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beorn_101's review
2.0
I was really excited to read this, I loved the End Times books for Warhammer Fantasy, particularly the early ones (even though they killed my favorite game). I kept seeing this was the 40k equivalent to that, though with not game ending consequences.
Honestly, I was disappointed. Fall of Cadia feels like it has started at the end/climax of a pre-existing story. Cadia is basically already screwed, and it repeatedly makes it clear that it is going to fall (the title is also a give away).
Where End Times took time to establish the major players, give them some rising action (Balthezar Gelt has some amazing development in End Times), and take time away from just battles to play with the characters some, Fall of Cadia is mostly just one enormous battle. If you don't know who the players are, you don't get to know them further, their motivations, their goals, and even their personalities are often glossed over for page upon page of action.
I knew a little bit about the characters in the story (minus the Saint) and I have to confess I just felt very unattached to them. The writing doesn't compel you to care, at all, because our characters never have the space or time to make you care. It is one shooting scene after another and the writing on the wall makes it clear the end is inevitable.
It tries to give our leading Cadia boi a crisis of faith, but there is next to no time spent grappling with this, or even really exploring it, because again, the end is here.
This felt like the end of a arc, rather then the beginning it is pitched as, but even worse then that, it mistakes endless action for entertaining writing.
There are some compelling scenes, and luckily it isn't very long, but overall, just read a quick synopsis, as the prose is not worth the time.
Honestly, I was disappointed. Fall of Cadia feels like it has started at the end/climax of a pre-existing story. Cadia is basically already screwed, and it repeatedly makes it clear that it is going to fall (the title is also a give away).
Where End Times took time to establish the major players, give them some rising action (Balthezar Gelt has some amazing development in End Times), and take time away from just battles to play with the characters some, Fall of Cadia is mostly just one enormous battle. If you don't know who the players are, you don't get to know them further, their motivations, their goals, and even their personalities are often glossed over for page upon page of action.
I knew a little bit about the characters in the story (minus the Saint) and I have to confess I just felt very unattached to them. The writing doesn't compel you to care, at all, because our characters never have the space or time to make you care. It is one shooting scene after another and the writing on the wall makes it clear the end is inevitable.
It tries to give our leading Cadia boi a crisis of faith, but there is next to no time spent grappling with this, or even really exploring it, because again, the end is here.
This felt like the end of a arc, rather then the beginning it is pitched as, but even worse then that, it mistakes endless action for entertaining writing.
There are some compelling scenes, and luckily it isn't very long, but overall, just read a quick synopsis, as the prose is not worth the time.
vladmech's review
5.0
It's great to see GW finally moving the overall plot of their universe along. Very enjoyable fluff/splat book and well worth the read even though the rules portion is no longer relevant due to 8th edition.
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