Astorath Angel of Mercy: Warhammer 40,000

It was a fun read. I really loved how human the Marines felt. Well done. But there's a xenos threat that feels tossed in just because for whatever reason. And it feels like that should have gotten fleshed out more as we don't see this particular xenos threat in stories really ever. The Marines were enjoyable and I look forward to more of Haleys work and I hope the next book is just as enjoyable or even more so.

There is a pattern in Black Library novels that has changed alightly through the years but is still there. It is a pattern I hate, and makes books much less enjoyable for me.The pattern is them releasing a novel about a character, when the novel is not about the character at all.This novel is not about Astorath, it is not about his internal thpughts, it is not about his origins, it's not even about the Blood Angels. No, it's about the Red Wings, and the Primaris and the Black Rage.Astorath is only present in half of the book, and even then it's through the eyes of others.While the book is not bad in amy ways, it is indulgent and pointless. The Enslavers are wasted as a minor annoyance for them to deal with, and we learn precious little of Imperium Nihilus we already didn't know.Not a bad book, but absolutely not what is announced in the cover.

Overall, I enjoyed this offering by Guy Haley. I thought his take on the conflict between Primaris Marines and Firstborn Marines interesting to see play out in their interactions between themselves as far as opinions or tactical doctrine along with the contrast of how differently the Primaris interact with regular human characters. It was also intriguing to see Primaris Marines getting their first dose of dealing with the reality of Sanguinius's bloodline. I enjoyed seeing Astorath being fleshed out more as a literary character as opposed to just being a choice in a codex. My one criticism if I had to have one, is the fate of the two imperial guard in the story. Other than that, I consider it a worthy addition to the Blood Angels and further the Warhammer 40,000 mythology.

1) Doesn't provide anything new or deeper about Astorath2) More about Primaris than the title character3) The conclusion was terrible and just random cartoonish outcome4) The 'bad' guys were not pivotal to the plot.5) One character ate up like 3-4 chapter only to be a plot deviceThis booked has stapled Guy Haley as wait for review author rather than pre-order author. (Chris W and ABD)

This was a big letdown because I keep hearing how great Guy Haley is. Guy Haley is amazing at stretching things out needlessly. The first half of the book to me seems to be just padding to stretch the story out. I personally do not like the way that the Space Marines interact with each other. Instead of superhuman trained killers they come off more like bickering humans. The ending of the book could have been a lot better if he wouldn't have ended it with a deus ex machina. I personally think the main character should overcome his problems with his intelligence or other strengths not random chance. This book is little more than a vehicle to introduce one new piece of lore about the primaris Marines.

Rubbish book. Terrible delivery