Dawn of War

by C.S. Goto

Book Overview

Brother-Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens Space Marines throws his men into a last ditch defence of Tartarus - a planet with a long and troubled history. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844161528
• ISBN13: 9781844161522
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Games Workshop(uk)
• Length: 412 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

forget the game and read the book!

I came to this book after reading Goto's awesome 'Warrior Brood' and, to be honest, I didn't expect much from it, given that it is a novelisation of a computer game (albeit a dashed good computer game). However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The plot of the book is much more intricate and interesting than it is in the game -- the author clearly did a lot of work to transform that lame duck into something that could fly (can lame ducks fly anyway?). The result is a storming action romp. It feels a little 'outside' the normal WH40K stuff, as though it exists in a little bubble in a galaxy far far away, but I can forgive that (and enjoy it) given that it is rooted in the computer game rather than the wargame. Don't get me wrong, all the regular 40K elements are there: eldar, space marines, orks, chaos marines ... It just feels like Goto has made them his own rather than slavishly sticking to what has gone on in other books. In many ways, this is great, and it is exactly the kind of creativity that franchise fiction needs. The second volume 'Ascension' is already out in Europe, so I've ordered that already!

Fantastic writing, but dubious plot

This debate is clearly getting tired. It seems to me that everyone thinks the writing is good but that there are problems with the story-line (because of the computer game). I agree with both: the writing is AWESOME. It might be better than all the other WH40K books. It is a shame that CS Goto had to stick to the plot of the computer game. Having said that, he makes it MUCH BETTER than anyone else could have done! Were it not for him, this would be a pile of pants. I have just read SALVATION (also by CS Goto), and it is incredible. All of the great writing, and this time a great story too. Check it out. I notice that he is also writing a Deathwatch series, called Warrior Brood or something. I can't wait for that.

silly reviewer -- this is GREAT!

This is becoming a bit of a debate! The last reviewer (Wiederhirn) clearly has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to the WH40K background. First of all, there's no such thing as 'Light eldar' -- there's just eldar (and Dark Eldar). Second, all Aspect Warriors are committed to Khaine (the 'Bloody Handed God') ... hence they call for blood in his name. If these things made it hard for him to get into the story, then they must also make it hard for him to get into any WH40K story ... In anycase, the idea of 'facts' in a fictional world is a bit odd. One of the best things about 'Dawn of War' is that it deals with the eldar at all! Hardly any of the books talk about them, and CS Goto has got them EXACTLY RIGHT! I hope he/she writes more. Yes, there are some problems with the plot, but those problems are in the game too. Goto has done an amazing job of transforming a dubious game-narrative into a storming novel. Read it and see what all the fuss is about: YOU decide!

shockingly good

I have just said this on the UK site, but wanted to say it here too: I don't normally read stuff like this, and only did so because my flat-mate left it out on a shelf. It was raining outside, as it does in Glasgow ALL THE TIME. I thought it was going to be terrible: Warhammer and based on a computer game! But it is awesome! Really exciting and dramatic. Even intelligent. Really well written. Can't wait for another one.

Storming sci-fi!

Considering that Dawn of War is the novelisation of a computer game, it was fantastic! The writing is powerful and the action scenes are the best I've seen. If you like Black Library stuff, you'll love this.