Customer Reviews

Dead Sky, Black Sun (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Pt. 3)

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

 

 

The 3rd installment of the Ultramarines/Ventris series is a good read. This book gets off to a quick start and the action stays high throughout. Be aware that its important to have read the first two books of the Ventris series and Storm of Iron or you will be lost as there is little time wasted in character development. I was disappointed in the very end of the book as it was predictable and an obviously cheesy attempt to make sure there would be a 4th installment.

Graham McNeil creates another great Ultramarines epic in fantastic Warhammer 40K style! The story moves along great, but does not become fragmented. Lots and lots of fight scenes, but also some great siege warfare too. Even with the huge amount of fight scenes there is still a good story woven in. Even the bad guys were fun characters. Not, in my opinion, just another bland sequel. I found it fun and exciting. Couldn't put it down.

This is a great WH40k book. It's a little different from the others in the series, but still a great read. That's it. If you have read and enjoyed Mr. McNeill's other 40k stories, you will not be disappointed. To the reviewers who complain about the dark story and ultra-violence depicted in it, I must ask, what did you think you were reading? This story is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A universe that is supposed to be in a perpetual state of war. Also, from the beginning of the book, the 2 main characters are banished to a Chaos world. Which would be like being banished to hell itself. Of course it's going to be gory and violent. And McNeill does a great job describing it. As for there being no character development in the first half of the book? Duh. This story is a continuation of the Ultramarines books and an almost direct sequel to Storm Of Iron. The character development is in those earlier stories. The things that happen in those books directly leads into this one. Strom of Iron was the first 40k novel I read. I used to play the table top game when I was younger and am still a great fan of the universe. If you are a fan then you'll enjoy it, too.

The third installment of Captain Ventris of the Ultramarines is a real Cracker!...that's Aussie for BLOODY GREAT MATE!!!(emphasis on bloody...) It weaves the prior novels , 'Storm of Iron' and 'Warriors of Ultramar', very well answering a few questions and dangling a couple of new ones begging for a fourth installment.

I found it very entertaining and highly descriptive. A man who could make up scenes in the book is either highly talented ... or very disturbed. I would give it the thumbs up and recommend you mob to purchase it.

Ok all, here is what you need to know.

First: This is the third book in the Ultramarines series, but at the same time it is the second book in the Iron Warrior series. So, you have to read the books in the following order 1)Deathbringer, 2)Warriors of Ultramar, 3) Storm of Iron, 4)Dead Sky. If you don't read Storm of Iron 3rd, then you will not understand the people and events that this book refers too, and you will feel that the development of the Chaos forces, as characters, are lacking.

Second: There are indeed some errors in this book that should have been corrected in the editing process. But, if you read the other three books, then you will want to finish the fourth book, so just live with the errors. They are not too many, and the story is pretty fast paced, so I suggest you just ignor them and enjoy the book.

It's not the best of the series, but if you enjoyed the first three books, you will enjoy this one also.

I have to tell you, I read a lot of BL fiction, and this is by FAR the most disturbing of the lot. I cannot quite work out whether this is a good thing or not. In many ways, it is utterly disgusting, but I suspect that quite a lot of McNeil's readers will expect and love it for exactly this reason.

The writing is not bad, although I think it's the weakest of the (otherwise great) Ultramarines novels.

I enjoyed the 1st 2 in his trilogy but this third novel

was a slow starter and was boring during the first half.

There really was no character development and was

almost entirely action-oriented.

I actually got bored and stopped reading less than halfway

through the novel and didn't get back to it until a month

later when i forced myself to finish it. The novel was much

faster paced in the later half and i managed to finish the

rest in one reading.

If you liked McNeil's "Storm of Iron" then you will probably

enjoy this novel as the styles seemed very similar.

As someone else has mentioned, "I have read better", especially

from McNeil.

As a reader of Graham, I have to say I enjoy how he builds from his previous novels. It makes the experience compounded and well developed. He is my favorite author of the black library so far and I think that although one would have to read his previous works to get my complete experience of this novel...it would just make your experience in the warhammer universe that much better! If I started all over, all I would buy is his books.

Graham McNeill is fast becoming one of my favorite authors in the Black Library. If you have read his first two Ultramarines books ("Warriors of Ultramar" and "Nightbringer") then this book is a must have. If you are a Warhammer 40k Black Library fan, check this one out! It will make you want to read the first two if you already haven't sampled Graham McNeill's novels.

The writing style kept me gripped. I enjoy seeing how Mr. McNeill can keep the reader interested with the large scale fights, all the while telling a more subtle story of the two main characters, Captain Uriel Ventris and Sergeant Pasanius. He keeps the action flowing well and the dramatic moments are tight and tense.

My favorite aspect of this book is that I was kept guessing as to the fate of my favorite Ultramarine all the way through the book. Up and down, back and forth. One minute I was sure that this was the end of the saga, the next I was SURE it was going to continue. I won't ruin the book for anyone, so order a copy today. That's my .02 cents.

"Courage and Honor!"

I have to agree with Alexander Strahan about the continuity errors. They were rather jarring, and could have been fixed in a matter of a few extra pages. Apart from that, however, I think I have just found my favorite author since I first read Patrick Suskind or Thomas Harris.

Graham McNeill's language is exquisitely, almost comically eloquent in it's descriptions of violence, gore, and cruelty. From Dead Sky, Black Sun, I've learned new (to me) and interesting ways to describe people being skinned (nay, flensed), and people being explosively ripped apart...knowledge that I'm sure will come in handy some day.

Thank you, Graham McNeill. You've made me a better person.