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Post by stofficus on Nov 28, 2018 11:14:01 GMT -5
I personally am a big fan of staring at dead trees and hallucinating profoundly.
As to my earlier comment on the slump in the HH books, the best explanation I can think of is thus;
The Horus Heresy is like the WW1/WW2 of the 40k universe; it is a small period of time (about 7 years) which ultimately defines all the history which follows. The book series, however, starts off as you'd expect; the preceding events, the openings shots and major moves - but then it digresses into what the Italian division commanders had for breakfast while in garrison in Sicily.
There was also a period, and a few authors, who were allowed to go off on huge pet project tangents with little bearing on the story, and actively undermine other points. The Salamander/Shatter Legion story arc adds almost nothing to the overall series, while occupying somewhere around 9-10 books. Then there's a few which go into "It's an even bigger Death Star!" territory and are just plain dumb.
It's improved more recently - Black Library reigned everything in quite nicely so there's a lot less chaff, but there's a lot wholly skippable between books 5 and 35.
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Post by Jack Shrapnel on Nov 28, 2018 11:49:04 GMT -5
okay... so what I'm getting is...
read books 1-4 to get the most out of the heresy lore
then pick and choose what other people recommend at random as there's really no discernible read in order list?
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Post by question on Nov 28, 2018 12:10:54 GMT -5
Based on the input so far, you are correct in your assessment.
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Post by ohgodsnakes on Nov 28, 2018 12:38:58 GMT -5
For things to read after the first four, I recommend:
"Fulgrim"- Goes through the fall of the III Legion, and has some pretty pivotal moments in the heresy. WARNING: really explores some of Slaneshe's themes.
"Betrayer"- Follows around Kharn, Captain of the 8th, somewhere after the Istvaan atrocity and has some bad-ass moments, as well as 40k's single greatest line.
"A Thousand Sons"- Really goes into detail about all the stuff that Magnus did, in fact, do wrong.
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Post by voodoo on Nov 28, 2018 13:14:26 GMT -5
I will also recommend "A Thousand Sons" it's really REALLY good, and yes; explores how badly Magnus pooped the bed.
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Post by Khalai on Nov 28, 2018 13:17:24 GMT -5
Funny how the best books centre around those who fall the farthest *thinkingface*
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Post by ohgodsnakes on Nov 28, 2018 13:36:10 GMT -5
I will also recommend "A Thousand Sons" it's really REALLY good, and yes; explores how badly Magnus pooped the bed. He did a number 1 and a number 2 in there. |
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Post by stofficus on Nov 28, 2018 14:14:12 GMT -5
okay... so what I'm getting is... read books 1-4 to get the most out of the heresy lore then pick and choose what other people recommend at random as there's really no discernible read in order list? With one caveat; as part of their whole "let's un-mess this up" approach, the "Siege of Terra" is going to be its own little miniseries designed with a much tighter approach - very much like the first Isstvan III arc that you're reading now, and the last few books in the series are all setting the stage for that - but again, don't require a strict chronological approach. There are a few other story arcs within that do require some level of chronology - Betrayer ties in with the plot of First Heretic which occurs earlier, for instance - but they're usually only 2-3 books that are directly tied to one another to the same degree as the opening arc. |
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Post by Jack Shrapnel on Nov 28, 2018 14:54:16 GMT -5
need to find a 40k "read in this order" list...lol
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Post by vadah on Nov 28, 2018 17:11:12 GMT -5
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Post by coymastermikhail on Nov 28, 2018 20:21:54 GMT -5
While there certainly are some slower books, ive read them all (almost, i am approaching the siege of terra) and, if you can i would actually recommend reading them all. In addition to just more lore, which i am always into, the complete picture pays off in a couple of ways. Firstly, you will have more context than just jumping about. Secondly, it shows the development of the Primarchs and their legions into what we now know as Chapter Traits. Why are some of the chapters the way they are, its in the books. Were all the fallen legions baddies, or all the loyalists goodies? Its all there. Lastly, there are some really good characters from the lore who were never really talked about until the HH series, and they occasionally pop back in and around. Some of the best moments to understand ceetain characters are contained in what traditionally may be described as some of the more forgettable books. They also do a good jib of RETCONing things into existence, like Imperial Knights, which were invented partway through the book series
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Post by ohgodsnakes on Nov 29, 2018 10:14:50 GMT -5
Oh jeeze, how could I forget Talon of Horus and Black Legion by Aaron Dembski-Bowden? Both are amazing books, and really delve into what life is like for those traitor marines trying to live in the Eye. A third book is expected some time in the future.
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Post by coymastermikhail on Nov 29, 2018 14:56:50 GMT -5
The Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dempski-Bowden is quite good as well. And in my opinion, Space Marine Battles - Helsreach is one of the best audiobooks ive listened to in a very long time. Voiceing is superb. I listen to them while painting, driving and at the gym
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Post by Jack Shrapnel on Nov 29, 2018 15:24:41 GMT -5
Just finished False Gods...
...poor Magnus... But Horus does have a good point when you think about it....
making my support of chaos even more justified.
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Post by voodoo on Nov 29, 2018 15:28:41 GMT -5
Not surprising, but I also really enjoyed the Ahriman Omnibus; and it’s nicely only $20 for the compiled 3 books instead of $20 each.
Who else would spend 4,000+ years working on a single task but an Astartes?
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