Book Update: Know No Fear

Just picked up Know No Fear by Dan Abnett last week and about halfway finished reading it. I’ve been ready for a good book and it seems we are going to have a summer of good books from Black Library.

Again, I like to hold to my policy and unlike other book reviewers, I don’t intend to give away anything and spoil a book. Much like watching a movie trailer that has all the good points in it, once you watch the movie you feel very disappointed…on with the review!

First off Dan Abnett has produced another masterwork again, the artful character of his writing is still there and as always there is a twist on how he presents the story to the reader. How did he do it time? The book is broken down into “timestamps” that the Ultramarines use to record the time elapsed in an engagement.

Second, this book is oozing with characters, perhaps a bit too many as I feel many have been missing in the book for several chapters and I am waiting on them to return to the fore. This may be perhaps the worst setback that I could say about the book. Still, he develops the characters well and portrays them in a light that is very enjoyable and you can empathize with the characters throughout the story.

I have to admit based on the timeline of when the Istavan massacre happened and when the Word Bearers attacked the Ultramarines that the Ultramarines did not get any type of warning of the betrayal by Horus and the other legions even prior to the drop site massacre. It seems to me that Guilliman would have been aware of at least some bit of information that something was amiss. Granted the psychic choirs was messed up and there was other factors keyed into the situation that unfolded, it just surprises me is all.

One other interesting thing I caught is that Kor Phaeron mentions the “eight” instead of the big 4, this is going back to serious old school Chaos history and I am wondering if this is a teaser for the new Chaos codex fluff. Of late I have seen some fluff tied into the Black Library’s work, even in this one they are pimping several of the variant vehicles and dreadnoughts that Forge World sells as they are worked into the story (thus to the fluff) making them enticing for people to want to buy.

I highly recommend you pick up this book if you have not. Dan Abnett will not disappoint you with this book and I don’t recommend books lightly.