Dissent about Descent of Angels - Horus heresy Book Review.

Descent of Angels

What The Black Library says about the book

The planet of Caliban exists much as it has for thousands of years – the knightly orders protect the common people, fighting back the beasts that lurk in the depths of the seemingly endless forests. Young Zahariel and Nemiel aspire to join the greatest of the orders, led by the example of mighty Lion El’Jonson and his vision of a peaceful and unified world. But the coming of the Imperium brings new concerns and a new destiny for the Lion as part of the Great Crusade, and the sons of Caliban must decide if they will follow him to glory among the stars.

What the book is really about?

Ok….. I know I’ve mentioned multiple times that I wanted more backstory, more insight into the Legions and Primarchs before the Heresy.

This book delivers exactly what I asked for and well….. be careful what you wish for.

This is not really a book about Space Marines at all. It’s a coming of age story about a pair of kids training to be knights on the hostile death world of Caliban.

It’s not a bad story by any means; actually it’s quite a neat insight into the knightly ideals of the dark Angels before they were Dark Angels. You get to see a lot of Lionel Ritchie, lead singer of the Commodores and Dark Angels Primarch as well as Idris Elba as a hard bitten London Detective (Luther)…. Wait…. That’s not quite right.

Ok, the story is really about two different relationships. Our hero protagonist and his cousin, who both enter the order as 7 year old children and their journey to manhood/(GIANT MUTANT ASTARTESHOOD).

The other relationship is that between Luther and the Lion. In short, Luther is the most awesome heroic dude of his era, and probably would have been a great hero of yore if he hadn’t found this massive feral Primarch child (The Lion) in the woods one day and decided to raise him as a son.

Both relationships are based on familial ties, both are strained my misunderstanding and pride and both have some very sour notes.

It’s a good story, just take heed that the entire book takes place before the heresy and 80% of it takes place before the arrival of the imperium. With that in mind, enjoy the tale and the backstory of the Dark Angels Legion.

The Hero-Protagonist?

Zahariel is a little different from most of the hero protagonists we have seen so far. For the first point he starts the book as a very young, rather fearful child desperately trying to prove his worth to his mentors and his cousin Nemiel.

Zahariel differs from most of the previous heroes because he knows fear. He is constantly dealing with fear and danger and working with a very human range of emotions in the face of some pretty horrific events.

He also has some flaws, which is good. He has a tendency to keep damning information to himself to save his own ass, and the asses of his friends and heroes. In this respect he is probably the most flawed and human of the SPASH MARINE protagonists so far, and I put that down to the author actually thinking about the character as a human being who transformed into a marine, rather than looking at the ideal of the space marine hero to start with.

Why are their humans  Space Marines in my book about super-powered Space Marines Humans?

300+ pages before you see a space marine, I cannot stress to you enough this point.

It doesn’t make this a bad story, it’s just good to go into it with your eyes open. All the characters, bar the Primarch, are just people. Kick ass people who hunt monsters for a living, but people nonetheless.

I also like the attention given to those members of the knightly order who were too old to undergo the marine transformation. The bitterness and fragility these characters display is done well and its part of the jealousy and nationalism that will end up breaking the Dark Angels in half.

MVP – Kurgis

I’ll give an honourable mention to the hero-protagonist who should really fill this spot. But I wanted to call out a very minor character that appears in one scene only.

Kurgis is a white scar who appears in one scene where the White Scars are handing over the compliance of a planet to the Dark Angels. White scars are pretty feral, and they get that across nicely while still making it clear that he’s not stupid. There is a tendency in fiction (and life) to equate a lack of formal education with a lack of intelligence.

Nope, Kurgis comes across as a “rough as guts” barbarian who is actually pretty savvy and smart. It his suspicions and his foresight to pick out our hero protagonist to warn of oncoming danger, which saves the Dark Angels command from a very grizzly end.  

Worst Character – Lord Cypher

Note, does not appear in the book. 

There seems to be a bit of a rule in these books. If a character appears in the 40k universe then they will kinda suck in the Horus Heresy. My gripe is not really with how Lord Cypher is depicted, but the “bait and switch” that goes on towards the end of the book.

The Lord Cypher is a title, for the person who holds the order traditions. For most of the book it’s a grumpy ass old dude, who is grumpy, old and tradition bound. He resigns when he gets too old and grumpy to live and they replace him with…….

MYSTERY GUY WHO NO ONE KNOWS WHO HE IS!

Weeeeeeee……… so at the end of this book you know jack all about cypher, nothing, nada.

Get to know your Legion – The Knights of Caliban

Well, considering they aren’t Space Marines for 3/4ths of the book you don’t get to know the legion as such. You do get to know the Knights of Caliban very well, and if the character of the knights takes over the legion through the Primarchs influence, you will get a good idea of how they become what they are.

The Knights of Caliban are a duty and tradition bound bunch of hardasses who train from age 7 to kill giant chaos beasties in single combat.

Yeah….. I don’t get why they need to fight them one on one, that just seems freaking suicidal, but the “macho macho man” aspect of the Knights of Caliban is a strong one.

They have a lot of traits that make them excellent Space Marine recruits, but one crippling weakness, Nationalism. Caliban is a shit hole of a world, but boy do they love it.

Get to know your Primarch – Lion’el R’chie

I am conflicted here. You see a lot of the Lion, and you hear a lot of his tales through other people. But in the end, the Lion’s character is not very well defined. Mostly, you just get told how awesome he is at everything and how much that sucks for Luther.

You do get some nice insights into him when he talks one on one with our hero. At times he does come across as a bit lonely and sad, which was nice. Overall though, I think he’s a relatively bland Primarch. Not badly done, just lacking a little bit of “something”.

Why the Emperor is a giant douche

This will shock you……. But the Emperor is not a douche in this book. For the first time in Horus Heresy history we have the Emperor acting like a rational super powered being and not being a complete toolbox.

It’s a scene that really surprised me.

Moustache twirling evil-bastard award – The circle of lamest betrayal

It goes a little something like this. 

Worst conspiracy ever, worst rationale for conspiracy ever, and dumbest scheme ever.

If you haven’t read the book I don’t want to spoil the lameness. If you have read it, you know exactly what I mean.

Conspiracy theory 

Ok, anyone remember these little things?


In the 40k world the Dark Angels work with tiny little creepy things called watchers. I actually think the book reveals what these things are and where they came from. 

Yep, Zahariel encounters them in the forests during his first beast hunt. I am interested to see how this little story progresses.

The writing – technical review and evaluation

Mitchel Scanlon isn’t a bad writer and this is an ok book.

I think people were expecting something very very different though. After 5 books about the start of the Heresy, this book may not even mention Horus once. It’s a little too early in the piece and I’m not sure they needed quite that much backstory.

I recommend people treat this as a appendix to the Heresy. Some extra background reading that isn’t integral to the main plot, but adds depth.

I really think it needed to published WAY later than 6^th book in the series though.

This book gets a “Read it if you have the time, but it’s not critical to the series” rating. 

2014 - A plan... of sorts

Well, let me start by saying that New Years resolutions are complete Bullshit that most people don't stick too.

This is not a New Years resolution.

This is a result of me having some time off from work to clear the brain and think about stuff.

GAME STUFF!

I kinda went berserk for a year or so with painting and playing Warmachine, and well. I kinda burned out and the thought of putting paint to model made me groan.

let me put that in perspective for you. For someone who considers themselves a casual painter I completed the models below in just over a year.

Yeah, the boys in blue

No wonder i was sick to death of it.

The last six months have been mostly playing board games, computer games and card games.

Six posts in six months is pretty ordinary content updates, so I've decided to make more content this year. Yep, actual updates on stuff.

In order to do this I have decided to expand what the blog focuses on. So far, it's been mostly about model painting, which frankly is a small part of the hobby for me.

What to expect in 2014

HORUS HERESY

I'm enjoying these, but I only read those books on the bus home from work so it can take a while to get through them. I plan to keep posting one and month as that seems to work out. Descent of Angels is written up and will be posted next week. Two updates in two weeks.... luxury

MORE WARMACHINE

Yep, I'm finally getting the itch to paint again. And if I paint stuff, I want to play with it. I have a small pile of unpainted figs that need attention, and I plan to start this weekend.

I'm also thinking of a noobs guide to Cygnar.

GAME REVIEWS

I thought about getting the lads to help me review games, but logistically, that's actually a pain in the ass. I might sample them for sound bites, but i reckon i can review the games by myself.

GUEST POSTS

Yep, might see a few more guest posts this year from the local gaming community and the droogies I call friends.

And to be honest, a lot of my friends paint about 100 times better than I do. So if you want actual painting advice, instead of just watching a monkey mash paint around, then watch this space.

NETRUNNER/STAR WARS LCGs

This is a big change, including card games, which I have steered clear of bringing to the blog for ages. But the fact is, i like them, so screw you all. Thankfully, this will not include magic, as I'd rather pay off a mortgage than play that game.

P.S. Get your netrunner from http://seriouslyboard.co.nz/ if you are in New Zealand. First place to get the last two data packs in the world!

The Gorgon and the Poser - Fulgrim review

Iron Hands on the cover!

Disclaimer

Spoilers abound in these posts, if you haven’t read the books and will get upset by finding out what happens just stop.

This is also not a recap, if you want a recap go to Lexicanium.

What The Black Library says about the book

Graham McNeill takes the reader to the 31st millennium, when humanity is at the peak of its powers. As the Great Crusade, led by Warmaster Horus, continues to conquer the galaxy, Fulgrim, the god-like Primarch of the Emperor’s Children Space Marine Legion, leads his warriors into battle against a vile alien foe.

From the blood of this campaign the seeds are sown that will lead this proud legion to treachery, taking them down the darkest of paths to corruption. Leading up to the carnage of the Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V, this is the tale of Fulgrim’s tragic fall from grace.

What the book is really about?

Surprisingly, this book is about two Primarchs, not one. You can only really view it as the Story of Fulgrim if you think of Ferrus Mannus as purely a plot point in Fulgrims decline.

As someone who owns an Iron Hands successor chapter (Sons of Medusa represent!) I actually really enjoyed the segments focussed on the Iron Hands. Many consider the Iron Hands one of the most neglected, if not most neglected of the First Founding Legions.

I say “NO!” Not today. Today the Iron Hands get a fair shake.

But honestly, the book is mostly about the Emperor’s Children and their sharp horrid fall to chaos.

Oh, and Istvaan V. read it for just that really.  

Fulgrim vs Ferrus...... this is AMAZE

The Hero-Protagonist

Solomon Demeter…. I guess…….

He’s one of the three senior officers who get screen time in the book, but this book has the opposite problem to Eisenstein. In Eisenstein you only really got to see Garro’s perspective and everyone else is chaff.

In Fulgrim, every man and his dog has a perspective and it’s hard to figure out who the protagonist is, if there even is one. I did a quick count and no less than 10 characters get a perspective section, it all becomes a bit muddled.

Solomon, the character the best fits the “hero protagonist” from the previous four books is, well, a little bland. He also suffers a completely and utterly ignominious death at the hands of one of the worst shit box characters in the series….. More about that later.

I think though, in the end, this story is about Fulgrim. I know they don’t want to over expose the Primarchs in these books, but this really is his story. 

Another angle.... because AMAZE!

Why are their humans in my book about super-powered Space Marines?

The humans return in this story and their story arc is a pretty freaking tragic one. They focus in on three humans, a gifted but shy sculptor, a painter with low self-esteem and a bitchy prima donna.

This story is not one I want to spoil too much as it’s one of the highlights of the book. The painter in particular is a flawed tragic figure, and her slow but inevitable decline is done in a very graphic and horror provoking way. Props from me to the author for fitting a human story in the middle of a book about super-powered space marines.

MVP – The Humans

As mentioned above, the highlight of the book for me is the sad story of the Sculptor and the Painter. In the middle of a ham-fisted tale of the fall of a Primarch is this sad little tale. To me, this makes the story a lot better than it could have been.

Worst Character – Evil Sword dude/Lucius

This comic sums it up much better than I ever could.

Basically, the evil sword becomes Fulgrims conscience and leads him down a path of ruin….. a ham-fisted totally obvious path to ruin.

There is also a final scene where the sword claims to have fully possessed Fulgrim at the end and he speaks to Horus. It is a seriously painful scene and completely diminishes the weight of Fulgrims decisions and the horror he has at falling.

In short, if corrupting a Primarch is as simple as them picking up a Daemon blade once, why do the powers that be not mail all of the Primarchs one.

PS. Lucius still sucks.

Get to know your Legion – The Emperors Children

Old school Emperors Children.... see the old rhino :)

Five books in and we should really be getting to know the Emperors children quite well. They have had more screen time so far in the series than all Legions bar the Sons of Horus.

So what do we know about them?

First of all, they have a bent about perfection. Some might say that’s setting yourself up for failure….. and well that’s what this book is really about. They strive for perfection and that pretty much means they are destined for a life of feeling really shitty about themselves.

Think about it. How self-defeating is perfection as a goal. Consequently, the legion falls into two archetypes. The first are the serious professionals who learn from their mistakes and aim to be better and better, seeing perfecting as an ideal, but an unattainable one.

THESE ARE THE GOOD GUYS!

The second are arrogant condescending twats who think they are perfect and tell everyone this. They also lie about how awesome they are to cover up that they are not perfect.

THESE ARE THE BAD GUYS!

Now that is clearer up we can talk about a few high-points and low-points of the legion.

Stop.... just stop

On the good side, they know how to fight in a coordinated and disciplined fashion. I actually find the idea of coordinated strikes and layered fields of fire reassuring, especially compared to the Abaddon school of military thinking….. that bein UGH ABADDON SMASH!

It makes them come across as a smart group of soldiers and not just a bunch of deformed meat axes who beat everyone because….. AWESOME!

I also like that the bent on perfection drives the use of combat drugs and augmentations. I do kind of wish this started before the possession though.

The downside…. And it’s a big one….. is that this book shows the origins of the freaking noise marines.

They were never cool, they were a freaking joke, so why are they still in canon after all these years?

Get to know your Legion – The Iron Hands

MANLY!

The Iron Hands get less of a look, but it’s still nice to see some mention of them, even if it’s mostly done to contrast the Emperors Children.

First of all, they don’t bother painting stuff or doing much decoration, which gives them a nice rustic “I MADE THIS WITH MY HAMMER” ascetic.

The links to the Mechanicum are clearly demonstrated in the book with references to Forge Fathers and the fact Fulgrim tries to lure Manus over to Horus by mentioning the defection of the Mechanicum.

A good bit is mentioned about the Iron Hands love for bionics, right down to a senior officer getting cut in half in one scene, only to return as a cyborg later on.

Mostly though, they fight and die like baddasses, stubborn stupid baddasses.

Get to know your Primarch – Fulgrim, girly man of all girlydom.

Fulgrim is meant to be a tragic figure, one who strives for lofty goals and falls hard.

Unfortunately this book starts too late for us to see what the real Fulgrim was like. I mean, even before he finds THE EVIL SWORD OF EVIL, he’s a bit of a douche. I do wish that more of his pre-possesion personality was shown, as the conflict he fights in his internal monologues is pretty one sided.

I also think that Fulgrim, the Emperors Children and Slanneesh in general get dissed by a fair few people out there. Is it the pink armour? Is it the fact they worship a pleasure god? Or is it just the male wargamer tendency to recoil in horror at anything that isn’t super macho?

Fulgrim gets the full “feminisation” treatment in this book. He likes art, he does painting, he listens to music….. no wonder he falls to chaos because he’s soft.

Khorne sells far more than Slaneesh, the only conclusion one can draw is the red/black manly kill psychos appeal far more than pink hedonists to the average adolescent wargaming mind.  

Girly man is girly

PS. I imagine if Japan did 40k, then Fulgrim would be insanely popular. Just check out this fan art.

PPS. Fulgrim kills other Primarchs, as far as Primarchs go he’s actually a complete baddass, don’t let the hair fool you.

Get to know your Primarch – Manfriend von Manstein….. the manly mans Ferrus Manus

Ferrus Manus on the other hand (LOL!) is the perfect macho man ideal. He’s covered in scars, doesn’t like art, and HAS METAL HANDS!

He couldn’t be more masculine if you tried really, and of course he is the good guy in the story. To recap, Feminine = bad, Masculine = good.

Got it? Ok!

Anyway, I like the portrayal of Ferrus. They made him gruff and sombre without making him a wall of granite. He teases Fulgrim like a brother and takes a few jibes with good humour. I was worried they would make him yet another “rigid and inflexible” martinet of a Primarch (Dorn….. anyone?).

I also like that he gets really angry, and that his anger, combined with his fondness for his brother is his undoing.

Manly man is manly!

PS. I love that he’s dead. Like proper dead. No coming back dead. Not enough characters in this setting stay dead.

Why the Emperor is a giant douche

Fulgrim “But father, why did my legion suffer so early in their existence, what happened?

Emperor… “Um…. Stuff…. Don’t worry about it”

Fulgrim “Ok…. Well…. I guess we won’t have any more errors, I will strive to be perfect”

Emperor “good luck with that *snicker*”

Fulgrim “What? Um? OH GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??????!?!?!?!?!”

Moustache twirling evil-bastard award - Lucius

He still sucks as a character. But the final scene he has with Solomon Demeter is hilarious, as are his antics when he rejoins the legion. This guy really can’t be a chaos worshipper, he’s too being worshipping himself.

The writing – technical review and evaluation

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but Graham McNeill is the journeyman of the writing team. You have your star players, your rookies, and your busts, but McNeill is simply solid.

Like his first book in the series (False Gods) the book is solid.

Some of the characters are paper thin, but this is made up by the human characters and the epic developments.

This book must be read, if only to see the Istvaan V massacre unfold.

This book gets a “must read if reading the series” rating. 

 *disclaimer, borrowed art is borrowed. 

Flight of the Eisenstein - Review

Disclaimer 

Spoilers abound in these posts, if you haven’t read the books and will get upset by finding out what happens just stop.

This is also not a recap, if you want a recap go to Lexicanium.

What The Black Library says about the book

Having witnessed the terrible massacre of Imperial forces on Isstvan III, Death Guard Captain Garro seizes a ship and sets a course for Terra to warn the Emperor of Horus’s treachery. But when the fleeing Eisenstein is damaged by enemy fire, it becomes stranded in the warp – the realm of the Dark Powers. Can Garro and his men survive the depredations of Chaos and get his warning to the Emperor before Horus’s plans reach fruition?

What the book is really about?

Garro

That’s pretty much it, this is one dudes personal story but I don’t really have many issues with that.

In a way it’s the story of the apostle Peter. He spends the book denying Jesus Keeler and not accepting the Emperor into his heart. Once he does however, you can tell he’s gonna be the guy who builds up the faith of the Emperor in the Astartes, the rock on which the church would be built.

Asides from that the book provides some background fluff on the Death Guard, which I was very appreciative of, as well as the escape of the Eisenstein (a frigate) from the blockade surrounding Istvaan III.

It also deals with the inevitable fall of the death guard to Nurgle.

The Hero-Protagonist

Nathaniel Garro is more Loken than Loken.

Seriously, if he was anymore square jawed and honour bound to his duty he would be a caricature. I mentioned this is review one, and I’ll keep reiterating it. The Hero-Protagonists in the first few books are exceedingly interchangeable. The big difference is the legion they belong to.

That said, the thing that sets Garro apart from the other two is the question of faith. The author does a pretty good job of slowly introducing miraculous stuff that makes Garro question the secular world he has been fighting to create. Did he really hear the Emperor in his coma, or was it just his servant muttering to him? Does that even matter?

The miracles are small and revolve around Keeler, who we already know can melt demons with her brain. What I like is the gradual acceptance of conversion and the continued denials of it. To change ones core beliefs shouldn't be an easy thing and I think Swallow conveys that nicely.

Also, his final epiphany on the moon, framed from behind by Terra in the sky, was pretty cinematic.

Garro.... in one of his many spin offs. 

Why are their humans in my book about super-powered Space Marines?

Keeler as a character is now a plot device and it’s a bit sad that her story in this book is told almost entirely from Garro’s perspective. Even Sinderman and Mersadie are relatively drab in the story. I feel this group was underutilized in this story, but it is understandable as the story is about one dude, Garro.

One cool things introduced in this book are the “Sisters of silence”, a group of female psyker hunters. They are sort of an amalgam of the sisters of battle and the culexus assassins, a group of women sworn to silence (like nuns) who can cancel out psyker powers. I quite like the concept and I thought they introduced them well and portrayed them as very competent warriors in their own right, not a match 1 on 1 with a Marine, but expert in their own field of witch hunting.

MVP – Um…. Garro, I guess?

A failing of the book is the lack of development of the other characters.

Temeter is introduced as Garro’s friend and ally Captain in the Death Guard. It’s his lads that get virus bombed in the trenches outside coral city. I was expecting him to survive and a story be told about how the Death Guard fought for every inch of ground…… but no. He bites it in the first salvo.

Same holds true for most of the rest of Garro’s command squad. Decius, a young warrior full of bravado has a few great scenes I’ll talk about later, but that’s less about the character and more about what is happening to him. Voyen, the apothecary has an arc, but it’s a bit of a predictable one and his resolution scene is a bit naff. To sum it up, he becomes a hippy.

But, most disappointing of all is how Kaleb, Garro’s human butler/housemaid has this really cool orign story and a good bit of development early on. Unfortunately he doesn't survive the second act and his death is basically a learning exercise for Garro.

Worst Character – Grulgor

Oh ffs…. Not another dude like this.

You can tell Grulgor is a baddy because

• He outranks Garro and reminds him of the fact
• He spends every scene intimidating everyone who comes near him
• He loves talking about how awesome he is
• He twirls his mustache while plotting to kill Garro
• He loves virus bombs  

Yep, hes basically a terrible caricature, he might as well have worn a shirt saying “HATE ME NOW PLEASE”

Typhon isn't much better…..

Get to know your Legion – The Death Guard

Pre Heresy - White and Green

I have a soft spot for all things Nurgle. He’s my second favourite chaos god and I’ve always liked the idea of the death guard in 40k. They aren’t flashy, they don’t have loads of tricks, but they are tough sons of bitches who win battles using solid infantry based tactics.

The portrayal of the Death Guard is actually pretty cool in the books, especially as they choose to contrast them with the Imperial fists later in the book.

Grim, curmudgeonly, gallows humour, toughness, these are traits to describe the Death Guard. I particularly like how they differentiate them from the Imperial Fist, another legendarily dour group by showing that Death Guard are more outspoken and less beholden to hierarchy. They seem to have an attitude that if your tough enough to be Death Guard, then you can speak your mind when you need to.

Kaleb’s story about failing to initiate is well told. Basically, to be Death Guard you have to complete a super marathon, in poison gas, running across barbed wire while having people blow their noses on you. Only the toughest, orneriest bastards make it out the other end.

A bunch of staunch dudes, love em.

Get to know your Primarch – Mortarion

Ok, ok….. so this dude is giant and gaunt, carries a scythe and sniffs his own farts.

There is basically a scene where he does that………… ANYWAY

I think the Author missed a trick here by not letting us see more of Mortarion than this. He gets a few scenes at the start of the book, but it’s pretty shallow stuff. He’s immune to poison, so he likes to drink it for fun with his friends, he’s a badass warrior and he’s scary.

None of that is deep or particularly interesting. However, there are two things I did note about Mortarion from the text that I found fascinating.

First, the reaction his men have when they find he’s returned. Mortarion does not seem to be loved by his legion, they are all pretty apprehensive about him when he arrives. He’s a bit scary, and while they admire him deeply, I didn't sense that Mortarion evokes the same passionate loyalty that Horus or Gulliman inspire in their men.

The second point is that Garro is left alive by Mortarion and Typhon seems to be the one to order his death. The scene between Mortarion and Garro shows the Primarch has a fondness for him, and from Typhon's language he even doesn't have him killed in the hopes he will come over. Strangely sentimental for a dude that models himself on the classical depiction of death.

Why the Emperor is a giant douche

Not a huge amount of direct douchiness in this one, but I will say one thing.

Hey Emperor, your son drinks poison and walks around calling himself the Lord of Death. PERHAPS HE NEEDS A HUG?

Mustache twirling evil-bastard award – The demon Decius

One of the most compelling stories in the book is that of Decius, the young warrior succumbing to a virulent Nurgle plague. The vivid descriptions of Decius agony and the mental anguish he goes through in order to surrender to possession are quite well told.

The foreshadowing, that this is the fate of the whole legion, is played out nicely as well.

Hmmmmm, Plaguey

The writing – technical review and evaluation

James Swallow writes an average book well.

That’s a strange statement and I’ll have to explain it. James writes well, his use of prose is among the best of the Horus heresy writing team. He describes events very well and has a natural flare for imagery.

The problem is that “Flight of the Eisenstein” was always going to be a filler story. We know the beginning and the end before we begin. It is a bridge between Istavaan III and the drop site massacre. Considering the brief, and the story he had to tell, I reckon he does a fine job.

This book gets a “You should probably read this if you are reading the series” rating. 

 *disclaimer, borrowed art is borrowed. 

PS, check out wibblethefish on deviant art.