Andy Hoare's "The Hunt For Voldorius"

I just finished reading Andy Hoare's The Hunt For Voldorius. This novel is about Ko'Sarro Khan hunting down the daemon prince Voldorius and avenging all of the wrongs he has done to humanity. As the cover accurately predicts, along the way they meet up with the Raven Guard, violence ensues. Sadly, Andy Hoare is a new writer, and really holds onto the stereotypical phrasings of a Black Library novel. He borrows ideas from Abnett and Mcneill, and applies them wholesale to his novel, creating a very bland reading experience. So bland that both the White Scars and Raven Guard could be interchanged with any other generic chapter. Only the specific naming details really create any difference. The anecdotal references to Chogoris tell more than show, and what they do show adds flavor only in name.

In the end, the Hunt For Voldorius is probably the worst of the space marine battle novels so far, also the thinnest (so it's a short hunt). Hoare should probably stick to his Damocles Gulf Crusade series and wait a bit longer to mature as a writer, developing his own style. But it is entertaining enough to read in a fairly slow BL release month. Next week, I'll have a review of Fear the Alien.