# Aaron Dembski-Bowden



## polynike (Aug 23, 2008)

Just like to pipe in and say that this man is the rising star of the Black Library Pantheon, if not its brightest star. IMHO he surpasses Abnett. I have just finished Blood Reaver and I must say it is the best BL book I have read so far. Together with Soul Hunter, these Night Lords novels are seriously starting to become classics in WH40K literature.


So Aaron if you browse these forums thanks for your writing and gives us MOREEEEEEEEE.

In Midnight clad....:victory:


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## D-A-C (Sep 21, 2010)

polynike said:


> Just like to pipe in and say that this man is the rising star of the Black Library Pantheon, if not its brightest star. IMHO he surpasses Abnett. I have just finished Blood Reaver and I must say it is the best BL book I have read so far. Together with Soul Hunter, these Night Lords novels are seriously starting to become classics in WH40K literature.
> 
> 
> So Aaron if you browse these forums thanks for your writing and gives us MOREEEEEEEEE.
> ...


*
This is an open forum, and you are allowed to share your thoughts and opinions freely, so my next comments aren't directed against you, but ...*


A-D-B is an excellent 40k writer, who has written 3 great novels (_Helsreach, Blood Reaver, Soul Hunter_) and one average one (_First Heretic_) that I've read, but to be honest I'm getting sick of the worship that's developing around the guy because he visits forums and talks to the community more than some of the other authors.

In the same way I'm sick of the constant hating of Matt Ward and Gav Thorpe. Both have made mistakes, but its all people talk about.

Same with A-D-B. He visits Heresy, and seems like a nice bloke, but all these lovey dovey messages, and talking about and congratulating him on his personal life is weird and over the top.

(The original post might not have mentioned his personal life, but others at Heresy have and its creepy in the extreme IMO.)

That's my opinion anyway. Nice guy, great writer, but sick of the A-D-B cult that is starting to develop.


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## polynike (Aug 23, 2008)

D-A-C said:


> *
> This is an open forum, and you are allowed to share your thoughts and opinions freely, so my next comments aren't directed against you, but ...*
> 
> 
> ...


I will echo your initial statement as we can all express our opinions freely and openly, always with respect however!

IMHO I had no opinion he posted here and TBH cant be bothered a rat's arse about his private life as its none of my business. However his calibre as an author I feel needs to be recognised and for the record I have enjoyed Thorpe's and Ward's books too.

Where I will disagree with you is on your assessment of FH, certainly I rate it as more than above average!!! One of the best of the recent HH novels.


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## bobss (May 18, 2008)

D-A-C said:


> *
> This is an open forum, and you are allowed to share your thoughts and opinions freely, so my next comments aren't directed against you, but ...*
> 
> 
> ...


You've got a point. A bloody good one.

I said the exact same thing a while ago, along with others I won't name. But, even though I stated enjoying ADB's books, people thought I was being unfair.

To solve this issue, which is really pissing me off, how about we create *'author threads' *which are *stickied?** A thread for each author, to dicuss their books, upcoming works*, dick size, weddings and other pointless things.


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## NiceGuyEddy (Mar 6, 2010)

D-A-C said:


> *
> This is an open forum, and you are allowed to share your thoughts and opinions freely, so my next comments aren't directed against you, but ...*
> 
> 
> ...


I agree. Of course there's no way to "prove" any of what you're saying but it does seem that for one, admittedly very impressive, writer amongst a number of fairly decent writers (most of whom have been creating excellent WH40k novels longer than Dembski-Bowden) he get's disproportionate amount of column inches. Especially after he posts...


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

I'm in agreement with DAC aswell. Whilst ADB is no doubt a nice guy and its cool to see an author visit the forums and interact with the fans, the fanboyism is getting more than a little strange. I don't think i've ever gone on to a message board of any of my favourite authors, actors, directors, musicians etc to congratualte them on their wedding or other such things. Like DAC said, its a little creepy.

I don't hide the fact that i'm in the Abnett camp, personally i think he is the best of the BL team, until ADB can pull off something of the magnitude of Gaunts Ghosts or Eisenhorn/Ravenor then Abnett will still be firmly at the top. The Night Lords series are good don't get me wrong, but they pail in comparison to the scale of the afore mentioned Abnett novels. But he's new(ish) so given time he could and probably will produce something epic like those aswell.

Having said that, i've never made a thread to specifically praise Abnett, congratulate him on some event or feel the need to say "Great book Dan, just so everyone knows i think your the best!"


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

D-A-C said:


> Nice guy, great writer, but sick of the A-D-B cult that is starting to develop.


He is awesome, but I am still firmly part of the Abnett cult. :wink:


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## bobss (May 18, 2008)

Genuinly surprised other people feel this way, but the more the better hey. I know I've taken a more offensive, heavy-handed approach to this issue in the past, offending various members, but unlike D-A-C, I couldn't use my frustration for anything useful.

@ Angel of Blood, do you think it would be productive to have an Abnett thread, stickied, (as well as a McNeill, ADB etc one) to discuss Abnett-related stuff in? The Prospero Burns's divide between fans has been a recuring topic lately.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Perhaps, but i think even with those sort of stickied threads the hot topics would still occur all the time. Hell on the 40k fluff board theres a sticky with links to more knowledge about loads of topics than you could hope for. Yet we still get people coming on and saying "Where are the primarchs now/How did they die"


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## D-A-C (Sep 21, 2010)

Angel of Blood said:


> *"Where are the primarchs now/How did they die"*


You know ... that's a bloody good question.

I think I'll pop over to the fluff section and ask that.

Hey, while I'm at it I'll ask, "Who do you think would win a fight between ...."


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

D-A-C said:


> "Who do you think would win a fight between ...."


*Horus and the Emperor?* That would be a damn good question. 

At the same time I could ask who won the Horus Heresy.


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## Dead.Blue.Clown (Nov 27, 2009)

bobss said:


> Genuinly surprised other people feel this way, but the more the better hey.


Don't be surprised, it's one of the great cycles of the internet.

1. Someone likes something. _"ADB is a good writer."_
2. A lot of people like it, and it becomes a meme._ "ADB is the next big thing"_, etc.
3. Some people show distaste for the thing or how it's being liked, occasionally exaggerating aspects for effect and deriding those who are most vocal in praise as taking it too far, which then also becomes a meme._ "I hate the AD-B cult. People talk about him ALL THE TIME."_

It's really nothing new, just a matter of internet behaviour playing out in an infinite loop. Seen it a squillion times on a bajillion topics. I'm sure we all have. I'm even seeing the exaggerations in this thread: hardly anyone ever mentions my personal life, and I know that as a fact. I'd be willing to state that perhaps 0.003% of posts about me mention my personal life. Yet it's one of the major complaints here. It's a 50/50 deal between human reaction and human exaggeration.

As someone who's read every single word about this mysterious AD-B character online, I take a slightly different (and, in all honesty, more panoramic bigger picture) view. I get "more column inches" than most other BL authors for several reasons.

1. I blog more, Facebook more, post more, get involved in more discussions, listen to fan feedback more, and interact with the community more than any other BL author. I'm (generally) approachable, and answer behind-the-scenes questions, and do what I can to help people with lore questions across several forums.

2. It's a new age for publishing. Authors these days are generally expected by their publishers to do more of that sort of thing. I don't do it for attention, I do it because it's fun and I'm on the forums anyway for hobby stuff, but as a natural byproduct, it mixes with Point 1. It also comes free with a dose of personal life stuff, because people interact more with creative professionals in the digital age, and the boundaries blur between what's "normal" to say to a distant author-type, and one you can speak to like anyone else online.

3. My reviews and fan feedback of my work are consistently better than most of the other BL authors. Add that to the fact I was invited onto the HH Series before my first novel was even released, showing what my editors evidently hope to get from me in the future. I don't say that I _am_ better, just that it's increasingly noted that my work reviews very well and BL apparently treat me dead nicely. Over time, that's starting to show a trend, and of course, countering that trend is the usual internet attitude of disliking effusive praise and being suspicious and guarded about it. Hence the recent "AD-B cult" chatter.



tl;dr -- It's just the internet being the internet. It's sad to see it becoming a meme on both sides (I loathe the lame "kool-aid" and "cult" complaints on both sides of the fence), but it's totally natural.

It's 2011. This is how we flock. Soon we'll have people that have never read my work hating me on principle, because I'm popular (or whatever), like we've all seen across countless topics and fandoms; and on the flip side, we'll have people who champion my work for equally mental (and instinctive) reasons.

Ultimately, I know when to ignore an opinion or a review, and when to pay heed to it. How nice or nasty they are doesn't really matter, especially when they go either way into the realm of exaggeration. Obviously nice is... uh... _nicer_, but no author sits there and thinks "Yes, yes... I'm a god, I tell you" just because someone on a forum was nice enough to congratulate them on their wedding. Perspective, people.


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

While I do acknowledge ADB as my favourite author I do not call him that because he visits forums and posts on them. He is my favourite because not only are the books he writes of a consistently great quality, but and i'll admit its a little odd, everything he has written about has been something i've wanted to read. He wrote about the Night Lords, my favourite Traitor Legion and the most underrated and unappreciated of them all. He wrote about Chaplain Grimaldus and Helsreach, my favourite loyalist character and one of the battles I always liked. He wrote about the Word Bearers and their fall, something i've always been curious about and he added in some excellent lore that makes the Sons of Lorgar even better. And now his next project is a Grey Knights series, my favourite loyalist Space Marines and my 2nd tabletop army.

If his next project is a Space Marines Battles novel about the Astral Knights and the World Engine i'll be convinced he has some kind of link to my mind.

I'll admit I give him a bit more credit than I do the other authors. I don't have any interest in buying Abnett's _TRIUMFF_ or _Embedded_ but I will likely buy _Annabelle's Blood_, because I have enjoyed every one of ADB's works and I look forward to seeing what he can do outside of an established universe. But that's because of his consistently great work and my consistent enjoyment of said work.

The fact that he posts on forums, and acknowledged Heresy and some others in _Blood Reaver_, is not something I consider when I read his books or why I am a fan of his.

One thing I do wonder though. Is his success just due to skill, or does he have the patronage of Slaanesh? Art is a vice and books are art, perhaps the Prince of Pleasure is making sure ADB's books are always good.



D-A-C said:


> Hey, while I'm at it I'll ask, "Who do you think would win a fight between ...."


A physical fight? Dan Abnett and Aaron Dembski-Bowden? ADB of course, he looks like he's in better shape and he has more of a tough guy appearance than Abnett does. A mental fight though, using the power of their minds, I'd say Abnett would win.


Lord of the Night


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## bigtax (Jun 2, 2010)

What can I say?I just finished Helserch,and started TFH.Mr.ADB is my favorite author by now,and I liked him just because his books touched my heart.If there's a cult exists,count me in.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> the most underrated and unappreciated of them all.


Are you shittin me? Even before the Night Lords novels they still had far more than the White Scars, Iron Hands or Raven Guard, hell even the Imperial Fists. The still had models, a good rich background story, and their primarch had an end, probably one of the best deaths of all of them for that matter, unlike so many of the loyalist primarchs who have just vanished.

Yeah they were lacking compared to the heavy hitters like the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Thousand Sons, Death Guard. But they were by no means at all the most unappreciated. Know how hard it is to find an Iron Hands fan?


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

Angel of Blood said:


> Are you shittin me? Even before the Night Lords novels they still had far more than the White Scars, Iron Hands or Raven Guard, hell even the Imperial Fists. The still had models, a good rich background story, and their primarch had an end, probably one of the best deaths of all of them for that matter, unlike so many of the loyalist primarchs who have just vanished.
> 
> Yeah they were lacking compared to the heavy hitters like the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Thousand Sons, Death Guard. But they were by no means at all the most unappreciated. Know how hard it is to find an Iron Hands fan?


Ok first off. I said of the Traitor Legions, the White Scars, Raven Guard and Iron Hands are not Traitor Legions.

Secondly, the Night Lords had models that's true. But only because of how they looked, the others could all be converted and they got much more in the way of living heroes and dead ones. Before ADB the only past hero the Night Lords had was their Primarch, and the only living one is a deserter who wants to take over his legion. The Night Lords had very few battles in the lore and the few they did get, they lost. I can't remember reading about a Night Lords victory in any codex, apart from the Fall of Vilamus, and that was more a Red Corsairs victory. ADB made it a Night Lords victory as well.

The Night Lords were the most underappreciated of the Traitor Legions, even the Alpha Legion got a novel about them that wasn't just about one of their number.


Lord of the Night


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## piemelke (Oct 13, 2010)

I agree on not starting a QDB shrine, in my opinion he is indeed a solid writer, certainly above par in the 40 K universe but he is not yet Lorgar, I liked the night lords books, hellsreach was ok-ish but I found the first heretic lacking. One thing that I do like about his writing is that he has a refreshing look on things for example the discussion between talos and abaddon gave me a katarsis feeling and added an extra dimension to the chaos legions.
Chris wraight did sort of the same thing for me, I do not rank him lower than ADB,
for me guys as ADB and Chris do have a lot of potential but it is too early to say that they are there yet, one of the challenges they face is for example developing enough critical mass to stear the story and inspire other author's to improve the quality of their writing, for example I cannot hide the feeling that Henry Zou was inspired by the NL books when writing blood gorgouns, which I think was a serious improvement of his writing, for me the top authors are 
Dan 
graham
ADB chris nick 
gav+ King
rob sanders
henry zou andy hoare and steve parker
....
James


First heretic in the other hand I found rather lame, a portrait of a very naive primarch.


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## Roninman (Jul 23, 2010)

I remember when Bobss originally mentioned this and when i looked first page of this section it was ADB this and ADB that, in several threads. Think it was getting too much and some persons are looking for attention.

HE IS damn good BL author though and i appreciate really that he has time to sometimes answer peoples question or post to make a point on particular issue at hand.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Indeed, its the clearly sycophantic posts that really grip me.


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## raider1987 (Dec 3, 2010)

Adb is an incredible author, I have read every one of his books and loved them. Tfh is also in my opinion the best book in the heresy. He has yet to write his 'eisenhorn', his lord of the rings. Basically the series that really puts him up there. If void stalker is as good as the last two books that may just do it.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

On the Night Lords not getting enough spotlight. Werent they and the Iron Warriors the poster boys of earlier versions? They are seen more from in older Codexes and White Dwarf-magazines.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Not to get pedantic, but the Night Lords had a novel long before the Alpha Legion ever did. Aside from Legion and a short story or two in Age of Darkness they still have much, much less fluff than the Night Lords.


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## Chaosveteran (Aug 29, 2010)

Worl Eaters need more fluff! And more than just an audiobook...


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

i love how Aaron ninja'd a post in here and there was no reaction to it. :laugh:

way to go, old bean!

CP


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## World Eater XII (Dec 12, 2008)

Ah it made me chuckle. 

Was listening to this then saw this thread.


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## Hachiko (Jan 26, 2011)

Lord of the Night said:


> A physical fight? Dan Abnett and Aaron Dembski-Bowden? ADB of course, he looks like he's in better shape and he has more of a tough guy appearance than Abnett does. A mental fight though, using the power of their minds, I'd say Abnett would win.
> 
> 
> Lord of the Night


ADB may be more physically imposing and he rocks the bad boy beanie, but Abnett may be subtly deadly, like Kevin Spacey in Se7en.
Either way, give the winner to Steve Parker, and church is out.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Dead.Blue.Clown said:


> I'd be willing to state that perhaps 0.003% of posts about me mention my personal life.


Yet another congrats on getting married. Make that 0.004%... yesss...

Oh and happy birthday. You're officially _past 30_, maybe the senior citizen discounts will start kicking in :grin:


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