Baneblade

Imperial Guard

by Guy Haley

By the blessing of the Omnissiah was the Mars Triumphant born – from the forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the mighty Baneblade super-heavy battle tank comes to bring death and destruction to the foes of the Imperium. As part of the Paragonian 7th Company, Honoured Lieutenant Marken Cortein Lo Bannick commands the venerable war machine in a bitter war against the orks in the Kalidar system. As the campaign grinds on it begins to take its toll upon his crew, and old clan prejudices from the regiment’s home world arise once more. In a war which cannot be won by force of arms alone, such division may prove to be their undoing.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Ebooks, Military Science Fiction

405 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Guy Haley is the author of over 50 novels and novellas. His original fiction includes Crash, Champion of Mars, and the Richards and Klein, Dreaming Cities, and the Gates of the World series (as K M McKinley). However, he is best known as a prolific contributor to Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.

When not writing, he'll be out doing something dangerous in the wild, learning languages or gaming.

Reviews

[Gav Thorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. A great blend of 40k madness with a more traditional sci-fi approach that doesn't feel laboured, in some ways more reminsicent of Rogue Trader days with its bizarre but slightly hard-sci-fi-ish world. The story trots along nicely, the setting is wonderfully evoked and the pay-off whilst not a shocker is nicely done.

One star dropped because there was just a couple of chapters around the midway mark that dragged a bit, particularly with the back story, and the ending was a bit too drawn out for my liking without quite concluding a couple of the sub-plots(felt more like an epilogue than a final chapter). aside from this, overall really good pacing, cool characterisation and some moments that had me really, really gritting my teeth and hoping things were going to turn out differently...

[Terrible Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Meat for the Imperial grinder"

Black Library have given us some wonderful novels about the Imperial Guard, such (anti)heroes as Caphias Cain and Gaunt are the staple of any BL fan. Generally, were presented with the foot-sloggers of the Imperium, however with "Baneblade" by Guy Haley, we're given a taste of tank warfare in the 41st millennium.

Say hello to a young Paragonian Lieutenant Lo Bannick, a disgraced aristocrat, who decides to enlist for a muster call, so he avoids the authorities. Sneaky huh! The regiment raising is urgently needed to fight off an Ork horde which has besieged Kalidar IV, a planet in the middle of nowhere (isn't that always the case?). So why not just extremis terminatus that planet? The planets mantle is rich with rare mineral deposits of lorelei crystals, which are used to make psychic weapons, such as those used by the Grey Knights. The real bugger is conditions on the world itself. Racked with sandstorms that can strip the skin off in you seconds, it's not a pleasant place to holiday for the Guard. Visibility is near zero, vox is unreliable. Not a good start.

If a Titan is a living God of the battlefield, then a Baneblade is a living demi-God of the battlefield. Bannick finds himself thrust into service after losing his Leman Russ once again, with the Baneblade Mars Triumphant. An engine with the 7th Super-Heavy Tank Company, this demi-god has seen nearly a thousand years of service with the Imperium. Commanded by Honoured Captain Cortein, who seems to be dead to the world in regard to personality.

As for the antagonists, the Orks are not your run of the mill Tactica Imperialis sort. They've got brainz behind their brain. Well that being one Greeneye, apparently the most powerful Weirdboy ever. With his psychic power amplified by the crystals, he is more than a match for the tactics that the Guard have in their arsenal. I personally liked the Orks actually having a brain, for example lying in wait for an assault column to pass then attack from the rear. The other scene I enjoyed was when the Orks attacked the Guards base during a severe sandstorm.

As for characterisation, Cortein is terribly in my opinion. He has about as much personality as a mute. I realise he was meant to come across as someone (whom) felt his doom upon him, but then why make him so amiable with the crew? Didn't really make sense to me. Bannick was a joy to read however, as was Brasslock, the Tech-Adept, who finds himself in the most unfortunate situation in the final third of the novel. Radden, now there is a man who doesn't shut up - through his own admission. I took an instant like to him, as this trait is common with some of my students who are nervous when starting university. On the Ork side of things, Greeneye (to me) really just came across as a human. I struggled to believe he was actual an Ork.

The story jumps between past and present. One story moving forward and one moving back. Essentially the backstory presents us with how Bannick finds himself in the Imperial Guard. Guy Haley is rather subtle with feeding you pieces of what happened. It keeps you guessing until the end, where the real truth is revealed. I know the ending per se is meant to do that, but as I mentioned it's not obvious from the outset. Something that BL has lacked in their novels, subtly.
Surprisingly I do have a few gripes. There are various errors in the book. For example, there is a mix-up with the names of crew members towards the end of the novel. It didn't help that a chap who died a few pages back was running around in the final engagement! There was also a point in Baneblade which made no sense to me from a grammatical point of view. Perhaps it was a typo - continuality is possibly the most important aspect of writing a novel.

Having said all that, I'd give Baneblade ago. For a debut novel for BL it's good, especially if you like military science fiction and the Guard.

[Justin Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a novel about a three-story tank battling its way across a grimdark future this was much better than it needed to be.

[Mick · Rating 4 out of 5]

War rages across the dust-ravaged surface of Kalidar, as the humans of the Imperial Guard battle Ork invaders for supremacy. Here, where even casual exposure to the planet's dust can mean certain and painful death, tanks rule the battlefield. After a battle in which he loses everything but shows his courage, tank-commander Lieutenant Colaron Artem Lo Bannick, a disgraced member of his planet's aristocracy, finds himself appointed to second in command of one of the Guard's massive Baneblade super-heavy tanks. It is a rare honour.

Resented by the mighty vehicle's current crew as a newcomer, Bannick is forced to find common ground with them while struggling with his disgraceful past - revealed in a series of flashbacks - and defeat a powerful Ork war machine.

Haley does an excellent job of fleshing out all the characters, making their personalities distinct and their interactions enjoyable to read, but neither they nor Bannick is the hero of Baneblade. The true star of the story is Mars Triumphant, a millenia-old Baneblade super-heavy tank. Players of Warhammer 40,000 will already know how even a single Baneblade can dominate a battlefield, but casual readers will soon catch up. If this was WW2, the Mars Triumphant would be the German Königstiger. As with William King's The Macharian Crusade: Angel of Fire, therefore, how you enjoy this novel will depend a lot on how much you enjoy descriptions of big tanks destroying things. For me, raised on Kelly's Heroes and The Battle of the Bulge, the answer is "a lot". Haley goes into great detail about the operation of the tank, helping to sell absurd scenarios by focusing on the small moments. It works, and others in Black Library's stable of authors should take note.

This is fun and thrilling military science fiction. Guy Haley writes a book that's accessible but shows that he has an excellent understanding of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and I'm looking forward to more Black Library fiction from him.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

While tanks are obviously a hugely important (and entertaining) part of the Imperial Guard, a book solely about a tank is perhaps not the most exciting prospect. Thankfully then, Guy Haley's Baneblade – despite the title – is very much a human story. Yes, in true 40k style we get to see a bit of the tank's personality in terms of its machine spirit, but this is really a story about two men's different viewpoints on and relationships with the tank.

Read the rest of the review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...

[Conor · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a relief to read a warhammer novel as good as this. I’ve read quite a few this year, but none ever measure up to Dan Abnett. This one, though, it comes close, and reminds me why I keep persisting reading books in the 40k and fantasy setting.
It falls into passive voice, but you know, I struggle to find a novel that doesn’t, which means there’s two possibilities: I need to read better novels, or maybe it’s not such a great sin used in moderation. I’m thinking it’s more the latter than the former.
The writing really is good. He doesn’t botch sentences like McNeill does, and best of all, the characterisation is, while not full of depth, handled with a deft touch. The two stand-out characters are Bannick and Cortein. Cortein’s a great venerable tank commander of the Mars Triumphant Baneblade, and realises he’s nearing the end of his life.
Bannick is a Paragonian noble seeking redemption from a crime he committed, which isn’t fully revealed until the finale. Turns out, he killed his cousin in a duel in self-defence and was dishonoured as a result. The structure of the book is very interesting. It’s Bannick’s first tour of duty, and there’s periodic flashback chapters leading backwards through time to the final reveal and the duel. And you know, this works great for the story, as the climax of the war on Kalidar is accompanied by the revelation of what past Bannick is escaping from.
On another note, it’s great to see a 40k novel with Orks as a powerful enemy in their own right, not just a foil for Chaos (Firewarrior, Dawn of War, Space Marine…Yawn).
Last thing I want to say is that what sets this book apart, even from Dan Abnett’s novels, is its exploration of complex themes, in particular honour and glory. Bannick learns over the course of the novel that he can’t escape his dishonourable past in an attempt to achieve glory—that would be in bad faith. He has to learn to let go of all notion of honour and glory, and dedicate himself to service and to duty. It’s only by doing this that he has any hope of restoring his honour.
It’s maybe not the most complex exploration of a theme like that, but it’s just great that Haley’s tackling it, and in a Warhammer novel no less.
So…Haley’s an author to watch in future. Maybe this isn’t the last we’ll see of Bannick.
It’s nice that in the end Bannick gets his new command Baneblade, named: Honoured Cortein.
Cortein, while the archetypal taciturn and white-haired commander, was a great character.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. This was like Fury in the 40k universe. A crew and their tank. Sleeping, eating, and living inside an armored shell. Bannick was an intriguing main character as well. When I started the book I remember thinking “how do you write a 350 page novel about a tank crew and keep it interesting? You can only line up a shot and hit your target successfully so many times before that kind of moment gets stale”.

Boy was I in for it, Guy Haley hit this out of the park. Looking forward to reading the next book!

[Benjamin's Bookclub · Rating 4 out of 5]

much better than a story about a giant sci fi tank probably has a right to be ha.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2014/03/...

“Excellent stuff, Guy Haley makes his debut in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe a triumphant one. This is an incredible read, exciting and action packed. You won’t want to put it down.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields

"By the blessing of the Omnissiah was the Mars Triumphant born – from the forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the mighty Baneblade super-heavy battle tank comes to bring death and destruction to the foes of the Imperium. As part of the Paragonian 7th Company, Honoured Lieutenant Marken Cortein Lo Bannick commands the venerable war machine in a bitter war against the orks in the Kalidar system. As the campaign grinds on it begins to take its toll upon his crew, and old clan prejudices from the regiment’s home world arise once more. In a war which cannot be won by force of arms alone, such division may prove to be their undoing."

I may have fallen out of the Black Library universe and haven’t read as much as I would have liked – up until near the end of 2013, I was reading pretty much every release that they put on the shelves. Now though, I’ve stopped reading a large amount of their output, and it’s something that I regret more and more when I get stuck into awesome books like these – especially when Guy Haley has put out such brilliant work for Angry Robot Books and Solaris in the past. Both his Richards and Klein series and Crash have been amazing and I was really expecting more of the same in his Black Library work, and thankfully – he didn’t disappoint, creating a wonderfully fun read.

Meet the next Imperial Guard protagonist. We’ve had Gaunt, Cain, and now, meet Lo Brannick. No longer a member of the planet’s ruling elite, he enlisted in the muster call of the Imperial Guard in order to avoid authorities. So he doesn’t quite come from the same background as either Gaunt, who was one of the few survivors of the doomed world of Tanith, or Cain – who served as a Commisioner following the deaths of his parents, who died whilst serving in the Imperial Guard. So Brannick is far from a carbon copy of successful Black Library characters – with enough distinguishing features to make him a rootable and strong lead character. Brannick finds himself joining the Imperial Guard to fight armies of Orks on Kalidar IV, and to make things more difficult, not only must he deal with the xenos, but also the harsh desert sandstorms of the planet, and dissent in his own ranks.

Whilst not quite a Titan, a Baneblade is the next best thing in terms of heavy mechanized vehicles for the Imperial Guard. The book itself really does deserve to be called Baneblade - it doesn’t feature sparingly and you could arguably call it a character in the book, much like you could make a case for Serenity being a character in Firefly. Brannnick joins the Baneblade crew – entitled Mars Triumphant - following the loss of his Leman Russ – and it’s a machine that has seen nearly a thousand years of active service within the Imperium, with its commander being Honoured Captain Cortein. Unlike Brannick though, Cortein is bland, and as a result one of the main flaws of the book. He doesn’t feel as well developed or intriguing as Brannick and company, and he lacks the personality to really become a memorable character.

Unfortunately, Cortein is not the only problem. The book drags out a bit in the middle with a couple of chapters that aren’t quite as interesting as the rest- and the ending also suffers from a case of being drawn out. However, that shouldn’t really put you off from reading this book – because for the most part, it’s a success. Not many Imperial Guard novels focus on tank crews – if I recall correctly Steve Parker’s Gunheads featured a Caidan tank crew, and it’s a refreshing break to read some non Space Marine action as well as it seems that now the vast majority of Warhammer 40,000 fiction is either split between the Horus Heresy series and the Space Marine Battles novels.

The story splits between the past and present in terms of narration, sticking to third person like most of Black Library’s novels. We get to learn a lot about Brannick’s past and Haley manages to handle both threads so that they never feel dull, and you never want to miss out one thread or the other. This helps give further depth to Brannick’s character and I would more than welcome future novels featuring him, especially given the ending in question. On top of that, the action is well written as well – with several awesome battle sequences throughout the book which is great because they never feel like merely “bolter porn”, with the end result being entertaining and it never gets dull.

So, for a first Black Library novel, Baneblade is a pretty damn good read by Hayley despite a few problems. It serves as a good standalone novel and could make for the start of a very interesting series. It’s not perfect, but still – the positive elements found here outweigh the negatives.

VERDICT: 4/5

[Sven Mysterioso · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent tale from the 40k galaxy.

I've broken the addiction to the Astartes & Inquisition, and am branching out to the rest of the Imperials. I don't think I will be trying the Eldar books anytime soon, and any Ork book would be full of captial letters and the descriptions of eating... so here we are with the Guard.

Superheavies. These things have really interested me as some non-titan, more realistic version of space combat. A tank the size of a very-small fort. A crew of ten. Weapons for days. Enough armor to ignore pretty much anything short of a Titan. Yeah, these things are cool.

Of course, like anything else enormous and powerful, the drama and the story will involve the people, and their time OUTSIDE the giant machine-god death-altar construct. The psychology of the men who have to drive the unstoppable force. In this book, there is a horrid environmental condition that forces men to either stay inside these behemoths or otherwise cripple themselves with specialized gear.

We're following an old story. A young man, noble and proud, raised in aristocracy. There was a sin, some crime, some breach, that led him to enlist. In the 40k universe, the Imperial Guard wins through attrition. They will feed 2-3 million men into the warzone and win with numbers and equipment. So you know enlisting is a form of assisted suicide.

We follow him, and we do a formulaic delve into his backstory, which rides along with the forward progress of the novel's battle. We learn about him frontwards in his tank, and backwards as he steps through time to his sin and his need for absolution.

Its a good read, and Haley makes a novel of it. The characters are interesting, although most or discardable and trite. Our Romeo (his Juliet in this story is an amalgam of death in combat and the tank itself), has his Mercutio, in a rapscallion boyhood friend who gets his comeuppance earlier. There is the old Jedi master (his tank commander). There are the indigenous locals, who are spurned as fools and uncultured unclean swine, but hey they will teach you a few important lessons about survival and life (looking at you, Fremen).

Yeah, its a formula, but its a nice ride. From the gunner's seat of a massive super-heavy tank-god. Iv'e read much worse.

[Hawke Embers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I was expecting was a claustrophobic tense engagement between tanks and other nasties, similar to that of John French's excellent Tallarn works'. What I got was a coming of age story; featuring a young protagonist with a troubled past that happened to have a fair chunk of tank action in it..... And you know what, I'm OK with that.

In this novel there is a LOT of tank action, but after reading this novel you realize that the tank and military action is the plot that moves the drama along. Whereas the real heart of the story lies in that of the main character "Bannick" attempting to find his place in the galaxy and hoping to atone for his past transgressions. On some level I think most readers' will identify with Bannick, he is the underdog in many ways but he is a likable fellow with a backstory that remains interesting. The tank battles are also solid, gritty and compelling and the campaign to take back and Imperial word is an enjoyable one. I did feel the tank battles were not as good as the stories set on Tallarn but I was invested all the same.

Overall a good book. Not what I was initially expecting but that didn't end up being a bad thing. I give Baneblade by Guy Haley a 4 out of 5.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Baneblade is a super heavy tank and one of the most powerful weapons in the Imperium of Man's arsenal. It's a machine of destruction bringing to death to the enemies of mankind. With that in mind I wasn't expecting anything too deep from this book, just a whole lot of battles and action. Baneblade ended up surprising me.
The characters in the book are well written, all with different and believable motivations. The orks are a very formidable foe and the planet itself, a desert world covered in deadly sandstorms, acts as a character itself. There are plenty of battles and lots of action, all well written, but also a lot of character moments and development. This book didn't really have to be any of that to be entertaining, but it was, and it was better for it.

[Oliver Eike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 40K Astra Militarum book set to a Company of Super-heavy tanks.

Whats not to love? Baneblades are massive tanks that make even the German Maus seem puny by comparison. Rolling into battle they are the Emperors fury made manifest.

I really like the book, there are however a few things id like to nitpick on. That primarily being the flashbacks that Bannick has. To many, to long and not to interesting. They to often broke my immersion into the story, because his background story was boring and something most of us have read a thousand times before.

The ending was good, i saw it coming a mile away, but i didnt mind. It was executed well. All in all a good read.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the human drama that surrounds the crew of a super-heavy Baneblade tank. I am starting to realize that I like Imperial Guard stories a little more than Space Marine stories because of how vulnerable human characters are and how much more loss is amplified. Like any good story, the focus is on character first and the reader sees that Imperial Guard soldiers are human beings trying to fight in some of the most insane conditions imaginable while dealing with their personal issues. Deaths are appropriately heroic AND random AND poignant.

[Andrey Nalyotov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the least interesting and amazing book from truly talented and amazing author Guy Haley. The story are not as interesting as his other stuff and in general battles are bland - but that could be forgiven, after all - that was one of his first 'not short story' written type for BL. But it contains a lot of W40K madness + truly 'heavy' armour - so probably all the fans of the mechanised columns should be happy

[Anthony Giordano · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3 1/2 stars.
My full review on Baneblade can be read here:

http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...

[Claire Benham · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book about a tank... well done!

[Gordon Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Baneblade, the most ridiculously overpowered battlefortress in the Imperial Guard's lineup of ridiculous armoured megatanks, gets its own novel via the prolific Guy Haley. The plot is straightforward but executed strongly, Haley drawing his lead character from the familiar 40k well of aristocratic underachievers but taking the unusual step of making that character likeable and providing an entertaining adventure.

Haley doesn't quite resist the perennial 40k challenge of making his story essential to the survival of whatever world it happens to be set on, thus distracting a little from what is essentially a very personal story. Along the way there is internal and external conflict, amusingly deranged Orky antagonists, and a well executed climactic battle that does an excellent job of finding adversaries that genuinely make the Baneblade look overwhelmingly outmatched.

An entertaining adventure for fans of 40k tank warfare.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, mostly due to it being written from a regular human soldiers perspective, not a genetically engineered super soldiers. The play between the characters was great, a new crew member trying to fit in with a group that has already gelled. He is an outsider running from a past, straight into a grand army where he is little more than a number on a logistics report, where he is certain to die. Or at the very least be changed forever.
This is a universe where the only person that cares if you live or die, is you.
It may be based on a game but it is well written.
Recommend to any that enjoys an ‘against all odds’ story.

[Rik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonably enjoyable book, though the flashbacks to Bannicks' past (each successive flashback revealing a moment before the previous one), were a little distracting. There were a couple of points of view, including an Orks, which worked well - giving the book a little more interest. The finale disappointed me, as it would have been more satisfying for the ordinary troops and the tanks to have won the day, rather than the almost boring super hero entrance of the dark Angels.

Read as an eBook on my phone over quite a long period, which may have resulted in loosing the thread at times, and therefore been less satisfying.

[Thiện Thái · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Baneblade by Guy Haley" follow closely the crews of Baneblade super battle tank named Mars Triumphant. The novel give a glimpse on men and women who serve the Emperor in The Imperial Guard Armour Regiment.

The book seer some light on:
- Daily social life of tank crews ?
- The inside works of Baneblade super battle tank.
- Role of each tank crews inside a Baneblade.

And most interesting is how they treat their tank. A relic that outlive man. How human life is insignificant comparing to a relic like Baneblade.

[J.R. Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my introduction to the Warhammer 40K universe and oh what an intro it was. There was a learning curve, but the story was compelling enough to overcome that. The author, Guy Haley, wove the Warhammer lore in such a way that his story didn't suffer. He made me want to know more, making him a literary drug dealer. Is that still legal? Anyway, if you like violent militaristic science fiction, you don't want to miss this novel!

[Nate Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like tradition to start a new year with a Guy Haley novel at this point.

Inventive choice to frame the story in the middle, spiltting the narrative with one strand going forward, and the other backwards. If you are thinking that sounds like the Christopher Nolan movie Momento, you would be right.

Missing some of the nuances of character motivations and world view that his later novels posses, this is still one of the better 49k novels you can read.

[Jamie Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good novel showing off the relationship between the tech priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the tankers of the Imperial Guard. Love the chance to see a Baneblade in action. The Orks were done very well, and it certainly showed a side of them instead of the dumb horde of mea5 heads we are used to. I wish I could give it a half star because it was very good there was just something small missing that I think would have made it great.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like 'Imperial Glory', 'Fire Caste' and 'Straken', I think this safely sits in the very top tier of 40k stories. That is: Imperial Guard (ahem: Astra Militarum) stories that are relatively small scale and low-key for 40k. Big armies, sure, but not the very finest of all armies fighting the very worst enemies.

As I said - low-key, but extremely tightly and evocatively done.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story about young lieutenant Bannick seeking atonement for a past mistake by serving the Emperor in the Imperial Guard.

I was hooked from the beginning. The way Guy Haley describes the Mars Triumphant Baneblade you feel like you are in the action with Bannick and the rest of the crew.

Great read for any 40k fan.

[Morgan Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally the orks get to shine. And boy is their brutality and cunning shown here, as opposed to just being shoved to the side. Psykers are shown to be the feared and danger they should be, same as the armour they fight alongside. Could do with more looks into kalidars civilian life but otherwise a solid tank story

[Ebenezer Arvigenius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Middle of the road military fiction without any especially redeeming or condemning features. A bit too unfocused in plotting with too much sidetracking to make it to the three stars the well-written individual scenes would otherwise deserve.

[Vaughan Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed and gritty

Surprisingly grounded storytelling carries the narrative incredibly well here. The focus on the specifics during action is astounding and Haley skilfully uses it to push the story forward. A great read!

[Randy Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Tanks and Warhammer 40k then this is a decent book. If you don't like either of those things then why are you even looking at this book?