Is it possible that NO ONE has cared enough to write about Ben Counter's Grey Knights? Sincere apologies if I missed it, but I find no thread dedicated to this Omnibus: Grey Knights, Dark Adeptus, and Hammer of Daemons.
I've just completed it. First, I read it while also reading We Were the Ramchargers, a history (excellent) of US drag racing in the 1960s and 1970s AND while simultaneously dipping into Mark Twain's Autobiography, so I will not presume to go into excruciating detail. But someone should.
The Grey Knights are a little different. Think of them as the Delta Force of the Astartes. No stooping to mere Orcs or Eldars for them. No, they go head to head with the biggest and baddest -- daemons. The back cover says it well: "imperious incorruptible warriors, whose very purpose is to seek out and destroy the most dangerous foes that humanity will ever face: daemons. . . . the Grey Knights step where others will not tread." Tough? John Wayne and Dirty Harry aren't tough enough to clean the Grey Knights bolters.
The main character of all three novels in the omnibus is Justicar Alaric. He is young and somewhat junior, but because of circumstances -- the daemons are breaking through the Eye of Terror, the Grey Knights are stretched far too thin, and Alaric has caught the eye of some influential people -- he is thrust into situations usually assigned to more senior Grey Knights. The omnibus traces his growth and his ultimate end, where he is much more, or much less than an Astartes.
In Grey Knights, Alaric and a human, Inquisitor Ligeia, take on an Inquisitor gone bad -- Vailinov -- and his ultimate master, Ghargatuloth. Though apparently beaten and prepared for execution ("get the apothecary crew in here. We want him healthy for his execution") Valinov escapes and, pardon the cliche, all hell breaks loose. Valinov has broken Ligeia, but she ultimately helps destroy him and Ghargatuloth, earning her Alaric's undying respect. (Rather unusual in itself, no?) In a very good fight scene, Alaric terminates Ghargatuloth, while losing some of his best men. A Good Read: 6 or 7 out of 10.
That losing some of his best men relates to a weakness in the omnibus: we learn a good deal about Alaric; he is described in depth and in human details unusual in the BL canon, but the focus is too tightly drawn on him. Only Alaric and the nasties are drawn in depth and detail -- all others are mostly two-dimensional props.
In Dark Adeptus Alaric has even fewer allies, against an even more evil villain, an entire Adeptus Mechanicus planet totally taken over by Chaos, as well as a Chaos Marine, Urkrathos of the Black Legion. Very good bad guys to entertain you here. I think Alaric's supporting cast is a bit more interesting in this second part of the omnibus, especially Magos Antigonus, a Cult Mechanicus agent who is very hard to kill, Archmagos Saphentis and his Interogator Hawkespur, another tough woman (and deadly with a pistol). Another good read, a little better than its predecessor, call it a 7 out of 10.
The first two books are good reads, giving a good insight into a lesser known (to me anyway) legion. Strengths: depth of characterization of Alaric. Interesting plots. Good supporting characters. Really evil bad guys. Weaknesses: other characters are somewhat flat and underdeveloped.
I want to say less about Hammer of Daemons, because it is the best of the three parts of the omnibus. Read it.
I've criticized Counter for making Alaric the only memorable character in the two preceding books, but here his intent is clear: as Alaric has grown and his enemies have become more deadly, Alaric has been more and more alone. Here, in Hammer of Daemons, he is totally alone, without even his armor, his weapons, without even his psychic guards -- on a chaos planet. He is forced to become a gladiator, killing all in the ring -- even previous allies -- in order to satisfy Chaos. And to remain alive. In the finest tradition of classical literature, Alaric descends into madness in order to survive, literally tearing apart his foes with his bare hands and teeth.
I'll add only one more detail, the one that inspired me to write this at all (and if you have read this far I offer you my sincere gratitude). In my pre-teen years I immersed myself in Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and especially H.P.Lovecraft. All of them are pale innocent writers of children's greeting cards compared to Counter. Hammer of Daemons contains pages and pages of scenes of horror, perversion, and repulsive description far beyond anything Lovecraft could have imagined. It took me three evenings to read Hammer of Daemons. Three evening followed by three night of nightmares. Really.
This could be a fault. It is a strength, however, because it is part of an organic whole. How describe a Chaos planet? How delineate, insanity, perversion, sadism? How describe daily life in a literal hell? How describe what the (sane) human mind can not imagine? Counter did it. Talk about "awful beauty!" Read it!
Story: excellent. Characters: very good overall. Imagination: excellent. Score it a 9 or 10, but only for those with strong stomachs.
I've just completed it. First, I read it while also reading We Were the Ramchargers, a history (excellent) of US drag racing in the 1960s and 1970s AND while simultaneously dipping into Mark Twain's Autobiography, so I will not presume to go into excruciating detail. But someone should.
The Grey Knights are a little different. Think of them as the Delta Force of the Astartes. No stooping to mere Orcs or Eldars for them. No, they go head to head with the biggest and baddest -- daemons. The back cover says it well: "imperious incorruptible warriors, whose very purpose is to seek out and destroy the most dangerous foes that humanity will ever face: daemons. . . . the Grey Knights step where others will not tread." Tough? John Wayne and Dirty Harry aren't tough enough to clean the Grey Knights bolters.
The main character of all three novels in the omnibus is Justicar Alaric. He is young and somewhat junior, but because of circumstances -- the daemons are breaking through the Eye of Terror, the Grey Knights are stretched far too thin, and Alaric has caught the eye of some influential people -- he is thrust into situations usually assigned to more senior Grey Knights. The omnibus traces his growth and his ultimate end, where he is much more, or much less than an Astartes.
In Grey Knights, Alaric and a human, Inquisitor Ligeia, take on an Inquisitor gone bad -- Vailinov -- and his ultimate master, Ghargatuloth. Though apparently beaten and prepared for execution ("get the apothecary crew in here. We want him healthy for his execution") Valinov escapes and, pardon the cliche, all hell breaks loose. Valinov has broken Ligeia, but she ultimately helps destroy him and Ghargatuloth, earning her Alaric's undying respect. (Rather unusual in itself, no?) In a very good fight scene, Alaric terminates Ghargatuloth, while losing some of his best men. A Good Read: 6 or 7 out of 10.
That losing some of his best men relates to a weakness in the omnibus: we learn a good deal about Alaric; he is described in depth and in human details unusual in the BL canon, but the focus is too tightly drawn on him. Only Alaric and the nasties are drawn in depth and detail -- all others are mostly two-dimensional props.
In Dark Adeptus Alaric has even fewer allies, against an even more evil villain, an entire Adeptus Mechanicus planet totally taken over by Chaos, as well as a Chaos Marine, Urkrathos of the Black Legion. Very good bad guys to entertain you here. I think Alaric's supporting cast is a bit more interesting in this second part of the omnibus, especially Magos Antigonus, a Cult Mechanicus agent who is very hard to kill, Archmagos Saphentis and his Interogator Hawkespur, another tough woman (and deadly with a pistol). Another good read, a little better than its predecessor, call it a 7 out of 10.
The first two books are good reads, giving a good insight into a lesser known (to me anyway) legion. Strengths: depth of characterization of Alaric. Interesting plots. Good supporting characters. Really evil bad guys. Weaknesses: other characters are somewhat flat and underdeveloped.
I want to say less about Hammer of Daemons, because it is the best of the three parts of the omnibus. Read it.
I've criticized Counter for making Alaric the only memorable character in the two preceding books, but here his intent is clear: as Alaric has grown and his enemies have become more deadly, Alaric has been more and more alone. Here, in Hammer of Daemons, he is totally alone, without even his armor, his weapons, without even his psychic guards -- on a chaos planet. He is forced to become a gladiator, killing all in the ring -- even previous allies -- in order to satisfy Chaos. And to remain alive. In the finest tradition of classical literature, Alaric descends into madness in order to survive, literally tearing apart his foes with his bare hands and teeth.
I'll add only one more detail, the one that inspired me to write this at all (and if you have read this far I offer you my sincere gratitude). In my pre-teen years I immersed myself in Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and especially H.P.Lovecraft. All of them are pale innocent writers of children's greeting cards compared to Counter. Hammer of Daemons contains pages and pages of scenes of horror, perversion, and repulsive description far beyond anything Lovecraft could have imagined. It took me three evenings to read Hammer of Daemons. Three evening followed by three night of nightmares. Really.
This could be a fault. It is a strength, however, because it is part of an organic whole. How describe a Chaos planet? How delineate, insanity, perversion, sadism? How describe daily life in a literal hell? How describe what the (sane) human mind can not imagine? Counter did it. Talk about "awful beauty!" Read it!
Story: excellent. Characters: very good overall. Imagination: excellent. Score it a 9 or 10, but only for those with strong stomachs.
