Customer Reviews

Deathwatch: Warrior Coven (Warhammer 40,000 Novels)

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

 

 

Captain Octavius did such an exceptional performance on the Herodian IV mission, he had become one of the very few Marines to be given the honor of a permanent secondment to the Deathwatch. The captain assembles a new team of battle brothers for a new mission. Though Octavius has already selected a Blood Ravens librarian named Atreus for the team, he is surprised to learn that the Angels Sanguine librarian, Ashok (from the Herodian IV mission), has been called in my one of the lord inquisitors to join the team as well.

This Deathwatch team is to fulfill an ancient pact that had been made between the Ordo Xenos and the eldar aliens. The Eye of Terror is weeping torrents of Chaos into the galaxy. To the naked eye, it resembles a cloud of red mist leaking out of the nebula. The Marines must enter the eldar craftworld of Ulthwé and assist the aliens in dispatching Lelith, the Wych Queen of Strife, before she can complete a daemonic princess's transmigration. This is much easier said than done, however. The darkling wyches who blade dance and spin with breathtaking precision, the darkling raiders, and vicious warp-beasts are only a few of the many forces in which Lelith commands from her arena throne. Captain Octavius and his battle brothers know full well that Chaos minions are not the only form of treachery they must be wary of.

***** An excellent addition to the Deathwatch series. I do not know which story I believe is the best thus far. I found it very interesting to watch warriors from the enemy side team up with the Marines. As the reader, I got to see the fight from the Eldar Warriors' view point, as well as from the Marines'. I could not help but admire a few of them. I hope to see more of them in future W40K novels. Author C.S. Goto has outdone himself! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is a fantastic book. I really enjoyed the attention to detail that C.S.Goto puts into each and every one of his novels, and this one is no exception. I know almost nothing about the Eldar, and Goto managed to provide enough background information to get those of us who are interested only in the human armies of Warhammer 40,000 up to speed. And, I suspect that my fellow readers who know more about the Eldar than some of us will not feel bogged down with the details. I also enjoy the the fact that Goto does not expose his readers to only the most famous of the Chapters. Yes, Octavious is an Imperial Fist, but that is about it. When was the last time anybody encountered a Red Talon Iron Father? This is just about the only Black Library book that manages to throw a few believable curveballs into the plot...ever. You are going to love the way this book ends when the Deathwatch shows why they are the greatest warriors the Master of Mankind has (with the exception of the Grey Knights, but that is a personal decision, to each their own). This is a sequal that was worth waiting on; I thought it was every bit as good as the first one. Very highly recommended.

When I first started reading this book I thought for sure I was going to hate it. The first 50 pages drove me nuts with the story line jumping back and forth so quickly, however it eased up later on in the book. By the end I must say I actually enjoyed it. The characters were intriguing enough and I thought things came together really well in the story/plot line. I do think there should have been another 20 pages to tie up some of the loose ends. The ending left me feeling a bit like I was left hanging, however it was a fun ending and I did enjoy it. I do recommend this book to everyone.

If I had tried to read this book alone, I am not sure I would have finished it. (I got it as part of a Deathwatch Omnibus.) It starts off very slow, and in half-revealed details. About 1/4 of the way through, however, the seemingly unrelated plots start to converge. Then the twist in the plot, when the reader finds out what is really happening, took my breath away.

I really enjoyed reading about the eldar and dark eldar. I've not read much about them before this book, and it gives some good information about each society.

CS Goto is an excellent author, he has really done well with the Deathwatch series of books, mixing action and intrigue. Well worth the read even if you aren't a Warhammer 40K fan.

WH40K can sometimes get tired and a little dull after reading more than a couple of books. Many of the BL authors seem to represent similar stories in the same way, so it is very refreshing to read Goto's interpretation of the 40K universe. He writes fantastically, and is by far the most readable of the BL authors. Warrior Coven is amazing. It provides multiple viewpoints for the narrative, not just the usual Space Marines, but also eldar and dark eldar aliens too. The atmosphere is evocative and the plot intriguing. I know that some die-hard war-gamers have a problem with anything that varies from the game-stats in the rule-books and hence with anything creative in the 40K universe, but this book is a NOVEL not a rulebook. And it is a great novel at that!

CS Goto is a reasonable author. Not great, not horrible, but mediocre. As standalone novels I may even enjoy his books, but in the context of Warhammer and the Black Library his books are less than useless. Having read more than one hundred novels put out by BL I find his books useless, misleading and downright nausea-inducing. Generally it's considered necessary for an author to know... well, at least something about the universe he writes for, if only to prevent his readers from thinking him a fool. Mr. Goto obviously never discovered this step. His books cannot even begin to be considered canonical in the context of the Warhammer 40k universe and are an embarassment to the Black Library. If you enjoy BL books purchase something by Abnett (known for occasional exaggerations, but still a great author and a much better source of information than Goto) or Graham McNeil or any of the other fine stable of authors that BL enjoys. I personally guarantee you that if you read Goto's books and compare them to those of any other author in BL you will find his writings to be nonsensical and possibly offensive.

I beg of you, Mr. Goto, please don't write any more Warhammer 40k books. Think of the trees you'll save. Think, for that matter, of the children who- having read your books as an introduction to the Black Library, will be laughed at and harassed mercilessly for having believed the inane farce that is your current body of work. Think of the players who enjoy the tabletop game so much they want to read stories in the 40k universe and never read another BL novel again after having perused your work. I have no desire to offend you Mr. Goto, but you must understand that you are currently considered a sick joke by what passes as a literary community for your chosen universe.

I beg of you, Mr. Goto, have a conscience. Barring that, if you'd like to make more than a paltry royalty you must write in another universe, either of your own making or borrowed from someone else. I understand that Shatner's Tekworld could use an author of your talents.

In short, Goto is a very poor writer. After a few chapters I began to wonder if the author has access to a dictionary. You would think someone who makes a living writing action / war novels would know the difference between "report" and "recoil". His battle descriptions are terrible. As for his dialogue, well, just be glad there isn't much. It is unlikely that I will give him another shot. I hope they keep him out of the Horus Heresy series.

1 star, save your money.

This book was yet another awesome release in the Warhammer 40K series, from the guys at the Black Library!