TheRealMcCagh

Would this book be super confusing to someone who hasn't read any of the other seige novels, but has a general understanding of what has happened so far? I've been looking forward to this book for a while now, but I'm not sure I can knock out the series up until now before 9/3

Canon seems like one of those words that can change with context. I took this thread to be really asking if the omnibus still fit within the continuity of the universe. None of us have the authority to say what is and isn't canon. He who controls the spice IP, controls the universe. If it has a Warhammer label on it, it's part of the canon. Because the authoritative figure (Black Library/Games Workshop) says it is. If they were to come out and say 'the Rafen Omnibus is no longer canon' (like what Disney did with certain parts of Star Wars), they have the ability to do that, but we don't. But when members of the fandom ask other members of the fandom about canon, they are probably talking continuity rather than literal canon (in my mind, at least).

It seems strange to knock the fans for wanting a canon, when that's the reason a ton of them are buying the novels in the first place. Who is buying the Sanguinius novel because they are fans of Swallow vs who is buying the novel because it's about Sanguinius, a character already established in the lore? The author doesn't need to tell me who Abaddon is and why it's the 13th Black Crusade, I already know that. If an author is going to get the benefits of writing in a pre-established universe, is it so much to ask they do a little homework? It doesn't seem like it should be a surprise that feathers get ruffled if a novel, that was purchased because of the space it fills in the universe, ends up not fitting in the universe. It just comes across like the author cares less about the universe than the fans. I'm not saying every author needs to know everything that has ever been mentioned in 40k, but if you're going to write about the Blood Angel 4th company, you should at least get the captains name right. It seems cheap and lazy to skimp on the background you're relying on and then turning around to the fandom and saying 'who cares about canon?' Having said all that, I can't judge Swallow to harshly for the Omnibus because it fit just fine when the novels were written (I think). It's not his fault the universe went down a separate path right after he started down his.

It can't exist in the Dark Millennium because there is no mention of any of the current stuff (Guilliman, Primaris, Imperium Nihilus, Dante being made Warden of the North), it can't be in the distant past because there is all the current cast of Blood Angels. It can't be in the recent past because there is no mention of the civil war that nearly destroys the Blood Angels in anything outside the Swallow Omnibus (Codex entries, references in Dante or Devastation of Baal). It just doesn't really fit neatly with anything else. I believe there is also a part in the Omnibus where they mention Tycho has died and they have named a ship after him, so it would be happening right about when the Shield of Baal campaign is set.

Do we know what happened to Nefertari and Khayon? In my head she died and he brought her soul back, sort of making her bound to him like one of his demons, but not exactly. But I also feel like this has been explained to us at some point. Is it actually more vague than that, and my head canon is leaking?

I can imagine Lucius charging head long into a Land Raider, 'I've never been hit by twin linked Las Cannons before!''Stab me with that auspex real quick. Looks blunt as hell.'

Lucius has been painted into a corner. He is supposed to be a peerless swordsmen (or at least thinks he is), but the only way to make use of his 'gift' is have him lose. If he runs around killing all these champions, his quirk never comes into play, so why eve use Lucius when he could just be some random dude. If they want to make use of what makes Lucius unique, he has to lose the duels, which tells us he's a loser. They could try and spin it in a way that Lucius fights until he is bored, then allows himself to die for grins (gets off on the body take over), but then he's catapulted into the Mary Sue catagory. I honestly don't know how Lucius can be made interesting any more. I did like him in the opening trilogy though.

Black Legion grounded Khayon pretty hard, in my opinion. That duel with the Iron Warrior he did manage to win, at the cost of his arm, but remember what Daravek does after that? Commands him forward, makes him kneel and forces him to apologise in front of all his colleagues. He is so humiliated that Telemachon doesn't even want to stand near him for fear of being associated. Khayon doesn't have a whole lot of 'wins' in Black Legion. And at the end of the day, the whole series is coming from his point of view sitting in an Imperial cell with his eyes cut out. Not your typical fairy tale ending. I can't really think of many 'Mary Sues' in the HH, since it seems like everyone loses. Sharrowkyn cuts it pretty close though, in my opinion. Angel Exterminatius was great, but some of Nykona's parts just had me roll my eyes

Well, according to Abaddon, Horus was weak...

I can't think of too many (read: any) novels where I was introduced to a character and thought 'why the hell is this character a chick?? Author must have some hidden agenda...' Calling out an author on the sexes they choose for various characters tells me more about you as a reader than them as an author. Maybe ADB gets brought up more often around here because he engages in a lot more conversation than most other authors, which seems like a pretty poor way to treat one of the few insider perspectives we get. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like he is very thin skinned

How is a strong female character a trope? Could there be a wider net to cast? There are two possible sexes to use and 5-10 main characters, to have at least one of them be female is all the sudden a trope? Loken and Keeler fits, Rand and Egwene, Johnny Rico and Dizzy/Carmen, Harry Potter and Hermione, Paul Atreides has Lady Jessica, Alia, and Chani, ASoIaF has at least half a dozen strong female leads. All of these novels are falling into a trope? That's like saying Abnett is using the same framework because there is a guardsmen/human in it. The only reoccuring thing I notice in ADB's novels is they usually feature a Dreadnaught. But Dreadnaughts are rad, so I'm great with it.

What is it about Thorpe's work that people don't like? The only novels of his I've read are ​Deliverance Lost and Angels of Caliban, but I liked both of those. Deliverance Lost I was listening to while painting, so I wasn't really focusing on it, but it was good background.

@Morovir That's totally it. Lots of continuity of characters between Reynolds' EC novels. Reminds me of the Iron Warriors in Angel Exterminatus and later Storm of Iron, McNeill even used the same planet if I remember right