Customer Reviews

Dawn of War: Tempest (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Dawn of War)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I know that Goto is a controversial writer in the BL stable, mostly because his writing tackles the traditional subject matter in a slightly different way. Instead of hack and slash heroism, he paints Space Marines as people with human emotions and weaknesses. Rather than being a problem of 'fit' with the established universe, I find this refreshing and literary. I have also heard some people complaining that his presentation of the eldar is not quite as they would have liked (and eldar fans appear to be very passionate on this front). Again, I find Goto's depiction of the eldar to be novel and substantial and courageous. No longer are they simply elves in space, but they are a distinctive species with an interesting and colourful culture. Frankly, I think Tempest is a great book, with an intricate plot, real characters; it's a thrilling and refreshing ride. If you want more than hackneyed military cliches, this is for you.

Like all of Goto's work this is intelligent and well-crafted fiction. The characters are fully realised and well-developed, and the plot line is fresh and interesting. He is (yet again) pushing the boundaries of BL fiction, this time by employing a first-person narrative. I think this is the first time that this has been done for a Space Marine.
Yet again Goto proves that he is the author of choice for the intelligent BL reader. This is not just the linear, tedius, blood and gore of some BL products, but this is a real novel. If you just want mindless violence, this might not be for you, but if you want a properly crafted novel that transforms the Blood Ravens into the most interesting of the Space Marine Chapters, this is definitely for you!
There are one or two (very vocal) conservatives that can't cope with change, but Goto is by far the most exciting writer in the BL stable and the vast majority of BL readers love his work, which is why he has so rapidly become one of their best-selling writers.

Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens Third Company, Commander of the Watch, finds himself at a loss since his friend and battle-brother, Librarian Prathios, fell. Gabriel hopes the Medicius can save Prathios. If not, Prathios deserves the honor of receiving the Rites of Enshrinement.

Gabriel arrives at Lorn V (an ice-planet) to find that the situation in the Lorn system was more serious than he had imagined. The debris shows that the Alpha Legion, Ultramarines, and even the Necron were involved in the skirmish. In sick-bay (the Apothecrion), Gabriel feels the mental touch of Taldeer, a Biel-Tan Eldar. It is through her that the Blood Ravens learn that the battle is not finished. Lorn houses a hidden portal to the ancient webway, an access point to Arcadia, the planet of law. Gabriel must take Taldeer to the ice-planet surface to find out if the Yngir has destroyed the portal.

The Adeptus Telepathica (psykers) still hunt for their lost battle-brother, Rhamah. He was lost during battle as he defended the gene-seed. Rhamah had plunged his blade, the Vairocanum, into the fabric of space and tore it asunder, opening a breach into the warp through which he fell, dragging the enemy with him. The only thing remaining from the battle was a fragment of Vairocanum.

***** This is the third installment in the Dawn of War series. As I read, I felt as though I were reading two W40K novels simultaneously; one involving Gabriel and another involving Rhamah. Ever so slowly, I began to see exactly why C.S. Goto wrote the story this way. To explain would reveal spoilers, but I mention it to let readers know that about mid-way into the book they will begin to understand why the scenes and characters keep changing. The author does not toggle between the two so often that readers will get frustrated. Nothing is stopped suddenly, leaving major cliff hangers.

I found the story to be extremely well written and engaging. It caught my attention on the first page and held it tightly until the very end. (On a side note, if you purchase the omnibus, you will get to read The Trials of Isador between books one and two. Gabriel reads the journal of a fallen battle-brother to learn some shocking information. It is about twenty-two pages in length and makes for an interesting intermission.) *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

As an Eldar fan I was highly offended by this piece of filth. Mr. Goto does no reasearch to ensure that his writing fits with the background of the world. Furthermore, one thing remains the same over every C.S. Goto novel, and that is that the Eldar will be killed in ways humiliating and offensive to fans of the Eldar race.

In C.S. Goto books you can expect any number of things, flying terminators who surf on the back of razorbacks, children who destroy Eldar grav-tanks by shoving rocks in the barrels of their weapons, and an over-abundance of the word 'Bray' (Yes, heehaw, the donkey sound... braying).

On a far more serious note, Goto's work is exceptionally misogynistic, and you can expect in every book to see at least one female character (usually Eldar) be tortured to death, or meet a slow, gruesome and humiliating end, all the while being portrayed as weak and incompetant. Infact in this particular gem, he goes to the trouble of torturing the farseer Taldeer from the game Dawn of War to death over the course of a chapter or two.

If you are looking to find a good Black Library author stay CLEAR of Goto. Try Abnett, McNiel, Thrope or one of the many other authors who writes from an unbiased point of view, and is not as prone to gratuitous butchery of female characters.

this guy goto is the worst writer that blacklibrary has working for them. his plots are tangles and not in a good way. his endings never reslove themselves in a convincing manner. the action is always lame and unsatisfing. the characters are never fully relaized and usually get bumped off before u can get to now them. i have read all of his books so far but enough is enough i gave him a fair read and have yet to even remotly enjoy a single one. the guy will get NO more money from me buy at your own risk.