Anyone just into 40K for the fiction?

Seconding Brothers of the Snake and Battle of the Fang.

I would agree that 'Brothers of the Snake' and 'Battle of the Fang' are very enjoyable books. I would also recommend 'The Death of Antagonis' (although that is mainly because it has one of the best Sisters of Battle characters I have come across in 40k fiction).

Has anyone read the Salamander trilogy? I've been wanting to pick it up but, much like with the newest Cain and Gaunt books, I'm waiting for the omnibus.

I'm tempted by them too, as well as the "Priests/Lords/TBD of Mars" books.

I have read it and it is quite good. The first couple are the best but while the third book has some great moments (including a great line from Tu`Shan during the final battle), it is probably the weakest of the three.

Good to know.

What element was that, because I actually liked Legion.

I think I dislike the Cabal for the same reason some folks disliked the pre-Newcrons C'Tan. Which is weird, because I never really minded the C'Tan.

re: Salamanders - I guess I need to have another try at them, but I picked up the first book, read a few chapters, and put it down without feeling like I'd missed much. Maybe it gets better?

I started reading Soul Drinker. Wanted a change of pace from the usual Mehreen stories. I already knew what happens to Sarpedon, but damn if it wasn't awesome when he uses the Hell on Gorgoleon, gets those giant spider legs and tears him in half.

edited 12th Sep '13 8:37:57 PM by TheFreeman

I tend to enjoy the books more than the game(s), though some are kinda bad. Most of the MAHRINES SHOOT EVERYTHIN' books get a bit old after awhile. I'd have to say that my favorite was Titanicus. Very intricate while still containing good action, imo.

The part of Titanicus about the Titan legions/Mechanicus was good. The rest of it varied between meh and "this is not about the cover, why is it not about the cover Abnett you dipshit".

Oh, you mean the intrigue and civvies?

@Night: Because it's Abnett. He loves his varied look into everything that's happening.

And I stopped playing late 2011. Now I just read the fiction and play the Deathwatch and Rogue Trader RP Gs.

That's why I liked it. It was interesting seeing the civilian and grunt point of view outside of "ermahgersh we're being invaded shoot the aliens everyone is dying!"

I exaggerate, of course, but there are many books like that. That's why I enjoy Titanicus so much.

Plus, Titans.

Intrigue is Mechanicus. I'll even let the fried Princips past.

Activated Twenty-Six and to some extent the Vanquisher unit, however, really offered nothing to the story. Activated Twenty-Six is some kind of editing mistake as their story thread has literally nothing to do with any of the other ones in the book; they could have been on a different planet and it would not have mattered in the slightest. The Vanquisher unit exists purely to offer a resolution to the intrigue at the end in an uninteresting way (and set up Abnett's traditional "this battle was so awesome guys, it was awesome like it had tits and was on fire, so I'm going to spend three paragraphs or less on it".) Everything they do before that point is simply establishing that they exist over and over and over.

-forgets what Activated was-

Well, the Vanq crew was meant to establish that it's not just Titans who fight each other.

They did that with literally the opening chapter. Also with Sicarian Faero's sortie, and the Lau scenes, and the Tempestus Titan that got taken down by combination of infantry attack and a pair of Warhounds.

If that had been their purpose they would have left the thing in the same scene they entered.

Well, I think it makes sense as to why those non-Titan parts are there. It's not just some battleground with two sides. It's a forge world, with living, breathing (and beeping) parts. Way I see it (and somebody probably mentioned it), Dan Abnett's cool in the way that he wrote up what others would feel when they're essentially bystanders in a fight they can barely comprehend to take back their home.

So... Gotrek And Felix

Oi You! I'm not finished with you yet!

I just started listening to some of the audio dramas.

Can't say I'm a fan of the voicework for Space Marines. Maybe I'm just used to the Badass Baritone of the Dawn of War games.

Yeah, that one voice is pretty much how I imagine all Astartes voices to sound now XD

More into the world/lore than the game itself, but I may start an Imperial Guard tank army at some point.

... Honest question: Was there a reason for putting this question into its own thread? The WH40K usually discusses the lore/fiction instead of the tabletop game's mechanics, after all.

Eh, it's not hurting anything to have a thread dedicated to the Black Library.

I've picked up the Salamanders omnibus and am about halfway through the first novel...liking it so far, glad to see Tsugan being more than just a stuck-up twat.