Friday, August 15, 2008

Double Eagle by Dan Abnett


Vital Stats:
Page Count: 415
Era: 40k (773.m41)
Perspective: Phantine XX (Imperial Guard - Fighter Wing)
Major Characters: [Inquisitor-text] Commander Bree Jagdea, Captain Oskar Viltry, Vander Marquall, Obarkton

Location: Enothis (Sabbat Worlds Crusade)


One Sentence Review: Top Gun/Memphis Belle Meets Gaunts Ghosts


A Few Musings: I am admittedly a big fan of Gaunts Ghosts. However with some trepidation I bought this book about a fighter wing (who made an appearance in The Guns of Tanith) that is actually an Imperial Guard regiment during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. I can say with reservation that it is one of Dan Abnett's best.


[Inquisitor Text]The basic plot line is that the Phantine XX is deployed to Enothis. This includes both Thunderbolts (fighters) and Marauders (bombers). During the sorties a deadly chaos fighter (Obarkton) begins picking apart the imperial lines. As the chaos forces press ahead there are sorts of "classic" fighter scenarios - bombing runs, parachuting to safety, an elite "top gun" cadre, there is even a pseudo romance with a local (french accent??).


I particularly liked the plot line for the eponymous Thunderbolt (which coincidentally friends have named my car).


Overall, this book is well conceived, well written and does not feel rushed at the end. Abnett deftly handles combat (that is a hallmark of his writing). I was very impressed with the descriptions of the air battles. The entire book feels like an old world war 2 movie with a tinge of 40k tragedy. Unfortunately I can't give this book a perfect score because there are some flaws and dead spots. However I do recommend it very highly to fans of Abnett and 40k in general.


Bolters (Out of Five): Four
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About This Website/Spoiler Policy

The purpose of this blog is to review Black Library books in the Warhammer 40k setting. Since November 2005 I have read nearly every Black Library novel (and short story) published in the 40k universe. Since Black Library has published many books (good and bad), I have done a lot of reading. The books are compelling and does credit to the incredible setting of Warhammer 40k. This blog is to chronicle my thoughts and my reviews of Warhammer 40k fiction.

My reviews are organized by giving a short synopis. I follow this with a one sentence review. This is kind of a "pitch" to you the reader as to why you would read the book. This is followed by some "musings" of mine of what I liked and disliked about the book. The final "grade" is a number of bolters. This is a general outline of how I felt about the book. Here are some examples,

Five Bolters - Exceptional 40k novel, would be considered great in any genre - Storm of Iron, Sabbat Martyr

Four Bolters - Very good 40k novel, any fan of 40k would enjoy - Ravenor, Horus Rising

Three Bolters - Good 40k novel, occassional Black Library readers should pick it up - The Traitor's Hand, Fifteen Hours

Two Bolters - Average to Below Average 40k novel, die hard Black Library fans will want to read - Rebel Winter, Dead Sky, Black Sun

One Bolter - Poor 40k book, everyone should avoid - Inquisition War, Lord of Night

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