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Titanicus (Warhammer 40000) | 
| Author: Dan Abnett
Publisher: Black Library
Category: Book
List Price: £18.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 3712
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 1844166619
EAN: 9781844166619
ASIN: 1844166619
Publication Date: October 6, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
The Titans walk to war November 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Dan Abnett is easily one of the best Warhammer 40,000 writers around at the moment and while this book is not without its faults, Titanicus is a greatly enjoyable novel. The book is the story of the defence of the important supply world of Orestes as it comes under attack from a large force of Chaos Titans and the Adeptus Mechanicus mobilise their own Titan Legions in response.
Dan Abnett is a very talented author able to write some brilliantly cinematic battle scenes of every scale from minor skirmishes and shootouts to massive conflicts between legions of Titans. As well as this Abnett is also brilliant at bringing his characters to life with most of the cast of this book being interesting and well-defined characters. Having said that I do feel that in this case he has gone a bit too far which has lead to many of the Adeptus Mechanicus characters being far more humanized than is appropriate for that fraction. While I understand that this was probably somewhat necessary for a book that focuses so much on Mechanicus personnel, it is still something of a departure from how they have been depicted elsewhere.
The plot itself is good being both interesting and exciting in equal measure. The sub-plots of the book are also quite good although I do feel that a one or two could have been dropped without harming the novel itself while another could have been expanded to be an interesting standalone short story. I was slightly disappointed by the ending which while being good with some quite brilliant scenes to it, did have something of a rushed feel to it. Overall this was a very good book that is well worth reading despite its few flaws.
Abnetts Pint of Best October 15, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
With all the books out there in the 40K world there's one that's been missing for quite sometime, a tale of the god machines so the reader could stalk the battlefield in these giant behemoths dealing death to the enemy both foot soldiers as well as the enemies machines. Perhaps because this is so fresh that Abnetts sheer quality comes through allowing him the freedom to write the tale that he wanted without having to follow too many rules. A definite buy for fans of the Epic world or fans of the beautifully crafted models by Forge World, but if you truly want to see destruction rained down from on high to the maximum offensive ability then this is the tale for you.
 Difficult for a first time Warhammer reader October 10, 2008
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
When the vital forge world of Orestes comes under attack by a legion of Chaos Titans, the planet is forced to appeal for help. Titan Legio Invicta, although fresh from combat and in desperate need of refit and repair, responds, committing its own force of war engines to the battle. As the god-machines stride to war, the world trembles, for the devastation they unleash could destroy the very world they have pledged to save.
When I first saw some information on this novel I thought it sounded good - a full scale action novel set in universe that has so much history I wouldn't know where to begin. 40,000 years in the future humanity has spread from Earth and is locked in bitter wars to defend its outposts as well as trying to expand into new territory. The human race is now a war race, always fighting a battle on one front or another. These battles are fought with technology that is built to destroy, built to last and built for war. The Titans are such examples, varying in design but all heavy hitters when it comes to battle.
With Orestes under attack and Legio Invicta called in for back up the stage is set for a pretty amazing story. Dan Abnett does not disappoint with his story telling skills. Not only does he write some believable characters, but he can get a battle pictured in your mind with astonishing ease. Some of the better aspects of this were his character building stuff, like Cally , a civilian who moved to Orestes with her husband from another world and as part of the bargain had to sign on for the civilian reserves equivalent. She goes through some nice development and is enjoyable to read. Many of the other characters are given a nice depth and are believable in the situations they find themselves in.
The one thing about Titanicus that I struggled with is the fact that it is Warhammer and as such the universe has been going for a considerable time with many different contributors. I found myself going on the internet at times to find out a little more of the history as I found myself lost with different details emerging throughout. Dan Abnett clearly has no problem with all this vast history and does a masterful job in relaying it with bits of information scattered throughout the narrative.
Despite all this I found I couldn't get into the book as much as I hoped - all that history and detail that a newcomer doesn't know does disorientate in a way that is hard to push past. Although, on the other hand I may not see any glaring problems that die-hard fans of Warhammer might. I doubt this is the best place to start with this rich universe, but it sure has whetted my appetite for more. Now I just need to find an easier jumping on point...
 The God-Machines Go To War September 29, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Yet another fantastic book from Abnett, with plentiful use of clever literary devices defining the dichotomy of man and machine, and all that lies in-between. Good story, snappy dialogue, well rounded characters and visceral descriptions of gritty futuristic battle - all the ingredients of good military science fiction are here and wielded expertly.
One thought however: with so much creativity and literary skill it would be great to see a Sci-Fi mythology based in a universe of Dan Abnett's own creation, (although arguably he has already partly done this within the context of the Sabbat Worlds). A series of independent sci-fi novels in a fresh context, away from the proven route of the 40k universe would be an exciting prospect, and potentially a great way to bring the quality of the writing to those audiences that can't quite look beyond the W40k logo on the cover.
God Machine September 29, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is Abnett back to his best. Well, nearly. Titanicus doesn't quite reach the dizzying heights of quality presented in the Eisenhorn Trilogy, but it's good all the same.
This is an Epic story describing the events on Orestes, an AdMech Forgeworld that has been over-run by traitor Titan legions. Loyalist intervention in the form of the Legio Invicta is the only hope of saving this vital cog.
Well written, perfectly paced action that does an excellent job immersing the reader in the TechnoGothic world of the Imperium, this book has made me want to start building titans. So far I've managed to restrict myself to a Games day Princeps but I suspect it won't be long until I'm ordering my own Warhound.
85/100. I'd happily reccomend this to any 40k fan.
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