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The Beast Arises #6
Echoes of the Long War
Paralysed by the continued ork invasion of Imperial space, the rulers of Terra continue to fight among themselves. Finally losing patience with the High Council, Koorland – the last surviving Imperial Fist – ousts the Lord Commander and seizes control. Elsewhere, the Fists Exemplar are forced by circumstance to fight alongside the Iron Warriors. Where will such an alliance lead – can a Traitor Legion ever be trusted?
Read it because
It's a turning point, in more ways than one, and introduces not only a potential solution to the ork problem the Imperium's experiencing, but a major new threat that they'll need to deal with as well...
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2016
12 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
About the author
David Guymer
173 books176 followersDavid Guymer is a freelance author, PhD in molecular microbiology (which still comes in more handy than you might think), and tabletop warlord based in the Yorkshire East Riding. He has written for Black Library, Marvel, Aconyte Books, Asmodee, Mantic Games, Cubicle 7, Creative Assembly, and Mongoose Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 10, 2016
Review also published here
Echoes of the Long War is the sixth novel in the The Beast Arises series. As such, it marks the halfway point of the overall story, and has to live up to high expectations. For the most part, it succeeded in doing that for me, despite a few shortcomings.
The biggest downside to me was the relative lack of Terra and the politics plotline. Only six out of twenty-three chapters take place on the Throneworld, one of which was shared with the Mars plotline, which other than that had two chapters to itself.
What the book offered of these aspects was solid, enjoyable and intriguing. Drakan Vangorich finally set some things in motion, Koorland took decisive action and we even got to see a glimpse of the incoming disaster from Ecclesiarch Mesring. Adding the research on Mars to the mix, we get some pretty cool reveals and events that will impact the series going forward.
The rest of the book is focused on the Fists Exemplar's battles against the ork menace, both in the void as on ground. I'd say that this was much needed, as we haven't really seen much battle with them for the past few books. The Proletarian Crusade didn't focus much on the action, and neither did the semi-purge of the attack moon over Terra. Most action scenes were either lacking the Last Wall Chapters, or had them on their back foot.
This time we get a more proactive look at the Space Marine operations. While Chapter Master Thane leaves the stage for most of the book, his First Captain, Zerberyn, who we've seen in Predator, Prey already, takes the role of protagonist. He is a Fist Exemplar through and through, and his disapproval of the Last Wall protocol is important to his character development. Throughout the story, Zerberyn is forced to move from his rigid stance and take drastic measures to prevent a greater evil. The guy takes a real beating in having his moral stance and views on the split between good and bad questioned at every turn.
It was a satisfying arc for the character, and I can't wait to see how it will develop from here on.
The same storyline also features the Iron Warriors' Warsmith Kalkator from the previous installments. He provides a counterpoint to Zerberyn and the Exemplars, but once more, I didn't find him to be a real evildoer. He represents many of the virtues of the sons of Perturabo, while sharing few of the post-Heresy downsides of his brethren. He plays a vital role in the overall plot, and leads the Exemplars to Prax, an Iron Warriors world that, in the meantime, has been infested by orks who conduct very, very terrible things there. I won't spoil what they do, but by the Emperor, these revelations left a big impact and turned the grimdark scale of the series a few points past 11.
In general, the orks were more brutal but also sophisticated in Echoes. Their armoury got some big unexpected additions with far-reaching effects, and even their hierarchy got a good amount of pagetime. We get to see the clan origins, for example, which was cool.
What bothered me a bit were the aforementioned lack of Terra chapters compared to the action parts, and some of the Exemplar chapters dragged a little. Though to be fair, the politics were of a high quality (and featured some new players) and the action ramped up significantly towards the end - which was explosive on multiple levels.
As a series midpoint, Echoes of the Long War managed to increase the threat level of the orks while furthering internal schisms but also offer some solutions here and there, and shock the reader with some gruesome ideas. A bunch of characters are left on very shaky ground, and the aftereffects of their actions will ripple through the coming novels.
David Guymer has managed to live up to the series' high standards, addressing previous plot points while introducing new ones and shifting the course of the series into a position where the Imperium might be able to strike back at the green menace. The tables are turning, and Guymer presented that very well.
Echoes of the Long War is the sixth novel in the The Beast Arises series. As such, it marks the halfway point of the overall story, and has to live up to high expectations. For the most part, it succeeded in doing that for me, despite a few shortcomings.
The biggest downside to me was the relative lack of Terra and the politics plotline. Only six out of twenty-three chapters take place on the Throneworld, one of which was shared with the Mars plotline, which other than that had two chapters to itself.
What the book offered of these aspects was solid, enjoyable and intriguing. Drakan Vangorich finally set some things in motion, Koorland took decisive action and we even got to see a glimpse of the incoming disaster from Ecclesiarch Mesring. Adding the research on Mars to the mix, we get some pretty cool reveals and events that will impact the series going forward.
The rest of the book is focused on the Fists Exemplar's battles against the ork menace, both in the void as on ground. I'd say that this was much needed, as we haven't really seen much battle with them for the past few books. The Proletarian Crusade didn't focus much on the action, and neither did the semi-purge of the attack moon over Terra. Most action scenes were either lacking the Last Wall Chapters, or had them on their back foot.
This time we get a more proactive look at the Space Marine operations. While Chapter Master Thane leaves the stage for most of the book, his First Captain, Zerberyn, who we've seen in Predator, Prey already, takes the role of protagonist. He is a Fist Exemplar through and through, and his disapproval of the Last Wall protocol is important to his character development. Throughout the story, Zerberyn is forced to move from his rigid stance and take drastic measures to prevent a greater evil. The guy takes a real beating in having his moral stance and views on the split between good and bad questioned at every turn.
It was a satisfying arc for the character, and I can't wait to see how it will develop from here on.
The same storyline also features the Iron Warriors' Warsmith Kalkator from the previous installments. He provides a counterpoint to Zerberyn and the Exemplars, but once more, I didn't find him to be a real evildoer. He represents many of the virtues of the sons of Perturabo, while sharing few of the post-Heresy downsides of his brethren. He plays a vital role in the overall plot, and leads the Exemplars to Prax, an Iron Warriors world that, in the meantime, has been infested by orks who conduct very, very terrible things there. I won't spoil what they do, but by the Emperor, these revelations left a big impact and turned the grimdark scale of the series a few points past 11.
In general, the orks were more brutal but also sophisticated in Echoes. Their armoury got some big unexpected additions with far-reaching effects, and even their hierarchy got a good amount of pagetime. We get to see the clan origins, for example, which was cool.
What bothered me a bit were the aforementioned lack of Terra chapters compared to the action parts, and some of the Exemplar chapters dragged a little. Though to be fair, the politics were of a high quality (and featured some new players) and the action ramped up significantly towards the end - which was explosive on multiple levels.
As a series midpoint, Echoes of the Long War managed to increase the threat level of the orks while furthering internal schisms but also offer some solutions here and there, and shock the reader with some gruesome ideas. A bunch of characters are left on very shaky ground, and the aftereffects of their actions will ripple through the coming novels.
David Guymer has managed to live up to the series' high standards, addressing previous plot points while introducing new ones and shifting the course of the series into a position where the Imperium might be able to strike back at the green menace. The tables are turning, and Guymer presented that very well.
May 10, 2016
And here goes another episode of dramatic 'TBA' series.
This time it was written by a brilliant WFB writer - David Guymer. And through he has previous experience writing for W40k, adding it to a glories list of WFB (with great City of the Damned and truly epic 'Kinslayer' and 'Slayer') this time he was given a 32nd millennium to write a story. The novel is.... good, from a perspective of a standalone 'Space Marines Battles' novel. But as an episode of a season, add mid-season episode to that, it is an absolutely another story.
And through David Guymer has tried to weave an epic tale of cosmic proportions - sadly, he failed miserably. To be fair - 50 % of blame lies with the previous authors who created a canvas for him to step to.
But in all else he failed by himself.
1) Prose - of all the TBA novels to date, it was a hardest to get through. David does like indeed writing a lot of unnecessary description for different stuff (servitors, walls, ships, worlds etc.) instead of characters personalities (not how do they look) and dialogs.
As a direct result we have a very 'hard to get through' and overloaded with details. Sometimes author tries a joke or to include some good quote, but except for the first one - they are all blank and prosaic.
Even void warfare (which I adorn from my youth) written in same degree. And so it is hard to figure out and follow.
That is the first TBA book which I read for 8 days! Every previous novel I finished in 5 hours, but this one - was an uneven struggle to get through. Every chapter was a challenge.
Add to that the fact, that author is a gamer - and you will find quotes and mementos from a long list of games (which were played by an author). 'War never changes' - oh David, sign... Some people hate Fallout...
2) Characters - author got almost all of them from the previous authors. He hasn't added any new depths to them (cause restrictions and point 1 of review), but at the same time he hasn't butchered their characters, which is good on itself. But generally - they are blank and uninteresting to read. Even the Drakan Vangorich chapters, which always were the main enterntainment of the TBA cycle.
3) Plot - is the third casualty here. Let be honest - almost 90 % of all midseason episodes in different TV shows are crappy. Cause they need an episode to tie in all the plot holes and broken storylines. Same happened her - from the point of consistent storyline author didn't have a choice as to apply dull events. From the point of story of this particular novel - it is a good SMB book, as I did mentioned before.
4) Last point is the ending. I was expecting everything - great mystery of orc homeworld, start of outright war with Mars, but not the last sentence uttered by a Magos. I never had problems with the general plotlines of TBA before. But now.... Whose idea it was - to make Ullanor an orc homeworld? WTF - I can understand consistency, but to beat an old corpse again? From all the Galaxy they had chosen Ullanor? Why for feth sake?
So on that point I will end my review. In total - 'Echoes of the Long War' was a good standalone SMB novel. But from the point of TBA storyline it is the worst novel to date. Sadly, cause I do believe that David could write awesome stuff.
Now I'm do worried about the next novel in TBA - cause it seems it would be another blank episode, with plotline holes and unnecessary fillers, instead of moving forward. TBA going in wrong direction which made a lot of people drop Horus Heresy cycle. I want to apologize in advance for David Annandale, but it seems the next 'midseason' novel (episode) wouldn't be much better than that one.
All in all - as a good SMB novel, but not a great consistency read for the main storyline - 'Echoes of the Long War' gets 3 stars.
This time it was written by a brilliant WFB writer - David Guymer. And through he has previous experience writing for W40k, adding it to a glories list of WFB (with great City of the Damned and truly epic 'Kinslayer' and 'Slayer') this time he was given a 32nd millennium to write a story. The novel is.... good, from a perspective of a standalone 'Space Marines Battles' novel. But as an episode of a season, add mid-season episode to that, it is an absolutely another story.
And through David Guymer has tried to weave an epic tale of cosmic proportions - sadly, he failed miserably. To be fair - 50 % of blame lies with the previous authors who created a canvas for him to step to.
But in all else he failed by himself.
1) Prose - of all the TBA novels to date, it was a hardest to get through. David does like indeed writing a lot of unnecessary description for different stuff (servitors, walls, ships, worlds etc.) instead of characters personalities (not how do they look) and dialogs.
As a direct result we have a very 'hard to get through' and overloaded with details. Sometimes author tries a joke or to include some good quote, but except for the first one - they are all blank and prosaic.
Even void warfare (which I adorn from my youth) written in same degree. And so it is hard to figure out and follow.
That is the first TBA book which I read for 8 days! Every previous novel I finished in 5 hours, but this one - was an uneven struggle to get through. Every chapter was a challenge.
Add to that the fact, that author is a gamer - and you will find quotes and mementos from a long list of games (which were played by an author). 'War never changes' - oh David, sign... Some people hate Fallout...
2) Characters - author got almost all of them from the previous authors. He hasn't added any new depths to them (cause restrictions and point 1 of review), but at the same time he hasn't butchered their characters, which is good on itself. But generally - they are blank and uninteresting to read. Even the Drakan Vangorich chapters, which always were the main enterntainment of the TBA cycle.
3) Plot - is the third casualty here. Let be honest - almost 90 % of all midseason episodes in different TV shows are crappy. Cause they need an episode to tie in all the plot holes and broken storylines. Same happened her - from the point of consistent storyline author didn't have a choice as to apply dull events. From the point of story of this particular novel - it is a good SMB book, as I did mentioned before.
4) Last point is the ending. I was expecting everything - great mystery of orc homeworld, start of outright war with Mars, but not the last sentence uttered by a Magos. I never had problems with the general plotlines of TBA before. But now.... Whose idea it was - to make Ullanor an orc homeworld? WTF - I can understand consistency, but to beat an old corpse again? From all the Galaxy they had chosen Ullanor? Why for feth sake?
So on that point I will end my review. In total - 'Echoes of the Long War' was a good standalone SMB novel. But from the point of TBA storyline it is the worst novel to date. Sadly, cause I do believe that David could write awesome stuff.
Now I'm do worried about the next novel in TBA - cause it seems it would be another blank episode, with plotline holes and unnecessary fillers, instead of moving forward. TBA going in wrong direction which made a lot of people drop Horus Heresy cycle. I want to apologize in advance for David Annandale, but it seems the next 'midseason' novel (episode) wouldn't be much better than that one.
All in all - as a good SMB novel, but not a great consistency read for the main storyline - 'Echoes of the Long War' gets 3 stars.
July 28, 2016
Will update once I have finished reading ... so far this book seems to be a story where the vocabulary is the main plot and has been transformed by a thesaurus to give the strangest and most complex way of describing hardly anything. I am considering going back to read lord of the rings again as its an example of a balanced use of literacy and capturing the story and imagination. This may all change! Will update.
April 30, 2016
Echoes of the Long War, book six in the Beast Arises series and the first from David Guymer, sees the halfway point in this twelve book series. Picking things up after the events of Throneworld it focuses mostly on the Fists Exemplar, specifically newly-promoted First Captain Zerberyn as he he drags the Exemplar fleet into battle with the orks in support of Black Templar Marshal Magneric and his unusual allies. Elsewhere we see Koorland and Vangorich attempting to take control of the situation back on Terra, and Magos Urquidex conspiring against his Martian masters, feeding information back to Vangorich.
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
October 21, 2024
Book six of the Beast Arises comes with more obvious links and references to the (let's be honest, vastly more interesting) Horus Heresy than previous novels, grounding the story more firmly in familiar territory at the cost, perhaps, of a little originality. It feels like a good decision, even if it is jarring to see sons of uber-enemies Dorn and Perturabo playing nicely together.
Guymer - an author with whom I'm not terribly familiar - does a good job of his action scenes, keeps the unnecessary politics to a blessed minimum, and takes time to understand and incrementally develop characters inherited from other authors. A definite step in the right direction.
Guymer - an author with whom I'm not terribly familiar - does a good job of his action scenes, keeps the unnecessary politics to a blessed minimum, and takes time to understand and incrementally develop characters inherited from other authors. A definite step in the right direction.
October 29, 2022
This book really is nothing but filler, the plot doesn’t move forward at all. Really disappointing
November 24, 2017
For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of Black Library/Game Workshop's year long event story from last year, The Beast Arises, is that it's consistently given me things I've never seen or don't regularly see in Warhmamer 40,000 novels. Those things all feel organic too; so they come off as fun, mind blowing twists. So far, we've engaged in political intrigues with the High Lords of Terra, seen Space Marines think and act politically, and have even had Xenos species set foot on Terra . . . twice! And that was just in the first five chapters!
Having now read the sixth installment, David Guymer's “Echoes of the Long War,” I'm happy to report that the trend of fun, different, and interesting things continues as we reach the halfway point of the series. Plus the book sets the stage for an explosive and exciting second half of the series.
The Beast Arises series is about all the institutions of the Imperium, but so far when it focuses on the Adeptus Astartes the spotlight has firmly been on the Imperial Fists and all their successor chapters. In “Echoes of the Long War” David Guymer takes us on a deep dive inside the culture of the Second Founding Space Marine chapter known as the Fists Exemplar. What's especially interesting about these guys is they sort of come off as a combination of Rogal Dorn's Imperial Fists and Roboute Gulliman's Ultramarines. They have the tenacity and stubbornness of the Fists, but they have the scholarly way of thinking and devotion to code of conduct of the Ultramarines.
Seeing that way of thinking collide with the tsunami of an interstellar invasion of super orks and their attack moons (I will never grow tired of typing that phrase! So fun! So METAL! And so 40K!) Was a lot of fun. And Guymer gives us a great point of view character to follow for most of the action in the form of a by the books Exemplar captain named Zeberyn.
What really makes “Echoes of the Long War” fun though is the characters Zeberyn and the Fists Exemplars run up again in their fight with the orks, the arch enemies of the Imperial Fists, the Traitor Space Marine Legion known as the Iron Warriors. Best of all, it was the Iron Warriors warband that we've been following for a few books now, the company lead by Warsmith Kalkator. I've grown to like Kalkator over the last few novels in The Beasts Arises, but Guymer made me love him.
That's because in the book Kalkator and Zeberyn's forces have a common foe. So the question then becomes can they work together to defeat the orks? I'm not going to comment on that except to say the dialogue and dynamic between Kalkator and the Fists Exemplar is a lot of fun.
The other thing that Guymer does in “Echoes of the Long War” is provide a scenario that turns the Orks into truly frightening foes. For me that's been sort of the weak link of the series. It's hard for me to get excited about the Orks as ultimate bad guys because there's a lot about them that comes off as comical or sort of force of nature like. In this book though there's an especially savage revelation about the orks that borders on horrific and gives the novel some really great stakes. It also leads to some fantastic action scenes and an incredibly powerful climax that I did not see coming.
On top of that, Guymer also introduces readers to a fascinating group of Tempestus Scions (Think Imperial Guard Spec Ops), while also continuing the stories of the Imperium's master of assasins Drakan Vangorich, Koorland, the last Imperial Fist, and Magos Biologos Eldon Urquidex. Plus we get a chilling, final scene that digs back into established 40K lore, sets the stage for the back half of The Beast Arises, and makes me eager to read the next book in the series “The Hunt for Vulkan.” So “Echoes of the Long War” was a heck of a lot of fun.
July 28, 2017
This book approaches the halfway mark in The Beast Arises, and despite some awesome "FUCK YEAH" moments, the orks remain on the offensive. The Imperium needs a win and it needs it soon. Among the space marines who weren't thrilled about Koorland's orders to bring all marines back to Terra are Fist Exemplar First Captain Zerberyn. Zerberyn is far from home and an honorable man, so he teams up with Iron Warriors Warsmith Kalkator, because the enemy of my enemy is my not-at-all reluctant ally!
Loyalist and treacherous space marines working side-by-side: spine chilling! This could never have been possible during the Horus Heresy, and sure as hell doesn't happen in 40k, but in 32k? Literally anything is possible!
Unfortunately, there isn't alot of time for politics on Holy Terra or Mars. There's what seems to be a throwaway line by one of the Administratum folk to Vangorich about how she has people in the field. What does that mean? Koorland, not content w/ enacting the Last Wall protocol, takes full control of the Imperium! And from the depths of Mars, Magos Urquidex is secretly feeding information to Vangorich. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezork is building Amazork Prime and subscriptions aren't optional! If you thought ambassador orks were scary, wait until you get a glimpse of ork supply chains!
Such a great book: action packed yet heartbreaking in the way only books about space marines can be. But the ending! Oh that ending. It ties The Beast Arises directly to the Horus Heresy. Is it real? Or is it just a ruse? Only one way to find out!
Supposedly this is the first time Guymer has written Warhammer 40k... but this is sooooo good, so that can't be right, can it?
Loyalist and treacherous space marines working side-by-side: spine chilling! This could never have been possible during the Horus Heresy, and sure as hell doesn't happen in 40k, but in 32k? Literally anything is possible!
Unfortunately, there isn't alot of time for politics on Holy Terra or Mars. There's what seems to be a throwaway line by one of the Administratum folk to Vangorich about how she has people in the field. What does that mean? Koorland, not content w/ enacting the Last Wall protocol, takes full control of the Imperium! And from the depths of Mars, Magos Urquidex is secretly feeding information to Vangorich. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezork is building Amazork Prime and subscriptions aren't optional! If you thought ambassador orks were scary, wait until you get a glimpse of ork supply chains!
Such a great book: action packed yet heartbreaking in the way only books about space marines can be. But the ending! Oh that ending. It ties The Beast Arises directly to the Horus Heresy. Is it real? Or is it just a ruse? Only one way to find out!
Supposedly this is the first time Guymer has written Warhammer 40k... but this is sooooo good, so that can't be right, can it?
November 12, 2019
Simply put, this book was horrendous. The author drones on for chapters at a time without progressing the story line. I was able to skip through entire chapters without missing anything exceptional or necessary to the overall TBA story line. There is page after page of dribble plastered into a book, and the most boring parts are stretched to unnecessary lengths of multiple chapters, while the interesting parts are rushed through and confined to single chapters. This makes the book a desert where I am starved of substance, forced to struggle through prose, thirsting for the oasis of real, interesting story that turns out to be a mirage. The range of adjectives used by the author at every turn is assaulting. Multiple chapters worth of a single, droning battle are even more bogged down and lost in superfluous details that make the action impossible to follow. This book is truly boring and poorly written. I hope the author will look back at this novel and feel ashamed for their poor execution of this episode in an otherwise great story line. This book is a great example of how not to write a Warhammer story. All the filling, none of the substance. A very well worded and ornately crafted piece of crap, to speak for it's merits. The only reason I didn't give it one star is because the author obviously has a wonderful grip on the English language. His grip maybe a bit to firm, though, and he should relax it a bit and allow a decent story the chance to catch it's breath.
August 19, 2016
At first I found the transition from the writing of Guy Haley to David Guymer to be incredibly jarring. To me it felt slowed down by too many metaphors and similes. However, at about a third of the way in I was able to see past these hang-ups and man what a ride this story turned in to. Of all the novels in the series up to this point I must say it is probably one of my favorites. Some of the best grim-dark representation and the most unsettling of moments. The scale of the world is properly realised in this novel. The Beast is coming and we finally see things falling into place for Koorland and those who would assist in this fight. Just an awesome read. Could do without the alliteration though.
May 16, 2016
God, this was bad.
January 16, 2018
Despite some initial misgivings about this book, I really got into it quit quickly.
Maybe I’ve just not been paying enough attention to the series up to now, but this book really seems more character driven than earlier ones in the series. The character’s arcs that started coming together in previous books are really starting to heat up now and some of the characters are interacting well. I especially enjoyed the dynamic between First Captain Zeberyn and Warsmith Kalkator, who despite my best efforts to hate, I found to be remarkably (and disturbingly) likeable. Their stories really come together in this book and I found myself looking forward to their chapters to see what would happen next, they are for me the stand out characters of this book.
The action (of which there is much) is really well written and keeps the frenetic pace of the previous books, whilst managing to be easily to follow. You really get a sense for the first time in this series that the Imperium has a chance of surviving this, the series up to now has beaten into the reader a sense of hopelessness and despair, a feeling that all is lost. However, from this book the major characters of the series really start to hit their stride and start to realise that drastic measures need to be taken to save the day as it were. All of this is reflected in what I personally feel was some powerful dialogue between the characters.
This is reflected in some very difficult decisions being made by different characters, it very much gives a sense that whilst there is hope, there is also the potential for further despair. You get the feeling that possibly a couple of the characters could be only a few short steps from damnation, should the logic behind their decision making prove flawed.
I have seen other reviews state the lack of politicking in this book and how they would have liked to have seen more of this. Whilst this is a fair point as there is indeed less of that, I feel this kind of misses the point. The purpose of this novel is giving the reader the feeling that the time for politics is done, that now is the time for action and the Imperium’s fightback is on. In that, I think this book largely succeeds.
Why only four stars then? Well put simply, the Adeptus Mechanicus sections are incredibly dull. I get there’s not really a great deal of room for in depth character development with characters that have largely detached themselves from emotion, but still; I found them a little dull. Even the one character they did have that the writer could explore an emotional side with (Urquidex), I found to be someone dull and two dimensional, he really didn’t pull me in and make me care what happened to him.
To sum up: Great action and a well-paced book that manages to keep you guessing from start to finish. Some really well written characters that you really start rooting for despite your best intentions. Also, a well thought out plot that keeps you guessing right to the end of the book. The downside is the Adeptus Mechanicus chapters, a small gripe I know, but nevertheless it is enough to cost the book a star.
Rating: Four out of five stars.
Maybe I’ve just not been paying enough attention to the series up to now, but this book really seems more character driven than earlier ones in the series. The character’s arcs that started coming together in previous books are really starting to heat up now and some of the characters are interacting well. I especially enjoyed the dynamic between First Captain Zeberyn and Warsmith Kalkator, who despite my best efforts to hate, I found to be remarkably (and disturbingly) likeable. Their stories really come together in this book and I found myself looking forward to their chapters to see what would happen next, they are for me the stand out characters of this book.
The action (of which there is much) is really well written and keeps the frenetic pace of the previous books, whilst managing to be easily to follow. You really get a sense for the first time in this series that the Imperium has a chance of surviving this, the series up to now has beaten into the reader a sense of hopelessness and despair, a feeling that all is lost. However, from this book the major characters of the series really start to hit their stride and start to realise that drastic measures need to be taken to save the day as it were. All of this is reflected in what I personally feel was some powerful dialogue between the characters.
This is reflected in some very difficult decisions being made by different characters, it very much gives a sense that whilst there is hope, there is also the potential for further despair. You get the feeling that possibly a couple of the characters could be only a few short steps from damnation, should the logic behind their decision making prove flawed.
I have seen other reviews state the lack of politicking in this book and how they would have liked to have seen more of this. Whilst this is a fair point as there is indeed less of that, I feel this kind of misses the point. The purpose of this novel is giving the reader the feeling that the time for politics is done, that now is the time for action and the Imperium’s fightback is on. In that, I think this book largely succeeds.
Why only four stars then? Well put simply, the Adeptus Mechanicus sections are incredibly dull. I get there’s not really a great deal of room for in depth character development with characters that have largely detached themselves from emotion, but still; I found them a little dull. Even the one character they did have that the writer could explore an emotional side with (Urquidex), I found to be someone dull and two dimensional, he really didn’t pull me in and make me care what happened to him.
To sum up: Great action and a well-paced book that manages to keep you guessing from start to finish. Some really well written characters that you really start rooting for despite your best intentions. Also, a well thought out plot that keeps you guessing right to the end of the book. The downside is the Adeptus Mechanicus chapters, a small gripe I know, but nevertheless it is enough to cost the book a star.
Rating: Four out of five stars.
February 18, 2022
This was a very interesting read. Book 5 I've read a several years ago so I was afraid of not remembering stuff but besides some names I did remember most of it.
So Terra was attack and now it's picking it up. Unfortunately not all forces want the same thing. There is a lot machination behind and several interests. Koorland the last of the imperial fist wants Terra to be united so he must do something unthinkable. Become the Lord Protector. There are some interesting politics behind like
On the side we've got Zerberyn of the Examplar space marine chapter which needs to make several terrible choices in the name of the emperor. Should he align himself with iron warriors to destroy a bigger threat? Should them destroy a planet vital to the Beast plans?
Very interesting and cool stuff. David Guymer surprised me and made me wanna read the 7 novel - the Hunt for Vulkan. Which I will be reading next month.
So Terra was attack and now it's picking it up. Unfortunately not all forces want the same thing. There is a lot machination behind and several interests. Koorland the last of the imperial fist wants Terra to be united so he must do something unthinkable. Become the Lord Protector. There are some interesting politics behind like
On the side we've got Zerberyn of the Examplar space marine chapter which needs to make several terrible choices in the name of the emperor. Should he align himself with iron warriors to destroy a bigger threat? Should them destroy a planet vital to the Beast plans?
Very interesting and cool stuff. David Guymer surprised me and made me wanna read the 7 novel - the Hunt for Vulkan. Which I will be reading next month.
August 7, 2020
The Imperium continues to struggle against 'The Beast'... an Ork incursion and attack across many planetary systems. This is the closest the Imperium has come to defeat since the Heresy.
the Officio Assassinorium are attempting to find out the 'origin' planet of the incursion, and the Imperial Fists are reforming the walls around Holy Terra.
David Guymer brings his usual high standard to the story, but the over-arching tale is definitely in a 'holding pattern' similar to the Wheel of Time problem. The author group know where they want to go, but the middle books show little progress. If you've read the previous 5 you'll be invested enough to read this one as well, but definitely not one to just pick up.
the Officio Assassinorium are attempting to find out the 'origin' planet of the incursion, and the Imperial Fists are reforming the walls around Holy Terra.
David Guymer brings his usual high standard to the story, but the over-arching tale is definitely in a 'holding pattern' similar to the Wheel of Time problem. The author group know where they want to go, but the middle books show little progress. If you've read the previous 5 you'll be invested enough to read this one as well, but definitely not one to just pick up.
September 1, 2022
Disappointing and contrived.
Generally, the series up to this point, managed to offer enough essence that each book has its own weight and contributes to the overall arch of history, yet this one, there's probably only 3-2 main chapter that move forward and develop the plot, other than that? It's filler, and lots of it. Some interesting action, but most of it is not as great as the previous one, especially when you consider that we just had a book with millions of humans being devoured by a giant moon, while entire Space Marine companies battle across an ocean of Orks.
Overall, disappointing and slow to read. At least due to the small page-count, it doesn't take much so it's not a great sacrifice to read it. While I didn't enjoyed it as much, I do not regret reading it.
Generally, the series up to this point, managed to offer enough essence that each book has its own weight and contributes to the overall arch of history, yet this one, there's probably only 3-2 main chapter that move forward and develop the plot, other than that? It's filler, and lots of it. Some interesting action, but most of it is not as great as the previous one, especially when you consider that we just had a book with millions of humans being devoured by a giant moon, while entire Space Marine companies battle across an ocean of Orks.
Overall, disappointing and slow to read. At least due to the small page-count, it doesn't take much so it's not a great sacrifice to read it. While I didn't enjoyed it as much, I do not regret reading it.
August 16, 2017
This volume marks a strong narrative push forward as the Ork menace becomes more real as we are taken to a world where they have conquered and "colonised" it The tensions between Terra and Mars continue to develop in a satisfying manner and Vangorich remains the most fascinating character in the series.
Otherwise there is not much else to add to the earlier reviews a decent addtion to a strong mini series
Otherwise there is not much else to add to the earlier reviews a decent addtion to a strong mini series
December 1, 2017
This part was kind of a mess. Many characters are introduced in a rapid pace and it's further complicated by the introduction of many war ships. On that subject the battles are confusing as well. Often times switching perspectives with little explanation until a name is called. The story isn't horrible but it is mired deep behind confusing structures.
January 11, 2023
'Elsewhere, the Fists Exemplar are forced by circumstance to fight alongside the Iron Warriors. Where will such an alliance lead – can a Traitor Legion ever be trusted?'
This bit of the blurb is such a significant part of the novel and whilst conceptually interesting it's just a drag after where the last book ended.
This bit of the blurb is such a significant part of the novel and whilst conceptually interesting it's just a drag after where the last book ended.
May 3, 2025
I'm afraid to say that this is a dreadfully dull novel. David Guymer could write political speeches; lots and lots of words, but ultimately they say nothing and nothing actually happens. it's never a good sign when I start to skim read entire pages and find that I've not missed a single piece of information. There were numerous points in the story where I put the book down and thought, "I don't care."
December 25, 2025
I listened to this as an audiobook.
While this was a little slower than the last entry in the series, I still enjoyed a lot of the character development.
Seeing the conflict from so many angles has been very interesting. The author did a great job of making me feel something for what should be an enemy in this book.
I can’t wait for the next one.
While this was a little slower than the last entry in the series, I still enjoyed a lot of the character development.
Seeing the conflict from so many angles has been very interesting. The author did a great job of making me feel something for what should be an enemy in this book.
I can’t wait for the next one.
January 11, 2018
will give it a 4 for the ending, it was very hard to get into and kinda confusing with all the fighting in the beginning- but it ended very well and can't wait to see how they recover from this latest mess!!
August 23, 2021
This one feels like it’s 50% space battles and 50% politics. Fortunately, the space battles are pretty cool, and the politics is actually reasonably interesting, so overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit!
January 20, 2024
I was quite fond of the iron warriors warsmith. Koorland's move to become lord commander of the imperium was also very satisfying and was long overdue. However, it feels like the kind of book that will not stick.
August 7, 2024
I'm having a really hard time enjoying this serie, every books is kinda of a chore . They aren't bad or anything ... Just going through the motion. Feels like math homework in grade school, transformers and GIJOE is playing on TV and you have a betamax but no tapes.
September 18, 2017
I really enjoyed the book.
It showed some really desperate circumstances where the Imperium & Chaos aligned together.
It showed some really desperate circumstances where the Imperium & Chaos aligned together.
June 4, 2020
I enjoyed the book overall, just missing something for me.
March 19, 2025
Closer to a 3.5. Felt like a transitional story within the grander narrative. Thoroughly enjoying the parts set on Terra involving Koorland.
July 24, 2025
Just about enough Dakka in this one.
June 19, 2017
You can read the full review over at my blog:
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
First and foremost, the Warhammer 40,000 novels have always been about visceral action first and foremost. It really wasn’t until the Eisenhorn and Ravenor novels by Dan Abnett that we began to see something much wider, in my experience. I know that books like Inquisition War existed before, but those have long been declared non-canon if I’m not mistaken, so they don’t count. And of course, the Horus Heresy novels have been about Imperial politics on a galactic scale as much as they’ve been about the battle scenes. But it hasn’t been until the Beast Arises trilogy that we’ve really gotten to see Imperial politics up-close and personal on Terra itself among the Imperium’s highest elite.
David Guymer’s Echoes of the Long War is the sixth novel in the series and one which is perhaps the most focused of them all so far. Following on from Throneworld, this novel had a lot of baggage coming in and some really high expectations, not all of which it was able to meet unfortunately. It was, in effect, far too focused on one particular event to the detriment of the other narratives, and that definitely hurt the series overall. However, it was still a decent novel and did keep the story progressing somewhat so there’s that.
Note: Some major spoilers from the previous novels and this novel are mentioned here.
Being the fulcrum point of the series essentially, the role that Echoes of the Long War is given is a vital one. All the forward momentum built-up in the last two novels needs to be carried through and the conflict needs to be increased in scope as well, as weird as that might sound. And that’s where I think that David Guymer missed the mark most of all. He tells an intriguing tale of two opposing Astartes factions colliding and uniting, but it never really had much of an emotional resonance. And then, we got so little of the politicking on Terra amongst the High Lords, few details on the actions of the Last Wall, almost no information on what the other Chapters are doing, and very little to do with Mars as well. It was all very unsatisfying.
In this novel we focus on First Captain Zerberyn of the Fists Exemplar, who is an opponent of the Last Wall protocol, believing that it is a betrayal of the word and spirit of the breaking down of the Legions post-Heresy by Primarch Guilliman. This, despite the fact that Rogal Dorn, the primogenitor of the Imperial Fists, himself was opposed as well, initially. As such, it gives David a nice “in” to explore the character’s complexity, especially when he is faced with the tough (or not so tough) choice of either allying with Kalkator’s forces for mutual benefit or holding true to his oaths and fighting him off till the end.
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
First and foremost, the Warhammer 40,000 novels have always been about visceral action first and foremost. It really wasn’t until the Eisenhorn and Ravenor novels by Dan Abnett that we began to see something much wider, in my experience. I know that books like Inquisition War existed before, but those have long been declared non-canon if I’m not mistaken, so they don’t count. And of course, the Horus Heresy novels have been about Imperial politics on a galactic scale as much as they’ve been about the battle scenes. But it hasn’t been until the Beast Arises trilogy that we’ve really gotten to see Imperial politics up-close and personal on Terra itself among the Imperium’s highest elite.
David Guymer’s Echoes of the Long War is the sixth novel in the series and one which is perhaps the most focused of them all so far. Following on from Throneworld, this novel had a lot of baggage coming in and some really high expectations, not all of which it was able to meet unfortunately. It was, in effect, far too focused on one particular event to the detriment of the other narratives, and that definitely hurt the series overall. However, it was still a decent novel and did keep the story progressing somewhat so there’s that.
Note: Some major spoilers from the previous novels and this novel are mentioned here.
Being the fulcrum point of the series essentially, the role that Echoes of the Long War is given is a vital one. All the forward momentum built-up in the last two novels needs to be carried through and the conflict needs to be increased in scope as well, as weird as that might sound. And that’s where I think that David Guymer missed the mark most of all. He tells an intriguing tale of two opposing Astartes factions colliding and uniting, but it never really had much of an emotional resonance. And then, we got so little of the politicking on Terra amongst the High Lords, few details on the actions of the Last Wall, almost no information on what the other Chapters are doing, and very little to do with Mars as well. It was all very unsatisfying.
In this novel we focus on First Captain Zerberyn of the Fists Exemplar, who is an opponent of the Last Wall protocol, believing that it is a betrayal of the word and spirit of the breaking down of the Legions post-Heresy by Primarch Guilliman. This, despite the fact that Rogal Dorn, the primogenitor of the Imperial Fists, himself was opposed as well, initially. As such, it gives David a nice “in” to explore the character’s complexity, especially when he is faced with the tough (or not so tough) choice of either allying with Kalkator’s forces for mutual benefit or holding true to his oaths and fighting him off till the end.
May 17, 2016
Disjointed. If I were to use a single word to describe this book it would be that.
I found this book very difficult to read simply because I found myself having to go back a few paragraphs to understand what was going on since a critical piece of information for the scene is given to the reader far too late. To give an example we find a mixed group of post-human Astartes fending off wave after wave of Orks when suddenly a skylight explodes. Fine, we've all seen action movies where a skylight explodes causing the shattered glass to rain down of whichever luckless sod is underneath. Now, the Astartes, in power armour that a contemporary main battle tank would turn green with envy with, start shielding their faces. I'm thinking "Why? It's glass. They can shrug of laser beams and automatic weaponry." And then one is killed by the falling glass. uwotm8? It is only after that death we are then told that these pieces of glass are the size of exit hatches found on the side of an armoured personnel carrier. Now it makes sense! Now I can see why they're protecting their faces! Instances like this are sprinkled throughout the story and it just makes the whole endeavour seem like hard work.
Another gripe is the unnecessary adjectives for quite literally every thing! And they often came at the reader double-barrelled. Half way through the book I was mentally begging for a metaphor or simile to appear.
In the grand scheme of the series for The Beast Arises we are in the middle. I still cannot decide whether this series is being silly and I am half expecting the ending to be '...and then the Emperor woke up and said, "It was just a dream."' We have things in this series that we have not heard about in thirty-plus years of lore; intelligent Orks, Loyalist and Traitor Marines becoming bros, the Imperial Fists being all but wiped out, and Ork 'that's no moon' Death Stars. I know that the event known as The Beheading is the climax of the series and despite the continuous raising of eyebrows I have been enjoying it; even the Annandale one! Echoes of the Long War is this series' Damnation of Pythos. It was difficult to read and it did not really move the story forward at all. Everyone can agree that so far Vangorich, Grand Master of Assassins, has been the fan favourite character of the series yet he was hardly in this novel and when he was he was Duchovny'd. So wooden! Not even the inclusion of my favourite Legion, the Iron Warriors, could save this one for me. I do enjoy enemies coming together to fight a common foe (I loved Harding's The Last Battle, and Turtledove's The War that Came Early for that reason) yet the alliance between the Fist Exemplars and the VI Legion felt forced and amplified my disappointment.
I can only hope the next one picks the series back up again. And praise be that Kyme isn't doing one dispite it being about Vulkun. Praise be!
I found this book very difficult to read simply because I found myself having to go back a few paragraphs to understand what was going on since a critical piece of information for the scene is given to the reader far too late. To give an example we find a mixed group of post-human Astartes fending off wave after wave of Orks when suddenly a skylight explodes. Fine, we've all seen action movies where a skylight explodes causing the shattered glass to rain down of whichever luckless sod is underneath. Now, the Astartes, in power armour that a contemporary main battle tank would turn green with envy with, start shielding their faces. I'm thinking "Why? It's glass. They can shrug of laser beams and automatic weaponry." And then one is killed by the falling glass. uwotm8? It is only after that death we are then told that these pieces of glass are the size of exit hatches found on the side of an armoured personnel carrier. Now it makes sense! Now I can see why they're protecting their faces! Instances like this are sprinkled throughout the story and it just makes the whole endeavour seem like hard work.
Another gripe is the unnecessary adjectives for quite literally every thing! And they often came at the reader double-barrelled. Half way through the book I was mentally begging for a metaphor or simile to appear.
In the grand scheme of the series for The Beast Arises we are in the middle. I still cannot decide whether this series is being silly and I am half expecting the ending to be '...and then the Emperor woke up and said, "It was just a dream."' We have things in this series that we have not heard about in thirty-plus years of lore; intelligent Orks, Loyalist and Traitor Marines becoming bros, the Imperial Fists being all but wiped out, and Ork 'that's no moon' Death Stars. I know that the event known as The Beheading is the climax of the series and despite the continuous raising of eyebrows I have been enjoying it; even the Annandale one! Echoes of the Long War is this series' Damnation of Pythos. It was difficult to read and it did not really move the story forward at all. Everyone can agree that so far Vangorich, Grand Master of Assassins, has been the fan favourite character of the series yet he was hardly in this novel and when he was he was Duchovny'd. So wooden! Not even the inclusion of my favourite Legion, the Iron Warriors, could save this one for me. I do enjoy enemies coming together to fight a common foe (I loved Harding's The Last Battle, and Turtledove's The War that Came Early for that reason) yet the alliance between the Fist Exemplars and the VI Legion felt forced and amplified my disappointment.
I can only hope the next one picks the series back up again. And praise be that Kyme isn't doing one dispite it being about Vulkun. Praise be!
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