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Scars #8
Scars: Episode VIII
Of all the Legiones Astartes, the White Scars of Jaghatai Khan remain the most enigmatic and elusive. Born of a civilisation that prizes honour, speed and fearsome loyalty, their allegiance has yet remained unclear even as the galaxy is torn apart by Horus’s treachery, and both sides have apparently counted them among their potential allies in the war to come. But when the Alpha Legion launch an unexplained and simultaneous attack against the White Scars and Space Wolves, the Khan must decide once and for all whether he will stand with the Emperor or the Warmaster... or neither.
The exciting story continues in the eighth eBook episode of an all-new novel by Chris Wraight.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2013
2 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Chris Wraight
220 books387 followersChris Wraight is a British author of fantasy and science fiction.
His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.
He is based in the south-west of England.
His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.
He is based in the south-west of England.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 25, 2013
Episode VIII is unfortunately as much a weakness to the novel as it is an asset to the tale. As said last time, a concern was that it might take a step backwards right after making one in the right direction and that’s what seems to have happened here. While the focus on the Space Wolves was robbing time away from the White Scars, it’s obvious that their presence was necessary for some story strength.
Think about this for a moment. Whatever my personal thoughts on his books, all of Chris Wraight’s major releases have consistently worked around a battle or a build-up to a large conflict. Battle of the Fang, Wrath of Iron, Blood of Asaheim; they’ve all either been set surrounding one big conflict and working off of that to a degree. These only ended with the conclusion of the book and rarely lasted any longer than the actual battle here. In Scars, we’ve seen the end of the Space Wolves’ battle, left it behind, and the story manages to feel somewhat rudderless as a result. It still has a clear direction, but many elements feel rushed as if Wraight is trying to get to the next big source of conflict as fast as possible.
The location mentioned that the legion was heading for not too long ago? Not only do they arrive at it, but the actual event of descending down onto the planet feels as if scenes were cut for space. There’s very little emphasis placed on the actual effort of heading down to the world or detailing their surroundings. Unlike a lot of other prominent Black Library authors, Wraight seems to place little emphasis upon properly describing an environment outside of action or having beats in events. Far too many times on-board the ship, rooms and scenes have so little description that they feel as if they could be anywhere, with only key features left to be truly focused upon. This is especially clear when Torghun approaches Shiban and the two converse, or even a shuttle flight with Xa’ven and Yesugei. It reads far more like a script than it does a conversation in a novel. There are few details beyond basic reactions and thoughts to truly set the scene or give a greater impression of their postures or how they interact with their surroundings.
These are problems which have remained a part of Wraight’s style, but this Episode makes them far more evident than they otherwise would be to a reader.
Now, please don’t let this sound like the Episode is entirely bad because there are a lot of good elements as well.
Foremost among these is the continued balance between characters. Now following only four chief figures within the plot, Wraight’s tale feels far less cluttered than before and is far more free to explore its themes. Along with more clearly stating why their librarians never went as far as the Thousand Sons, some mysteries are built up such as why Khan himself was not present at Nikea. An interesting point indeed given what has been revealed of him, and leads into an interesting possibility.
More importantly we see that perhaps the White Scars are not quite so superior as they first seemed. In a moment of desperation, Yesugi resorts to something just as bad as his foes and it’s made clear just how easy the temptation to abuse that power truly is. It’s a much better way than some of his previous interpretations of chapters, showing their strengths at least as much as their individual weaknesses. Not allowing the latter to eclipse the former.
Speaking of which, Yesugi’s companions are fleshed out somewhat as we learn more of them. While we learn little of Xa’ven personally, there are a few details which clearly mark him out as a Salamander without resorting to some of the more tedious details which dominated their books. Similarly Henricos, the Iron Hand mentioned last time, is given considerable insight and to give credit where credit is due he feels like a member of that chapter. The way he is written is far closer to how the chapter was outlined in Index Astartes than what we saw in Wrath of Iron. Rage tempered with logic, expert in machinery, but not one step away from getting his allies killed out of sheer contempt. It’s interesting, but it isn’t so much it draws attention away from the White Scars and is worked around advancing the plot.
Finally, while the scene might have had its problems, the conversation between Torghun and Shiban is definitely what the story needed. Along with giving a potential reason as to why Terran astartes were still being sent to legions after their primarchs were found, Wraight approaches the subject of the lodges in a skilled way. One which, rather than showing suspicion like Garro or Loken did, gives a more clear picture of how others were inducted and how easy they were to spread corruption among the legions.
There are definitely a lot of flaws visible here, but I have the feeling these wouldn’t be so noticeable were you reading the entire novel at once. At best it would just be another low in the action before moving onto the next big setpiece, but when individually separated like this a lot of problems become evident. Wait for the actual release, don’t get this.
Think about this for a moment. Whatever my personal thoughts on his books, all of Chris Wraight’s major releases have consistently worked around a battle or a build-up to a large conflict. Battle of the Fang, Wrath of Iron, Blood of Asaheim; they’ve all either been set surrounding one big conflict and working off of that to a degree. These only ended with the conclusion of the book and rarely lasted any longer than the actual battle here. In Scars, we’ve seen the end of the Space Wolves’ battle, left it behind, and the story manages to feel somewhat rudderless as a result. It still has a clear direction, but many elements feel rushed as if Wraight is trying to get to the next big source of conflict as fast as possible.
The location mentioned that the legion was heading for not too long ago? Not only do they arrive at it, but the actual event of descending down onto the planet feels as if scenes were cut for space. There’s very little emphasis placed on the actual effort of heading down to the world or detailing their surroundings. Unlike a lot of other prominent Black Library authors, Wraight seems to place little emphasis upon properly describing an environment outside of action or having beats in events. Far too many times on-board the ship, rooms and scenes have so little description that they feel as if they could be anywhere, with only key features left to be truly focused upon. This is especially clear when Torghun approaches Shiban and the two converse, or even a shuttle flight with Xa’ven and Yesugei. It reads far more like a script than it does a conversation in a novel. There are few details beyond basic reactions and thoughts to truly set the scene or give a greater impression of their postures or how they interact with their surroundings.
These are problems which have remained a part of Wraight’s style, but this Episode makes them far more evident than they otherwise would be to a reader.
Now, please don’t let this sound like the Episode is entirely bad because there are a lot of good elements as well.
Foremost among these is the continued balance between characters. Now following only four chief figures within the plot, Wraight’s tale feels far less cluttered than before and is far more free to explore its themes. Along with more clearly stating why their librarians never went as far as the Thousand Sons, some mysteries are built up such as why Khan himself was not present at Nikea. An interesting point indeed given what has been revealed of him, and leads into an interesting possibility.
More importantly we see that perhaps the White Scars are not quite so superior as they first seemed. In a moment of desperation, Yesugi resorts to something just as bad as his foes and it’s made clear just how easy the temptation to abuse that power truly is. It’s a much better way than some of his previous interpretations of chapters, showing their strengths at least as much as their individual weaknesses. Not allowing the latter to eclipse the former.
Speaking of which, Yesugi’s companions are fleshed out somewhat as we learn more of them. While we learn little of Xa’ven personally, there are a few details which clearly mark him out as a Salamander without resorting to some of the more tedious details which dominated their books. Similarly Henricos, the Iron Hand mentioned last time, is given considerable insight and to give credit where credit is due he feels like a member of that chapter. The way he is written is far closer to how the chapter was outlined in Index Astartes than what we saw in Wrath of Iron. Rage tempered with logic, expert in machinery, but not one step away from getting his allies killed out of sheer contempt. It’s interesting, but it isn’t so much it draws attention away from the White Scars and is worked around advancing the plot.
Finally, while the scene might have had its problems, the conversation between Torghun and Shiban is definitely what the story needed. Along with giving a potential reason as to why Terran astartes were still being sent to legions after their primarchs were found, Wraight approaches the subject of the lodges in a skilled way. One which, rather than showing suspicion like Garro or Loken did, gives a more clear picture of how others were inducted and how easy they were to spread corruption among the legions.
There are definitely a lot of flaws visible here, but I have the feeling these wouldn’t be so noticeable were you reading the entire novel at once. At best it would just be another low in the action before moving onto the next big setpiece, but when individually separated like this a lot of problems become evident. Wait for the actual release, don’t get this.
September 29, 2013
The Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/09/....
“An excellent continuation of what is already a very solid novel. Chris Wraight continues to impress and keep the reader engaged as the book continues to progress.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
"Of all the Legiones Astartes, the White Scars of Jaghatai Khan remain the most enigmatic and elusive. Born of a civilisation that prizes honour, speed and fearsome loyalty, their allegiance has yet remained unclear even as the galaxy is torn apart by Horus’s treachery, and both sides have apparently counted them among their potential allies in the war to come. But when the Alpha Legion launch an unexplained and simultaneous attack against the White Scars and Space Wolves, the Khan must decide once and for all whether he will stand with the Emperor or the Warmaster… or neither.
The exciting story continues in the eighth eBook episode of an all-new novel by Chris Wraight."
Well, eight episodes in and it’s good to see that Scars has remained as consistent as it has. Chris Wraight brings something fresh and awesome to the table with each new instalment and the new serialised format is, whilst perhaps not suited to this particular book, still enough to have me eagerly anticipating each week for a new release. I’m loving how Wraight has continued to develop the plotlines over the course of the book with confidence and a strong narrative style to boot. Whilst not much can be said that hasn’t been already in this review – I’m going to do my best to continue to cover each new episode of Scars until its closure.
Scars_VIIIThe Episode itself opens on a Word Bearers ship, with Yesegui and his allies searching for the Khan. Various other members, such as the Iron Hands Astartes Yesegui, and the Stormseers are all given something to do that allows to help flesh out their characters in further depth. Elsewhere, the White Scars fleet arrives at Prospero following its cleansing by the Space Wolves, and a Torghun attempts to gain a new recruit to the Lodge at a meeting in the form of Shiban after beating him in a jetbiking race.
Aside from what we know in established lore, Scars continues to be as unpredictable as ever, in fact – I’d go so far as to say that it’s easily one of the most unpredictable books in the entire series so far. and the fact that we’re still guessing as we enter the closing stages of the second act of this episode, I really can’t wait to see what comes next. Wraight also manages to keep us guessing by adding into the equasion that we know that the Scars are now not as powerful and awe-inspiring as we’ve come to believe, as members of the legion have to resort to tactics that one would associate with the enemy and not with a legion of the Imperium, proving that everything is far from black and white as it first appeared (not that there ever can be a divide between good and evil in the worlds of the far future, of course).
Another thing that I liked that helps make the book more unpredictable is Wraight’s approach to the Lodges. Far too often in the past we’ve seen them viewed with mistrust and in some cases open hostility has spawned between the non-Lodge members and the Lodge members even before the actual Heresy broke out, but in this chapter Wraight manages to convey just why so many Astartes were persuaded as well as how this approach allowed for corruption. If you’re tired of always seeing the lodges viewed in the same way by previous protagonists and want a different take on them, then you’ll find it a good read. Even if you haven’t been tired of this, then you’re in for a welcome and refreshing treat.
Chris Wraight continues to impress with each instalment that is sent our way. We don’t feel as though we’re ever retreading old ground and whilst the characters may still not be the most memorable ever, they’re certainly better than some one-dimensional figures that we’ve seen in the past from multiple Black Library authors (including a few more established than Wraight). Each instalment is fresh and fun and I really can’t wait to see how Wraight wraps up this book in the remaining four chapters that we have. He’s delivered, aside from a few minor problems with each entry so far and I have faith that he can continue to work his magic in the future. I’m already counting down the days to Episode IX (it is in fact, a mere three days away as of the time of writing), and it’s something that I’m really looking forward to.
VERDICT: 4/5
“An excellent continuation of what is already a very solid novel. Chris Wraight continues to impress and keep the reader engaged as the book continues to progress.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
"Of all the Legiones Astartes, the White Scars of Jaghatai Khan remain the most enigmatic and elusive. Born of a civilisation that prizes honour, speed and fearsome loyalty, their allegiance has yet remained unclear even as the galaxy is torn apart by Horus’s treachery, and both sides have apparently counted them among their potential allies in the war to come. But when the Alpha Legion launch an unexplained and simultaneous attack against the White Scars and Space Wolves, the Khan must decide once and for all whether he will stand with the Emperor or the Warmaster… or neither.
The exciting story continues in the eighth eBook episode of an all-new novel by Chris Wraight."
Well, eight episodes in and it’s good to see that Scars has remained as consistent as it has. Chris Wraight brings something fresh and awesome to the table with each new instalment and the new serialised format is, whilst perhaps not suited to this particular book, still enough to have me eagerly anticipating each week for a new release. I’m loving how Wraight has continued to develop the plotlines over the course of the book with confidence and a strong narrative style to boot. Whilst not much can be said that hasn’t been already in this review – I’m going to do my best to continue to cover each new episode of Scars until its closure.
Scars_VIIIThe Episode itself opens on a Word Bearers ship, with Yesegui and his allies searching for the Khan. Various other members, such as the Iron Hands Astartes Yesegui, and the Stormseers are all given something to do that allows to help flesh out their characters in further depth. Elsewhere, the White Scars fleet arrives at Prospero following its cleansing by the Space Wolves, and a Torghun attempts to gain a new recruit to the Lodge at a meeting in the form of Shiban after beating him in a jetbiking race.
Aside from what we know in established lore, Scars continues to be as unpredictable as ever, in fact – I’d go so far as to say that it’s easily one of the most unpredictable books in the entire series so far. and the fact that we’re still guessing as we enter the closing stages of the second act of this episode, I really can’t wait to see what comes next. Wraight also manages to keep us guessing by adding into the equasion that we know that the Scars are now not as powerful and awe-inspiring as we’ve come to believe, as members of the legion have to resort to tactics that one would associate with the enemy and not with a legion of the Imperium, proving that everything is far from black and white as it first appeared (not that there ever can be a divide between good and evil in the worlds of the far future, of course).
Another thing that I liked that helps make the book more unpredictable is Wraight’s approach to the Lodges. Far too often in the past we’ve seen them viewed with mistrust and in some cases open hostility has spawned between the non-Lodge members and the Lodge members even before the actual Heresy broke out, but in this chapter Wraight manages to convey just why so many Astartes were persuaded as well as how this approach allowed for corruption. If you’re tired of always seeing the lodges viewed in the same way by previous protagonists and want a different take on them, then you’ll find it a good read. Even if you haven’t been tired of this, then you’re in for a welcome and refreshing treat.
Chris Wraight continues to impress with each instalment that is sent our way. We don’t feel as though we’re ever retreading old ground and whilst the characters may still not be the most memorable ever, they’re certainly better than some one-dimensional figures that we’ve seen in the past from multiple Black Library authors (including a few more established than Wraight). Each instalment is fresh and fun and I really can’t wait to see how Wraight wraps up this book in the remaining four chapters that we have. He’s delivered, aside from a few minor problems with each entry so far and I have faith that he can continue to work his magic in the future. I’m already counting down the days to Episode IX (it is in fact, a mere three days away as of the time of writing), and it’s something that I’m really looking forward to.
VERDICT: 4/5
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews