I've moved!

It's still in it's early stages of development, but I'm proud to announce that I've finally got up off my arse and created a Wordpress site, which hopefully, you'll find easier to use than this one. Links need to be added, pages need to be filled, posts need to be posted, but for now, this is the first version of the blog.

So do whatever you have to do in order to make sure that you're receiving updates from my new blog instead of not receiving any updates from this one.

http://baneofkingswritingblog.wordpress.com/.

Fantasy Avengers Team!

Okay, following on from the last thread, but inspired by this blogpost here, I'm looking at who I think the best characters in a Fantasy Avengers Team would be. So, check below. I should point out that I don't own the images.

Vin (Mistborn)

Vin basically plays the role of Black Widow in my Fantasy Avengers team. Although I've only read The Final Empire, I've become a fan of her as a character (indeed, she's one of my favourite female characters in this genre), and she's pretty deadly and from the blurb that I've read of The Well of Ascension, it looks as though she's going to get even deadlier. 

King Arthur (Merlin)

Well, erm - I know he may already have been taken by Tor's Avengers list, but come on, he is a no-brainier really, even though I'm not a huge fan of the TV show Merlin from where this version of the iconic character originates from. He'd probably fill the role of Captain America in this team, mainly due to his leadership skills. 

Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files) 

One of the few non-epic fantasy characters on my list. Dresden would probably fulfil the role of Iron Man. He's humorous, and would provide some comic relief to the team. Plus, he's one of my favourite male fantasy characters, so he's in there straight away. Backup choices would be Hermione Granger (for the genius/magic side of things), or Gandalf for the same reason as Hermione. Dresden would also get into arguments with Arthur a lot, which would be quite amusing, particularly with Arthur's stance on anti-sorcery. (I haven't seen past 2 of Merlin, so I don't know if this changes or not). 

Robin Hood (Robin Hood BBC)

I initially had Legolas fulfil this role. However, there was one character, even more obvious than Legolas that I left out, and that character is none other than Robin Hood, the legendary archer of Sherwood Forest himself. The exchanges between Robin and Arthur would be interesting to watch, but all in all, Robin Hood as a character looks pretty interesting. I've used the version from the awesome BBC series that has unfortunately, finished, instead of the classics or the Russell Crowe version. Robin Hood is such an awesome character that I couldn't leave him out really, and the only reason why he was left out what because I forgot him briefly.

Arya Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Come on, it's fantasy. How can you not have a GRRM character in the team? I know there are clearly many choices from A Song of Ice and Fire that would fit in this slot - Tyrion would be a contender, but I chose Arya for no other reason than she's my favourite female character in epic fantasy ever, outpacing even Vin. I don't really know what role she'd play in the Avengers team, but she has the advantage of displaying not only Great resourcefulness and cunning, but also an unflinching ability to accept hard necessity (yes, I did steal that from A Wiki of Ice and Fire). She's also a good horse rider, and she'd be underestimated by many of the villains that they'd face, and even her fellow team-mates with her young age, which would be an advantage. 

Ezio Auditore Da Firenze (Assassin's Creed)

Okay. Ezio could probably take out, in the right circumstances, everyone else in the team before they even knew he was there, particularly if it was in the middle of his home territory of either Firenze or Rome, and especially if the others were separated. He's a master assassin, would provide a wealth of tactical experience, and is another one of my favourite characters. Although he doesn't technically count as a fantasy/epic fantasy character I've decided to include him anyway, as I allowed Dresden in there. Another choice would probably be Kylar Stern (Night Angel Trilogy).

Okay, now that's out of the way, who would be a member of your fantasy Avengers team? Go and pick.

People that didn't quite make the cut:

Kylar Stern (Night Angel Trilogy)

Tyrion (A Song of Ice and Fire) 

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Legolas (Lord of the Rings)

Sigmar Heldenhammer (Warhammer Fantasy)

Gandalf the White (Lord of the Rings)

So, that's all from me. On a side note, which team do you think would emerge on top?

Team 1: Vin, King Arthur, Harry Dresden, Robin Hood, Arya Stark, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze

OR 

Team 2: Kylar Stern, Tyrion, Hermione Granger, Legolas, Sigmar Heldenhammer and Gandalf the White. 

Zombie Apocalypse Team

Inspired by the Demotivational thread in the Black Library Bolthole Forums (Off Topic), I decided to have a go. However, I'm disregarding the reading part because otherwise I'd have no images to show you. So, here's what I got.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

Captain America 

MASS EFFECT 2

(Male) Shepard (and other characters who I won't mention here) 

SHERLOCK SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 - A STUDY IN PINK

(From Left to Right), John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes. 

DI Greg Lestrade 

So, what do you think? Would the combined forces of Captain America, Shepard, Mycroft & Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and DI Lestrade be able to fight off a zombie apocalypse? 

Also, who did you get? 

2012 Superhero Movies

This blog does defiantly seem to be having a more superhero feel to it, lately, doesn't it? I mean, my last post was my look at the Top 5 Super-Hero movies that I'd seen. Now though, we're looking forward to what the rest of 2012 will bring us, and what 2012 has already brought us in terms of the superhero. First off, check out this trailer below:

So, as you're probably all aware by now, the New Dark Knight Rises trailer was released earlier today, and I must say that it looks EPIC, and it might just be one of the best films coming out this year. Avengers Assemble, which I saw on Saturday, was very, very good, and the bar has been set high for what to follow. But, as I've said elsewhere, if one film can beat  Avengers Assemble this year, it will most likely be either Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Rises or The Hobbit P1, which hits cinemas in December. Dark Knight Rises though, looks incredibly awesome - and waking up to see this trailer in the morning just made my day, I can't wait for it to come out in the cinema, and it's most likely one of the superhero films that I'll be going to see in the Cinema later this year. Well, you're probably going to wonder, what are the other ones coming out this year?

Firstly, I'm going to return to the awesomeness that is Avengers Assemble, which managed to not only be action-packed, but also entertaining, enjoyable, and had caused the audience to laugh in quite a lot of moments. It truly was a great film, and Marvel have, as mentioned above, set the bar very high for The Dark Knight Rises, and the other superhero films that come out later this year. Here's one of the many trailers for Avengers Assemble. Check it out below:

Like I said, isn't it just awesome?

Next up is the one that is probably going to be the dark horse of 2012's remaining big superhero movies. There may only be three really big ones, two which I've already touched on, but this third, well - this third is one that I'm rather on the fence about, and it's called The Amazing Spiderman, and is a remake of the first Spiderman trilogy, which I didn't like, and I'm wondering why they bothered to remake them in the first place, especially this soon. However, at first, I didn't think that The Amazing Spiderman would be any good, but the trailer is now starting to sway me over. Why don't you take a look for yourself?

So, what do you think? It does look pretty good, and it looks like it could be good in 3D. Then again, I thought that Avengers Assemble would be good in 3D, and it turned out that they didn't add anything at all. However, we'll see what The Amazing Spiderman can do for us, seeing as it's the next Superhero film that's coming out in the cinemas.

Top 5 Superhero Movies

Alright folks, here it is again, to celebrate the impending release of Avengers Assemble in my cinema tommorow, I've decided to post the trailers of the Top 5 Superhero Movies that I've seen. (and I haven't seen all of them mind you.) And for once, these are all in order, with my most favourite Superhero Movie being number 1. So without further ado, enjoy:

Number 5 - Hancock

Number 4 - Iron Man 

Number 3 - Watchmen 

Number 2 - X Men: First Class

And, this means that there is only one obvious remaining choice. My current favourite Super-Hero movie is...

Number 1 - The Dark Knight

So there you have it folks. Hancock, Iron Man, Watchmen, X-Men: First Class and The Dark Knight are my Top 5 Superhero Movies that I have currently seen. Falling slightly behind the Top 5 but still worthy shout-outs are X-Men 2 and Batman Begins, both of which were awesome. So, what's your favourite superhero movie? 

Top 5 Black Library Short Stories

Yep, that's right folks - it's another Top 5 post, this time looking at my favourite short stories set in either the Warhammer 40,000 Universe (Horus Heresy), or the Warhammer Fantasy Battles Universe (Time of Legends), published by Black Library.

And without further ado, here they are, out of five.  (Note, these are only the ones that are currently available as eBooks on Black Library's Website.)

#5 - Bloodraven by Sarah Cawkwell - Time of Legends Anthology. 

THE STORY
For many long years, the remote dwarf hold of Karak Ghulg has stood against the attacks of Chaos-touched human marauders. But now the last assault is coming. With the women and children sent to safety, King Skaldi Ironjaw and his stalwart warriors prepare to sell their lives dearly to stop the crazed killers, led by the greatest of Khorne’s champions, Valkia the Bloody.

ABOUT THE BOOK 

A short story from the Age of Legend anthology.
You can download the short story individually here.












#4 - The Beast of Calth by Graham McNeill - The Iron Warriors Omnibus. 

THE STORY

Calth has been saved and the Iron Warriors defeated, but rumours spread of a vicious beast haunting the tunnel-cities, a beast that may still have the power to destroy the world…

ABOUT THE BOOK

A short story from Iron Warriors: The Omnibus.

You can download the short story individually here. 

#3 - At Gaius Point by Aaron Dembski-Bowden - Legends of the Space Marines Anthology.

THE STORY

Emerging from the wreckage of a crashed Thunderhawk gunship, Brother Zavien of the Flesh Tearers embarks on a desperate hunt. His quarry is more dangerous, more vicious and more deadly than any other in the jungles of Armageddon. Zavien knows this, because he hunts Jarl, his own battle brother, taken by the Black Rage and a threat to friend and foe alike.

ABOUT THE BOOK 

A short story from the Legends of the Space Marines anthology. 

You can download the short story individually here. 

#2 The Iron Within by Rob Sanders - Age of Darkness Anthology. 

THE STORY

Years ago, the Iron Warriors left Barabaras Dantioch, a crippled warsmith, on the world of Lesser Damantyne. Now, having declared their allegiance to the traitor Horus, they have returned. As the planet’s garrison prepares for war, Dantioch must choose between loyalty to his legion or to the Emperor.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A short story from the Age of Darkness anthology.

You can download the short story individually here.

#1 Savage Weapons by Aaron Dembski-Bowden - Age of Darkness Anthology.

THE STORY

For two years, the Dark Angels have battled the Night Lords on the worlds of the Aegis sector, and they are no closer to victory. When the traitor’s Primarch – the Night Haunter – issues a challenge, Lion’El Johnson of the Dark Angels descends to an abandoned world for a final confrontation with his treacherous brother. But the Night Haunter has a darker purpose...

ABOUT THE BOOK 

A short story from the Age of Darkness anthology.

You can download the short story individually here. 

So, now that's out of the way, what do you think? Do you think my choices are any good? Would you choose differently? Let me know by commenting below! 

Books in the Post (26.03.2012)

Now, I know I didn't receive these books today, in fact - I received them the other day, but I've neglected to put them up in a post until now, so yeah - my apologies. Again, this is pretty much all Black Library related stuff, so enjoy.

Bloodsworn by Nathan Long (Ulrika the Vampire #3)

Returning to Nuln after her adventures in Praag, Ulrika finds the Lahmian vampires preparing for war. Across the Old World, their rivals, the sinister von Carsteins, attack their strongholds and lead the witch hunters to their hidden lairs. Spurned by her sisters, Ulrika forms an uneasy alliance with the von Carsteins in a plot to destabilise the Empire by striking at its very heart – they plan nothing less than the assassination of Emperor Karl Franz. With enemies on all sides and the Empire in flames, Ulrika must decide whether her future will see her living among the humans, or as their enemy.

The Ultramarines Second Omnibus (Ultramarines #4,5,6) 

The Ultramarines have been the honourable cornerstone of the Adeptus Astartes throughout their ten thousand year history. Captain Uriel Ventris fights to prove that he is worthy to return to the hallowed ranks of the Chapter after his exile to the Eye of Terror, and that he is free of the insidious taint of Chaos. But as the Iron Warriors move against Ultramar, a grim premonition comes to light: Ventris will have a part to play in the coming war, for good or ill.

The ongoing story of the Ultramarines continues in this omnibus edition, featuring the novels The Killing Ground, Courage and Honour and The Chapter’s Due, as well as exciting short stories from New York Times best selling author Graham McNeill.

The Emperor's Gift by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Grey Knights #1)

The Grey Knights are all that stands between mankind and the ravages of Chaos. Since their secretive beginnings during the Horus Heresy, these legendary Space Marine daemon hunters have journeyed into the dark realms of the warp – and beyond – in pursuit of their supernatural enemies. Through an intensive regime of psychic training, new recruits are brought to the clandestine fortress of Titan to join the hallowed and vaunted ranks of the 666th Chapter. More than ever, these legendary battle-brothers must be vigilant and ever ready to defend the Imperium for the forces of Chaos are never truly defeated, and Armageddon beckons…

Butcher's Nails by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Horus Heresy Audio Drama)

The primarch Angron: gladiator-king and Horus’s lunatic attack dog. Never having hidden his resentment for his brothers, he now carves a bloody swathe through the galaxy in the Warmaster’s name, with the Heresy providing a convenient excuse to indulge his love of brutal warfare. When they are tasked with a secretive mission alongside the Word Bearers Legion, the World Eaters’ violent tendencies soon attract the attention of xenos raiders, troubled by the portents surrounding the primarch’s berserk fury and his ultimate destiny as ‘the Blood God’s son’...

I also got a copy of The Primarchs by Various Authors in the post as well, but I already picked up a copy of that at Black Library Live 2012. If you're looking for reviews of some of these titles, by fellow members of TFF who were present at BLL2012 and/or got their novels in the post, check below:

The Emperor's Gift by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Lord of the Night's Review)
Butcher's Nails by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (EJ Davies' Review)

Right, that's all for now folks. Stay tuned for more, eventually.

Bane of Kings Out.

Books In The Post (11.03.2012)

Okay, I'm sure, if you're a regular book blog follower, you'll know what the score is by now when somebody posts something titled Books In The Post, In My Mailbox or something else along those lines. And anyway, I thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon. This'll be an odd feature, basically appearing every-time some books I get through my door. Sometimes I'll get five separate deliveries within one week, whilst other times there'll be weeks without one of these posts. This is pretty much an All-Black Library Haul today, so yeah. Hope you enjoy. 


First off, we have the novel Void Stalker, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, the third and final instalment in the popular Night Lords Trilogy:

VOID STALKER by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Night Lords #3)

Published by Black Library. 

The hunters have become the hunted. The Night Lords flee to the dark fringes of the Imperium to escape their relentless pursuers – the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé. Their flight takes them to the carrion world of Tsagualsa, where their Primarch died and their Legion was broken. There, history will repeat itself as a deadly assassin stalks the shadows, and the Night Lords are drawn into a battle they are destined to lose.

Find out more here.

ARCHITECT OF FATE by Various Authors (Space Marine Battles #10)

Published by Black Library.

Collected for the first time, all four parts of the Architect of Fate novella series are presented in a single printed volume. The infamous Kairos Fateweaver, greater daemon of Tzeentch and master of manipulation, has discovered the limits of his power – even one so prescient as he cannot divine beyond the event horizon at the end of the 41st Millennium.

The Space Marines stand against the darkness, and yet on countless battlefields they play unwitting roles in the schemes of Fateweaver. From the doomed world of Ilissus, through the embattled corridors of the Endeavour of Will, to the borders of the Eye of Terror itself – friend and foe alike follow the great plan that he set in motion many thousands of years ago. But not even the Architect of Fate himself can foresee the destiny that lies in wait for him...

Find out more here. 

TIME OF LEGENDS: DEAD WINTER by CL Werner (The Black Plague #1)

More than a thousand years after the Age of Sigmar, the Empire he struggled to create rests on the edge of destruction – the reign of the greedy and incompetent Emperor Boris Goldgather has shaken down the great and prosperous edifice of his erstwhile realm. Without warning, a terrible and deadly plague strikes, wiping out entire villages and leaving towns eerily silent through the long frozen months. As the survivors struggle to maintain order and a worthy military presence, vermin pour up from the sewers and caverns beneath the cities, heralding a new and unspeakable threat – the insidious skaven!

Find out more here. 

EYE OF VENGEANCE by Graham McNeill (An Ultramarines Audio-Drama) 
Published by Black Library.

When the twisted Dark Mechanicus priests of the Bloodborn descend upon Quintarn, the Ultramarines are quick to move in defence of their prized agri-world. However, it soon becomes apparent that the planet’s fate will not be decided by the massed battle companies of the Space Marines, but by the actions of just one lowly sergeant – Torias Telion. A master marksman and Scout with a long history of service to the Chapter, Telion must now face the worst of the Bloodborn’s technological terrors and secure the city of Idrisia from the enemy advance, if the Ultramarines are to have any hope of prevailing against an enemy whose numbers swell with every victory.

Find out more here. 

PROSPERO BURNS by Dan Abnett (Horus Heresy Unabridged Audio-Book) 

Published by Black Library.

The Emperor is enraged. Primarch Magnus the Red of the Thousand Sons Legion has made a terrible mistake that endangers the very safety of Terra. With no other choice, the Emperor charges Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, with the apprehension of his brother from the Thousand Sons home world of Prospero. This planet of sorcerers will not be easy to overcome, but Russ and his Space Wolves are not easily deterred. With wrath in his heart, Russ is determined to bring Magnus to justice and bring about the fall of Prospero.

Find out more here. 

A THOUSAND SONS by Graham McNeill (Horus Heresy Unabridged Audio-Book) 

Published by Black Library.

Censured at the Council of Nikea for his flagrant use of sorcery, Magnus the Red and his Thousand Sons Legion retreat to their homeworld of Prospero to continue their use of the arcane arts in secret. But when the ill-fated Primarch foresees the treachery of Warmaster Horus and warns the Emperor with the very powers he was forbidden to use, the Master of Mankind dispatches fellow Primarch Leman Russ to attack Prospero itself. But Magnus has seen more than the betrayal of Horus and the witnessed revelations will change the fate of his fallen Legion, and its Primarch, forever.

Find out more here. 

The Time of Change [Part 2]

Okay, here's the second part of The Time of Change. First part can be found here: http://baneofkingswritingblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/time-of-change-42nd-millennium-and.html, and you can see both parts in the same thread here: http://www.thebolthole.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1650

The Time of Change

The 42^nd Millennium and Beyond

The Salamanders Chapter remained largely independent in the years following the Emperor’s demise – until, Vulkan He’stan, the Forgefather, located one of the Artefacts of Vulkan, a Siege Engine, the Engine of Woes, on the planet of Carador IV, where he single-handedly overcame an entire horde of renegade Guardsmen to claim the prize, which was in transit towards Nocturne, where it would be presented to the Chapter Master himself. However, a force of Mechanicus and the Inquisition intercepted Vulkan He’stan, using what power they had to seize the Engine of Woes from the grasp of the Forgefather, and as Inquisitor Kai claimed, this was to test, to see if the Engine was untainted by Chaos. He’stan reluctantly agreed, as the last thing his chapter wanted to do was to fall out of favour with not only the Inquisition, but also the Mechanicus.

However, before the Inquisition could deliver the Engine safely to Mars, a boarding party of Night Lords attacked the loyalist forces, claiming the artefact of Vulkan for themselves. However, they did not get far before Vulkan He’stan and a well-planned assault from the Firedrakes First Company stepped in to save the Engine and the Inquisitor’s life. Reluctantly, Kai agreed that the Engine of Woes should remain with the Salamanders, and departed back to Mars with the small remaining contingent of Mechanicus who had survived the Night Lords boarding party. So, the Forgefather returned to Nocturne with his prize. One more of the Artefacts of Vulkan had been reclaimed, and the sons of Vulkan were ever closer to finding the remaining artefacts.

Meanwhile, the Ultramarines Civil War continued regardless of the events that plagued the rest of the Imperium. Guilliman though, was kept out of the Civil War, as a commander of Agemman’s forces, for the ‘loyalist’ Ultramarines did not want the risk of losing their Primarch to the heretical forces of Uriel Ventris and Cato Sicarus. Whilst the renegades controlled Talassar and Calth, the homeworlds of the respective leaders, the large amount of Ultramar and its surrounding areas were either taken control of by xenos or Chaos, or in the hands of Agemman and the loyalists. The first major incident took place on Calth, where Agemman’s Terminator strike force was forced to retreat after the combined efforts of Uriel Ventris, Sergeant Telion and Cato Sicarus, alongside their bodyguards and attached Dreadnoughts, inflicted a heavy toll on their loyalist brothers. Thus, it was deemed that the traitors could never be redeemed, and were declared excommunicate from the Ultramarines own Chapter, by order of Guilliman himself, after spilling the lives of several of the Ultramarines Finest. The renegades themselves, after a daring raid on Macragge conducted by none other than Sergeant Telion himself, pillaged a small amount of the Chapter’s geneseed, and effectively made the worlds of Talassar and Calth their new homeworlds, renaming their Chapter Calgar’s Finest, to uphold the honour of their former master, and repainted their armour a golden colour, to stand out from the loyalist remains of the Ultramarines Chapter.

The Chaos forces, lead by Abaddon the Despoiler, finally broke Cadia’s back during the fourteenth Black Crusade, the strongest, and most powerful one yet. At last, the Legions of Chaos had a foothold in the material realm, and were no longer trapped by their own safe haven. Only a few loyalists still fought on Cadia - lead by the stubbornness of Ursarker E. Creed. Indeed, just as Abaddon declared that he had conquered Cadia, an elite group of Ratlings tried to target the Destroyer with their sniper rifles, but could not pull off a hit due to the protection of the nearby Terminator forces, who locked onto the Ratlings position, before teleporting into their midist – and then delivering them to Abaddon to do with as he saw fit. No records have been since recorded of the fate of the Ratlings, and that is perhaps for the better that the loyalists remain in the dark about their fate.

The Time of Change - 42nd Millennium and Beyond [Part 1]

Okay, here's what I've been working on lately - why I haven't made much progress on Project: Urban Holmes like I probably should have. But, I'm still writing, right? Anyway, here's a look into the future of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe, and this is my take as to what might happen when the official 'canon' ends. Complete with Bob Dylan lyrics. Here's the first part to get you into it - and I'll put up part two tommorow. If you enjoyed it, or not either  leave feedback below, or over at the Black Library Bolthole, here: http://www.thebolthole.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1650

The Time of Change

The 42^nd Millennium and Beyond

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

~Bob Dylan, These times they are a changin’

As the Galaxy entered the 42^nd Millennium, something terrible happened to the Imperium of Man. There was no glorious ending, as Russ had said that he would come to witness, for the Golden Throne finally stopped working, the Emperor crumbing to ruins before the distraught bodyguards, who watched in horror as their leader met an untimely end. And, the galaxy wept as news reached the corners of the Imperium. No longer did they have an Emperor to worship, and their belief in the Emperor’s divinity was shattered, creating a huge divide in not just the Imperium, but also throughout the entire galaxy.

The Imperium crumbled, splitting into several fractures. Smaller empires emerged in the wake of one last one, old age feuds coming to the forefront between those who would once give their lives for one another, in the name of the Emperor. Thousands of mini-Imperiums were created in the aftermath of this one, although none would ever emerge as strong as the great one, simply due to the reasons that they lacked warp-travel, as with the death of the Golden Throne had come the death of the Astronomican, and they also lacked sufficient numbers to conquer vast amounts of territories. In the time when the forces of man needed to stand together on a united front against both the threat of Chaos and the xenos, they were now more divided than ever before.

The Space Marines didn’t fare as well as they would have hoped. Whilst many remained true to the ideals of the Emperor, there were several Chapters that fell, destroyed in battle by the outnumbering alien hordes, or simply just turned renegade themselves. Indeed, the most effective traitor force that emerged since the fall of the Emperor was a large force of Flesh Tearers, having finally fallen to Chaos, and lead by the Daemon Prince Gabriel Seth, conquered many worlds near their homeworld in the name of Khorne, the Blood God.

One of the greatest incidents that has been recorded in history took place shortly after the Imperium’s demise. Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, awoke from his stasis field not long after being declared fully, and defiantly dead, in an act that at any other time in history, would have caused the Ultramarines Chapter to rejoice. However, sadly – this was not the case. The 2^nd Company of the Ultramarines, lead by Captain Sicarus, believed that Guilliman, their Primarch – had been tainted by the Chaos Gods, how else could he have returned from the dead like that? Those who joined Guilliman’s forces believed that Sicarus was merely jealous of the fact that with the awakening of Guilliman, he would not get to command the Ultramarines after the recent death of Marneus Calgar, who failed to survive a surprise boarding attack from an overwhelming boarding force of Red Corsairs, lead by Huron Blackheart himself. Huron has since taken the Gauntlets of Ultramar for his own, wearing them to battle whenever he faces the Ultramarines, to remind them of the death of Calgar.

If anybody could restore the Imperium of Man to its former glory, it would have been Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, the Master Tactician, and roughly half of the Ultramarines that now joined his side, under the influence of Varro Tigurius, Chaplain Cassius and Agemman, the First Captain of the Ultramarines, and a large portion of the Ultramarines elite. It seemed that this civil war would indeed be a battle of the old and the young, as Sicarus had gained the support of several newly initiated marines, as well as the famous Fourth Company, lead by Uriel Ventris, overcome with anger and revenge after half of his company had been abandoned on a nearby planet named Ravendor Secondus, where the Great Devourer was allowed to overcome them completely.

Whilst Guilliman was dealing with the insurgents in his own realm, the entire Galaxy remained at war. Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, the self-proclaimed ‘Prophet of the Waaagh!’ conducted his strongest assault on Armageddon yet. However, he was not alone. With the death of the Emperor, Angron, the World Eaters Primarch – was no longer banished to the Eye of Terror and set forth to launch a new Dominion of Fire, where several worlds burned beneath the blitzkrieg attack of the Khornate forces under his command. Heading for Armageddon, he looked set to plunge the planet into a three-way battle, between the Orks, the Imperium, and Chaos. All the while, more reinforcements from the Imperium were re-diverted to meet this threat, and several Space Marine Chapters birthed to meet it, the most prominent being the White Scars descendants Armageddon’s Avengers, lead by Chapter Master Mong’ol Thorn, who were one of the key forces stationed on the planet during the darkest days of the Imperium.

The Tau Empire expanded shortly after the death of the Emperor, claiming a large chunk of the Eastern Fringe particularly after the infighting of the Ultramarines meant that many of their forces were forced to withdraw from Eastern worlds, and those humans that were left behind gave into the Tau Empire without much a fight. The Eldar, on the other hand, performed several surgical strikes for an unknown purpose around the homeworld of the Tau, forcing them to not expand as they had done so initially, but divert several forces back to their homeworld, in case that was where the Eldar struck next. For some reason, the Dark Eldar also participated in several strikes around the Tau Empire as well, never coming into direct conflict with their cousins, always staying at arm’s length from the Eldar.

The Necrons remained largely inactive at this point in history. There was no massed invasion, and some believed that they had finally decided to leave this Galaxy altogether, like several Space Marine Chapters had attempted to do, to try and start a new life for humanity elsewhere. However, it soon became apparent that they were waiting. Waiting for what though, none could say. The galaxy could only hope and pray that it would not see the end of them. 

Rejection [Black Library Open Submissions Window 2011]

Failed Submission - Black Library Open Submissions Window 2011

Okay, for Black Library fans, you may remember that sometime during last year, they held an Open Submissions Window, for unsolicited authors to have their attempt at getting published. And, unsurprisingly, as this was my first ever submission for either a short story or a novel, my lone short story submission, The Skyfall Incident, as it was called - failed to please the powers that be. So, there's no harm in showing you it here, I guess:

The Skyfall Incident Synopsis

The Skyfall Incident takes place in the early M41 on the planet of Skyfall, where Jarl Olric Tonison leads his Great Company into battle against a warband of Red Corsairs. However, things quickly go wrong and it is only by the intervention of the Dark Angels third company, lead by Company Master Adrexal – that the Red Corsairs are defeated.

However, it is shortly revealed that the Dark Angels are not just here to aid the Wolves, for their chapter has another, hidden agenda... one that Olric Tonison is determined to find out.

--                                       

We open the short story with Company Master Adrexal, who has just arrived via Drop Pod to deliver the fight to the chaos forces – seemingly to aid a band of Space Wolves entrenched around a spaceport, fighting for their lives. Making his way towards the heart of the enemy lines, Adrexal seeks out the Red Corsairs champion; a warrior named Mercanaz Vyze and cuts him down ruthlessly in a short, one-sided clash. However, just as Vyze is about to die – Adrexal remarks that the champion isn’t the one that he’s looking for.

We then switch to the point of view of Jarl Tonison, the Wolf Lord in command of the Space Wolves who is annoyed that he did not fulfil his oath that he made before battle – that he would kill Vyze. Seeking out Adrexal to try and regain his honour – they argue about an honour duel between the two forces. Adrexal wants the chaos forces defeated before the honour duel, but Tonison wants the duel here and now.

Eventually the Wolf Lord wins over, but on the condition that none of the commanders take part in the duel – it has to be someone else, who will complete Tonison’s oath for him, as well as performing the tradition started between the chapters two Primarchs, Russ and the Lion.

Tonison dispatches his closest friend, a warrior called Vasir Two-Claw, who goes up against Fedric Lorn, of the Dark Angels. The fight begins, with both warriors evenly matched.

As the fight continues, unbeknownst to all save Tonison, Adrexal and a small portion of the Third Company disappear during the fight, prompting the Wolf Lord and his Wolf Guard (other than Vasir), to follow them, ordering all of the astartes to put on their helmets so that the Dark Angels do not recognise who is missing.

Following the Dark Angels to a cavern beneath the spaceport, the Space Wolves are cut off from the Dark Angels by the appearance of a Chaos Dreadnought. Luckily, a Space Wolf Venerable Dreadnought is nearby – and comes to the aid of the Wolf Guard, destroying it as several more chaos forces appear from the outside, cutting off the Wolf Guard and the Dreadnought from their own lines, and with vox-links jammed, all the Wolves can do is follow the Dark Angels. Ordering the Dreadnought to remain behind to guard the entrance, they follow them.

Meanwhile, the fight between Vasir and Lorn continues, with Lorn managing to disarm Vasir’s weapon but in doing so loses his own Crozius. It has now become a fistfight, with the Wolves and the Dark Angels too engaged in the fight to notice anything has happened to their commanders.

Back with Tonison and his Wolf Guard, they enter a small anti-chamber off what seems to be a temple, and in which they overhear Dark Angels confronting a member of the Fallen below. (Note that the Space Wolves don’t know who the Fallen is).

After the Dark Angels confront the Fallen, they too are ambushed by more traitors – Terminator Armoured Red Corsairs, and the Fallen reveals that he did a favour for Huron Blackheart in order to get the Red Corsairs to work for him, distracting the Space Wolves so he could seek his prize – a vault containing artefacts lost concerning the Dark Angels past.

At this, the Space Wolves interfere, and due to the fact that the majority of their Wolf Guard is in Terminator Armour as well, they manage to overwhelm the Red Corsairs and defeat them. They then ask why the Dark Angels have so much interest in the Fallen to be able to walk away from an honour duel, as to which the Dark Angels refuse to answer, and say that they will take up arms against the Wolves if they ask any more questions.

The short cuts back to the Honour Duel, as to which the fight continues with Vasir finally gaining ground on Lorn, and defeating him – becoming the one to draw first blood. The duel is now over, and both sides go their respective ways, each faction attempting to locate their commanders.

Back in the temple, the Wolves eventually desist and leave the Temple, with a wary eye on the Dark Angels – who leave the Temple shortly after, the Fallen Angel taken captive in the process of the fighting.

The Wolf Guard head back to their forces, and upon learning that Vasir is victorious, they congratulate him – not caring about the Dark Angels leaving orbit. Then, the Space Wolves continue the subjugation of the planet, and Tonison vows that he will one day find out what that astartes taken captive by the Dark Angels really was.

Other ending ideas: Tonison is cut down by the Dark Angels upon discovering the Fallen, and they inform the rest of the Wolves that he and his Wolf Guard were cut down by traitors, before departing – leaving the remaining wolves to mop up the remaining Red Corsairs, and to elect a new leader.

Note that the 1000 words below includes the title and the “1000 word sample extract statement.

The Skyfall Incident

1000 word sample extract

USING THE VOX-LINK on a private channel, the Jarl contacted his chosen champion – the astartes that would hold the honour of the Vlka Fenryka on the line, and try to defeat whoever the Dark Angels champion was. By tradition, the fight was to be fought until there would be only one triumphant victor – be him a scion of the Wolf-King, or an heir of the Lion. Then, after the battle was decided, the chapters would either go their separate ways or continue the campaign. Luckily, Tonison’s Great Company had a warrior equal to the task of an honour duel. In the Jarl’s opinion, the chosen warrior was the best out of the two hundred warriors under his command – and the one who would one day become better than Tonison himself.

There would be no question about it as to who would succeed the Wolf Lord as commander of the Great Company. Even amongst other Companies, it was a widely held view that the successor of Olric Tonison would be Vasir, called Two Claw by his brothers, mainly due to the weapons that he wielded. The twin wolf claws that he had selected upon introduction to the Wolf Guard, and had wielded them with pride ever since.

Vasir had never lost a duel against other members of Tonison’s Great Company, the Jarl himself only emerging victorious after a tense, close encounter in the training halls. Since then, Vasir had only grown stronger – and the next time that both brothers traded blows, Tonison doubted that he would come out on top.

All of the Vlka Fenryka present on Skyfall was eagerly anticipating this moment, as this was the first time that the majority of them had encountered the Dark Angels before, and wanted to uphold the chapter’s honour in this duel. Although only one Wolf knew he would be chosen, the rest of the younger, hot-headed and egotistical Blood Claws were grinning with anticipation beneath their grey-coloured helmets as they pictured themselves standing triumphantly on top of the Dark Angels fallen champion, greeted by cheers of their brothers.

A one word bark was enough to cut short those anticipations, spoken directly to the chosen recipient. “Vasir.”

The astartes who would partake in the honour duel stepped forward, and marched into the makeshift circular arena that was no more than five meters from the centre to the edge, which was a barrier consisting not of metal, but of armoured angels of death. Mixtures of the two chapters were present around the outside, selected members chosen by the commanders to be the front line spectators.

The Dark Angels occupied one half of the circle, with the Rout taking up the other – there was to be no combining of the two chapters, especially as they shared a mutual hatred to each other, a hatred that had been around since when the Primarchs themselves travelled the sea of stars.

Vasir was in the ring by now, his two feet planted firmly in a defensive stance. He was taller than most adeptus astartes, which would give him advantage if it came to a fist fight. Not that it would, of course – for Vasir would not show the Dark Angel champion any sort of mercy – and would only let up from the combat when he had his head on the floor – covered in dust.

And then the champion stepped forward. He was clad in green armour, the colour that the sons of the Lion had worn with pride since after the Horus Heresy. Like some of their chapter, the warrior wore a hood over his head to give him the look of a monk. An armoured, superhuman and deadly monk – but a monk nonetheless.

The Dark Angel’s weapon of choice was a power sword, no longer dry due to the blood that it had tasted in the previous battle, where the combined tactics of the Vlka Fenryka and the Dark Angels had managed to emerge triumphant against a far more superior foe. As was the tradition, there would be no guns used in this Honour Duel. It was an Honour Duel, after all, not an exchange of gunfire.

Both warriors were facing each other now, directly opposite with their eyes locked. Watching from the sidelines, Tonison didn’t need to be a genius to tell that the atmosphere had already changed. Warcries were bellowed by both sides, as they chanted their respective Primarchs name beneath the setting sun.

“I want to hear the name of the warrior who is foolish enough to challenge me,” the champion of the Dark Angels spat, viewing the Vlka Fenryka as little more than animals. Of course, the Wolves cared not – they had been viewed in this way since before the Horus Heresy.

“Vasir.”

“Is that it?” the Dark Angel raised an eyebrow. He had no helmet, so his facial features were exposed directly for the Wolves to look at. The warrior was bald, with a wizened veteran face that had no doubt seen many battles. “No title?”

“You are not worthy of one,” Vasir uttered, earning a roar from the Vlka Fenryka gathered around the outside.

Ignoring the jeers as though they were merely the sound of a gust of wind, Vasir’s opponent spoke his name. “I am Fedric Lorn, Champion of the Dark Angels Third Company, proud son of the Lion and it is with his blessing that I shall smite you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” the Vlka Fenryka champion uttered, and glanced in his commander’s direction. Moments later, Tonison’s vox crackled into life, in a voice that was recognisably Vasir’s. “I won’t let you down, my Jarl.”

“I know you won’t, Vasir,” responded Tonison. “Just remember that this is an Honour Duel.”

There was no response from the champion of the Space Wolves, who merely turned his attention back in the direction of Fedric Lorn, and snarled beneath his blood-stained helmet.

“Let the duel commence. May the best warrior win.”

  

Bane of Kings' Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

Yeah, earlier this week, I posted my Top 5 Favourite Movies of 2011. This time, I'm doing it again - only it's the Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012. Just trailers again here:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Avengers

The Dark Knight Rises

The Hunger Games

Prometheus

So, what's your most anticipated movies of 2012? 

Ones that missed out on the list for me were the following: Men in Black III, The Dictator, Chronicle, Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace 3D, John Carter and Red Tails, plus anything else that looks like I might go and see. Maybe Iron Sky and Battleship, although they look a bit ridiculous at the moment. 

NECROPOLIS by Michael Dempsey Giveaway!

Credit goes to Michael Dempsey for the rules.

PRIZES:

1ST PRIZE (1): AMAZON KINDLE FIRE

With Amazon’s amazing full-color Kindle Fire e-reader, surf the web, read books, watch movies, music, games, apps and more!

2ND PRIZE (2): AMAZON KINDLE 

Two second prize winners will receive Amazon’s original Kindle, the world’s best-selling e-reader!

3RD PRIZE (4): $40 AMAZON GIFT CARDS

Four third-prized winners will receive $40 Amazon gift cards:  buy books, movies, clothing–anything you want!

It's currently open to US only, bar a couple of exceptions that you might want to contact the author about, before entering. If you want to check what the novel's about, you can check below:

In a world where death is a thing of the past, how far would you go to solve your own murder? NYPD detective Paul Donner and his wife Elise were killed in a hold-up gone wrong. Fifty years later, Donner is back: revived courtesy of the Shift. Supposedly the unintended side-effect of a botched biological terrorist attack and carried by a ubiquitous retrovirus, the Shift jump-starts dead DNA and throws the life cycle into reverse, so reborns like Donner must cope with the fact that they are not only slowly youthing toward a new childhood, but have become New York''s most hated minority.

With New York quarantined beneath a geodesic blister, government and basic services have been outsourced by a private security corporation named Surazal. Reborns and infected norms alike struggle in a counterclockwise world, where everybody gets younger, you can see Elvis every night at Radio City Music Hall, and nobody has any hope of ever seeing the outside world. Lost in a sea of nostalgia, NYC becomes an inwardly focused schizophrenic culture of alienation and loss. In this backwards-looking culture where only some of the dead have returned, Donner is haunted by revivers guilt, and becomes obsessed with finding out who killed him and his non-returning wife. Little does he know, strange forces have already begun tracking him. Donner isn''t the only one obsessed with the past.

Every entry is equally eligible for all prizes and NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY if you want to win. However, on the website, you can use an entry counter to rack of your numbers of entries and increase your odds of winning. Feel free to enter as often as you like, but avoid from spamming as you'll be disqualified. The deadline date is EST March 18, 2012.

Best of luck to all entrants, and thanks to the website Civilian Reader for notifying me of this awesome contest, which again - you can find the link for here.