2 for 1 Book Review!

Hi everybody! Greetings and salutations from the Eye of Terror. Old Man Chaos is here with a pair of book reviews- Ahriman: Sorcerer and Kharn: Eater of Worlds. Don't worry, I'm still painting and such, but I'm not ready to show it off (yet). I will be having some stuff done soon though. So, let us away...

Ahriman: Sorcerer

I read the first book in the series, Ahriman: Exile by John French (see review HERE). I really enjoyed the book quite a bit. Not the best BL offering, but a fun book with some twists and turns and great characterization. I was quite looking forward to the next one, Ahriman: Sorcerer. It turns out to be more of the same (which isn't bad)- a solid and fun story, though not the upper echelon of BL.

The plot is straightforward on the surface: Ahriman wants to acquire the one of the "Books of Magnus", known as the Athenaeum of Kallimakus. It is just part of the raw knowledge that Magnus has learned over the years. Ahriman wants to use the book to learn where his rubric went wrong. Unfortunately, the "book" is in the hands of the Inquisition, hidden on a small and well protected outpost. So, Ahriman and his motley band of Thousand Sons and some renegade Chaos warlords have to find its location, and then steal it. This will be no easy task, as the Grey Knights are guarding it, meanwhile the Space Wolves pursuing Ahriman have left the warp to track him down and kill him once and for all.

Now that's the general plot. It is, naturally, more complicated than that. There are many good scenes and sequences in the book- I don't want to give spoilers, so I'll be general. Ahriman's strategic use of Rubric Marines was very cool. Ahriman's psychic contest of wills with an Inquisitor was also a thrilling bit. The fate of the pursuing Space Wolves was also fun (from a Chaos fanatics view, of course). The characterization is also quite good again. Ahriman still seems to be the man on a certain paved road that leads to hell. He has good intentions, but he will do ANYTHING to attain them- genocide amongst them. He is also somewhat callus in his treatment of his allies (Astraeos in particular). Speaking of, one of his fellow Thousand Sons, Senakhet, is an interesting character in his own right- he has an agenda, though he seems the least likely to follow it through- his manner and motives are compelling. And Astraeos- poor Astraeos. I felt bad for what Ahriman put him through. Read and you'll see.

I am also interested in Tzeentch and "time". I hesitate to use the phrase "Time-Travel" with 40K- they have never explicitly set up a story around it (yes, Ravenor does a bit, but it is very brief). The evidence is damn clear here though- past and present and future all seem to be bound together, almost blurring together. I'm not sure if it is Tzeentch, Magnus, or a future version of Ahriman who is pulling the strings, but--- time is certainly fluid for the Tzeentch- inclined.

The story is solid, if not spectacular. It moves, but doesn't have the propulsive energy of say Betrayer or Eisenhorn. As a middle story of a trilogy, it certainly feels unfinished and somewhat unsatisfying- as many middle parts do. However, it was a good read, and if you already read Ahriman: Exile, you may as well read this too. Like the previous book, I give this 3 out of 4 Marks of Chaos.

Kharn: Eater of Worlds

This story, by Anthony Reynolds, came out as part of GWs advent calendar on Christmas Day (yes, I did download it Christmas morning). I haven't read much of Reynold's stuff- I read his first Word Bearer book but- meh. Except for the mechanicum forces shown in the book (first time I encountered Skitarii), I didn't care much one way or the other.What could I expect here with Kharn?

Well, the book was a blast from start to finish. It takes place toward the end of The Scouring, when the traitors have fled to the Eye of Terror after the failed assault on Terra. The World Eaters are safe, but they are beginning to break down. The Butcher's Nails are driving them crazy- they are even fighting and killing one another. Angron has left them, and they are without direction. Their only hope is... Kharn. Oh- and he was dead.

Dreaghar is leading one of the World Eaters contingents. He and another such leader, Argus Brond, are two of the few who still have their wits, and they are desperate to restore the legion and stave off the madness that is engulfing the 12th legion. Brond is ready to give up on the other ships- he would strike out on his own in order to see that at least SOME World Eaters survive. Dreaghar refuses, believing that Kharn can heal the legion. Kharn was killed in the fighting at the Emperor's Palace, but somehow- life returned to him. Since then, he has been comatose, but Dreagher believes Kharn was spared for a reason- to save the legion and bring it back to glory.

The book is so good- it moves at a fiery quick pace, with both action and intrigue in equal measure. I love how the book shows how SOME are worshiping the Blood God, while others are more doubtful (at least, at the moment). Reynold's is telling a story that everyone KNOWS the end to, but he has a ton of fun with bringing us to the brink of that end. Yes, the book ends as the World Eaters descend of Skalathrax. But Kharn seems to be quite in control of his faculties- so perhaps there is more to the Skalathrax story than we know? Certainly- hence the book.

Kharn himself is still a great character. Reynold's wisely builds on how Kharn was portrayed in Betrayer- he is ruthless but cunning. A warrior but also a thinker- not a mindless nut. So how does he fall to that? The book leaves some clues- but I ended the book wanting a sequel immediately, and I hope there will be. Reynold's really got the tragedy of the World Eaters very well, and his treatment of their disintegration (and possible redemption lol) is just great reading. Reynold's also does some justice to the Emperor's Children- they too are corrupted, though they have not yet spiraled out of control (unlike the World Eaters who are barely hanging on).

I could go on- the book was fantastic. I finished it very quickly (a bit shorter than some other BL books, but not a short story either). I am hoping that Reynold's will do the next installment VERY quickly- I may even give his Word Bearer books a second look... I give Kharn:Eater of Worlds 4 out of 4 Marks of Chaos.

Until next time...



Senekhet

Book Review 2 For 1 Deal: Angel Exterminatus and Ahriman: Exile

Ahoy there Chaos fanatics! I'm back with a 2 for 1 special book review- I'll keep them brief- just enough to give you the gist so you can think about whether they would be worth your time to read. Like it says in the title, I'll be looking at Ahriman: Exile by John French and Angel Exterminatus by Graham McNeil. So, away we go...

I think I may have read a short story by French and that's about it, so I really wasn't sure what I was expecting here. I have enjoyed some of the recent Thousand Sons stories (A Thousand Sons and Battle of the Fang were great). In a way, Ahriman: Exile is a continuation of those stories, so it really adds up to a nice, cohesive whole. Naturally, Ahriman is the focus of the story, and French does a great job with the character- he is both sympathetic and very arrogant all at the same time. When the story begins, we meet a broken Ahriman- he is no longer with the Thousand Sons, he is a servant of a lesser Chaos Space Marine, and he refuses to use his powers. Comparing Ahriman from A Thousand Sons with his portrayal here, it is great to see him so broken and despondent.

However, Ahriman must re-embrace his powers and his will to live when mysterious forces come looking for him. Survivors of the Thousand Sons have come looking for Ahriman for nefarious purposes. In the course of the chase, Ahriman teams up with several desperate characters (a former Space Marine named Astraeos and a Chaos sorcerer Maroth are both really interesting characters) in order to evade his enemies and figure out what they are truly planning.

It is a fun, and interesting story, which sees a re-awakening of Ahriman. He is always sympathetic, but you also realize that he is only walking down the path that Tzeentch wants him to walk, and that, perhaps, Ahriman has ALWAYS been a doomed individual, no matter what he does- is that fate perhaps? Or simply his own arrogance? By the end, Ahriman is on the path of the renegade that we recognize from the 41st millenium.

My only problem with the story is the resolution. The Thousand Sons that are after Ahriman are led by Amon (I'm not spoiling anything there). Amon has his own plans for the Thousand Sons, and it is, quite frankly, really compelling and so much the opposite of all Ahriman's hopes for his legion- Amon's plans are very interesting, I won't say more as I don't want to give it away, suffice to say that there are now three people- Amon, Ahriman, and Magnus who are each trying to direct the destiny of the legion. However, my main problem is that Ahriman defeats Amon far too quickly. I had imagined a much longer conflict, considering that this story is obviously going to be continued- and there are many plot threads hanging by the end (deliberately). Also, sometimes the story drags a bit too much at times. Once you get through those sections, the book picks up and is a lot of fun, but it slows too many times, in my opinion. 

As it is, I'll give the book 3 out of 4 Marks of Chaos. I am looking forward to part 2 a great deal, as I think this bigger story is going to be very interesting and a lot of fun.

Now, I love Graham McNeil. His Horus Heresy books are amongst the best, particularly Fulgrim and A Thousand Sons. I was very excited to see that he was doing a book about The Iron Warriors (with great ties to Storm of Iron, I must add right off the bat). Plus, they would be teaming up with the Emperor's Children too... how could you go wrong? This would be the second of what I call "The Odd Couple" trilogy (Betrayer, Angel Exterminatus, and the upcoming Forgotten Empire), and who wouldn't want to see the dour Peturabo going up against the outrageously flamboyant Fulgrim?

Unfortunately, the 2 legions just don't gel, and neither does the story. Yes, McNeil does a great job in portraying both legions and their respective Primarchs. McNeil really loves Peturabo, no doubt, but he sometimes becomes a caricature of Peturabo- he is a bit too one-dimensional. The problem is I had read Betrayer earlier- and the portrayal of Angron is so textured and complex, despite the fact that you would think Angron is one note, he simply isn't. Peturabo is motivated to join the rebellion because... the Emperor won't let him build... poor baby. That really can't be the whole thing, can it? Really? Further, I really like Forrix and I really was amused by Kroeger, but they don't get fully developed as characters either.

And that is because McNeil is also putting the spotlight on the Emperor's Children. I loved how Fulgrim ended- but after a short story and now this, Fulgrim is back in control of his body and actions- I feel that this totally negates the great story of the previous Fulgrim. I thought that was just not that cool. Yes, I think McNeil does a great job of showing the complete decadence of the legion- and he writes Lucius so well that I want to paint the model. But again, because the 2 legions have to share the spotlight, it detracts from both too much.

In Betrayer, Aaron Dembski Bowden seemed to be able to balance both the Word Eaters and the Word Bearers so very well while also tying the story to the greater Calth Shadow Crusade- with Lorgar's secret agenda coming into focus by the end of the story. Angel Exterminatus tries to do the same thing (right down to Fulgrim's end goal, it seems), that Angel Exterminatus seems to be a weaker version of Betrayer. This story simply didn't hold my interest or excite me that much. Like I said, I love McNeil's work, but this just didn't do it for me.

Thus, I would give it 2 out of 4 Marks of Chaos.

So there you have it folks. Right now I am just beginning to read the anthology Mark of Calth. I'll let you know how it is when I'm done. I'll also have a review of Star Trek Into Darkness by the end of the weekend. Until next time...