella 'Prince Of Crows' for further insights into the Night Lords' command structure. Night Lords tend to be selfish, power-hungry, sadistic cowards, and the "crime-family" Legion culture virtually guaranteed they would end up the way they are in 40K: the biggest monsters clawing their way to the top of the pile and carving out their own fiefdoms with little care for any wider 'cause'. From what we see of the other scattered NL warbands in the series, it feels like all of them are in pretty bad shape. That's what it is to be a Traitor Astartes. I feel like many Night Lords commanders see their options in the 41st Millennium quite bleakly: You can throw in with a big hitter and lick their boots (while sharpening your knife for their back) or your can fight the Long War in your own way, lose regularly, run away a lot, and answer to nobody. The Night Lords way of fighting is unlikely to bring about a heroic, decisive victory that will break the back of the Imperium. But they can still give the mindless, weak, undeserving servants of the corpse-god horrible nightmares, and make them shiver at the thought of the Night Lords coming for them. That's what they really get a kick out of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candleshoes Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Just bought the O-bus for my brother who has yet to ever dip his toe into Black Library. He is in for a real treat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrafficCustodes Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 That's probably a really good way to start off Black Library fandom. It's a really well-written series and it actually ends, so he'll only need to read three books to get the full arc. I think the first BL book I read was Book 2 of the Inquisition War series which might have been the worst way possible to start off with BL. For a lot of reasons. I mean, one of the most prominent characters was a Squat, a race which had already been written out of GW products by the time I read the book. That was confusing for the baby me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 easily the best fiction i've read from BL. not just because of the writing or the amazing (relatable) characters, but because the damn thing had a beginning, middle and end. a properly planned arc by a single author (yes, i've only been reading 30k). despite what joys might come from a bunch of authors in the one sand box, compare this to the opening trilogy of horus heresy and they are miles apart. i have a personal preference for abnett's style, but i love adb's trilogy the best of all. funny how that works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrafficCustodes Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Yeah, I 100% agree. Dan, Graham and Ben have their merits but that initial trilogy of HH is... inconsistent, IMO. (I love the first book, dislike the second and I'm indifferent to the third). There's something to be said for having one really good author handle a small group of characters over a (relatively) short, linear story. Not that they can really do that with HH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volt Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I'm quite happy with its release, as I must unfortunately state that I was forced to "download" Blood Reaver under dubious circumstances. Thanks to the Black Library's weird publishing tendencies, I couldn't find a copy of it anywhere for a price I could afford. As ADB is my favorite author in the BL, well, it didn't feel good cheating anyone of a couple bucks. So I'm happy to say I now honestly own the entire series, and don't have to put up with the BS publishing anymore. Although, I still think that short story was better as an audiodrama. Some badass VA. Even after reading into the Dark Angels and Salamander fluff, Night Lords remain my favorite faction in 40K by ADB's works and are the faction I identify the most with. The only work comparable to the trilogy in quality are Thorpe, Sanders, and Kyme (more specifically, the Tome of Fire trilogy, not Vulkan Lives). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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