bluntblade

Finally got to Aurelian, Brooks' Alpharius and Wraight's Sanguinius. I don't think I have anything new to say about Aurelian, but I feel like it gives a good look at Lorgar's burgeoning pride and informs Slaves to Darkness in particular. Alpharius is really interesting - I still wonder just how much of it I believe, which feels intentional. And equally, if it is all fibs, then it feels like you're still learning about the Twins in terms of what story they'd tell about themselves. I wondered just where the latter was going for a little bit, but it ultimately became one of the most startling and subtle tragedies I've come across in the whole setting. Also, I genuinely laughed very loudly when I realised that a certain cameo was being built up to.

Blood of Asaheim is decent but fairly slight for Wraight. Helsreach lived up to its grimly impressive reputation.

Thinking both in terms of who they'd centre on, and characters for supporting roles. So for example I'd love for Sejanus to have a meaty role in an Abaddon book. Besides that, I'm hoping for a Jubal book with appearances by Tsolman and Hibou. How about anyone else?

I think the Malcador passages were my favourite here. Maybe I'm just being tolerant of some wooliness, but I was happy overall with the book.

I still maintain that, if we had to go that route, Russ should've taken him on at Beta-Garmon and just about got the stab in in return for being pulverised by Horus. And let him orchestrate that part of the battle to make it possible.

I think my favourite depiction of heretic Horus is the little glimpse we get in Path of Heaven. That terrible majesty and grandeur he has there. French writes him well too, but he's only been able to grab that wheel for short snatches too.

Agreed. Even when Saturnine played hard into "what if X fought Y?" it was at least couched in the context of a battle (helps that it's one I really enjoy). And beyond a certain point, you're looking at diminishing returns unless you pull something really distinctive and audacious out of the bag (Abaddon's stages of grief, Jaghatai vs Mortarion, the pitiless glory of Khârn and Sigismund's duel and Khârn's horror at what the Templar has become). Also would've been nice to have some depictions of the Death Guard who weren't present in Warhawk. Not that I have any expectation of Swallow saying Yes And to anything Wraight ventures, but I'd have liked a sighting of my man Vorx.

I think the notion that some of the Legions actually grew larger during the Heresy than their pre-Isstvan strengths due to sped-up induction is really interesting, but within the BL books it ought to have come in sooner than the Siege of Terra. It, and the Astartes characters who have Ascended via that more brutal process, don't often get enough room to breathe. Jangsai was well handled, though. I was impressed that Wraight managed to build up a whole new POV character who parallels Shiban's early self whilst juggling everything else in Warhawk.

But also... surely they should conceive stories that work within that framework. Was hardly beyond Wraight or Reynolds to do that.

Wraight taking liberties made the entire White Scars story beyond Chondax possible, and I will happily go to the mat for his interpretation of just what Mortarion's angle was. Particularly as he was having to bounce off two others who don't appear to have tried to coordinate at all.

I thought we'd had a few who couldn't pass for Alpharius. At least that one chap from the FW books who tattooed the Hydra onto his face.

The little mention of Vorx being away from the action of Warhawk suggests to me that he's also marking out further space in which to play with them. I suppose that means that Vorx is, in his own way, unsullied by what went on at the Lion's Gate. He was neither driven into retreat in that fight, nor caught up in Mortarion's banishment. I will say, though, that with the way the VA delivered the phrase "Tallyman," I couldn't help but imagine a Barbaran rendition of Harry Belafonte's classic song. It's even jolly enough for Vorx.

I would like that very much. In general I really want to know where Wraight meant to go with him and the other Shattered Legions elements.

I've listened to the audiobook a couple of times now, and yep, I love it. The characters are fun without losing sight of how horrible their existence is to everyone else, and besides some brief confusion over the chronology, this was a grand time. While they weren't the meat of the story, I really dug the description of Abaddon's flotilla - I don't think we get enough views of Abaddon, even indirectly, from those who serve under him - and Agrippina. I've never had such an absolute sense of a Forge World's monstrous scale before.

When you say the limitations, do you mean the scope or the size of the book?