June (also May) Book Haul(s)

This contains a few books I bought in May as well.

J. R. R. Tolkien in Beren and Lúthien, 2017

“Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a fully continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of Beren and Lúthien will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Dwarves and Orcs and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth. The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.

Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal Elf. Her father, a great Elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril.

In this book Christopher Tolkien has attempted to extract the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded; but that story was itself changing as it developed new associations within the larger history. To show something of the process whereby this legend of Middle-earth evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father’s own words by giving, first, its original form, and then passages in prose and verse from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and in narrative immediacy, that were afterwards lost.”

My family is obsessed with Tolkien.  My aunt wrote her college thesis on Tolkien’s poetry and my mom reads the Lord of the Rings trilogy at least twice a year (she’s basically an expert and can answer any question about the series).  I was raised on Tolkien (and C. S. Lewis) so these books and their authors hold a special place in my heart.

As soon as I found out that the story of Beren and Lúthien was coming out I knew that I had to get it for my mom (Barnes and Nobel yo).  This is the first time the story has been told directly and I cannot wait to read it when my mom has finished.

V. E. Schwab in A Darker Shade of Magic, 2015

“Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.”

Found this one Barnes and Nobel while i was browsing around.  I thought it looked like fun, and here we are.  This is the first book in a series.

Kerby Rosanes in Mythomorphia: An Extreme Coloring and Search Challenge, 2017

I mean, it’s a colouring book.  ‘Nuff said.

.

..

…

….

…..

……

Ronlyn Domingue in Keeper of Tales Trilogy Book One: The Mapmaker’s War, 2013

“This will be the map of your heart, old woman. 

In an ancient time, in a faraway land, a young woman named Aoife is allowed a rare apprentice/ship to become her kingdom’s mapmaker, tasked with charting the entire domain. Traveling beyond its borders, she finds a secretive people who live in peace, among great wealth. They claim to protect a mythic treasure, one connected to the creation of the world. When Aoife reports their existence to her kingdom, the community is targeted as a threat. Attempting to warn them of imminent danger, Aoife is exiled for treason and finds refuge among the very people who had been declared her enemy. With them, she begins a new life surrounded by kindness, equality, and cooperation. But within herself, Aoife has no peace. She cannot share the grief she feels for the home and children she left behind. She cannot bear the warrior scars of the man she comes to love. And when she gives birth to their gifted daughter, Aoife cannot avoid what the child forces her to confront about her past and its truth. On this most important of journeys, there is no map to guide her. In this tale, her autobiography; Aoife reveals her pain and joy, and ultimately her transformation.”

Picked this up at B&N.

Guy Gavriel Kay in The Fionavar Tapestry Book One: The Summer Tree, 1984 and The Fionavar Tapestry Book Three: The Darkest Road, 1986

“Five men and women find themselves flung into the magical land of Fionavar, First of all Worlds. They have been called there by the mage Loren Silvercloak, and quickly find themselves drawn into the complex tapestry of events. For Kim, Paul, Kevin, Jennifer and Dave all have their own part to play in the coming battle against the forces of evil led by the fallen god Rakoth Maugrim and his dark hordes.

Guy Gavriel Kay’s classic epic fantasy plays out on a truly grand scale, and has already been delighting fans of imaginative fiction for twenty years.”

I found this (and the third book) at a bargain bookstore and thought the story sounded interesting.  Also, very affordable x33

Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman in Dragonships of Vindras Book Three: Rage of the Dragon, 2012

I got this book for a dollar at the bargain bookstore.  A DOLLAR, SON!  I don’t own the first two, but this is Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman we are talking about and I’ll read just about anything they write.  I am also in the process of reading the first book in the series, Bones of the Dragon, which I will eventually review whenever I finish reading it (it’s so overdue at the library).  I wont be putting the story summary because it gives away some things from the previous two books.  No spoilers here!  I am really looking forward to continuing this series.

Kevin J. Anderson in The Key to Creation, 2011

So this book here.  Wow.  I also grabbed this one for a dollar and it is also the third in a series.  I read the first book, The Edge of the World, ages ago.  It is this massive, gorgeous world whose characters have interwoven stories and there was even an album that went along with the story.  Again, I wont be posting the summary because I don’t want to give away anything from the previous books.  Now that I’ve found this one, I will have to re-read The Edge of the World meaning there will probably be a review of this series in the future.  This find has reminded me of Terra Incognita, and I am itching to read these books.

 

I also picked up the second volumes of The Dark Tower and The Girl from the Other Side.  I have yet to actually read the first volumes, but that will happen eventually, probably.  One day.

Anyway, these are the books that have joined my collection during the months of May and June.  Hopefully I get around to reading some of these soon.  I’ve got quite the list to work through!

Thanks for being here!

-Hatchet x33

[Synopses and book covers from Goodreads.com | Featured Image from Pexels.com]

 

 

‘Books’: Robin McKinley in Rose Daughter

Robin McKinley in Rose Daughter, 1997

“It is the heart of this place, and it is dying, says the Beast. And it is true; the center of the Beast’s palace, the glittering glasshouse that brings Beauty both comfort and delight in her strange new environment, is filled with leafless brown rosebushes. But deep within this enchanted world, new life, at once subtle and strong, is about to awaken.

Twenty years ago, Robin McKinley dazzled readers with the power of her novel Beauty. Now this extraordinarily gifted novelist returns to the story of Beauty and the Beast with a fresh perspective, ingenuity, and mature insight. With Rose Daughter, she presents her finest and most deeply felt work–a compelling, richly imagined, and haunting exploration of the transformative power of love.”

I adore Robin McKinley books.  Her stories are so captivating and magical while maintaining realism with her down to earth heroines.  Rose Daughter is McKinley’s second re-telling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, following Beauty and her two older sisters Lionheart and Jeweltongue as they adjust to their new life without wealth.  One of the things I love about this story is the depth of character that all three girls are given.  Despite their background roles in the over all story, Lionheart and Jeweltongue are interesting characters in their own right, not simply existing to further Beauty’s growth.  I would love to read about what Lionheart and Jeweltongue did while Beauty was tending roses in the Beast’s glasshouse.

Rose Daughter is probably my favourite version of Beauty and the Beast (yup, I like  it better than Disney.  Come. At. Me.), which is par for the course because I love McKinley versions.  Everything about the story flows naturally, the strength of our characters to step up to their circumstances is shown through their actions, and the theme of love in all its forms (romantic, familial, platonic) are expertly woven through the story.  Our leading ladies are clever, witty, engaging, and their growth is a joy a witness.

Can you tell I love this book?  Just wait until I do a write up on Spindle’s End.

Be sure to check out SurLaLune Fairy Tales, it is an incredible website with annotated fairy tales and includes versions of the tales from different cultures (I linked to their Beauty and the Beast page above).

This has been according to Hatchet, thanks for being here! ❤

[Featured photo from pexels.com | Synopsis and cover from goodreads.com]

3.18.17 Book Haul and Other Stuff!

Barnes and Noble is one of my happy places, a relaxing journey through endless rows of possibilities (provided I stay away from the Teen Fiction section).  Today I was lucky enough to be serenaded by Tina Guo’s cello re-imagining of all your favourite themes while I browsed.

Patrick Rothfus in The Name of the Wind, 2007

“Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.

A high-action story written with a poet’s hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.”

This book came recommended by a B&N employee listing that our hero uses ‘music, magic, and muscle’.  I’ve read Song of the Beast by Carol Berg which uses music as a vehicle for the story (which is fantastic btw), and I’m a bit of a musician myself so it immediately caught my eye.

Nagabe in The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, 2016

“In a world split between the Inside and the Outside, those living in both realms are told never to cross over to the other side, lest they be cursed. A young girl named Shiva lives on the other side, in a vacant village with a demonic guardian known only as “Teacher.” Although the two are forbidden to touch, they seem to share a bond that transcends their disparate appearances. But when Shiva leaves Teacher’s care to seek out her grandmother, the secret behind her mysterious living arrangement comes to light.”

What immediately struck me about this book was how gorgeous the art is.  It reminds me of Mateusz Skutnik’s Morfołaki, featuring beautifully atmospheric black and white art.  I am definitely looking forward to digging into this little beauty.  The subtitle Siúil, a Rún comes from an Irish folk song, and translates roughly to ‘Go, my love’.

Stephen King in The Gunslinger, 1982               

“An impressive work of mythic magnitude that may turn out to be Stephen King’s greatest literary achievement” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), The Gunslinger is the first volume in the epic Dark Tower Series.

A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake.

Inspired in part by the Robert Browning narrative poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,” The Gunslinger is “a compelling whirlpool of a story that draws one irretrievable to its center” (Milwaukee Sentinel). It is “brilliant and fresh…and will leave you panting for more” (Booklist).”

I’ve never read a Stephen King book, and while I know he has written things other than horror, I didn’t realize that Stephen King writes books other than horror.  Unless of course this turns out to be a western-horror, which I would be okay with.  My only real exposure to SK is the film The Shinning which I watched recently while suffering from a head cold.  I grabbed this based on the title, which made me think of Trigun and everyone’s favourite pacifist.

Michael I. Bennett, MD and Sarah Bennett in F*ck Love, 2017

“From the brilliant New York Times bestselling authors of the “refreshingly blunt” (Harper’s Bazaar) F*ck Feelings—this seriously irreverent roadmap reveals the essentials to look for when you’re done being suckered by the promise of true love and want help seeking a real, lasting relationship.

Many people have opinions on the subject of romantic relationships—why they’re so hard to find, so difficult to maintain, so easily analogized to planets and pets—but the real source of trouble isn’t too complicated: it’s that we are choosing our partners based on love, excitement, lust, attraction, neediness…on feelings.

Instead of helping readers find true love (also known as “total bullshit”), Dr. Michael Bennett and his comedy-writing daughter Sarah reveal the practical, commonsense criteria for good partnerships that will allow real love to develop, even after the romance has died down or been buried completely. Finding a good partner involves losing preconceived notions about who your dream date might be, so the Bennetts helpfully appraise the pros and cons of eight traits people most commonly seek: charisma, beauty, chemistry, communication, sense of humor, family stability, intelligence, and wealth. They suggest you’ll have better luck finding a partner in a bar, online, or on a date arranged by your chiropractor if you focus on ideas like mutual attraction and respect and common interests and common goals. With helpful quizzes, case studies inspired by Dr. Bennett’s practice, and unscientific flow charts, F*ck Love is packed with enough advice and wisdom to help you avoid the relationship nightmares that led you to this book in the first place.”

Yes, yes, this title is (as admitted by the book its self)  catchy and profane, but it caught my attention as it was intended to do and whether or not you agree with it’s language, it is a good marketing ploy.  This book just seems like a fun, satirical take on romance, while still being helpful.  It was just so eye catching I couldn’t not pick it up.

Other stuff that has happened includes these journals I made from old notebooks.  I used yarn to hold them together , but turns out my mom has nice hemp cord, so I’m re-tying them.  Not quite sure what I’ll use these for, but they are so pretty now x33.

Also, my dad looked like Tom Hanks 23 years ago (what both of them looked like 23 years ago).

Whelp, I will eventually have some more posts, I’ve been listening to exorbitant amounts of music thanks to Spotify Premium for students (#notsponsored) and I have an exorbitant amount of books I haven’t read yet.  Sooooo yah.

Thanks for being here! ❤

[Synopses and book covers from Goodreads.com | Featured Image from Pexels.com]

‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Part 3 Ch. 3-4 FINAL

If you’re new to the book club, check out the first post in the series ‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Ch. 1-3.

You can find the previous post HERE.

Guys.

Shit.

Goes.

Down.

It’s been a month since I’ve read this…so let’s see how this goes!

HORUS is pretty annoyed that they haven’t been able to come to terms with the interex.  HORUS is intent on peacefully winning them over, but he’s about the only one.  However a meeting is arranged and he optimistically hopes for peace.  Both HORUS and Jeptha Naud (do they mean Judd Nelson?) have their warriors walk simultaneous patrols around the building.

While wandering the house Loken comes across an old book titled A Marvelous Historie of Eevil subtitle Being a warninge to Man Kind on the Abuses of Sorcerie and the Seduction of the Daemon.  WHY, Abnett.  Why must you spell this way.  Regardless of spelling, Mithras Tull sees Loken looking at the book and they strike up a conversation about deamons and magic and such.  Loken of course holds staunchly to his view of “supernatural things do not exist”, while Tull takes the whole matter very seriously.  The subject of Chaos (or Kaos) comes up and Tull is shocked at Loken’s lack of knowldege, interest, concern, fear of Chaos.  He explains that the interex understands Chaos to be an evil force that makes men turn on each other and manifests as “brutal, rapacious, warlike”, and the fact that the Astartes are led by a Warmaster scares the interex.  Loken somehow believes his people to be none of those things.  Even more surprising is that Tull agrees.

For all of two seconds.

Tull receives some message that turns him against Loken.  Loken refuses to surrender and a fight ensues.  Loken is unwilling to kill Tull, so he merely chops his arm off.  The resulting battle between interex and Astartes produces heavy casualties on both sides.  Loken runs into two Astartes in the hall and one is quickly felled by arrows.  The bows that the soldiers had laughed at previously prove to be deadly, shearing through the Astarte’s plate as if it were butter. Loken then runs into Tarik and his men, retreating with HORUS.

We find that someone has gone and murdered some guards and stolen something from the museum holding all the ‘dwarf’ artifacts and then set the place on fire.  Well that wasn’t very nice.

Tarik and Loken try to convince HORUS that they have to leave now, but HORUS commands them to take him to the Hall of Devices to see what is going on.  Nothing useful happens and HORUS and his entourage are surrounded by interex fighters.  In a last attempt at peace, HORUS asks to see Judd Nelson but is answered with arrows.  So they fight.  HORUS and his men drive the interex back to the street and are promptly surrounded.  This is the last stand.  There is no hope…

Chapter 4 starts with an exchange between Sadie and Loken after the battle.  So I guess they made it.

Lowercase Horus arrived to rescue HORUS and all Imperial soldiers.  They kill a lot of interex dudes.  Like, it’s terrible.

HORUS changes the name of the Luna Wolves to the Sons of Horus.  Everyone approves.  Ig drinks his approval and Keeler worships her shrine to the Emperor of Mankind.

And then we find out that Erebus THAT BLEEP BLEEP EREBUS STOLE THE THING FROM THE THING!  You butt-face!  Wait.  Who is Erebus?  Seriously.  Who is he?  The Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book says he is the Chaplain, but has he been mentioned before?  I don’t think so?  I don’t know?  ARGH I’M SO CONFUSED.

Well that was Horus Rising.  I can’t say I liked it, but I didn’t hate all of it.  I liked the second half of Part 1, but the rest was…eh.  I don’t know if it was the writing, the story, the characters, or the crushing obligation to blog the whole book.  But we’ve finished!  It’s finally over!  Hopefully all my bad jokes paid off and you look forward to next summer’s book club (which will hopefully only last a summer) despite the deterioration of professionalism as the posts went on.  I am planning on reading False Gods, the sequal to Horus Rising written by Graham McNeill to give the series a fair chance, with the goal of writing a single review of that book whenever the time comes.

This has been the first iteration of Hatchet’s Summer Book Club.

Thanks for being here! ❤

‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Part 3 Ch. 1-2: Space Australia, Museum of Death

Welcome back to Hatchet’s Summer Book Club!  If you’re new, check out the first post in the series ‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Ch. 1-3.

You can find the previous post HERE and the next post HERE (whenever that happens).

Part 3 Chapter 1 introduces us to the interex, a human collection(?).  The Imperium peacefully become the interex’s guests…FOR NOW (duh duh duuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh). I’m beginning to see how the series got it’s title.

Most people, including Eidolon, Maloghurst, Sedirae, Targost, and Goshen and Raldoron (those last two are Blood Angels) want to destroy the interex because they don’t want the Imperium to co-exist the with anything, and the interex is too compassionate.  According to them, the differences between the Imperium and the interex are so irreconcilable that war is the only possible course of action.  Good guy HORUS would prefer peace.

HORUS and the Mournival meet to discuss the situation.  Abaddon is quite belligerent, unable to understand how his Warmaster could desire peace with and almost admire the interex.  The argument gets so heated, HORUS kicks him out of the meeting.  Tarik follows him to diffuse the situation.  HORUS then tells lowercase Horus and Loken about his father-son relationship with the Emperor, using the zodiac to explain his desire for peace.

The Emperor had given HORUS an astrology book.  HORUS memorized the 20 zodiacs and when asked, said his favourites were Leos, Skorpos, Tauromach, and Arbitos (Leo, Scorpio, Taurus, and Virgo?).  The Emperor was impressed but dissapointed that HORUS had not chosen Sagittary, as he was to become the Emperor’s Warmaster.  However, HORUS admires the interex for their compassion and capacity to integrate other species into their society.  Lowercase Horus is having none of it.  HORUS also said the Emperor told him ‘Make no mistakes, and the stars will be ours” (or thereabouts).  He thinks he as made two mistakes (only tow?!?!  Wow, HORUS is a saint), and does not want to rush into things with the interex.

The interex have developed a musical way to communicate with other species called the aria.  It is very much like music, but so complexly mathematical that only a plebeian would mistake it for music.

Music is math people.

We then get a description of the interex envoy sent to meet HORUS.  Despite being human, these people sound much more elf like or some other humanoid alien (although we do have women with helmet shaped heads so….).  They are tall, about the same height as the Astartes, but very slender with bat ears…  I’m not kidding.  It is literally printed on the page that humans evolved (and surgically created) bat ears.  There are men who play the aria dressed in robes, and the soldiers are dressed in form fitting armour, so light you could jump on a horse!  (Please don’t jump on horses, they are extremely fragile).  With these hooman things, come what could only be described as space dwarves.  Short, broad, and stony features.  These dwarf guys are an alien species the interex have absorbed into their culture (lowercase Horus is not impressed).

Daith Shehn, envoy for the interex, and HORUS meet to discuss stuff.  They start with formalities and Daith is excited to learn that the interex has found lost cousins.  HORUS is equally excited.  They compare military forces, with Daith showing concern for how prepared and eager the Imperium is for war.  The interex has no love of war and would rather co-exist with the aliens they come across.  The spider-mechs are an exception, as the interex found no way to communicate with them, even using the aria.  They defeated the spider-mechs in war and placed the remaining creatures onto Murder, or Urisarach as they call it, where they could live in peace with no way to bother anyone else.  HORUS apologizes for ruining their penal colony.

Chapter 2 sees a rather shouty discussion between the Mournival about the interex, and more specifically about HORUS’ apology.  Abaddon is the only one who is truly upset, the others having full trust in HORUS no matter what he says.  There has also been a heavy demand on the Warmaster’s time as he’s been gone for seven months now.  The envoys continue until it is decided that HORUS and an entourage will be received at an outpost for more negotiations.

Erebus is introduced, so I can only assume this character will be somewhat important.  He selflessly puts off his own interests to help relieve some of HORUS’s stress, also intentionally strengthening relationships with the Mournival.  They also have sparring matches against each other, with Tarik’s new best friends Saul and also Lucius is there.  Lucius insists on sparring against everyone, including Loken.  Loken does not want to hurt Lucius’ ego, which is probably impossible.  So Loken punches him in the face.  It is quite glorious.

HORUS and his Imperial party are received at the interex homeworld.  Accompanying the terrifying horse-faced Astartes are the Remembrancers, which HORUS hopes will prove to the interex that the Imperium of Man is not obsessed with war (even though they totes are).  The Imperial party is shown around the city, and one of the most interesting things that they see is a museum full of alien weapons and technology.  Lowercase Horus and Abbadon think they are being mocked by this show of weapons. It is explained that these weapons are held in a museum because the technology is so advanced and they are incredibly dangerous.  Sindermann (remember that guy?) asks what could be so dangerous about a knife.  The tiny alien dwarves have a way of creating sentient weapons.  Sindermann jokingly suggests that a curse is placed on the weapon, and the interex, very seriously, agrees.

This is telling of things to come.

This has been Hatchet’s Summer Book Club, thanks for being here! x33

[Pict]

‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Part 2 Ch. 6 and 7: Dogfights and War

We are back with a new post, and a new look for the new year.  (Let me know what you think of the new theme, can’t decide if I like it or not).

If you’re new to the book club, check out the first post in the series ‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Ch. 1-3.

You can find the previous post HERE and the next post HERE (whenever that happens).

(Editor’s note: although Tarvitz has been mentioned by name more often than Tarik (probably), Torgaddon is too much of a pain to type over and over again so I’m going to retcon all uses of Tarvitz to Saul.)

Part 2 Chapter 6 sees the action return to Murder, Saul and Co. being rescued by Tarik.  While Saul and Eidolon are appreciative, Eidolon is not appreciative (yes, the wording is intentional).  They waste no time insulting each other, Eidolon attacking Tarik’s status as a Luna Wolf (really not sure how he thought that was an insult) and Tarik attacking Eidolon’s incompetence as a commander (which is valid).  So Tarik 1, Eidolon 0.

Tarik has Saul and his remaining men assist him in fending off the possible next wave of Spider-Mecha-dealys.  Lucius wants to kill Tarik for his insolence and calls him a dog while Saul says he quite likes dogs.  I think he has a crush.  Tarik and Eidolon get in another argument about what to do next.  Tarik manages to extract himself from the conversation and inquires of Saul how he can stand to take orders from Eidolon.  Saul simply states that Eidolon is his commander and that is that.  He has to do what Eidolon says whether or not he agrees with it.  Tarik isn’t entirely satisfied with the answer.

The company’s course of action has been determined, despite Tarik and Eidolon’s inability to get along.  They will use explosives to destroy the giant cement trees to interrupt the shield storms, just like Eidolon did earlier.  Saul, being the obedient and humble soldier that he is, seems perfectly content to let Eidolon get all the credit.  Bulle however, is not (Wait, who is Bulle??).  He attempts to speak up, and against Saul and Lucius’ wishes, Tarik lets him.  Bulle reveals that Saul was the one who blew up the trees.  Tarik now has one more reason to dislike Eidolon, commends Saul for his smarts and tells Lucius if Bulle is punished for speaking, the Warmaster will personally strip Lucius of rank.  Something tells me Lucius is starting to resent Saul.

Now we get to spend some time with Loken who is waiting to be called to assist the companies on Murder.  He and an Astartes named Marr and discussing what the landing party is experiencing.  Marr is jealous  and a little nervous because his twin brother was part of the landing party and he wasn’t.  The two are joined by Qruze, a relic who is weird.  He’s like your old, slightly senile grandfather, that you put up with because you love him, but he has no idea what is going on.  Loken quickly exits the coversation, leaving Marr flailing in a sea of unwanted and dubious advice.

Loken has been reading through The Chronicles of Ursh, the book he borrowed at Sindermann’s recommendation.  He doesn’t seem overly fond of the book, but has continued reading for Sindermann’s sake.  While only half comprehending the book, Loken finds a brief account of the men going crazy and turning on each other, much like what hapened to Jubal at the end of Part 1.  He even finds the word ‘sorcery’ used un-ironically, but the rest of the book makes no further references to this event.

Unnerved, Loken puts the book away and finds a data slate containing picts from Keeler.  He pages through them reflecting on how much he loves the picts.  Despite his apparent habit of pouring over these,  he discovers a hidden folder for the first time.  This folder contains pictures from the Whisperheads, and specifically, necromorphy Jubal.  Loken immediately rushes off to see Keeler, asking Nero to keep him up to date is they are called to go to the planet.

Loken finds Ig, who is losing a game of cards.  Ig takes him to see Keeler in her quarters.  She hasn’t been coping well.  Loken asks her about the picts of Jubal and she says that she put them there hoping he’d find them earlier.  Loken’s kind of dumb, huh.  Keeler didn’t remember taking the picts, but upon reviewing them, she found strange distortions to the images.  Loken didn’t see any of this and after Keeler walks him through a ‘zoom and enhance’ sequence we find there is a ghostly aura that was obscuring Jubal in the pict.  The two are mimicking each other.

Loken offers to find out the truth for Keeler, but she says she’d rather live thinking it was some giant dog-like creature than the truth.  She asks how Loken is able to keep secrets and if he would be willing to break from the Imperium if it was for the good of mankind.  He cannot answer her and their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Sanguinius.

Chapter 7 jumps back to a week before the arrival of Sanguinius to explain the character of Sanguinius.  Loken is recounting to Sadie a private event at which ten thousand soldiers were in attendance.  These seems to be the first time Loken saw Sanguinius.  Sadie says she’s heard of him and Loken says that it is all true.

Well that’s not vague and unsatisfying.

So Sanguinius shows up and meets Saul, uninteresting things happen and then the what is possibly the most infuriating and idiotic line happens: “We will murder Murder together.”  Who thought that was a good line?!  It punctuates the scene as the turning point and the reason the Imperium goes to war.  As if HORUS just said something incredibly inspiring.

Infuriating dialogue aside, the Imperium wages a 6 month war against the Spider-Mechs.  The Mournival tries to convince HORUS that he is too precious to die in battle, which offends and amuses him.  He is not swayed and fights regardless.  It is revealed that when around the time HORUS became Warmaster, the Emperor wanted someone (it is unclear as to whether this someone was HORUS or a different commander) to change the name of the XVI Legion to The Sons of Horus.

The six month campaign ends when mysterious battleships appear, asking the Imperium: “What the heck dudes!  We totally warned you!” (my words, not theirs).

Well that’s the end of Part 2.  There are four chapters in Part 3.  Once we finish Horus Rising, I will be doing a normal review of False Gods, the second book in the series to give it a fair chance.

This has been Hatchet’s Summer Book Club, thanks for being here! x33

[Pict]

Hatchet’s Book Club: Horus Rising Archive

Featured here is the completed Horus Rising blog experience for easy reading convenience!  I will also include a glossary of all the characters I reference because I’ve definitely forgotten who everyone is.

Horus Rising Part 1 Ch. 1-3 | Horus Rising Part 1 Ch. 4-5 | Horus Rising Part 1 Ch. 6-8 | Horus Rising Part 1 Ch. 9-10 | Horus Rising Part 2 Ch. 1-3 | Horus Rising Part 2 Ch. 3 Rehash | Horus Rising Part 2 Ch. 4-5 | Horus Rising Part 2 Ch. 6 and 7 | Horus Rising Part 3 Ch. 1-2 | Horus Rising Part 3 Ch. 3-4

Character Glossary:

The Emperor: But not the important one.

Loken: Our main character who is a struggle to relate to due to his inability to emote.

Abaddon: A captain who has anger issues I think.

HORUS: The Warmaster.  Also apparently a god?  Who is very peaceful for a leader with a raging desire to kill everything.

Sadie: A remembrancer with a strangely shaped head who becomes BFF’s with Loken.

Ig: A remembrancer who is kind of a jerk, but grows on you.

Keeler: A remembrancer who is awesome, and ends up suffering from PTSD.

Tarik: Loken’s best friend and part of the Mournival.

Sindermann: A sweet old man who likes books and is highly respected by Loken

Memed: An iterator who has little to no importance in the story.

Lowercase Horus: A member of the Mournival.

Ezekyle: A member of the Mournival.

Peeter Egon Momus: An architect who has little to no importance to the story.

Brothers of HORUS: Sanguinius, Lorgar, Fulgrim, Angron, Perturabo, Guilliman, Russ, Lion, Khan, and Dorn

Jubal: Did not get a promotion, doesn’t handle it very well.

Krasten and Flora: Two remembrancers who hang out with Keeler briefly.

Vipus: An Astartes, friends with Loken I think.

Saul: An idiot who executes good ideas poorly and lets other people take credit for it.

Lucius: Saul’s friend I think, turns into a defensive ego defending mess.

Sardine: Not his actual name, but close enough.

Eidolon: The commander of the Astartes that go to Murder.  Kind of a massive a-hole.

August: The month of my birth. Oh wait, you mean a character?

Eshkerrus: How does one pronounce?

Bulle: A member of Saul’s squad.

Marr: An Astartes with no importance to the story.

Qruze: An old war hero who is no longer relevant but everyone humors him anyway.

Sanguinius: One of HORUS’s brothers.  He’s actually a cool guy.

Malgohurst: An important strategist I think.

Daith Sehn: Envoy for the interex.

Erebus: A character thrown in at the last minute.

Mithras Tull: A Jethro Tull cover band.  I mean, an interex soldier with approximate status to Loken.

Judd Nelson: The leader of the interex, but not his actual name.

‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Part 2 Chapter 4 and 5: I’m up to my ears in morons, also concrete. Lodges are for secrets.

Welcome back to Hatchet’s Summer Book Club!  If you’re new, check out the first post in the series ‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Ch. 1-3.

You can find the previous post HERE and the next post HERE (whenever that happens).

Aight.

Perhaps I was a bit hasty when I said that one group of Astartes who had landed on the glorious planet of Murder were dead.

They’re not.

Saul Tarvitz, Lucius, and the remainder of their squad discover the remains of the Blood Angels impaled on giant stakes/trees/plaster sticks.

Saul wants to blow them up.  Lucius disagrees.

They blow it up.

Saul takes the whole squads explosives (which is pretty dumb).  He and two others set the charges and run.  Unfortunately, some flying enemies spot them and give chase.  One is shot down by Lucius and lands on Saul and Sardine, who are then thrown through the air when the explosives blow.

While the explosion and ensuing smoke led to the remaining Astartes being reunited, Eidolon is pretty brassed off.  Saul assumes that Eidolon is just too proud to admit that the explosion was a good idea because an inferior came up with it.  These idiot Astartes are so dang proud.  Regardless of his reasoning for being pissed, Eidolon sends Saul and five other men to recover some Blood Angel paraphernalia to prove that they found anything at all.

While searching through the rubble, an army of the weird creatures attack the camp of Astartes.  Another group starts to rebuild the concrete trees that Saul blew up.  If I understand how this works, the creatures eat the rubble and it becomes new concrete?  It’s pretty weird.

So Saul, being the rash little bastard that he is, decides that he and his five men will attack and kill the builders as he is so personally offended that they would try to repair their home.  His idiocy is rewarded with the death of two of his men, but the remaining three are saved by the sudden arrival of the Luna Wolves.

Chapter five sees a jump to the past within a jump to the past.

HORUS pays a surprise visit to the 140th Expedition fleet, who are horrified because they know they did a bad.  There is a war meeting held in which the Mournival (remember them?) are complete assholes so that HORUS can be seen as the benevolent leader.  The Mournival tears August and Eshkerrus apart, two of the highest ranking officers left, for pouring all of their resources into Murder without restraint.

HORUS then authorizes the exact same tactic no less than an hour and a half later.

There is a break in the storms surrounding the planet and Tarik wants to send down a force to take the planet.  HORUS is initially against the idea, but vox activity is detected on the surface and Tarik is authorized to rescue the men.

We then jump back in time by several weeks.  Horus has convinced Loken to join him for a lodge meeting.  Loken is rather dubious and is afraid that he will have to kill the people at the meeting including Horus.

The dude has no chill.

It turns out that most everyone Loken respects is in attendance to the meeting, even his best friend.  Loken questions the members about their motives and why they meet, threatening to expose them to the Warmaster.  To which he discovers that the Warmaster already knows.  Loken is appalled at the secrecy within the legion and pulls the disappointed-parent routine.  The members argue however, that the lodge is a place where anyone of any station can meet and discuss as equals, leading to better relationships within the chain of command.  They convince Loken to stay for the meeting, and he is surprised when it turns out that no rituals are performed.  Rather they drink and eat and talk.  Loken obviously had no friends before he was an Astarte.

The evening convinces Loken and he has a change of heart, and seeing how there is nothing shady going on, completely reverses his position on the whole subject.  Nero and Tarik are quite enthused.

Next up we have Ch. 6-7, and then we will be moving on to Part 3!  So two more installments this series before I give it a rest until next summer!

This has been Hatchet’s Summer Book Club, thanks for being here! x33

[Picture] I honestly had no idea what to pick for this xp

‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Part 2 Chapter 3 Rehash: Oops

Welcome back to Hatchet’s Summer Book Club!  If you’re new, check out the first post in the series ‘Book Club’: Horus Rising Ch. 1-3.

You can find the previous post HERE and the next post HERE (whenever that happens).

When I open up to chapter 4, the first page is on my right, meaning the last page of chapter 3 is on my left.

I may have skipped chapter 3 entirely in my previous post.

Oops.

Let’s fix that shall we?

Loken finds his friend Sinderman in the library reading poetry and fiction to recover from the terrifying necromorph attack.  They discuss the Whisperheads event (which happened NINE WEEKS AGO).  Loken asks Sinderman to review some of the poetry Ig has written as Loken has no idea how poetry works.

I was hoping that since the narrative with Loken picks up at nine weeks after, there would be no description of the mundane things that happened after all that exciting stuff from chapter 9.

I hoped in vain.

Honestly, it’s not that bad, there are some interesting things that happened in the past nine weeks.

Firstly, we get some insight on the relationship dynamics of the Mournival.

Secondly, we discover that Jubal was part of a Lodge, a warrior fraternity, and Loken hates those.  In fact he despises them.  I was only ever an honorary member of a fake frat, so I really have no opinion of them.  While Loken seems to have a personal vendetta against these Lodges, no one else agrees with him.

Thirdly, Iggy is alive.  Somehow.  That’s good for him I guess, I did like him (I like Keeler more, where the heck is she Abnett!!).  Ig is placed on probation since he can’t not tell the truth.  Loken vouches for him, under the conditions that Ig give him copies of all his poetry and ALWAYS tells the truth.

Fourthly, lowercase Horus invites Loken to a LODGE!  Loken says fine.

The end.

This has been Hatchet’s Summer Book Club, thanks for being here! x33