Category: Reviews

Horus Rising: The Seeds of Heresy Are Sown by Dan Abnett – My Review

Hi everyone!

This weekend, I finished reading Horus Rising: The Seeds of Heresy Are Sown by Dan Abnett. It is the first book of the Horus Heresy novel series, which can be described as techno-fantasy or fantasy action genre. All these books belong to the Warhammer Universe, and they are fanfiction based on this game.

Dan Abnett is a British novel writer and comic creator. He currently works as a scenarist for Marvel and is known for Sinister Dexter, Black Light, Badlands, Atavar, Downlode Tales, Sancho Panzer, Roadkill, Death’s Head, and Wardog comics. He has published numerous novels dedicated to the Warhammer Universe, and some of which have found wide recognition among the reading audience.

Horus Rising: The Seeds of Heresy Are Sown presents the chain of events for the next parts and explains the main points of how the Imperium of Man looks, making us acquainted with the main ideology of it, its morals and belief systems, aims, and “mission” – all of these through the eyes of Captain Loken. We also get to know about the society structure, iterators (ideologist-philosophers), remembrancers (artists), and Astartes (genetically bred warrior-race) – which confirms the idea that poetry and love bloom the most where the fiercest wars take place.

We learn about materialism (on the surface) and the militarism as the main underlying currents of the Imperium. We take a look at the other species and civilizations, often presented by scenes in which Loken shares his memories about certain wars with Mersadie Oliton, a remembrancer who preserves his stories. We understand why Warmaster Horus is often referred to as a great leader, and that materialism, declared as the right path for humanity, may not really turn out all that perfect (cult, warp, chaos), and the rejection of warp power may cause bigger problems.

Captain Loken is portrayed as an honest, reliable, moral, and kind type, giving us a perspective we can trust. He is stoic and stubborn, but even he finally accepts certain views and facts. He is shown as a stereotypically “good guy,” and that creates an interesting effect: when he steps off the straight, appropriate path, we tend to accept and understand it. All his memories seem true, all his sympathies are justified in a way… But he is so annoying at the same time, exactly the way a stereotypically “good guy” may be maddening. If he would only show a glimpse of vice or weakness and be more human just for once!

However… It’s probably another irritating feature of this novel: the characters are schematic and not really deep. It all stays on the surface… Or should military men (well, Astartes) be like that? Nah, I doubt it.

Still, the book sets things in motion, it intrigues, and makes the narrative compelling – we wonder about the power of the warp, we are caught by the portrayal of the “Emperor, beloved by all” as perfect and distant, really reminding some kind of deity. It’s only natural that cults are appearing.

Despite somewhat shallow descriptions, we still are presented with inner conflict in Euphrati Keeler after encountering the warp, or in Warmaster Horus when he encounters another human civilization, “Interex,” which could potentially be equals to the Imperium. These moments truly capture our attention, and I’m grateful for them!

Yet, other cultures, civilizations, planets, and species so overly attractive and captivating, however we have just a brief overview of them. Sadly, we aren’t allowed to dive deeper into details; their descriptions only touch the surface.

On the other hand, the author managed to pack an impressive multitude of events and details into this medium-sized novel, so he clearly had no other choice but to sacrifice the depth. The language is also quite simple and dry for my taste, but I guess if you are not into immersive, intricate descriptions in general and want to read about your favorite Universe, this novel would be perfect for you.

Finally, I’ve never played the game itself. I started reading the Warhammer series on a bet with my husband, and the only thing I knew was that Warhammer encompasses most of the popular fantasy themes. I also had a friend long ago who wrote fan fiction short stories based on that Universe.

Nonetheless, after reading Horus Rising: The Seeds of Heresy Are Sown by Dan Abnett, I feel pretty much acquainted with this world and its intricacies, intrigued enough to continue reading the books of this series, and even curious enough to play Warhammer myself.

To sum up, an interesting read, especially if you are into the game or sci-fi/fantastic action genre in general. It is very structured and dense with events, though a bit shallow when it comes to descriptions.

Thank you so much for reading this post 🙂

© MarvellousNightmare on Coconut Doesn’t Exist

If you are interested in my readings and sessions (see the examples here), please take a look at my offer 🙂

6

📚I’m a Passionate Reader! + My Thoughts on The Whole Truth About the Planet Ksi by J. Zajdel📖

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
View all responses

Hi everyone 🙂

I’m back to blogging after this somewhat lengthy weekend, and I’m ready to share my thoughts, art, and experience with you 🙂

First and foremost, I’d like to answer briefly to this prompt.

My favorite thing about myself is that I always think with my own head and I’m not easily swayed by the opinions of other people. Additionally, I’m curious, inquisitive, experimental, and I’m constantly trying to broaden my horizons, which leads me to the fact that I’m a passionate reader 😉 And I love this about myself very much.

from https://www.empik.com

Speaking of which, this weekend I finished reading The Whole Truth about the Planet Ksi, written by Janusz Zajdel, a prominent Polish sci-fi and dystopian writer. Recently, I’ve written about his short story collection The Farewell Letter. For those who may not know, let me briefly remind you, that this author was a important figure among Polish sci-fi writers, helped and cared about younger writers a lot.

Having worked in radiology safety and as a university professor, he tried to combine or even balance the fictional part of science fiction with scientific facts and rational logic. Zajdel‘s dystopian works reflected his criticism of the Polish socialistic reality of his life, and also the way any propaganda fogs people’s minds. He died of lung cancer at the considerably young age of 46.

Speaking of The Whole Truth About the Planet Ksi, it is mostly a dystopian novel with some sci-fi elements (transplanetary travel and colonization of other planets than Earth). It revolves around the ideas of how totalitarian societies are created and why they thrive even if people suffer. Lies are a better basis for creating such societies because lies are flexible, and truths are often stiff and inconvenient. If you provide people with some outside enemy, the people will be connected, trusting, and praising the tyrants as their only protectors.

The story unfolds through two perspectives: one is an expedition head, Sloth, who was sent to check what was going on with the group of colonists sent to planet Ksi, and the second perspective is that of the original colonization group’s captain, whom we know as 11, or great grandfather.

Sloth is neutral, rational, and quite mature. He values the years that are left to him, remembers totalitarian societies on Earth, and does not rush into decisions or quick actions. He prefers the marveled eyes of women to any political power, giving us the impression that we can trust him.

On the contrary, 11 has lots of dishonest desires and unhealthy ambitions, betrayed his friends, enemies, and people of this globe several times, and actually helped terrorists establish this totalitarian, even feudal, society, where your rank is based on the number tattooed on your forehead. This makes readers doubt his perspective on things; still, he was the one who saw everything from the very beginning.

The author of the book does not force an opinion on you; you may choose what to think of the main character and even of the future destiny of the planet Ksi. When the second expedition arrives to spy on the Ksi’s society, they also are not sure of their next course of action regarding this society. They want to help, but they are unsure of how to do it without turning out as alien conquerors who took away the last straw of hope from this planet’s population.

And I really appreciate this approach, this conversational, theorizing way which lets us, readers, decide for ourselves. The language is descriptive, the protagonists are multi-dimensional, and their emotions are genuine. Readers can empathize with their doubts, turmoil, and longings

The society, though a bit caricatured, actually reminds us of the ones we have on Earth, and the author precisely demonstrates how they function. Yes, something like this, theoretically speaking, may have appeared in space at the early stages of colonizing. Well, such states are and were here, near us on Earth.

However, I had uncertainties while reading the book. For instance, how did people age in space in this book? I thought that outside Earth’s gravity we remain unaffected by the flow of time (perhaps someone with a physics background can explain this to me). Another moment: planet Ksi had only a 16-hour-long day, I get it. However, human biological hours should still remain 24… Am I right?

Additionally, the first generation of colonists was deprived of technology, which is understandable, but couldn’t they hunt with some handmade primitive tools? I believe J. Zajdel had explanations for that, but unfortunately, it is unlikely I will ever ask him…

Overall, I took great pleasure in reading this compelling dystopian novel. It broadens your perspective and encourages you to think, speculate, come up with your own choices and solutions. And prompts us to analyze the roots of various social issues and the ways many modern totalitarian societies function and continue to develop.

The Whole Truth about the Planet Ksi reminds me a bit of Eden by S. Lem, so if you are a fan of those authors or you really enjoy reading dystopian prose, it may be a great pick for you😊

Thank you for reading this and I hope I’ve answered this prompt!

© MarvellousNightmare on Coconut Doesn’t Exist

If you are interested in my readings and sessions (see the examples here), please take a look at my offer 🙂

13

🌌List of Astrology Authors Who Have Had an Impact on Me📚

Daily writing prompt
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
View all responses

Hi, everyone! 🙂

In all honesty, I feel that I have answered this question during this daily prompt—check it out if you are curious about my literary preferences 😉

I don’t want to repeat myself, and I read so many books that I can’t narrow it to the three most influential ones; each one transformed me and left traces in my thinking and worldview in general. Therefore, instead of doing the same exercise again and again, I decided to write about my best choice of authors in the astrology field 🙂

I’m into the spiritual and humanistic branch of Western Astrology (European Approach), so I’m into deep psychological analyses, karmic tasks, levels of spiritual development, talents, and that kind of stuff. I firmly believe that materialism depends on the level of your spiritual advancement, not on the planets in the earth element in your charts, and that your natal charts should be interpreted from a very personal and unique angle.

I am firmly convinced of the power of aspects, but as always, I connect modernity (spiritual astrology) and tradition (antique rules), as they work the best in terms of predictions.

In such a manner, let’s go! Here is the list of astrology authors (not books, too many of them) who affected my practice and approach the most!

1. A. Podvodny. His insights into human nature, development, and culture are profound and enlightening. He influenced my spiritual path and approach to astrology. His unique, personal take on astrology focuses on unlocking our potential and controlling our lives beyond planetary influence. He wrote excellent books for beginners, with clear explanations of aspects and deep insights into signs, houses, and planetary energies. His work, often intertwined with Kabbalah and yogic connections, is highly recommended for advanced astrologers. Though I’m unsure if he’s translated into English, his books are available in Polish. I never had the chance to be his student in real life, but I am in spirit.

2. S. Vronski. Another exceptional astrologer of the 20th century, former student of the German Academy. He wrote 13 very detailed volumes describing different areas of astrology. I also read his answers to his readers about love and marriage (there were some insights on death in astrology as well—the exact mixture I like). The knowledge he shares is very fundamental; he explains all the classic rules Western Astrology is built upon. You’ll be able to use various predictive techniques after reading, just remember that practice is key. He presents a perfect balance between practical and humanistic/spiritual approaches and introduces the cosmobiology concept.

3. D. Rudhyar. The father of humanistic astrology, profoundly affected by C. G. Jung, introduced the free-will concept to astrology and approached interpretation through an archetypal perspective. His insights are full of mythological and artistic influence. I also love his approach to zodiac degrees, as they contain really mesmerizing descriptions and fill you with a sense of destiny when you study them.

4. S. Arroyo. This author is a professional psychologist who emphasized a personal approach to the client (literally a lot on this point in the introductions to his books). He stressed the need for a “modern astrology” in his works. He wrote a lot of valuable material on interpersonal relationships and karmic astrology, full of enriching, professional insights. These books are a worthy guideline for astrologers on how to conduct their practice.

5. M. R. Meyer. He doesn’t only delve deep into the subject, but also teaches the astrologer how to do their work. He provides guidelines on how to discover and show a person their purpose, the main angles, and guiding light of their personality. It can be a great help if your aim is to understand yourself and unleash your potential, not just to study the events of your life.

6. M. D. March and J. McEvers. Despite my general affection for deep, psychological insights, which the books of these authors may somewhat lack, I also found them to be a very good course book for beginners. They share all the required practical knowledge in their books, which a reader may need to learn various basic techniques, and there are also examples included.

7. Jan Kefer. He was not only an astrologer but also a hermetic magician. He composed a very detailed astrological glossary, which is used by many professional astrologers. It can be really handy when it comes to active practice. Maybe somewhat complicated for a complete beginner, but once you know what you are doing, it becomes an exceptional guide.

8. Bill Herbst. He was the first Western astrology author I read, and I enjoyed his insights into Houses. It was a fresh perspective compared to general online descriptions. The 1st House is more than just looks, and the 2nd House is deeper than money and possessions—friends and talents are valuable too. Very curious comparisons.


And it’s always worth reading some of the ancient works, for they hold a lot of wisdom, which enriches your knowledge and changes your perspective. Just remember about the balance between tradition and modernity 🙂

I also deeply advise studying astrological magic along with charts (there are a lot of materials on it; even I. Regardie wrote some) as it is also a part of Western Astrology—forgotten and rejected because of official doctrines, but preserved in Higher Magic and traditional witchcraft. It is my firm belief that we should reunite these parts of Western Astrology.

But this is a topic for the next post.

Thanks for reading, and I hope it was useful 🙂

PS: As usual, the picture is generated in WP AI Picture Generator

© MarvellousNightmare on Coconut Doesn’t Exist

If you are interested in my readings and sessions please take a look my offer 🙂

8

Farewell Letter by Janusz Zajdel – My Review

Hi, everyone! 🙂

Thanks to one of the recent prompts, I’ve decided to return to writing book reviews and sharing my thoughts and impressions about novels and stories I’ve lately read. I helps me organize my reflections, and I hope it will be useful to you too, especially if you are as passionate about literature as I am and you are looking for fresh recommendations 🙂

I learned about J. Zajdel through my husband, who knows of my love for the sci-fi genre, so he suggested I start reading this author, claiming that his style is somewhat like S. Lem. In truth, this isn’t entirely accurate. J. Zajdel was the second well-known sci-fi writer in Poland (after Lem), and they both wrote dystopian and sci-fi literature. However, while Lem often conveyed his novels in a very philosophical, sometimes even lofty fashion, which I personally appreciate a lot, Zajdel had a dry, consistent, logical style. This was probably affected by his other profession; he graduated with a major in physics and worked as a radiological engineer. One of his aims was to popularize science through literature, while another was to criticize the society and political states of his time (communism and dictatorships), which he brilliantly did.

Speaking strictly about the review topic, Farewell Letter is a short story collection composed by the author’s friends and wife after he died. It consists of his various pieces written at different moments of his life. It perfectly reflects his writing progress and gives insight into the constantly changing scope of the ideas that interested him. This collection also includes his interview, some excerpts from his novels, outlines for unpublished books and stories – very intriguing, by the way (he died at the age of 46, so he left them unfinished), and the recollections from his close circle, which portray J. Zajdel from the personal perspective. We get to know that he was a very warm and supportive friend and that he basically nurtured the present and future generation of Polish sci-fi authors.

His works were classified as sci-fi and dystopian. Still, you won’t find the mystical or pure fantasy elements in his stories, as was common with Bradbury or Lem. His narratives are very logical, concise, and painfully possible. In fact, he introduced some fictional aspects in his stories, like UFOs, teleportation, or alternative realities, but as I said before, it was not a typical fantasy fiction. These ideas and concepts are considered hypothetically possible by science. So the author described them as theories and paradoxes and played them out beautifully, testing them in his creative pieces. Also, everything happening on the pages of this story collection is justified and explained, providing a background for action. Most of the stories have nice dynamics and brilliant irony that balances his somewhat dry descriptions, which, along with capturing dynamics saves his literature from becoming dull or monotonous. My favorite among his works from this collection was The Other Side of the Mirror, because it included the elements I like: thrilling concepts (Zajdel played with a theory about dimensions and teleportation) and thought-provoking elements, something that broadens reader’s horizons.

Continue reading “Farewell Letter by Janusz Zajdel – My Review” →
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Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Daily writing prompt
What book could you read over and over again?
View all responses

I adore reading books. I read daily, usually several books in a row, in different languages, so that I develop not only my mind but also my linguistic skills. For me, personally, in order to be engaging, a story or a novel must be thought-provoking, elegantly written (I value the most “lacy”, melodic, metaphoric language, but not earthy or palpable, more like the descriptions conveyed in a pure dream matter), and dystopian at its best.

Frankly speaking, I’m not a fan of realistic prose, although I make exceptions for J. Fowles – whose books I read and reread several times, not only The Magus, I also find his other pieces exceptional. I admire V. Nabokov‘s books: he wrote so much more than Lolita; for instance, my favorite among his novels is Gift. I’ve enjoyed L. Durrell‘s The Alexandria Quartet as well. Additionally, I appreciated F. Dostoevsky‘s novels. Finally, I found Brontë sisters‘ prose and Tess of the d’Urbervilles by T. Hardy intriguing and bewitching.

Nonetheless, I find the most delight in reading fantastic fiction: sci-fi, dystopian, fantasy, horror stories and gothic novels. These genres match my inner world perfectly; I enjoy the atmosphere, and I feel that my mind works hard and speculates while reading. I relish this feeling: it’s as if my brain purred, like a happy and well-nourished cat.

Take R. D. Bradbury: one of the most prolific fiction authors, most known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. Apart for that, he wrote in multiple genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, horror and detective fiction. I find each of his works exceptional; he is a genius in crafting narrative line, poetic, mesmerizing language, and of course, philosophical depth. I believe, his stories, novel and essays are the epitome of everything a literature should be, and I aspire to be like him, honestly. I even wrote my thesis based on one of his short stories, which involved reading it over and over again 😉

But it’s not only Bradbury I’ve read more than once, I’ve also delved into the books of F. Herbert, A. Huxley, H. Lovecraft, A. Norton, U. Le Guin, K. Vonnegut, R. L. Stevenson, A. Blackwood, C. P. Gilman, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, and many more… I took pleasure in reading some of P. K. Dick novels, thus I’ll probably read them again.
Let’s also not forget C. Jung, I. Regardie and A. Podvodny, their works taught me a lot and shaped my worldview in many respects.
Speaking of religious literature, my favorites include the Poetic Edda (Norse tradition) and Ecclesiastes (The Bible).

Nevertheless, even though R Bradbury is my favorite writer, there is a novel that, in my opinion, is a triumph of literary perfection. This is Solaris by S. Lem. He is an author of contrasts; his novels are either phenomenal, or just hardly legible.

However, I’m truly amazed by Solaris. This book is composed of every literary feature I praise, along with a bittersweet note of romance, which in this case make the narrative even better. It is reflective, captivating, the language it is written in is a marvel. It leaves so many questions for a reader to ponder upon! It was almost impossible for me to break its spell and stop reading, even for a short while. And when I finished the book finally, I started it over in an instant. I definitely want to dive in this story again, to re-explore and re-live every bit of it. It’s a miracle.

If you are into thought-provoking prose combined with sci-fi elements, I strongly advise you to read it 🙂

5

Dune: Part Two – I’ll Never Base My Expectations on Random People’s Posts and Opinions Again

Image: Warner Bros.


I usually don’t write film reviews. Lately, I’ve become so lazy that I even stopped writing book reviews (though I still read a lot). But in this very case, I decided I should definitely share my opinion.

Why is it so?

Not so long ago, my husband and I went to the cinema to see “Dune: Part two”. But before experiencing it for myself, I, as always, decided to read opinions about this film and discovered plenty of negative reviews. Judging by what people wrote in these wretched FB groups, the film was: “a disaster, it differed from the book tremendously, Chani left Paul (which really didn’t happen in the book) because she was a spoiled brat, raging feminists were ruling the world, and Chani was ruling the Universe”. There were also claims about how “the director changed the film to make it approachable for new generation. Boo.”

I felt a pang of despair while reading these posts. Just to be clear – I love F. Herbert’s Dune; his novels are among my favorite sci-fi book series. So, the thoughts about the changes and simplifying hurt a lot.

Unfortunately, my brain likes to create the negative scenarios (probably so that it doesn’t hurt so much later). I went to the cinema with a heavy heart, trying to to relax myself by thinking “at least we went out”.

Continue reading “Dune: Part Two – I’ll Never Base My Expectations on Random People’s Posts and Opinions Again” →
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The Witegungseld Spá and Oracular Seiðr Manual by Swain Wodenung – my review

Last year, I finished reading “The Witegungseld Spá and Oracular Seidr Manual” by Swain Wodenung, and I found it to be worthy of my attention, even though it could raise some questions and be seen as controversial.


I’ll be honest; it was the first book on which pages I found information about Spá as an independent kind of Norse magic or, more precisely, as a separate type of magic, more akin to shamanism or being an Oracle, distinct from Seidr which is more like witchcraft. The word Spá has a similar origin to the word “spying”, and basically means “having visions, spying for visions” . So, it is about visions, trance and working with spirits.

As it appears people usually mix both paths up. Nonetheless, they are often used together, because the witch stereotypically should be a Seer (this is reiterated in Eddas and Sagas). But the Seer will not always identify themselves as witch, so since that moment, the situation becomes quite complicated 😉

Continue reading “The Witegungseld Spá and Oracular Seiðr Manual by Swain Wodenung – my review” →
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“The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order” by I. Regardie – my review

First of all, I honestly admit that I read the entire book 7.5 years ago, but it had a strong impact on me, my thinking, and perception, so there will be a lot of my feelings here…

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is truly a legend of Western Esotericism, especially in Great Britain, participants of which included politicians, philosophers, and writers. That organization was the mother of new orders such as Stella Matutina, Argenteum Astrum, and among it’s children are Wicca and XX-XXI New Age, as we know it, generally speaking all contemporary magic has some traces left by Golden Dawn Magic. Thanks to this Order, the world was introduced to various Tarot decks like the Rider-Waite Tarot, Thoth Tarot, and a great number of various modern decks initially inspired by the by those mentioned above.

The influence on the world was immense: check out Skyrim, or usage of the crystal ball for divination, magical cloaks, magical wands and so on. It’s worth reading to understand the magic we practice today and its origins 🙂

Continue reading ““The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order” by I. Regardie – my review” →
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“Modern Magick – Eleven lessons in the high Magickal arts” by Donald Craig – review

I’ve recently finished reading “Modern Magick – eleven lessons in the high Magickal arts” by Donald Craig, about which I previously heard a lot – couldn’t resist the temptation – and decided to note some impressions.
It was an interesting reading/perspective for me because I already have some knowledge upon Ceremonial (High) Magic and Kabbalah, and probably I should have read this book before the ones written by ex-Golden Dawn members (among whom is my favorite I. Regardie, I’ll also post my old review here in the realms of non-existent coconuts 🙂 )

Why? Because it is written in a very simple language, very easy to understand, D. Craig as it seems to me had good teaching skills and he guided his readers slowly, but surely step by step. The author didn’t reveal to you all crucial points of magical knowledge at once, he rather let it unveil slowly, giving a new tiny dosage with each new lesson. Therefore it imitated the way they normally acquired knowledge/initiations in magical orders.

He provided a lot of schemas and illustrations, which can be used lately as a cheat-sheet or a simple guidance to your magical work. When you finish with reading you can use the schemes provided by Craig as a cheat sheet, or a course book and come back to those lectures later, or even use the only lessons and information you require skipping everything else. And yes, it is written not only about High magic, but you also can find decent information about low magic (witchery), spirits summoning, elemental magic and sexual magic.

Continue reading ““Modern Magick – Eleven lessons in the high Magickal arts” by Donald Craig – review” →
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“Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller and my reflections

Sometimes it just happens that the author is highly recommended by people or the pages you trust, and these praises are even comparing this author to one of your favorites. “Sounds nice!” and with great interest and overwhelming wish to dive into the maybe not beautiful, but definitely thrilling world… But what you get is actually the liquid garbage smeared all over your vision of reality – just my honest opinion.
The main character (the book is autobiographical) is sociopathic. He sits in France, doesn’t earn much, he uses women (likes to call them with vulgar expressions) – married, unmarried, ones in serious trouble or distress. He steals money, betrays his friends and manipulates them in their life decisions, and despite the fact that sometimes he describes his friends and acquaintances as much worse people than him, they are not. They have empathy.

Actually by reading about the main character and his thoughts and feelings I understood that I have a lot of empathy in my heart, and ethical code as well. It was also interesting to analyze myself why and how it happens that I despise the main character so much? Is it me?

Continue reading ““Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller and my reflections” →
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