Review: Dark Vengeance - Christian Dunn

Title - Dark Vengeance

Author - Christian Dunn

Year - 2012

Stand Alone or Series - Part of Series (Dark Angels)

Pages - 106

Reading Time - October 09 to 16, 2012

Review

This is the follow up of the audiobook The Ascension of Balthasar. Here we find our heroes fighting the hordes of the Crimson Slaughter and at the same time avenge master Zadakiel and eliminate anyone who knows about the Dark Angels secret.

This novella is somewhat difficult to get into. And why I do say this? Because there are almost 25 chapters and with twelve, yes you read me correctly, twelve viewpoints. Most of them are in the first person perspective. But if you read the book in one, long take, probably would be better.

If you want you should read also Malediction from the same author because in some way it connects to this book and audiobook.

The main characters are Company Master Balthasar, Interrogator-Chaplain Seraphicus, Librarian Turmiel, Ravenwing Sergeant Arion, Mortis Metalikus and it's brother Krannon the Crimson Slaughter leader.

This book must be hard to write to the over extensive characters and points of view. For that I take my hat to Dunn. Fortunally he is a editor for Black Library so he can do two jobs in one go.

This part of the tale is over but the quest for the Fallen never ends...

Would I reccommend to you? If you like Space Marines, Dark Angels for that matter, or have read Malediction and The Ascension of Balthasar then go on. If you want to start here. Don't. The price for this novella is also not appealing to anyone. 5/10

Review - The Ascension of Balthasar - Christian Dunn

Title - The Ascension of Balthasar

Author - Christian Dunn

Year - 2012

Stand Alone or Series - Part of Series (Dark Angels)

Pages - Audiobook (80m)

Reading Time - October 2012

Review

As every book I read spoilers ahead... you've been warned.

What an interesting tale about the Dark Angels.

This is an audiobook by Christian Z Dunn about the hunt of a fallen dark angel.

I really was impressed by the quality of the narration and audio effects throughout the tale. Fortunally in the second disc there was a PDF with the script which I read while listening. This in my humble opinion should be the procedure in every audiobook. I enjoy it more than the other audiobooks I read.

The story is simple... A message arrives at the Pride of Caliban and tells the Dark Angels where a fallen is. Of course they know it's a trap but being of Deathwing they know that nothing is more important that to capture all fallen angels. As Zadakiel stats "the capture of any Fallen took precedence over everything..."

Five terminators plus the the Master of the Fifth Company and Guardian of the Inner Sanctum go on a hunt throughout a planety of Stern's Remembrance.

There they find the all place intact but devoid of people. Within a cathedra they find the fallen dark angel Attias the Untamed that warn them that it's a trap set by Krannon of the Crimson Slaugter.

As they escape the now attacked city Zadakiel and Balthasar, with the unwanted help of Attias, face cultists and a Hellbrute called Mortis Metallikus. 

The "three" dark angels are unable to kill the hellbrute and Zadakiel sacrifices himself so the fallen angel can be brought to The Rock to repent.

In the end Balthasar receives a message telling him that they know their secret and now they must hunt and destroy the Crimson Slaughter warband.

Characters

ZADAKIEL- Master of the Fifth Company - Guardian of the Inner Sanctum,

BALTHASAR - Sergeant (Deathwing)

DARDARIEL - Terminator (Deathwing)

MENDRION - Terminator (Deathwing)

BARACHIEL - Terminator (Deathwing)

NARCARIEL - Terminator (Deathwing)

JOLINA: Astropath

SELENAZ: Captain of Pride of Caliban

ATTIAS, the Untamed = Fallen Dark Angel

KRANNON the Relentless - Leader of Crimson Slaughter

MORTIS METALIKUS- Hellbrute

Cons

- Too Short for the price

- It felt like a prologue to a bigger picture (One that is going to be told in Dark Vengeance

- Again the Price

Audiobook The Ascension of Balthasar €20.00

Dark Vengeance Novella €17.50

Both won't make 200 pages if published in a novel. Shame on you Black Library and Games Workshop.

Pros

- The Narration.

- The Diversity of the voices.

- The Sound Effects

- The simple plot but with lot of information about the Dark Angels Chapter and the Imperium so anyone can start reading about 40K here.

- The Extras in the second disc, even if few.  6/10

Review: Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha - David Annandale

Title - Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha

Author - David Annandale

Year - 2013

Stand Alone or Series - Stand Alone

Pages - 122

Reading Time - 25, January 2013 (1 Day)

Review

What an interesting good read. One of those tales that we all know what is going to happenned but never knew details. As we all know Yarrick was chasing Ghazgkull Thraka, the despoiler of Second War of Armageddon. After leaving the world behind Yarrick goes on a hunt for his old nemesis. Pacts and deals being made so he could have the manpower to deal with the Ork. After months of fighting but never getting near of Thraka they track him down to Golgotha. There they chase the Ork but Yarrick being to arrogant (what a character) never thought that Orks are not merely beasts. They can be cunning and make tactics, well most of them cannot. They will fight anyone, anywhere, even among themselves but never making what you can call a tactic of attack. But, it seems Thraka is different. Being defeated Yarrick is taken prisioner and must fight the orks in their own ground and join the remaining prisioners under the same goal.

It's one of the those novels that really made you love the Warhammer 40K setting. Yarrick is an arrogant bastard, yet you root for him and a typical Commissar (no Gaunt or Ciaphas here).

I really enjoyed the novel because it gave a new light on the Orks, the savages of 40k. Not much of a spoiler because how the novel turns out it's avaiable out there in the fluff of Yarrick. It's interesting to read about the reason behind the release of Yarrick by Thraka after the escape attempt.  David Annandale is a good writer in my opinion.

Interesting fact is that Gunheads by Steve Parker connects with this tale because in that tale they are trying to recover the Tank used by Yarrick in the last battle of Golgotha 9/10