Customer Reviews

Flesh and Iron (Warhammer Bastion Wars)

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

 

 

I very much enjoyed Mr. Zou's viewpoint on the 40k universe. He brings in a more "realistic" environment which by itself can be boring; however his style of writing kept me glued to this thing in the two day period in which I read it. Although I might be mathematically incorrect it felt as though 90% of it was action. By action I do not mean a mere combat sequence but a very engaging "feels like your there" (as an observer) type of experience. I liked his other book to for the same reasons being that it was extremely fast paced and brings a slightly different take on the 40k universe.

In the Warhammer 40k pantheon, I find Space Marines tremendously dull. Hyper humans in lobster shells with enough firepower to raze a large city block on a whim isn't anything (or anyone) that I can relate to. But flesh and blood ground pounding grunts- that I get.

Henry Zou focus' on the Imperial Guard. This regiment are a light naval unit used for what ends up being an insertion and assault on an asset far from the reach of air or standard naval forces. The leader, Colonel Baeder, is new to the troops. He is far from welcome and though his intentions are well placed, he has yet to earn their respect.

Then the assignment comes in. Typical of the rot of the Imperial rule, Baeder and his riverine troops become pawns in a larger game where blind fealty to the Emperor and the absolute contempt of Chaos becomes blurred.

All in all, I think Mr. Zou is getting there. The ideas are solid, the moral dilemma's presented are worthy story telling and as in any mission of this nature, death is a coin spent as a drunken sailor on shore leave. The shortcomings, in my opinion, are relatively easy to address. One is a personal observation. I expected the riverine troops to be more of a stealth, insertion and sabotage (sapping) variety. Instead they seemed to be more comfortable in light maritime assault instead of stealth.

But the larger problem I had with this book was I simply didn't think the characters were fleshed out enough. And in that, it's a bit of a shame. These troops are pariah's among pariah's. They can't conform to military code, they know their lives are measured in months and each time they survive another fight is another day to drink, cavort and start fights. These troops are fertile ground for developing, for humanizing, but as I finished reading Flesh and Iron, most of the troops seemed to be vehicles for delivering lines instead of the story being developed around them.

Overall, Flesh and Iron is a worthy read. I liked the moral ambiguity and the fact that it ended up about as realistically as one can expect in the Warhammer 40k universe.

The vast majority of this book is the typical 40k Imperial Guard fiction most fans are familiar with. Guns, guts, battles and blood. For three quarters of the book there is absolutely nothing that sets this apart, or even makes it all that interesting. Personally it was just a blur of one uninteresting battle after another, with a few nice twists when the author decided to pick up the story of the opposite side. Its not until the last 100 pages or so that the book actual breaks away from the mold and takes a life of its own. It's a shame that you have to wade thru so much sameness to get to the actual meat of the story that the author is trying to tell, because once you realize what he's trying to convey things actually get intensly interesting. I won't ruin anything for those who chose to read the book but the end does make it worth it.

The author definatly should have expanded the last quarter of the book, and increased the moral ambiguity facing his characters. It would have made a far more interesting read than one unecessary battle(as the end of the book bears witness) after another. If two decades of reading 40k fiction have taught me anything its that anyone can write a good battle but a good story is what is going to pull me back to read your next book. With that said while I was about to give Zou a pass, the end gained him a break and I'm willing to read his next book simply to see what he's going to do with what he's written.

I liked it. I found it a little hard to keep track of what was happening during the battle scenes but I liked how it felt a little more realistic than the other books I've read over the imperial guard. Zou could have done more to expand the characters more, besides Baeder you don't get much out of the supporting character. Despite these drawbacks I will continue to read on. I hope he writes more on Baeder, I'd like to see how he turns out. Anyway, good or bad you're only spending $7 for a new copy.

I've read many reviews of this book, and few seem to do it justice. While it does borrow some of the main themes from other sources, it stands on it's own two feet and offers the reader a new perspective on the 40k universe. It hits on many of the main themes of the 40k universe, but with an entirely new spin. It was very refreshing to have the book end in a new way; there were no necrons hiding under the planet, no warp storms, and no crushing Imperial victory. If you're looking for something different from all the other Guard books and Space Marine bolter porn novels, then look no further. Henry Zou offers up something new, rather than beating that poor dead horse.

What I initially thought was going to be yet another cookie-cutter tale about the Imperial Guard, developed into an engaging tale of corruption, betrayal, and the choices people make as a result of both. There is an uprising among the natives of Baston. Regiments of the Imperial Guard are called in to quell it, with the local Ecclesiarch as overseer of operations. In the opening pages of the novel, we zoom in on two main characters: Colonel Fyodor Baeder of the 88th Riverine, and Mautista of the indigenous Baton people. Both are loyal to the Imperium, and both find themselves re-assessing this loyalty as a result of experiences that unfold in this novel. As a soldier of the Imperial Guard, Colonel Baeder understands that he and his men are a resource to be utilized and expended in defence of the Imperium. Mautista is a custodian/warrior/protector of his village, loyal to the Imperium and the Imperial Creed. Both find themselves on opposing sides of a guerrilla war, neither aware of the true cause - but equally dedicated to completing their respective missions. Both begin to doubt the sanctity of the Imperium at different stages of the novel, when each is faced with events that call their belief system into question. Mautista joins the insurgency as a result of his experiences and finds enlightenment. Colonel Baeder begins the novel as a respected officer among his peers, but an unknown quantity to the men he's assigned to command. Ranging from doubt to outright hostility, his men question his ability/right to lead them. As Baeder begins to reassess his own priorities concerning the style and focus of his command on a suicidal but strategically important mission into enemy held territory, he will earn the trust of the men under his command. Up to this point, Henry Zou follows the standard template of most any 40k novel. Then, the plot shifts. Corruption, betrayal, and revelation coalesce to create a well-crafted story encapsulating the creation of a 40k villain. Or is he a hero? You decide.

...i enjoyed it a lot, but I am a very big fan of most of the warhammer books. I found his writing style refreshing and well thought out most of the time, but lacking in some detail that could have been expounded upon.

I prefer WH40k books about Inquisition and Imperial Guard. Because, they are common people. No super-strong, no super-armour, but those stories abot Brave and Honour. Emperor's Mercy i read in one day. Action, detective, great heroic and interesting characters. I wait Flesh and Iron and think - that book I read in one day too. It's wonderful, that authors WH40k began prefer HUMAN. To be Hero in that Universe almost impossible, but books about Guard say: Anyone can be Hero. Only remember about Honour and Duty.

Okay so this might be a bit long winded but bear with me please. First off I have to warn you that I will be a bit biased because Mr. Zou wrote a book loaded with things near and dear to me. As a former veteran, U.S. Marines/Sgt., and having served in a boat company as a scout-swimmer and being born and bred "L'Acadiane" in Pointe Coupee Parish in the fine Southern State of Louisana you will soon see what I'm rambling on about.

I don't play the table-top game but I do read all the books. Like many, I started with Dan Abnett's Ghosts and read them all while deployed. They were awesome and still are. Most agree that Abnett's characters are original and his "fluff" is the finest. So did I until I read "Flesh and Iron"! Zou to the best of my knowledge has introduced the first 40k brown-water navy and water-borne forces in novel form. F&I follows the 31st Riverine from the bayou infested world of Ouisivia. These guardsmen have cut their teeth fighting swamp orks and and all other manner of mud bugs and critters back home. So I'll break it down here for you:

MAIN PLAYERS: the 31st RIVRON (think hardened 40k swamp-rat Cajuns) vs. Solo-Baston insurgents (think Chaos meets Philippine Moros complete with an Eskrima fighting style)

MINOR PLAYERS: other IG units (Nautical Infantry) and Chaos (no spoilers)

SETTING: Solo-Baston (think the Philippine-American War meets Vietnam)

ACTION/DRAMA: A full out heart rending gutter-fight of guerrilla warfare!!

Zou writes an awesome story that takes you onto the gunnel of a swift boat or rubberized assault lander as you follow the swamp-rats of the 88th of the 31st as they fight tooth and nail on land and water. The story flows smooth as silk and you really start to develop feelings for certain characters. Zou did a good job of character development for some and fell short on others. I really hope Zou continues with the 31st and goes deeper into their culture and future combat deployments. Their fluff is a little bland in some areas and flare'n hot in others: (Ork skull facial tattoo and my personal favorite snake skin boots)!

CONCLUSION: F&I introduces you to a new and awesome Guard unit, just as rough and rowdy as the Ghosts, but completely original. You really get sucked into the story and a feeling of being in the field and on deck with the 31st. I've found my favorite Guard unit now and just maybe a new favorite 40k author!

Lache pas la patate mon ami Zou!!!

"Flesh And Iron

"He had done it to deny the father a chance to see his children one last time. The men he lost in Lauzon and all the good soldiers killed under his command had not been given the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones...The last Baeder saw of the dying man...utterly despondent as he tried to find his children through the thickening smoke. Baeder had denied him the last chance to say goodbye. For some reason, Baeder felt a thrill of joy. It was something he had not wanted to become.They had made him this way."

House To House

"...but also to deny their father a chance to say good-bye. My brothers who died in the field got no such opportunity to say good-bye to those they loved, and I will afford none to this man... Their father, utterly despondent..as the white smoke filled the air around him... I robbed him of his final earthly joy. I delighted as I watched his life ebb away..What have I become?"

First noticed by Mr. Adam G. France and then REMOVED somehow.