Book DescriptionA young Imperial Guardsman arrives in the wrong battle on the wrong planet and gets caught in a meat-grinder war. With the brutal ork forces attacking in wave after wave, it is no wonder that the life expectancy of a new arrival is only fifteen hours.
Book Pages : 256
Company : Black Library or Games Workshop
Mitchel Scanlon : UK. His first break was with the Black Library's Warhammer Monthly comic. Since then has written several short stories published in the Black Library's fiction magazine Inferno! and the background book The Loathsome Ratmen and all their Vile Kin.
This is a Guardsman not a Marine... (or Rambo!)
Guard... ATTACK!!! Wow.. I've read this book in two days. For me it's fast 'cause I don't have much time unless you count the trips to work and so...
This is Mr. Scanlon first book. I think he did an exclent work. I've read some reviews in other places (Amazon, Black Library and others) and most of all agreed this is a fast turning book. It's catching and it's not for the feint. I've read some parts that make me feel I was in that battlefield. It remind me some stories about WW I in the trenches. It add some good perpective about the guardsman life and the connection between them and their superiors.
There is one part that blow me away and made me tremble..
"From the corners of his eye Larn caught gimpses of the others around him. He saw Bulaven, a lasgun in his hands taken from other Guardsman. He saw Davir. Scholar. Zeebers. He saw Chalker, his expression cool and detached, working the slide of his shotgun to send round after round into the enemy. He saw Vladek. Medical Oficer Svenk. The cook, Trooper Skench, a laspistol blazing in his one remaining hand as he stood besides others. He saw their faces. Scholar drawn yet steadfast. Bulaven dutiful, Zeebers nervous, Davir spiting obscene and angry oaths at the advancing orks. He saw steely determination and a refual to go easily to death. AS he saw it, Larn felt a feelting shame that he had doubted these men when he had first met them. Whatever their manner they were all wahat a Guardsman should be. Brave. Resolute. Unbending in the gace of the enemy. These were the men on which the Imperium had been built. The men who had fought its every battle. Won its every victory. Today, they were hoepelessly outnumbered. Today it was their final stand. (page 227)
After reading this book, and before as well I prefer the guardsman stories than to Marines stories.
Other reviewer said this was a teeneger writing or something. I agree. It's not like Dan Abnett or Ian Watson. But I guess this "teenager" writing made this book even greater. The common soldier is not a writer or poet. I guess that made us see almost from the eyes of the main character. It was good also 'cause the pages were turning even faster. Overall..
If you want to read about a common guardsman and not a hero like Rambo I would reccomend this book. You won't see here a man who have kill 1001 orks while drinking beer.
Comments