This is the best book ever written in the 40k universe. Surely that's taking it a bit far you say? Nope, hands down better than Ravenor, Double Eagle (which I'm actually reading again right now because its that good) Horus Rising and Even Legion.
Having read just about everything Black Library has ever put out (40k wise anyway) I like to think I qualify to make broad overgeneralized statements such as, "Best book ever." Seriously though don't wait for this in soft cover its worth getting right now.
Additionally consider that as Orestes (the planet the book takes place on) and the story in general is tied to the Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Guant's Ghosts series) which is tied to Double Eagle and Ravnor which is in turn tied to Eisenhorn making this effectively the 19th book in Abnett"s ongoing masterpiece you are, in a way, turning your back on the Emperor by not reading this book A.S.A.P.
I finished it shortly after it came out and I still remember getting chills when Gearheart declares, "know then that Legio Invicta is here. Know then that the Legio Invicta will walk upon Orestes." I mean how disgustingly awesome is it that (thanks to Abbnet) Titan legions don't deploy to a theater of war but rather choose to, "walk" upon a world.
user@example.com
· 1 year ago
Technically true, if you consider graphic novels to not be "books". If you do allow them, then Titanicus would be second.
faultie
· 1 year ago
I've got a copy coming in from Amazon. After this review, I really can't wait.
Yuengling Dragon
· 1 year ago
I had the same fears about this book that the reviewer had. Bit this is not just a book about Titans fighting. It's about the nature of truth, the internal politics of the Mechanicus, and the relationship between the Mechanicus and the Imperium.
It's really quite good.
Savark
· 1 year ago
it is way to expensive for a book, yet better than the marine codex price, DAMN GW are strripen me of my money!!!
user@example.com
· 1 year ago
It's way too expensive, but those are hardback prices these days, unfortunately. It's not just GW here.
Matthew_Rider
· 1 year ago
Hmm- at the moment Im reading Legion- and after that the other Horus Heresy books lol (Ive been hooked on them since I read Fulgrim)
This book does sound very good- but why is everything rated 5 stars? For egsample the Assault on Black Reach review you had- there were many faults with the set, (such as not having any beginer scenarios,) that would definately stop it recieving a 5. But anyway, this book sounds awesome and Il probably end up buying it.
-Iron Father Matt
Anonymous
· 1 year ago
Why include a star rating?
I'm with Yahtzee; how does an arbitrary number summarize a complex opinion?
Vodski
· 1 year ago
This book show up what Abnett does well.. One of my fav books of his is "necropolis" and like that book , he manages to describe the huge scale of engine war , as well as the personal triumphs and failures of the people living through , (well mostly living), that war. I like.
Lord
· 1 year ago
I could have sworn this review came from the Firebase magazine??? but still, abnett is by far the most professional writer in the BL, as he is the only one who does not have a linear story line, and adds characters with infaliabilities!
SSG_Snuffy
· 1 year ago
Huh... you're right. I thought it sounded familiar. It looks like this was the longer version, and the one in Firebase was the edited-down-for-space edition. Many of the phrases are identical.
Nicholas_S
· 1 year ago
Did you mean to say "fallibilities"?
Lord
· 1 year ago
Yup, and there is a lesson for you all: never post at two in the morning...you make stupid mistakes!
Phil Bradley
· 1 year ago
I'm halfway through and agree completely there is so much more depth to Abnett's characters than any other BL writer I know. Its far removed fro the usual we came- we fought - we went home for tea and medals we tend to get with a number of BL authors. He's done the Guard, Mechanicus, Inquisition even SM's bought time Mr Abnett bought us something from the Imperial Navy (other than Double Eagle. ) Titanicus - read it, if you enjoy Dan's other books you'll love this and it's depth of characters is something rarely seen in BL's other publications.
Now it you want me I'll be on my noosphere... Praise to the Omnissiah!
PhilB
Gamers World
· 1 year ago
put your comments link thing at the bottom of each post not the top. I do also like the Titans but I have not read the book.
Matthew_Rider
· 1 year ago
lol I know- I was just wondering
And Yahtzee is hilarious!
Azrael
· 1 year ago
Abnett has a real talent for storytelling, he succeeds at creating characters with depth and meaning, where he is let down is in actual literary skill. Count for example the number of times the word 'ochre' is used in the first Gaunt's Ghosts trilogy. This is not a major problem when you can create a story as compelling as he does, look at The Lord of The Rings for example, that is atrociously written, but still one of the finest books you can read.
He is by far the best GW novelist, but in a wider scale of sci-fi, the Black Library novels are still sub par.
Lord
· 1 year ago
I disagree about your comment about Tolkien. He is a fantastic writer, but these days, we are no longer interested in his style of writing. If you compare tolkien to shakespeare, then you realize he is a fantastic writer, but in this age, where we get bored if there is no sex or death for more then three pages, many people don't appreciate the literary geniui of the last hundred years.
Azrael
· 1 year ago
it is not about contemporary interest, sex or death, he is simply very linear. It is the story that hooks people, not the writing style, Abnett is the same. Black Library books simply do not compare in most cases to wider fiction, it is the same with many game based books, whatever it may be.
Azrael
· 1 year ago
Tolkein is a fantastic storyteller, not a fantastic writer. you cannot compare him to Shakespeare either, they wrote very different works. Many authors have certain problems you overlook or don't, no author is perfect, just look at Lovecraft, he was horrifically racist. Furthermore, the idea that sex and death for immediate gratification is a modern development is flawed, look at the likes of Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, look at Homer or Virgil. Literary styles change sure, but flaws are the same whenever you write.
Slaw
· 1 year ago
There only good and very good reviews of this book. And there is no surprise about that - Dan Abnett is the best.
Yes. Yes it does. You should probably go to the patent office with that formula of yours.
GarethUK
· 1 year ago
Im not giving any plot details away here but a question for anybody who has read the whole book, didn't you find that the end seems rather rushed and sounds like its missing something???
Dont get me wrong, this is certainly one of the best books ive read from BL (and considering i have pretty much read them all thats saying something) just seems a bit flat at the end.
Z
· 1 year ago
If you haven't noticed by now, the only problem with Abnett's stories is that towards the end, there's a big, BIG <insert something climatic here> followed immediately by an abrupt end.
Always.
Consider the following examples: - A desperate city defense ends suddenly with a mano-o-mano with a Daemon Prince. The fight doesn't even last longer than GETTING to the Prince. - Another desperate holding action with a collapsing army ends with a sudden sacrifice of <army>, and by the next sentence, they're already out and bombarding the planet from orbit... - A buildup of intrigue and character ends with a single person switching sides, turning almost on the space of a dime. - What I would call the "Ball of Magic" scene? - And lastly... Oh wait, the old Magick Weapons all work! And <insert bad things here> is <insert -spoiler- here>
(Try guessing where each story comes from :D )
terr
· 1 year ago
I totally agree with you. The ending of Titanicus was weak...it needed anotehr hundred pages. I mean they skipped the final battle!
And the last one is from Only in Death or whatever (the one on Jericho)
Moooooo!
· 1 year ago
That is typical Abnett. His endings are always hurried in some fashion. Calling him the "best" is debatable. What is up with the gravy train surrounding one author? Just how many fanboys can one author have?
As to the review - why is the story fascinating? Including facets from co-workers equals three-dimensions? Describe more. I'm not knocking the review, but it needs less flowery adjectives (ok, we get it, you liked it, that's fine) and more use of constructive examination. A suggestion might be to look at a minor plot scene and perhaps explore it a bit, the characters, what they feel at that given moment and describe what the author does that turns that scene into a masterpiece.
Khorneguy
· 1 year ago
I'm with Moooooo!. Everyone says abnett is an awesome writer, yet always seem to forget some of the really bad stuff he's done (armour of contempt springs to mind)
TwoHeartsButOnly1Wound
· 1 year ago
Clearly you've never struggled your way through a "Last Chancers" novel if you don't understand why people who are into 40k love Abnett's work.
You make a valid point about the endings of his books but I've just come to expect that his writing style is about the story rather then the final event (although I'd love 100 pages more in every book).
As far as why his stories are so "fascinating," its his characters. His good characters are flawed his evil characters have qualities that make you feel pity or grudging respect for them and none of them are above being killed at any moment. I mean he'll just roll with a character for 7 books, build him up, make you love him to the point where you making a model so you can field him in your games and then "ZAP" las round to the head, its over. Even Guant probably won't live for ever. One of these days Abnett will just kill him and move on. That's what makes his stories great.
If heroes never die their heroics really aren't that impressive.
CT
· 1 year ago
Another thing that sets Abnett apart from some of the other BL writers is that his stories would be compelling even if they were not 40k related. It's almost as if he writes the story then goes back and tweaks the terminology to fit the 40k universe.
Rygoth
· 1 year ago
I actually found it to be very middle of the road. As others mentioned, it was a typical Abnett ending. I also thought some of the hooks he used were unbelievable. Using a princeps from a different legion, I don't think so. This also in the end was really transparently leading into problems in any sequels done.
I do enjoy his characterization usually, but I thought this book could have done without having so many different characters wandering around in so many different places. To me, that is one of the strengths of the Ghosts and Inquisition books is that they stay centered on one particular group instead of doing so much jumping around.
Anyway, if I was forced to rate it on the star system it would have gotten 3 of 5 from me.
TwoHeartsButOnly1Wound
· 1 year ago
Its time we were all very clear about something. Titans are just about the greatest thing ever. Sure its a horrendously flawed design for a vehicle. I mean why not just make a big box with tracks and guns all over the place? Why would you put all the time and resources into a giant clumsy human shaped vehicle that's likely to trip over some poor citizen's house and face plant in the middle of battle? Because its sooooooo awesome looking you can't help but love a titan. As long as titans continue to look cooler than anything else on the table they'll maintain their hold on one of the most iconic positions in the 40k universe (second only to space marines if we're going to be honest here). I mean come on you can't really expect anyone to believe that you don't love titans and in turn this book about titans at war.
RSF_Angel
· 1 year ago
Question:
In Titanicus the princeps are in big tanks of fluid that plug in to the titan. Gearhart served under Ervin hekate- from the titan graphic novel= and we clearly see that hekate and his princeps are not floating in tanks of fluid, and are not required to be in order to command a titan.
was the Dictatio a different class of titan in the same legion or from a different legion?
Imperialsavant
· 1 year ago
This was a great look at a section of the Imperium that we dont get to read about often. I agree with all bigreds comments. Dan makes you care about the lesser charactors as well as the major players. A great read & one I could not put down. Well worth the price of the Hard Cover.
All Comments
Having read just about everything Black Library has ever put out (40k wise anyway) I like to think I qualify to make broad overgeneralized statements such as, "Best book ever." Seriously though don't wait for this in soft cover its worth getting right now.
Additionally consider that as Orestes (the planet the book takes place on) and the story in general is tied to the Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Guant's Ghosts series) which is tied to Double Eagle and Ravnor which is in turn tied to Eisenhorn making this effectively the 19th book in Abnett"s ongoing masterpiece you are, in a way, turning your back on the Emperor by not reading this book A.S.A.P.
I finished it shortly after it came out and I still remember getting chills when Gearheart declares, "know then that Legio Invicta is here. Know then that the Legio Invicta will walk upon Orestes." I mean how disgustingly awesome is it that (thanks to Abbnet) Titan legions don't deploy to a theater of war but rather choose to, "walk" upon a world.
It's really quite good.
This book does sound very good- but why is everything rated 5 stars? For egsample the Assault on Black Reach review you had- there were many faults with the set, (such as not having any beginer scenarios,) that would definately stop it recieving a 5. But anyway, this book sounds awesome and Il probably end up buying it.
-Iron Father Matt
I'm with Yahtzee; how does an arbitrary number summarize a complex opinion?
)
Titanicus - read it, if you enjoy Dan's other books you'll love this and it's depth of characters is something rarely seen in BL's other publications.
Now it you want me I'll be on my noosphere... Praise to the Omnissiah!
PhilB
And Yahtzee is hilarious!
He is by far the best GW novelist, but in a wider scale of sci-fi, the Black Library novels are still sub par.
I'm not sure if you already red that, here is an interview with Dan Abnett http://www.subrosa.40k.pl/index.php?name=News&f....
=][= Slaw
If you want extra details, email me @ beerisgreat69@hotmail.com
Dont get me wrong, this is certainly one of the best books ive read from BL (and considering i have pretty much read them all thats saying something) just seems a bit flat at the end.
Always.
Consider the following examples:
- A desperate city defense ends suddenly with a mano-o-mano with a Daemon Prince. The fight doesn't even last longer than GETTING to the Prince.
- Another desperate holding action with a collapsing army ends with a sudden sacrifice of <army>, and by the next sentence, they're already out and bombarding the planet from orbit...
- A buildup of intrigue and character ends with a single person switching sides, turning almost on the space of a dime.
- What I would call the "Ball of Magic" scene?
- And lastly... Oh wait, the old Magick Weapons all work! And <insert bad things here> is <insert -spoiler- here>
(Try guessing where each story comes from :D )
And the last one is from Only in Death or whatever (the one on Jericho)
As to the review - why is the story fascinating? Including facets from co-workers equals three-dimensions? Describe more. I'm not knocking the review, but it needs less flowery adjectives (ok, we get it, you liked it, that's fine) and more use of constructive examination. A suggestion might be to look at a minor plot scene and perhaps explore it a bit, the characters, what they feel at that given moment and describe what the author does that turns that scene into a masterpiece.
You make a valid point about the endings of his books but I've just come to expect that his writing style is about the story rather then the final event (although I'd love 100 pages more in every book).
As far as why his stories are so "fascinating," its his characters. His good characters are flawed his evil characters have qualities that make you feel pity or grudging respect for them and none of them are above being killed at any moment. I mean he'll just roll with a character for 7 books, build him up, make you love him to the point where you making a model so you can field him in your games and then "ZAP" las round to the head, its over. Even Guant probably won't live for ever. One of these days Abnett will just kill him and move on. That's what makes his stories great.
If heroes never die their heroics really aren't that impressive.
I do enjoy his characterization usually, but I thought this book could have done without having so many different characters wandering around in so many different places. To me, that is one of the strengths of the Ghosts and Inquisition books is that they stay centered on one particular group instead of doing so much jumping around.
Anyway, if I was forced to rate it on the star system it would have gotten 3 of 5 from me.
In Titanicus the princeps are in big tanks of fluid that plug in to the titan.
Gearhart served under Ervin hekate- from the titan graphic novel= and we clearly see that hekate and his princeps are not floating in tanks of fluid, and are not required to be in order to command a titan.
was the Dictatio a different class of titan in the same legion or from a different legion?
Dan makes you care about the lesser charactors as well as the major players.
A great read & one I could not put down.
Well worth the price of the Hard Cover.