40K lore that's actually GOOD! - Debating the best recent lore additions.

[@thepoorhammerpodcast]

If for some reason you're coming down to the comments because you want more of this discussion: An extra 20 minutes of tangents about lore (mostly) is available for the patrons. I promise you nothing of value is lost if you don't want to pay us for it though. It's mostly jokes, Eric annoying Brad by asking chains of questions that require further tangents, and heavy spoilers for a good book series we decided to cut from the main episode. Also random correction because I caught it while reviewing the video: Guilliman never met Alpha Primus directly. The main character of Avenging Son meets him and *tells* Guilliman about it. I know, I'm sorry, I've already flogged myself for this error. I promise it won't happen again my fellow lore nerds.

[@patrickmilberger4469]

So I wanted to see your review of xenos but I am failing to find it? Is it here on KZbin or your website

[@MistaGuido-nk3iz]

Have you filmed a review of the Perturabo book? I really wanna hear your take.

[@thepoorhammerpodcast]

@@patrickmilberger4469 I never reviewed it proper, in the 20 books in 40 minutes episode (audio only) I mention in passing a few of my problems with the book. TL;DR: It's your typical self insert circlejerk that attracts 15 year old boys. It's fine for the job it has, but I'm long past being the target audience for those type of books. It's also clearly born from the 90's Fantasy/SciFi shlock era without a hint of irony or self-awareness. For my anime nerd friend I described it as Sword Art Online. The opening chapter has perhaps the single cringiest attempt at acting cool I've ever witnessed outside of isekai light novels.

[@jessISaRicePrincess]

Brad you lore 🤓... takes one to know one though

[@DINOROAR2912]

I do love Adeptus Ridiculous, but I wouldn't mind if you guys did lore videos. Can never have too much lore!

[@marblown]

Yeah this was actually more fun than Adeptus ridiculous.

[@skeeter5076]

@@marblown Low bar imo

[@andrew3606]

@@skeeter5076 Yeah not to be a hater but I think the reason that show is popular is because they happen to be the only long form podcast with professional quality that discusses things people are interested in, not because they are particularly good at it.

[@Stop_Gooning]

@@andrew3606 If nobody else is doing better then they're the best. I actually like the true crime spinoff better The episodes with Kirioth are good too

[@andrew3606]

@@Stop_Gooning Professional quality refers to their audio setup, I don't think they're the best. They're just the most accessible.

[@magnum32b]

GW: **creates Vashtor and gives him lore fans; "But what about Belakor?" GW with the TFS Krillen voice; "What ABOUT Belakor?"

[@KameSennin4209]

Shh! The dark mechanicum need this!

[@Autechltd]

this aged poorly

[@magnum32b]

@@Autechltd hahahaha! it most CERTAINLY did!

[@Thirtennth]

Good reference

[@AAw3s0m3]

Wait what happened?@@Autechltd

[@startingfromlevelone9510]

I love the idea if like Alpharius secretly being big E’s favorite, and having been with him the whole time for the crusade and for each other Primarchs recovery. I love that there’s still an element of doubt about Alpha Legions “For the Emperor” is meant to be taunting or legitimate.

[@jesterprince4949]

My favourite bit, is that he was Malcadors project, Big E didn't really have much to do with him (as far as we know). Alpharius being Malcadors pet primarch adds so many possibilities. Malcador is possibly the only person in the Imperium who could out Alpharius, Alpharius. It would be great if it turned out Malcador asked the Alpharius to side with the traitors so he'd have eyes on the traitors after learning what the cabal intended.

[@Phosphorus116]

@@jesterprince4949 Alpharius was traitor and will always be as he is dead, his arrogance led him to to think he knew better in the grand scheme of things so he fell into believing the cabal, Omegon is the loyalist one, his plots are more interesting and he still exists so his little group is still maybe ish loyalist but now 95% of the alpha leigon is just a choas warband because they fell during the heresy so he doesn't do much

[@jesterprince4949]

@@Phosphorus116 if I were to argue the toss, I'd say it's more likely that Alpharius was the loyalist, he spent more time with the imperium, was raised in it by malcadore. Omegon on the other hand aside from his brother, spent more time with Horus. That said, I don't think it really matters, they must have swapped identities a thousand times and to them it's just a name. While I don't disagree one of them is dead and that the legion has lost its way. I think the duality of the legion is that there are some genuine loyalist warbands, some who believe it but are mislead, and just some utter traitors and some that are loyal to the imperial dream before the HH but fight the current imperium. I also think whichever was the loyalist, perhaps was loyal to malcadore and not his father. Which on the surface looks like the same thing. But malcadore was clearly a bit shifty and had his own ways. The traitor primary probably firmly believed he was being loyal to humanity, but that the imperium needed to die. I don't think either sided with the cabal and they both decided to go a middle (3rd) path, but that led to them diverging on methods and ideology. In the end it doesn't matter, there will be a million people claiming to be alpharius both traitor and loyal and we will never truly know if this is true, even if GW outright said that this is THE Alpharius they can go back on that at any time for moustache twirling purposes. Personally though I'd love it to still be both twins alive and both are on opposing sides.

[@Phosphorus116]

@@jesterprince4949 decent enough take, one did side with the cabal though as he believed he needed to complete the prophecy for humanity's sake (I believe this one is alpharius as he was the bolder one) so both thought they were loyalist in their own ways, I believe one twin is, or should be dead but you're right in the fact that GW can and will play up the meme of their nature and bring one or both back if need be, and GW would if more people actually played alpha leigon but who knows, might happen someday

[@jesterprince4949]

​@@Phosphorus116 They do feel like one of the most underbaked Legions in terms of representation on the tabletop. I'd argue theres not a single mini in the chaos range that suits the Alpha Legion. I use alot of Chosen in my army as headhunters but the new rules basically just made them feel less specalist and more focused on melee.

[@bluestormpony]

Cawl and Guillemans dynamic is one of my favorite things in 40k right behind Trayzn and the base background lore for the eldar (all attempts to actually WRITE for the eldar are peak grimderp)

[@gray9285]

My favorite new lore is 100% just reading Cawl's shenanigans and seeing him mad scientist his way through the galaxy and having fun while doing it. The new Necrom stuff is also awesome Infinite and the Divine was one of the first 40k audio books I bought and I loved it.

[@SkyLon9808]

I started playing ad mech with cawl just because of the shenanigans too!

[@MilkCalf]

As an Adeptus Ridiculous fan, I gotta give props because this episode got me even more intrigued in stuff I had already heard about in Adeptus Ridiculous

[@4ArmedHug]

Bold move to throw Eisenhorn in the trash. It's a good way to get into the setting. Especially for everyone who is on the fence on 40k lore

[@MillerAtkinson]

Yeah I was a bit confused by writing it off as being "Grimderp", I personally wasn't the biggest fan of how the best writing seemed to be in the 90% lead up to a climactic fight then the fight itself being fairly lackluster, I didn't think Xenos was super bad in that regard, but Malleus and Hereticus certainly was. Still outside of a few chapters of anticlimactic battles I thought the intrigue and character interaction that made up the majority of the books was fairly good.

[@iharpo9292]

Tbh dan abnett books in general shouldnt be anyones intro to the setting simply because he has a very specific writing style and tone that can seem off putting sometimes. I think hes a good writer but id prefer infinite and the divine, or something from graham mcneill or adb as an intro

[@nwahnerevar9398]

@@iharpo9292 See I think Infinite and the Divine is a terrible introduction to the lore and I have no idea why Brad thinks it's good for that.

[@iharpo9292]

@@nwahnerevar9398 i think its great for that one friend u rant to alot about 40k but who isnt really into it yet

[@StarkMaximum]

@@nwahnerevar9398 He probably thinks it's a good introduction simply because the book is good and he figures "all you need is a well-written book", but I think an introduction to the lore does need to assume you're coming in from zero so starting with the _Necrons_ is a weird gateway. Definitely has the vibe of "I've been into this so long I forgot what new players don't already know".

[@Kiribayashi]

The Eisenhorn books are solely responsible for me finally making the leap into 40k from AoS. The Audiobook versions of them are absolutely fantastic and my friends and will often listen to them on long road trips. Most of the Warhammer crime anthologies have been fantastic as well. I read them with my wife who otherwise is not all that interested in 40k and she really enjoys those as well as Eisenhorn.

[@-TheMachineGod-]

Honestly I can’t think of anything in the Eisenhorn books that made Brad dislike them so much other than the fact that they are about the Imperium

[@tonlito22]

​@@-TheMachineGod- Not enough Primaris marines on ATVs I guess.

[@tehsamuels]

I too was confused by this, the eisenhorn trilogy was my first series in 40K and I really enjoyed them

[@SWProductions100]

​@herrwashi7556 Poorhammer did a podcast-only review of 20 books, and it seems the opening section of Xenos left a bad impression on Brad.

[@nickshapland9384]

@@SWProductions100 he seems to be fairly critical of most things imperium in general, he seems to get bored by imperium content (and how it dominates lore) and also by the lack of non-imperium lore (e.g. chaos)

[@KrokusOfDagon]

Eric laughing when you asked him about what ork books he had read was by far the best answer he could have given, and fits him so much, love your podcast fellas!

[@zigzera7757]

Imagine being anti spoiler and then watching a video specifically on lore which by definition would be spoilers we live in a very pampered times

[@zackerymorris8268]

​@dudemcfurgusson7179 that's not even a 2023 thing that's been a thing since pre crucifixion. The victim complex is real

[@cornmaized]

@@dudemcfurgusson7179 chill man its the youtube comment section

[@thaliapope9581]

@@dudemcfurgusson7179 imagine being this offended by some else’s comment about a hypothetical person😂😂

[@rakino4418]

Chill. This is a podcast. It plays automatically through people's podcast services on their phones, cars, etc. Saying "by the way, we're going to talk about story spoilers, if you're in the middle of a book right now, heres your warning" is reasonable. Chill out, try to enjoy your day without other people's good manners bothering you.

[@harrykirkham220]

40k fans being unable to discern the difference between “lore” and “story” is still so funny. A book should be a story. For a lot of people this isn’t a game, it’s a universe in which stories are experienced. Most people don’t like stories being told AT them, they want to experience them themselves. Media lore is most commonly defined as the aspects of a fictional universe that precede the events of the current story, the history of the world, not the events of the “current” progressing story. These stories are current and they progress their own individual stories. This is such a needless comment when Poorhammer do a good job of signalling the spoilers anyway.

[@xtrameat]

Watcher in The Rain is a great way to start if you like the horror portion of 40k. Good to see it praised here! Love the podcast guys!

[@TheAHuman]

The Way Out is also very good

[@LiamThing]

Thousand sons was the first warhammer book I was not only able to finish but actually enjoyed, big ups gareth armstrong's narration to make it through that one

[@epicwaba6424]

Do you mean Prospero Burns? I thought you meant A Thousand Sons, but that was narrated by Martyn Ellis. I haven’t read Prospero Burns but I was not a fan of its companion book, A Thousand Sons. And I’m a hardcore Tzeentch/Thousand Sons fan. But if you like Gareth Armstrong, I’d recommend The First Heretic. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m enjoying thus far. And it leads into the truly excellent Betrayer, which makes it worth it alone. But besides Heresy stuff, my unprompted recommendations would be the Night Lords Omnibus (Soul Hunter->Blood Reaver->Void Stalker), Flesh and Steel, and The Twice-Dead King: Ruin. The Night Lords trilogy in particular has outstanding narration if you’re an audiobook listener.

[@KameSennin4209]

Even as a sm player, thousands son got done dirty.

[@iharpo9292]

​@@epicwaba6424i really liked a thousand sons personally, it got me really invested in the legion, then prospero burns took a huge dump on it

[@Stainlesssteele4]

Vashtorr is my favorite new addition for sure. He adds some consequences for the rapid expansion of primaris stuff and gives the Inquisition's wingeing about technology some merit, has a pretty great niche as a chaos deity, and sets up a possible rivalry (hopefully) for Belakor. The maguffin hunt is definitely wrote at this point, but on a conceptual level he's a fantastic new player in the great game.

[@sackofpeas2470]

Plus he could be a big teaser for Dark Mechanicus making their way onto the tabletop.

[@benpusey4717]

Great episode guys! Also, props to your editor on the Positivity Replays I was dying

[@Djoltify]

Honestly the eisnhorn trilogly is what got me into the game again after a million years

[@eisenhorn5494]

Right?

[@Kerberus262]

It is worth mentioning that a large chunk (maybe even the majority) of the campaign book lore is now in the Warhammer Vault, so it's now easy to access, and you'll have access to it if you use the apps/Warhammer+ so it doesn't need any extra steps. Also kudos to the editor for the recurring "Positive" gag, loved it!

[@cpunching]

I know nothing about the lore beyond youtube meme shitposts, but I did listen to Watcher in the Rain and it was absolutely fantastic for someone who has no idea what anything is. It's super well voice acted, the sound design is done nicely, and the way the story wraps up is such a nice chefs kiss moment. At only an hour long it's definitely way more accessible than the hundreds of pages books or 8 hour long audiobook versions.

[@BW-CZ]

It's a shame about the campaign book lore stuff, because all the complaints you mentioned are real, but what makes it extra sad is that it's some of the best (written) lore we actually get. From recent times, Octarius especially was super good for both Orks and Tyranids (my beloved). I wish we'd get a novelization of it, but nope not enough space marines in it, so instead it's gonna get forgotten and lost...

[@sirderik]

soo for you chaos boys out there i recommend either nightlord series, or black legion.

[@sirderik]

Just too add on too this black Legion is well the Talon of Horus and the black legion books ... They are in a series and is about the formation of the black Legion and pretty good read even if you don't care about them as a sub faction as it focuses on chaos marines/Renegade mortals relationship towards themselves and the galaxy at large.

[@Remi-Toruzen]

I highly recommend the nightlords series and the first book that I have read repeatedly was Storm of Iron. Iron warriors, siege specialists against massive fortresses and titans? It really is a treat that I recommend to people.

[@Bluecho4]

The Night Lords trilogy is so dope.

[@epicwaba6424]

Night Lords is literally GOAT 40k series, I won't hear any arguments about this. Black Legion is okay but I like "Talon of Horus" wayyyyy more than "Black Legion." Also that title is confusing.

[@8-7-styx94]

Cawl: I made a room full of brains, it computes numbers and.. stuff. It shall answer any and all thy questions. AI: make Cawl the archmagus! Praise cawl! ... please kill me. He chews sunflower seeds like a camel while working on me. Gulliman: Cawl, did it just ask me to kill it? Cawl: nope, it definitely didn't say anything. *Leans over and whispers to AI* Shut it you or brain farts wont be the worst of your problems.

[@riffcrypt8438]

Just adding my voice to the couple dozen others who are completely perplexed at the Eisenhorn hate. Thought it was a fantastic tonal introduction to the 40k universe. Xenos got me familiar enough with the setting to start really digging into the lore and hobby.

[@brenlauf]

How could you forget the Heroics oh Commissar Cain, Hero of the Imperium!

[@greg5646]

very surprised about the dislike for Eisenhorn. stands out to me as the best written 40k series overall.

[@MarketResearchReading114]

Brutal Kunnin, is literally like a manga for orks where an ork goes on a power fantasy adventure, and for whatever reason, the admech are there...and they shoved in badrukk because they needed someone with a name tied to a model.

[@basstedson]

Rob Rath is a proper historian and it really shows in the infinite and the divine. I knew I would like it because I'm a big fan of his youtube show but wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did because previously I didn't think much of Necrons.

[@Bluecho4]

On the subject of horror novels set in the 40K universe, I'm really taken with I think Bricky's idea of a monster story where it's just an Arco-Flagellant let loose in a civilian population. Imagine the protagonists are normal ass workers, called in to work at a factory. There's a war going on two blocks down, that the Sisters of Battle are fighting. (It doesn't matter who they're fighting). But quotas must be met and the Imperium doesn't believe in the concept of labor rights. The workers get locked inside, to stop anyone from abandoning their work. Then, an Arco-Flagellant strays from the battlefield on accident, and enters the factory. Now all these normal people are locked in with a monster that knows only the constant feed of sermons into his eyeballs, and the overriding need to kill. The workers have to try to survive and escape, while being picked off one by one. They have no idea what this thing is, because the Imperium doesn't believe in educating the public. It's maybe halfway through the story they realize it's not some heretical or mutant creature, but something the _Imperium_ created. Because, shocker, the Imperium are the bad guys.

[@BurritoInTheMist]

Brad describing Cawl and Cawl inferior had me cackling. Book Club's gonna be great.

[@naus6081]

Tossing eisenhorn in the trash? And now you’ve lost me. Both Dan Abnetts eisenhorn and ravenor series are peak 40k.

[@xenoblad]

You gotta give yourself more credit. This lore talk was entertaining AF. I would love to watch another.

[@noranomics]

“I take offence but you’re not wrong” has to be my new new catchphrase

[@Autechltd]

The comment about 40k fans not being able to read is so funny and true. I joined most factions' 'main' FB groups since I own multiple armies, and the amount of people wanting and getting spoonfed anything from basic faction rule questions that's explained in the first paragraph (i.e. sanctic spell rules for GK) up to asking people being fed 'meta lists' and complaining that they lost because they can't read, is just insane.

[@duncancrowley3171]

I like that you brought up the possible treasure trove of writing options a horror themed novel concerning the Drukhari would be. I'm just getting into 40k, and I really liked the Drukhari combat patrol (in fact I'm building it right now) but when I started looking into the lore, I was terrified at what I found. I feel like the space pirate aspect is reminiscent of the reavers from Firefly, except that have a deeper cenobite-like reasoning for their actions. The homunculus, body horror stuff is seriously messed up, and any horror novel adapted from their lore would be bone chilling. Like, tyranids are "scary," but in the same way the bugs in Starship Troopers are scrary. Drukhari are actual evil.

[@viktorgabriel2554]

Tyranid Books tend to be really good in the lore department. when you where mentioning the use of the Traitor Geneseed remember that Space Wolves would know considering that Björns nose still works even after more then 10k years

[@zerg2820]

Bro Devastation of Baal was such a good fucking book, the Primerus stuff at the dead end of the book wasn’t great but 99% of the book is fucking peak.

[@cousinzeke4888]

5:05 That's exactly what happened to me. Pious Vorne is my favorite 40K model and come to find out, between the two books she's in, she's "on screen" for like eight pages.

[@leadpaintchips9461]

Glad you made it clear from the start what your opinion is. No sarcasm, nothing along those lines with that statement. Making it perfectly clear where your stance is on what part and tone of the setting is greatly appreciated. I personally have the opposite stance on the setting. The super cereal tone of the setting, that abandons the foundation that the whole thing was built upon (what people call 'grim derp'), is what I despise of modern 40K. Give me where one of the factions that threatens to collapse the fascist empire that is the only thing that is keeping humanity alive is -football holligans- Orks. Gimmie the Land Raider being named after Land, and Land being vastly annoyed because everyone assumes it's because the Land Raider, ya know, _raids lands_ and doesn't know it's named after him. Gimmie the Eisenhorn series. I'm not saying you can't have the super cereal series. I'm saying that both can exist and we need more 'grim derp' outside of Orks. The universe is big enough for both, and we've had a deluge of super cereal over the last couple of decades.

[@urielswing]

New to the hobby and the Ciaphas Cain books have been my favorite

[@ianbabcock6802]

I think an Alpha Primus model would be pretty cool.

[@shinespider]

I don't think it's fair to say anything was taken from Be'lakor to give to Vashtorr. Absolutely nothing about Be'lakor says "Soul Forges." The Total War team's decision to put him there was totally arbitrary and had no roots in real lore.

[@teroslarone1171]

I think the grimdark astetic as a thing lends itself very well to character driven stories. And it would do well leaning more into that instead of these big epic events which just fall flat a lot of time due to plot shenanigans. Edit: Also admech aren't the only ones that are anti progress, the imperial political system is anti progress.

[@marcjohnson5991]

I prefer the stories that use the setting whilst being less about moving the general lore forward. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in the Warhammer Crime series. Outgunned is a fun ride from the perspective of a imperial propagandist. For shorter works, The Last Church and Throne of Lies were both great

[@Revenge221]

Poorhammer? A LORE EPISODE?! All work stops. Priority. Let's gooooooo.

[@Revenge221]

Okay, it doesn't let me edit my original comment, but this was a very enjoyable episode. The cut back to "I want to stay positive" had me laughing. Best episode so far. Love it.

[@TriptuneRadio]

This is one of the funniest episodes you guys have made. Please do more lore episodes

[@Ben-fk9ey]

Really liked this format and would watch more videos like it!

[@FairyWitch175]

Why hate the eisenhorn books?? I think they do an awesome job. Dan abnett is great

[@benionin7260]

I really enjoyed the Luther book and am looking forward to Cypher's upcoming book. The Dark Angels woefully misinterpreting everything Luther said because the Imperium is short-sighted and self-destructive was great. Also, can you tell that I'm a Fallen player? The Dark Angels being obsessed with the Fallen is pretty one-note and boring, but the Fallen trying to carve out a path for themselves that isn't bound to the Imperium or Chaos is actually interesting to me. For older books, the first 40k book I ever read, before I even knew about the setting, was Lord of the Night. It's a little outdated in some ways but is my favorite take on what the Night Lords could and should be, rather than what they've become.

[@KillerOrca]

Honestly I think I like your guys take on the lore better than Ridiculous. Feels less like an actual podcast and more like two dudes shooting the shit over a gaming table while waiting for the next spot to open.

[@thepoorhammerpodcast]

Yeah, I had great fun harassing Brad during this recording. Many tangents on tangents, heh

[@sternguard77]

For horror in the setting I love the stories by Peter Fehervari. The prose can be a bit dense at times but I’ve always found the way he portrays the terrors of the universe to be appropriately eldritch.

[@gabrielfestini]

Idk if you guys will ever see this comment, but you are the most interesting and pleasant duo to discuss 40k lore ☺️ It feels like such a warm funny talk around a fire, with great chemistry between Brad's sarcasm and Eric's amazing lore approximations 😆 Please do more lore videos 🙌🏻 And (we?) I love longer formats anyway!

[@GillySquid]

Been waiting for y’all to do some lore vids. Thanks you 😊

[@kutrael5209]

Whats wrong with the Eisenhorn books?

[@educatedlaziness3268]

Conrad Kurze is such a tragic character, he can see the future, all the horrors and pain to come, and because of the hopelessness of Nocturne he doesnt believe theres anything he can do to change it. In fact, he decides to take comfort in the in the evil deeds he does because to his mind if he was always going to be a monster, then it isnt his fault if he ends up one

[@xzoid128]

I thought Belakor didn't own or create the soulforge in fantasy though, I thought he just hijacked it to be his realm.

[@MogoPrime]

I'm happy with lore rambling. I'm definitely in the camp of "knows the broad strokes" but am always willing to sponge up more stories!

[@maxwaltham5853]

I really loved this episode if you did this again I'd be up for it.

[@fallingarc8034]

As somebody who is not very into the table top videos like this are 10/10 please do more.

[@SimplyAdriel]

"Nothing is as bad as white dwarf" _cries in that being the only mention of my baby boys, the Blood Ravens_ Also, there is a trilogy of Audio dramas that are about Elysians.

[@ichbineinberliner1776]

Loved this, as to a lore written just in a White Dwarf: The Blood Ravens got Primaris gene-seed, but no unnumbered sons along with it.Not suspicious at all, no sir.

[@MikeRenouf]

The editing of this is so good. "I do want to keep this positive." 😂

[@mbra8228]

Thank you to the editors for sure , great episode :)

[@neostrider2003]

Gav Thorpe's eldar trilogy is worth the read. It gives really good insight into eldar philosophy, mysticism, and society. It doesn't do the usual alien "they think weird because their brains do math differently" excuse, it explores exarchs, the avatar, corsair, and a good justification for farseers threading that needle between useless and god tier deus ex machina.

[@Mr_Waffle.]

So is this the reason Belakor crashed the “invasion of The Rock” party and fought against Vashtorr? Sounds fun, I hope they expand on it more

[@socalastarte6727]

FACT CHECK: Konrad Curze absolutely turned traitor. He was at the Dropsite Massacre and nearly killed Corvax saving Lorgar in the process. He murdered loads of Dark Angels and Ultramarines on Macragge and fought both Lion El Johnson and Guilliman. He tortures a kidnapped Vulkan in multiple attempts to kill him. He nearly kills Azkaellon Sanguinius’ Chapter Master right in front of him. He does all these things only to loyal marines, never murdering other traitor legions. He shows up to all the evil Primarch meetings and is privy to their plans. And he is ALSO psychotic.

[@cg2499]

Thank you editors. This is my fav video so far! Keep it up!

[@bayushiteishiru6291]

I've listened to about a dozen podcasts and all of yer vids and every time I see a sax marine vid at intro in my mind's eye :)

[@Wineblood]

I'm glad Infinite and Divine wasn't spoiled, I'm partway through that. The Cawl stuff is great.

[@divideby000]

I loved this and want the 2 hour version

[@ToTeMVG]

so i need to read about cawl real fast cuz that sounds great

[@MrLukeviolin]

LOVE this. Would really be interested in your “summary” of the Horus heresy

[@craig.a.glesner]

Neato, a reference to The Culture, I do love that series.

[@DnBGolf]

Omg the "keep it positive" recording was brilliant. I was wondering where it was going

[@shibuishibui3706]

23:05 i come back for this line because the delivery is incredible.

[@zeroex3650]

It's not super new, but the introduction of Decimus of the Night Lords is both wildly interesting and upsetting because you have someone who could reunite the Legion but nothing is done with him. Still though I will always highly recommend the Night Lords trilogy

[@rickyguillen2142]

There is caiphas Cain books that has an audio drama with sound effects and great voice actors forget which one tho but it had catachans, Tyranids and dark eldar

[@eisenhorn5494]

Bloodlines is a decent crime noire novel

[@thepoorhammerpodcast]

That's in the next 3-4 books I'm going to be reading so I'm excited to hear it.

[@Typhoonatlas]

Great video! Cant wait to watch the next video like this. PS the audible for the watcher is only 1hr long but its a full credit

[@str978]

I hope GW continues to make more lore around the Alpha Legion. The books I have read for them (Shroud of Night and Renegades) has so many fantastic little bits for Alpha Legion things (Some SPOILER WARNINGS) from the imbedded agent space marine to straight up shooting an Imperial Fists primaris in the face when he takes his helmet off for a honor duel, it's all chef's kiss. The hydra awakes.

[@KameSennin4209]

I only want to start a world eaters army because of the duel between Sigismund and Kharn.

[@DHYohko]

No Sisters of Battle books?

[@zenntrox8695]

This was fun, I'd definitely be down for more lore talk! And remember, always stay positive 😂

[@merrja]

I know it's only a short story but the Zandrekh story in Severed is absolute gold. Plus, it's Necron lore. Highly recommended to everyone

[@OmegaLittleBob]

Oh thank god, I was worried I was the only one who thought Xenos was a bad book. Abnett is a fantastic author but he wrote that book 20 years ago and he’s gotten so much better since then.

[@humantwist-offcap9514]

Eisenhorn is and always will be a classic to me but I have been re-reading it lately and it definitely is trying to hard.

[@constrainedanacronysm1370]

I don't know about that... His most recent books in Bequin 2 and Saturnine were pretty stinky. (Slight spoilers below for Saturnine and Bequin 2). Saturnine was rushed and assassinated multiple characters and killed off alot of characters in pathetic and unsatisfying ways and the retcon of the scattering of the Primarchs was cringe. Almost as cringe as making the Sons of Horus somehow stupid enough to not know what waiting to sync up their subterranean assaults is or be suspicious when they lose contact with their assault teams. And the finale of Bequin 2 is the most rushed unsatisfying piece of shit where the main character mutates and becomes the most stupid person in every room she is all to get to rush to a reveal after she does her absolute best to arbitrarily sabotage all her allies. Like holy shit, the main character randomly goes full stupid and the book still acts like she is smart. Xenos is better than both those books, Xenos is rushed at points and the timeskips can be confusing... but Bequin 2 also has those and Xenos is just more succinct and the main character is more enjoyable and isn't nearly as stupid. That said I'll say Ravenor is a better trilogy than Eisenhorn, and The Magos is the best Eisenhorn book. And those are more recent entries from Abnett.

[@humantwist-offcap9514]

@@constrainedanacronysm1370 haven’t read Saturnine but I strongly disagree with that assessment of Bequin 2. It seems to me that her age and lack of experience lead her to being impulsive in a lot of scenarios despite herself. No accounting for taste but, personally I quite liked the book.

[@constrainedanacronysm1370]

@@humantwist-offcap9514 I really disliked the finale, even accounting for her naivety and inexperience she was depicted as being decently smart. And in the finale she does the most stupid things possible in not once trying to explain to either one of the Inquisitors she has respect for the theory she wants to confirm. And I get initially they are occupied, but she had opportunities to do so and instead just chose to be dumb. Instead she with no explanation goes awol refuses to elaborate on what she is doing over Comms when it is asked... refuses to elaborate when agents are sent to being her back... then proceeds to force two of their most valuable assets into a death battle which one or more of them may die over her need to confirm her theory that a viewing mirror is in the academy. Age then proceeds to instead of stopping there and going back to tell the Inquisitors they have a way to the place they want to reach bizarrely uses and breaks the mirror... this gets her trapped in a bad situation she barely escapes... And the whole sequence ends with them back at square one without a way into the place they want to get into and down two agents... It's the most non-sensical and convoluted sequence of events and is totally out of character for Bequin who while callow isn't a mouth breathing idiot. It's all done for the Yellow King reveal, which could have been done without that sequence, and the while thing undermines the entire book. To be honest I liked the book as well and didn't mind her trying to figure her way out through difficult scenarios... but Eisenhorn is a more compelling character to me... And that end sequence in Bequin 2 is just baaad. It is pretty much character assassination for Bequin and makes everyone involved look like they have single digit IQ points.

[@oliviawalsh1684]

You should read an older one! Eye of terror is probably my favorite book in the warhammer setting I’ve read! It’s incredibly different than anything else in the series especially for how old it is. It’s a great space adventure of misfits jetting around

[@exquisitecorpse4917]

This is the only 40k novel I have warm feelings about. It's just so different! However, that vixen character feels like it was written by a 13 year old boy....her personality is "she is a hot demon who wants my OC because she is hot and a demon."

[@oliviawalsh1684]

@@exquisitecorpse4917 yeah her character came off as old man writes about hot booba

[@exquisitecorpse4917]

@@oliviawalsh1684 Only semi-related, but this is also why I gave up on the George RR Martin books. The way he writes about Daenerys (who is 14 in the first book) reads like he was typing with one hand =\

[@justususalplayer1329]

12:45 If you are looking for this type of vibe, but still with chaos, I highly recommend one of the recent horror short stories called "King of pigs" it is actually a real good one

[@joshuawilson8804]

For the longest time I avoided 40k because it was stagnation for literal decades. No real movement forward of the timeline. It at least feels like they are trying to make something that is actually new for once.

[@EddyOfTheMaelstrom]

I really wish we had a Great Crusade official game/minis. That is BY FAR the most interesting period in the history of this universe. I desperately want to see/play with/against all of the various xenos/abhuman/non compliant factions. I want all legions aligned and loyalist against insane odds. I want the glory and the beauty of the damn crusade.

[@Walpurgisnackt]

That Cawl stuff sounds really fun

[@Mredyeah]

Vashtor being the dark machine god to the mechanicum would be so dope

[@deathdynasty1628]

I like to imagine the necrontyr dynasty was the OG humans and they just forgot about earth after discovering it or something

[@slyppzr7382]

This was well done and I hope you guys do a little more of this.

[@MoxAmber26]

While I was a fan of the Alpha Legion before I read Alpharius, that book cemented my love of them. Mike Brooks also wrote a Short Story on the Alpha Legion as well as the new Harrowmaster, both feel like the good parts of Alpharius. I haven't finished Harrowmaster but so far all three feel like they dodges my biggest issue with 40k books ive read: it doesn't name drop every model tou can buy tm. So many feel like commercials which like, they are in a sense, but atleast pretend you're not one. I also did not put together that Alpha Primus was a not-primarch, but ive only read The Great Work so its not /as/ obvious there I suppose

[@shigerufan1]

21:30 Like how the Slann are randomly brought up in the 4th edition rulebook and never again in 30/40k.

[@Killaginga1]

Are there any books in like a Bram Stoker's Dracula, where it follows an inquisitor uncovering the red thirst and is like trapped into complying on the blood angels battle barge while trying to stop the "vampirism".

[@Smokey_Crow]

Read the Fabius Bile anthology. It's amazing.

[@startingfromlevelone9510]

Need to make a chapter off one of the lost Primarchs rising…or a nightlords successor, or alpha legion…or could you imagine good World Eaters?

[@teejay1646]

I mean good world eaters is basically Space Wolves

[@elementual]

I know I'm a bit late to this video, but I just wanted to recommend "The Lords of Silence" to any other late-comers It's a Death Guard book that actually surprised me with how good I feel it is. I thoroughly enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. I love Death Guard, but I didn't really expect that book to be very good, but I kept seeing it had great ratings so I tried it out. One of my favorite 40k books so far. And Jon Banks did an amazing job narrating it for Audible. I never would have expected him and his normally noble and eloquent voice to pull off Death Guard so damned well.

[@w4iph]

It would be amazing if the loyal ones all fell. That way there would be evil and good versions of every chapter. And Khorne gets the evil spacewolves cause the evil Bloodangels go to slanesh for the Blood-drinking excess or Tzeech as a melee future-sighted army. And the Good Nightlords are all basically batman with limited future-sight and are obsessed with averting the terrible futures they see.

[@zdog058]

it's funny because the primary reason I still get involved with 40k is because of the books

[@skilledwarman]

Is the full 2 hour (or however long) version available anywhere? Cause this was really fun to listen to and Id listen to more