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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Triumphant foray into the Adeptus Astartes from BL's master storyteller, July 28, 2007
This review is from: Brothers of the Snake (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Hardcover)
OK- Dan Abnett has written about the Space Marines before...in the opening salvo of the Horus Heresy series, which I absolutely love. But, this is his first real creation; "False Gods" is a formulaic tale, as the events are already written. So, the story and the Iron Snakes chapter is Abnett's, and he puts his indelible stamp on it right away.
I have to admit, the first few pages of "Brothers of the Snake" did not grab me. I found myself a little distracted and wondering where it was all going, but once Brother-Sergeant Priad emerges in combat with the Dark Eldar, the book really takes off!
There is so much to say here- but I don't want to give it away. I like the way Abnett sections the adventures, bringing the story along methodically, but well-paced. There is so much more than the normal fare of Space Marines in action followed by long periods of introspection and automaton-like devotion to the Emperor. Here, Abnett lets you see a different side...as other reviewers have noted...a more human side.
I like the characters as well. Priad is as worthy a protagonist as you will find, but it is the supporting cast: Apothecaries Memnes and Khiron, Librarian Petrok, and the rest of Damocles Squad give the book a richness and depth that other offerings by different authors lack.
It is well-paced, and has the Abnett signature action that fans like myself have learned to adore. Reading this in the heart of a combat zone should be repulsive I suppose, but instead I am drawn to the greater power of the book: the courage, the high standards Priad has for his Marines, and the leadership by example he provides. This is the essence of soldiering, and Abnett captures it beautifully.
Finally, as the story comes full circle, I love the relationship that Priad has built with Princeps the War Dog. You have to read the book to know what I'm talking about, but its a subtle, human touch that is one more aspect of this tale which sets it apart from others of the genre.
Superb- and I eagerly await the next installment of Brother-Sergeant Priad and Squad Damocles in what is hopefully not the too distant future.
Baghdad
7-28-07
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Who Doesn't Like Dan Abnett?, August 5, 2007
This review is from: Brothers of the Snake (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Hardcover)
This latest offering from Mr. Abnett is a fine read. Here he explores a Space Marine chapter of his own creation and the exploits of one squad and more specifically one sergeant through a series of vignettes that show the growth of the protagonist marine.
Admittedly, this isn't Mr. Abnett's best work and falls a little shy of Gaunt's Ghost or my personal favorite Double Eagle. Some 40K fans will argue that his Iron Snakes are not portrayed as "real" space marines because they're not emotionless automatons slaved to ritual and routine. I counter that all space marines are not created equal and that the Iron Snakes are not Ultramarines and thus have their own quirks and personality and I'm okay with that.
Despite the criticism, Brothers of the Snake is a fun adventure tale, or more to the point series of tales that I think any fan of Abnett or 40K will enjoy.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's official: there's nothing 40k that Abnett can't write., July 23, 2007
This review is from: Brothers of the Snake (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Hardcover)
I'm a big fan of Dan Abnett's writing: I absolutely love the Gaunt's Ghosts series, I hope daily that someone makes Eisenhorn into a movie, and the Ravenor trilogy (three books to date, anyway) is very good as well. Since a huge, huge reason that Abnett's books are better than your average 40k work is how character-driven they are, I was very interested to see how things would work out when Abnett tried his hand at writing Space Marines. I confess myself not a big fan of the Horus Heresy books in general, so this was the first time I'd read an Abnett Space Marines book.
Once again, Abnett delivers with this book. One of the key reasons that Space Marines can be an unappealing read sometimes is their lack of humanity; they are superhuman, and yet, emotionally, less than human. Despite this, Abnett manages to inject a good amount of personality into Sergeant Priad and his Iron Snake brothers. It wouldn't do to make these superhuman warriors "too human," but Abnett finds a way to make you recognize the marines in the squad as individuals without making them unrealistically vulnerable in personality or physicality.
No, these guys are definitely superhuman; you'll be reminded of that as Sergeant Priad's squad goes from world to world, fighting in the name of the Emperor. I suppose one of the reasons I give this four stars instead of five is because of the lack of a 300-page storyline as this book is the story of many seperate engagements, with the last, climactic one taking up about a quarter of the book. The imagery is great, the battle scenes are--as typical of Dan Abnett--vivid and vicious. The Abnett mean streak appears as several of the marines suffer awful wounds or deaths. You do have to like an author not afraid to kill good guys. I think my favorite part of the book actually takes place on Ithaka, the Iron Snakes' home world, where they fight the massive wyrms that inhabit their sea while trying to rescue one of their kin from a small island. Once again, another Abnett scene that would be awesome to see on the big screen someday.
Overall, this is a great book with a bit of a jerky storyline. It should appeal to those who just like a good sci-fi or WH40k story more than those who want every story to be utterly faithful to the tabletop game. And that is, in my opinion, how it should be.
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