Comments on: BOOK REVIEW: Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

By: Martin Rice

Martin Rice — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:05:50 +0000

well looks like I may have to give bowden another chance with his HH works after being sorely underwhelmed by The First Heretic (sorry guys I just didn’t get the same experience you all did) I may have to pick this up payday.

By: Nick Sharps

Nick Sharps — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:21:25 +0000

It is difficult talking about HoD without giving anything away haha. But I can see what you’re saying. Alaric loses something of himself but I was excited by the prospect of what he gained. I would kill for another Grey Knights trilogy by Counter.

I also want to see how the Soul Drinkers end but Hellforged just stands in the way. I’m more than a bit disappointed at the direction things took. I feel like there was a lot more to be done and it sort of just went down hill rather quickly. Then again, without the massive logistics support of the Imperium at your back it does seem a realistic course.

By: Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87)

Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:28:12 +0000

If anything, it gets a LOT better.

By: Greg Smith

Greg Smith — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:04:28 +0000

Yeah, HoD certainly tuned out ok for the lead character, but by that point I felt he had lost the essence of the kind of character he was if that makes sense? (Trying to avoid spoilers for anyone who may not have read it!) I dunno, its a preference thing I guess, I know that Ben can do gribbly daemon stuff very well – see the first two Soul Drinkers books, and indeed the first GK book, but this one just didn’t quite click for me.

Hellforged was certainly a slog – it took me quite a while to get through, but the cliffhanger at the end certianly left me wanting to know how the story ended. That I havent yet read Phalanx is more a result of laziness/being busy than it is an indictment of the story – I do want to see how it ends, I’m just not THAT fussed

By: Nick Sharps

Nick Sharps — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 02:01:26 +0000

Hammer of Daemons was definitely a different sort of book than the other two. Especially with the pacing. But I liked how Alaric turned out in the end, despite how crappy things got. My buddy and I have have a recurring joke that developed from Alaric and Uriel Ventris – the better you do your job in the Imperium the more likely you are to get demoted.

I also feel much the same as you do about the Soul Drinkers. The first was my my favorite by far – I loved the idea of a truly free Chapter (plus awesome mutations!) and I still haven’t read Phalanx because I couldn’t finish Hellforged.

By: Greg Smith

Greg Smith — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:53:53 +0000

I actually thought that the first of Ben’s GK booms was the strongest. The second was also pretty cool, but I didn’t like the third as much. It was a very different pace of book I found, though partly I can accept that it was down to how cr**py the life of the poor lead character, to whom I had become quite attached, had become.

Soul Drinkers I found a bit hit and miss – first two excellent, third a bit ropey, fourth pretty good, fifth not great at all and I haven’t yet read Phalanx, though from the first two chapters in H&B issue one it was much better.

By: Nick Sharps

Nick Sharps — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:11:20 +0000

Grey Knights probably has the best action.
Dark Mechanicum made me fall in love with the the Adeptus Mechanicus.

annnd Hammer of Daemons somehow makes Alaric even more badass than I thought possible.

By: DROCKAZ

DROCKAZ — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:05:17 +0000

I’m about 75 pages into Grey Knights and I am loving it! It is pretty intense and the characters are fascinating.

By: Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87)

Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:40:05 +0000

I consider Hammer of Daemons to be the best of Ben Counter’s GK novels. A truly chaotic experience.

By: Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87)

Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:39:28 +0000

The 2nd SD omnibus is coming in May!

By: Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87)

Abhinav Jain (@abhinavjain87) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:38:49 +0000

Only the first 2 books are good IMO. Third and fourth are just rehashes.

By: Nick Sharps

Nick Sharps — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:08:25 +0000

Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Saint is epic. Probably better than the first omnibus even – well except for the 3rd book of the first omnibus because that is a crazy crazy book.

And I really hope you enjoy the Grey Knights omnibus check back in to let me know how it goes.

By: DROCKAZ

DROCKAZ — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:24:38 +0000

Just bought The Soul Drinkers, Gaunts Ghosts 2 (The Saint), and first Horus Heresy book. It is an addiction!

By: DROCKAZ

DROCKAZ — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 04:09:00 +0000

I haven’t made it to the Horus Heresy books, but I love seeing reviews like this to know that there is still alot of good stuff in store for me to get to.

Thanks to Nick helping me get started, so far in the last few months I have made it through the Omnibus editions of:
Eisenhorn
Ravenor
Ultramarines 1
Space Wolf 1
Gaunts Ghosts 1
and just started Grey Knights a few days ago.

I like some more than others, but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through all of them.

By: Carl V.

Carl V. — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 03:59:11 +0000

I so have to stay away from the bookstore now.