Answer Me This...


Spending a little more time on answering 'Ask the Author' questions. Today's question is an interesting one from Maestitia.


"Hi there Rob,

I wanted to ask you a question or two about your novel "Legion of the Damned."
I do critiques of novels "W40k" on the French site "The Reclusiam" (I've talked a bit on your blog).

I've already written my review as I finished your novel some time ago and I want to tell you that I found it excellent.
This is the most original of all the series "Space Marine Battle". You write more with the SF feeling than other writers of Black Library and this is what I loved : grim and hard.

Nevertheless, there is something that shocked me deeply.
Why spoil the end of the novel with the cover and the title?

Let me explain: I know that the authors do not write the synopsis but do you decide the title at least?
I mean, the "punch" ending is totally ruined by sublime Art of Jon Sullivan and the title.

I'd like to really know your point of view about it.
Thank you for your future answers.
Maestitia"



Hi Maestitia,

Sorry, I’ve been a little behind with the answers to some of my Ask the Author questions. It’s great that you liked the Legion of the Damned. I look forward to your review on ‘The Reclusium’. On to the answer to your question. Let me break it down into several parts.

“I know that authors do not write the synopsis”. This is a common assumption about authors working for publishing companies that showcase shared universes. It is true that there are people at Games Workshop who have been responsible for colossal amounts of fantastic background and IP: they can justifiably be regarded as ‘loremasters’. The great editors at Black Library are also walking encyclopaedias of Warhammer, Warhammer 40k and Horus Heresy knowledge. These experts obviously have significant influence over specific details with individual projects and the direction of the different Warhammer series. Black Library author, however, are responsible for writing the synopses of their respective novels and short fiction. It is true, however, that authors do not necessarily write the blurbs on the back of their books.

“do you decide the title”. Quite often, authors submit a numbers of titles. ‘Legion of the Damned’ was one of the titles of submitted. It’s a cool title and the aforementioned ‘Legion’ is identified in the blurb. This does raise an interesting point in respect to the title of the novel. Anyone reading the blurb of the novel knows that the story concentrates on the Excoriator Space Marine Chapter. The Legion of the Damned is a mysterious phenomenon and the title of the novel might suggest that that the novel focuses exclusively on the Legion. Fair point. The problem with doing that is that you will ruin the background for many readers and gamers. A good author will take their readers part of the way and then allow them their own interpretations. Does the Legion of the Damned feature prominently in the novel? Yes. Are the Legion of the Damned present all the way through the novel? Yes. Does the representation of the Legion of the Damned conform to the background – Space Marines against impossible odds benefitting from the supernatural intervention of the Legion of the Damned? Yes – it even states so in the blurb. It’s funny – no-one thinks it is strange that the titular ‘Lord of the Rings’ doesn’t feature in every sentence on every page of every book in the series.

“punch ending” Thanks, Maestitia - it is a punch ending and intended as so. It is more than the involvement of the Legion of the Damned that make it a “punch ending”. After all, the Legion’s intervention is identified in the blurb. At the end of the day, readers do like to know the direction the writer is going. We can’t call all of our novels ‘Unspecified Space Marine Project’!

Great questions, Maestitia. Hope the answers helped you out!

Want To Play?: Know Your Tyranids!


More games and puzzles! Today's conundrum concerns my latest short story called Fearful Symmetries. Fearful Symmetries features the Deathwatch Space Marines - the Imperium's redoubtable xenos hunters.

The Deathwatch are summoned to the Opus Ersaticus forge world by Inquisitor Kryptman to have the secrets of a new and deadly species revealed to them: the Tyranids! Fearful Symmetries can be found in the Xenos Hunters short story anthology, which has just been released this month. You can find Xenos Hunters here.

The Tyranids are well known for the diversity of their bio-engineered forms and the horror of their deranged construction. Check out these different species of Tyranid. Do you recognise any? Can you unjumble the letters to confirm your identification?









Answers up soon. Some fantastic pieces of art there from sketchers of alien monstrosity from across the web.

Thanks for playing! If you would like to enjoy more games based upon Rob Sanders fiction, check out:

Want To Play: Worth a Thousand Words

Want To Play: Imperial Navy Identification

Want To Play: Iron Warriors Fortification Crossword

Want To Play: Alpha Legion Search


Nexus 6 (10-10-12)

It's been a little while since my last Nexus 6. It is well overdue time to check out what I've been reading on the internet science fiction, fantasy and horror scene.

1) The Most Ingenious Worlds Ever Invented By Science Fiction


I love building worlds. Science fiction gives me great opportunities to do so and on a huge scale. Of course, world building is worth little without engaging characters and a sizzling plot. If you have those in science fiction and fantasy, however, I think you owe it to your reader not to cop out of the setting. Here's Cracked with some observations on some of the worlds created in science fiction film and fiction.



2) Cloud Atlas


This is the trailer for a film called 'Cloud Atlas', which is based upon one of my favourite literary novels by David Mitchell. It's a beautifully constructed story with one tale sitting Russian doll style within another. Several of these stories reach into the future and the far future. Check out the generous trailer below.




3) Top 100 Best Science Fiction Novels


Esteemed science fiction editor David Pringle picks out his one hundred best science fiction novels at 'Worlds Without End'. Pringle was the founder and editor of Interzone Magazine for many years and knows his stuff. His list makes interesting reading for the science fiction reader. Do you agree with the books he has included and his ranking of his favourites? Check the list out here.


4) Horus Heresy on the Tabletop


The Horus Heresy Book One - Betrayal is out. It is a supplement for Warhammer 40,000 dealing with war and battle in the dark age of the Horus Heresy. I know people have been looking forward to bringin the Horus Heresy to the tabletop for a long time. This book contains extensive background information on the Imperium as it stood at the end of the Great Crusade. Also detailed are the histories of the four Legions who took part: the Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, World Eaters and Death Guard and an extensive campaign system. And don't forget all the beautiful pictures!

This book also contains a complete Space Marine Legion Crusade Army list as well as games rules for the Primarchs of the four Legions, super-heavy vehicles and special characters featured in the story. Got mine already. It really is a handsome book. Check it out here.


5) Does a galaxy filled with habitable planets mean humanity is doomed?


More from i09 here. An interesting article in which economist and futurist Robin Hanson from George Mason University, and philosopher Nick Bostrom from Oxford University examine humanity's chances of survival in a crowded galaxy. I'd like to think that largely being the aggressive, mindless thug of a race that we are, that our chances are fair! Read more here.

6) Predator


Want to Play?: Easily A Thousand Words

Well, what a wonderful response. A picture might paint a thousand words but collectively we managed to come up with at least a thousand. Thank you so much to all those who responded in the Comments section, on various Facebook pages, Twitter and on forums. You all certainly achieved the aim of amusing the rest of us and earning our unbridled admiration. Some were 40k-centric, some reached out to other science fiction settings, some were wonderfully detailed and others short and pithy. Know that I loved them all but ultimately you would think it a cop out if I didn't pick one. Today's winner is David Penney and his contribution is included below. Thanks everyone for playing. Shall we do this again? I think we shall!


"Remember where we parked?"

Want To Play?: Worth a Thousand Words

It's the weekend, so just a quick game. A caption contest. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words - and sometimes not even a thousand. Let's put the maxim to the test. Check out the Warhammer 40k image below and supply a funny caption in either the Comments section or on a Facebook / Twitter / Forum reply. The one that tickles the most will go back up on the blog for the adoration and respect of the readership. If it works, might make this a regular feature. Right, game faces on...






You Can Ask!


I'm currently working through questions posed to me in the Ask the Author Section. I'm trying to be better at this. Apologies for the long wait. Please feel free to keep the questions coming even as I address the backlog. Today it's a few questions from arch reviewer and reader Lord of the Night regarding my novel Legion of the Damned


1. The Legion's ship was awesome. Unless I miss my guess it was the Raptorous Rex right?
Thanks. I tried to ensure that the Legion of the Damned remained a mystery. One of the best ways to do that was to keep things open to interpretation. Through my research I am aware of the Raptorous Rex. If a reader wants the ship to be the Raptorous Rex: so be it. If they want it to be something else: no problem.


2. You mentioned that the Legion cannot talk. After reading this novel i'm more interested in knowing whether or not they can actually die? They seem immortal,

Again, I try to keep it open. I certainly like the spectral army angle. The avenging spirits of dead Space Marines is cool also. A manifestation of the God-Emperor’s divine intervention is appealing also. Ultimately I wanted the perfect nemesis for the World Eaters - a foe so dominated by corporal concerns: blood, fury and murder. The Legion of the Damned – as I have depicted them – are a great counter to such an unstoppable force.


3. Do the Excoriators ever recover the Stigmartyr? And how did Kersh become SPOILER when practically everyone hates him?

I’d like to think that I haven’t finished with the Excoriators – so I won’t give a closed yes or no answer to the Stigmartyr question. In respect to how Kersh becomes SPOILER, he does so like he does everything else in the novel: through pure force of will and indomitability. Liked or not: he is the best of the Excoriators and has proven so in the arena and on the battlefield. His compassionate solution to the Certus-Minor slaughter proves that he is ready to become a true leader rather than just an exceptional warrior.


4. You mention that Euphrati Keeler is known as the Prophet of the God-Emperor, which is a very important title. Did you have to discuss this with the Heresy team?

I simply took my lead from the existing Heresy material. My editors were happy with the term. On the other hand, it’s a big universe and people call all kinds of people all kinds of things.


5. The name Cholercaust is awesome. How did you come up with it? And regarding The Pilgrim, I assume he was a Daemon Prince, could he ever return one day? Or did the Legion deal with him too?

Like many of the daemon princes that blast out of the Eye as part of blood crusades, I’d like to think the Pilgrim will be back to plague the Imperium. As for Cholercaust, it was just the savagely pleasing way the words choler and holocaust came together, in terms of theme and sound quality.


6. Now that Legion of the Damned is nearly on the shelves and doing quite well, what is next for you? And what current projects are you considering submitting to the editors?


My schedule is full of an exciting variety of projects for Black Library. My focus of late and in the near future is definitely on the Heresy and I’m loving spending more of my time on Heresy fiction. For a taster, check out the story Distant Echoes of Old Night in the 'Black Library GD Anthology 2012'. I was fortunate enough to be asked to introduce a new unit – the Destroyers – and get to play with some new weapons and toys in the setting.