Betrayer

Betrayer, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden is the latest novel in the Horus Heresy series. It picks up on the events of Butcher's Nails (didn't hear, it don't worry, it adds color, but doesn't take anything away from this novel) and continues the Lorgar and Angron attack through the Ultima Segmentum and into Ultramar. For World Eater, Chaos or even just Warhammer 40,000 fans the word Betrayer is probably synonymous with Kharn. Never fear, he is a pivotal character in the novel, and the snippets seen of him during Galaxy in Flames. More than that, this novel depicts the World Eaters as a chapter teetering on the edge, and whichever way their Primarch falls, so shall they. There are a lot of interesting concepts at play in this novel, moreover it was a great read and well worth the hard cover price.

Thousand Sons Helldrake

Of all the new Chaos models, the Helldrake appealed to me the most. For one thing it is a flyer, for another it looks like a dragon. So I knew I had to add one to my Chaos army.

Upon building the model, I was some what disappointed. For one thing, the way the wings layer on to the model makes posing it fairly static. For another, the lack of weapon options makes it either a ground attack aircraft or an anti-aircraft flyer. While I chose the anti-air build, I have heard the flamer can be quite devastating in game.

I stuck to the same pallet as the other Thousand Sons models. The final result I think worked pretty well, however I don't know if I will add another to the force.

Grey Knight Command Squad

One of the units on my Grey Knights bucket list has been a command squad. For one thing, I wanted to have more terminators in the force, for another, I like the uniqueness that a command squad can bring to an otherwise monotone army.

I opted for a simple pallet when it came to the company standard, keeping it red and white and possibly evoking a Knights Templar type feel. The Red was done using Khorne Red, Wazdakka Red and a highlight of Troll Slayer Orange. The white is a layer of Ceramite white, and then another layer of White Scar.

The Nemesis weapons were painted using layers of Thunderhawk Blue and Lothern Blue. The main silver was done with a layer of Leadbelcher, a wash of Asurmen Blue and then a coat of Chainmail. Notice I am still hanging on to some old GW paints, however, as they get used up I will switch to the new GW paint closest.

1000 Sons Warp Talons

One of the areas the Thousand Sons have been weakest in for a long time is close assault or close combat punch. When looking at continuing my army, I wanted to be able to address this deficiency and two choices were possible. One was the Maulerfiend, the other the Warp Talons.

I thought it highly plausible that some of the Raptors from the Thousand Sons who survived the Space Wolves assault on Prospero would have looked to deamonic alliances on the Planet of the Sorcerors to augment or protect their power. Eventually they would evolve into Warp Talons, surviving Ahriman's rubric by nature of their pact.

When I went to paint these models, I stuck to the Thousand Sons pallet, using Kantor Blue and Altdorf Guard Blue as the blue, and Dwarf Bronze, Gehenna's Gold and Burnished Gold for the gold colors.

The Seige of Castellax

The Seige of Castellax, by CL Werner is the latest in the Space Marines Battle series. While Iron Warriors fans may find this to be an interesting work, I personally felt that it leaned heavily on Graham McNiell's Iron Warriors stories, and really adds little to our knowledge of the legion as a whole. Beyond that, i found it to be a plodding novel that characterized the Iron Warriors as stereotypical chaos marines that could be transplanted into any legion and act as characters or villains. Beyond that, the Ork invasion and the plot itself creates a desperate battle that reverses the roles the Iron Warriors normally play. Personally, I don't feel like I can recommend this novel.

Andy SMillie's Flesh of Cretacia

Andy Smillie's Flesh of Cretacia is the story of how the Flesh Tearers find their home world. The story is set after the Horus Heresy, the Flesh Tearers are a second founding chapter led by their Chapter Master, Amit. Those who have red Fear to Tread will recognize him as the Blood Angels captain whose cognomen was the flesh tearer. In a battle to survive against a hostile death world, Amit still has time to dwell on the events of the second founding and the events of Fear to Tread which have been formative for himself and his chapter. This was a good novel, interesting in its perspective and entertaining for the action. I recommend it to all BL fans, but especially Blood Angels and Flesh Tearer fans.

James Swallow's Sword of Truth

James Swallow's Sword of Truth is the next audio drama in the adventures of Nathaniel Garro. This audio drama goes back to the time period where Garro has just returned from Calth, with the former Ultramarine Rubio. Now he is told there is a flotilla of ships at the edge of the Kaiper belt, all seeking refuge from Horus. His mission, to determine who is loyal and who is not. Chronologically, this audio drama belongs in between the first and second Garro stories. It is good, and as usual, I enjoyed listening to it while I was painting.