First novel about the Salamanders Chapter of Space Marines, superhuman warriors of the far future.
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"...it's the combination of the action, pace, tension and mystery that creates the buzz that keeps you hooked... It's a cracking read." (MY FAVOURITE BOOKS - myfavouritebooks.blogspot.com) "Perfect pacing; gripping and gory action; characters you care about" - SF Signal on Thunder from Fenris. " Salamander is an entertaining read that serves as a good primer for the Warhammer 40K universe." - SFF World
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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About the Author
Nick Kyme hails from Grimsby, on the east coast of England. He moved to Nottingham in 2003 to work on White Dwarf magazine, and later made the switch to the Black Library to work there as an editor. His writing credits include short stories, background books, and several novels set in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seeing both sides of the reviews...,
This review is from: Salamander (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Space Marine Battles) (Mass Market Paperback)
Hmmm, it's funny reading after all the reviews here, I see the trend is that those who somehow never, ever read about W40K, just happened to pick THIS novel. Go into any chain bookstore and you will see whole sections of W40K and Warhammer Fantasy novels. Then the bashing begins (I mean comparing something that's been out for over 25 years to "Halo's Space Marines", come on), yet they don't have a list of books/novels THEY wrote to compare the literary styles. Read more about the W40K universe. Pick up a W40K roleplaying Codex, the main game's rulebook or hey, look up the background info online on W40KWiki or something similar. It's very trite to see all the flak a new author gets. If Tolkien came out now, he would be considered too much of a read, boring and copying someone elses style.
As for the fans, you see hope and optimism. They know some novels are not on the same level as some of the writers who have wrote dozens of books, design parts of the roleplaying game and work for Games Workshop/Black Library. I have read many of the books, played the video games and constanly update myself on the lore. It's no different than Star Wars or comics to me. I try not to stay in the dark and then think about trying to complain. Just my view. I think the novel was decent and talked about a Space Marine Chapter than has been overlooked in W40K canon. This is why the author had to provide background info. As for the characters with no backgrounds and just showing up, well it's MILITARY Sci-Fi, not a fantasy-adventure love story. A miltary unit has many members and you are not going to get a full history on every member (this I know as 21 year infantry vet). Since this a planned trilogy, I expect to see more development and fleshing out. I wish the critics would give it a chance and read a little bit about W40k or hold their opinions and not compare Drake, Pournelle or even "Halo" to this realm lol.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Half Bad,
This review is from: Salamander (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Space Marine Battles) (Mass Market Paperback)
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I should mention that I'm pretty new to Warhammer 40K. My only experiences to date are the excellent Warhammer Dawn Of War PC real time strategy games and the fun first person shooter, Fire Warrior. I've read another Warhammer book, but it's the primitive time frame. From what I've seen, it's really a pretty cool universe they've crafted. One where humanity seems to be the dominant force in the galaxy, but they've expanded to a point where they're constantly at war defending territory.
The story follows a unit of Space Marines (genetically enhanced soldiers) called the Salamanders, which due to some genetic oddities have glowing red eyes. It starts out with a tragedy, an ambush and the death of the unit's captain. The main character is somewhat responsible for the ambush and is left with inner turmoil. The primary antagonist within the group resents him for that and also for his underprivileged roots. There's also internal strife in the unit as certain elements vie for power. It's all a little cliched, but it still works and I did really appreciate that the semi-villain within the group is a little deeper than just trying to grab power for power's sake; he has is own demons. The machinations of his assistant pushes the plot ahead in interesting ways, but I felt they rely a bit too much on happy coincidences at times. While the story dragged for stretches, I for one enjoyed the large amount of back-story to bring me up to speed on things. It went a little heavier on the history and rituals of their planet than I really cared about, but there were also some interesting little things like teleportation carrying the risk of bringing something from the Warp back with you. That's a neat idea with some great opportunities for battles and sub-plots. Not used here, but maybe in a later book. The battles are great. I especially liked the one on a deserted ship. I've read a lot of books with a lot of battles and without giving away any spoilers, it was a desperate fight with a surprising end that I didn't see coming. The author did a really good job of setting the mood, building it, and then having a payoff. The fight's ending is just the start of another set of troubles. I couldn't put the book down for that portion of the story. If this is your first exposure to Warhammer 40k, then I'd really suggest you start with something else. but if you are least vaguely familiar with it then this is a compelling read and clocking in at 445 pages the book will keep you busy for a while. There are probably better, more action oriented books out there, but you'll definitely get your money's worth and it really is an enjoyable read.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than I first thought.,
By
This review is from: Salamander (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Space Marine Battles) (Mass Market Paperback)
When I started this book I almost quit it more than a few times. The beginning was slow and I had a fair amount of trouble keeping some of them apart. Added to that was the fact I knew nothing of the Salamander Chapter and so could care less about their rituals and inter-personal relationships. But right when I was about to throw my hands to the sky I got past the beginning and hit the meat of the story. Man am I glad I kept going.
Salamander is a good read. If it stood alone instead of in the shadow of some EXCELLENT books by authors like Ben Coulter and Dan Abnett it would be a five star winner and a stand out title. Such is not the case. Even so author Nick Kyme does a great job of detailing combat and making the Astartes of the Salamander chapter both stoic and empathetic while retaining the hard edge that one would expect from lifelong warriors. The general story is of two Sergeants with polar opposite outlooks who, in trying to mend their company after the loss of a beloved captain, find themselves in opposition. And standing sinisterly in the shadows are the Dragon Warriors, traitors of the Salamander chapter who vowed complicated revenge on the Salamanders. Bah... details. In one book the Salamander manage to fight almost half of the varied races and enemies of the Imperium of Man and each battle is a great read. And although I never really felt much resonance with the two main protagonists and their diametrically opposed beliefs... its a good enough plot tool to allow readers to get to know each. The fact that a few of the names of the Salamanders are pretty close and thus somewhat hard to keep apart may just be me. Whatever the case I can fairly and gladly recommend this book to anyone looking for their next Warhammer 40k fix.
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