Customer Reviews

The Killing Ground (Warhammer 40,000 Novels)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Two Ultramarines, Pasanius Lysane and Uriel Ventris, have escaped from the Eye of Terror. They well know that no one comes back from there unchanged and they have no idea if they will even be welcomed back by their brothers. After all, they had fought alongside renegade Space Marines, made a pact with cannibal mutants, and even freed a daemon creature. It may not matter that each decision had been made with the best intentions or for the right reasons. The pair, along with some of their mutant allies (the Unfleshed), travel homeward within one of the Iron Men's vile, daemonic machines. Upon arriving, the Unfleshed hide in the mountains until such time the Ultramarines may figure out what planet (and year) they are on and explain the mutants to any locals.

The planet is named Salinas. A designated army of conquest has claimed the world as theirs. Yet after fighting in some of the most horrific war zones in the galaxy year after year and killing countless enemies, they find themselves unable to simply turn off the instincts that had kept them alive. Needless to say, the conquered locals hate their new leaders even after ten years. Everyone remembers the massacre of innocents in the city Khaturian a decade ago. It is referred to as the Killing Ground. A rebel group calling themselves the "Sons of Salinas" still fight against the new ruling government. Eradication of the rebel group is proving difficult and the possibility of a traitor is high.

When the infernal conveyance delivering the Ultramarines and the Unfleshed ripped its way through to Salinas and then tore a hole back through the gates of the Empyrean, a lot of energy came through too. The walls that separate Salinas from the warp were worn very thin and something that feeds on death and bloodshed had been attracted to the Killing Ground. The souls of those who died in Khaturian were now massing. They now had a very real, very dangerous wellspring of power to draw upon. And they hunger for vengeance.

Pasanius and Uriel must battle terrible powers and somehow keep an oath to the Unfleshed until their brothers can come for them. Only then will they be able to get home to Ultramar and redemption.

***** "The bar was crowded and the summering air of resentment that filled its smoky depths was like a current running through Hanno Merbal's body. He could sense the hatred of what he represented in every muttered syllable, every furtive glance and every hostile stare. He lifted the glass before him and knocked the harsh spirit back in one gulp." (Used with permission of the publisher, USA branch.)

By simply reading those first three sentences of this story I knew it would be awesome. An author who is able to put such a detailed description of angst within a few simple sentences KNOWS his stuff. From the beginning to the end I found myself compelled forward and into many forms of battles (mental and physical). By the time I finished the story I found myself wondering if the author, Graham McNeill, actually had talent oozing from his pores. The story is so well written that I could almost feel the heat and smell the carnage. The ending left me with the feeling of euphoria, yet a sense of loss too. I only hope there will be more Ultramarine stories in the future. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Continuing the storyline of Graham McNeil, we find ourselves once again following Pasanius and Uriel Ventris, Ultramarines banished from their Chapter and sent on a Death Oath. But their oath has been completed, and miraculously, they survived to escape. After finding themselves on an Imperial world that was conquered and colonized by a brutal and ruthless former Imperial Guard regiment, the two Space Marines must try to find a way back to Ultramar, while surviving the attentions of a bitter insurrection as well as disquieting psyker activity.

McNeil manages to bring Uriel and Pasanius out of the standard cliche one-dimensional super soldier character, and makes them evotive and recognizable as still being human, which is a failing of many novels based around the Astartes. The scenery and detail expressed in his characters, as well as the heartbreaking story of the titular Killing Ground and the fate of the Unfleshed is gruesome and caustic, just the flavor for the Warhammer universe. Also appearing are the Grey Knights, who also manage to break free of the even more restrictive cliche character of one-dimensional super soldier secret police officer. The monsters, both human and not, all manage to evoke a distaste even through the page, and its hard not to relish the fate of the villian of the piece.

McNeils storyline drags briefly from time to time, somewhat hindered by the political backstory and the insurrection portion of the tale, but has a steady stream of combat and action, as well as new scenes and iconography, including the memorable Inquisitorial Trial. While I'll always be more sold on Caiphas Cain and Ibram Gaunt, Uriel Ventris definitely sweeps aside all previous Marine characters.

It is tempting to call Killing Ground a return to form for Graham
MacNeill, and not just because it is so much better than Black Sky,
Dead Sun: it also evokes the forty-first millennium convincingly,
especially what being a superhuman space marine would be like in it,
like the first two novels in the series; and like them it is a compelling page turner. And like them and Storm of Iron, when MacNeill wants to go metaphysical, he does a terrific job of showing what living in a world so close to the weird and horrific made manifest might be
like.

It really isn't a true return to form, however, because unlike
Nightbringer, his first and best effort, Killing Ground isn't a
complete novel--and not just because it is the most obviously
serialized of his efforts, impossible to enjoy on it's own, though it
is that absolutely--but because the 'real' story of it only commences
in the last quarter of the novel, and with only the most cursory of
setup in the preceding three-quarters. The whole book feels
incomplete, and very awkwardly paced--just a continuing series of
chapter-adventures about our heroes, not a stand-alone novel.

That said, once things gain traction, the fitful setup seems worth it:
it is enjoyable to follow the journey of heroes Ultramarine Captain
Uriel Ventris and his loyal sergeant Pasanius, who remain both
convincingly superhuman throughout and yet eminently 'human' enough to
emapthize and identify with (lacking one, the other or both being
consistent flaws in Black Library novels); all the questions about the
world our heroes are introduced to get answered, most satisfyingly;
and the book's real strength, the introduction late in the proceedings
of a major Imperial institution and a compelling character to give it
a face, is handled with the skill and insight into the background of
the 40Kverse that only Abnett excels MacNeill at, when he is at his
best.

There *is* the issue of what subtext MacNeill is attempting to address
in Killing Ground: especially late in the novel, he puts words in some
characters' mouths that seem to clearly be commenting on real world
events, moreso than the instory conduct of some of MacNeill's unsavory
Guard characters in the book. It is awkwardly handled, whichever side
of those events one may fall on; reviewers who like to diminish genre
work, especially work derived from other media, as 'non-literary' will
find plenty of fodder for their viewpoint in this clumsily-handled bit of authorship. MacNeill is entitled to the strength of his convictions,
any writer is--one just wishes if he were going to do this, he'd've
done so with more artistry.

Killing Ground will not join Nightbringer as one of the two or three
introductory novels I hand to prospective hobbyists wanting to know
more about Warhammer 40,000, but for those already hooked and
especially fans of the previous Ultramarines 4th Company adventures,
it is a fine tale, and especially worthwhile in evoking the Imperium,
the Guard, the metaphysical threat of the Warp and one of it's front
line Imperial forces of resistance. I would read further adventures of
Captain Ventris--and would *very* much look forward to a stand-alone
adventure about the character Ventris engages, at this book's climax.
+++

The two Ultra Marines return after completely their Death Oath in defeating the Chaos demon. The Warhammer 40k sci-fi story of their adventure continues as they arrive at a world suffering from over a decade of rebellion by former Imperial Guard descendants and the current Imperial Guard Regiment given the honor to settle there.

The story revolves around the ethics of rebellion and methods used to occupy and "pacify" the rebels. There is also the tale of leadership, how strict narrow minded bureaucrats can rule with no regard to the how their "subjects" think and interact. The book could have described in greater detail on how the governor was despised by both the civilians and soldiers. Instead, the book tends to repeat several statements over again on how Uriel and Pasanius long to return home with Uriel also trying to find a way to help the Unfleshed.

Am not happy about the recent Horus Heresy books as the characters are dull and bland. McNeill is able to add more personality and creativity to both major and minor characters in this Ultra Marines series. The book is a quick and easy read, only a few hours. Hope that the Ultra Marine series will continue. Maybe the Iron Warriors will return with the Uriel clone in a future novel? Overall, a decent library book to borrow or wait for the paperback. A bit expensive in hardbound form.

I will say that I was slightly disappointed but not overly surprised by the direction this book leads The Ultramarines series in. Where "Dead Sky Black Sun" was less action packed than the previous two, this installment is almost completely devoid of action. There is some, and it is fairly tasty but brief. The book is not bad by any means, but don't go into it expecting typical Graham McNeill action packed fare. The story in this book is more of a semi-mystery semi-thriller with above average character development for a Space Marine based novel.

Uriel and Pasanius return, having narrowly escaped the Eye of Terror, to find themselves on an Imperial planet with a few secrets. The population is in a state of discontent, the current leadership is oppressive and cold, and some kind of sinister warpery is in effect. The Unfleshed have come back with our two protagonists, which certain has its effect on the story line. It soon becomes apparent that the planet of Salinas is not what it seems, and so the story unfolds.

To comment on the characters and the story a bit: Uriel and Pasanius seem older, wiser, and more comfortable with their emotions in this story. There are definitely times where they seem overly human, especially for a Space Marine. Take this for what it is worth -- everyone reads these books (and books in general) with different expectations. Overall I would say it is a decent book, an easy read, a quick read, but not a stellar addition to what was once a previously brimming-with-action series. For the Warhammer 40,000 consumer this is worthwhile, but if you are new to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, especially if you are craving violence and action, you may want to wait off on this.

Lastly, it is hard back. I am unaccustomed to reading Warhammer 40,000 in hard back, so that was a pleasant but odd touch.

A lot of people did not like this book, but it was great. If you like Graham McNeil's other books then you will like this one too.

This book is a Christmas gift for my grandson. So, cannot give a good/bad review. It was shipped quickly, though!

Graham McNeill does a great job in writing about the return of Urield Ventris and his friend Pasanius in "The Killing Ground". I was really stoked to pulled into the mystery surrounding the betrayal and dark twists in this installment - as it lives up to the air of mystery built into his previous works in the first omnibus. The plot may not appeal to some because they don't really enjoy this story as an independent component of the Ultramarines Series.

It's true that Ventris' exhilarating trip to the Eye of Terror was far superior to this story, but there's value in looking at this story for its own value.

Anyways it's a great read if you're really interested in the story of Ventris and Pasanius!

Graham did a fantastic job with TKG. If I only had 2 words to use for the review, they would be 'f#@*ing amazing'. The ghost story element was really executed well. The simple words 'you were there' gave me the creeps while reading it. The scene where Uriel met with the Janiceps -- that was something I hadn't seen before, and I loved the execution of it. But probably my favorite element of TKG was the inclusion of the Grey Knights. The trials of Uriel and Pasanius to prove their purity were top notch.

Fantastic,

After having read the space Marines Omnibus i was hooked on graham mcneils story about uriel ventris and his counterpart pasanius. When i heard about this book i quickly pre ordered it.

Now i recieved this book 3 days ago and i am already onto chapter 14, i have read this book at work in my break, at home, and in the evenings. It really is a page turner.

Although i would have to say you will appreaciate this book much more if you read the Space marines omnibus' before as you will get the back story to all the proceeings portrayed in this book.

You dont need a summary from me as its on the website but if your after a fast paced action novel with a touch of heroism and an epic story line, please buy this novel.

its a credit to graham and a great sequel to the omnibus.

Enjoy!