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thepattyshack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Primarch books are definitely better when there are at least 2 playing off each other.
A fun but heartbreaking accounting of events on an imperial world with uprising and mysterious apocalyptic events.
When legions meet and have surch diverse opinions but still share brotherhood, that his when 40k or in particular 30k sings!
A fun but heartbreaking accounting of events on an imperial world with uprising and mysterious apocalyptic events.
When legions meet and have surch diverse opinions but still share brotherhood, that his when 40k or in particular 30k sings!
nraptor's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
simonmee's review
5.0
Our big red boy doing big dumb things.
'I will not make the same mistake'
The main plot of Magnus is gibberish. Even by the standards of the Warhammer 40k universe, it barely rises above incoherent babble. The setpieces are interesting from a character perspective, but the plot can otherwise be described as one damn thing after another.
However, the wider story of Magnus is a Greek tragedy, possibly turned farce. Hubris meeting Nemesis. Avoiding fate only to crack his spine on it. Attempted patricide and fratricide. Making love to his mo… … actually, not that one.
'No, you will make new ones'
Magnus is also a Romantic, in that he profoundly emotes over a scene before profoundingly not giving a shit for the consequences.
It’s so sad my actions directly turned 24 of my own men to dust – oh well, better take a dozen or so more on another reckless trip totally unhelpful to the wider goal.
I’m not like Perturabo, cold-bloodingly calculating the percentage of refugees we can save. I will fight for every life – oops, this is all getting too hard, better deliberately kill all of them and, WOW, look at all these souls I can fit in my book to take on adventures.
The actual “plot” of this book is its symbiotic relationship with Magnus’ wider journey. He is incredibly powerful, more powerful even than any other Primarch in his own way. He does what he thinks is right in the moment, even when confronted with the ill effects of his previous decisions. He almost dies on several occasions because he doesn't comprehend his own limits, yet survives through good luck. He “saves the day” in the end, justifying every previous “bad” decision. You can see what that might do to his ego.
In the Horus Heresy arc, Magnus opens Pandora’s box.
'You will make worse mistakes because you still believe you can fix everything'
This book is a clue why he does.
'I will not make the same mistake'
The main plot of Magnus is gibberish. Even by the standards of the Warhammer 40k universe, it barely rises above incoherent babble. The setpieces are interesting from a character perspective, but the plot can otherwise be described as one damn thing after another.
However, the wider story of Magnus is a Greek tragedy, possibly turned farce. Hubris meeting Nemesis. Avoiding fate only to crack his spine on it. Attempted patricide and fratricide. Making love to his mo… … actually, not that one.
'No, you will make new ones'
Magnus is also a Romantic, in that he profoundly emotes over a scene before profoundingly not giving a shit for the consequences.
It’s so sad my actions directly turned 24 of my own men to dust – oh well, better take a dozen or so more on another reckless trip totally unhelpful to the wider goal.
I’m not like Perturabo, cold-bloodingly calculating the percentage of refugees we can save. I will fight for every life – oops, this is all getting too hard, better deliberately kill all of them and, WOW, look at all these souls I can fit in my book to take on adventures.
The actual “plot” of this book is its symbiotic relationship with Magnus’ wider journey. He is incredibly powerful, more powerful even than any other Primarch in his own way. He does what he thinks is right in the moment, even when confronted with the ill effects of his previous decisions. He almost dies on several occasions because he doesn't comprehend his own limits, yet survives through good luck. He “saves the day” in the end, justifying every previous “bad” decision. You can see what that might do to his ego.
In the Horus Heresy arc, Magnus opens Pandora’s box.
'You will make worse mistakes because you still believe you can fix everything'
This book is a clue why he does.
trackofwords's review
4.0
On the doomed Imperial world of Morningstar, Magnus and his brother Perturabo lead their Legions in an attempt to rescue as many civilians as possible before the planet tears itself apart.
At its core, this is McNeill exploring the conflicting aspects of Magnus – his self belief, his desire to do the right thing, his hubris…he’s a complicated guy with the best intentions, and there are so many great little hints here to the path that he’s already on.
Read the full review at http://www.trackofwords.com/2017/05/31/magnus-the-red-master-of-prospero-graham-mcneill/
At its core, this is McNeill exploring the conflicting aspects of Magnus – his self belief, his desire to do the right thing, his hubris…he’s a complicated guy with the best intentions, and there are so many great little hints here to the path that he’s already on.
Read the full review at http://www.trackofwords.com/2017/05/31/magnus-the-red-master-of-prospero-graham-mcneill/
lnewton's review
3.0
The concept for this story was really straight-forward and the early execution of it was done well. Unfortunately the ending added in too many unnecessary complexities and it kind of came off as an info-dump, which is odd for an ending. If the last 30 pages were different I would have liked this much more.
chthonic_mold's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
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