40k Book Review: Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha

     Time for another book review. This time, as pictured above, the review is of Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha by David Annandale. I had never read anything by this author before, but was too tantalized by the thought of an Ork-heavy story to pass it up.

PROS:

• Incredible and hilarious story. One of my favorite endings out of any 40k book thus far.
• If you love Orks, this is a priceless book. I have had a recent rekindling of my inner, Orky fire after reading this that makes me even more proud to own my lovable greenskins.

CONS:

• Short: especially for the $12 price tag.
• Perspective: I didn't enjoy the memoir-style-recollection type of storytelling used in the book. I've never really enjoyed first-person storytelling, but it was made worse in this case by the occasional switch to another's perspective. Luckily, each perspective change was labelled with the character's name at the start of the shift.
• Lack of character development. This may be a silly complaint, but it seemed like many of the characters in the story were introduced specifically for the purpose of dying. They were given a name, some history, and then killed off. They weren't developed well enough to convince me to care for their deaths, but in the context of 40k wanton death is the norm. For the purpose of this story (and the perspective it is presented in), I suppose it may have been less of an issue than in others.

     To summarize my thoughts on this one: if you love Orks or are a die-hard fan of Yarrick, pick it up. It'll be worth every penny. Otherwise you may want to pass on this one due to the specific taste I think is necessary to really enjoy it the way I have.

     As always, questions and comments are welcome and appreciated.

     Thanks for reading,

     -Symmaccus

40k Book Review: Imperial Glory

     Imperial Glory by Richard Williams tells the story of the weary veterans of the Brimlock Eleventh Imperial Guard as they near the end of their long campaign. Just when the Brimlock Eleventh thought they were off of the hook, they are sent to the jungle world of Voor in response to a distress call from the Planetary Governor concerning an Ork Rok that crashed down onto the planet's surface. The guardsmen expected to find dead Orks, but instead find themselves up against overwhelming numbers of feral Orks and an unwelcoming populace of anti-imperial colonists.

     The plot also features several internal power struggles within the regiment, but I won't ruin the excitement for you. :}

     To be honest, this best part of this story for me was the psychology of the veterans. Nearly all of the men presented have some form of erratic behavior or insanity developed over the course of their campaign. This book is as much a 40k story as it is an examination of the effects of warfare on the human mind and body.

     Also of note was a section of the book from the Ork perspective, including the life of an Ork from birth to Warboss. I hadn't expected this when I picked the book up (the book is titled Imperial Glory after all!), but it was a pleasant surprise and gave me a much better idea of Ork society and physiology.

PROS:

• Insight into the life of an Ork
• Colorful and interesting characters
• Focused and great plot

CONS:

• None really come to mind for this one.

     In summary, if you're looking for a good Imperial Guard book (or even Orks as there aren't many), I highly recommend this book.

     Next Tuesday I'll post a review for Path of the Renegade by Andy Chambers. 

Thanks for reading!

-Symmaccus