righteousridel's review against another edition
4.0
A Logan Grimnar Thanksgiving
The Wolftime asks a fundamental question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Space Wolves are arrogant peacocks who have good cause to mistrust the Imperium, but also do their best to bite the hand that feeds. Into this comes a surprisingly character-driven story of brotherhood, galactic politics and ancient grudges. For the Space Wolves, the return of Guilliman marks the return of a rival instead of a saviour. Allegedly there’s also an Ork threat that provides some requisite bolter porn, but one shouldn’t pay that any attention.
Are you ready for Norse mythology? The Wolftime is very much a Space Wolves novel, and could belong in a future third omnibus. The Indomitus Crusade is not so much a military campaign but a force of nature, and readers should not expect any real progress on that front. Instead, we witness the tale of Gaius, an established Primaris marine that needs to find his place amongst the Great Companies. Introducing outsiders to the close-knit, unique (amongst the Imperium) culture of the Vlka Fenryka is worthy of a novel in itself, and I really do appreciate the homage to Norse myths as Gaius bridges the gap of being born brothers, but not raised as such.
Gaius is just the first of many though, and the Lord Regent calls on the Space Wolves while simultaneously offering them reinforcements. That this is politically complicated goes without saying, literally, as the author assumes the reader is familiar with all sorts of background trivia. Grimnar’s philosophical dilemma to accept reinforcements is absurd as presented, and though I recall ten millenia of friendly fire, I think Gav Thorpe could have chosen to spend a bit more time on the background for the key problem in this novel. The resolution is suitably messy though, and thematically grimdark.
There’s a lot more in this novel, including a link back to The Gate of Bones and an Ork threat that rivals Ullanor and the Beast. Despite some tortuous scenes, the latter is treated as an afterthought, and I find this hilariously apt. The Imperium needs to get its act together, and Grimnar’s pride is actually more important than yet-another-xenos-crisis. Yes, there’s plenty of war and death, but The Wolftime is about relationships: how to connect, get together for a feast, ignore the racist uncle, and overcome family grudges.
Recommended for 40K fans.
The Wolftime asks a fundamental question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Space Wolves are arrogant peacocks who have good cause to mistrust the Imperium, but also do their best to bite the hand that feeds. Into this comes a surprisingly character-driven story of brotherhood, galactic politics and ancient grudges. For the Space Wolves, the return of Guilliman marks the return of a rival instead of a saviour. Allegedly there’s also an Ork threat that provides some requisite bolter porn, but one shouldn’t pay that any attention.
Are you ready for Norse mythology? The Wolftime is very much a Space Wolves novel, and could belong in a future third omnibus. The Indomitus Crusade is not so much a military campaign but a force of nature, and readers should not expect any real progress on that front. Instead, we witness the tale of Gaius, an established Primaris marine that needs to find his place amongst the Great Companies. Introducing outsiders to the close-knit, unique (amongst the Imperium) culture of the Vlka Fenryka is worthy of a novel in itself, and I really do appreciate the homage to Norse myths as Gaius bridges the gap of being born brothers, but not raised as such.
Gaius is just the first of many though, and the Lord Regent calls on the Space Wolves while simultaneously offering them reinforcements. That this is politically complicated goes without saying, literally, as the author assumes the reader is familiar with all sorts of background trivia. Grimnar’s philosophical dilemma to accept reinforcements is absurd as presented, and though I recall ten millenia of friendly fire, I think Gav Thorpe could have chosen to spend a bit more time on the background for the key problem in this novel. The resolution is suitably messy though, and thematically grimdark.
There’s a lot more in this novel, including a link back to The Gate of Bones and an Ork threat that rivals Ullanor and the Beast. Despite some tortuous scenes, the latter is treated as an afterthought, and I find this hilariously apt. The Imperium needs to get its act together, and Grimnar’s pride is actually more important than yet-another-xenos-crisis. Yes, there’s plenty of war and death, but The Wolftime is about relationships: how to connect, get together for a feast, ignore the racist uncle, and overcome family grudges.
Recommended for 40K fans.
nraptor's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
1.75
melniksuzuki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tinyfino's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
majorrawne's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
peachy_'s review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The best parts of this book were the parts that didn't involve the space wolves. Some potentially interesting plot points and developments were hastily wrapped up and some the reader doesn't get to know about but instead we read about the outcome.
enby_wrenby's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bosermoki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Good novel for characterization but doesn't really advance the overall story line
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