What chapters/legions are best represented?

[USNCenturion]

As stated in the topic, I’m curious what the general consensus is on what Legion has had the best work done in their honor, and the worst.

 

This includes loyalists and heretics, Heresy era, 40k and any novel in between. What chapter can you look at or refer someone to and say “this is a great army to play, and here are a lot of novels to back it up”.

 

I think Salamanders are an easy and unfortunate negative to me off the top of my head, and the White Scars are a great example of a (surprising) positive. Dark Angels have too much of the Gav treatment and the Blood Angels have the, in my opinion, awful faux Sanguinius heresy.

 

So what say you frater? I hope my question came off making sense. Which groups of marines can hold their head high with how they’ve been handled, and which need to hang their heads in shame?

[Lord_Caerolion]

Pretty much every Legion has at least a few awesome portrayals, with the exceptions (off the top of my head) being the Salamanders, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Death Guard, and Iron Hands. 

[Roomsky]

It depends 100% on the author, though I think the underrepresented Legions can some times come out best depending on who's swinging for them. For example, I think every Legion ADB touches turns to gold, under his pen the Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and Word Bearers have been some of the most believable and cool factions in setting. All these get muddled by other authors, the DA never seem to have continuity, I think there's a Space Wolf somewhere for everyone (to hate), and the Word Bearers under other author's pens can often be... unfortunate (Hello Zadkiel).

 

I think this is why the Scars come out on top, basically no one but Wraight wanted to touch them. And his work with them is so overwhelming we can even forget that one oddly racist scenes in A Thousand Sons and the audio-drama version of Sword of Truth (Descent of Angels' was brief but fine, I thought).

 

Salamanders really do get the short stick. Kyme gives them a culture beyond nice-marines but can't write. Thorpe makes them nothing but foils to Iron Hands to suicidal levels. They were basically omitted from The Beast Arises. Khi`dem was again basically only a foil (though I liked him well enough). Haley's seem to be the only shining examples, and that's in the form of what, 2 shorts? The amount of crap they're leveled against is astounding.

[Slan Drakkos]

Salamanders have those two awesome times when A D-B wrote them. Sons of the Forge and Old Earth also portray them fairly well tbh.

 

Blood angels have Dante and Blood Quest imo.

 

Iron Hands have the shattered legions book, Shadrak Meduson, and Angel Exterminatus imo.

[domsto]

I think the Dark Angels are one of the worst ones, mostly because their Tactic doesn't work with the Ravenwing and Deathwing.

You know the 2 main reasons Dark Angels are special and cool.

On the upper end i think Blood Angels/Space Wolfs are pretty solid, their Rule works good with their Fluff and Special Units.

[m0nolith]

In the Heresy?

Salamanders and Iron Hands.

Nick Khyme wrote so many Salamanders books!

[Lord_Caerolion]

I think the Dark Angels are one of the worst ones, mostly because their Tactic doesn't work with the Ravenwing and Deathwing.

You know the 2 main reasons Dark Angels are special and cool.

On the upper end i think Blood Angels/Space Wolfs are pretty solid, their Rule works good with their Fluff and Special Units.

 

Wrong sort of book there, domsto.

[domsto]

 

 

I think the Dark Angels are one of the worst ones, mostly because their Tactic doesn't work with the Ravenwing and Deathwing.

You know the 2 main reasons Dark Angels are special and cool.

On the upper end i think Blood Angels/Space Wolfs are pretty solid, their Rule works good with their Fluff and Special Units.

Wrong sort of book there, domsto.

Ohhh i am sorry. I missread this topic.

[Lord_Caerolion]

All good, and you are pretty much correct in what you said. 

[bluntblade]

The Scars have had... what, two underwhelming appearances? Aside from that they've been better served than any other Legion.

 

The Sons of Horus have fared quite badly. I'm not sure they've had a great appearance in a novel since they were wearing white.

[Lord_Caerolion]

Slaves to Darkness?

 

Hopefully they'll be done well in Titandeath.

[Marshal Loss]

The Sons of Horus were absolutely brilliant in Slaves to Darkness.

[bluntblade]

Yeah, they're very good so far.

[b1soul]

Warhawk of Chogoris, Brotherhood of the Storm, Scars, and Path of Heaven constitute the best multi-work legion arc in the HH series...fight me if you disagree

[Medjugorje]

Warhawk of Chogoris, Brotherhood of the Storm, Scars, and Path of Heaven constitute the best multi-work legion arc in the HH series...fight me if you disagree

like the storyarc and the characters... but the problem with the white scars is that there are just 2 books??? One 40k book???

[bluntblade]

Quality over quantity is a thing. But even through the Scars' short story and novella appearances there's been what, the one did in a Garro audio?

[b1soul]

Warhawk and BotS are novella length...so they prob add up to a novel

[Kelborn]

Quality over quantity is a thing. But even through the Scars' short story and novella appearances there's been what, the one did in a Garro audio?

This and this alone.

There's no need to have 10 books if you're doing it right.

 

Best example: Wrath of Iron, imho the best Iron Hand story thus far

[Slan Drakkos]

This and this alone.

There's no need to have 10 books if you're doing it right.

Best example: Wrath of Iron, imho the best Iron Hand story thus far

It's not very hard to have a good Iron Hands story when the vast majority of them suck tbh. I recently finished reading the primarch book on Ferrus and boy.......is it just me or were there only like four good characters in that entire book? For those of you that haven't read it yet, none of the good characters are Iron Hands........in an Iron Hands book no less.

 

On a related note, I just read through Lucius: Pride and Fall and it's a very solid story. Has a bit of action, some character building, a really funny plot twist, and a very funny ending.

[Kelborn]

What I wanted to say is that I rather enjoy a single, well done book (depicting a certain faction in an interesting and good [imo] way) than have several books not getting even close to the quality of mentioned single novel.

 

The example of Wrath of Iron was just to underline that statement. This is already a couple of years old and was written by someone, who only covered the IH in the form of Henricos as a sidekick in the White Scars' arc. Still, it is (for me) the best depiction of the Iron Hands thus far.

 

If someone would ask me, "Hey Kel, who are the Iron Hands? They look pretty intimidating and fascinating." I'd recommend this single book instead of everything else.

 

Just an example and still my humble opinion.

[USNCenturion]

My off the cuff list of better written chapters are:

 

Space Wolves - their 30k and 40k stuff are pretty good and well done for the most part. The Heresy stuff I’ve read does tend to include them a lot as red shirt ensigns occasionally, but I can get past most of that.

 

White Scars - an example of less is more maybe? They are only in a few books, but those books are well written, have a believable story, and expand on their lore and drawbacks in a fair and interesting way.

 

Thousand Sons - Ahriman omnibus was fantastic, their representation in Talon of Horus and Black Legion was equally enjoyable, and much of their use in the Heresy is very well done; even when they’re side or minor characters. Excellent. The 40k centric stuff is pretty good too.

 

Word Bearers and World Eaters are pretty good across the board too.

 

The not so good (IMHO)

 

Blood Angels - an awesome chapter, but the need to focus on their main characteristics (much like the dark Angels) hurts them I think. I enjoyed Fear to Tread for what it was, but I didn’t really like the Imperium Secundus arc. As I said before, the whole civil war thing was embarrassing and the theft of the primarchs blood made me put the 40k books down. Hopefully the siege will salvage their reading list.

 

Night Lords - the trilogy is amazing. Them being punching bags for the ultramarines and dark Angels is not.

 

Ultramarines - their Heresy stuff is great, but for me, the McNeil books were kind of a dud.

 

Imperial Fists - great in the Heresy, being reduced to one guy not so much.

 

The bad -

 

Dark Angels. Ugh. So disappointed.

[Slan Drakkos]

What I wanted to say is that I rather enjoy a single, well done book (depicting a certain faction in an interesting and good [imo] way) than have several books not getting even close to the quality of mentioned single novel.

 

The example of Wrath of Iron was just to underline that statement. This is already a couple of years old and was written by someone, who only covered the IH in the form of Henricos as a sidekick in the White Scars' arc. Still, it is (for me) the best depiction of the Iron Hands thus far.

 

If someone would ask me, "Hey Kel, who are the Iron Hands? They look pretty intimidating and fascinating." I'd recommend this single book instead of everything else.

 

Just an example and still my humble opinion.

oh, that makes sense then. Still, I like the books with Shadrak Meduson and company. He comes across as a genuine leader that's willing to listen, acknowledge his mistakes, and fight for his friends.

[b1soul]

Y'know...WS have two HH novellas (OK...one is the Primarchs novella) and two HH novels. I wouldn't say they're underrepresented in the HH series.

 

Blood Angels are stuck with Fear to Tread for crying out loud (and some supporting roles)

[TheRealMcCagh]

I thought the Dark Angel shorts were pretty good, and Angels of Caliban was okay. I just couldn't invest myself in Fallen Angels and Decent of Angels though. Savage Weapons, The Lion, and Call of the Lion were all good imo.

[Scribe]

 

Quality over quantity is a thing. But even through the Scars' short story and novella appearances there's been what, the one did in a Garro audio?

This and this alone.

There's no need to have 10 books if you're doing it right.

 

Best example: Wrath of Iron, imho the best Iron Hand story thus far

 

 

Preach it. One book was all that needed to be written. In fact, nothing was written about them after, and nobody can tell me otherwise. ;)

 

(Also, shout out to the Night Lords, no more miserable, reprehensible, deplorable lot has been illuminated via text, than they have been, by the Soul Hunter series.)