Book Review - Know No Fear

I'm kicking off my book reviews with a novel I finished over the weekend. This one has been out for a few months now, but I just got around to reading it.

And it blew me away.

"Know No Fear" by Dan Abnett is another installment in the New York Time's best selling series, The Horus Heresy.

The story begins on the planet Calth, a verdent, booming planet that is slated to become another regional capital in the five hundred worlds of the Ultramar Empire. Hundreds of thousands of Ultramarines, Army auxiliaries, and Mechanicum forces are preparing to deploy against a host of Orks at the order of the Warmaster, Horus Lupercal. As they prepare, the warriors of the XVII Legion, the Word Bearers, are translating in system. The Ultramarines' Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, and his warriors believe that they are going to attack the greenskins together with the Word Bearers.

But it's a trap. The Ultramarines still don't know that Horus has turned against the Emperor, and the Word Bearers are there to end the Ultramarines.

I'm not going to give away any spoilers. That would ruin the book, and do an injustice to such an amazing tale. There is little introduction to the book except a description of how the Ultramarines mark records of combat operations. Then, Dan Abnett throws you into the muster of the Ultramarines, the Army units, the Mechanicum, and the devious plots of the Word Bearers and their Primarch, Lorgar Aurelian. The book is written in the present tense, as in, "Roboute Guilliman picks his nose, and eats the booger he digs from that oriface." (That's not a quote from the book, just so you know.) "Know No Fear" is fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You are bodily dragged at a hundred miles an hour from beginning to end with no apology.

The action is intense. Scenes of battle are littered with close calls, close combat, and plenty of daemon fighting. What gets me is the emotions poured into the story. Some authors do poorly expressing the emotional states of their characters, especially in action/sci-fi. But Dan Abnett fills the book with the rage and anger dug from the depths of the Ultramarines, and especially Roboute Guilliman, at the treachery of their brothers. The mixed words, tones, and descriptions of body language and feelings brings these feelings to life for the reader. The loss of comrades, desperation, fear, and unbridled rage.

It took me four days to get through "Know No Fear" on my kindle. (Damnable work!) I was left satisfied at the amazing saga told, and craving much more of the same. A full five stars for "Know No Fear"!

The Ultramarines, Revelation Space, and Deadlifting

Today's post is more about my nerdish endevours than anything else (be wary). I shall have another short fiction piece up by Tuesday, at the very latest.

First: Ultramarines, A Warhammer 40,000 Movie, is soon to debut. On the Ultramarines Movie website - http://ultramarinesthemovie.com/ - they are selling the $40 limited edition box set. You know I bought MY copy. The preview on YouTube (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vF_VLZotWc) is awesome, and gives much greater insight into what the movie is about and who the enemy is (I told a friend of mine Chaos - totally called it). While I'm still overseas, I sent my copy to my home for the Dinoman (younger brother, seen here: http://dinoman87.deviantart.com/) to enjoy. ANOTHER reason I can't wait to get home.

Second: I am currently reading a very fascinating, and at times confusing, book (on my Nook) called "Revelation Space" (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Revelation-Space/Alastair-Reynolds/e/9781440673795/?itm=1&USRI=Revelation+Space). It centers around three characters: Dan Sylveste, a xenoarchaeologist who's been overthrown in the local planetary government, Ana Khouri, a contract assassin, and Illia Volyova, a reluctant captain of a very old, mystery filled, city-size spaceship. Each plot takes place in a different year, but I have a feeling all three will intertwine at some point (I'm on page 67 of 552). The immense detail and intrigue that permeates each page draws the reader in (or, at least, it draws me in) further and further. It's difficult to put this book down, and I highly recommend it, either in eBook or traditional paperback.

Third: Deadlifting 315lbs very rapidly for ten reps (two sets) hurts...but it hurts so good! FYI, the third set was a drop set: 315 for 8 reps, 225 for 10 reps, 135 for 12 reps. Add in some good bicep curls and pull ups, and you have a muscle carving workout (and a very sore Omaha Renegade).

Black Library Goes Digital, and My Discovery of Dropbox

Yesterday, the 8th of October, The Black Library opened its digital book doors: http://www.blacklibrary.com/Digital. The first free installment is "First and Only" by Dan Abnett. I suggest downloading your copy before they put a price tag on it.
I'm glad they're going digital. EBooks are the future, with the ability to have more books, but take up less physical space, people can purchase dozens, if not hundreds of books and read them digital comfort. Sure, a good paperback novel is nice, but waiting them to be shipped to me is a pain. Digital books allow me to read what I want in seconds once downloaded. It's been a lifesaver over here. So go and check it out, and look forward to more from the Black Library's new digital library.

Also, a friend of mine just introduced me to Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com/). You sign up and download the applet, and then you can move folders into your Dropbox and either access your dropbox online, or, if you've downloaded the Dropbox applet to other computers/mobile devices, just draw the files from there. Your Dropbox syncs across multiple media and the website, but acts as a normal file on your computer. It's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. I've been sharing story ideas (and the writing continues!) with said friend as we collaborate on a project he is working on. The details of this project are classified Uber Top Secret...so no soup for you.
Perhaps I will post a link to my public Dropbox folder of some tentative fiction in the near future...who knows?

Vacancies at the Black Library, and Publishing

So, currently, there are two editor vacancies at The Black Library, headquartered in Nottingham, England. The call for applications can be seen here: http://www.blacklibrary.com/vacancies.html
Oh how I would love to work for that wonderful company. True, I would have less time for writing (I do write), but the learning experience in the publishing industry would be priceless! Unfortunately, the Omaha Renegade is stuck overseas, and the powers that be say "No!". Why does such an opportunity have to present itself and I'm not there to jump on it like fox pouncing on a mouse?

Also, Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/) has started it's PubIt service. There, once you sign up, you can submit your stories and sell them on the Barnes and Noble website. Great little thing, that. B&N take 40% of the sale as their share; the seller retains 60%. I had thought about doing this with the book I'm writing (80K words, and counting), but I'm worried that the science fiction/fantasy eBook market just isn't strong enough. I'd hate to put my book up as an ePub on B&N's site, only to not make a single cent. I've looked into self-publishing, and while I love the idea of marketing myself, I hate the prices on the books. A normal novel, 300-400 pages, that should sell for $7 or $8 (perhaps $9 at most) cost $15-$20 per copy to produce. I would have to charge $16-$21 a copy, and no one would buy that for a book obviously worth less.