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lelcopter's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
charlieglynn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
righteousridel's review
2.0
Mostly Fluff
I’ve often found myself mislead by the back-of-the-book, and have resolved to stop reading the marketing blurb before diving into a novel. Throne of Light appears to have its prologue on that back cover. I struggle to reconcile the small-minded continuation of the Indomitus Crusade that I read, with the epic-scale threat that should have been delivered.
The Dawn of Fire series has struggled to build momentum. The fourth book in the series is the first true sequel, bringing back lesser characters from previous novels and addressing the threat from Gate of Bones. In bringing together so many returning characters on Srinagar, the galaxy feels like a small place; as if there’s only one problem of note. This tunnel vision isn’t made any better by the lack of detail on other galactic threats, and despite the page count spent on side stories, those are often killed off in clumsy attempts to reinforce the grimdark atmosphere.
Honestly the biggest problem with Throne of Light is that it doesn’t accomplish anything. The threat on Srinagar revives some interesting old canon, but I struggle to recall where all the page count went. The space battle is perfunctory and the Space Marine defense is poorly visualized. Rostov’s cold-open seems to imply readers should have a deep emotional connection to him, when the Inquisitor and his team were a C-tier subplot from three novels past. Their detective work theoretically ties the novel together, but their performance is satirical at best, and utterly without suspense given the Inquisitor’s powers.
Throne of Light suffers from being a collection of B-plots. It, and the whole Dawn of Fire series, has failed to create and nurture charismatic leads. Equally, the authors have gone to great lengths to avoid an overview of the Indomitus Crusade, and I wonder if that’s because they don’t actually have any overarching guidance. The result is a middling book that is thoroughly skippable.
Even for WH40K fans... Not Recommended, with Reservations.
I’ve often found myself mislead by the back-of-the-book, and have resolved to stop reading the marketing blurb before diving into a novel. Throne of Light appears to have its prologue on that back cover. I struggle to reconcile the small-minded continuation of the Indomitus Crusade that I read, with the epic-scale threat that should have been delivered.
The Dawn of Fire series has struggled to build momentum. The fourth book in the series is the first true sequel, bringing back lesser characters from previous novels and addressing the threat from Gate of Bones. In bringing together so many returning characters on Srinagar, the galaxy feels like a small place; as if there’s only one problem of note. This tunnel vision isn’t made any better by the lack of detail on other galactic threats, and despite the page count spent on side stories, those are often killed off in clumsy attempts to reinforce the grimdark atmosphere.
Honestly the biggest problem with Throne of Light is that it doesn’t accomplish anything. The threat on Srinagar revives some interesting old canon, but I struggle to recall where all the page count went. The space battle is perfunctory and the Space Marine defense is poorly visualized. Rostov’s cold-open seems to imply readers should have a deep emotional connection to him, when the Inquisitor and his team were a C-tier subplot from three novels past. Their detective work theoretically ties the novel together, but their performance is satirical at best, and utterly without suspense given the Inquisitor’s powers.
Throne of Light suffers from being a collection of B-plots. It, and the whole Dawn of Fire series, has failed to create and nurture charismatic leads. Equally, the authors have gone to great lengths to avoid an overview of the Indomitus Crusade, and I wonder if that’s because they don’t actually have any overarching guidance. The result is a middling book that is thoroughly skippable.
Even for WH40K fans... Not Recommended, with Reservations.
nraptor's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sarareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jackneighbour's review
4.0
Not the best dawn of fire novel and I found it harder to pick up than the rest but still an enjoyable read and hopefully moves the story on!
bosermoki's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Guy Haley is a great writer and the quality of writing he delivers makes this book worthwhile enough.
That being said, the Dawn of Fire story line started off alright but isn't really going anywhere. From the standpoint of the overall setting, there's no narrative tension as this series is really just fleshing out and backfilling already established narrative points.
The characters are solidly written but are also pretty boiler plate for 40k, but the pacing is all over the place. It works as a standard entry into 40k canon, but doesn't really distinguish itself. If you want a solid by the numbers bolter porn novel ably written by Haley, then this book is worthwhile. But if that's not what you're in the mood for, then this one is eminently skippable, unless you're dead set on grinding through this series.
That being said, the Dawn of Fire story line started off alright but isn't really going anywhere. From the standpoint of the overall setting, there's no narrative tension as this series is really just fleshing out and backfilling already established narrative points.
The characters are solidly written but are also pretty boiler plate for 40k, but the pacing is all over the place. It works as a standard entry into 40k canon, but doesn't really distinguish itself. If you want a solid by the numbers bolter porn novel ably written by Haley, then this book is worthwhile. But if that's not what you're in the mood for, then this one is eminently skippable, unless you're dead set on grinding through this series.
majorrawne's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
peachy_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
manthespace's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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