It's been far too long.

Well, I haven't posted since January.
That seems frankly ridiculous, but I have been so busy (training to be a teacher no less) that it just sort of slipped.

As such, I have made a mid-year resolution to post more often, and regularly, to get things off the ground again.

So, just to start things off, a brief post about what I've been up to on the hobby fronts - in this case 40k...

For some reason, I've been on a mad reading kick recently, and I decided to list my favourite three 40k novels that I have read this summer (this is an important note, as there are so many on my 'to re-read' list that it's not even funny...)

Anyways - in no particular order:

1) Prospero Burns


Perhaps my favourite 40k story, this book is set during the infamous Horus Heresy.
Written by Dan Abnett, it shows the author at his best, with subtle conversational twists and brutal action mixing to make an engaging story. Perhaps the most remarkable feat of the tale however is moving the Space Wolves mythos away from the caricatured stereotype of rowdy space vikings, to a rather darker, more sinister place. These are not the drunken thugs of old, but the Emperor's executioners, and Abnett builds a compelling and intelligent tale around their pride and martial prowess. However, this is not just a tale of the Wolves, but also their interactions with others, and the twisting loyalties that typify the Horus Heresy itself.
An excellent read.

2) Hammer of Daemons


If the previous book was a more subtle affair, this story is, in my opinion, the 40k universe distilled. Everything is over the top, everything exaggerated, and yet it is never boring.
At some points it can feel somewhat unbelieveable, even within the bounds of 40k, and yet I couldn't put it down. Ben Counter's writing style is not as subtle as Abnett's, but he does an excellent job of portraying a daemon world, and the multiple of horrors contained within. Ever set piece is a bloated feast of violence and is all the more spectacular for it. This book is not a one trick pony however, and there a good few twists and turns to keep things fresh. A great pick up and read book, very entertaining and enjoyable.

3) The First Heretic


Aaron Dembski-Bowden's book The First Heretic also falls during the Horus Heresy, but focuses on the Legion that arguably started it off - the Word Bearers. This book is, as far as I'm concerned, an excellent read. The character's are engaging and well written, and you can feel their plight as their Legion's position changes throughout the book. It is not the tale of a Legion that turns to the Dark Side, so to speak, but a rather more tragic slow descent of a son looking to please his father. Indeed, it highlights the shades of grey that the 40k universe works so well with - the Emperor is not the all mighty Good Guy, nor is Lorgar the Big Bad Guy. That is why this book works, it shows the gradual decline of one of humanity's brightest stars, and shows just how the Heresy developed - with one faltering step towards the avalanche of betrayal that it ended with. An excellent read.

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Well, that'll do for now, just a few of the books I've read this summer, and there are a wealth more that I can recommend, but I shall perhaps leave that for a later date...