Angel Of Fire Review

Now, first of all, it amuses me to no end to hear that William King's original, foundation-laying books are older than myself. However, for his most recent resurfacing, is Angel of Fire the last breaths of a drowning swimmer or a surge of energy, enough to propel King back to the shore?

This novel has huge potential. As a fan of Games Workshop's Warhammer and 40,000 systems, I see Lord Solar Macharius as a Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon kind of guy. An immense presence on the battlefield, whose ultimate death was over-shadowed by years of infighting and treachery. Unlike the Primarchs of the Horus Heresy, Macharius is just a man, but what a man he is. He inspires his men with the kind of fervour we have seen in Braveheart, Troy or Lord of the Rings, and King takes advantage of that, with the book from the point of view of a common soldier. 

This works. If Macharius was doing all the talking, it wouldn't be the same. Macharius is a man, yet aloof from material conventions, and to be inside his head would just be wrong. 

King writes exceptionally here, a mirror of his older books which I have finally gotten around to. The descriptions of vehicle battles are just the kind you want to see from a man who seems so alike Patton, Macarthur or one of the other generals of the 20th Century. In addition to that, I loved the descriptions of the Baneblades in combat. I just wished my own trio (The Spears of Caliban) had as much luck as them on the field...

As King is writing a trilogy, I wonder what the many foreshadowing symbols in Angel of Fire will lead to. As King himself explained, the books would be divided into his rise, his conquests and his fall. Personally, I'm looking forward to the last the most, because the Warhammer universe needs a few more sad stories fleshed out with proper emotion. If they could nail that, I'd be a happy guy.

In conclusion, Angel of Fire is a great read, and King's style leads to one turning page after page as the action intensifies. 

9/10