Descent of Angels (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy) (Pt. 6) by Mitchell Scanlon
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Book Reviews of Descent of Angels (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy) (Pt. 6)
Book Review: Spoiler Alert
Summary: 3 Stars
I really enjoyed the first three books of the Horus Heresy and put then in the top of some of my favorite books of all time. It is greatly impressive that books based on a tabletop game can be so amazing. Having said that I was a little dissapointed when I read Flight of the Eisenstein. Rather than pick up where the first three left off it instead took a step backwards to explain the fall of the Death Guard. Then I read Fulgrim and it did the same with the Emperors Children. It was still cool how the continued books of the Heresy tell the tale of how certain Legions fell and others didn't and why. Which brings me to Descent of Angels.
This book begins way before the Heresy. It takes place on Caliban where Lion El'Johnson winds up. The description of this world is kind of poor. At times it seems like they have descent technology such as limited power armor, chain swords, and pistols. However it also describes peasants using medieval technology for farming and life in general. Sometimes the books reads more like a fantasy novel one would expect from D&D rather than a sci fi novel.
Then in comes the Imperium. Caliban accepts it instantly. In all of the other books there is resistance but this planet shrugs its shoulders and accepts without issue. It was very unrealistic.
Flash forward and now most of the knights are now either Astartus or at the very least enhanced humans. In all of the other books you could see the slow or fast progression of certian members to chaos. In this book some of the members that stay loyal are questionable and some who seem like good guys are lumped in with those who will presumably turn to chaos. Of all the books in the Heresy series this one take the cake for being the most out of place.
Book Review: Great read, but doesn't advance the main story arc
Summary: 3 Stars
Descent of Angels, by Mitchell Scanlon, is primarily a chronicle of the inhabitants of the home planet of the Dark Angels Space Marine chapter before and after the upheaval wrought by its rediscovery by the new Imperium. And therein lies its chief drawback. The Horus Heresy series came flying out of the gate with an amazing 3-book opening act, but the two installments before this one were more introspective and focused on the trials and tribulations of specific Legions that, while interesting on their own, didn't really advance the main Horus Heresy storyline.
This book is simply the logical end of this approach. We learn all about Caliban and the men forged by it in exacting detail, but they are never put in the greater context of Horus's betrayal. The Imperium doesn't even show up until about 300 pages in. The book also ends rather abruptly, leaving several loose ends untied. What became of the Lion, Luther, Caliban and the Dark Angels can be found pretty easily on Wikipedia, but if it was covered here then my chief argument against the book would be rendered moot.
I don't begrudge the author. Scanlon is one of the Black Library's better writers and crafts a tight narrative that is compelling and has interesting and sympathetic characters. I just think that these types of backstory-focused narratives belong in a side series (maybe "Horus Heresy: Visions" or something similar) and not as part of the main Heresy storyline. Horus started his march toward Terra at the end of Fulgrim...how many more novels will it take for him to finally get there?
So in summation...good book, worthy of the HH level of quality, but doesn't really have anything to do with the HH...except maybe to set up another book that does.
Book Review: nothing bad
Summary: 3 Stars
overall this wasnt a bad book, i know a few people didnt like it, and the reviews are generally against it, but still this book is a fun read. it generates over the story of the dark angels, and their beginnings, which is good because it really gives you a sense of what it was like for some planets before the imperium, and on how planets were converted after the imperium came, and how a new space marine legion is born. Lion el johnson is also a cool character to read about, but the story focus's on a knight trying to become higher in the ranks of hte brotherhood, and then eventually becomes a space marine.
The only bad thing about the book was it was it was completely unbelievable that a planet of such traditions and culture would willingly watch and praise as the emperor tore down all the forests, and totally reconstruct the world. also the change for the characters in the noval was too quick, at first they were honorable knights fighting for the order, trying to keep its power up, and build their world better. some of them spent their entire lives serving it, then the next day they just burn it all down and become space marines willing to die for the emperor. its like comparing someone in the secret service fighting for the president, or someone in the marines in one day deciding to worship the emperor.
like i said it wasnt a bad book, and its good that the horus heresy series is including books to show the background of many space marine chapters like in Fulgrim, Descent of Angels, and Legion, but still this book doesnt really help at all to the further timeline of the horus heresy.
Book Review: Where's the rest...?
Summary: 3 Stars
As I mentioned in an earlier review for Fulgrim, I've played 40K for a long, long time, and when I sold my Chaos army, I went full-tilt with the Dark Angels. Great chapter, one of the originals from the Rogue Trader days.
The main impression that I got from this novel was that Scanlon started banging away on it, got about half-way through the story that he wanted to tell, realized that it was gonna be too long and then... just... stopped... writing. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which I'm normally cool with, but this just felt FAR too rushed, and left me disappointed and a little disgruntled.
I don't like disgruntled and rushed. Not when it's following a string of superb novels detailing the Heresy.
I don't know if there is going to be a "Part II," but if there isn't, then why bother starting the story?
I agree with some of the earlier reviews that said that they thought that far too much time was spent on the days before the Emperor came to Caliban. I also thought that the first words that the Emperor has actually said in a 40K novel should have been a little more... important... than I felt that these were. I shouldn't spend as much time as I did thinking, "get on with it!"
Book Review: Sets the stage for the Dark Angels part in the Horus Heresy
Summary: 3 Stars
I think this is an excellent book because it plays out the rift between Luther and Lion El'Johnson. While it adds very little to the Horus Heresy at this time, I think it fits in the story because you need to understand why the Dark Angels play such a small role in the events on Terra due to the infighting which rips their chapter in two due to Luther and the Lion fighting for control of the Dark Angels Chapter. There will need to be another book later which brings these events into fruition, but the stage is set, and the reader should have a good understanding of the characters Luther, Lion El'Johnson, and the supporting characters much like the other Horus Heresy novels.
My overall favorite part of the novel is a character Hadarial who was selected by the Astartes, but was too old to become true Astartes and was only able to be genetically altered to become a Dark Angel. He epitomizes the reason why the war begins within the chapter.
Once again, this book sets the stage and I believe it is necessary to the overall Horus Heresy, however it could have moved the story a little farther into those events.