Customer Reviews

Salamander (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Space Marine Battles)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The book was very good over all. but they seemed to get bogged down in personality conflicts. It did read like a typical 40K warhammer novel, which is not a bad thing. If you are familiar with this series of books you will probably enjoy this one. It is the first book in a trilogy and I have not yet read the other two books called the Tome of Fire Trilogy. I don't go into who is who ect. That is up to you to learn as you read.

Enjoy.

The many different species found throughout the Warhammer 40,000 mythology, as well as the various organizations within the great Imperium of Man, provide an untold number of possible storylines and heroes. "Salamander" is the first in a trilogy focusing on the space marine chapter of the same name, which is an elite group of warriors focused on the ideal of purification through fire. The novel is a decent entry in the ever expanding Warhammer series, but it does suffer from some lag time that might turn off many readers.

Unfortunately "Salamander" puts its worst first forward, as the first 60 or 70 pages are actively a chore to read. The entire beginning segment of the book uses long passages that have neither dialogue nor action. Instead there are endless descriptions of locations and various characters' thoughts, but none of these descriptions lead up to anything important and they don't have much impact on the story. The entire section of the book could have easily been cut without losing much of anything from the overall tale.

It isn't until the group of salamanders, and the story's hero Dak'ir, come across an apparently empty vessel floating out in space that the story comes into its own. Nick Kyme uses quite a few tried and true sci-fi elements throughout the book, but they are only so common because they are so effective. Kyme plays up the sense of loneliness inherent to the vast emptiness of space during the segment, and effectively creates a sense of horror by making the reader wonder what might be around the next supposedly empty corridor. A later mishap that leads to a massive ship crash landing on a planet is another highlight of the novel, as the tension is kept high throughout the scene.

Many of the various antagonists of Warhammer all get a chance to test their mettle against the space marines, from space orks to the forces of Chaos, and even other marine groups. The author almost never works explanations of Warhammer terminology into the dialogue or descriptions, however, which will significantly lower the readability for anyone not familiar with the mythology. This seems like a serious oversight, considering that "Salamander" is significantly longer than many other game based books at nearly 450 pages. The ending was also just a tad too familiar, treading ground that's already been covered a few too many times.

"Salamander" lacks that certain combination of fast paced action with intense character driven storylines that makes some of the Warhammer novels so fun to read, and it does suffer from pacing issues. Despite all that, it's still an enjoyable read for anyone who can make it through the abysmal opening act.

With the inclusion of Vulkan He'stan as a special character in the newest Space Marines codex and his subsequent usefulness with meltas in the 40k game, it's no wonder that the Salamanders Space Marines have garnered quite a bit of attention, and rightfully so. I think it's nice to see that GW is moving towards fleshing out Space Marine chapters beyond the Ultramarines, Space Wolves, and Blood Angels--particularly because Games Workshop has done a fairly good job of diversifying the backgrounds of those chapters.

Salamander, the latest effort by Nick Kyme (Assault on Black Reach, Heroes of the Space Marines), is one such novel and, thankfully, a worthy addition to the Black Library. Centering on the Salamanders 3rd Company, Salamander is the first installment of the Tome of Fire trilogy that Kyme is writing and gives most of its focus to one Salamander, Sargeant Da'kir.

We learn early in the novel that Dak'ir is different than the majority of the other Salamanders. First, he is an Ignean, a location on the Salamander homeworld of Nocture that rarely produces those worthy to be Astartes. Secondly, Dak'ir dreams of his past life, something other marines do not do.

While exploring a derelict Adeptus Mechanicus ship, Dak'ir discovers a chest that bears the seal of Vulkan, primarch of the Salamanders. This leads Tu'shan, chapter master of the Salamanders and Regent of Prometheus, to convene his trusted council and soon thereafter send the 3rd company on a quest to discover secrets that may lead to Vulkan. Without revealing too much of this very nice surprise, the Dak'ir and his breatheren make a discovery that will shape the future of the Salamanders chapter and lead to the next books in the Tome of Fire trilogy.

What makes this such a strong addition the the Space Marines mythos is Kyme's ability to successfully balance character development with the battle scenes that are so ubiquitous in the 40k universe. The Salamanders are a chapter steeped in mythos, and Kyme paints a nice portrait of the rituals and traditions of the Promethean Cult. Another staple of the Salamanders is juxtaposition of their appearance (demon-like) and their mission statement, as it were, as Space Marines (protect the innocent). The compassion and humanity in the Salamanders is shown a great deal by Dak'ir's closest confidant, his heavy weapons trooper Ba'Ken. I really appreciated this dose of humanity Kyme injects in the Salamanders; for me it really sets them apart from the other Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.

Kyme really seems to have a good grasp on what he wants to achieve with the Astartes of Nocturne. His characterizations are developed and interesting, though at times they can be a tad cliche (Iagon is obviously his Shakespearian Iago). In addition, his depictions of battle are intense without being too over-the-top. Overall, I believe Kyme has a hit on his hands with Salamander. I eagerly anticipate his next addition to the Tome of Fire Trilogy.

To start off with, the story contained in this 40k entry is really rather good. A Salamander sergeant, reeling from the loss of his captain, and with the rest of his company doubtful of the abilities of his replacement, stumble across a relic created by Vulcan, and marked from the Isstvan campaign, where the Salamanders were almost exterminated.

The troubles begin and multiply quickly. There are too many empty references to other 40k history that anyone without a diehard love of fluff will get hopelessly lost with. Only Isstvan ever gets an explanation, despite being probably the only that would need one, thanks to the HH books. Also, there are too many references to prior stories, including the one where the captain is lost, and even earlier ones, without enough of, that is to say, any recap apart from some very unhelpful oblique references. Which is really sad, considering the Salamanders earlier story in Tales of the Space Marines is really very good. But this story struggles under the weight of too much looming in the background.

Additionally, the strains between the Salamanders and the other Marines they encounter are too over the top. While I can understand a bond of brotherhood only being as strong as the last fight, the Salamanders squabble with other Chapters, and even each other at times, like spoiled children. To say nothing of the lack of knowledge between the groups. While I can see the Salamanders rituals and personal practices being foreign, not knowing that the Salamanders have coal skin and red eyes is like not knowing the Space Wolves look like... wolves.

The story manages to keep alive under the curious behavior of the main protagonist, and some rather decent fluff from ritual and personal backstory, but this opener rather crippled the trilogy as a whole, as it tried to be too many things too soon, and rather crippled the book as a whole.

I love military Sifi. Starfist, Hammer's Slammers, Bolo are some of the best in this genre. When I read the discription of Salamander and saw the words "space marines" I was excited. I am not that familiar with Warhammer40000. I have read the Last Chancers and I like it, however I really can't get into this book. The first 80 or 90 pages are a struggle. There are several battle passages that are okay, not great, okay. I feel that some editing would help the flow of the book. I have taught literature and I know the importance of imagery, but this novel could use less of it, especially in the first section. The battle scenes at times slow down becasue of over kill in the adjective department. The description of death and bodies is at times just too much. Please leave somethings to our imagination. Enough of bile and viscera. I guess the main problem was I could not "warm up" to the two main characters. I found them distant and stoic to the point of "I don't give a da_n about them." I really missed the use of humor to lessen the heaviness of the story.

Look this is a well written book for those of you who are familar with Warhammer world. For those of us who don't know it, it is hard for us to get into this series. Like I said it is a matter of taste.

Hoping to heal the wounds in the company, newly appointed Brother-Captain N'Keln decides they will return to the Hadron Belt and scour the stars for any signs of the Dragon Warriors and their leader, Nihilan. The Hadron Belt was the last known location of the renegades. It was there that the Salamanders were ambushed on Stratos and their former captain assassinated.

The mission is halted when they come across a dead Astartes ship in realspace. Battle-Sergeant Dak'ir is drawn to a small chest (that fits into his hand). The chest has the Vulkan's icon mark and hails from Isstvan. Within are galactic coordinates to Scoria, the planet that has been lost to Imperial record for ever ten thousand years. The Third Company go to reclaim the progenitor of their Chapter.

Their ship crash lands on Scoria due to a solar storm. Upon the surface of Scoria, Battle-Sergeant Tsu'gan and those with him must deal with traitor marines and orks. Brother-Captain N'Keln is there as well. Tsu'gan and his followers hope N'Keln will either be killed or convinced to step-down from his new position. Below the surface, Battle-Sergeant Hazon Dak'ir defends a human settlement from xenos and find a few surprising answers about their primarch. All the while, the planet of Scoria is about to end its life span and break apart.

**** FOUR STARS! This is the first book in the "Tome of Fire" trilogy. Battle lines are drawn within the Salamanders as Battle-Sergeant Tsu'gan and his followers consider strategy to impeach the newly appointed Brother-Captain N'Keln. As for N'Keln, he must prove himself on Scoria. There is ongoing personal strife between Dak'ir and Tsu'gan. It is obvious that their clash cannot be solved by anything other than the death of one. The author adds tension with the actions of a certain power hungry Astarte, as well as with Dak'ir's dream-visions. However, I found way too much bickering between brothers. I am surprised the psykers never seem to realize the greed and dishonor within one major player. When the story finally gets to Scoria, everything becomes non-stop battles that kept me hooked until the unexpected conclusion. Vengeance will be sweet! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

It took me a while to get through this book, simply because parts of it move very slowly. I can understand wanting to set up the characters and their relationships with each other, but some of it seemed to drag on way too long. (Although I will admit part of what I thought was too long when I read it - exploring the space hulk - turned out to set up a plot twist at the end.)

One thing I liked is that the book is not a string of battle after battle. There is a lot of combat, especially towards the end. But there's also significant character development and growth. I still have a lot of questions about the characters, but since this is only the first book in a trilogy (plus some audio dramas), I can hope that more will be answered as the series progresses.