The Emperor's Finest: Sandy Mitchel

The Emperor’s Finest: Sandy Mitchell

A Ciaphas Cain Novel

Commissar Cain is called to duty once more, saving a governor’s daughter from a planet over-run by rebels. The uprising hides something far more sinister however – Genestealer hybrids! The search for the source of the alien threat leads Cain to a drifting space hulk – a far safer place than beside the obsessed governor’s daughter. But when the Reclaimer Space Marines suffer devastating losses at the hands of the Great Devourer, Cain and his trusty aide Jurgen must go it alone. With the tyranids waking and a group of stow away orks on the loose, there are no safe places to run or hide, and Cain must use all his ingenuity and cunning to escape the space hulk alive.

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/Warhammer-40000/Ciaphas-Cain/Emperors-Finest-The.html

Now then, Having not read the two Omnibuses that come before The Emperor’s Finest, I expected to not understand what was going on much, after all, this is the seventh book in the series, however, this was not the case. Sandy Mitchell, using the notes at the bottom of the page explains any previous encounters that Cain brings up that a new reader would miss, allowing me to keep moving along quickly.

However, one thing that did hold me back was that every time I found a note on something, I was drawn to the bottom of the page and distracted from my course of reading. And this happened on a lot of the pages.

Anyway, moving on, despite this, I enjoyed The Emperor’s Finest. It was a funny, entertaining read that proved not all Commissars are as ruthless as they look. And, It also gave an insight into one of the lesser known Space Marine chapters, the Reclaimers, however it didn’t give that much of a depth into the Chapter, unfortunately – it was more focused on Cain getting in and out of trouble.

Which he does, a lot. A good side of this book was that it was funny, and more light hearted than the rest of the 40k novels, which was a welcome break from the grim-dark Dead Men Walking Death Korps of Krieg novel which I enjoyed.

The Emperor’s Finest was also my second glance into a first person Black-Library written book, the first being Xenos, the first instalment in the Eisenhorn trilogy. I read it about a month ago and never got around to reading the other two parts in the omnibus, (sigh), and I found that I personally thought that Xenos was a better read.

In future, I will probably have to pick up the previous two omnibus for the Ciaphas Cain series, as I enjoyed this book overall, despite all its flaws.

Rating out of 10: 7/10 – Not the best book out there, but not the worst. Somewhere in the middle.

Dead Men Walking: Steve Lyons

Dead Men Walking: Steve Lyons

When the Necrons rise, a mining planet descends into a cauldron of war and the remorseless foes decimate the human defenders. Salvation comes in an unlikely form – the Death Korps of Kreig, a force as unfeeling as the Necrons themselves. When the two powers go to war, casualties are high and the magnitude of the destruction is unimaginable.

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Dead-Men-Walking.html

Okay, Dead Men Walking is my second venture down the road that is Imperial Guard Black Library Novels, not counting The Gaunt’s Ghosts series. It is also my first fluff encounter with the Death Korps, and my first novel with Necrons as the main opposition. And, if I’m honest, Dead Men Walking focuses more on the inhabitants of the world under attack by the Necrons. The world is in fact Hieronymous Theta, and it is a doomed world, as the Iron Gods have risen to reclaim the planet that was once theirs.

Now, moving on, this story was a great read, and gave some great information to the background of the Death Korps of Krieg, and equally about the Iron Gods, the Necrons, and how they are viewed from a normal person’s point of view in the forty-first millennium.

Dead Men Walking was an enjoyable Imperial Guard Novel, and as this is the first time I’ve read a novel by Steve Lyons, who wrote Ice Guard and a Novel in Imperial Guard Omnibus, Vol. 1. The main characters were all flushed out and well-developed, given plenty of background and plenty of time in the spotlight. There’s also one or two heroic sacrifices, and the Death Korps of Krieg are portrayed brilliantly.

Yes, I know, some of the main characters will die, perhaps even your favorite ones, but Steve Lyons does make sure that nobody is safe – every time you turn the page you wonder, will this character die? Will he or she live? In that way, Lyons keeps the reader hooked as they want to try and find out about their favorite, as each character escapes one problem and is immediately thrown into the next.

Dead Men Walking may seem slow at the beginning, but when the Death Korps arrive, and the Necrons turn up in full force, it suddenly turns into an action packed, fast paced and a great page-turning Imperial Guard adventure, that really captures the grim-dark setting that the 40k universe is known for.

I’m pleased to say that Dead Men Walking contains no errors that I noticed, and overall there were little bad points about this novel, easily one of the better Black Library books out there that I’ve read.

Indeed, the only major downside to this novel was that I found the front cover to be a bit dull compared to the newly released ones, like The First Heretic and Garro: Oath of Moment. (Both of which I’ve reviewed, by the way).

Rating: 8/10

Should you buy this book? If you’re a fan of the Death Korps of Krieg, Imperial Guard, Necrons or just want to expand your knowledge of the 40k ‘verse, then this book’s for you.

Garro: Oath of Moment by James Swallow. Read by Toby Longworth

Garro: Oath of Moment : James Swallow / Toby Longworth

“My name is Nathaniel Garro, and I am a Legion of One.”

In surviving the horrors on board the Eisenstein, Nathaniel Garro proved his courage and absolute loyalty to the Emperor. On his return to Terra, Garro is dispatched on a mission of even greater importance – a mission given to him by Malcador the Sigillite himself. He soon finds himself back amongst the stars and on the fields of battle, thrust into a warzone where the Ultramarines are purported to be battling a greenskin invasion. Once again Garro must fight for survival, but now he also fights to achieve a higher purpose...

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/Horus-Heresy/Garro-Oath-of-Moment.html

Now then, where to start? I guess; as this is an audiobook, I will be doing a few things differently to a novel review, just to let you know. This is the second audiobook that I’ve ever brought, the first being Throne of Lies and I can say that I found it interesting, very interesting, particularly since it focuses on Nathaniel Garro, whom many of you will remember from Swallow’s non-audiobook, also a Horus Heresy novel, called The Flight of the Eisenstein.

Although Oath of Moment seemed short compared to standard Black Library novels, being 70 minutes in length, it was a nice listen.

Oath of Moment is a fast-paced, action packed listen, and although it had a weak plot (come on, it’s basically Garro searching for somebody to help Malcador), it does feature the Battle of Calth, which was touched on in The First Heretic, and is of course the Battle between the Word Bearers and the Ultramarine loyalists.

However, there are a few bad things about this audiobook; an error that I noticed is the first one. It’s an error that not many new 40k fans will notice really, but it’s something the die-hard fluff followers will be annoyed about. Swallow mentioned Adeptus Astartes instead of Legio Astartes, which was what they were called during the Heresy. However, maybe I’m just nitpicking – after all, it’s something that I missed out on during the bit on the Black Library Website.

Another disappointing thing in this audiobook is that the scene changes & flashbacks are hard to spot, as one second I was with Garro and the Ultramarines, and the next I found myself with Garro and Malcador the Sigillite. 

Oh, and saying Malcador’s name reminds me of a key thing that happens in this audiobook that sheds some light on one the Imperium’s past (past from present 40k, not past from Horus Heresy).

Now, you’ll probably be wondering by now what the sound effects are and whether the voice acting is any good or not – well, let me tell you, it’s a lot better than the extract from Horus Rising: Abridged Audio, and the A Thousand Sons: Abridged Audio extract. Garro, and Olan, the lieutenant of the Ultramarines PDF at the start has been done very well. Toby Longworth, who is the reader, manages to make each person’s voice fit their description.

Also, if you haven’t read The Flight of the Eisenstein, Swallow explains a rough outline of what happens in this audiobook, but I would still recommend you get the novel first.

Oh yes, a disappointing part is that we don’t find out what happens to the Rembrancers (not sure if this is spelt right or not, could someone please check for me?) and the other Marines, including Iacton Qruze, who joined Garro on the Eisenstein, and I found this annoying as I wanted to know what happened to the people who accompanied him.   

And on that bombshell, I will leave you with two final bits, ones that you'll all be familiar with if you've read my reviews in the past.

Rating: 7/10

Should you buy this book? Well, if you’re a fan of Garro or the audio Horus Heresy books , or simply want to hear Ultramarines getting cut down by Word Bearers, or see Word Bearers in action – then this is for you.

Angels and Demons: Dan Brown [Minor Spoilers]

Angels and Demons: Dan Brown

When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth.

The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war...

~http://www.danbrown.com/

Hello, and once again I’m here with another review, this time it’s Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown, the very first novel starring the Harvard Symbologist, Robert Langdon.

Langdon comes from a unique background rarely seen in other novels, for example, you’ve all heard of wizards, assassins, aliens and Space Marines, but who’s heard of a symbologist? From Harvard?

Now, you’re thinking, how does Dan Brown tie in a Harvard Symbologist, the reappearance of the Illuminati, and a plot to destroy Vatican City? Well, let me tell you this, he does. And he doesn’t just do it well, he does it very well. Too bad I read the Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, the next two books on the series before this. However, it still didn’t spoil me of the ending.

Dan Brown is possibly one of the smartest authors out there, and not only is he smart, he knows how to write a page-turning novel.

I found that the pace was very fast, mainly because I was desperate to get to the end to work out what the conclusion was. Would Vatican City get destroyed, or would Langdon and Vetra manage to save the day?

Yes, it was that unpredictable. Sure, I knew that Langdon wasn’t going to die because I’d read The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, but the other characters, I had no idea. That aside, the twists in this story were excellent, as well as the background. I should point out, that if you lose your bookmark, or page, and lose out on the story, maybe skip a few pages or so, you won’t understand what’s happened, so you’ll have to go back and find where you were.

Despite this, Angels and Demons was an amazing read, and I can’t wait to read Digital Fortress, unfortunately not starring Robert Langdon but, based on what I’ve read, I have high expectations.

But I also had high expectations for The Chapter’s Due.

Also, may I point out, there’s a lot of gory details in this novel, and a bit of romance, but they still all make Angels and Demons interesting – they don’t ruin it.

Rating: 10/10 – I’ve been giving away a lot of 10’s recently, but I feel everything is deserved as normal.

Should you buy this book? You don’t need me to tell you that.

Nick Kyme has finished Fall of Damnos First Draft.

Yes, he has. This Space Marines Battles Novel is expeted to come out in April 2011. Here's the link.

http://www.nickkyme.com/?p=1464

Discuss.

Also, I edited a few of my coming soon review section. There will be a Gone review by Michael Grant, a Digital Fortress review by Dan Brown, and I think that is all that I've changed.