The Heft and the Anticipation: The End and the Death volume 1 by Dan Abnett

The End and the Death volume 1 by Dan Abnett is a big book, both physically, and for its place in Warhammer fiction. As you can see in the photo I posted last week, the book is quite large, larger than my copy of Don Quixote. That puts it in the company of the collected works of Alister Mclean, The History of the Russian Revolution by Trotsky, and a history of the scramble for Africa. Books that big are actually a problem for me. I have big hands, and despite that, the book feels like it is too much book. Thicker paper and denser material for the hardcover.  It reduces the enjoyment of reading the book when as I read it I can feel the balance changing. I like books that I can sink into and let all distractions fade away, and it is a little hard with The End and the Death volume 1. 

It is not like this book couldn't have been shorter. I am writing this before even the release date for the second volume has been revealed, so I have no idea if all of the story beats will be incredibly relevant, but many of them feel superfluous. This is supposed to be the culmination of the epic tragedy that is the background to Warhammer 40,000, and for most of the book it focuses on that, and when it has that focus it is great, but the sections focused on Fafnir Rann, and the Dark Angels can just be edited out, and I think this story would be improved. The audience is here not for the fighting on the surface between Space Marines but on the understanding that this book sets up the duel between the Emperor and Horus for the fate of the galaxy. There is enough here for a good volume 1, you can just trim it down a bit.

Up until this point I have been really negative, and the book has its problems, but I really enjoyed reading it. Dan Abnett has proven again that he is an excellent author, and he really delivers. The author takes the problem that hopefully everyone reading this book knows what the outcome is, and uses it to build to something bigger. Language is repeated effectively because of how he describes the world. Characters use the same language again and again because reality is breaking down, and in this new reality, those words are the most natural thing. It is a very striking use of repetition, and it helps build and build and build until the revelation that what it is building towards in the next novel is bigger than I expected. 

It is a good part 1, and a good example of what talented authors can do in tie-in fiction. The Warhammer 40k setting is not something that any of these authors made, but the Black Libary's best authors have shown that they can make great fiction out of it. The ratio of excellent fiction to action schlock is not as great as I would like, but a number of great books recently have me very excited for news about new releases. 

I am worried about what people new to the setting should read. My first Warhammer novel was also by Dan Abnett, and it was a much better introduction than this one. Reading this as your first Warhammer 40k novel is like watching Avengers Infinity War as your first experience with superheroes. It makes it difficult to recommend without the reader first undergoing a course in Warhammer 40k history and metaphysics. I don't exactly have a reading list prepared for the class, as a lot of it comes from some very well-researched and decently-cited Reddit posts. Black Library is cranking out books and I don't have the time or money to read them all. If you are deep into Warhammer 40k I would recommend it, but if not I would not pick it up. You would be so lost your experience would be terrible. 

Next time on the blog we look forward to the exciting world of wood heat. I don't want to give too much away, but I think it is going to be FIRE!

Not revolutionary : The American Indian Wars by John Tebbel & Keith Jennison

The American Indian Wars by John Tebbel and Keith Jennison has gotten me to consider why I have always been disinterested in US history outside of the World Wars and the Civil War, but it has not changed my mind on the subject. It effectively covers the Indian Wars, and in an impressively even-handed manner. Presented in its complexity and depth this area of history holds a passing interest, but after reading this I am satisfied, and it will likely be a long time before I pick up a history like this again. 

Cover is a little bland, I wish they had chosen something that pops.

Before I go into that I need to address a concern I had when I started this book. I read the front inside of the dust cover and the publication date and was concerned. I should have read the inside of the back cover as well, then I would be concerned about different things. One of the authors is part American Indian, but none of the authors are historians, being a journalist and an editor. As for its coverage of the tragedy of war, it is impressively even-handed. Massacres and brutality abound in frontier battles like this, and I have the impression that the reason more of the white massacres of Indians are described is because the whites won, and being on the winning side means you can massacre your enemies, not the other way around. The Carthaginians got destroyed rather than the Romans because the Romans won. 

It's a decent piece of artwork, but I like some works on back covers.

The American Indian Wars covers the subject chronologically and makes some interesting choices in its focus. Around half of the narrative takes place before the founding of the United States, and only 1/8th of the book covers the period after the Civil War. Marginalizing the main period people think of when they think of American Indians is a bold choice, but the authors present it persuasively. The period of initial contact was the period when the conflict was most equal. By the time the United States was an independent country its resources vastly outweighed any single tribe and was even able to overpower the larger groups of tribes assembled by charismatic leaders without too many difficulties. By 1865 the disparity was too great, and the flood of settlers could not be stopped. The whole book then takes the air of a great tragedy, as culture after culture is overwhelmed, and mistreated from sea to shining sea. It is hard to present the past accurately and not have a sense of tragedy about it. Nostalgia is a trap.

What The American Indian Wars did not do well is make me reconsider my disinterest in American history. I have been thinking about it, and I think it is because it feels so small. I know that is a weird thing to say about one of the largest counties in the world, bear with me. The tendency for isolationism is strong even in this history. Spain appears only to sell Florida, and there is no real mention of Mexico. How did the Mexican border affect the wars with the Apaches? The only powers of long-term interest in this book are France and Britain, and they still feel like sideshows. History has a greater impact when it can keep the wider causes and effects in mind, and address them in a memorable if cursory manner. Maybe I subconsciously connect the dots in areas I am more familiar with, but usually, the feeling is of smallness. 

Would I recommend The American Indian Wars? No, not for a moment. While a decent read, I am not satisfied it was a good history. I don't know much about the subject so I cannot state definitive facts, but it feels like it is not enough. If American Indians interest you there has to be a more modern book on the subject written by an actual historian rather than a journalist. I don't think journalists make good historians.

Now that, that is dramatic colors, I like it.

This has been delayed a bit because I ordered a book and I wanted to review it when I got it. I have not talked about it yet on the blog, but I am a big Warhammer 40k book fan and the Black Library has just released a book I have been really looking forward to has been released. The End and the Death Volume 1 by Dan Abnett is going to be the next book I review. I am looking forward to tearing into this brick of a book. 

The End and the Death is a huge book. Don Quixote for scale.