I have to mention that Author Chris Wraight has absolutely nailed his research and background for that era of the 40k Universe.
He takes elements from A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns in such a manner that Battle of the Fang feels like the closing part in a trilogy of books, and there is even a nod towards the Ragnar Blackmane books with the mention of a Navigator from the house of Belisarius.
It's not just these little details that make it feel almost like a Heresy era book, but also how the Wolves and the Thousand Sons speak and think. Both sides are still reeling from the Heresy and the total corruption of the Sons of Magnus quite haven't come to fruition for some, while the Sons of Russ still see their escape as a massive failure and a dark secret.
As you would expect from any Black Library book the action is fast and brutal and no more so when the Wolves are involved. From the initial disruption of the early landings to the final fights in the Fang it self, the blood shed is unrelenting. We get to see the best and the worse of our favourite Chapter. Like I eluded to earlier with the Heresy era books we get a good idea of what it is to be a Space Wolf, and how they choose to face and fight their dark side, unlike the Thousand Sons who have now twice (at this point in the time line) chosen to avoid theirs, and this point brings us to a very unexpected cameo appearance of the Wolf Brothers Chapter - but I will mention no more about them!
Now if there was a weakness in Battle of the Fang it would be that there are so many interesting characters, but quite a few don't get fully fleshed out as others regardless of what their fate might of been, but in a book like this it's understandable. We see various parts of the battle from the point of view of a Lord, a few Wolf Guard, two Blood Claws, a Wolf Scout, Bjorn, a Wolf Priest, a Rune Priest, a Chapter Serf - and that just the from Wolves side!
The sections following the Chapter serf really do pick up towards the middle part of the book as she descends into parts of the Fang mortals are not normally aloud in we get to learn so much about Space Wolves act out of battle and in relation to non Astartes.
I won't go on any more or I will end up retelling the whole book, but I will say that it appears that Magnus had an ulterior motive for attacking the Fang other than revenge for Prospero, and did it work?
A damn good book, that any Hardcore fan of the Vlka Fenryka should read.
9 comments:
June 16, 2011 2:39 PM
I loved this book :) but I wanted a fenrisian lexicon though out it :)
June 16, 2011 5:05 PM
I'm trying to finish Battle for the Abyss (blech!), and I have a question. Could I just skip ahead and read A Thousand Sons, Prospero Burns and Battle of the Fang without messing the series up to much? I'm impatient to get to the Space Wolf goodness.
June 16, 2011 5:10 PM
you could skip ahead but you would be missing out on the awsomeness of fulgrim, legion and the last heretic.
June 16, 2011 6:40 PM
the only one of those i havent read yet is last heretic. Will i be missing important plot elements is what i meant. I'll still go back and read the ones i've skipped. I have mechanicum and the second dark angel one sitting on my self right now.
June 16, 2011 6:45 PM
You won't be missing out on plot elements if you want to get into the wolf stories, but you MUST go back and read The First Heretic, it's probably one of the best HH books so far.
Battle of the Fang is awesome, it's the perfect blend between the HH Vlka Fenryka and the Space Wolves of M41.
June 17, 2011 6:04 AM
Loved the book - your review have summed it up nicely - I believe theres also a good un on FoundingFields.
I never got the feeling about the char development - it was enough for the purpose of the chars and I remember FF commenting on how the action jumps between the different sub-stories - I loved that to be honest, it felt like an epic blockbuster I was watching.
Got the chance to meet Chris @ Reading GW a few weeks back after finishing the book and talked to him for ages about the book and his decisions for doing certain things, etc.
June 17, 2011 10:37 AM
I'm about a quarter of the way through it and wow, its' bloody awesome!
Thunderfangs second comment sums it up nicely for me so far.
June 23, 2011 1:54 AM
I just like how A Thousand Sons, Prospero Burns and Battle of the Fang have gotten rid of that awful black/white good/bad thing the whole wolves and sons saga had before they were fleshed out. I mean before it was "Evil traitor tzeentch worshippers" vs "the emperor's justice-squad" but now it's two loyal legions turned against each other.
I also like how the attack on the fang wasn't simple bloody-minded revenge attacks, but had a motive, had a reason worthy of a legion of scholars. Before this book came out I often wondered, ironically, "What caused the change in the thousand sons", how they turned from a loyal legion to one bent on destruction, with seemingly no thought put into a rash attack that basically destroyed them. Where was the planning? Why did Magnus throw his last remaining troops at a conflict like that?
Well now it's all answered so yay haha
July 6, 2011 12:20 PM
Loved it. You see the Wolves as they should be. The background has made the Wolves more realistic, or as realistic as a background based on a fantasy game can be.
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