Enforcer

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Mikey
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Enforcer

Post by Mikey »

Well, a local bookstore was going out of business so I picked up the entire three-novel Enforcer omnibus by Matthew Farrer for $4.50. In general, it follows the investigations of a newly promoted Arbites senior arbitor. Haven't gotten too far into it yet, but the good:

1) The Adeptus Arbites. For too long, in fic these guys were just also-rans, minor antangonists, or add-ons. Their role in the IoM was loosely-defined at best, and they sort of kept their TT status - a way to re-use models and add shotguns if you had a Witch Hunter army. Now there's some meat behind the name.

2) The plot is... a plot, more than just "go kill shit." In fact, it is probably as intricate and interesting as anything in the Black Library since Eisenhorn and Ravenor.

The bad:

1) The editing is, in typical Black Library fashion, awful. There are ocassions in which the syntax actually makes paragraphs hard to read. Not Goto bad, but bad.

2) Farrer has a much more British voice than many BL authors - not enough to make it unintelligible, but enough to make understanding an idiomatic phrase less than instinctual.

These negatives, however, are completely underwhelming compared to the overall enjoyability, at least of the first half of the first novel. Anybody else read any of these?
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Tyyr
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Re: Enforcer

Post by Tyyr »

Huh, well I guess I didn't post anything about this. Could have sworn I did.

I agree with you on the book. It's nice to get a 40K book that's not about the Guard, or a SM chapter, or an inquisitor. It's about a police chief for all intents and purposes and it focuses in on life within the Imperium instead of who they fight outside of it. It's a very solid read for anyone who wants to put some meat on the bones of the setting.
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Re: Enforcer

Post by Mikey »

Just finished Crossfire, and the addendum detailing the organization of the Arbites - written from the POV of a brief for an Administratum Adept - is a really nice touch.
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Deepcrush
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Re: Enforcer

Post by Deepcrush »

Sounds like a good read. 1-10, how do you rate it?
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Tyyr
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Re: Enforcer

Post by Tyyr »

Hmm, well as a book I'd give it a solid 7 or 8. Definitely worth a read. Not a great work of fiction but still very well put together. As a window into regular life in the Imperium, it's a 10. If you care at all about the background you need to read it.

Compared to what the BL usually puts out it's an 11.
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Re: Enforcer

Post by Deepcrush »

So in the end its a "must buy".
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Re: Enforcer

Post by Mikey »

I'd agree mostly with Tyyr. 6 or 7 as a work of fiction, 9 as WH40k background fluff. I wouldn't call it a "need to own" like the Ghosts or Cain series, but definitely worth getting.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
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