When the world of Armageddon is attacked by orks, the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter are amongst those sent to liberate it. Chaplain Grimaldus and a band of Black Templars are charged with the defence of Hive Helsreach from the xenos invaders in one of the many battlezones. But as the orks numbers grow and the Space Marines dwindle, Grimaldus faces a desperate last stand in an Imperial temple. Determined to sell their lives dearly, will the Black Templars hold on long enough to be reinforced, or will their sacrifice ultimately be in vain.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Aaron Dembski-Bowden is a British author with his beginnings in the videogame and RPG industries. He was the Senior Writer on the million-selling MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. He's been a deeply entrenched fan of Warhammer 40,000 ever since he first ruined his copy of Space Crusade by painting the models with all the skill expected of an overexcited nine-year-old. He lives and works in York, UK. His hobbies generally revolve around reading anything within reach, and helping people spell his surname.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Meh,
This review is from: Helsreach (Space Marine Battles) (Paperback)
My first 40k novel ever was Jonthan Green's Crusade for Armageddon. As such the Black Templars hold a special place in my heart as does the planet of Armageddon. When I read the premise of Helsreach I couldn't help but to buy it. Sadly it wasn't everything I hope it would be.Firstly let me say I have nothing against Aaron Dembski-Bowden, I follow his blog and I find him a refreshing personality in the ranks of the Black Library. The guy is freaking hilarious and if you're a 40k fan I recommend reading his irregular posts. Now to the review. I did not like Grimaldus as a character, nor did I identify with any of his squad members. For Black Templars they seem awfully whiny. This on its own isn't a real tragedy, I never expected there to be another Uriel Ventris or Justicar Alaric. As far as personality goes the Steel Legion storm trooper Andrej was my favorite character, he had his humorous moments but even he wasn't that compelling. One aspect of Helsreach I did appreciate was the strategic talks at the beginning of the novel. Often times in 40k literature the logistics of a major battle or campaign are neglected. Dembski-Bowden touches on this and depicts it quite well. My overall complaint is how bland and faceless Dembski-Bowden characterizes the orks. I don't know if he delved into much research of the greenskins in his planning but I wouldn't be surprised if he neglected to. Too often he describes their vehicles as junk-tanks and their weapons as junk-guns and their gargants as junk-titans. The author fails to describe the orks anywhere near as well as Green did. Even though the greenskins are an endless tide of brute force a little more personality would have lended plenty to this novel. My last complaint is the action. In his blog Dembski-Bowden has mentioned that his least favorite aspect of 40k novels is that they seem to be aimed at testosterone crazy adolescent adrenaline junkies. I fully agree with him. A lot of the novels lack plot and substitute page after page of gore and viscera. Helsreach has action but it is nothing too compelling and there are several scences that just cut out at a crucial moment. This I could over look if the plot were brilliant but, it too, is pretty cut and dry. I'm going to keep my eye on ADB, I think he has a lot of potential. I have his novel Cadian Blood which I intend to read sometime and I would like to pick up his Night Lords novel. I say give him a chance but i wouldn't recommend this book to be that chance.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Even provides maps in the middle of the book.,
This review is from: Helsreach (Warhammer 40000) (Paperback)
Chaplain Grimaldus of the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter is given the honor of becoming Reclusiarch shortly before his newest duty. He and his brothers are charged with the defense of Hive Helsreach from orcs. Helsreach will be assaulted by the largest greenskin-breed xenos invasion ever endured by the Imperium of Man. The Helsreach Crusade is but one of the battlezones, yet the Reclusiarch has sworn an oath that he would stand and fight until the end.As enemy forces grow and the numbers of Space Marines begin to reduce, Grimaldus will ignore the outraged reactions of the Cult Mechanicus members by forcefully taking possession of the Machine-God's most holy weapon, Oberon. Despite the overwhelming odds, Grimaldus and his men will face a desperate last stand unlike any other. **** FOUR STARS! The author has created yet another exhilarating tale of battle for his battle-hungry readers to absorb. I am no exception. The only real problem I have with this story is the shifting of view points. The story is mainly seen from the view of Grimaldus. At multiple times the writing style switches from Third Person view to First Person view. This became tedious to me after awhile; however, I am sure it will not bother most. The changes in pace/view tilted me off balance and the slight break in my concentration lessened my enjoyment of those scenes. The battles, strategies, and even the scenes that actually reminded me that Grimaldus was once human, are well done. The Reclusiarch's character has the perfect amount of depth development. Yet in various parts the narration becomes very long-winded. Those sections have little or nothing to do with the action, but for the W40K die-hard fans they yield much information about the Astartes. All-in-all, I found this to be an enjoyable read. The middle of the book, for those interested, has a few pages (camouflage-colored) dedicated as maps so readers may easily follow the action. As I said, Exhilarating! **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy of any Warhammer 40K library,
By
This review is from: Helsreach (Space Marine Battles) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is my third WH book by this author, and my favorite so far by him. Cadian Blood (Imperial Guard) and Soul Hunter (Night Lords) were both good enjoyable reads, but this one beats them both. It is the second in the "Space Marines Battles Novel" series (the first was Rynn's World (Warhammer 40,000) featuring the Crimson Fists, which I also thouroughly enjoyed).In this book, the greenskins have come back to the planet Armageddon, and the Black Templars send a crusade under their new Reclusiarch, Grimaldus, to help defend Helsreach, one of the most important hives on this industrial world. Along with the local militia and the Steel Legion, the Astartes make the orks pay for every inch. Grimaldus fights against the orks on the outside, but inside he battles his own doubts that he can live up to his new title. Pushed to the brink, Grimaldus and his Templars fight for the city and especially for the glory of their chapter. But is it enough? A few things made this book really enjoyable. First was the sci-fi combat, which this book has in spades. Plenty of ork-crushing gory combat accounts to be found here. Second, there is a fair amount of the book devoted to a Titan Legion, which adds another dimension to the story, and provides good info for those who can't tell the difference between a Warhound Titan and a Reaver Titan (I couldn't, until I read this book). Third, the supporting human forces (in this case the Steel Legion) fight well, and earn the Templars respect. Finally, there are a few human subplots in the book; not enough to be distracting, but enough to make the book more enjoyable and give it more depth. Start to finish, enjoyable, action packed, and definately worth picking up.
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