Book Review: Master of The First
Master of The First is a short story, available both in book and audiobook formats. After The Lion has gone with most of the Dark Angels forces, the ones that stay at Caliban with Luther are dividing between those that support the decision, and those who begin to think they've been left away and things should't be that way.
Melian, a space marines captain, goes to speak with former chapter master Astelan about his reserves on how some fellow about how the Calibanite marines speak of those coming from Terra, to warn him and try to find some help regarding this seemingly rebels. Will he find some help?
Short, but as most Dark Angels stories interesting due its plot, so that should make you decide if worth it or not.
Book Review: Horus Heresy: Galaxy In Flames
I just can't stop reading the Horus Heresy books, having recently finished the third book, Galaxy in Flames. In it, the Warmaster Horus is already corrupted and plans an attack to Isstvan III, in theory to crush some humans who are fanatics. But there's more than meets the eye, as the attack seems too big for just some rebels and not every space marine is going to drop to the planet surface to fight...
At this book the "new" chaotic Horus reveals himself (and those loyal to him) and the first space marine vs space marine fights happen. The story arc progresses and there are interesting events, although I felt that the book extends a bit too much certain fragments and the main theme progresses slower than in past books. In any case, interesting reading, especially as the four chaotic powers start to shape.
Comic Book Review: Hard Boiled
I had the Hard Boiled comic stacked in my pending reading items since years. With my new policy at home of not adding new books or comics until something goes out (usually gifted to my close friends), I keep now lowering that stack of "pending reads". On to the comic itself, we're presented with 128 pages with the story of Nixon, an apparent tax collector that seems to be two things: a) a badass tought guy, and b) seemingly prone to have jobs that tend to go really bad and violent. After one of such incidents, he wakes up recalling it as a dream, but something just doesn't fits in place in reality...
The world presented is a highly depressive, polluted, sex-and-drugs driven dystopian future where cities are overpopulated, cars move from city jam to city jam, and polices have a dozen guns per person and move in huge tank-like vehicles. The story is as gory as you can imagine, and then some more, combined with an hyper-detailed drawing where each scene has so many tiny details, so many mechanical pieces or so many people (sometimes dead) that you need to take your time to properly examine it after reading the texts or grasping the general action. I recall from when I was younger some comics with similar almost excessive amount of detail, and it makes sense as the original comics were printed between 1990 and 1992.
While the story is nothing impressive, the amount of tiny details and jokes in the backgrounds, papers, soldier helmets and even candy boxes is staggering so I really recommend the reading.
Book Review: Horus Heresy False Gods
False Gods 2nd book in the Horus Heresy saga (Warhammer 30,000). The story continues just where Horus Rising finished, with the Sons of Horus waging battles in the far reaches of the galaxy. Loken begins to be suspicious of events happened recently, the warrior lodges get more fanatical, and upon descending to Davin, something tragic will happen, a misterious wound will leave Horus on the brink of death.
In this second book is where the plot explains how Horus falls to the evil side, how Chaos exists in the warp all around the universe, and the first steps of the betrayal against the Emperor. While not all loose ends are (yet) closed, as I expected this book complements the first volume and gives an interesting tale of Horus Lupercal downfall.
Recommended reading. Also, I'll probably get to read the third book (Galaxy in Flames) to learn about how the traitor space marines are revealed at the battle of Isstvan.
Comic Book Review: Batman Haunted Gotham
Batman: Haunted Gotham is a 4 issues miniseries that sets Gotham in an alternate reality, a victorian 20th century with cars but also witches and magic, where the city has a curse and nobody can leave it, no matter if alive or dead. Bruce Wayne lives with his parents and has spent his whole life training physically and mentally, but he's not sure for what. When a werewolf kills his parents and he finds a cave behind the Wayne mansion with the Batman outfit, he decides to seek revenge.
A curious comic, the unnatural twist is decent and it makes for different enemies: a frankenstein joker, a werewolf, and others I won't spoil. It has some black humor and the drawings are nice, although sometimes batman is too deformed (with a huge chest). Also as the setting is different, so are some of the dark knight weapons, having silver batarangs and a flamethrower. Enjoyable.
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