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Soul Drinkers #2
The Bleeding Chalice
Long years have passed since the Soul Drinkers Space Marines were declared ex-communicate and many Imperial agets have been despatched to destroy this once loyal Chapter. Sarpedon, the stoic leader of the fallen Marines, has become hellbent on finding some way of curing his battle-brother of the cursed mutations inflicted upon them. After numerous false trails and dead ends, he has stumbled upon the most tentative of leads which promises them a final redemption in the eyes of the God-Emperor. But can they stay alive long enough to prove their loyalty?
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
6 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Ben Counter
158 books211 followersBen Counter, as well as making several contributions to Inferno magazine, has written the Soul Drinkers and Grey Knights series and two Horus Heresy novels for the Black Library. He is an ancient history graduate and avid miniature painter with a bronze demon under his belt.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 4, 2011
I liked this novel much better than book 1. I finally started to empathize with the soul drinkers, and even the inquisition agent Thaddeus. The action again was unrelenting and the cost for each mission keenly felt. This is the best of Ben Counter's novels in my opinion. Hopefully next two are just as good if not better. And hopefully The Battle for the Abyss is also as good.
May 26, 2013
Following on only months after their battles against the daemonic forces of Ve’Meth and Abraxes the Soul Drinkers find themselves on the verge of annihilation. Though no longer blinded to the force which manipulated their succession from the Imperium, they find their bodies corrupted and mutations rampant within their ranks.
With over a quarter of their marines dead and their gene-seed too unstable to replenish their numbers, Sarpedon is forced to lead his chapter into a warzone. With records suggesting a cure to their plight can be found within the sector they must avoid the traitor forces which have carved out a minor empire within the Imperium.
Almost every aspect of the book from its overall tone to its characterisation of the forces involved has been vastly improved. The difference in quality is effectively day and night and were this the first novel to the series the Soul Drinkers books would likely be much more highly regarded. Right from the beginning you understand how different the book will be when the primary Imperial character and Soul Drinkers are introduced. They’re more rounded, written far more as humans and have minor details and character quirks which help them stand out beyond their role and rank. None are effected by the virulent brain cell eating virus which was apparently spreading through the last book.
The very fact Sarpedon doesn’t try to storm the entire warzone and take it by force is proof enough of this but if you also get him reflecting upon some of his actions here. While he never says he’s wrong and still considers the Imperium to be too corrupt to be worth serving, he never tries to justify being duped by Abraxes. Furthermore a few of his thoughts come across as much more human and understandable here, especially considering the Soul Drinkers’ desperation. This improved characterisation definitely helps the book’s themes and makes its much darker tone all the more real.
The Soul Drinkers’ are no longer completely in the right and many of their actions stand the chance of doing as much damage as they do good. As such rather than overly zealous fanatics or officials motivated by greed, many Imperial forces they oppose start becoming more sympathetic. Inquisitor Thaddeus is one such example and is a vast improvement over Chloure or Khobotov; along with being far more an investigator and even handed in his judgements. While driven to perform some questionable acts he is called out on such actions and his behaviour in the final chapters shows a surprising degree of flexibility. For a force which was last seen ignoring the theft of a primarch’s weapon and declaring a chapter excommunicate traitoris at the drop of a hat, this is a far more balanced portrayal.
Another vast improvement, again with the characters, is with the novel’s antagonist Teturact. While Ve’Meth, Khobotov and Abraxes only served their purpose as villains, Teturact is a character. He has a background, motivations which make him stand out from them and while occasionally veering into cliché he is far more memorable due to his presence. He also serves a role as both a dark reflection of the Soul Drinkers, what they could become if they did embrace Chaos, and of the Imperium’s much darker secrets.
With each person being much better written, the plot is much tighter and more naturally developed. Sarpedon, Thaddeus and Teturact have their connections and serve as much more intentionally distinct contrasts with one another. Each one has his own involvement and the way they develop is far more naturally progressive than “I suddenly have spider legs, this must be the Emperor’s will!” Thaddeus might see the Soul Drinkers initially as only a force for evil but the actions he performs and the eventual lessons he learns makes his final decision feel justified. One decision clearly leads to the next and you’re not left wondering how the hell a character came to the conclusion they did.
This is ultimately what marks The Bleeding Chalice as an improvement over its predecessor, but it also keeps all of its previous strengths.
The characters which previously stood out continue to remain decent here. While not outstanding they feel like they have more of a dimension than the others, having been more clearly established and fleshed out as characters. At the same time the writing quality with the others seems to have caught up with them and those like Pallas and the newly introduced Salk feel like they’re worthy of focus. A few previous strengths are overlooked to accommodate this new focus, most notably Tellos who is pushed into a background role, but these mostly consist of characters whose arcs are over.
Despite the improved writing the pacing is excellently done. It’s easy to find yourself racing through the endgame of events on Stratix Lumine before you realise you’re well over halfway through the book. Similarly the descriptions and battles remain as good as ever with some nightmarish ideas and details being given to the reader as the usual over the top action and bolter fire erupts onto the pages. In this case imagine Operation Market Garden with zombies and a corrupted Emperor Class battleship.
Overall The Bleeding Chalice generally feels as if it knows what it wants to be. It’s a sobering tale in spite of its more outlandish elements, one dealing with the fallout of the Soul Drinkers’ actions and depicting them close to death. It doesn’t end on a high note or try to show it as some glorious tale of victories and war. Even when the Soul Drinkers do emerge victorious it is not without severe costs and any celebration of their accomplishments is notably subdued.
This is the book I would recommend anyone considering the series to start on. While by no means perfect and with a few areas which needed improvement, it’s nothing like the disaster Soul Drinker was. It fits the tone of the series far better, handles the characters with much better skill and overall is clearly much better handled. When the book does refer back to the events of their departure from the Imperium; it gives enough information to make you understand what happened but nothing more. Enough to come up with your own idea of what happened but without the flaws of the first novel’s telling.
Ultimately it is a decent tale and one which shows what the series is capable of when handled correctly.
With over a quarter of their marines dead and their gene-seed too unstable to replenish their numbers, Sarpedon is forced to lead his chapter into a warzone. With records suggesting a cure to their plight can be found within the sector they must avoid the traitor forces which have carved out a minor empire within the Imperium.
Almost every aspect of the book from its overall tone to its characterisation of the forces involved has been vastly improved. The difference in quality is effectively day and night and were this the first novel to the series the Soul Drinkers books would likely be much more highly regarded. Right from the beginning you understand how different the book will be when the primary Imperial character and Soul Drinkers are introduced. They’re more rounded, written far more as humans and have minor details and character quirks which help them stand out beyond their role and rank. None are effected by the virulent brain cell eating virus which was apparently spreading through the last book.
The very fact Sarpedon doesn’t try to storm the entire warzone and take it by force is proof enough of this but if you also get him reflecting upon some of his actions here. While he never says he’s wrong and still considers the Imperium to be too corrupt to be worth serving, he never tries to justify being duped by Abraxes. Furthermore a few of his thoughts come across as much more human and understandable here, especially considering the Soul Drinkers’ desperation. This improved characterisation definitely helps the book’s themes and makes its much darker tone all the more real.
The Soul Drinkers’ are no longer completely in the right and many of their actions stand the chance of doing as much damage as they do good. As such rather than overly zealous fanatics or officials motivated by greed, many Imperial forces they oppose start becoming more sympathetic. Inquisitor Thaddeus is one such example and is a vast improvement over Chloure or Khobotov; along with being far more an investigator and even handed in his judgements. While driven to perform some questionable acts he is called out on such actions and his behaviour in the final chapters shows a surprising degree of flexibility. For a force which was last seen ignoring the theft of a primarch’s weapon and declaring a chapter excommunicate traitoris at the drop of a hat, this is a far more balanced portrayal.
Another vast improvement, again with the characters, is with the novel’s antagonist Teturact. While Ve’Meth, Khobotov and Abraxes only served their purpose as villains, Teturact is a character. He has a background, motivations which make him stand out from them and while occasionally veering into cliché he is far more memorable due to his presence. He also serves a role as both a dark reflection of the Soul Drinkers, what they could become if they did embrace Chaos, and of the Imperium’s much darker secrets.
With each person being much better written, the plot is much tighter and more naturally developed. Sarpedon, Thaddeus and Teturact have their connections and serve as much more intentionally distinct contrasts with one another. Each one has his own involvement and the way they develop is far more naturally progressive than “I suddenly have spider legs, this must be the Emperor’s will!” Thaddeus might see the Soul Drinkers initially as only a force for evil but the actions he performs and the eventual lessons he learns makes his final decision feel justified. One decision clearly leads to the next and you’re not left wondering how the hell a character came to the conclusion they did.
This is ultimately what marks The Bleeding Chalice as an improvement over its predecessor, but it also keeps all of its previous strengths.
The characters which previously stood out continue to remain decent here. While not outstanding they feel like they have more of a dimension than the others, having been more clearly established and fleshed out as characters. At the same time the writing quality with the others seems to have caught up with them and those like Pallas and the newly introduced Salk feel like they’re worthy of focus. A few previous strengths are overlooked to accommodate this new focus, most notably Tellos who is pushed into a background role, but these mostly consist of characters whose arcs are over.
Despite the improved writing the pacing is excellently done. It’s easy to find yourself racing through the endgame of events on Stratix Lumine before you realise you’re well over halfway through the book. Similarly the descriptions and battles remain as good as ever with some nightmarish ideas and details being given to the reader as the usual over the top action and bolter fire erupts onto the pages. In this case imagine Operation Market Garden with zombies and a corrupted Emperor Class battleship.
Overall The Bleeding Chalice generally feels as if it knows what it wants to be. It’s a sobering tale in spite of its more outlandish elements, one dealing with the fallout of the Soul Drinkers’ actions and depicting them close to death. It doesn’t end on a high note or try to show it as some glorious tale of victories and war. Even when the Soul Drinkers do emerge victorious it is not without severe costs and any celebration of their accomplishments is notably subdued.
This is the book I would recommend anyone considering the series to start on. While by no means perfect and with a few areas which needed improvement, it’s nothing like the disaster Soul Drinker was. It fits the tone of the series far better, handles the characters with much better skill and overall is clearly much better handled. When the book does refer back to the events of their departure from the Imperium; it gives enough information to make you understand what happened but nothing more. Enough to come up with your own idea of what happened but without the flaws of the first novel’s telling.
Ultimately it is a decent tale and one which shows what the series is capable of when handled correctly.
March 20, 2016
This sequel to the Soul Drinkers was a considerable improvement from the last novel(and if you read my review on that, you will see that I loved that too!), and I had an absolute blast reading it!
I really like how the story was told from so many perspectives. Thaddeus was an awesome Inquisitor. I loved the Sisters of Battle. The Soul Drinkers have quickly become one of my favorite chapters(Though I don't know if they would really refer to themselves that way!), and getting to see Teturact's perspective was a treat.
The Inquisition was just as cunning and complex as I can remember them being from when I read Ravenor about a year ago. This was my first time reading about the Sisters of Battle and I absolutely loved them(despite them earning many shouted curses while playing Dawn of War).
The Soul Drinkers have really, really grown on me. I liked them from the start. They are proud(like all space marines), honourable(like all space marines), and fierce(again, like all space marines). However, throughout everything the chapter faces, they stand tall and are never afraid to risk everything for what they value and believe in. This novel saw the "loss" of two of my favourite characters, and I can say that I was at times both sad and horrified at what had happened with them(and that doesn't happen often for me in Warhammer 40K fiction).
Lastly, Teturact and co.
Ben Counter writes absolutely amazing Chaos Daemons. Absolutely. Amazing. I really think that he captures the weirdness.... and psychotic-ness that is Chaos, in a way that other BL authors can not hope to match.
The novel was amazing. A definite improvement to something I already loved.
I really like how the story was told from so many perspectives. Thaddeus was an awesome Inquisitor. I loved the Sisters of Battle. The Soul Drinkers have quickly become one of my favorite chapters(Though I don't know if they would really refer to themselves that way!), and getting to see Teturact's perspective was a treat.
The Inquisition was just as cunning and complex as I can remember them being from when I read Ravenor about a year ago. This was my first time reading about the Sisters of Battle and I absolutely loved them(despite them earning many shouted curses while playing Dawn of War).
The Soul Drinkers have really, really grown on me. I liked them from the start. They are proud(like all space marines), honourable(like all space marines), and fierce(again, like all space marines). However, throughout everything the chapter faces, they stand tall and are never afraid to risk everything for what they value and believe in. This novel saw the "loss" of two of my favourite characters, and I can say that I was at times both sad and horrified at what had happened with them(and that doesn't happen often for me in Warhammer 40K fiction).
Lastly, Teturact and co.
Ben Counter writes absolutely amazing Chaos Daemons. Absolutely. Amazing. I really think that he captures the weirdness.... and psychotic-ness that is Chaos, in a way that other BL authors can not hope to match.
The novel was amazing. A definite improvement to something I already loved.
January 4, 2013
This is the sequel to Soul Drinker, and it is a better showing all around. The Soul Drinkers Space Marine are finally free of the clutches of chaos, but their bodies are wracked by out-of-control mutations. If they can't figure out how to reverse them, their chapter will be exterminated... At the same time, the laughably incompetent inquisitor from the first book has been relieved, and his replacement is among the most dogged the Inquisition has ever produced.
I had some guesses as to who Thaddeus' companion, The Pilgrim, could be, but I was wrong on all counts. I didn't even realize Teturact needed an origin story, but origin stories are Ben Counter's specialty, and it is a doozy.
Plenty of reasons to keep turning the page.
I had some guesses as to who Thaddeus' companion, The Pilgrim, could be, but I was wrong on all counts. I didn't even realize Teturact needed an origin story, but origin stories are Ben Counter's specialty, and it is a doozy.
Plenty of reasons to keep turning the page.
November 19, 2023
Продолжение душепивческого цикла Каунтера. Здесь как-то без шизоидного морского боя на акулах из первой книги. Практически до последней четверти происходит непонятная беготня всех за всеми и непонятно зачем это нужно. Гвардия бегает за нурглой, сарпедоновцы тоже за нурглой, за ними инквизиция и немного сёстры битвы, нургла бегает за свежем мясом. Для чего это непонятно. Понятно, что душепивцы сбросили свой мега-скиталец и пересели на какие-то эльдарские (? или другой ксенотех) самолёты и продолжают стремительно отращивать щупальца. Поскольку они не разу не дзинчиты - идут валить случайно подвернувшуюся нурглу.
Наргла смешная.
Тут неплохое действие (кроме гвардии - уныло) , но в целом не очень организован сюжет и не затягивает.
Наргла смешная.
Тут неплохое действие (кроме гвардии - уныло) , но в целом не очень организован сюжет и не затягивает.
November 18, 2018
Why aren't the Soul Drinkers more popular? This is the first of their books I picked up at a used book store, and I want to get the omnibus now. The idea of a chapter of Space Marines who have turned on the Imperium as being evil while still being loyal to the Emperor and dedicated enemies of Chaos is one that deserves a lot more attention. It reminded me of "Helsreach" in that it's bolter porny, but there is still something at stake, a maguffin that is critical to the chapter's future. I gave this a three star because it was more action oriented than I usually like, but it's still a solid read and a lot of fun.
February 14, 2018
Excellent book two, action from start to finish, lots more of Ben Counter's disgustingly horrid depictions of Chaos, and the embattled Soul Drinkers cut a swath of destruction on a mission to save their chapter.
April 6, 2019
An entire Space Marine Chapter corrupted but refusing to truly acknowledge the corruption, digging in harder than ever in their worship of the Emporer.
December 21, 2020
This was a miss for me. The first book in the series was pretty good, but this one focused more on a weak inquisitor rather than the Soul Drinkers. The cool battle scenes were the only saving grace
August 11, 2022
Nothing really essential, but it is an improvement over the first book. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
May 10, 2023
A fun read.
December 29, 2016
With the introductions out of the way (in Soul Drinker), Counter is able to focus on the plot in THE BLEEDING CHALICE. This book tells two main stories, one of Sarpedon and his Chapter's efforts to find a way to halt their mutations, and another of Inquisitor Thaddeus' hunt for the 'heretic' Soul Drinkers. While we get many of the same characters from the first book, some great new ones are introduced here, including Thaddeus and Aescarrion (of the Adeptus Sororitas), as well as Teturact and The Pilgrim, a couple of intriguing new antagonists. This volume, also available in The Soul Drinkers Omnibus, jumps around a lot more than its predecessor, and spends relatively little time with Sarpedon and the rest of the Soul Drinkers. While at first that might sound disappointing, it is actually a good thing, allowing Counter to add some depth to his tale by fleshing out more of the Universe, and creating a more epic feel to this book. The plot of this one is also much more subtle than the previous book, with the reader left in the dark about much of what Sarpedon is trying to accomplish until the very end. As always, this book is full of intense combat and nail-biter situations as the heroes battle impossible odds to reach their goals. Very well-written and fits in nicely with the rest of the WH40K fluff, this one should please any fan. Highly recommended.
March 27, 2008
another great addition to the series of the soul drinkers chapter wars
March 24, 2016
More great Soul Drinker action. Creepy antagonist.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews