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Angel Exterminatus (Spoilers)

36K views 127 replies 40 participants last post by  Zooey72 
#1 ·
Loads of spoilers in this post, it's kind of a review but an informal one.


Just finished it and it was a very enjoyable read. I like the links it has to 40k although I've not read the series which it relates to, I could appreciate the implications.

The idea behind Perturabo's turn is simple at first but slowly you find he has lots of layers that lead me to relate to him greatly and because of this I now understand why he turned but also that with a bit more interaction with the Emperor, he could have easily stayed loyal.

I don't think his hatred of Dorn came across well though, it seemed too similar to Lorgar's perceived slights that Guilliman had thrown his way. Perturabo seemed angry at a lot of the other legions but he chose to focus on Dorn because well, they shared a similar theatre is all that it came down to for me. I think more needs to be put in here, it really appears to similar to the Word Bearers and Ultramarines for my liking.

Each character was quite well done, including for the most part the Iron Hands who, imo, retrieved a bit of their dignity after their previous outings and 40k novels. The lunatic iron father came close to following their previous examples of stupidity though.

I love the Raven Guard, I mean I really do, I just hope he wasn't on the receiving end of lucius's special ability, because he was pure awesome.
 
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#2 ·
Lucius' special ability triggers when an opponent takes pleasure in killing him, and that the RG clearly did not. But Slaanesh apperently did not want to loose him and gave him a free pass from death.

But yeah, Peturabo's brooding nature probably led him to imagine all sorts of slights from Dorn. And I seem to remember a passage somewhere, where Peturabo spewed a high amount of vitriol at Dorn becaue he claimed noone could breach the Imperial Palace. Also, his weapon Forgebreaker, wasnt that the hammer forged by Fulgrim and given to Ferrus Manus? I know Peturabo got the hammer from Horus. Cue possible taint in it to magnify his worries is my belief.
 
#10 ·
Lucius' special ability triggers when an opponent takes pleasure in killing him, and that the RG clearly did not. But Slaanesh apperently did not want to loose him and gave him a free pass from death.


To be honest, the Iron Hands come out better overall from this story vs the Emperor's Children, there's a distinct funny moment with a death Iron Hand which is absolutely awesome and hilarious at the same time.
Uh...the Iron Hands look better because one of them dies funnily?
 
#3 · (Edited)
I don't think the hammer was tainted, Perturabo was had already turned by the time he got the hammer after the istvaan massacre.

There were points in the story I didn't understand after finishing the book because they weren't answered, such as Ferrus keeps popping up in mirrors to fulgrim, there was the detail shown of Ferrus when he landed on Medusa.

I hope that the captain they were trying to save shows up later to see whether he made it or not. I don't get the plan the eldar had, it made no sense unless they truly thought two legions were completely stupid and incompetent.

The Raven Guard was absolutely badass, it was so cool seeing lucius finally put in his place and to a raven guard as well, I mean before the HH they weren't really respected as fighters, mainly infiltrators and ambushers, but since the HH series it's been made clear that they are great close combatants.

I still dislike the idea of Salamanders having pure black skin with red eyes which apparently can see through shadows easier than most marines, I thought that was the Night Lords special thing.

I'm so glad the Iron Hands are fighting back, I'm just not so sure I can bring myself to like any more than I do due to the damage in previous novels and the most recent 40k stories.
 
#4 ·
Yes, the display of Ferrus's arrival on Medusa seemed completely irrelevant to the story. Yes, we get to see how the Iron Hands reacts to the passing of their primarch and the beginning splintering of the legion.

Though i thought it a neat point that Fulgrim was haunted by the specter of Ferrus.

Regarding the eldar guides. They were druchii and as I could surmise, their aim was to use the two forces to break open Lydris to allow them to abscond with a planet's worth of waystones to stave off the souldrain of the druchii in commoragh, which will have such terrible influences on them over the next 10k years. But they had not counted on Fulgrim offering them all up in sacrifice to Slaanesh.
 
#6 ·
^ This.

I'm interested, though - What's the name of the Raven Guard?
 
#8 ·
I don't think his hatred of Dorn came across well though, it seemed too similar to Lorgar's perceived slights that Guilliman had thrown his way. Perturabo seemed angry at a lot of the other legions but he chose to focus on Dorn because well, they shared a similar theatre is all that it came down to for me. I think more needs to be put in here, it really appears to similar to the Word Bearers and Ultramarines for my liking.
Do you have some ideas of your own? Would be interesting to hear them

I love the Raven Guard, I mean I really do, I just hope he wasn't on the receiving end of lucius's special ability, because he was pure awesome.
What rank was he? Do we know who the Raven Guard's first captain is (either Heresy-era or current)?

I'm so glad the Iron Hands are fighting back, I'm just not so sure I can bring myself to like any more than I do due to the damage in previous novels and the most recent 40k stories.
Sadly, inflexible, dull-witted and being r@ped by the EC seems to be their theme. I did like Wrath of Iron though.


Nykona Sharrowkyn
A bit too feminine for my taste
 
#9 ·
Do you have some ideas of your own? Would be interesting to hear them

What rank was he? Do we know who the Raven Guard's first captain is (either Heresy-era or current)?

Sadly, inflexible, dull-witted and being r@ped by the EC seems to be their theme. I did like Wrath of Iron though.


A bit too feminine for my taste
On the topic of Dorn and Perturabo, something drastic should of happened between them, there's so much vitriol thrown at the Imperial Fists way that something should've plainly occurred rather than the current situation which is the Iron Warriors hating the so called "Boastful Dorn" who took loads of credit including having the flag of the fists over an alien stronghold after it was the Iron Warriors who did all the work. Think this is referring to the picture from the Index Astartes articles for the Iron Warriors.



I know the two scrapped after Dorn stated if he was manning the Emperor's Palace no one could penetrate it, but it still appears to be jealousy, perceived slights and the anger at being used to garrison worlds that makes up the majority of Perturabo's anger at them.

It's surely one of the top legion rivalries but it's too much like the Ultramarines and Word Bearers for my liking.

To be honest, the Iron Hands come out better overall from this story vs the Emperor's Children, there's a distinct funny moment with a death Iron Hand which is absolutely awesome and hilarious at the same time.

I don't know the rank of the Raven Guard, but the ship they are on is Iron Hands and Iron Father Wayland demands the use of ranks and titles to keep the structure intact but I don't think the Raven Guard is ever called by one, however he's distinctly awesome, wields a pair of black blades and goes to toe with Lucius twice with an eventual conclusion as well.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Ok, since you'regiving away spoilers here, I have a few questions for those of you who already got your copies

1. Forrix. In Storm of Iron, he's described as a man who no longer cares about a cause or feels anything. Do we get to see him as a younger, more idealist version, or is he already the jaded veteran from SoI?

2. Perturabo's martial skills. Does he get any spectacular fight moments?

3. Humour / wit. Any good quotes on that vein?

4. Olympia. Any background into what it was like before Perturabo? And what changed since he landed there?
 
#17 · (Edited)
1. Forrix is the first captain who is meticulous in planning things, he gets really annoyed when his plans go wrong or they get behind schedule. He's very solid and very honourable, I think he does care about things, I've not read Storm of Iron so I can't really compare.

2. Yeah but only mostly against marines, he does beat the hell out of Fulgrim at one point for the way Fulgrim has acted but it's more of a surprise beat down.

3. There's a part with a deaf Iron Warrior who cracks me up, think I already mentioned this. The Iron Hands elderly Iron Father is very witty and surprisingly humourous for a Iron Hands, but he's like a mad scientist.

4. There's a good amount of it's background it resembles ancient greece/rome it has 12 city states and has a lot of the old greece like myth gods and heros in it's background.

Here's one some people may want to know, you find out who "The Warsmith" is.
 
#22 ·
Was he carried away though? It makes no mention of it, the last you see of lucius is him dying after Sharrowkyn put his two blades through his gorget in an execution style. I can't really say what happens next as it massively spoils the book, but he's definitely not carried away. The raven also said "I take no pleasure in this, you're just a rabid dog who needs to be put down" so if Lucius's ability feeds off the pleasure of him being killed then I do think the Raven Guard may of survived.

Btw the Raven Guard is listed as a normal marine of the 66th company, no title or anything.
 
#28 ·
G The "uniquely capable prisoner" is an interesting hint.

My first idea was Vulkan, of course. But then I thought it through and I think it is more likely it was supposed to be Corax - he was on Isstvan for a long time and they could assume they'd catch him eventually. And he sure makes more sense for his gaoler to have sport with than Vulkan, who I think would not play.
 
#30 ·
Yes, Corax escaped, after nearly a hundred days of being hunted. And during that time, Pertie might have built the labyrinth to hold him, once they catch him. Which then did not happen. But does Perturabo know that? Or did he maybe leave Isstvan before those hundred days were over?
 
#32 ·
Was it made after the Massacre?

I dunno if Perturabo would assist Konrad in keeping a fellow Primarch caged up, he seems very "brotherly" despite what's happening, allowing Iron Hands to escape multiple times and in fact helping them to prove a point to Fulgrim, he does have a sense of honour and well, Vulkan could be said to be the most loved out of all the Primarchs on average due to his openess to them all.
 
#33 ·
It is implied that it must have been made around the massacre, because when Perturabo says he made another one, Forrix immediately asks: "On Isstvan V?" So it seems he is very sure that before this moment, the second one did not exist. And Pertie does not contradict it, merely says it is on a Night Lords ship.

But Vulkan seems unlikely to me, because aside from Ferrus (dead) and Perturabo (busy) he is the only superior Primarch craftsman, and thus would be simply too valuable to throw him into a Labyrinth and forget him. If the traitors have him in their hands, I dont think Horus would relinquish possession of him to Curze to play with him. He'd damn well keep him and try to get him to make toys for the traitors.

If it was anybody elsethan the VIII Legion, ok, I would also bet on Vulkan, but not those who are destined to spend the next years on the back end of the galaxy playing tag with the Lion.
 
#38 ·
About halfway through the audiobook now, and thoroughly impressed with it.

Perturabo turns out to be a surprisingly likeable fellow. My favorite moment so far is when he says something along the lines of "We can't give the Iron Hands the honorable last stand they deserve, but we can take the price of their deaths from Fulgrim". And this is post Istvaan V, mind you...

Other high points for me:
- Perturabo playing the Siege of the Imperial Palace against Kroeger (especially liked the defender bit)
- Perturabo is actually the only primarch who sees the Emperor's surrender as the end goal of the Heresy, and is actually threatening Fulgrim to pull off his support otherwise
- The Iron Warriors were the first legion to have an informal organization where rank was irrelevant, far before Erebus came up with the lodges. In fact, they actually send him packing when he tries to implement lodges within the Iron Warriors
- "Is there something wrong with the floor, brother Sharrowkyn?"
- Perturabo is the first person to give the Eye of Terror its name, marking it on the map of his flagship and liberally allowing every ship who ever pulls up a map of that area of the Galaxy to access that name
 
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