Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus) [Paperback]

Cassern S. Goto (Author)

Book Description

Series: Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus | Publication Date: May 6, 2008

Omnibus edition of the three Dawn of War novels, which tie in to the best-selling THQ computer game.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

C S Goto has published short fiction in Inferno! and elsewhere. His work for the Black Library includes the Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War novels, the Deathwatch series and the Necromunda novel Salvation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844165353
• ISBN-13: 978-1844165353
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Crash Course into the War40k Universe, May 21, 2008

By 

G. Chan "sonnuvapreacherman" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus) (Paperback)

Let me begin this review by saying that I'm not an expert on Warhammer 40k's intricate background mythos. I am however a fan of the Dawn of War computer games by Relic and someone who enjoys a good book (both literature and a pop, pulpy fiction read).

For those who haven't played the games or know much about the Blood Ravens, the Blood Ravens are Space Marines - genetically enhanced super-soldiers who are warrior monks devoted to the defense of humanity in the distant future (the year 40,000). One of the leaders of the Blood Ravens, Captain Gabriel Angelos, is the central figure around which the stories revolve. Without giving away anything about the plot, the Blood Ravens find themselves locked in confrontation with various alien races who populate the Warhammer 40k universe - Orks (imagine the orcs from LOTR... with guns), Eldar (space elves), Necrons (undead machines), and Chaos Traitor Space Marines (human beings who have become corrupted by evil).

I happened to pick up "Blood Ravens" while browsing a local bookstore, and was instantly hooked after reading just a few chapters. While the first book loosely follows the plot of the first Dawn of War game, the other two stories are completely new. The Omnibus is actually a collection of 3 different novels - Dawn of War, DoW: Ascension, and DoW: Tempest. The stories of the 3 novels are interlinked, and the same cast of characters make multiple appearances in each.

CS Goto does a good job of weaving together a cast of interesting characters caught up in galaxy-spanning plots. The details of the Warhammer 40k universe get described as relevant to the story, and Goto uses them properly to breathe life into the universe that the characters inhabit. The plot of each of the stories is nicely paced, but my only complaint about them is that Goto leaves a few unresolved threads - perhaps the series will continue more into the future?

In any case, if you're a fan of the games (or you've ever been interested in the Warhammer 40k universe but wasn't sure where to start), this book might be a good starting point.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Had potential, but don't read Abnett's books before., September 20, 2008

By 

Diane Freese Evans - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus) (Paperback)

To be honest, I may have written a five star review for this had I read this before my first Gaunt's Ghosts novel by Dan Abnett. This could have been one of my favorite books, but after finishing such a perfect example of Warhammer writing, this just felt weak and poorly described. I urge you to read this BEFORE ANY OF DAN ABNETT'S BOOKS, otherwise you'll toss it aside and pick up yet another Abnett work... like I did.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not extremely good, but still worth the price, June 13, 2008

By 

Robert Berkeley - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus) (Paperback)

I've read about a dozen of the other Warhammer 40k books from the black library and as far as they go this is not the best. The story does loosely follow the game and as far as that goes it does a pretty good job. The game story probably wasn't the greatest tale to be made into a book however and as you can see from the front cover trying to fit so many races into a book gets a little awkward at times and makes the story a little more difficult to follow. A lot of the characters aren't really likable either which poses a problem when you hit climaxes in the book and you don't really feel like cheering for the good guys.

His writing technique does improve in the second book and the interwoven plot becomes more enjoyable.

On the whole its not a terrific book but its nice and big and for the price its definitely worth picking up.