# Your Favorite Fights?



## WaLkAwaY (Dec 5, 2012)

I was curious as to what your favorite fights were while reading. I think most of the books I have read have been SM vs CSM or SM vs Chaos in general. I tend to like books or get more submerged in them when the fighting is SM vs Chaos and my second would have to be SM vs Tyranid.

I read the Guant's Ghosts novels and even think I have a couple left to read but after a certain point it stopped holding me, not that I was ever that into them to begin with. I think it might have been because it was just ordinary soldiers and I really just enjoy the Space Marines.

Another could be the novels that include or are about Inquisitors when they fight Chaos. I guess I just like the SM novels better as they are elite and ... well Space Marines and the others are just soldiers.

Now maybe if there was a novel or series about some super elite group or singular assassin that even the Space Marines respected and were trepidations around then I would definitely read those. Maybe if the main character was so bada** and the reason that Space Marines respected him/her was because that person could kill a Space Maine just as easily as they could kill say a normal farmer on an agri world.

I think I have read about some Tau vs SM battles and Eldar of course. Don't think I have ever read about any Chaos SM running into Eldar, Tyranids, Necrons or Orks which would be pretty awesome.

Anyway thoughts?


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Curious you should eliminate Gaunt and his Ghosts, considering the Iron Snakes in particular hold Gaunt in high regard, and others think very highly of Mkoll, the same Mkoll who has 


Killed a Chaos Dreadnought and outstealthed and killed a Mandrake. He's also killed a Chaos Marine along with some of the other Ghosts on Gereon.


Don't underestimate the Ghosts, they're pretty hardcore elite. Eisenhorn and Ravenor Jane both accomplished feats that would make Astartes take a healthy amount of caution. Whilst I've only just started reading the Cain series, but from I've read so far and from little glimpses he hints at in his accounts, he's taken on some pretty hardcore opponents. 

Whilst I love Astartes as much as most people. It's almost always the humans who are the most interesting, especially when the accomplish these amazing feats, perhaps because Astartes are expected to do such feats, so whilst still cool to read, it's not as surprising.

I couldn't pick a favourite fight, especially without spoiling a lot. Many of the fights in Eisenhorn, Ravenor and the Ghosts are brilliant. Lokens first fight against Lucius, possibly the shortest fight ever, but so, so memorable and epic. For all the hate and poor quality of the rest if the novel, I still enjoyed Sharrowkyn vs Lucius. Grammaticus against the Lucifer Black in _Legion_, or the breif final fight between Sheed Ranko and Chayne. 

Though if I really thought about it, whilst I can't pick a favourite, one of the best written and brilliant to read would be Xarl vs the Genesis Marine Champion. That was just awesome beyond words. Although spoiler regarding the fight:


The fact that Xarl died afterwards, resulted in me putting the novel down for so long that I had to read it from the start again to remember what happened before the fight......and then stopped reading again for a little. Safe to say I was NOT happy with Xarls death. But just utterly brilliant writing from ADB and just shows how much he managed to get me attached to the characters, Xarl in particular over the three novels. 

Ps. I've still not finished it!


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

Angel of Blood said:


> Though if I really thought about it, whilst I can't pick a favourite, one of the best written and brilliant to read would be Xarl vs the Genesis Marine Champion. That was just awesome beyond words. Although spoiler regarding the fight:
> 
> 
> The fact that Xarl died afterwards, resulted in me putting the novel down for so long that I had to read it from the start again to remember what happened before the fight......and then stopped reading again for a little. Safe to say I was NOT happy with Xarls death. But just utterly brilliant writing from ADB and just shows how much he managed to get me attached to the characters, Xarl in particular over the three novels.
> ...


That was a brilliant fight.



The moment when Xarl headbutts Tolemion, about seven times, that was the most brutal part.

Ps. Finish the book!


I loved Sharrowkyn vs. Lucius, especially for the attitude that Sharrowkyn had to Lucius since despite his arrogance he is actually the best swordsman around, and Sharrowkyn still killed him. There's always somebody better than you, and Lucius finally found someone who could kill him.

Also the fights at the end of _The Siege of Castellax_,



Rhodaan vs. Oriax and Merihem was a great fight, both of the Obliterators soundly trouncing him until Rhodaan turns the tide against Oriax and Gomorie takes down Merihem.

And Andraaz vs Biglug was funny as hell, Biglug's reaction to Andraaz just stopping in the fight and then giving him the most humiliating death in the entire novel, well second to Skintaker Algol's.



LotN


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## Anakwanar (Sep 26, 2011)

Best Fights in HH - Fulgrim vs Manus; Lucius vs Loken; Lucius vs Sharrowkyn; Gal Vorbak vs Custodes (i always hate you Xaphen); Orfeo vs Kharn; Loken vs Abbadon; Little Horus vs Torggadon; Grammaticus against the Lucifer Black; Khan vs Orc Warlord at Chondax

Best fights in 40k - Eisenhorn vs unnamed Word Bearer; Teke The Smiling one vs Word Bearers; Gaunt vs Heritor Asphodel; Mkoll vs Sagittar Slaith (the table just lovely); Mkoll vs Dreadnought; Mkoll vs Mandrake; Gaunt vs Eyl (awesome hand to hand); Xarl vs the Genesis Marine Champion; SW vs Death Guard in the Blood of Asaheim (some hate it - but nobody cant denied that one on one fights in it are really good)


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Ah, the Gal Vorbak vs Custodes wasn't a stand out, but I did love Sythrans first and only words as well.


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## Znoz (Feb 9, 2013)

Morkai vs Eldar leader (in Deathwolf)
Sharrowkyn vs Lucius (tense fight between two masters)
Knight fight (in Mechanicum)
Haegr (with other wolves :3) vs Chaos Dreadnought
Bjorn vs Magnus (Battle of the Fang)
Talos vs Void Stalker


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Bjorn vs Magnus is another one I've forgotten, as is the final fight in _Prospero Burns_. Also wondering how I possibly forgot the Lion vs Curze.


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

Oh how could I forget. The Feast of Blades in _Legion of the Damned_. Kersh fighting the Fire Lord was cool, but the three-way fight with the Imperial Fist and Black Templar was damn epic.


LotN


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## WaLkAwaY (Dec 5, 2012)

How about a different take on the question.

What factions or races do you enjoy reading about that are fighting? SM vs CSM? SM vs Eldar? Personally I like Space Marine vs Chaos or Inquisitor vs Eldar or Chaos. Not too much into SM vs Orks so 

Rynn's World
 is a little rough for me to get through. Though the twists and turns are making it bearable.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

Personally I like IG vs Chaos. Not much else really interests me, I find generally they are more focussed on the human elements and are a bit more gritty than the uber awesome SM stuff.


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## Anakwanar (Sep 26, 2011)

Or and i forget Deathwatch vs Harlequins in Atlas Infernal and Ahriman vs Khornites - from Ahriman Exile


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## bobss (May 18, 2008)

Xarl's final fight was brutal. I felt bruised afterwards.

Russ Vs. Magnus is perhaps my favourite. I also liked the Mournival's final duel on Isstvan III and Corax butchering the Gal Vorbak. Oh, and I think there was an early scene of the Custodians doing their thing in _The First Heretic_ which hammered home their difference from Astartes nicely.


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## jasonpittman (May 17, 2010)

I like the Imperial Guard versus pretty much anyone. I like the thought of a normal human standing up to the horrors of the galaxy but don't get me wrong I do like a good Astartes brawl as well.


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## Tywin Lannister (Nov 17, 2011)

It's very brief, but Chayne against Alpharius in Legion is kinda cool - 

a mortal stabbing a Primarch then "That's all you get" 
. 

But for sheer epic scale and context you can't beat the Mournival showdown, with the result an illustration for the way things are going. 

Bjorn and the other Wolves wading in to Magnus in Battle of the Fang also shows a fair amount of balls!


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## piemelke (Oct 13, 2010)

the Lion versuz Curze,
I just finished Ahriman and at the end there is a very cool fight between en thousand son and a space marine with a lot of bionics, epic, made me think of schorpion in mortal combat, 'get over here', so cool


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

My favourite kind of fight is when an author gets Eldar right. They can fight so gracefully.

On this vein of thought I liked the Solitaire's performance against the Keeper of Secrets in _Path of the Outcast_ as well as Hradhiri's "death" in _The Masque of Vyle_.

Outside of Eldar that fight between Grammaticus and the Lucifer Black stands out. The idea of an unarmed human taking down a Lucifer Black so easily was brutal to read. Not to mention the clinical finishing.


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## Sequere_me_in_Tenebras (Nov 11, 2012)

Angel of Blood said:


> Curious you should eliminate Gaunt and his Ghosts, considering the Iron Snakes in particular hold Gaunt in high regard, and others think very highly of Mkoll, the same Mkoll who has


I forget which novel that was in where Gaunt and a few other's ended up being visited by some traitor marines - that was a good fight!

I'd also throw in:

Fulgrim Vs Eldar Avatar (somewhere during _Fulgrim_).

Sharrowkyn Vs Lucius (however - after building up Lucius as one of the 'best' swordsmen the Legions had to offer over what, 2 novels and several shorts - a random does that. Didn't sit to well with me afterwards. Any thoughts?).

I'm sorry to mention Gaunt's Ghosts again. "Ven" Mkvenner 

and the regiment was retaking Cirenholm on Phantine, he held off an entire platoon of Blood Pact with nothing more than his bayoneted rifle, using it like a quarterstaff. He also fought off several wire-wolves (daemons) in the same manner on Gereon. This is because Mkvenner is the last surviving Tanith to have been trained in the ancient art of Cwlwhl - the martial arts perfected by the Nalsheen wood warriors, fabled heroes of Tanith legend.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Tywin Lannister said:


> It's very brief, but Chayne against Alpharius in Legion is kinda cool -
> 
> a mortal stabbing a Primarch then "That's all you get"
> .


Actually, 

I'm pretty sure it was Sheed Ranko he stabbed at the end. Ranko is the one Chayne encounters earlier after going to find the dead Lucifer Black, and when Chayne hits him with his sword, Ranko says "By the way, that's all you get". Then in that last fight your refering to, whoever it is Chayne is fighting, looks down at the stuck sword, looks at Chayne then says "That's all you get", then splits him in half. 

Granted it's almost always hard to be certain who the hell is who in _Legion_. But I think that's Ranko at the end for the above reasoning.


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## Lord of Ruin (Jul 22, 2012)

Top 5 for me....

1. Xarl vs Genesis marine champion
2. Russ vs. Magnus
3. Sharrowkin vs Lucius
4. Sanguinius vs Blood thirster
5. Grammaticus vs Lucifer Black

ones that nearly made it....Ahriman vs Harlequins, Fulgrim vs Manus; Lucius vs Loken; Loken vs Abbadon, Little Horus vs Torggadon, Khan vs Orc Warlord at Chondax, lion vs Curze


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## Anakwanar (Sep 26, 2011)

Kharn vs Erebus - sooo lovely :biggrin:


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Ah yes, Kharn curb-stomping Erebus was pretty damn epic.


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## Chompy Bits (Jun 13, 2010)

Damn, there are actually a couple of fights I love. But of the ones I can remember off the top of my head:

Lucius VS Nykona Sharrowkyn (both fights)
Kharn schooling Erebus
Corax VS Gal Vorbak
Fulgrim VS Avatar
Grammaticus VS Lucifer Black
Lion VS Curze
Kantor VS Snagrod in _Rynn's World_
Also Cortez VS unnamed Ork Warboss in _Rynn's World_ (he ends the fight by ripping out the Ork's friggin' spinal cord, what's not to love)
Magnus VS Russ
Ahrimans VS those ragged bunch of renegade marines in _Ahriman: Exile_. It was one of the first really decent examples I've read about that show how useful having precog powers can be in melee combat. 
Lucius Worna VS that augmented guy he was hunting in the one Ravenor novel.
Toros Revoke VS The Brass Thief aka Incunabula (that bound demon, also from the _Ravenor_ series)
And though very brief... Cherubael vs the Chaos Titan
I just loved that bit:
"Cherubael?"
"Yesssss?"
"Kill it."

I actually also found the psychic duels in _Ahriman: Exile_ and the _Ravenor_ series pretty entertaining, if purely because they are so different to the normal fights we get to read about.


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Chompy Bits said:


> Lion VS Curze


Too bad we didn't get to see the entirety of round 2, only its end



> Ahrimans VS those ragged bunch of renegade marines in _Ahriman: Exile_. It was one of the first really decent examples I've read about that show how useful having precog powers can be in melee combat.


Well yeah, when you know a few seconds in advance what your opponent's going to do and he doesn't enjoy the same foreknowledge with respect to you...it becomes very easy for you to hard counter him (you'll also know in advance whether he's about to feint), overall it's just a huge advantage

The short story _Rebirth_ has TSons using precog against World Eaters in melee.


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## Chompy Bits (Jun 13, 2010)

MontytheMighty said:


> Well yeah, when you know a few seconds in advance what your opponent's going to do and he doesn't enjoy the same foreknowledge with respect to you...it becomes very easy for you to hard counter him (you'll also know in advance whether he's about to feint), overall it's just a huge advantage


Yeah, trust me, as someone who practices martial arts and spars with other people on a regular basis, I know. Even an extra fraction of a second to react can make a big difference. My point was that there are very few examples of this advantage in the fluff (at least that I've encountered). Given his showing, it makes me think that Ahriman might have given a few of the Heresy-era close combat specialists a lot more trouble than they'd probably expect, if it came down to a duel. But then Ahriman would probably just rip their astral forms out of their bodies and feed it to daemons, like he did to a certain extremely dickish Space Wolf. Who needs badass CC skills when you have MIND BULLETS!!!



MontytheMighty said:


> The short story _Rebirth_ has TSons using precog against World Eaters in melee.


I admit I totally forgot about this one but, given how bleh I found that whole story overall, it's hardly surprising.


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## jasonpittman (May 17, 2010)

> Ah yes, Kharn curb-stomping Erebus was pretty damn epic.


That was awesome


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