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arsenic0994's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
bev121's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
Black Templars, religious zealots forming one of the largest Space Marines chapters ever. Led by religious fervor that would make religious fanatics of our age going "C'mon on now!" these warriors have no mercy to anyone, who does not comply gets destroyed. They wage Eternal Crusade, fighting whomever crosses them and bringing destruction to non-compliant worlds (where non-compliant might be defined as "Aha! He was not looking directly at me!").
And then Guilliman comes in and something sparks out in the Hellbrecht, High Marshall of the Black Templars, the very embodiment of his chapter. Soon he will embark on the quest that will make him question whether Templars can defeat all the mighty foes of the humanity on their own or they need to do it in concert with the humanity itself. And if they need humanity does that mean they need to change their attitude [toward it].
Story on its own might be a letdown if you are expecting some heroic quests of this most knightly order of Space Marines. There is lots of great speeches and oaths (which is something one would expect from a chapter very proud of its own zealotry and superstition) and this might be off-putting to some. But at the end book's strength is in showing how reason does prevail even in W40K.
Interesting book, great characters. Recommended to W40K fans.
And then Guilliman comes in and something sparks out in the Hellbrecht, High Marshall of the Black Templars, the very embodiment of his chapter. Soon he will embark on the quest that will make him question whether Templars can defeat all the mighty foes of the humanity on their own or they need to do it in concert with the humanity itself. And if they need humanity does that mean they need to change their attitude [toward it].
Story on its own might be a letdown if you are expecting some heroic quests of this most knightly order of Space Marines. There is lots of great speeches and oaths (which is something one would expect from a chapter very proud of its own zealotry and superstition) and this might be off-putting to some. But at the end book's strength is in showing how reason does prevail even in W40K.
Interesting book, great characters. Recommended to W40K fans.
righteousridel's review against another edition
2.0
A thoroughly forgettable story, Helbrecht fails to give much insight into the High Marshal of the Black Templars while simultaneously delivering by-the-numbers bolter porn. I’m harsh on short stories generally, but the author simply didn’t try to tell much of a tale. Heveran is a great location, and its history is steeped in grimdark, but the action is both low stakes and yet at the same time, felling Space Marines at a rate that doesn’t support the ten thousand years of war.
Those are common problems with the fluff though… what’s really disappointing are the internal ramblings of a post-human legend like Helbrecht. He comes across as deeply conflicted; an introverted man prone to contemplation. When Grimaldus graces the pages, it confirms what I suspect: the author just doesn’t know their voice. I think of Helsreach as one of the finest examples of the Black Templars on crusade, and this doesn’t remotely approach that flavour.
Not recommended with reservations. If you need a quick hit of bolter action, you’ve found it.
Those are common problems with the fluff though… what’s really disappointing are the internal ramblings of a post-human legend like Helbrecht. He comes across as deeply conflicted; an introverted man prone to contemplation. When Grimaldus graces the pages, it confirms what I suspect: the author just doesn’t know their voice. I think of Helsreach as one of the finest examples of the Black Templars on crusade, and this doesn’t remotely approach that flavour.
Not recommended with reservations. If you need a quick hit of bolter action, you’ve found it.
iamedterry's review against another edition
3.0
Actually listened to the Audiobook but that edition doesn’t exist and I’ve tried and failed to add (or, at least, asked to add without success) other books so just picking a random edition now. That’s also partly why I’m not logging all my books .. but I digress.
I’ve not read any 40K until now, though did play it when it first came out (Space Marines vs Genestealers). I read it mostly for research on the Black Templars and it was an interesting read, though it felt more like an elaborated gaming session as the book didn’t have any of the depth I had got used to with the likes of Iain M Banks, Peter F Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds and Adrian Tchaikovsky. All-in-all it was like a holiday book - short and simple without much need to focus. The dialogue seemed two-dimensional and made the Black Templars religious zealots with a one-track mind — purge anything that’s not aligned with the will of the god-emperor. War may be everything but I didn’t feel any compassion for these fanatics whose only goal seemed to be to rain death on infidels. I know, that’s a Black Templar … but in a novel I’m sure we could go a little further… ?
One funny thing is that in the Audiobook, the chapter titles that display in the app look like they’ve been translated by AI as they’re just wrong - most of them. It seems like a fundamental error in something to esteemed as 40K from the Black Library but it did make me wonder how relevant the book was or if the Audiobooks are rushed out.
4. The Shiftness of Saints (= The Swiftness of Saints)
5. The Blessed Feel (= The Blessed Few)
6. Face Adamant (= Faith Adamant)
7. Test if Faith (= Tests of Faith)
8. Moving World (= Ruin World)
9. Disparity (= Plains of Despair)
11. Gardens of Books (= Gardens of Bones)
12. On the Wings of Flake (= On the Wings of Flame)
13. The Faith (= Through Fire and Faith)
15. From the Breathe of Death (= From the Brink of Death)
16. War of Ghost (= A War of Ghosts)
18. The Words of Angels (= The Wrath of Angels)
19. Caged (= Sanctity’s Cage)
20. As a Bilk so Below (= As Above so Below)
21. Underworld (= Undervault)
23. Inheritous (= Inheritance)
I’ll be reading more as I’m doing research into 40K but I’ll probably switch to other shelves that explore different aspects of the universe and blend with the codexes and Wikis for other info. I’ve got a lot to catch up on!
I’ve not read any 40K until now, though did play it when it first came out (Space Marines vs Genestealers). I read it mostly for research on the Black Templars and it was an interesting read, though it felt more like an elaborated gaming session as the book didn’t have any of the depth I had got used to with the likes of Iain M Banks, Peter F Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds and Adrian Tchaikovsky. All-in-all it was like a holiday book - short and simple without much need to focus. The dialogue seemed two-dimensional and made the Black Templars religious zealots with a one-track mind — purge anything that’s not aligned with the will of the god-emperor. War may be everything but I didn’t feel any compassion for these fanatics whose only goal seemed to be to rain death on infidels. I know, that’s a Black Templar … but in a novel I’m sure we could go a little further… ?
One funny thing is that in the Audiobook, the chapter titles that display in the app look like they’ve been translated by AI as they’re just wrong - most of them. It seems like a fundamental error in something to esteemed as 40K from the Black Library but it did make me wonder how relevant the book was or if the Audiobooks are rushed out.
4. The Shiftness of Saints (= The Swiftness of Saints)
5. The Blessed Feel (= The Blessed Few)
6. Face Adamant (= Faith Adamant)
7. Test if Faith (= Tests of Faith)
8. Moving World (= Ruin World)
9. Disparity (= Plains of Despair)
11. Gardens of Books (= Gardens of Bones)
12. On the Wings of Flake (= On the Wings of Flame)
13. The Faith (= Through Fire and Faith)
15. From the Breathe of Death (= From the Brink of Death)
16. War of Ghost (= A War of Ghosts)
18. The Words of Angels (= The Wrath of Angels)
19. Caged (= Sanctity’s Cage)
20. As a Bilk so Below (= As Above so Below)
21. Underworld (= Undervault)
23. Inheritous (= Inheritance)
I’ll be reading more as I’m doing research into 40K but I’ll probably switch to other shelves that explore different aspects of the universe and blend with the codexes and Wikis for other info. I’ve got a lot to catch up on!
razielsky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
majorrawne's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mrkapowski's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It’s a fairly standard Warhammer 40,000 romp. Nothing groundbreaking, but still a decently solid read.
manthespace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
trackofwords's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 for me. An interesting and largely enjoyable exploration of what drives High Marshal Helbrecht ever onwards, but it didn't quite have the depth (or length - I'd have preferred a full-length novel for this particular narrative) to keep me fully gripped throughout. Brilliant for Black Templars fans though, and plenty for casual 40k readers to enjoy too, not least in the none-more-40k world of Hevaran.