Review for Battle of the Fang

[Simo429]

Was lucky enough to get a copy at black library live and a review of it can be found here.

Found it to be a really good book that is middle ground for Abnetts vision of the Vlka Fenryka and Kings Space Wolves.

[shadowhawk2008]

its out already? I didnt know it was going to be released so soon. And king's version of the wolves is much better than lee lightner's (correct author?). Havent read PB so i dont know about abnett's version but given the uproar in the backgrounds forum it doesnt look too endearing.

[Simo429]

No it isn't out till June but I attended Black Library live yesterday and got an advanced copy

[shadowhawk2008]

well june isnt that far off i guess.

[Surgency]

Havent read PB so i dont know about abnett's version but given the uproar in the backgrounds forum it doesnt look too endearing.

honestly, take the uproar with grain of salt. I rarely listen to the complaints on Warseer, as i prefer to find out for myself

[shadowhawk2008]

Well I will be finding out myself when my folks get here with my copy in about a week.

[Xisor]

Just finished it this afternoon. It's different to the other SMB novels. It's also, dare I say it, much more grand in scope too. Where Helsreach was very enjoyable for me, I find Battle of the Fang to be a pretty much exact equal but in a wholly different way.

Moreover, I think it works excellently as a Part Three of the Duology alongside Prospero Burns and A Thousand Sons. Each tells a very different aspect of the story, but each of the three informs the themes and ideas present in all three books.

Quite delightful and also an excellently done book. It's also massive too, 500 pages. Chunky, but I was surprised to find that it didn't drag out. Lots of characters and lots of well threaded story arcs with very little feeling totally redundant or ancillary to the book itself.

I've faith folks'll enjoy it rather a lot when it's on wide release. (Mine was a BLL! copy too.)

[shadowhawk2008]

Now I wish I had waited on buying Prospero Burns and Black Tide this month Too many good releases in April.... sigh....

[BobtheInquisitor]

I really enjoy Wraight's writing (except for Masters of Magic), but I'm a little hesitant to get this book because he said he based his portrayal of the Space Wolves off of Abnett's portrayal in Prospero Burns. So, I want to know just how hypocritical and annoying the Space Wolves (does he even call them Space Wolves?) are in this book. Also, what is the ratio of faux Norse to wet leopard growls?

Oh, who am I kidding? I'll probably pick this up the first time I see it in the store...

[Ron Burgundy]

I really enjoy Wraight's writing (except for Masters of Magic), but I'm a little hesitant to get this book because he said he based his portrayal of the Space Wolves off of Abnett's portrayal in Prospero Burns. So, I want to know just how hypocritical and annoying the Space Wolves (does he even call them Space Wolves?) are in this book. Also, what is the ratio of faux Norse to wet leopard growls?

Oh, who am I kidding? I'll probably pick this up the first time I see it in the store...

Do so, don't let someone else's writing put you off an author you already like! BotF is pretty good, certainly up there with Helsreach, but for entirely different reasons, just as Xisor said.

(Although I think Prospero Burns is brilliant)

As to your concerns, easiest first. No wet leopard growls, a certain amount of faux Norse (descriptive terms, the odd curse, the Space Wolves themselves have both PB-style Norse names and King-style descriptive names. For example, there's a Blood Claw whose true name is something like Ogrim Raefar Vrafssonson, but everyone calls him Og Redpelt. Nice).
As to hypocritical and annoying...well, YMMV, but I didn't particularly think either...though they are up to something that may raise an eyebrow.

[Lord_Crull]

How exactly are the Thousand Sons portrayed in the novel. Do we get to see any characters directly at all?

[Ron Burgundy]

How exactly are the Thousand Sons portrayed in the novel. Do we get to see any characters directly at all?

Avoiding spoilers:
Yes, you spend time with the Thousand Sons and they have more than one POV character.
They are actually more close to the ATS style than 'Chaos Marines', but I suppose that makes sense considering the story is set in M32. Imagine a style reminiscent of a simplified McNeil (it's a Space Marine Battles story after all, so there's not much room for introspection inbetween all the shooty-shooty).

The same author writes the Thousand Sons story in Age of Darkness, and he doesn't short-change them in that, or in BotF; I'm a massive 1KSons fan and I wasn't put out by this author's handling of them at all.

edit: also, OP - good review, and you totally don't need to numerically rate them when you write such a clear opinon IMHO.

[Son of Sanguinius]

Stop avoiding spoilers, gents.

Some of us would appreciate them, and they do make spoiler tags for this sort of thing.

[Lord_Crull]

Here you go then. Detailed spoilers.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Battle_of_the_Fang

Somebody put in all the details of the battle in the novel along with the composition of the forces even. It's really well detailed.

In a way the Thousand Sons did get revenge for Prospero. No more Space Wolf sucessors will be made after Magnus's little romp through the Fang.

[Son of Sanguinius]

Wow. Since when is Lexicanum on the ball?

[Lord_Crull]

Yeah, I know, I was suprised too. What do you think so far of the spoilers?

[Son of Sanguinius]

Interesting, to say the least.

I'm a little irritated that...

Somehow a Demon Primarch who is arguably the galaxy's penultimate sorcerer, 600 rubric marines, 2 million dedicated Chaos soldiers, and 54 warships including two cruiser-sized plasma cannons can't crack the Fang and lose so totally that they crumble as a Legion.

Moreover...

Magnus seems to lack the sense to draw the Wolves away from Fenris far enough so that they can't actually get back in time to save the planet, even if it was unlikely that they would learn of the assault.

There are some very encouraging things, however.

The overview leaves me with the impression that the book combines Abnett's and King's take on the Wolves, which if true is cool because it thematically shows the transition of perspective between Legion and Chapter.

The battles themselves seem cool, even if heroes win because they are heroes.

The overall idea for the storyline seems to be good. It explains why the Wolves don't have successors, it relays a battle that is important to fans of the background, and I'm guessing it will do a little to show the perspective of loyalists and traitors post-heresy.

[shadowhawk2008]

All I can say after reading that summary on Lexicanum is...... awesome. That three-way between Magnus, Ironhelm and Bjorn is very reminiscent of the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog in Return of the King.

[Son of Sanguinius]

All I can say is... hah.

[Ron Burgundy]

Wow. Since when is Lexicanum on the ball?

I wrote that article after seeing this thread, as it happens. Board discussion often acts as impetus to go fix or add something on the lex; apart from the odd person leaving a question or complaint on a talk page it's about the only feedback we get on what's wrong or what people would like to see.
On that note, we can always do with more quality contributors if you or anyone else has an interest.

edit: as to the Wolves winning over against all that force, you don't know how exactly how many defenders there were, other than 'lots'. Behind void shields, gun batteries, anti-sorcerous wards, thick wallsand defending their home(death)world.

Also, the book does a good job of exploring how...deficient...the chaotic Sons can be. I got a real feeling of the guys in the book being the 'B-Team'; all the senior dudes left after Ahriman and his cabal were exiled and casualites taken in the Heresy. How difficut it is to control Rubrics and still be an effective warrior is also implied a bit IMHO; the sorcerors need to be at the back using their powers to guide their minions, rather than striding about flinging fireballs and mind-bullets.