What do you think?
Rate this book
The Horus Heresy #32
Deathfire
Vulkan lies in state beneath the Fortress of Hera, and yet many of his sons still refuse to believe that he is truly dead. After a seemingly miraculous rescue by the Ultramarines, Artellus Numeon, once captain of the Pyre Guard, urges the other Salamanders on Macragge to leave Imperium Secundus and return their primarch’s body to the home world of Nocturne � there to be reborn in the flames of Mount Deathfire. But Numeon grapples endlessly with his doubts and fears for the future of the Legion, while their foes seek to carve out new destinies of their own...
The Salamanders embark upon an odyssey across the galaxy. Primarchs, daemons and haunting visions bar their path and a physical journey becomes an emotional one as Numeon and his brothers struggle to reconcile Vulkan’s seeming death with their certainty that he will return. And let’s not forget the massive battle as the Death Guard invade Nocturne�
The Salamanders embark upon an odyssey across the galaxy. Primarchs, daemons and haunting visions bar their path and a physical journey becomes an emotional one as Numeon and his brothers struggle to reconcile Vulkan’s seeming death with their certainty that he will return. And let’s not forget the massive battle as the Death Guard invade Nocturne�
416 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2015
84 people are currently reading
1,357 people want to read
About the author
Nick Kyme
263books155followersNick Kyme (b. 1977) writes mostly for Black Library. His credits include the popular Salamanders series and several audio dramas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
July 5, 2015
Serving as a sequel to both Unremembered Empire and Vulkan Lives (sadly more the latter than the former), Deathfire follows the Salamanders in their efforts to return Vulkan’s body to Nocturne. With the rescue of Numeon (now having revealed to have survived his underwhelming end) from a Word Bearers ship, and forces still hunting for the primarch’s body, they are determined to return to their homelands. However, is Vulkan truly dead? In the face of all else, can faith alone sustain a legion long past its father’s end?
The very themes and ideas of Deathfire are ones which have merit when it comes to examining the legions of this time. The problem is that this is botched from the outset, and the actual themes of faith, belief and the like just boil down to “Yes he is!� “No he isn’t!� arguments, with some poorly defined logic, and badly delivered concepts. It doesn’t help that the story itself manages to be simultaneously rushed while at the same time lacking any substantial content. Numeon’s ideas, thoughts and logic are repeated over and over again, but it’s never remotely near enough to be personal or even remotely believable, and the very fact he is banking upon succeeding via an outright impossibility is barely addressed. The very fact it’s going against the Imperial Truth, the fact that they are quickly resorting to an utterly insane task is barely addressed, and many major developments, plot threads and ideas are swept to one side. Half of it just comes down to relentlessly yelling “Vulkan Lives!� to a point where that damn statement will haunt your nightmares for decades to come.
Most irksome of all is how, while serving as a sequel to two books, barely seems to address the major points of either one. We barely see anything of the Imperium Secundus, and the idea of it is barely commented upon. Sanguinius� leadership, Guilliman’s gambit and rebuilding the Imperium from within aren’t given a second thought or even its merits considered. The story meanders about the whole issues of facing the Ruinstorm or being trapped from within, and the sad part is that this first third is easily the best part of the book. Kyme has a vastly better grip on writing the Ultramarines than he does the Salamanders, and while Numeon, Xathen, Zytos and Baduk are effectively interchangeable, Thiel, Prayto, and the others have far better rounded personalities. They actually read and act more like characters, whereas the Salamanders themselves are so extraordinarily flat, that their deaths, successes and actions barely impact the story at all. As with most Kyme written Salamanders stories, the body-count of Vulkan’s sons is insanely high with more than a few utterly ridiculous deaths born of downright stupidity, yet its hard to feel insulted or saddened as they have no impact at all upon the reader.
Things only get worse by page 146, where the story effectively turns into a weaker retelling of Battle for the Abyss. Yes, you read that correctly. At least with Battle for the Abyss there was a sense that Counter was trying to do something, showing conflict on both sides, and while many of the characters might have been stock archetypes, they were at least recognisable ones. Here, we have the Salamanders trying to brave the Ruinstorm, chased by a Death Guard warship, and it manages to not only be completely boring but so devoid of detail, impact and plot points that you’ll be forgiven for occasionally forgetting a daemon was loosed on the vessel. Even the whole plot surrounding a Knight Errant proves to be just a waste of time, and it’s never resolved and the themes it potentially brings up prove to be little more than filler in the end, to cause conflict without any actual resolution.
The battles themselves prove to be boring and downright tedious. You’re lucky if the writing actually bothers to stop and describe the environment in the slightest, to build up any sense of atmosphere or emotion, and the battles themselves are over in seconds. Worse still, the Death Guard manage to become such incredible fodder that it almost entirely eclipses the Salamanders� own insane deaths. Company sized forces are killed off one at a time, with squads dying by the dozen, and these are supposed to belong to a single battleship. If you actually stop to count, the only way the Death Guard could lose these numbers and still have enough to fight in the final battle is if there were over a thousand aboard the vessel, and numbers seem to change every other chapter.
Perhaps the worst part of all of this is that the novel downright insult’s the reader’s intelligence. Many of the plot twists are so insanely ludicrous that you’ll be prompted to walk in and try to get a refund for your hard earned cash. One example � The Death Guard attack Nocturne. There is not a single orbital defence platform, station or vessel to stop an already crippled battleship from attaining orbital supremacy over a legion homeworld and bombarding it. Worse still, when they unleash a life eater virus upon the planet, the Salamanders burn it away with giant flamethrowers. This somehow stops it, and then the Death Guard all get themselves killed effectively rushing the surface in a massed aerial assault without any covering fire in the slightest.
Having read this through, this is honestly a novel which has at best been phoned in. Even without going into the plot, the fact the novel has chapters which can be as short as two pages long says enough about the story, and the fact we get no story progression, little to no world building, boring battles and a rushed finale all damns this one entirely. This is a new low for the series, and I say that as someone who genuinely enjoyed Damnation of Pythos. Avoid this book entirely and save your cash for something else, because this most certainly does not deserve any kind of purchase.
April 1, 2019
Drinking game: one shot every time a Salamander says "Vulkan lives".
Besides that I really enjoyed this Warhammer "30k" version of Homer's Odissey. Literally devoured the last 100 pages of this book , hope we have not to wait another year or more for next one. Deathguard really needs an Horus Heresy novel or (please, someone do it!) a full trilogy.
Besides that I really enjoyed this Warhammer "30k" version of Homer's Odissey. Literally devoured the last 100 pages of this book , hope we have not to wait another year or more for next one. Deathguard really needs an Horus Heresy novel or (please, someone do it!) a full trilogy.
December 20, 2023
‘Something has been interfering with our communications, brother-captain,� said the Techmarine. ‘I believe we have just met it down on one of the ghost decks.�
‘A little girl in a white dress?�
‘P.�
‘Any casualties?�
'We fired first and forewent the interrogatives.�
The second of Kyme’s Salamander trilogy is much like the trilogy as a whole � poorly regarded with many willing to skip it. Frankly, fair call, though I did enjoy the first and really wanted to like this one. It is focused with okayish combat. Unfortunately, it just has a hollow core.
Vulkan Lives
Narek rose from his kneeling position, his knife held loosely in his grasp.
'Only two warriors aboard this ship are capable of defeating me in single combat.'
The main point of tension in Deathfire is whether 'Vulkan Lives', an oft-repeated statement made in defiance of all logic � particularly the logic of Vulkan’s very visible corpse.
I can go on about how Kyme fails to write any good arguments for Numeon about how his Primarch can somehow defies death while being clearly... ...dead. However, there’s plenty of reviews that cogently make them for me, so I won’t linger on it.
Instead, I want develop a related but broader point: The writers of Warhammer 40K regularly fail at philosophical discussions, trying to make the irrational into something that can be processed rationally, or layered character development.
The Last Church would embarrass an early 2000s new-atheist when considering the nature of divinity. The purported trolley problem in Damnation of Pythos does not exist for 99.99% of interactions in this literary universe. The overwhelming majority of characters would blast both tracks, the train and the narrator for a laugh. Some of the obvious Shakespearean flaws of the Primarches are conveyed well � Magnus� hubris, Fulgrim’s vanity, but I often see the writers falter over more complicated characteristics, such Rogal Dorn’s loyalty and command, or Konrad Curze being correctly incompetent. Often, the more these superhumans speak the more obvious it becomes that their reasoning abilities lie at about university undergraduate level, which is somewhat low for intellectual demigods.
The harsh view is that Black Library’s authors aren’t equipped to handle these matters. A more nuanced perspective would account for the fact that these are action books pitched at a wide audience. You need a plot that can move and, even if there are flaws in how characters rationalise their worldview, most readers get the general point and are happy enough to muddle through mushy dialogue.
I also have a more directly relevant defence though � what makes Numeon any less rational in this universe than those arguing against him? Kyme teases this point, though he should have pushed it more: Vulkan’s revival (which already occurred publicly in The Unremembered Empire) is not exceptional.
The defence applies more widely � the divinity debate will always ring false in a universe is full of “gods�. The trolley problem doesn’t work because everything is simply too grimdark for it to be plausible. Primarches can and will take superhuman actions that are difficult to explain. In Warhammer 40K, rationality and logic is no more a vice or virtue than irrationality or flights of fantasy. Vulkan Lives because... ...why the hell not?
Despite this, Black Library’s writers still introduce these touchstones of rationality such as divinity or trolleys when their characters speak because that is the framework readers understand and identify with. There will therefore always be an irresolvable conflict between what can happen in Warhammer 40K and how characters try to "rationally" explain it.
Deckchairs on the Titanic
‘You should know something before we begin, though�
‘What's that?'
‘Those two warriors I mentioned... You are not one of them.'
What I want to do with the core problem Vulkan Lives is re-characterise it. It is not massively relevant to me that there isn’t any logical underpinning for Numeon’s arguments, because it is par for the course in Warhammer 40K for there not to be any good logical arguments. Vulkan will be reborn because that is just the unknown power he has. There is nothing rational that Numeon can say anyway and it tends to go poorly in other stories, so why worry about it being missing here. I accept Numeon’s stubbornness as sufficient.
Instead, what I do look for is what Numeon does with this position and how our protagonist is driven to convince and inspire the doubters...
...and it is a pretty clear failure. It is one of those lipstick on a pig ironies: I can redefine in my head what the problem is in Deathfire, but Kyme still does not have the solution. I disagree that the characters are interchangeable, and I would hold that Kyme is a solid writer of minor villains. Yet, the issue remains that Numeon lacks the weight to carry this book. It is fine to have a character that struggles with doubt and the mantle of leadership, but it pairs very poorly with Numeon’s immoveability in the face of opposition over whether Vulkan Lives. He simply has to be more courageous to toss a starship into a warpstorm on a hunch that the metaphor of rebirth in fire should be taken literally. Weirdly, Numeon is written as partly wrong at the end as to the criteria for Vulkan’s rebirth, with no explanation as to why the additional sacrifice was required... ...so he was kind of a loser anyway?
I do also want to briefly comment on the obviousness of the constraints Kyme labours under with regards to a “minor� Primarch. All roads led to the nexus novel of The Unremembered Empire so Kyme has to spend 20% of the book creating a road out of it without upsetting major events. I wouldn’t go above calling it “workmanlike� but Kyme isn’t writing a book on the exercise of constitutional power in Imperium Secundus. It's fine, and there should be other books dealing with the triumvirate of Primarches than this one.
He looked down at the unconscious Salamander.
'Looks like you get to live a little longer, brother.'
Also, Narek is a good character, and Kyme handles him better than Abnett, even if the latter had multiple threads to tie.
I do want to see more of Narek.
‘A little girl in a white dress?�
‘P.�
‘Any casualties?�
'We fired first and forewent the interrogatives.�
The second of Kyme’s Salamander trilogy is much like the trilogy as a whole � poorly regarded with many willing to skip it. Frankly, fair call, though I did enjoy the first and really wanted to like this one. It is focused with okayish combat. Unfortunately, it just has a hollow core.
Vulkan Lives
Narek rose from his kneeling position, his knife held loosely in his grasp.
'Only two warriors aboard this ship are capable of defeating me in single combat.'
The main point of tension in Deathfire is whether 'Vulkan Lives', an oft-repeated statement made in defiance of all logic � particularly the logic of Vulkan’s very visible corpse.
I can go on about how Kyme fails to write any good arguments for Numeon about how his Primarch can somehow defies death while being clearly... ...dead. However, there’s plenty of reviews that cogently make them for me, so I won’t linger on it.
Instead, I want develop a related but broader point: The writers of Warhammer 40K regularly fail at philosophical discussions, trying to make the irrational into something that can be processed rationally, or layered character development.
The Last Church would embarrass an early 2000s new-atheist when considering the nature of divinity. The purported trolley problem in Damnation of Pythos does not exist for 99.99% of interactions in this literary universe. The overwhelming majority of characters would blast both tracks, the train and the narrator for a laugh. Some of the obvious Shakespearean flaws of the Primarches are conveyed well � Magnus� hubris, Fulgrim’s vanity, but I often see the writers falter over more complicated characteristics, such Rogal Dorn’s loyalty and command, or Konrad Curze being correctly incompetent. Often, the more these superhumans speak the more obvious it becomes that their reasoning abilities lie at about university undergraduate level, which is somewhat low for intellectual demigods.
The harsh view is that Black Library’s authors aren’t equipped to handle these matters. A more nuanced perspective would account for the fact that these are action books pitched at a wide audience. You need a plot that can move and, even if there are flaws in how characters rationalise their worldview, most readers get the general point and are happy enough to muddle through mushy dialogue.
I also have a more directly relevant defence though � what makes Numeon any less rational in this universe than those arguing against him? Kyme teases this point, though he should have pushed it more: Vulkan’s revival (which already occurred publicly in The Unremembered Empire) is not exceptional.
The defence applies more widely � the divinity debate will always ring false in a universe is full of “gods�. The trolley problem doesn’t work because everything is simply too grimdark for it to be plausible. Primarches can and will take superhuman actions that are difficult to explain. In Warhammer 40K, rationality and logic is no more a vice or virtue than irrationality or flights of fantasy. Vulkan Lives because... ...why the hell not?
Despite this, Black Library’s writers still introduce these touchstones of rationality such as divinity or trolleys when their characters speak because that is the framework readers understand and identify with. There will therefore always be an irresolvable conflict between what can happen in Warhammer 40K and how characters try to "rationally" explain it.
Deckchairs on the Titanic
‘You should know something before we begin, though�
‘What's that?'
‘Those two warriors I mentioned... You are not one of them.'
What I want to do with the core problem Vulkan Lives is re-characterise it. It is not massively relevant to me that there isn’t any logical underpinning for Numeon’s arguments, because it is par for the course in Warhammer 40K for there not to be any good logical arguments. Vulkan will be reborn because that is just the unknown power he has. There is nothing rational that Numeon can say anyway and it tends to go poorly in other stories, so why worry about it being missing here. I accept Numeon’s stubbornness as sufficient.
Instead, what I do look for is what Numeon does with this position and how our protagonist is driven to convince and inspire the doubters...
...and it is a pretty clear failure. It is one of those lipstick on a pig ironies: I can redefine in my head what the problem is in Deathfire, but Kyme still does not have the solution. I disagree that the characters are interchangeable, and I would hold that Kyme is a solid writer of minor villains. Yet, the issue remains that Numeon lacks the weight to carry this book. It is fine to have a character that struggles with doubt and the mantle of leadership, but it pairs very poorly with Numeon’s immoveability in the face of opposition over whether Vulkan Lives. He simply has to be more courageous to toss a starship into a warpstorm on a hunch that the metaphor of rebirth in fire should be taken literally. Weirdly, Numeon is written as partly wrong at the end as to the criteria for Vulkan’s rebirth, with no explanation as to why the additional sacrifice was required... ...so he was kind of a loser anyway?
I do also want to briefly comment on the obviousness of the constraints Kyme labours under with regards to a “minor� Primarch. All roads led to the nexus novel of The Unremembered Empire so Kyme has to spend 20% of the book creating a road out of it without upsetting major events. I wouldn’t go above calling it “workmanlike� but Kyme isn’t writing a book on the exercise of constitutional power in Imperium Secundus. It's fine, and there should be other books dealing with the triumvirate of Primarches than this one.
He looked down at the unconscious Salamander.
'Looks like you get to live a little longer, brother.'
Also, Narek is a good character, and Kyme handles him better than Abnett, even if the latter had multiple threads to tie.
I do want to see more of Narek.
July 15, 2015
One star for Balthusa Narek, whom I consider one of the more interesting and funnier characters in Horus Heresy series.
As for the rest, it made my ears (not enough time to read it, so audiobook it was) bleed. Combat was so purple and boring, that it was not even up to the standards of the regular bolterporn and "philosophical" parts were really cringrworthy. Please, somebody explain Mr. Kyme concept of pragmatism, for example. Actions are not always pragmatic if we describe them as such *rolleyes*
I am usually geeking all over new Black Library books, but Deathfire should burn in hellfire. I really need to make my taste up by new Ahriman.
As for the rest, it made my ears (not enough time to read it, so audiobook it was) bleed. Combat was so purple and boring, that it was not even up to the standards of the regular bolterporn and "philosophical" parts were really cringrworthy. Please, somebody explain Mr. Kyme concept of pragmatism, for example. Actions are not always pragmatic if we describe them as such *rolleyes*
I am usually geeking all over new Black Library books, but Deathfire should burn in hellfire. I really need to make my taste up by new Ahriman.
May 9, 2024
May 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XIX Through the Neath (...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras.
OK. Time for one of my rare withcindy style disclaimers about how this review is just my personal opinion and entertainment purposes and only intended to be read by readers and not the author or anyone too close to the author.
I have to be honest and say I hated this.
Hate is probably too strong a word to use, but getting through this book was an ordeal.
I try to be positive or at least constructive, but anyone who has seen my updates while reading this and my partner when checking in on me as they were concerned about the noises this book was eliciting from me, are aware that this book turned me into a petulant child. I am going to do my best to be constructive and respectful in this review, but it is going to be difficult.
Following the events of Vulkan Lives, and The Unremembered Empire, and running parallel with Angels Caliban and Ruinstorm, Deathfire picks up the thread of the Pyre Guard Captain Numeon and the Salamander's Primarch Vulkan who is currently in deathlike state after being stabbed with the Fulgerite Spear, as the remaining Salamanders on Macragge traverse the Ruinstorm to return to Nocturne where Numeon believes he will be restored in the flames of Mount Deathfire with an uneasy alliance of Word Bearers and Death Guard harrying them the whole way.
This book is unlike any other Horus Heresy book I have read and I genuinely don't know what happened, but it's nearly twice the length and less than half the quality of the rest of the series.
Before getting into too much more I want to say that I had no idea this book had been dividing people and a hot topic since its release, so I went in with zero expectations either way. This was just a new Horus Heresy novel for me by Nick Kyme, not necessarily my favourite Black Library author, but one whose works I have enjoyed. For context, I was originally very positive on Promethean Sun, but was more tepid on it recently. I thoroughly enjoy the Vulkan half of Vulkan Lives, the other half less so. I'm pretty sure I had a decent time with Scorched Earth. But, Feat of Iron is genuinely one of my favourite novellas or stories from the series and, in the time I've had between attempted at completing this series over the years, it is the one that stays with me; the imagery of the personified Imperial Aquila and the all the mythological imagery and allusions are quintessential Horus Heresy for me. Feat of Iron is subtle as a brick, but I genuinely do adore it.
I think the core problem of the many with this book is one that directly impacts everything else and I have to say is as a fault of Black Library as it is Nick Kyme, which is the fact that this book does not seem to have ever heard of drafting or editing. This reads like it was a passion project of a one person band who wrote successive chapters, posting them on a blog, perhaps for NanoWrimo, and just put them all together at the end and called it a book.
There has to be something going on here because, while the quality of the Horus Heresy does vacillate somewhat with some books being more beautifully crafted and engaging than others, no other book suffers from the catalogue of flaws this one does. I'm talking subjectively, but there are metrics with which writing is writing is objectively judged and this seems like it might actually be objectively bad.
Now, I'm not saying anyone is wrong for liking this and I don't want to spoil anyone's fun. Liking things is almost always preferable, and I am a big supporter of the joys of subjectivity. I know I've had very different reactions to things--some people are tepid on After Desh'ea by Matthew Farrer and it's one of my favourite short stories or all time, always leaving me a sobbing and bawling mess, and I think Sanguinius: The Great Angel by Chris Wraight is the most perfect thing Black Library have published and captured the essence of Warhammer 40,000 and the Imperium like nothing else, while a lot of people don't care for it at all.
There is a propensity for comparing bad writing to fanfiction, which is unfair and elitist with some works of fanfiction being markedly better than published works. This is extremely evident if you look at almost unanimous reaction of the Warhammer community to the work of one 40K author in particular to the point where there is a conspiracy around their name being a pseudonym for any Black Library author not comfortable to put their own name a work BL want to publish (I've not read this author yet, but I've seen backflip discourse from more than just those who are currently in a death spiral of rage because there are female Custodes now, something I personally think is good, actually) and any of the comments on narrations of fanfiction by the various channels who do that on YouTube, which are absolutely filled with outpourings of praise appreciation. What I think people actually mean when they compare something to fanfiction is the distinct lack of development and editing that is evident in quite a lot of fanfiction, a whole bunch of published works too!
This lack of development and editing is seriously on display in this book in every area.
First of all it is ungodly long for no godly reason. The plot is pretty much as straight forward as that of Mad Max: Fury Road. Just swap the starting point to Macragge the middle point to on the way to Terra and the end point to Nocturne and it takes just a few detours and deviations. There is no reason, beyond just how bloated and repetitive the prose is, that this story needs to be this long. You could probably save an hour or two just by halving the number of times it is clarified that the various Astartes embrace "in the manner of warriors".
The prose is so stodgy and just filled with unnecessary and excessive exposition. It's in the dialogue, it's in the internal monologue. It's everywhere. This is, what, book 30 in this series? You have to act like you and your reader aren't new. I'm not saying don't give context or explain things that need it, but a painstakingly long and detailed scene 30 books in that has everyone standing around pontificating in depth about what a Geller Field is and why entities of the warp might want to turn it off is absolutely painful and like including an 80/90s explanation of what an EMP is. We get it!
Not only is everything told, rather than being shown, but the prose itself is just unbelievably lacklustre and unenegaging. There's just no spark, soul, or fire in anything. I'm someone who becomes way to engaged and emotionally evolved in these ridiculous stories and I am here for that, but every word just slid off my brain into a bowl of cold, grey porridge.
The characters are completely one-dimensional and set on plot rails, which makes the inclusion of so many tropes and explicit references feel more like Ready Player One than having fun with brick subtle allusions like Kyme managed in Fear of Iron and Abnett One-upped with the joyous ridiculousness of Unmarked. I couldn't tell you a second thing about anyone or anything that happened because there's nothing beneath the surface of any of it. Not even including a weird aspect of Magnus playing who's on first made me want to do anything but tear my ears off. That could have been a fun moment in what could have been an emotionally resonant scene, but for the wooden characters outfitted with cardboard.
I'm losing my will to live and not liking just how negative and disparaging I'm being writing this review, but there's no other way I can express just how bad this book is. The dialogue is rote and inhuman, but not in a transhuman way, the action just happens and isn't anything at all, the baddies could be swapped with anyone and barely have any impact on anything at all.
It's. Bad.
It's just bad and I feel awful that I don't have a single positive thing to say about it.
I genuinely thought I was going to give this a two because I save ones for things that I genuinely hate and/ or are actually hateful and harmful themselves, but I have to be honest with myself that I hate this book.
I hate it because I love this series, a series I've dedicated the majority of my time this year to and am working on ridiculous documents, checklists, curating sources to make consuming it and everything 40K all the more easier for myself and others, a ludicrous endeavour, for fun and hyperfixation, and this book is just comes out nowhere and is nothing like of anything else, nothing like the quality that I have come to expect from this series. Beyond that even, sometimes I might say a story feels less Horus Heresy and more generic 40K, which is a whole huge swathe of books has a much wider spectrum of quality and styles that I am not disparaging by expecting the Horus Heresy to be better than the average of because it is a prestige series--it's THE prestige series that people with zero interest in the hobby or anything else actually read and enjoy, and it should be even more lauded and acknowledged because of its usual quality...where was I going with this? I'm saying this is bad by the standards of the less good end of the 4OK spectrum.
Again, this isn't all on Kyme, and I genuinely feel for anyone involved in editing this that tried their best to make it better, but it needed so much more cooking and I as silly and over the top I have been in this review, I mean everything I've said, and I am serious when I say that I categorically don't think Black Library should have published this book in this condition. It's not fair to the reader, the series, and it's not fair to Kyme to be honest. They are a much better writer than this when there is more development and editing going on.
The cherry on the cake is that for all the agonising 15 hours and 25 minutes the events of this book are absolutely inconsequential and anything of import can be summed up in two sentences and was explicitly obvious from the start of this book, if not already from other books and stories. Now, I am all for inconsequential and determined stories, we've know the main beats and end of the Horus Heresy since before the first book was written, but it has to be well done and interesting, if you're going to use trite horror clichés and sledgehammer subtle references they have to be used with care and quality.
I don't have an issue with any of the obvious or low hanging fruit stuff in this book. My objection is how poorly they are all employed.
I don't like what this book and this review have brought out of me and I'm going to just take a breath, move on, and do everything in my power to never think about this book ever again.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read 39 Horus Heresy novels (inc. 1 repeat and 4 anthologies), 22 novellas (inc. 2 repeats), 124 short stories/ audio dramas (inc. 10+ repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 3 Characters novels, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here ().
OK. Time for one of my rare withcindy style disclaimers about how this review is just my personal opinion and entertainment purposes and only intended to be read by readers and not the author or anyone too close to the author.
I have to be honest and say I hated this.
Hate is probably too strong a word to use, but getting through this book was an ordeal.
I try to be positive or at least constructive, but anyone who has seen my updates while reading this and my partner when checking in on me as they were concerned about the noises this book was eliciting from me, are aware that this book turned me into a petulant child. I am going to do my best to be constructive and respectful in this review, but it is going to be difficult.
Following the events of Vulkan Lives, and The Unremembered Empire, and running parallel with Angels Caliban and Ruinstorm, Deathfire picks up the thread of the Pyre Guard Captain Numeon and the Salamander's Primarch Vulkan who is currently in deathlike state after being stabbed with the Fulgerite Spear, as the remaining Salamanders on Macragge traverse the Ruinstorm to return to Nocturne where Numeon believes he will be restored in the flames of Mount Deathfire with an uneasy alliance of Word Bearers and Death Guard harrying them the whole way.
This book is unlike any other Horus Heresy book I have read and I genuinely don't know what happened, but it's nearly twice the length and less than half the quality of the rest of the series.
Before getting into too much more I want to say that I had no idea this book had been dividing people and a hot topic since its release, so I went in with zero expectations either way. This was just a new Horus Heresy novel for me by Nick Kyme, not necessarily my favourite Black Library author, but one whose works I have enjoyed. For context, I was originally very positive on Promethean Sun, but was more tepid on it recently. I thoroughly enjoy the Vulkan half of Vulkan Lives, the other half less so. I'm pretty sure I had a decent time with Scorched Earth. But, Feat of Iron is genuinely one of my favourite novellas or stories from the series and, in the time I've had between attempted at completing this series over the years, it is the one that stays with me; the imagery of the personified Imperial Aquila and the all the mythological imagery and allusions are quintessential Horus Heresy for me. Feat of Iron is subtle as a brick, but I genuinely do adore it.
I think the core problem of the many with this book is one that directly impacts everything else and I have to say is as a fault of Black Library as it is Nick Kyme, which is the fact that this book does not seem to have ever heard of drafting or editing. This reads like it was a passion project of a one person band who wrote successive chapters, posting them on a blog, perhaps for NanoWrimo, and just put them all together at the end and called it a book.
There has to be something going on here because, while the quality of the Horus Heresy does vacillate somewhat with some books being more beautifully crafted and engaging than others, no other book suffers from the catalogue of flaws this one does. I'm talking subjectively, but there are metrics with which writing is writing is objectively judged and this seems like it might actually be objectively bad.
Now, I'm not saying anyone is wrong for liking this and I don't want to spoil anyone's fun. Liking things is almost always preferable, and I am a big supporter of the joys of subjectivity. I know I've had very different reactions to things--some people are tepid on After Desh'ea by Matthew Farrer and it's one of my favourite short stories or all time, always leaving me a sobbing and bawling mess, and I think Sanguinius: The Great Angel by Chris Wraight is the most perfect thing Black Library have published and captured the essence of Warhammer 40,000 and the Imperium like nothing else, while a lot of people don't care for it at all.
There is a propensity for comparing bad writing to fanfiction, which is unfair and elitist with some works of fanfiction being markedly better than published works. This is extremely evident if you look at almost unanimous reaction of the Warhammer community to the work of one 40K author in particular to the point where there is a conspiracy around their name being a pseudonym for any Black Library author not comfortable to put their own name a work BL want to publish (I've not read this author yet, but I've seen backflip discourse from more than just those who are currently in a death spiral of rage because there are female Custodes now, something I personally think is good, actually) and any of the comments on narrations of fanfiction by the various channels who do that on YouTube, which are absolutely filled with outpourings of praise appreciation. What I think people actually mean when they compare something to fanfiction is the distinct lack of development and editing that is evident in quite a lot of fanfiction, a whole bunch of published works too!
This lack of development and editing is seriously on display in this book in every area.
First of all it is ungodly long for no godly reason. The plot is pretty much as straight forward as that of Mad Max: Fury Road. Just swap the starting point to Macragge the middle point to on the way to Terra and the end point to Nocturne and it takes just a few detours and deviations. There is no reason, beyond just how bloated and repetitive the prose is, that this story needs to be this long. You could probably save an hour or two just by halving the number of times it is clarified that the various Astartes embrace "in the manner of warriors".
The prose is so stodgy and just filled with unnecessary and excessive exposition. It's in the dialogue, it's in the internal monologue. It's everywhere. This is, what, book 30 in this series? You have to act like you and your reader aren't new. I'm not saying don't give context or explain things that need it, but a painstakingly long and detailed scene 30 books in that has everyone standing around pontificating in depth about what a Geller Field is and why entities of the warp might want to turn it off is absolutely painful and like including an 80/90s explanation of what an EMP is. We get it!
Not only is everything told, rather than being shown, but the prose itself is just unbelievably lacklustre and unenegaging. There's just no spark, soul, or fire in anything. I'm someone who becomes way to engaged and emotionally evolved in these ridiculous stories and I am here for that, but every word just slid off my brain into a bowl of cold, grey porridge.
The characters are completely one-dimensional and set on plot rails, which makes the inclusion of so many tropes and explicit references feel more like Ready Player One than having fun with brick subtle allusions like Kyme managed in Fear of Iron and Abnett One-upped with the joyous ridiculousness of Unmarked. I couldn't tell you a second thing about anyone or anything that happened because there's nothing beneath the surface of any of it. Not even including a weird aspect of Magnus playing who's on first made me want to do anything but tear my ears off. That could have been a fun moment in what could have been an emotionally resonant scene, but for the wooden characters outfitted with cardboard.
I'm losing my will to live and not liking just how negative and disparaging I'm being writing this review, but there's no other way I can express just how bad this book is. The dialogue is rote and inhuman, but not in a transhuman way, the action just happens and isn't anything at all, the baddies could be swapped with anyone and barely have any impact on anything at all.
It's. Bad.
It's just bad and I feel awful that I don't have a single positive thing to say about it.
I genuinely thought I was going to give this a two because I save ones for things that I genuinely hate and/ or are actually hateful and harmful themselves, but I have to be honest with myself that I hate this book.
I hate it because I love this series, a series I've dedicated the majority of my time this year to and am working on ridiculous documents, checklists, curating sources to make consuming it and everything 40K all the more easier for myself and others, a ludicrous endeavour, for fun and hyperfixation, and this book is just comes out nowhere and is nothing like of anything else, nothing like the quality that I have come to expect from this series. Beyond that even, sometimes I might say a story feels less Horus Heresy and more generic 40K, which is a whole huge swathe of books has a much wider spectrum of quality and styles that I am not disparaging by expecting the Horus Heresy to be better than the average of because it is a prestige series--it's THE prestige series that people with zero interest in the hobby or anything else actually read and enjoy, and it should be even more lauded and acknowledged because of its usual quality...where was I going with this? I'm saying this is bad by the standards of the less good end of the 4OK spectrum.
Again, this isn't all on Kyme, and I genuinely feel for anyone involved in editing this that tried their best to make it better, but it needed so much more cooking and I as silly and over the top I have been in this review, I mean everything I've said, and I am serious when I say that I categorically don't think Black Library should have published this book in this condition. It's not fair to the reader, the series, and it's not fair to Kyme to be honest. They are a much better writer than this when there is more development and editing going on.
The cherry on the cake is that for all the agonising 15 hours and 25 minutes the events of this book are absolutely inconsequential and anything of import can be summed up in two sentences and was explicitly obvious from the start of this book, if not already from other books and stories. Now, I am all for inconsequential and determined stories, we've know the main beats and end of the Horus Heresy since before the first book was written, but it has to be well done and interesting, if you're going to use trite horror clichés and sledgehammer subtle references they have to be used with care and quality.
I don't have an issue with any of the obvious or low hanging fruit stuff in this book. My objection is how poorly they are all employed.
I don't like what this book and this review have brought out of me and I'm going to just take a breath, move on, and do everything in my power to never think about this book ever again.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read 39 Horus Heresy novels (inc. 1 repeat and 4 anthologies), 22 novellas (inc. 2 repeats), 124 short stories/ audio dramas (inc. 10+ repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 3 Characters novels, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here ().
March 25, 2016
Oh boy, I don't even know how to begin. This has been a rather..... controversial book since it originally came out early this year, with a whole hell of a lot of internet whining, and a nice spread of "I enjoyed it"'s. For example, my go to Warhammer novel man, didn't like it. When I started the book, I was met with some variety of "Oh god". And while I will agree it was not the best Horus Heresy book in the series, it wasn't the worst either. It seems like the author could REALLY work on the whole "Show, don't tell" aspect of writing, because he really told us much more than he showed us. *Some of the events and characters/character appearances made literally no sense. Some of the characters felt 100% different than last time we saw them, namely Narek, and then some were just really, really lame(). Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of really strong parts of the book, namely the whole "Odyssey" from Macragge to Nocturne. A lot of that was awesomely done. The Word Bearers, the Sisters, were a blast to read about, and I think would have made for a truly terrifying trip. That said, it didn't feel like the Ruinstorm was really THAT impossible to get through. I enjoyed a lot of the book, but it was a book with a lot of flaws as well. I definitely don't regret buying/reading the wonderfully presented hardcover, so if you're a fan of the Horus Heresy, or the Salamanders, I think you should definitely give it a try!
***Possible Major Spoilers****
Am I the only one thinking "why the hell did Magnus even show up"? Did the folks at BL really think that was a good use for the Crimson King? "He'll show up for a small portion of 1 chapter, do some magic that is really just plot armour for the Salamanders, and then fuck off". I mean, I know Magnus is kind of 'split up' right now, and could have a lot of different 'hims' floating around, but it just seemed like a really stupid use for him.
Also, did the Death Guard warlord and Numeon really just get within sword range of eachother and the Death Guard just boast, then immediately die? We didn't even get to see him in action whatsoever? I mean, I get that this is a Salamanders novel, but when the secondary faction is made to sound completely useless/like children, it just always rubs me wrong. Maybe I'm just much more of a Death Guard fan than a Salamanders fan, but still. That was bad.
***Possible Major Spoilers****
Am I the only one thinking "why the hell did Magnus even show up"? Did the folks at BL really think that was a good use for the Crimson King? "He'll show up for a small portion of 1 chapter, do some magic that is really just plot armour for the Salamanders, and then fuck off". I mean, I know Magnus is kind of 'split up' right now, and could have a lot of different 'hims' floating around, but it just seemed like a really stupid use for him.
Also, did the Death Guard warlord and Numeon really just get within sword range of eachother and the Death Guard just boast, then immediately die? We didn't even get to see him in action whatsoever? I mean, I get that this is a Salamanders novel, but when the secondary faction is made to sound completely useless/like children, it just always rubs me wrong. Maybe I'm just much more of a Death Guard fan than a Salamanders fan, but still. That was bad.
August 18, 2015
This was going to be a rant. A rant pretty much in the same vein as the rant about Nick Kyme's last attempt.
A rant about his pathetic dialogue, horrendous scene-setting and forgettable characters.
A rant about how in two books he's done nothing but stretch out an already bloated series for no discernible reason or payoff.
This book's unrelenting tedium has stolen even that from me.
The sheer torpor of what I've experienced has stolen even the anger about the hours wasted ploughing through this dreck.
I'm too tired of Nick bloody Kyme's dull bloody books about the bloody Salamanders that I can't be mithered ranting about the gross unrelenting pointlessness of it all.
It's shite. Avoid.
A rant about his pathetic dialogue, horrendous scene-setting and forgettable characters.
A rant about how in two books he's done nothing but stretch out an already bloated series for no discernible reason or payoff.
This book's unrelenting tedium has stolen even that from me.
The sheer torpor of what I've experienced has stolen even the anger about the hours wasted ploughing through this dreck.
I'm too tired of Nick bloody Kyme's dull bloody books about the bloody Salamanders that I can't be mithered ranting about the gross unrelenting pointlessness of it all.
It's shite. Avoid.
January 11, 2016
What the hell did I just read?
December 10, 2024
This isn’t a deep book or something that will cause you to reflect. It is an Odyssey like story with superhuman soldiers flying through the dangers of a chaos infested space to revive their demigod father on their home world by throwing him into a big volcano. It is a story that depicts radicalism and unyielding faith. In a way it is also a focus on the perseverance of humans and strength of will. But, most importantly, it is about superhumans fighting other “evil� superhumans and demons using crazy tech, flamethrowers and chainsaw swords. Deathfire, if nothing else, is an incredibly fun read. It’s overly badass and over the top and the author knows that and leans into it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2018
3.5/5 y lo dejo en tres, porque he leído en los últimos meses otras lecturas mejores que esta y ya les puse 4 estrellas dudando.
Sobre esta lectura no hay mucho que comentar, si has leído la herejía de Horus o estas en ello ya sabes de lo que va, y si no, pues solo imaginarte que esta es la 32 entrega de esa saga ya te dará dolor de cabeza.
Resumiendo un poco, me ha gustado profundizar en la legión de los Salamandras, la gran cantidad de acción que hay durante toda la trama y sobre todo, el final. Muy bueno y que te deja con ganas de más.
En el aspecto negativo, quizás la trama se alarga demasiado y a los personajes les falta algo de carisma.
Como siempre os dejo el enlace a mi blog por si queréis darle una ojeada a la reseña que dejé allí:
Sobre esta lectura no hay mucho que comentar, si has leído la herejía de Horus o estas en ello ya sabes de lo que va, y si no, pues solo imaginarte que esta es la 32 entrega de esa saga ya te dará dolor de cabeza.
Resumiendo un poco, me ha gustado profundizar en la legión de los Salamandras, la gran cantidad de acción que hay durante toda la trama y sobre todo, el final. Muy bueno y que te deja con ganas de más.
En el aspecto negativo, quizás la trama se alarga demasiado y a los personajes les falta algo de carisma.
Como siempre os dejo el enlace a mi blog por si queréis darle una ojeada a la reseña que dejé allí:
February 11, 2018
This is a 50/50. I liked it as much as I did not. The main characters and the main plot of the story is quite interesting, but it was ooooh soooo unnecessarily stretched out. Also I feel like Death Guard could've been replaced with any other traitor legion and it won't change the plot much, for they appear rather plain and character-less. Some episodes were rather confusing. I appreciated the loyalty and the struggle of Sallies though.
May 22, 2022
Great payoff to the recent Imperium Secundus / Salamanders arc. When this series gets it right, it nails it. It’s just a shame it’s so infrequent.
August 16, 2019
I'm not a Salamander player....but this book makes me want to paint green Space Marines. This book has everything you would want if you're chapter was in the spotlight. Great character arcs, awesomely described fights and struggles against the warp, heretical legions and a Primarch's fate in the balance. THIS BOOK WAS AN AWESOME READ!!!!!
July 27, 2023
possibly the worst so far
November 24, 2018
It was ok. Glad to be moving on to the next book in the series. Happy to have seen the Salamanders up close as I knew very little about their Legion. Glad the book gave some resolution. Think it could have been better served by being a novella.
May 1, 2019
The book in which Nick Kyme discovered the words egress, ingress and presage.
This had one of the best depictions of warp travel and the toll it takes on people. A pretty good read.
This had one of the best depictions of warp travel and the toll it takes on people. A pretty good read.
April 11, 2024
No está mal la novela, es bastante predecible, pero los personajes son interesantes. El único que me choca un poco es Numeon, que llega momentos en los que es realmente cansino.
January 5, 2025
Oh how I dislike Salamanders. Such a boring books.
August 21, 2021
I would avoid this installment unless you are a really devoted fan of the Salamanders. The story loosely mirrors the plot of Homer’s Odyssey, but there is so much tedium that it is hard for the gems of the book to carry the plot. Barthusa Narek’s story arc (and the loose basis on the odyssey, even if stretched out far too long) saves this book from only being one star.
April 6, 2016
I didn't dislike this one exactly (despite it's occasionally remedial grasp on lore) I just couldn't get into it. I took forever to read it because I just wasn't excited to get back to it and I did something else instead when I would normally be reading, which is really the book's worst sin as like most people I know I'm already an entire book case behind in my intended reading not even counting my growing eBook collection.
This one started out promisingly in Imperium Secundus looking like it might follow the trend of Unremembered Empire, Know no Fear and Betrayer, and continue to progress multiple Heresy plot lines in a meaningful way, but it quickly becomes apparent that its nods in this direction consist of little more than a series of cameos by familiar faces waving goodbye to the Salamanders as they go back off on their solo plot which has arguably already gone on too long.
The characters are mostly pretty forgettable, particularly the Salamanders themselves who's unpronounceable names don't do them any favors. There's Captain Numeon of course who is the only one I can match with his name even this soon after reading, the Chaplin, the Veteran Sergeant, the Librarian and the PTSD/survivors guilt Pyroclast who just wants to die fighting who's names seem to consist entirely of V's R's K's and apostrophes which added to the fact that their first and last names are used interchangeably, but almost never together, makes it difficult to keep track of who is being spoken to or about at any given time. Vulkan himself is usually an interesting character but he spends the whole time laying in state despite Grammaticus' wishy washy flip flop of a sacrifice.
The Bad guy's are pretty generic, there's the Preacher who wants to steal the Fulgerite and take credit for Vulkan's death and the two stompy goons who work for him even though one thinks he's in charge because the has the biggest ship.
Fortunately Barthusa Narek is still present in the story and he remains the most interesting character, if a bit under used.
There is also a visitation from an undecided major player who's actions were well handled to indicate that he may have chosen either side, neither side or just plain gone bonkers.
The action was pretty good for the most part with a few boarding actions, some decent ship to ship combat, a reasonably creepy warp incursion and a big set piece with at least two simultaneous Deus ex Machina.
The plot is pretty simple and not really enough to fill a novel with. The Salamanders fall out into two opinions: "Vulkan Lives!" and "Vulkan should be put to rest so we can move on." Fortunately both factions agree that Vulkan should be tossed into a Volcano on Nocturne either way so the argument is pretty much moot from the get go. There are a few arguments but since no one actually wants to do anything differently until after the funeral no one's mind is changed and they sail into the Ruin Storm, where everything is given slightly off (Gothic) versions of names from the Odyssey, attempting to reach Nocturne while being pursued by a couple of trader ships.
This story should have been included as secondary plot in a meatier book or if BL is only willing to trust Abnett or ABD with multiple plot lines at once, folded into whatever is planned for the third installment or even striped to novella length and included in the next inevitable Heresy collection.
This one started out promisingly in Imperium Secundus looking like it might follow the trend of Unremembered Empire, Know no Fear and Betrayer, and continue to progress multiple Heresy plot lines in a meaningful way, but it quickly becomes apparent that its nods in this direction consist of little more than a series of cameos by familiar faces waving goodbye to the Salamanders as they go back off on their solo plot which has arguably already gone on too long.
The characters are mostly pretty forgettable, particularly the Salamanders themselves who's unpronounceable names don't do them any favors. There's Captain Numeon of course who is the only one I can match with his name even this soon after reading, the Chaplin, the Veteran Sergeant, the Librarian and the PTSD/survivors guilt Pyroclast who just wants to die fighting who's names seem to consist entirely of V's R's K's and apostrophes which added to the fact that their first and last names are used interchangeably, but almost never together, makes it difficult to keep track of who is being spoken to or about at any given time. Vulkan himself is usually an interesting character but he spends the whole time laying in state despite Grammaticus' wishy washy flip flop of a sacrifice.
The Bad guy's are pretty generic, there's the Preacher who wants to steal the Fulgerite and take credit for Vulkan's death and the two stompy goons who work for him even though one thinks he's in charge because the has the biggest ship.
Fortunately Barthusa Narek is still present in the story and he remains the most interesting character, if a bit under used.
There is also a visitation from an undecided major player who's actions were well handled to indicate that he may have chosen either side, neither side or just plain gone bonkers.
The action was pretty good for the most part with a few boarding actions, some decent ship to ship combat, a reasonably creepy warp incursion and a big set piece with at least two simultaneous Deus ex Machina.
The plot is pretty simple and not really enough to fill a novel with. The Salamanders fall out into two opinions: "Vulkan Lives!" and "Vulkan should be put to rest so we can move on." Fortunately both factions agree that Vulkan should be tossed into a Volcano on Nocturne either way so the argument is pretty much moot from the get go. There are a few arguments but since no one actually wants to do anything differently until after the funeral no one's mind is changed and they sail into the Ruin Storm, where everything is given slightly off (Gothic) versions of names from the Odyssey, attempting to reach Nocturne while being pursued by a couple of trader ships.
This story should have been included as secondary plot in a meatier book or if BL is only willing to trust Abnett or ABD with multiple plot lines at once, folded into whatever is planned for the third installment or even striped to novella length and included in the next inevitable Heresy collection.
October 5, 2017
Not quite the strongest entries in the long-running Horus Heresy series, Deathfire is still an entertaining, engaging read from veteran Salamanders writer Nick Kyme that looks at what happens after Vulkan, the Primarch of the Salamanders is slain. The Salamanders themselves are at a crossroads, saved only from certain death by a miraculous intervention by the Ultramarines. Artellus Numeon, a Pyre Guard, wants to return Vulkan to his homeworld so he can be reborn in the flames of Mount Deathfire - but the Salamanders themselves are facing the biggest test in their history without their Primarch, and the journey back home will be a deadly one that may not even be successful.
Entertaining and enjoyable to read, Numeon anchors the core of the book. Whilst there are guest appearances from multiple Primarchs including those of the Ultramarines and the Dark Angels, Deathfire never feels like a who's who of the 31st Millenium, instead keeping its attention focused on Numeon and the Salamanders journey. Some word choices get a bit repetitive (don't play a drinking game with how many times you'll see the words "Vulkan Lives" in this book), and the plot is a bit thin, drawn out over the course of its pages, it still remains enjoyable enough to read.
The most interesting parts revolve around the relationships between the various Primarchs despite Numeon's character being thrust front and centre. The main story feels almost like it was initially intended to be a novella before it was stretched out to a full book, which is its main problem. But the slog through to get to the end is worth it as the final act of the book is absolutely spectacular, and really worth sticking with it until the end. Explosive battle sequences are no stranger to any writer of the Warhammer universe and Kyme can write them incredibly well. I was gripped - it was just a shame that it came to an end just as soon as it got going.
I really need to get caught up on the Horus Heresy soon. I've been falling behind for a while.
Entertaining and enjoyable to read, Numeon anchors the core of the book. Whilst there are guest appearances from multiple Primarchs including those of the Ultramarines and the Dark Angels, Deathfire never feels like a who's who of the 31st Millenium, instead keeping its attention focused on Numeon and the Salamanders journey. Some word choices get a bit repetitive (don't play a drinking game with how many times you'll see the words "Vulkan Lives" in this book), and the plot is a bit thin, drawn out over the course of its pages, it still remains enjoyable enough to read.
The most interesting parts revolve around the relationships between the various Primarchs despite Numeon's character being thrust front and centre. The main story feels almost like it was initially intended to be a novella before it was stretched out to a full book, which is its main problem. But the slog through to get to the end is worth it as the final act of the book is absolutely spectacular, and really worth sticking with it until the end. Explosive battle sequences are no stranger to any writer of the Warhammer universe and Kyme can write them incredibly well. I was gripped - it was just a shame that it came to an end just as soon as it got going.
I really need to get caught up on the Horus Heresy soon. I've been falling behind for a while.
April 8, 2024
There are others that have already written much better explanations why this book is a weak entry into the heresy series.
I was already apprehensive of the book seeing as it was written by Kyme but, as a completionist and salamanders fan ( I own an army of them), I had to satisfy my morbid curiosity and see just how much would Kyme be able to screw them over.
This book is barely a 2 stars (more like a 1.5, and even that is stretching it) but I really liked the way Kyme wrote Narek and most of the minor characters like Thiel and Inviglio and especially Quor Gallek, Xenut Sul and Degat.
It figures that the one entrusted to write about the salamanders in the warhammer univers would write better characters of literally everyone else than them. I bet Tzeentch is having a laugh or two about it.
Having written almost anything written by Kyme (missedjust Promethean Sun) about the Salamanders I can conclude that he either doesn't really understand the Warhammer 40K universe or, if he does, then he doesn't care and instead tries to introduce stuff that he thinks is cool or just different into 40K without knowing how to make it fit in.
Some of the things in this book that show that in the spoilers section:
SPOILERS (some of them)
Kyme doesn't know how to write Primarchs. They are literal demigods walking amongst mortals whose presence is intimidating and awe inspiring to regular humans and Astartes alike. But Guilliman, the Lion and Even Sanguinius appear bland and uninspiring. The salamanders (Numeon and Zytos) act like brats being upset which somehow justifies acting borderline insolent towards these almost godlike figures. The only one who slightly resembles the primarchs of other better novels is Magnus in his baffling and confused short appearance.
Kyme has no sense of scale. The Salamander ship, The Charybdis is a battlebarge which is about 9 to 10 km long and maybe 2 km abeam. Now in the novel it flies for several minutes inside another bigger ship destroyed in the previously space battles around Macragge because it would take longer to go around it. WTF?! That means this ship should be hundreds of kilometers long and many dozens wide to allow for that...I've seen estimates thrown around for Abyss class ships of anywhere from over 20 to 50 km long but that still wouldn't allow a battlebarge to fly through it for minutes... The only thing that springs to mind is a space hulk (which is a conglomeration of warp fused ships for many hundreds of km) but there is no mention of that.
Kyme doesn't understand the warp. The manifestation of warp has some very specific signs (cold, frost, rime, uneasiness, making people throw up, etc) There is NOTHING like that when the manifestation (I kid you not) of the little girl from the movie The Ring appears to torment and kill the crew and some of the Astartes...supposedly the demon girls would be aligned with Slanesh, but there is literally nothing that shows it except some references to "six is the sacred number" and the like.
This was also evident in another sort story he wrote (can't remember the title) where it's clear that he doesn't understand the nature of the warp. The story has in it actual ghosts or spirits that act like ghosts from any dozen of ghost movies and that have NO relation to the warp...it is so un40k like, it's jarring.
Kyme misses the mark on the age of the captain of Charybdis, Kolo Adyssian, who is depicted as being in his early 30's. In a setting where life extension drugs and treatments exist for powerful people and where captains of important ships ( a Legion Battlebarge should qualify) are commonly depicted as being close to 100 years old if not more the fact that we have a captain in his early 30's is treated as something normal...no big deal. He isn't a tactical genius, an inspiring presence, a mastermind of void warfare... he actually appears as pretty normal and average. I think ( I don't remember precisely, it was so boring) he got the rank because the previous captain died, but even then there is no mention as being a big deal for someone so young to take command of a space marine battle barge... I mean if he was the second he should be groomed for a long time to eventually take command of such an important vessel.
Kyme doesn't know how to write planetary invasion. Leaving aside the ridiculous land battles (dragons and wyrms slaughtering the Death Guard invaders which then disappear conveniently when the Salamanders need to take the center stage with a counter attack) the fact that one Space marine Battle barge can freely engage, bombard and effect a planetary assault on a Legion Homeworld uncontested by defense ships, orbital stations, land based defense systems and aircraft is RIDICULOUS.
And Kyme does it again in the Tome of Fire trilogy which takes place in M41. At least there there are more invading ships and fewer Salamanders (just chapter strength, not a legion anymore) to fight back...but still.
Kyme doesn't know how to write a good subversion. Malig Laestygon, the Death Guard commander is set up as this glory seeking brute that gets an ignominious death (decapitation via one blow) by the hand of Numeon. I get that Kyme wanted to show he was more bluster than real skill, and that he dies ingloriously when all he has been seeking is to be remembered as the Space Marine who killed a primarch (Vulkan) but come on! he wants me to believe he can be killed in one blow when standing face to face with a not even particularly good warrior without even trying to parry or avoid the blow?! What is more funny (or sad) is that Numeon is not even a good fighter and is a far cry from the likes of Sigismund, Loken, Lucius, Sharrowkyn, Kharn, Sevatar andso many others. Actually the Salamanders don't seem to be particularly good at close combat. Well, sometimes they are and sometime they aren't....very inconsistent.
Also, Kyme would like me to believe that a Death Guard Commander (who has to be at least a decent warrior beside being a leader) would be basically executed without any fuss? Give me a break.
I know this is a pet peeve of mine but I am sick of Kyme's Salamanders that are always in need of being rescued by others, whether it's ultramarines, or Narek of the Word, or Marines Malevolent (in Tome of Fire) or someone else they come across as somewhat incompetent and actually not that formidable ...well at this point I've given up that there will actually be a good book about the Salamanders. At least I have ADB's Night Lords trilogy or the Word bearers omnibus to fall back on ;)
I was already apprehensive of the book seeing as it was written by Kyme but, as a completionist and salamanders fan ( I own an army of them), I had to satisfy my morbid curiosity and see just how much would Kyme be able to screw them over.
This book is barely a 2 stars (more like a 1.5, and even that is stretching it) but I really liked the way Kyme wrote Narek and most of the minor characters like Thiel and Inviglio and especially Quor Gallek, Xenut Sul and Degat.
It figures that the one entrusted to write about the salamanders in the warhammer univers would write better characters of literally everyone else than them. I bet Tzeentch is having a laugh or two about it.
Having written almost anything written by Kyme (missedjust Promethean Sun) about the Salamanders I can conclude that he either doesn't really understand the Warhammer 40K universe or, if he does, then he doesn't care and instead tries to introduce stuff that he thinks is cool or just different into 40K without knowing how to make it fit in.
Some of the things in this book that show that in the spoilers section:
SPOILERS (some of them)
Kyme doesn't know how to write Primarchs. They are literal demigods walking amongst mortals whose presence is intimidating and awe inspiring to regular humans and Astartes alike. But Guilliman, the Lion and Even Sanguinius appear bland and uninspiring. The salamanders (Numeon and Zytos) act like brats being upset which somehow justifies acting borderline insolent towards these almost godlike figures. The only one who slightly resembles the primarchs of other better novels is Magnus in his baffling and confused short appearance.
Kyme has no sense of scale. The Salamander ship, The Charybdis is a battlebarge which is about 9 to 10 km long and maybe 2 km abeam. Now in the novel it flies for several minutes inside another bigger ship destroyed in the previously space battles around Macragge because it would take longer to go around it. WTF?! That means this ship should be hundreds of kilometers long and many dozens wide to allow for that...I've seen estimates thrown around for Abyss class ships of anywhere from over 20 to 50 km long but that still wouldn't allow a battlebarge to fly through it for minutes... The only thing that springs to mind is a space hulk (which is a conglomeration of warp fused ships for many hundreds of km) but there is no mention of that.
Kyme doesn't understand the warp. The manifestation of warp has some very specific signs (cold, frost, rime, uneasiness, making people throw up, etc) There is NOTHING like that when the manifestation (I kid you not) of the little girl from the movie The Ring appears to torment and kill the crew and some of the Astartes...supposedly the demon girls would be aligned with Slanesh, but there is literally nothing that shows it except some references to "six is the sacred number" and the like.
This was also evident in another sort story he wrote (can't remember the title) where it's clear that he doesn't understand the nature of the warp. The story has in it actual ghosts or spirits that act like ghosts from any dozen of ghost movies and that have NO relation to the warp...it is so un40k like, it's jarring.
Kyme misses the mark on the age of the captain of Charybdis, Kolo Adyssian, who is depicted as being in his early 30's. In a setting where life extension drugs and treatments exist for powerful people and where captains of important ships ( a Legion Battlebarge should qualify) are commonly depicted as being close to 100 years old if not more the fact that we have a captain in his early 30's is treated as something normal...no big deal. He isn't a tactical genius, an inspiring presence, a mastermind of void warfare... he actually appears as pretty normal and average. I think ( I don't remember precisely, it was so boring) he got the rank because the previous captain died, but even then there is no mention as being a big deal for someone so young to take command of a space marine battle barge... I mean if he was the second he should be groomed for a long time to eventually take command of such an important vessel.
Kyme doesn't know how to write planetary invasion. Leaving aside the ridiculous land battles (dragons and wyrms slaughtering the Death Guard invaders which then disappear conveniently when the Salamanders need to take the center stage with a counter attack) the fact that one Space marine Battle barge can freely engage, bombard and effect a planetary assault on a Legion Homeworld uncontested by defense ships, orbital stations, land based defense systems and aircraft is RIDICULOUS.
And Kyme does it again in the Tome of Fire trilogy which takes place in M41. At least there there are more invading ships and fewer Salamanders (just chapter strength, not a legion anymore) to fight back...but still.
Kyme doesn't know how to write a good subversion. Malig Laestygon, the Death Guard commander is set up as this glory seeking brute that gets an ignominious death (decapitation via one blow) by the hand of Numeon. I get that Kyme wanted to show he was more bluster than real skill, and that he dies ingloriously when all he has been seeking is to be remembered as the Space Marine who killed a primarch (Vulkan) but come on! he wants me to believe he can be killed in one blow when standing face to face with a not even particularly good warrior without even trying to parry or avoid the blow?! What is more funny (or sad) is that Numeon is not even a good fighter and is a far cry from the likes of Sigismund, Loken, Lucius, Sharrowkyn, Kharn, Sevatar andso many others. Actually the Salamanders don't seem to be particularly good at close combat. Well, sometimes they are and sometime they aren't....very inconsistent.
Also, Kyme would like me to believe that a Death Guard Commander (who has to be at least a decent warrior beside being a leader) would be basically executed without any fuss? Give me a break.
I know this is a pet peeve of mine but I am sick of Kyme's Salamanders that are always in need of being rescued by others, whether it's ultramarines, or Narek of the Word, or Marines Malevolent (in Tome of Fire) or someone else they come across as somewhat incompetent and actually not that formidable ...well at this point I've given up that there will actually be a good book about the Salamanders. At least I have ADB's Night Lords trilogy or the Word bearers omnibus to fall back on ;)
July 6, 2015
This is a near mythic odyssey of the Salamanders as they try to deal with their grief over their Primarch's death as they try to bring his body back to their home world of Nocturne. It is an introspective work with some action elements that provide a welcome relief from the sadness. Kyme's writing style is almost lyrical in how bare it is. A good different read than the usual bolter porn.
March 26, 2017
It might draw the story ever away from the progression of everything towards the final battle over Tera. Being soooo many novels into this series I am not holding my breath any longer that the end will ever actually happen. However. This was a great novel with a wonderful payoff. Onto the anvil, brothers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2015
A solid entry on HH saga and if you like salamander ( and I do ) you'll enjoy this best novel in a long time .
July 27, 2023
Jako antidotum k Barbie jsem si musel dát ódu na ty nejhorší mužské vlastnosti, s povinnou porcí krve, války, patosu, poplácávání po ramenou a monster z hlubin chaosu. Prostě další Warhammer 40.000, další Horovu herezi. Tahle knížka je pokračováním románu Vulkán žije, která byla spíš řidší, a i tady jsem se začátkem knihy docela prokousával. Naštěstí se pak objeví cíl a protivníci a začlo to být zajímavější.
Celý příběh se točí kolem mrtvoly. Kolem mrtvého těla primarchy Vulkána. Leží, je probodnutý, nedýchá. Jenže Numeon, jeden z jeho pobočníků, je přesto přesvědčený, že jeho primarcha stále žije. A nějaká realita do toho nemá co mluvit. Což by mohlo být námět na scénku Monty Pythonů („tenhle Vulkán už mezi námi není, čuchá ke kytkám zespoda, je to ex-Vulkán�), ale tady je to spíš příběh na téma, kdy je fanatismus ještě dobrý a kdy už� ne, je to Warhammer. Fanatismus je vždycky dobrý.
Takže je cíl dostat mrtvého na rodnou planetu Nocturne, kde má (podle posedlého hlavního hrdiny) vstát z mrtvých. K dispozici je jedna stará loď a posledních 66 vojáků legie (a pak nějaký personál a civilové, ale ti nejsou důležití)� a s nimi je nutné dostat se skrz warpovou bouři, porazit obří kosmické lodi, které je pronásledují a dostat se k cíli s nadějí na zázrak. Celý příběh je volně inspirovaný Odysseou, ale spíš je to jen ve jménech postav a pár monstrech. Jinak se asi to nejzajímavější odehrává právě uprostřed warpu, ve scénách, které se viditelně inspirovali snímkem Horizont událostí.
Jak je svět Warhammeru v podstatě dost zvrácený a v hlavní roli máte postavy, které by všude jinde mohli sloužit jako psychopatičtí záporáci (mix inkvizice, římské armády a nacistů), tak to můžou tvůrci přehánět s patosem a velkolepostí a prochází jim to. To pnutí mezi "těmhle bych asi fandit neměl" s "jo, ale jsou to borci", funguje stále skvěle a člověk drží u knihy. Tady navíc funguje i to postupné snižování počtu postav a lakonický přístup k postupné likvidaci. Zvláště, pokud se to týká „obyčejných� lidí� zvláště, pokud mají povolání, které jim neslibuje nadějné vyhlídky, a přesto je nutné je vykonávat. Nestačí, že jste s námahou přežili jednu navigaci warpem, pro blaho legie je třeba jít do další. Umřete? Ano. Ale je to vaše práce.
Ano, autor řeší většinu problémů zásahem zatraceně deusovského exu, ale to člověk celkem čeká. Stejně tak si dost momentů vypůjčuje z klasických hororu � ale proč ne, když to funguje. Nick Kyme není z nejlepších tvůrců a je fakt, že to občas seká dost nahrubo� a vlastně oba velké závěrečné souboje ukončí hodně podobně. Je to víc béčkovější, než bývá ve Warhammeru zvykem, ale má natolik zajímavé kulisy a efekty, že mě to ve finále docela bavilo. Byť jsou určitě zajímavější příběhy a zajímavější legie.
Celý příběh se točí kolem mrtvoly. Kolem mrtvého těla primarchy Vulkána. Leží, je probodnutý, nedýchá. Jenže Numeon, jeden z jeho pobočníků, je přesto přesvědčený, že jeho primarcha stále žije. A nějaká realita do toho nemá co mluvit. Což by mohlo být námět na scénku Monty Pythonů („tenhle Vulkán už mezi námi není, čuchá ke kytkám zespoda, je to ex-Vulkán�), ale tady je to spíš příběh na téma, kdy je fanatismus ještě dobrý a kdy už� ne, je to Warhammer. Fanatismus je vždycky dobrý.
Takže je cíl dostat mrtvého na rodnou planetu Nocturne, kde má (podle posedlého hlavního hrdiny) vstát z mrtvých. K dispozici je jedna stará loď a posledních 66 vojáků legie (a pak nějaký personál a civilové, ale ti nejsou důležití)� a s nimi je nutné dostat se skrz warpovou bouři, porazit obří kosmické lodi, které je pronásledují a dostat se k cíli s nadějí na zázrak. Celý příběh je volně inspirovaný Odysseou, ale spíš je to jen ve jménech postav a pár monstrech. Jinak se asi to nejzajímavější odehrává právě uprostřed warpu, ve scénách, které se viditelně inspirovali snímkem Horizont událostí.
Jak je svět Warhammeru v podstatě dost zvrácený a v hlavní roli máte postavy, které by všude jinde mohli sloužit jako psychopatičtí záporáci (mix inkvizice, římské armády a nacistů), tak to můžou tvůrci přehánět s patosem a velkolepostí a prochází jim to. To pnutí mezi "těmhle bych asi fandit neměl" s "jo, ale jsou to borci", funguje stále skvěle a člověk drží u knihy. Tady navíc funguje i to postupné snižování počtu postav a lakonický přístup k postupné likvidaci. Zvláště, pokud se to týká „obyčejných� lidí� zvláště, pokud mají povolání, které jim neslibuje nadějné vyhlídky, a přesto je nutné je vykonávat. Nestačí, že jste s námahou přežili jednu navigaci warpem, pro blaho legie je třeba jít do další. Umřete? Ano. Ale je to vaše práce.
Ano, autor řeší většinu problémů zásahem zatraceně deusovského exu, ale to člověk celkem čeká. Stejně tak si dost momentů vypůjčuje z klasických hororu � ale proč ne, když to funguje. Nick Kyme není z nejlepších tvůrců a je fakt, že to občas seká dost nahrubo� a vlastně oba velké závěrečné souboje ukončí hodně podobně. Je to víc béčkovější, než bývá ve Warhammeru zvykem, ale má natolik zajímavé kulisy a efekty, že mě to ve finále docela bavilo. Byť jsou určitě zajímavější příběhy a zajímavější legie.
August 4, 2023
Alors, concernant ce trente-deuxième tome, nous suivons deux histoires distinctes. La première se déroule avec Numeon, un Salamanders enfermé dans des geôles et retenu donc par des hérétiques ; le Space Marines qui le fait souffrir est un Word Bearer, la légion de Lorgar Aurelian. La seconde histoire tourne autour du corps de Vulkan et le fait que les Salamanders survivants, dont Zytos et le chapelain Var'Kir, souhaiteraient que son corps regagne sa planète natale et tenter d'enlever la fulgurite de son corps. En tous les cas, ce tome est surtout pour les fans des Salamanders.
Les évènements font suite aux romans Imperium Secundus et Vulkan est en vie. Comme je l'ai cité plus haut, les Salamanders survivants veulent retourner sur Nocturne pour faire revivre leur Père génétique. Certes, une très bonne idée mais ils ne donnent aucun argument qui tiendrait la route, la majorité se résumant à dire ou à écrier « Vulkan est en vie ». J'ai envie de dire que ce n'est pas en répétant systématiquement quelque chose que cela est vrai ou que quelque chose va changer. C'est comme dire à un squelette « Allez, reviens à la vie » non stop alors que le squelette est là depuis l'époque des dinosaures, vous voyez un peu le portrait comme ça.
Après que les Ultramarines aient récupéré Numeron, qui est sans doute la meilleure partie pour moi, le souci que rencontre les Salamanders au début est que la tempête Warp ne les aide pas, que c'est assez difficile pour rentrer chez eux. De plus, un vaisseau de la Death Guard les poursuit et par la suite, cela ne fait qu'empirer. On a aussi l'apparition de Magnus et son petit complot. Bref, déjà que les survivants avaient encore en tête les massacres sur Isstvan et la mort de leur primarque, les évènements par la suite n'aident en rien. Malheureusement, c'est surtout centré aussi sur le déni que leur primarque soit mort,
Franchement, ce tome s'est trop étiré à mon goût. Je suis sûr que les Salamanders sont une légion correcte mais j'avoue m'être assez ennuyé dans cette histoire de 500 pages, surtout que cela aurait pu tenir dans un mouchoir de poche, comme une simple nouvelle de 150 pages comme on a déjà pu le voir dans d'autres tomes rassemblant des nouvelles. En conclusion, c'est déjà le second roman après le tome 31, L'héritage de la trahison, que je m'ennuie à lire cette saga. J'espère sincèrement que cela va être mieux mais beaucoup mieux dans les tomes suivants car il m'en reste encore 22 ou 23 à lire donc j'espère que les tomes suivants rattraperont l'affaire, surtout que la série de L'Hérésie d'Horus est une des sagas phare que j'adore le plus. En gros, Retour au mont Deathfire est un tome assez plat, très très moyen, sans saveur particulière.
Les évènements font suite aux romans Imperium Secundus et Vulkan est en vie. Comme je l'ai cité plus haut, les Salamanders survivants veulent retourner sur Nocturne pour faire revivre leur Père génétique. Certes, une très bonne idée mais ils ne donnent aucun argument qui tiendrait la route, la majorité se résumant à dire ou à écrier « Vulkan est en vie ». J'ai envie de dire que ce n'est pas en répétant systématiquement quelque chose que cela est vrai ou que quelque chose va changer. C'est comme dire à un squelette « Allez, reviens à la vie » non stop alors que le squelette est là depuis l'époque des dinosaures, vous voyez un peu le portrait comme ça.
Après que les Ultramarines aient récupéré Numeron, qui est sans doute la meilleure partie pour moi, le souci que rencontre les Salamanders au début est que la tempête Warp ne les aide pas, que c'est assez difficile pour rentrer chez eux. De plus, un vaisseau de la Death Guard les poursuit et par la suite, cela ne fait qu'empirer. On a aussi l'apparition de Magnus et son petit complot. Bref, déjà que les survivants avaient encore en tête les massacres sur Isstvan et la mort de leur primarque, les évènements par la suite n'aident en rien. Malheureusement, c'est surtout centré aussi sur le déni que leur primarque soit mort,
Franchement, ce tome s'est trop étiré à mon goût. Je suis sûr que les Salamanders sont une légion correcte mais j'avoue m'être assez ennuyé dans cette histoire de 500 pages, surtout que cela aurait pu tenir dans un mouchoir de poche, comme une simple nouvelle de 150 pages comme on a déjà pu le voir dans d'autres tomes rassemblant des nouvelles. En conclusion, c'est déjà le second roman après le tome 31, L'héritage de la trahison, que je m'ennuie à lire cette saga. J'espère sincèrement que cela va être mieux mais beaucoup mieux dans les tomes suivants car il m'en reste encore 22 ou 23 à lire donc j'espère que les tomes suivants rattraperont l'affaire, surtout que la série de L'Hérésie d'Horus est une des sagas phare que j'adore le plus. En gros, Retour au mont Deathfire est un tome assez plat, très très moyen, sans saveur particulière.
December 16, 2021
This book sucks so much shit.
It took me like three weeks even in half-listening audio form, partially because it is terrible and partially because it is so long compared to other, better Heresy Novels.
I’m not gonna go on and on but this is absolutely the worst piece of heresy fiction so far. The characters are flat, the legion is flat, the dialogue is bad even for space marines, the plot is the fuckin� Odyssey but dumb, the speeches are like� there’s like a hundred bravehearts worth of overwrought speeches in this book.
The writing sucks at the most fundamental level. The book is full of cliches. I can’t actually point to one but that is because there are throwaway statements by nature. But like� OK, I will show and not tell, something Kyme was clearly never told: he likes this incredibly weird phrase so much that he uses it, or something very close to it, three times in the book:
“They locked forearms in the manner of warriors.�
It sticks out, right? And I think maaaaaybe he’s like trying to establish that Salamanders have kind of a secret handshake, and it evokes a thing in MY mind, but the reader is doing ALL the lifting here. How do warriors lock forearms? Is it like a twirling thing? Probably not, but Kyme definitely does not say. Now of course to me this evokes the “Roman soldier greeting� that is basically like shaking hands but gone too far, grabbing the bracers instead of the hand. Which� I am pretty certain is actually a Hollywood thing that wasn’t actually done with any frequency in the ancient world or� later. Maybe soldiers do it not but that’s because they saw Caesar do it that time. Which is all to say that calling it “the manner of warriors� or whatever is actually debatable. Charitably, I could say that in 40K any touchstone we would understand would be warped beyond recognition in the far future but this book is not that smart. This book is actually very stupid.
This is a stupid, stupid book and I hate it. I think my new goal is to read “all the horus heresy books not by Nick Kyme.�
It took me like three weeks even in half-listening audio form, partially because it is terrible and partially because it is so long compared to other, better Heresy Novels.
I’m not gonna go on and on but this is absolutely the worst piece of heresy fiction so far. The characters are flat, the legion is flat, the dialogue is bad even for space marines, the plot is the fuckin� Odyssey but dumb, the speeches are like� there’s like a hundred bravehearts worth of overwrought speeches in this book.
The writing sucks at the most fundamental level. The book is full of cliches. I can’t actually point to one but that is because there are throwaway statements by nature. But like� OK, I will show and not tell, something Kyme was clearly never told: he likes this incredibly weird phrase so much that he uses it, or something very close to it, three times in the book:
“They locked forearms in the manner of warriors.�
It sticks out, right? And I think maaaaaybe he’s like trying to establish that Salamanders have kind of a secret handshake, and it evokes a thing in MY mind, but the reader is doing ALL the lifting here. How do warriors lock forearms? Is it like a twirling thing? Probably not, but Kyme definitely does not say. Now of course to me this evokes the “Roman soldier greeting� that is basically like shaking hands but gone too far, grabbing the bracers instead of the hand. Which� I am pretty certain is actually a Hollywood thing that wasn’t actually done with any frequency in the ancient world or� later. Maybe soldiers do it not but that’s because they saw Caesar do it that time. Which is all to say that calling it “the manner of warriors� or whatever is actually debatable. Charitably, I could say that in 40K any touchstone we would understand would be warped beyond recognition in the far future but this book is not that smart. This book is actually very stupid.
This is a stupid, stupid book and I hate it. I think my new goal is to read “all the horus heresy books not by Nick Kyme.�
May 30, 2022
Broadly, a good adventure, well told, immersive and well paced.
Well tied-in to 's , which precedes this tale, demonstrating commendable coordination between the Horus Heresy authors (Abnett having in turn picked up threads created in beforehand).
There are a few plot elements that seem rather pointless and the story would probably have been better off without the final confrontation (in its current telling anyway). Added to that the overly obvious reference to J-horror and those are the reasons for which the book doesn't get 5 stars for me, as otherwise this really was quite an engaging read (as was , from the same author and also about the Salamanders).
Per the author, part of a trilogy (along with Vulkan Lives and ) describing the story of Vulkan and the Salamanders during the Heresy, who generally had quite a low profile following Istvaan V. Not able, therefore, to comment yet on how essential the story is for the overall Horus Heresy telling.
Well tied-in to 's , which precedes this tale, demonstrating commendable coordination between the Horus Heresy authors (Abnett having in turn picked up threads created in beforehand).
There are a few plot elements that seem rather pointless and the story would probably have been better off without the final confrontation (in its current telling anyway). Added to that the overly obvious reference to J-horror and those are the reasons for which the book doesn't get 5 stars for me, as otherwise this really was quite an engaging read (as was , from the same author and also about the Salamanders).
Per the author, part of a trilogy (along with Vulkan Lives and ) describing the story of Vulkan and the Salamanders during the Heresy, who generally had quite a low profile following Istvaan V. Not able, therefore, to comment yet on how essential the story is for the overall Horus Heresy telling.
January 23, 2025
Took me like five months to finish this slog. It almost made me quit the Horus Heresy.
I can't believe it but I'm just going to say fuck it and rate this crap a one single star. In 10-star system it would be a 3. Not a solid novel. Not a decent novel. Not a fun novel. Deathfire is the continuation of the godawful trilogy of Salamander-centered novels, and they are so long, so unnecessarily purplish, so painfully elongated, and so dry and unemotional, it feels like I'm reading a fanfiction writer who paid an editor to make it sound more professional, and well, that's as close as it can get because Nick Kyme should have stayed an editor and never touched the writing keyboard.
Deathfire has no real gist, with barely anything worth mentioning or interesting scenes that stay with you. It is a pastiche of a pastiche, and it feels like Kyme doesn't actually know the Warhammer vibe and essence despite being one of the main head honchos for years. If there's an accurate way to describe this I'd say that it feels like I'm reading an AI-generated novel. Good structure and grammar punished by a lack of creativity and human touch. Everything feels so plotted, so generic, there's no room for in-depth exploration of characters, of interesting twists, subversion of ideas, or at least good dialogue to entertain yourself. No. Nothing. Deathfire is just so, so, so boring man.
I can't.
I can't believe it but I'm just going to say fuck it and rate this crap a one single star. In 10-star system it would be a 3. Not a solid novel. Not a decent novel. Not a fun novel. Deathfire is the continuation of the godawful trilogy of Salamander-centered novels, and they are so long, so unnecessarily purplish, so painfully elongated, and so dry and unemotional, it feels like I'm reading a fanfiction writer who paid an editor to make it sound more professional, and well, that's as close as it can get because Nick Kyme should have stayed an editor and never touched the writing keyboard.
Deathfire has no real gist, with barely anything worth mentioning or interesting scenes that stay with you. It is a pastiche of a pastiche, and it feels like Kyme doesn't actually know the Warhammer vibe and essence despite being one of the main head honchos for years. If there's an accurate way to describe this I'd say that it feels like I'm reading an AI-generated novel. Good structure and grammar punished by a lack of creativity and human touch. Everything feels so plotted, so generic, there's no room for in-depth exploration of characters, of interesting twists, subversion of ideas, or at least good dialogue to entertain yourself. No. Nothing. Deathfire is just so, so, so boring man.
I can't.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.