Jeff
Fleshes out the backstory outlined in the film — fairly similar to the manga source material — with focus on the lives of Ido, Chiren, Hugo, and Vector prior to Alita's arrival. Some additional mentions of Nova as well which is exciting.
Not exactly an essential read, though. The extra detail being filled in is nice, but nothing really consequential happens. Which, I suppose, is expected, being a prequel.
I'll always be here for more Battle Angel content though. I continue to hope for 2–3 more Alita films, instead of six more Avatar films or whatever Cameron has planned.
I actually liked this better than the Ga'Hoole books, although I guess it has the advantage of the worldbuilding already laid down in the original series. The six–year-old is into wolves right now, so I'm guessing we'll be cranking through this series before getting back to the owls. Six books is an easier pill to swallow than 15 at least.
Watership Down for birders.
I'm surprised this was developed into a screenplay; it can get a little impenetrable when goes into detail about bird biology, scientific species names, and flight terminology. It's an interesting concept, but I'm not sticking around for fourteen(!) more books without something stronger to hold onto.
The first five books were each better than the previous one, building on and fleshing out a cohesive story. This one hits like a huge speed bump. It's kind of like two separate stories smashed together (or maybe one and a third) neither of which have any relation to the overarching story of the series. They're kind of lopsided as well; the first “half” drags on and you start to forget it's a Warhammer 40K story at all, while the second half feels more like the rest of the series with some interesting warp horrors but is really rushed.
I never really got into the Warhammer game itself — too crunchy — but the setting and world built up around it always fascinated me. The neo-Roman stylings of the Empire and its various hierarchies, the vast scale of space exploration and history, and the cosmic horrors lurking in the warp.
The Horus Heresy books haven't had a lot of the latter so far, which this book makes up for in spades. There's the introduction of the Eldar, a fallen race that had previously conquered the galaxy, and the gradual corruption of a Space Marine legion and the civilians accompanying them culminating in an absolutely horrifying set piece.
This is a gripping tale that stands on its own outside of the previous books in the series, and moves along at a tight clip. My favourite of the series so far.
High water mark of the series, maybe topped only once or twice before the finale trilogy with Brandon Sanderson. So many great moments throughout:
- Callandor and the limits of The Power
- Perrin and Faile and the scourging of the Two Rivers
- First encounter with the Eelfinn and the Aelfinn
- Tel'aran'rhiod and its inhabitants
- Discovering more of The Forsaken
- The history and truth of the Aiel
Definitely problematic in parts, but it bookends the series so well; the Omega to The Magician's Nephew's Alpha. I love the final act, especially following downbeat after downbeat of the first two-thirds, but I wish there was more of an explanation of why everything happens, beyond just needing events to lead to that bookend.
Less racist than The Horse and His Boy, but maybe more sexist? Serves as a drawn-out prologue to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.