tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post1397622968526544661..comments2024-02-21T12:08:15.924+00:00Comments on The Good the Bad and the Insulting: Carcharodons: The Red Tithe by Robbie MacNiven (Book Review)Bellariushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02652722543111095280noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-91210582832054952092017-12-24T17:30:47.621+00:002017-12-24T17:30:47.621+00:00Robbie will be writing Carcharodons stories as lon...Robbie will be writing Carcharodons stories as long as he wants and Black Library commissions him to do so because he is supported by the Carcharodons Astra community (see 40k Carhcarodons on Facebook). I have enjoyed reading 'Reaping Time', 'Red Tithe' and I am currently reading 'Death Warrant' ahead of the March 2018 release of the next book 'Outer Dark'(I wish I could get Outer Dark now or an advance copy to review; hey I will ask Black Li bray). Like anything in life, the are always going to be thing you dislike (the ending was alittle crushed) but I give 'Carcharodons:Reaping Time' and 'Carcharodons: Red Tithe' an 8 1/2 out of 10 each.Sebekhoteph the Blessedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16391818683218433173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-53244260418297059272017-09-04T10:18:41.587+01:002017-09-04T10:18:41.587+01:00No, I have read them, and the reason I have not ci...No, I have read them, and the reason I have not cited it there is that Games Workshop itself seemed to set up a definitive link with the chapter only to abruptly go back and forth on it. Horus Heresy book 6 promptly wnet over and redid a number of points which book 3 and 5 set up, starting with their behavior and actions towards others. For starters, rather than bring outright loyal, the Ashen Claws went completely rogue and started attempting to set up their own mini-empire away from everyone else, fighting almost anyone they came across. Something which contradicts their mentality and behaviour seen much later on where they are utterly loyal to the Emperor. <br /><br />Furthermore, the Nomad-Predation Pattern seems to be a concept which is an existing pattern or approach to combat their targets. It is not something unique t ot them or the Raven Guards, and it seems to be set up as a long-term approach to conflicts against a superior enemy. Even if they were taught by Horus himself to combat their goes and decapitate the enemy command structure - something they show little inherent indication of doing in this book due to their focus elsewhere - some of Corax's teachings would have likely carried over. I would have expected them to display a few of the elements of guerrilla fighting the Raven Guard are best known for, especially as it would have been to their own benefit. At the very least a few stealth related tactics and plans would have given them a substantial edge at few key points in this book.<br /><br />Then, atop of all of this, you have to also consider a number of problematic points in terms of resources. If they were truly a Second Founding chapter of the Raven Guard, I would have expected the chapter to be as well outfitted with relics and equipment as most others were in this time. Instead, they seem to be utterly starved of resources. There is little indication of any Corvus pattern wargear among their numbers, something which was specifically gifted to the Raven Guard first and foremost, and their existing successors are noted to have a high number of suits. Even things which I would expect most chapters with a revered or ancient heritage are not present here, such as the fact that each of their Terminator suits seems to have been previously salvaged and modified to ensure it remains operational.<br /><br />Even additional sources elsewhere describes their features and individual mutations effectively going against what you would expect of Corax's sons. Their hair grows whiter with age rather than darker, their skin grows tougher and darker rather than borderline albino white. Combined with both this book and several Deathwatch ones all featuring them retaining a full set of organs, it seems that there's more to this story than first thought.<br /><br />I am not saying that it's impossible that they descended from this group, or even that it's improbable. Nor am I saying it's wrong to think this. Yet, the actual mystery behind it is one of the more engaging concepts behind the chapter, and given how much more of the Heresy there is to plan out, we could see a few more changes yet emerge to help explain a few of these differences.<br /><br />Now, if you continue to level passive-aggressive insults at me, you can expect the rest of your comments to never appear on this website. Good day.Bellariushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02652722543111095280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-2203084075711461082017-08-28T04:06:40.947+01:002017-08-28T04:06:40.947+01:00Like all the others you have not read the source b...Like all the others you have not read the source books from the Horus Heresy <br />The web wikis are wrong<br />The original raven guard were formed from pan pacific / asian peoples that were violent and agressive<br />They were into having slaves<br />Made from raven guard genetics<br />They were called the pale nomads by horus <br />Horus trained a significant number of them<br />The main group he trained were the Ashen Claws chapter which was part of them but rest of chapter would have learnt<br />They learnt to use all gear such as kybalais assault drop pods etc<br />In general the pale nomads<br />prefered hth fighting up close and personal due to there cultural background<br />Combined with there cultutal heritege they would appear to be world eater like in behaviour but were not WEs<br />Ashen Claws were exiled at a seperate time (around same time ) as rest of pale nomads<br />I make distinction as they are discussed in book 5 of Horus Heresy<br />Along with a comment to the group who would become the Carcharadons being noted as in so and so sector<br />Only question is are they made up of ashen claws or did the Carcharadons part ways with there brothers<br />McNervien has been vague about this and said there relationship was complex<br />To comments about them taking on WE and NL geneseed <br />Its rubbish<br />Nothing supporting it<br />Just look at there cultural traits and RG geneseed<br />GAZ NZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11795942843995504859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-22343249748553579002017-08-16T16:01:53.659+01:002017-08-16T16:01:53.659+01:00Hi, I have just finished reading the book and I en...Hi, I have just finished reading the book and I enjoyed. I subscribe every point of this review, my personal opinion is very similar.<br /><br />The book has very good scenes, I think that the scenery, the mood and the characters are well constructed, I enjoyed how are depicted the Night Lords and the Carchorodons, how the space marines mirrored the legion.<br /><br />However, the last part of the book is more predictable. I feel the same rock-scissor-paper sensation in the combats that Bellarius writes about and there are full chapters that doesn t advance the drama.<br /><br />Ii is a good read, but only if you like previously space marines novels, and not for most of the public. <br /><br />The end of the book deceive me a little I hoped the traitors achieved much more, I think that they deserved more than be the punching ball of the space marine of turn. But I guess that you can imagine that when is a Space Marine Series novel. :(AgustÃn Puighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05467439651978404641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-84459305944886082122017-04-16T21:13:00.421+01:002017-04-16T21:13:00.421+01:00Please, it's not a problem at all, as it was a...Please, it's not a problem at all, as it was a fun read. I hope we get to see more from you and this chapter in the years to come.Bellariushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02652722543111095280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-91588688334299622292017-04-16T21:11:52.031+01:002017-04-16T21:11:52.031+01:00I was worried about that factor myself for a while...I was worried about that factor myself for a while, especially given how Games Workshop has gone back and forth on setting up their possible origins a good three or four times thus far. I really does seem like they're leaving this one mostly down to the players and focusing more upon how their origins and environment shaped them more than anything else. So, it's not so tunnel vision focused on who their primarch was so much as examining how a more barbaric and brutal legion would evolve over time and what impact their type of warfare would have on their culture after ten thousand years. The fact it makes their mysterious origins important without going back to it every five minutes was pretty refreshing.<br /><br />Yeah, the problem when covering the negatives is that, as mentioned above, much of it comes down to the specific writing style so it's hard to cover without adding in quotes; something i've been trying to avoid to sidestep possible spoilers in most books. Personally I think i'm just more of a fan of the heavier going and ultra-detailed styling of Abnett and co. by this point, and this more streamlined design just lacks some of the emphasis upon history or the environments I personally prefer. Each to their own though, and i'm sure there's plenty of people who will be giving it a higher grade without this issue.Bellariushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02652722543111095280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-75059274157180092152017-04-12T23:56:58.309+01:002017-04-12T23:56:58.309+01:00Thanks for the review, very fair and detailed.Thanks for the review, very fair and detailed.Robbie MacNivenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17246794319522591013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1831276194138109948.post-86361514602078659982017-04-11T23:31:17.794+01:002017-04-11T23:31:17.794+01:00This is one I've been wanting to pick up since...This is one I've been wanting to pick up since I like the Carcharodons and I've been wanting to read more about them, however it's also one I've been worried about.<br />It's a relief that it's good though, I was worried that they'd answer pretty much all the questions anyone had on the sharks, and that would ruin all the mystery (they'd also need a good explanation for why the sharks have organs that the Raven Guard don't if they decided to say they were from the Raven Guard) but these non-answers I kind of like more for this particular chapter.<br /><br />It's also nice that the Marines aren't presented as being completely invincible, as they so often are. A number of the negatives you list however I feel that I won't really get what you mean until I read it for myself. By that I mean that I understand what you're saying, but it's hard for me to imagine the same kind of feeling that I'd get through reading the book and experiencing those failings (it's no fault of yours that I can't really get that feeling without reading the book).<br /><br />In any case I'll buy this one when I've got money and when somebody in my city starts carrying it.grdaathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722216755745063033noreply@blogger.com