On the reading front, which has really come to the fore this year, I have come to the end of my 30K supply, and for a while I will be reading 40K. That will, however, be somewhat backgrounded because of the fact that I'll be reading paperback anthologies, rather than on my Kindle phone app.
What I'll be reading there will instead be a bunch of non-fiction. For my first couple, I have decided to look in on the Boss Fight Books collection I picked up a while ago. I started with the two I thought I might never read, Kingdom Hearts II, and one about a game I had never heard of before, called Soft and Cuddly.
The Kingdom Hearts II book was a personal analysis of a game I could not care less about if I tried. The parts where the author described her experience playing the game and how that fit into her personal life were nice, but the parts where she summarized the game plot and characters were pretty dull, I must admit. I skimmed through a lot of that.
Soft and Cuddly, and I'm only a chapter in, seems to be about placing the game of the same name in time and context. It seems to have been an accidental inflection point in the interactions between UK games and politics. I'm eager to learn more of this game I know next to nothing of and will never play.
When it comes to games, I've kept waffling back and forth between things lately. At first I thought I was kind of in the mood for some Mega Man X, but rather than hook up my SNES Classic to play that, I thought I would reinstall A.R.E.S. Exctinction Agenda and play a little more of game very much inspired by the old Mega Man games. There are some differences, of course. Ares doesn't seem to come together as nicely. Polygonal 2D games pretty much always look awful, and this is no real exception.
Next, I thought I could maybe actually get into La-Mulana in a real way, but that game continues to elude me. I admire it a lot, but it turns out I'd rather play Spelunky, after all. So I did just that.
Waking Mars I tried out because it begins with W. It seems OK, but I'm not sure I'll play any further past the 25% mark that my save has me at. It plays with jetpacking around subterranian Mars, and encouraging native plant life to grow, but something about it just wasn't quite hooking me.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is free for new players at the moment, and so the multiplayer mode is experiencing a bit of a revival, which is nice. The last time I tried to play, no one else was. And that's a shame, because this is the best 40K action game out there. I got in a few rounds last night, and I'll continue checking in for as long as the audience holds out this time. It may be the last time the game is really playable online.
I have also begun a subscription to FFXIV. I haven't made much progress in the last couple of weeks, but I am committed to seeing it through to the endgame. Going into Labor Day weekend 2018, this is what I am most focused on.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
The Khan in the Great Crusade
I read the eighth book in the Horus Heresy Primarchs series, Jaghatai Khan: Warhawk of Chogoris.
Like most in the sub-series, it explores the role of the titular primarch and his legion during the period of Imperial expansion before Horus fell, a period called the Great Crusade. The Khan was the fifteenth primarch to be found and reunited with the legion bred from his geneseed, the Star Hunters, which soon would be known as the White Scars, that moniker itself apparently a mis-hearing of their own term for themselves, Talskars.
Jaghatai and the Scars were always a group apart from the rest, preferring the wild and ragged edges of the Imperium, where they could be mostly left to themselves and their ways, some of which would come into conflict with those of their cousins in other legions. Chief among those was their use of Stormseers, those legionaries who were gifted and worked with psychic powers.
A good portion of the book deals with the early formation of the Librarius, a kind of joint venture between Jaghatai, Sanguinius, and Magnus the Red, to safeguard a place for psykers among the legions, which were scorned by some, Mortarion, Perturabo, and Leman Russ, especially. The Khan had been trying to sway Horus to their way of thinking on the matter, but the future Warmaster could not afford to take a side in the matter, maneuvering as he was for the promotion he knew was in the offing for one of the primarchs sooner or later.
The book also does a lot to set up the Khan's dilemma after the wider Heresy conflict has broken out--who to trust, the brother he admires and feels a tight kinship with, or the father he disagrees with but owes everything to? Who to side with?
Chris Wraight does a great job writing this one. He's quietly turned out some very good books and stories in the series, almost completely owning the White Scars, and doing a good amount of Space Wolves, as well.
Like most in the sub-series, it explores the role of the titular primarch and his legion during the period of Imperial expansion before Horus fell, a period called the Great Crusade. The Khan was the fifteenth primarch to be found and reunited with the legion bred from his geneseed, the Star Hunters, which soon would be known as the White Scars, that moniker itself apparently a mis-hearing of their own term for themselves, Talskars.
Jaghatai and the Scars were always a group apart from the rest, preferring the wild and ragged edges of the Imperium, where they could be mostly left to themselves and their ways, some of which would come into conflict with those of their cousins in other legions. Chief among those was their use of Stormseers, those legionaries who were gifted and worked with psychic powers.
A good portion of the book deals with the early formation of the Librarius, a kind of joint venture between Jaghatai, Sanguinius, and Magnus the Red, to safeguard a place for psykers among the legions, which were scorned by some, Mortarion, Perturabo, and Leman Russ, especially. The Khan had been trying to sway Horus to their way of thinking on the matter, but the future Warmaster could not afford to take a side in the matter, maneuvering as he was for the promotion he knew was in the offing for one of the primarchs sooner or later.
The book also does a lot to set up the Khan's dilemma after the wider Heresy conflict has broken out--who to trust, the brother he admires and feels a tight kinship with, or the father he disagrees with but owes everything to? Who to side with?
Chris Wraight does a great job writing this one. He's quietly turned out some very good books and stories in the series, almost completely owning the White Scars, and doing a good amount of Space Wolves, as well.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Twaddling About
I don't really know where my head is with games lately. I suppose I need to just continue to focus on one thing, like I have been with FFXIV until the last week or so, when I deviated from the path. I went and dawdled in several things, but I may get back to Eorzea while my last couple of free weeks is in effect, before I have to take the sub plunge or not.
Grand Theft Auto III - I really wanted to hear the soundtrack and run around this iteration of GTA again, for the first time in about 17 years. It's still pretty fun, and I find the simplicity of the game refreshing. Granted, I have yet to play GTA V at all. I should get that at some point.
Minecraft - Similarly, I just wanted to jump into a world and waste some time poking at things without thinking too much about it. I dug deep into a mountain and that's about it.
No Man's Sky - It had a big update recently, and I thought I should check that out. It still seems too survival-oriented for me, like one big festival of gathering up stuff from a list to process into other things to give yourself even the barest improvement in quality of life. At least there's a new story thing that is kind of interesting, and the visuals are very nice. It's still no Elite: Dangerous, though.
Elite: Dangerous - Speaking of which, I had a craving for some deep space exploration and serenity, so I got in here and ranged out a few thousand light years to double my liquid assets by selling exploration data at a far-flung outpost. I have my next expedition planned, as well.
FFXIV - I'm working my way through the main story quests of A Realm Reborn. My character is a level 41 Warrior now. I'm still enjoying the game. I think I'll pick it back up tonight.
Grand Theft Auto III - I really wanted to hear the soundtrack and run around this iteration of GTA again, for the first time in about 17 years. It's still pretty fun, and I find the simplicity of the game refreshing. Granted, I have yet to play GTA V at all. I should get that at some point.
Minecraft - Similarly, I just wanted to jump into a world and waste some time poking at things without thinking too much about it. I dug deep into a mountain and that's about it.
No Man's Sky - It had a big update recently, and I thought I should check that out. It still seems too survival-oriented for me, like one big festival of gathering up stuff from a list to process into other things to give yourself even the barest improvement in quality of life. At least there's a new story thing that is kind of interesting, and the visuals are very nice. It's still no Elite: Dangerous, though.
Elite: Dangerous - Speaking of which, I had a craving for some deep space exploration and serenity, so I got in here and ranged out a few thousand light years to double my liquid assets by selling exploration data at a far-flung outpost. I have my next expedition planned, as well.
FFXIV - I'm working my way through the main story quests of A Realm Reborn. My character is a level 41 Warrior now. I'm still enjoying the game. I think I'll pick it back up tonight.
Friday, August 17, 2018
Slaves to Darkness
I just finished book LI, or "51" of the Horus Heresy, a novel by John French entitled Slaves to Darkness. It was grand.
At this point in the story, Horus has broken open the path through space he needs to take to Terra, and now needs to consolidate his forces for the final push to confront the Emperor and cast him down. However, his coalition is really not one at all, and drastically needs marshaling and whipping into shape. Which is where his brothers Lorgar and Perturabo come in.
The primarchs of the XVII legion Word Bearers and the IV legion Iron Warriors, respectively, they are also the only ones Horus can turn to in order to track down and break (as one would a wild animal) his brothers, now ascended to daemonhood, Fulgrim and Angron. The wayward brothers have to be focused so that their respective legions can be gathered and controlled and brought together with the rest of the Warmaster's forces for the assault on Terra.
This book involves a lot of primarchs, but rarely is anything shown through one of their own points of view. Instead, we get to see through the eyes of several legionaries close to Horus, Lorgar, or Perturabo for various reasons, to observe how these titans deal with one another.
I was struck by how much Perturabo got to be cool this time out; he is usually being played or subordinated or humiliated in some way. I think French likes him. I do, too. He's (usually) cold, calm, stoic, and dependable. And loyal, in his own way. Iron within, iron without. Just don't let him feel neglected or unappreciated.
I'm impressed by French's works. First Praetorian of Dorn, and now this, not to mention Tallarn or his other stuff I've read.
At this point in the story, Horus has broken open the path through space he needs to take to Terra, and now needs to consolidate his forces for the final push to confront the Emperor and cast him down. However, his coalition is really not one at all, and drastically needs marshaling and whipping into shape. Which is where his brothers Lorgar and Perturabo come in.
The primarchs of the XVII legion Word Bearers and the IV legion Iron Warriors, respectively, they are also the only ones Horus can turn to in order to track down and break (as one would a wild animal) his brothers, now ascended to daemonhood, Fulgrim and Angron. The wayward brothers have to be focused so that their respective legions can be gathered and controlled and brought together with the rest of the Warmaster's forces for the assault on Terra.
This book involves a lot of primarchs, but rarely is anything shown through one of their own points of view. Instead, we get to see through the eyes of several legionaries close to Horus, Lorgar, or Perturabo for various reasons, to observe how these titans deal with one another.
I was struck by how much Perturabo got to be cool this time out; he is usually being played or subordinated or humiliated in some way. I think French likes him. I do, too. He's (usually) cold, calm, stoic, and dependable. And loyal, in his own way. Iron within, iron without. Just don't let him feel neglected or unappreciated.
I'm impressed by French's works. First Praetorian of Dorn, and now this, not to mention Tallarn or his other stuff I've read.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Chaos Space Marines Research
Since finishing up my last Horus Heresy novel, book L, I have elected to read more about the Black and Alpha legions in the post-Heresy period of the Imperium of Man.
It can be hard to pin down when these take place, but its safe to assume the ones around the Black Legion are in the first few millennia of the post-Heresy period, and that the ones about the Alpha Legion are happening in M41, or perhaps even M42.
Extinction is set in the period where the Sons of Horus are being persecuted by the Emperor's Children and other traitor legions and warbands. Abaddon has abandoned them, and is making a pilgrimage across the Eye of Terror to find himself, as it were.
Abaddon: Chosen of Chaos is just a scene or two from the point of view of Khayon, the POV character of the Black Legion series. Curiously, it is set later in the timeline than either of the existing books, and likely even the next one in the series, since Abaddon appears to be in posession of the daemon sword Drach'nyen in this story.
Unearthed is the story of an interrogator in the Inquisition doing his best to foil an Alpha Legion warband that have decimated an imperial planet. In the end, he appears to have been able to remotely trigger a self-destruct sequence in his own ship, killing the Alpha Legion that have taken it over. Their leader is a character who was at least mentioned in the book I am reading now:
Sons of the Hydra. This is an interesting tale of an Alpha Legion warband made of entirely of space marines who were once members of other legions or chapters. One came from the Night Lords, one from the Dark Angels' Fallen faction, one from a now wiped out Ultramarines successor chapter, and so on. They are being led on a quest to steal a warp artefact of some sort from the Word Bearers to supposedly deliver it to whoever is currently leading the overall Alpha Legion. We'll see how that turns out, of course.
Truth is my Weapon was basically just an Inquisitor interrogating a captured Alpha Legionnaire, and eventually executing him, done stylistically, of course.
We are One is the story of an Inquisitor who is tracking the Alpha Legionnaire Phocron... to the end of his career.
Hunted is centered around an Imperial Guardsman who is being used in ways he doesn't quite understand by an Inquisitor to track down cultists from within their cells.
It can be hard to pin down when these take place, but its safe to assume the ones around the Black Legion are in the first few millennia of the post-Heresy period, and that the ones about the Alpha Legion are happening in M41, or perhaps even M42.
Extinction is set in the period where the Sons of Horus are being persecuted by the Emperor's Children and other traitor legions and warbands. Abaddon has abandoned them, and is making a pilgrimage across the Eye of Terror to find himself, as it were.
Abaddon: Chosen of Chaos is just a scene or two from the point of view of Khayon, the POV character of the Black Legion series. Curiously, it is set later in the timeline than either of the existing books, and likely even the next one in the series, since Abaddon appears to be in posession of the daemon sword Drach'nyen in this story.
Unearthed is the story of an interrogator in the Inquisition doing his best to foil an Alpha Legion warband that have decimated an imperial planet. In the end, he appears to have been able to remotely trigger a self-destruct sequence in his own ship, killing the Alpha Legion that have taken it over. Their leader is a character who was at least mentioned in the book I am reading now:
Sons of the Hydra. This is an interesting tale of an Alpha Legion warband made of entirely of space marines who were once members of other legions or chapters. One came from the Night Lords, one from the Dark Angels' Fallen faction, one from a now wiped out Ultramarines successor chapter, and so on. They are being led on a quest to steal a warp artefact of some sort from the Word Bearers to supposedly deliver it to whoever is currently leading the overall Alpha Legion. We'll see how that turns out, of course.
Truth is my Weapon was basically just an Inquisitor interrogating a captured Alpha Legionnaire, and eventually executing him, done stylistically, of course.
We are One is the story of an Inquisitor who is tracking the Alpha Legionnaire Phocron... to the end of his career.
Hunted is centered around an Imperial Guardsman who is being used in ways he doesn't quite understand by an Inquisitor to track down cultists from within their cells.
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