Reading World Eaters, IV: Lord of the Red Sands

 This one is a short story (and I mean short, less than 10 pages in Kindle format) that can be found either on its own as an eBook on Amazon or at the Black Library, or as a part of a VERY recommendable anthology, also in eBook format, again at the Black Library, for the reasons I commented on in the previous entry on this blog, After Desh'ea.

That it's written by Aaron Dembski-Bowden is almost like it has a seal of guarantee, and even if it's so short a tale, it is worth reading. On Isstvan III, Angron gets to fight the last of those Eaters of Worlds still loyal to the Emperor, all the while reflecting on the one thing, the only one thing worth fighting for.

And that's it. But it's worth reading because precisely of that one thing this story asserts. Angron and the Eaters of Worlds fight for their own cause and on their own terms, they're not pawns to anyone but are perfectly aware that they want and will to do what they do.

Now I'm onto Butcher's Nails, the final short story in the aforementioned anthology, and a nice one too. I'll talk about it in the next entry, very, very soon.

Reading World Eaters, III: Angron, Slave of Nuceria.

 This is the first big one in the list I put here, and it's a blast. You can find it as an eBook on Amazon and on the Black Library (in this case theres's also the audiobook version). Regarding it being a blast, you'll have to bear with me, I'm a fan since the early nineties, so each form of lore is welcome, even if the literary quality is not at its best, or even regular. But this book is definitely recommendable, if only because of these three things:

• We get to know what the Ghenna massacre was, and how it developed. And quite frankly it's not that horrible unless you're a supporter of synthetic replicas, which by the way the Ghennans used callously. It's not that the World Eaters didn't willingly massacre the whole Ghennan population, which they did. It's that most of it was made up of inorganic replicas, and it was the organic Ghennans who used the replicas literally as cannon fodder.
• We are told how the implantation of the Butcher's Nails went on, and how it was that apothecary Gahlan Suhlak managed to carry out the whole thing. We too can take a look at the rebellion against Angron's ways, how it was planned, and its swift conclusion. Really, it's a fast and predictable thing. And really you can empathize with  Angron and his pals, because let's face it, their arguments are not only very convincing but also true to heart.
• Finally, and (for me) most importantly, we are offered a privileged look at Angron's past (quite ironically, thanks to a librarian). After such an experience, the Red Angel emerges as not just an interesting character, but a tragically heroic one, almost like coming out of a Shakespearean tragedy. One whose abilities could soothe people, who could have been the anchor for every other primarch, but who suffers the worst of the fates, his gift being stolen from him and himself being finally made a natural-born killer.

I've enjoyed Slave of Nuceria because of the understanding it has allowed me to develop for both Angron and the World Eaters. I have already commented before that they were back in the day sort of a unidimensional, flat character thing, just plainly killers without any motive beyond an irrational bloodlust. After reading this story, they are a whole new, different thing. The World Eaters are sons of their father, yearning to commune with him as if something was missing from their inside.

Now this is a thing that repeats itself with every space marine legion and its primarch. By their very nature, one could say, marines long for the reunion with their genetic ancestors, quite literally as if their very blood demanded it. This metaphorical demand sparks what amount to a spiritual journey, where the legion (as a whole, as most if not all of its members seem to share this drive) looks for its origins, both to better understand themselves (and the universe around them, one could say) and to feel complete, whole.

In the case of the WE and Angron, fate is doom, and they stoically embrace it. The sheer significance of this sacrifice, the acknowledgment of their role, of their position in the (chaotic, as it is) natural order of things, suddenly puts the World Eaters in a whole new level of deepness regarding their psyche.

That's why I said that "you can empathize with  Angron and his pals", and that they are true to heart, while the rebels in the ranks of the legion are the ones negating their very nature, their lot in life, so they're conforming to a role of lackeys, unquestioning servants of an emperor whom we know as an unconcerned, insensitive master, and this is a point to make: the emperor is a master, an owner, while Angron is a father. And the World Eaters are definitely not the pets of anybody but the sons of Angron.

Reading World Eaters, II: After Desh'ea.

 After Desh'ea was written by Matthew Farrer and is a short story, just about 30 pages in kindle edition, that is weird in the sense that it's all about Angron's arrival at the War Hounds (that's pre-Angron World Eaters) fleet.

It can be found on its own as an audiobook at the Black Library audiobook or on Amazon, or in the Tales of Heresy anthology both in its Black Library eBook format or as a book on Amazon (with price tags depending on where you buy it; for example, it's cheaper on amazon.com than on amazon.es).

But, even if Tales of Heresy contains other interesting stories (for example, Blood Games for Custodes fans), I got it in another, much better anthology for World Eaters fans: Angron, from The Horus Heresy series, an eBook which can be found both on Amazon and on the Black Library. The reason is that in Angron* After Desh'ea comes alongside two other World Eaters-related short stories: Lord of the Red Sands and Butcher's Nails.

As I said above After Desh'ea is a bit weird. It only deals with Angron's immediate arrival to the Conqueror, the War Hounds legion's flagship. He's been teleported first from the field of battle (against Angron's will, as doing so left his comrades-in-arms alone facing the Nucerian high-riders who would crush them), to the Emperor's own ship in orbit over Nuceria and then, after a heated, bloody exchange with the Emperor and his custodians, to the Conqueror.

There he is met by the War Hounds master, and after the meeting ends unsatisfactorily, successively by other legionary commanders. It's only when Khârn, commander of the eighth (of course**) assault (again, of course***) company, meets him that a successful conversation is started, and Angron finally accepts to lead the War Hounds.

Khârn is soundly beaten all the while he tries to talk sense into Angron, which makes for, as said before, a weird scenario, but again we get samples that allow building a better understanding of Angron's frustration and understanding the space marines' longing for a leading figure.

*Angron is the title of this anthology, but also part of the title of some more stories, including two from the list I compiled about World Eaters, these being Angron: Slave of Nuceria and Angron: the Red Angel; when I get to comment these stories, I'll refer to them respectively as Slave of Nuceria and The Red Angel to avoid confusion.

**Eight being Khorne's sacred number, it makes sense as a kind of predestination quirk for Khârn.

***Khârn as a commander of a support company? No, it had to be an assault one.

Reading World Eaters, I: Ghost of Nuceria

 Written by Ian St. Martin, Ghost of Nuceria tells about the last battle of the Eaters of Cities, Angron's army of former slaves from the Nucerian arenas. A short story (just 20 pages) that can be found onBlack Library or on Amazon in Kindle format, which is the one I read.

There's not really much more to say, as the story is referred to in other, larger books, but if you read it first, Angron's arrival before the Emperor and his Custodians is a rather troubled one; let's just say that both he's not bound to become very popular between the Custodes and that it's quite easy to foresee a more than difficult father-child relationship.

In the former case, it's because of the short (embarrassingly or deliciously short depending on your point of view) work Angron makes of a custodian that makes a step too far. In the latter case, Angron is not satisfied with the Emperor's decision, to say so. And he makes it obvious that such disagreement is not to be easily overcome, or even ever forgotten at all. And, as we all know how it will evolve, it's definitely a momentous occasion.

Also, it's a nice story to start with, in the sense that you get a clear idea of what matters most for Angron from the very beginning. If you get this point clear and attribute properly the weight this time carries for him, it will be much easier to understand his later behavior.

Reading World Eaters, Intro.

 The first thing I got to when getting ready for collecting World Eaters (WE from now on) was reading. I mean, I like to get deep into a faction's lore before taking the plunge on it and, when I started thinking about them, I realized I actually knew but a few things regarding the WE. Out of the generic references in generic 40K lore, I had never gotten beyond some hints by some people that there were things to know past the onedimensional killing frenzy the fellas are (in)famous for.

So I did some Google-Fu and thanks to a bit of Reddit triangulating I came up with a list including not all but a good many reads on WE. This is my list, the reading order is chronological (regarding the lore timeline):

1. Ghost of Nuceria.
2. After Desh'ea.
3. Angron: Slave of Nuceria.
4. Lord of the Red Sands.
5. Butcher's Nails.
6. Heart of the Conqueror.
7. Betrayer.
8. A Rose Watered with Blood.
9. Khârn: the Eightfold Path.
10. Khârn: Eater of Worlds.
11. Angron: the Red Angel.

SPECIAL: The First Heretic. Should be read after Lord of the Red Sands, and right BEFORE Butcher's Nails. It's all about Lorgar and his Word Bearers, but it is mandatory as Lorgar features prominently in Betrayer and we get to know Argel Tal and in general all the conundrums regarding the Word Bearers' turn to chaos (they were the first and foremost!).

I'll comment on them...

First things first.

 This should be a start. I mean, not just a "this is a restart but not really because then I'll get lazy and it will be forgotten again" but a real start. Fuck it, THIS IS A START.

For starters, I just erased former entries to begin anew, and I'll make a little recap:

I first dabbled into 40K almost 30 years ago; although I first knew of it when it still was Rogue Trader, having got my first foray into Blood Bowl in 1991. Fast forward to early 1994, when while recovering from surgery, I laid my hands on a brand new 2nd edition warhammer 40K starter box; I fondly remember the gretchins, Goff orks and Blood Angels space marines, the cardboard cutouts and the three books. I sold everything a few years later, but I was already badly hooked on it. And so it was that I soon collected an army again, and never really failed to keep in touch with Warhammer (moreover, I also branched into Fantasy).

But this was too the times we moved away the most, and for a good many years I did not actively play the game but for a few friendly matches, even after we settled down. Those few games I got to play turned scarce since the advent of the 5th edition, and I just collected miniatures and followed the lore, keeping to the sidelines while mentally toying with fluff regarding the slowly growing armies. By 2015 the advent of Age of Sigmar got me actively collecting again, and when 40K was "rebooted" with 8th edition, I jumped on the bandwagon without a second thought.

I don't regret it, of course. The last few years have, for long-time fans, been awesome. Not only have we seen the release of Adeptus Mechanicus and Custodes armies but even the Squats have done a glorious comeback! Sorry, of course, I meant the Leagues of Votann - the renaming and faction building are splendid. The last ones to make a comeback are the World Eaters, and that's why I thought I finally could really restart this blog. Yes, I know the Eaters were always there in the Chaos Space Marines codex. And I remember the Berzerker miniatures (and actually have quite a few); honestly, they were not that great and felt a bit underwhelming (just my opinion). But we already had Death Guard and Thousand Sons codices, and Khorne was lacking its own.

In the meanwhile, I had collected a full army of Khorne, and I mean both an army of mortals and another of daemons, for AoS. Hey, I even primed them! When the Eaters were announced, I knew I would fall for them sooner than later, and it's been so. Angron sits on my desk alongside a couple of Maulerfiends and some cans of red primer spray while I write this entry, and some zerks and Jakhals are next in the production line, then a Lord of Skulls and...

What a great time I'm having.