Rynn's World [Paperback]

If you want to read about one of the most iconic battles in the 40k universe, this is your book.

Steve Parker has written at least one other novel in the 40k universe about the Imperial Guard. Here Mr. Parker brings the down to earth style of those books to the more superhuman members of the future.

From the first page the pacing is great. Even though most people who pick this up will know what happened in the beginning and the end, the author manages to keep a few surprises in store. Some SM novels can be predictable as far as the characterizations, but the Crimson Fists appear like actual (although pretty darn resilient) characters with distinct driving forces.

Read this if you want great action and a little more insight into a famous Chapter.

It has been one thousand two hundred and sixty-four years since there has been a war on Rynn's World. One is long overdue. Pedro Kantor, Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists, is in the fortress-monastery called Arx Tyrannus, which resides within the Hellblade Mountains, when he learns that the greenskins plan to invade. Arx Tyrannus is all but impenetrable and his Space Marines are well prepared. But due to an errant missile, most of their numbers are killed outright and Arx Tyrannus is wiped from the face of the planet. This night would later be known as The Night of the Burning Sky.

Chapter Master Kantor prepares a hasty line of defense using only the sixteen remaining Space marines to survive the cataclysm. Fearing for the future of his Chapter's survival, Ceres Protocol is initiated. Yet still, civilian survivors are soon in tow. Kantor must cross a continent and reunite with his Second Company if there is to be any hope of defeating the orks following the command of Warlord Urzog Mag Kull, a known lieutenant of Snagrod, the self-proclaimed Arch-Arsonist of Charadon.

***** FIVE STARS! This is the first of the new Space Marine Battles series. Each will tell the story of a great battle of the 41st millennium. Nestled in the middle of this title are Rynn's World Battle Maps for those who wish visual aid of the battles within this story.

This story follows the trek of Chapter Master Kantor's men most of the time. Yet a considerable amount of the tale also follows the actions of Captain Alvez of the Second Company in New Rynn City. With Arx Tyrannus destroyed, the entire Librarius contingent within the city has gone silent. As the Warlord Urzog Mag Kull focuses his forces upon New Rynn City, it is up to Captain Alvez to resist the ork siege until possible off-world aid can arrive. The personalities of Kantor and Alvez are polar opposites, yet their tactical defense plans are similar (at least until they finally meet up).

Author Steve Parker has done an excellent job of bringing the battles and the principal characters to vivid life. I could almost hear the missiles shriek across the sky and smell the stink of the dead. Glory, bravery, nobility, and pride shines through on every page. As you soak in this remarkable tale, keep reminding yourself to breathe. Stellar! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

For anyone even remotely involved in the 40k universe, the battles fought by the Space Marines against Xenos, heretic, and traitor are the focal point of many a discussion. We see references to great battles in all of the codecies, often hear our favorite characters refer to them in passing, and games have been made based on them. However, there was never really a series, aside from the Horus Heresy, that highlighted these epic and historically significant battles. With Steve Parker's Rynn's World, the Black Library introduces to the 40k universe the Space Marine Battles series.

Having not previously read any of Parker's BL work (Rebel Winter & Gunheads), I didn't quite know what to expect from the story, which gives its focus to the brothers of the Crimson Fists and their struggle to defend their homeworld, Rynn's World. Primarily, the story focuses on three Astartes of the Crimson Fists: Chapter Master Pedro Kantor, 4th Company Captain Allesio "the Immortal" Cortez, and Captain of the 2nd Company Drigo Alvez and the struggles they go through defending their world from a massive Ork Waaagh!, led by a brutal and intelligent ork Warboss name Snagrod, Arch-Arsonist of Chadron.

To tell the tale, Parker breaks the novel up into three parts essentially pre-invasion, post-catastrophic event (which I won't spoil here, as it caught me quite by surprise), and late-invasion/turning point. It works very well. Parker uses the first part to introduce the main characters and builds them well enough that we will care about them later on. His work on Kantor, Cortez, and imperial governess Maia Cagliestra is particularly good, as we're shown quite a bit of breadth in characterization. Kantor and Cortez couldn't be more different, the former being more stoic and even tempered, the latter being fiery and impulsive, which allows them to balance their friendship--which Parker details exceptionally well--throughout the novel. Their friendship, and the way it meshes and interferes with the chain of command is a nice thing to see, as Parker has obviously put some love into developing a believable relationship between the two Astartes. Cagliestra serves as a strong heroine in the novel, while her adoration of the Crimson Fists, and Kantor in general, is a nice addition showing an interesting relationship between human and Astartes.

That human/Astartes relationship is another facet of the book that Parker seems quite concerned with, and is an addition to the narrative that I can't help but love. I've noticed a trend recently with many of the Black Library novels about Space Marines that has allowed the reader to see that the Astartes still have a human side and still form emotional relationships. Parker explores this through the Kantor/Cortez friendship, the Cagliestra/Kantor adoration, and further through the interactions the Crimson Fists have with the Rynnites they're sworn to protect. I think the latter relationship is where Parker's narrative really shines. I LIKE that many authors are showing the Astartes' humanity. It makes the characters a lot more likeable. While the Crimson Fists are concerned with their chapter's survival, Kantor realizes that they have no purpose without humanity to protect.

Throughout that protection of New Rynn City, Parker does give the blood-seeker some really great battle scenes, my favorite of which actually comes at the very beginning of the novel when we get to see some 10th company scouts doing a bit of Astartes wetwork. After those scenes, and after having read about Telion in Assault on Black Reach, I can't help but think the scouts need their own book. Regardless, Parker does a really nice job of painting a hectic picture of a city under siege, often bloody and brutal, but not without some nice tactical touches thrown in.

The layout of the book is also something I really like. The cover is white with the title across the top, with a nice picture of the Allesio Cortez and his Crimson Fist brethren wrapping from front to back. On the spine is, again, the title, but also a silhouette of the Crimson Fist power armour, a trend I'm sure will continue in future additions to the series that will make it look great as a collection on a shelf. Also, others have stated that there were errors within the text that distracted them too much from the story. While there are a few typographic errors - a "form" where it should have been "from"--the errors are negligible and do not distract from the text past a second to correct your own reading.

Overall, I'm very excited about the Space Marines Battle series. With Rynn's World, Steve Parker has created a very nice benchmark that I hope the future Space Marine Battles books can live up to. Parker had the unwelcome task of creating a unique and interesting story about a chapter that, aside from Kantor's codex entry, didn't have a whole lot written about it. He does a commendable job of establishing some canon for the Crimson Fists, all while spinning an enjoyable addition to the Black Library.

The Good
+ Great character development of Kantor & Co.
+ Excellent battle scenes that really depict a city under siege

The Bad
-- Lots of characters can be a bit confusing at first

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