Void Stalker in review (mild spoilers), 4.5 Skulls out of 5 for the eighth legion!

[Lupe]

Did I miss something or did we just skip no. 9 in the latin numerals and go straight to ten? Decimus?

Nonus, one of the captives taken from Ganges in Blood Reaver. The name stands for the Ninth...

EDIT: In fact, the question has already been asked and answered in this very thread (and probably every similar thread on every other forum)

[Poncho160]

Good work ADB!! Throughly enjoyed the whole series. Cheers for providing some entertainemnt whislt I am tour!

[Sqallum]

Really good book, really, really, good
The scene with

Uzas and Cyrion was difficult to read, as Uzas had finally regained his senses and worked out the muder mystery, but Talos minunderstands, and you can guess what happens next. Really very sad.
It is good Cyrion showed remorse though

[MajorWesJanson]

Minor thing, but after reading it, I loved the part where we get to see the Forgeworld marine as a Chapter Champion. Great little bit of cross-connection.

Looking forward to Emperor's gift, and the night Lords Heresy book. I'd also love to see ADB have a go at another loyalist chapter. Maybe the Imperial Fists, who have not had a decent book focusing on them in a while, much less a series.

[Poncho160]

The Champion witht he hammer and shield? Thats exactly what I thought when reading it, haha

[Sqallum]

The Champion witht he hammer and shield? Thats exactly what I thought when reading it, haha

Tolemion? Which IA is he in?

[Poncho160]

I was thinking of the FW open day marine who was wearing void armour, when i read the fight scene.

[Ragnarfan_12]

I may have missed it but what happened too Malcharion? Variel got off the planet did he go with or was he destryoed when imperial releif came or did he just chill in the ruins?

[Killgore]

It doesnt actually say. I guess its up to the reader to decide what happens. The same applies to Deltrian,

how does he escape without a Navigator? what would be optimal? Waiting for a Legion vessel or making a rather long journey to the nearest star system and hope to find a Navigator there?

[Lupe]

It doesnt actually say. I guess its up to the reader to decide what happens. The same applies to Deltrian,

how does he escape without a Navigator? what would be optimal? Waiting for a Legion vessel or making a rather long journey to the nearest star system and hope to find a Navigator there?

The last transmission in Epilogue Secundus -the one consisting entirely on fragments of transmissions that show the effects of Tenth Company's terror weapon - is a message in Nostraman, that translates directly to Sons of our father, stand in midnight clad. We bring the night. - I know this for a fact, because the exact same words appear in Soul Hunter, where Septimus is kind enough to translate them for Octavia (and our) benefit.

This pretty much spells it out that other Night Lords picked up on the havoc Tenth Company wreaked in the vicinity of Tsagualsa and decided to join in the fun. Obviously, Variel and Deltrian would have had no problems hitching a ride with them

[Sqallum]

Ah, thanks. I assume Malcharion lets himself sleep, as he said he would at the end when he

makes Jain Zar into a pancake

[Nineswords]

the willingness of Septimus and Octavia to come back for Talos. After all that internal monologues and their dialogue about running, I'm not sure why Septimus didn't just flick the firing activators and blow Talos and Variel apart. It's not like either of them were unaware of his sins. Perhaps there's a case to be made that Coreth and Eurydice would have done so, but Septimus and Octavia couldn't.

Stockholm Syndrome.

[Zothos]

This probably wont lend much to the conversation as a whole, but: Was anybody else impressed with Malcharions actions on Tsagualsa, and the probably vain hope that this TRULY Venerable Dreadnought may actually find some peace? Was anybody surprised with his course of action, being a Captain in a Legion of "Murderers first"?

For some reason i REALLY enjoyed his scenes on Tsagualsa. Perhaps the humanity from a Night Lord who had lost his own, is what i found compelling.

[Sami]

Finished the book in a day as I couldn't put it down. Excellent story, character development and writing. One thing did stick out like a sore thumb in terms of lore/continuity (in tags below) and writing style in general (also below), but it by no means ruined the book for me. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgot about the existance of Nonus!

Lore/etc:

In Void Stalker, Octavia kills 19 people with her eye, but we have no mention of the "ghosts" and the like being pulled from the warp. When she killed somebody with it before it was a catastrophe, but now it didn't seem to have any residual effects (on her).

Writing:

The first epilogue wasn't really needed. While it was good to know Septimus' name, the whole part about hoping never to be found is kinda undone like 5-10 pages later in the third epilogue. Discovering Septimus' real name could've been put into the main book along with their hopes of not being discovered, and and then the "big reveal" happening in an Epilogue. I've no issue with the actual plot for this, just how it was presented in the book.

I did also find it rather amusing that the Eldar's intervention made the prophecy come through

[Poncho160]

Dan Abnett used to be my favourite GW author, his Gaunts Ghosts series is still awesome, (I stil remember when he killed offf Bragg, I re-read it several times thinking I had read it wrong! haha) but Aaron Dembski-Bowdens Night Lords trilogy was simply, for me, what 40k is all about.

Here we have a book about genocidal, psychotic, evil super humans and because there is no black or white, just shades of grey in the 40K universe, I kind of ending up sympathising with their situation, just becasue every obstacle the galaxy put in their way they fought through it, even if a lot of the obstacles were of thier own creation.

And it must have taken balls to kill off 99% of the characters!

Loved this whole series!!!

And congrats on The Emperors Gift, loved that too.

[Goatboy]

I did also find it rather amusing that the Eldar's intervention made the prophecy come through

AKA the Terminator(1st movie) effect
Regarding Decimus and his origins. Yes his name is a big hint to who his parents are but as Sun Tzu and Longstrider have pointed out there are many reasons why he wouldn’t be Septimus and Octavia's child. Its more likely to me that Varil and co gave him the name as a mark of respect for Talos, as in a way this new prophet is Talos's tenth slave/servant, plus it dovetails nicely with him coming from tenth company geenstock. All that said I like that its left a mystery

[Sqallum]

Personally this is my fave Black Library series ever. Just brilliant.

[Alan]

Quick question because I dont have book with mew at the moment:

Which Ultramarines successor chapters are mentioned in attack

[Londinium]

Quick question because I dont have book with mew at the moment:

Which Ultramarines successor chapters are mentioned in attack

From the way it's mentioned pretty much all of them, as in the entire former Ultramarines Legion descended upon Tsalgualsa, it isn't totally clear though, the exact quote is 'The Primogenitor Chapters, the Thirteenth Legion in all but name, had come to end the cancer of heresy'. Of those actually mentioned I found references to the Aurora Chapter, Silver Eagles, Novamarines, Black Consuls, Genesis Chapter and Praetors of Orpheus.

[Sqallum]

Where are the Novamarines and Black Consuls?