# Disallusioned..



## Paceyjg (May 12, 2011)

Either I am getting too old to enjoy them (only 41), or the standard of books is just too low, but I am now at my lowest ebb of being a BL fan.

Just finished Echoes of the Long War, which for me, offered very little in the way of entertainment. Still only a third of the way through Overfiend and that has been the case for several months now. And my mass market paperback copy of Deathfire has finally arrived but its been so long since I read Legacies of Betrayal, that I feel completely detached from the Heresy series. Half the time I cannot remember who is who due to the time between HH books..

Anyone else in the same boat?


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Yeah I know what you mean. Nothing has come out since Talon of Horus, that has really wowed me. The Horus Heresy is getting stale, there's been good novels, poor novels and 'meh' novels recently, but haven't really thoroughly enjoyed one since Betrayer probably, it's just losing it's touch as it drags out, it really needs to advance to Terra sooner rather than later. The Beast Arises is a nice distraction, but nothing more. It's not an epic series by any means, and some of the novels or parts of them are quite mediocre or poor. I'm mostly reading it for Vangorich if I'm honest.

Really needing the follow ups to Talon of Horus, Pariah and Gaunts Ghosts at the moment. Carcharodons sounds like it has real promise as well. But yeah, since the epicness that was Talon of Horus, I've not been really engrossed in a novel.


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## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

Yeah, I know what you mean. The Horus heresy series seems to have had poor editorial oversight, the number of just vaguely relevant sidestories spinning out of control. Such as the extreme focus on the shattered legions or Calth. For not to talk of the truly massive amount of limited edition novellas, whereas only a bare number of them has had truly plot relevant stories that wasnt meaningless in the overall context.

Though highlights of the recent years for me, has been the dark eldar path series, as well the Ahriman books. Both have been downright awesome.


Ive been enjoying the Beast Arises stories, and the layers of revelations that have been comming. Seeing the glimpse of the Imperium that was in the great crusade as the rot set in. And the dramatic miscalculation guiliman made when he split up the legions. Drakan and the terran politics have been a blast to read, though i agree, its beginning to drag a bit now, feeing samey and having lost the initial wow sparkle. Drakan was a lot better protrayed in the initial sets of books, as well his schemes. Such as poisoning the eclechiarch or trying to outwit the high lords. Brilliant. But Koorland has pretty much taken center stage, and you can see how quite out of his depths he is with politics, whereas Drakan sadly has become more of a supporting character. Hopefully that will turn over soon enough, for his own explosive finale book to come.

TBA have had hit and miss books, but so far im greatly enjoying the series for exploring this period in time that nearly sunk the imperium. Who knew the orks could be so scary?


TBA has also been much better planned, a set number of books, all written in advance to be doled out over a year. The heresy could learn from this approach.


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## Old Man78 (Nov 3, 2011)

I have no words of comfort for you, Angel Exterminatus was the last nail in the heresy coffin for me.


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Definitely in the same boat. I don‘t think I have even gotten through the first chapter of _The Damnation of Pythos_ and nothing in the recent Heresy line up has really made me want to start catching up on it. Also waiting an additional nine months for the paperback and missing out on all the discussion (if there is any to be had anymore) regarding the books reduces my interest towards the series even more.
Then there is the absolutely horrid drought of 40k novels, with just novellas and re-releases everywhere. The Beast Arises series started out so well but ever since _Throneworld_ it has felt like such a slog to get through. It used to be that I read BL books faster than they would put them out, yet now whilst they are releasing barely anything I am starting to have a huge pile of unread books just sitting in a corner and I have no urge whatsoever to read any of them. 

Really hoping for a follow up to _Pariah_, the _Gaunt‘s Ghosts_ series or _The Talon of Horus_ to arrive soon...


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

I stopped expecting much when I realised both Abnett and McNeill appear to have given up on BL. ADB also seems to have slowed his output greatly. Unfortunately the new guys just aren't good enough to fill the void, except for maybe Wraight and French. That new SW series is fucking dreadful, even without the rewriting of their fluff. I've also given up hope on the HH. I'll finish reading it, I'm too invested in it not to, but I'm not expecting much. Hopefully now that it appears to be heading into the home stretch it'll improve. 

There have been some highlights though. The Beast Arises series has been enjoyable so far, even if I'm only five books in. I really enjoyed Thorpe's Asurman novel as well. Hopefully he gets around to the rest of the Pheonix Lords soon. French's Ahriman books are also good. So, like I said, lower your expectations, and every now and then you'll be pleasantly surprised.


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## Paceyjg (May 12, 2011)

Glad I'm not the only one then 

I've read every one of the books mentioned so far in this thread and agree completely about all the good ones. I think I am going to limit my purchases to finishing off TBA and (I suppose) HH paperbacks, but if any of the sequels mentioned do appear I'll snap them up as well.


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## Stephen74 (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm simply too busy to keep up. I bought book 1 and 2 of the beast, blinked and got e-mails about book 9, along with this that and every other of the gazillion books that have been released in the last half nano second. It's just too much being shoved in your face. 

Some of the heresy books have been dire. And some are still good. I liked Pharos, but cant get past the start of Path of Heaven, then the Silent War needs to be read and then, oh god, a gav thorpe book is next. uke: before the latest one about Dorn - sheesh i cant even keep up with the heresy series now. 

They are spamming people with poor quality over priced tat, and then they are repackaging it and selling it to us again. And people are buying it. 

Well, not me anymore.


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## Duke_Leto (Dec 11, 2010)

Lurk here loads but don't post very often. Gotta agree with most of what is said above. A few years back it was a "golden age" for Black Library. The HH series was interesting and focused. We had Gaunts Ghosts. Eisenhorn and Ravenor. ADBs Nightlords. The two Sandy Mitchel Dark Heresy books. Matt Farrer's Calpurnia books.

Then I think GW told BL that they were not a publisher and were just a marketing arm for selling kits and the product placement and tie in to the game became more obvious (and arguably the reading age/complexity of the stories lowered as GW seemed to believe their core demographic was young teenage boys).

However, according to some of the authors in various discussions the new GW management are returning to how things were before and allowing BL to cater for more mature readers and to plough their own furrow (The Beast Arises is one example) in terms of stories being told (in they do not have to tie into the game and new releases so much).

I think this transition/return is in its early stages but if you look at some of the line up coming (and the sudden increased focus on HH) I think things are looking promising.

I do wonder as well whether the lack of Abnett was down to the GW tighter tie in policy and he just wanted a break from all that and has now been sucked into Marvelverse for probably bigger bucks. Shame!

Not saying TBA series is perfect but the concept is cool (12 book serialised series with different authors). I think they will have learned a lot (my worry currently is it started brilliantly but faces becoming repetitive now as authors are covering similar ground).

Not read Ahriman series but hear good things and been waiting for the omnibus. 

I am way behind on the HH as I will only buy MMPB (so currently slogging through Deathfire but looking forward to books like Pharos and Preatorian of Dorn... Oh and we need a Tallarn omnibus cause I won't buy the novellas)

So personally I am optimistic!


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## Paceyjg (May 12, 2011)

Still plodding on with BL books since this last post! A few do turn out to be great reads still (MOM very good!)

I'm currently due to start Garro in the HH series, a bit behind I know!

Anyone else still hanging in there?!


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Paceyjg said:


> Anyone else still hanging in there?!


Reading Solar War right now.


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## bobss (May 18, 2008)

Paceyjg said:


> Still plodding on with BL books since this last post! A few do turn out to be great reads still (MOM very good!)
> 
> I'm currently due to start Garro in the HH series, a bit behind I know!
> 
> Anyone else still hanging in there?!


I would love to post a bit more. I have very fond memories of posting here earlier this decade, and I haven't found another place that lives up to it: /tg/ is too anti-BL and the r/40klore community prefer to digest and discuss summaries and wiki entries than read anything, largely. What's happened to Angel of Blood, COTE and good old Lord of the Night praising every book under the sun? :wink:

I'm currently rereading Helsreach, just polished off Spear of the Emperor - and will be enjoying the Fabius Bile books (that seem to be excellent based on reviews) later this month. I put the Solar War down because I wasn't happy with the death of a certain White Scar, the constantly-changing perspective (like, changing perspective is great, but not half-a-dozen times within a single chapter, c'mon), the plot-device-y way Horus teleports his fleet into Terra's orbit and, perhaps, how silly the scale of the Horus Heresy has become. We have various Legions mass-producing Astartes by the thousands to be thrown into the meatgrinder without much consequence. From 10k-sized Legions, to 100k-sized Legions to 'there are as many Space Marines as the plot demands,' - sorry, not for me. In the Master of Mankind, every Custodes death felt like a irreplaceable loss; and while Astartes aren't Custodes, the ease with which Horus and his lieutenants throw away lives and resources doesn't gel with the rest of the IP, and the whole thing reminds me how the Horus Heresy (series) has run away with itself and become its own beast entirely. I much, much prefer 40k works for their nuances and subtleties and better handling of themes and characters...


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

I am still hanging in there and always have at least one 40K book on the go. I am currently reading the hardback "War of the Fang."
I have actually enjoyed this book and lots of plots.

There are a limited number of Wolves in the Fang so they are not being wasted in large numbers!


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