Know No Fear by Dan Abnett

Unaware of the wider Heresy and following the Warmaster’s increasingly cryptic orders, Roboute Guilliman returns to Ultramar to muster his Legion for war against the orks massing in the Veridian system. Without warning, their supposed allies in the Word Bearers Legion launch a devastating invasion of Calth, scattering the Ultramarines fleet and slaughtering all who stand in their way.

And so begins the 19th book of the Horus Heresy series.

The first thing you notice is that KNF is presented in the style of a chronicle of the battle of Calth rather than an out-and-out novel like its predecessors, the heading of each chapter showing the countdown to when Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, gives the order to return fire. It’s a very clever device, adding to the tension as the Word Bearers make their final preparations amidst the unsuspecting Ultramarines who are denied the reader’s knowledge. It’s a bold move, perhaps borne of the fact that the subheading on the cover is ‘The Battle of Calth’, or that ultimately the entire Horus Heresy is a retrospective study of what shaped the 41st millennium into the no-hugs-just-war hellhole that the rest of 40K is set in. Whatever the root of the idea, it works. This is a huge confrontation, one that ranks right up there with the Dropsite Massacre in terms of impact, and it deserves the epic tone that this approach gives it. It’s tricky to put exactly why and how it works into words, but it does (hence Dan being the NYT bestselling author and not me).

It’s a hybrid approach, made up of varying percentages of found footage, military report and typical third person narrative, and what that does is enable Dan to convey the sheer scope of the battle while seamlessly blending in the facets of the battle from the perspective of a range of Space Marines and troopers scattered across the battlefields. Through their eyes we are afforded a glimpse of uncounted moments of otherwise unseen heroism and bear witness to their deaths. The scope and intensity of the unadulterated violence that is unleashed is no less than awesome. There’s a very real sense of how utterly lethal and unforgiving a battle between Space Marines would be. You can tell Dan was having some real fun with this, and has really pulled the stops out in the action stakes; it’s crisp, dark and relentless, and reaffirms why he’s the crown prince of military sci-fi.

The stars of the show are the Ultramarines and how they react to the invasion as they’re steadily pushed to the brink of destruction. It’s a good insight into their psyche at that time, and an interesting take on how they assess and deal with such threats. Guilliman too gets a similar treatment, and while he doesn’t get as much attention lavished on him as, say, Corax did in Deliverance Lost, he’s nonetheless fleshed out and given more character. And he swears. I hooted with childish glee when Lorgar resorts to calling him a “giant pompous arsehole”. Thank you, Dan. They’re Primarchs. Soldiers, albeit on a scale we can’t really appreciate, but they’re not saints.

KNF clocks in at a respectable 412 pages and is a novel of epic, brutal proportions. I finished it over two days of commuting, including two jealously guarded lunch hours where I sat transfixed by blood, betrayal and heroism next to my cold and forgotten coffee. To say that I enjoyed it is an understatement, and my only complaint is that I want more.

You can watch the trailer here, read an extract of KNF here and visit Dan's blog here.

Remember that Dan will be at Games Workshop Plaza, Oxford Street on the 18th Feb (starting at 12 noon) where he'll be signing of Know No Fear!

Random Bits #2 - 2012

So today has been a crazy day with news in the publishing world. But this one especially has made me grin like a mad person.




International best-selling author Audrey Niffenegger is to pen her first ever story for a commercial trade anthology, after signing to Solaris’ forthcoming short story collection, Magic.

Solaris are proud to announce that Niffenegger, whose novel The Time Traveller's Wife has sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, is to produce a story for the themed anthology of the occult and arcane, due for release in November 2012 in North America and the UK, in both paperback and ebook.

The story marks Audrey’s first ever appearance in any commercial trade anthology and is the third themed collection from Solaris editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver. The previous critically-acclaimed anthologies include The End of the Line, which featured stories set on the Underground, and House of Fear, which rebooted the haunted house for the 21st Century. The titles garnered ecstatic reviews, with The Times describing End of the Line’s stories as “exceptionally good”.

“I'm delighted to be involved in this project,” said Audrey Niffenegger. “My story is called The Wrong Fairie and is about Charles Altamont Doyle. He was a Victorian artist who was institutionalized for alcoholism. He was also the father of Arthur Conan Doyle, and he believed in fairies.”

Niffenegger became a publishing sensation thanks to The Time Traveller’s Wife, published in 2003 and made into a Hollywood movie in 2009, and her subsequent novel was the subject of intense bidding by publishing houses.

“It's really very exciting to be working with Audrey, whose novels The Time Traveller's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry show an author with a great talent for subverting genre norms and delivering the unexpected,” said Jonathan Oliver. “Audrey's story is sure to make a great addition to Magic.”

The line-up for Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane is set to include other high profile authors, including Richard and Judy Book Club-choice Alison Littlewood, NYT Bestseller Dan Abnett, and celebrated authors such as Christopher Fowler, Storm Constantine, Robert Shearman, Paul Meloy, Sophia McDougall, Will Hill, Gemma Files, along with new writers such as Sarah Lotz, Lou Morgan and Thana Niveau and more.

Sabbat Worlds - edited by Dan Abnett

So what the hell is ‘Sabbat Worlds’ I hear you ask.

Well, gather round, make yourself comfortable and I’ll tell you. No, that’s my chair.

In it’s simplest form, the Sabbat Worlds is the name given to a small corner of the Warhammer 40K that forms the backdrop for Dan Abnett’s hugely popular Gaunt’s Ghosts series of novels. As with most things, it started small, then grew and grew, acquiring its own history, legends and heroes with each instalment – there are 14 books in the series so far (well, 15 if you count Iron Star, which was printed as a limited edition short story but is now included in this anthology), and it now stands as a fully fledged and recognised corner of the universe. Until recently it’s pretty much been Dan’s personal playground, but now he’s invited a few select friends over for literary sleepover, and the result is this anthology.

The anthology features eight stories, and pole position goes to Apostle’s Creed by Graham McNeill.

Apostle’s Creed revisits a squadron of elite Thunderbolt fighter aces called the Apostles, who made their debut in Double Eagle back in 2004 (so long already? Where’s our sequel?). Graham’ story revolves around Larice Asche, a capable and experienced ace in her own right who’s still trying to find her place amidst the emotionally distant brotherhood of the Apostles.

With her Thunderbolt damaged in a savage dogfight, Larice is escorted to the nearest airbase by an army pilot, who she discovers is an ace in his own right. Impressed, she approaches the rest of the Apostles to put him forward as a candidate to join their ranks. But her peers know there’s a cruel but unavoidable truth that Larice has to face up to, one that she will have to confront sooner than she expects.

That journey is the crux of the story, and it works because Graham really does well to bring her character to life in such a relatively short time- by understanding her, we understand more of the campaign they are fighting and the nature of what she is -and will be- going through, which gives it a good emotional resonance. Not only that, he’s also recaptured the exhilarating feel of high speed, life or death dogfighting with a distinctly 40K flavour. And there’s plenty of it too, which is ace.

Primeval: Extinction Event by Dan Abnett

When an Entelodon goes on the rampage down Oxford Street in Central London, causing untold damage and loss of life, Cutter decides to investigate a new approach to tackling the anomalies.  However, a violent encounter with a mysterious Russian scientist exposes the team to a terrifying new complication. 


When Cutter, Abby and Connor disappear without a trace, Lester and Jenny must use every trick in the book to try and track them down. 

I've not read a tie-in novel for the longest time.  I, of course know of Primeval, have watched the occasional episodes, and I like what I've seen, but we've not sat down to watch the various series from start to finish.  However, this did not preclude me from thoroughly enjoying this action packed novel by MFB favourite, Dan Abnett.

Now, Dan is one of Mark's favourite authors, but I called dibs on Extinction Event when it came in because I really wanted to read a Dan Abnett novel for myself.  And bloody hell - I loved it.  I loved the easy to read writing, the capable way Mr. Abnett had of playing a bit of catch-up with the reader to bring them up to speed with what's going on in the Primeval universe, and the overall "true-ness" to the feel of the characters whom I know briefly from TV.

There is a bit of science thrown in, to keep it meaty enough and action galore with some great fight and running-away scenes for good measure.

Part of the novel takes place in Siberia, which is where Cutter, Connor and Abby are taken by the Russian who kidnaps them.  Slowly but surely the three piece together the reason why they are there: an anomaly so large it is difficult to comprehend, has been torn open, allowing deadly late cretaceous dinosaurs to come through, including things like a couple of friendlies like the T-Rex and some Torosauruses.  But there is more to the anomaly than just creatures coming through, something else, massive and hugely threatening to the world on both sides of the anomaly and the team have to figure out - and quickly - how to prevent it from happening or something!

Tense, cinematic and very believable, Extinction Event freaked me out a little.  It is a clever, believable story and it had me rushing through my reading, wondering how it would be solved. Obviously, I won't be telling you, that's cheating, but if you've not ever read a tie-in novel before, and even if you don't know Primeval, I cannot recommend Extinction Event enough.  It is written within the world of a known cast of characters and various events, yet it could easily be a standalone and turned into a big screen adaptation.

I loved that it all felt real to me - that I managed to understand the characters better and that you have this almost personal interaction with them, something you don't get when watching a tv show.  I went searching for a decent cover picture but instead found this fantastic review instead, which I'm linking to because it is written by someone who does not know Dan Abnett at all or the TV show.  Also, it is a bloody spiffy review.  And funny.

Find Dan Abnett's blog here.  Primeval: Extinction Event has been out since January this year from Titan Books  and I apologise profusely for being rubbish and not reviewing it sooner.  The appetite has been whetted.

Embedded by Dan Abnett

 

The colony planet of Eighty-Six looks as dull as all its fellow new worlds to veteran journalist Lex Falk, but when a local squabble starts to turn violent, and the media start getting the runaround from the military high command, his interest is seriously piqued.

Forbidden from approaching the battlezone, he gets himself chipped inside the head of a combat veteran – and uncovers the story of a lifetime. When the soldier is killed, however, Falk must use all his resourcefulness to get back home again… and blow the lid off the whole damn thing.--
It was always going to be interesting to see what direction Dan went in when he slipped off the Black Library reservation, and I was very pleased to see that he was staying firmly in military sci-fi territory.

Embedded is set on a newly colonized world designated ‘Eighty Six’, and set in a future that’s not so far off as to feel remote, and a bit worn around the edges. There’s no obvious info dump waiting in the shadows, which is nice for a sci-fi. But then the concept of colonization of new planets has been out there for a while, so it’s easy enough to get on board with the basic idea about what’s going on. The finer details are gradually eased in along the way as Falk starts nosing around, the scent of a major story lifting him from the bone-deep fatigue that has become as much a part of him as his cynicism.

What gives Embedded that essential air of authenticity is that Dan understands that whatever gadgets and impressively destructive weapons the soldiers on the ground have available, at the end of the day those are just tools, and it all comes back to the men who wield them. It’s their ability to work as a team that makes the difference between success and failure, life and death. The same is true for the story- it’s the characters that make it work, not the geegaws they’re playing with. And again, this is something he keeps in mind throughout; the main characters are sympathetic, well defined individuals you want to care about, more so when the shit inevitably hits the fan. It’s what makes Falk’s unexpected stint in the veteran’s head work so well.

Having said all that, the weapons and equipment are cool. Many of the weapons are almost familiar (in the way a house cat resembles a sabretooth), likely extrapolated from existing weapons systems, but far nastier than anything you’ve seen before. But there are also some new toys, particularly beam weapons that make Star Wars’ blasters look like nerf guns. There’s no such thing as a flesh wound here- the action is furious and hard hitting. The tech isn’t overwhelming, and is as integrated into the character’s day to day lives as mobile phones are in ours; there’s nothing flashy on offer to draw the spotlight away from the characters or the story.

And it’s a great story, a dangerously more-ish mix of corporate engineering and boneshaking action. It feels fresh, it’s accessible to everyone and permeated with the vivid and immersive action that's become Dan's trademark. I devoured it in a couple of days and my only complaint was that there wasn’t more of it! Lovely stuff.

Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett

The Emperor is enraged. Primarch Magnus the Red, of the Thousand Sons Legion, has made a catastrophic mistake and endangered the safety of Terra. With no other choice, the Emperor charges Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, with the apprehension of his brother from the Thousand Sons’ home world of Prospero. This planet of sorcerers will not be easy to overcome, but Russ and his Space Wolves are not easily deterred. With wrath in his heart, Russ is determined to bring Magnus to justice and the events that decide the fate of Prospero are set in motion.

In this, the companion piece to Graham McNeill’s A Thousand Sons, Dan Abnett looks to the story of the Space Wolves and their path to the destruction of Prospero.

PB opens with an intriguing chapter told from the perspective of Fith, a tribal warrior, as a neighbouring tribe invades their land with murder in their hearts, seeking to kill the bad omen that Fith’s people are sheltering. It’s written in an unusual but very engaging style that hearkens to the old oral storytelling styles, and as such cleverly presages the story to come.

The bad omen, as it turns out, is Hawser/ Ahmad Ibn Rustah, a remembrancer whose stricken ship was interpreted as the foul omen. His fortunes change though, and he wakes in the Fang, the mountain-fortress of the Vlka Fenryka- the Space Wolves- surrounded by the grim, brooding killers that comprise Russ’s Legion. There he discovers exactly how much the path of his life has changed, and begins to learn the ways of the Wolves in his new role as skjald to the Third Company. It’s a role that affords him unprecedented access to the Wolves as an outsider, including the rare and terrifying privilege of accompanying them into battle.

It’s a story of several parts, held together by the thread of Hawser’s past, facets of which are slowly pieced together to reveal a deeply embedded secret, the truth of which will resonate all the way to the ruin of Prospero.

It’s an unexpected approach, but it’s also a clever one- with Hawser seeing things from the point of view of an outsider, Dan’s able to put across facets of life amongst the Wolves that perhaps would not have been considered significant or as telling if the main character had been a Wolf. It’s these, the smaller things, and the philosophy behind them that builds the atmosphere and lets Dan paint a bold picture of the Wolves at the time of the Heresy, without watering down their mystique or their trademark ferocity. It’s subtly done, fast and well executed, particularly given that the main character isn’t a Space Marine as you may have expected.

Most importantly, it was definitely worth the wait!

You can read an extract of Chapter 1 here...

Ultramarines : The Movie

Liz and I were invited to a special preview screening of Ultramarines today; needless to say we didn’t need to be asked twice!

So, wrapped up warm against the bitter chill in the wind, we headed into town along with our friend Amanda of Floor to Ceiling Books who had also been invited long. We got there too early as usual and stopped at Cafe Nero for a very welcome hot chocolate.

We didn’t have to queue for long, which was good given the icy wind trying to squirm under our jackets, and were soon safely ensconced inside the Odeon, gleefully pinning the Ultramarines badges we’d been given onto our lapels. Bob Thompson, the producer, stepped out on stage to introduce the movie and thank both the crew and behind the scenes figures that made the movie possible, but also to thank the fans for, well, being fans. Which I thought was pretty cool. Without further ado, the lights dimmed and the movie began.

Without giving away any spoilers, the movie centres on a squad of Ultramarines, newly promoted to the status of battle-brothers and spoiling to prove themselves and earn glory for themselves and the Chapter. They’re sent to investigate a distress beacon at an Imperial Fist shrine. After landing it soon becomes clear that they’re not alone, and before long it’s all blood and boltguns as we’re reminded in graphic detail that, in the 41^st millennium, there is only war.

Ultramarines clocks in at around 75 minutes, but it flies by. The pacing is spot on, as is the interaction between the characters; they’re not clones, and there’s a friendly rivalry between them, and a clear sense of them having their own ambitions. I know that numerous message boards and forums have lots of naysayers carrying on about the quality of the animation and rendering, but having seen the finished product, these concerns are largely unfounded. It’s gorgeous, both in respect of the detailing and the animation – the combat sequences are brutal maelstroms of ripping chainswords, roaring boltguns and broken bodies and are starkly beautiful in their own right. The Ultramarines’ wargear is brilliantly realised, and they’ve clearly given a lot of thought to the practicalities of wearing Astartes power armour and how that would affect the way you move and fight. Sure, there are a couple of shots that could have benefited from a touch up, but these are few and far apart, if you notice them at all.

Ultramarines is a movie for the fans; it does exactly what it says on the tin, and delivers in spades. It’s a great story, told in an atmosphere that’s immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever read 40K material and a treat to watch. No one in the cinema went away disappointed, not even the bikers in the seats opposite me who were baying and cheering for the Black Legion. It’s a must see movie.

Liz: As someone who has not read the books, can I just say that I completely understood where these guys were coming from. I loved the scale and the spectacle of it – when the guys were all preparing their kit in the armoury, you get to appreciate the sheer size of the ship they are on. When their (by comparison) Thunderhawk jettisons from the ship to head to the planet and the camera pans out – wow, just wow.

I loved the sense of impending disaster as the guys got to the surface. Atmospherically animated with fantastic sound-quality, I found myself straining forward, to peer through the storm they were walking through.

The fight sequences were visceral – again, I thought that the scale of the armour, the weapons and the actual Shrine itself, in which some of the fighting took place, really did depict something vast and dangerous and alien.

I am a massively huge geeky fan of Sean Pertwee and having him voice one of the characters who has a clear character arc, had me grinning from ear to ear. As a complete noob to the world, I instantly identified with these warriors, their squabbles and felt their anger and anguish but also their fear. Mr. Abnett as screen writer has done an amazing job here – it is a solid story line and along with the animators, they’ve given me something that makes me want to pick up my first 40k book to read. And you have to admit, that says a lot.

I cannot wait for our pre-ordered copy to arrive! For the Emperor and Macragge!

You can see the second trailer here.

Ultramarines : The Movie

I was at Games Day back in September when they were handing out these innocuous postcards.. I grabbed one in passing and stuffed it into my bag without paying much attention to it. About an hour later, while sitting having my 8th cup of coffee for the morning, I fished it out and looked at what it said- Ultramarines - A Warhammer 40,000 Movie.

I decorated the table with cheap coffee when it registered. A proper 40K movie has to be one of the most longed for events for any fan -the powerful imagery and rich mythos of the 40K universe has been crying out for someone to do it justice for years.

Just look at youtube for an easy example - a quick search for '40K' clocks up over 18,000 hits- a lot of them Frankensteined from old games intros, trailers and in-game cut scenes.

On Wednesday Codex Pictures announced the director and screenwriter for the movie:

"The director is Martyn Pick, whose credits include the 2009 film The Age of Stupid, on which he was animation director; London 2012, the promotional film commissioned by Film London and the London Development Agency which was premiered at the Beijing Olympics; the 2001 US Budweiser NBA commercial; and the celebrated BBC promotional trailers for the Euro 2004 soccer tournament. Martyn was chosen to direct Ultramarines for his renowned and highly distinctive ability to fuse live action and animation and the fluid, rich painterly style of his film-making.

The screenplay has been written by someone who needs no introduction to Warhammer 40,000 fans – best-selling author Dan Abnett. Dan has penned more than 25 books for Games Workshop’s Black Library, with total sales in excess of 1.2 million copies. He also works regularly for 2000 AD, Marvel Comics and DC Comics and has recently seen publication of the first of three novels for HarperCollins' new sci-fi, fantasy and horror imprint, Angry Robot."

There's an interview with Dan regarding the movie too:

You can sign up for updates here.

It's all pretty damned exciting and it's good to know that, unlike some other spin-offs, the script has been in good hands.

Now gives us some footage!

* Press Release - Dan Abnett signs with Angry Robot*

Okay, so having met The Man himself this Saturday, for the umpteenth time, and Liz having met him for the FIRST time, this is really good news:

Angry Robot is HarperCollins’ upcoming imprint devoted to all that’s new in genre fiction – SF, F and WTF?! Today, we are delighted to announce we’ve signed noted SF & Fantasy author DAN ABNETT for three original novels, for a substantial five-figure advance.

Dan Abnett made his name in the tie-in SF and Fantasy fiction field, selling more than 1.2 million copies in English language of his Warhammer 40,000 novels. They’ve also been translated into ten other languages. He’s also recently made the UK fiction charts with original Torchwood and Doctor Who novels. His comicbook scripts, for major publishers such as Marvel, DC Comics and the UK’s 2000 AD, have attracted critical plaudits and strong sales on both sides of the Atlantic.

The three novels for Angry Robot will allow Abnett to play to all his strengths as a writer. His penchant for wildly imaginative world-building and lovable characters comes to the fore in TRIUMPH, a ribald historical fantasy set in a warped version of our present day … only with Elizabeth the First on the throne. This will be published by Angry Robot, in both the UK and US, in October 2009.

Next year will see two novels in a stunning new future-war setting. EMBEDDED sends a
journalist into the frontline of a distant planetary war… chipped inside the head of a combatveteran. When the soldier is killed, the journo must use all his resourcefulness to get safely home again, reporting on a live feed all the way. No one writes future war as well as Dan Abnett, and fans of tie-in series such as “Gaunt’s Ghosts” and his “Horus Heresy” novels will be blown away by this bold new move into original science fiction.

Titanicus, Dan Abnett

"When the vital forge world of Orestes comes under attack by a legion of Chaos Titans, the planet is forced to appeal for help. Titan Legio Invicta, although fresh from combat and in desperate need of refit and repair, responds, committing its own force of war engines to the battle. As the god–machines stride to war, the world trembles, for the devastation they unleash could destroy the very world they have pledged to save."

Titans- 250ft tall metal gods of neural linked firepower duelling across kilometres of torn countryside, unloading carnage on an epic scale and smashing through cityscapes in the hunt for their adversaries with an ease that makes Godzilla look like an escaped parakeet.

The war for Orestes is seen from the perspective of various characters, whose storylines are interwoven throughout. Political intrigue, religious schisms, personal tragedy and simmering heroism all get a showing, and while all I really wanted to do was keep plunging back into the screaming action, it all comes together quite satisfyingly, delivering a healthy dose of the 41st millennium.

Dan has imbued the art of waging war with these armoured behemoths with a vivid and brutal energy, infusing the action with a palpable sense of tension that belies the seeming indestructibility of the machines.

Encore!


You can sample an extract here.