Adeptus Ridiculous - Carcharodons: Red Tithe | Warhammer 40k Book Club

Episode Date: January 31, 2026

https://www.patreon.com/AdeptusRidiculoushttps://www.adeptusridiculous.com/https://twitter.com/AdRidiculoushttps://shop.orchideight.com/collections/adeptus-ridiculousOn the prison world of Zartak, darkness has fallen on arbitrators and inmates alike. The Night Lords have come, and with them the shadow of fear and pain. But they are not the only ones with an interest in Zartak. From the void, running on silent, another fleet emerges. Its warriors are grey-clad and white-faced, and their eyes are as black as the Outer Dark – the savage Carcharodon Astra. As these two packs of ancient, merciless predators stalk the shadows of the prison colony, both seeking a single young inmate with unnatural talents, the corridors run red, and both factions will have to fight tooth and claw to leave Zartak alive.Support the show

Welcome, everybody to the book club. We'll be promised we do these sometimes. About forever late and never on time. The AdRicks special. Thank you for joining us today on this episode where we go over the first of the Carcarydon's book, Red Tithe. Our guess would be the, would be the Red Tithe or is this Red Tithe? I think it's just Red Tithe. Yeah.

And we're chatting about Bookstuff. But if you enjoy this podcast, you want to support us. hand over to patreon.com slash Upspadiscuitous is down in the description where you can check it out. Shai, is this episode going up on tomorrow or Sunday? I'm trying to figure out poster advertisement. If they, uh, you have no idea.

Okay, well, you can buy merch in the posters if you like. There will either be like two posters available or like 20. It depends on whether or not we've, you know, I'll extend it one more day. I'll extend it one more day. So until the end of the week. So you have all the way until Monday morning to pay. up any of the posters from last year in 2025. This is your last chance before they are gone for good. It is in the description. Check it out at a, at Orcate. And yeah. Yeah.

Hell yeah. Oh, that's all. Oh, right. Also, Curiauth is here with our book club today as well. Hey, Kyrioth. I read it too. I've technically read it twice now because I read it ages ago. And then I did my homework. And I don't know if this is a good way to segue into the book itself. but reading it again for a second time with a bit of a gap in between, it was both familiar and also felt strangely new because I don't want to say the word forgettable. No, it's pretty mid, brother. Oh, we're starting strong. We're going to, oh, okay, we're going right into it.

Yeah. I mean, what else do you want to say about it? Let's roll back. Let's roll back. Let's roll back real quick. Let me, let me, I want to do some set up here. I want to, I want to do some. All right. Set it up, brother. A little bit of homework. And by that, I mean, battering up the shield and, and battlements to save ourselves from criticism.

Naturally, a very important part of being a podcaster. So the Carcarodons are, or the Carcadon Astra are a faction that has a, I want to call extremely, extremely strong, but very dedicated. niche fan base. I think that's kind of how I would describe it. Like, I don't think it's like a very all-encompassing. But a lot people know about the space sharks. Um, they are, well, I mean, they're space sharks, if we're being totally honest. Like, they have shark like skin and, and teeth and so on.

And they hunt in the deep dark void and the blackness of the sea and then go and kill people. It's classic, right? Um, though at the same time, there is a good bit of, Which, uh, is, was Polynesian the word? I would go Polynesian. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

A good, good bit of Polynesian ethnic influence when it comes to the Carcaryotes, which I like a lot, because I like when space marines take a heavy, uh, ethnic influence from, uh, the, the space version of their homeworld, so to speak, um, that is related to wherever it is on our current earth. And, um, the story for a synopsis is, that the night lords are like, well, I mean, I'll be totally honest, are doing exactly what you think they're going to be doing. They do not deviate.

No, they go to laughably murder and slaughter people and try to steal a cyker for horrible things. I sure do. And it just so happens that the Carcara dons are like, hey, wait, that's mine. That's our red tides planet. Yeah, it's like, wait a minute. We want those people instead. showed up for that as well. And then goes an ensuing

a fight in the underground prison world of crap. Zachtak. Zhaatak. Yeah. Thank you very much. For slavery for slavery in the night lords

or slavery in the Carcadons. Yeah. Either way. Well, to be fair, they are they're all prisoners. Like, would you rather be on an imperial prison world? or serving as a servant on a space brain ship. You know, if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure a major part of in the night lord's omnibus,

the, I forget his name. I'm actually sad I forget his name, the old guy in the second book. I'm pretty sure a large part of that storyline was him being like, wow, I can't believe serving on a chaos vessel is somehow better than the mechanicist station. Yeah. Which isn't quite fair because he dies horribly.

But anyway, it's, you know, no one in the prison planet is having a good time. We'll just say that, particularly a certain arbitrator. No, yeah. I mean, this is the thing, right? Like, you've kind of mentioned the dedicated fan base for the Carc Aradens. To be fair, I really, really like, I like them. They're very cool space marines, partially because they're so mysterious. but also the color scheme just rocks.

The ornamentation to have their armor looks great. Like, they are a very interesting chapter. It was just like, I wanted more of them and less of a lot of everything else in a weird way. It was just like... Yeah. I don't know if this was like a problem of like, oh, I didn't read the summary. I didn't read the tin before opening the jar. Because I was expecting it to be a Carcaryodon's book.

because we like the Carcarodons. We think the Carcarodons are cool. We've done lots of episodes on the Carcadons where we just glazed them. Lots of episodes? Well, I guess two, two, three? One? One?

Really? I thought we had done several. Anyway. I don't know. I feel like I mischaracterized them pretty badly when I did a first episode like three years ago on them. I think I maybe got them a, I think I got them pretty wrong. Well, that's okay.

Yeah. What's new? Foot in the door, right? But, like, this didn't feel like a Carcherodon's book. Like, this felt like, I was, I was gearing up to, like, really learn about Carcadon lore in this one. And it kind of just, I almost felt like they were guests in their own book. And that's a weird place to be in. Because, like, it felt like they kept focusing on night lords, prison world, arbitrators.

And then you get, like, a sprinkling of the Carcariot. And it's just, I don't know, I think, yeah. Every time, every time the Carcadons were speaking when they were talking with each other and doing stuff, I was like, okay, I'm all right with this. I've been enjoying this to an extent when the night lords were doing night lord things. And I will say they had kind of a neat thing at the end. I was like, okay, you know, like this. This is the kind of night lords I know is the majority. of them.

Yeah. Uh, which is just, just monsters, just absolute like horrible people. And it was great. And I was like, no,

I'm under no reservations like this. I'm not, I'm not a talus-pilled Zaral cell. I know what the night lords are here for. Um, but what if I had to describe a book that would be, I would classify as bolter porn. This is what I would call that book.

Yep. And holy hell was it too much for me. Yeah, I felt like it was just a very by the numbers space marine book, right? Like it, you know, like there's so many of them like this and it just, yeah, it was just, it was Boulder-born. It was just. Kyrgyath, you've read it twice. How does your initial perception of the, of the book when you were younger and now compare? I think the first time I read it, I specifically remembered thinking that one character in particular

was not like, not wasted. Waste is the wrong word because I think Bail Shah, the company master for the third company, he is super interesting. And something that did not change in between is the idea that he should have had more and said more and interacted more than he did. And it's a shame that he wasn't. Like the whole thing with him being kind of conflicted

about taking over leadership of the third company, And he's got the previous company master's armor and the armor. And for planting him. Yeah. Yeah. It's like even the machine spirit of the armor is a bit, it's a bit off and just wants to kill, much like the person who wore it and him kind of having to fight through that. That stuff was really cool and added a load of extra kind of weight to his responsibility

and how he was dealing with the entire situation that they were in. But it felt like there was at least another half. a book in just him, you know, dealing with everything that we just didn't get. Every time there was like a cool bit of character development or a bit of like insight as to how he thinks and what he's doing, you'd get a bit of it. But then you wouldn't get much that kind of expanded beyond it. So for the whole, like every time he does things or talks about stuff, there's a part of me that went, oh, okay, we're going to learn more.

And then you don't actually really learn more. And it just stays a bit kind of, not surface level. It's not like that vapid, but it still feels like there is proper characters within the book that don't actually get time to be characters because you've got to cut away. You've got to cut away and talk to the humans. You've got to cut away and talk to the night lords. And if there is any, I think if there's any, like, group that don't necessarily need more expansion on how, like, messed up and. and crazy and mad and bloodthirsty. I feel like, generally speaking,

we've got a good feel for the nightlords now, and we needed less of getting a good feel for the night lords in red tithe and more of getting a good feel for the Carcarradans, given that it's named after the thing they were there to do, but it felt like attention was too evenly split. I was like, okay, cool. Nightlords are being backstabby and murdery again. I know this, and I'm pretty sure.

I will say the I did find a little bit of satisfaction with the night lord's story how it ended with the um the home world kind of little little little thing there where um what's his what's his buckets uh coal uh um that was like that was like that was like okay i kind of was cool with that because you know they're very um i don't know like patriotic anti demons Well, I'm not anti-demon, but yeah, they don't want to serve a demon. They're like, no, you're not a nightboard. There's always that kind of bit to it. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe, when did this book come out?

This is a real, a real genuine question that I was thinking of when I was reading. It says it's released in 2016. So it's about 10 years, well, December, so nine and change. But, you know, we'll call it 10 years ago. Um, or well, this is, wait. Oh, 2017 is the novel here. Ah, whatever, whatever. It's about 10 years.

It's almost 10 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, give or take. Sure, sure. Um, well, that doesn't, that doesn't help my, my, my thoughts at all. You were hoping that, like, way back then it was still too fresh and like, oh, yeah, of course you got to expound on the night lords because we haven't really gotten much. No, no, no, not that, not that. More so, like, because, you know, a lot of the early, um, a lot of the early space marines books I feel like are more bolter porny, you know?

Ah. And, um, and I feel as if that was like, okay, or maybe, maybe it's not the early ones. Maybe it's like the late, um, or to mid 2010s. Because if I'm not mistaken like horse, horse heresy or horse rising and stuff like that, is actually not very bolter, bolter heavy at all. Um, I mean, actually, I think of a horse rising is pretty light on action of combat, you know. Um, and this one was like, now granted, I will.

give us some credit. It was a bit short. It was like eight and a half hour audio book, like a little under 300 pages or something like that. Mm-hmm. And so like it was a bit short, but I mean, I'm pretty much in full agreement with with you, Kirae. I have like shockingly little to say on this novel because it felt like, it felt like a setup novel. It felt like it was like, here is what the night lords are like. Here is what the Carcadons are like. Here are some interesting character design. Here are why they aren't like normal space marines. And they're actually. And they're actually. like, you know, a bit more, I don't say sadistic, but like, you know, a bit more that way. And then here is a lot of combat. And I'm pretty positive we have multiple times stated that in these books, the combat is always our least favorite parts. Yeah. And I mean, maybe they went into it with the idea that it was indeed going to be a set-up book because it's a four-book series now.

So maybe, maybe they fully went in with the intention of, well, let's just, let's just, set the saga up. I don't think that excuses it, but like, it might actually just be... Yeah. I wanted a, I wanted a bigger initial bite of like the actual chapter. Like, a lot of the stuff that, a lot of the stuff that is most interesting about the car car carotans, also in a weird way, doesn't translate all that well to them being front and center when it comes to, like, things like the they fight in total silence. And half the time when they're on their ship, they're not talking to each other,

or they're in spaces where you are not supposed to talk, you're supposed to be silent. Like the apothecary has got like a 100-year vow of silence going on, which are all really good concepts. But then when you're reading about them and you want to have some of those more interesting interactions, it limits how that can happen. But at the same time,

it's clearly a big part. of how they operate. So it's kind of like, oh, I'd love for them to have some sort of, well, I mean, they're not going to talk to each other because they're, okay, but how do I get a better feel for the character of the character can't say anything? And like, it's sort of that weird mix of, this is a great idea and I love it. If only there was a way to ignore it for exposition's sake just for a minute. But yeah, they're like, they're really cool moments where I forget what the guy's name is,

but they're like, well, what are they praying to? I forget if it's like an effigy or if it's like literally a dreadnought and you're supposed to be silent and that one guy is just like he's like, oh shit, I have memories of before I became a space rain and I'm not supposed to have memories. These are supposed to be gone and he's like kind of losing it and he kind of, I think he like starts growling and being really like kind of noisy and everybody just gives him like this like side eye look like he's like deranged and you're not supposed to be doing that in our holy place. And I'm like, okay, let's go. We're getting character development. And then they swap away.

And it's like, oh, man. We like space sharks. We just want them to focus more on space sharks. I just want more space sharks. Okay, this is a really, a really weird comparison. A really weird comparison. So please give me, so please give me a little bit of time on this one. Did you guys ever play watchdogs?

Yes. I think I've played the first one. The first one, yeah. Okay, okay, shy. Oh, you play both of them shy. This is very important to note. So Watch Dogs One is like the most middle of the pack thing ever made. You have like a little bit of interesting character development that's like a crumb and a genuinely okay gameplay concept and nothing else.

But Watch Dogs 2, I actually remember. really liking watchdogs too. I don't know if you agree with that statement or not, but I remember really liking it. And I was like, I felt it was super different than the first watchdogs. I felt like after I played watchdogs one, I was like, there is clearly something here. It just needs to be fleshed properly because I wasn't given enough.

And I was given too much of like hacker man's and I needed a little bit more of hacker man development. and it makes me wonder if if the second Carcadon's book gets substantially more more in depth with the characters because this felt like the setup chapter the major setup chapter

I mean hell I would almost even harken it to like Titanfall where the first game is just like a really fun gameplay loop but it's a bit of a proof of concept and then the second game like really refines it I had heard that the next books in the Carcarydon, um, whatever saga trilogy are actually quite good. And they are very,

very highly received. Um, when I was like looking up stuff on red tithe, it, there were, there were, we are not the only people with this opinion, right?

But it seemed like it was pretty universal that the next couple books are like, oh yeah, these are way better. These are like, way more of like what you want from like, Car Carcheridon's book. That's good because I really want to read the next ones, but I want to read them because I want more Carcadans,

and it felt like it just wasn't enough of them in that book. Like, things like, it's the other thing as well. This isn't just a problem with, like, Warhammer. This is just a problem with, I think, some, I mean, really any form of media where there's conflict between two notable characters, but it feels like it was over too quickly. So Bail Shah and Strike Leader Kahoo,

the guy is one of the Red Rath the Red Brother. Is it Red Brother Red Rath one of the two? Like he's got his squad of Terminators. He is like he's

he's the big man. He's a veteran. He is fully like this is what we should do. And he gets a little bit anti when Bail Shah suggests things that he doesn't like the idea of. Kobe he gets very anti.

Yeah. Well, I think it's also because they're pretty sure that Kahoo is taking orders from, what, Tiberius? And that Kahoo is like, no, like, I'll listen to you, but like, I'm not here under your orders, brother. I'm listening to a higher power. Yeah. But that conflict and that butting of heads was super interesting because it just introduces a whole other aspect of Baal Shah trying to come to terms with now being

company master and now having this huge responsibility of doing a red tithe. And then you've got this guy who is in a position of authority. who is like directly connected to the overall leader of this chapter who is like infamous for for being quite quite the uh quite the imposing figure but then they just like they just killed him off like yeah i was shocked when the red brethren got absolutely annihilated by some warp talons i mean this is like the The first time I'd seen... Yeah. This is the first time I've really seen like warp talons.

Yeah. Like I knew what they were, but I was like, wow, warp talons, warp talons are wrecking, uh, termies? Yeah. It was like, it's a very effective way to show how much of a threat, not just the night lords, but the warp talons are. Like, you know from that point. Oh, yeah, definitely.

Oh, when this lot show up to fight the guys in normal power armor, that's going to be an absolute bloodbath. What is going to happen? But in the process, they did, thing of taking someone who is powerful, not just like in terms of being a warrior, but also is powerful in terms of influence. And to prove how strong something is, taking away one of the problems that would have been more interesting to keep exploring. And I was kind of like, when they died, I was like, could you just not have survived a little bit just enough to be a

pain in the ass so we can get more characterization from Bail Shah and from him? Like that could have turned into a whole thing of, you know, like a different relationship being built up because of, you know, he made a decision. Kauai who decided we're going to do this. Beil Shah didn't really have the guts to rein him in. And as a result, everything went wrong. And it's like that would have been super interesting to keep pursuing. Oh, yeah. Because he's dead.

And now I'm like, oh, there was there was conflict there. And I was learning more about both of them through it. But now one of them's dead anyway. I mean, obviously that's also very war hammer, isn't it? but it's just especially 40K. He's a very powerful thing. Oh, it's dead now. Yeah.

It definitely felt like, oh, go ahead, Bricky. Well, no, it's like, that was one of those things. And it bugged me a lot. You know, you know how they, in a war compost said like, oh, yeah, Captain Akron and, and, um, uh, crap. I can't even remember the name. It's not Gadriel, the other guy. Um, I'm so bad with this today. Cairo.

My guy. Kyron, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I keep thinking it's Karon or like the, the boatman. Yes. But, yeah, Kyron. And they're just like, yeah, by the way, they die to Gene Stealers, right? And I remember, I remember, like, I think I had a reasonable crash out with that. And some people were like, well, people just die randomly in 40K all the time off screen. And I'm like, yeah, but they didn't have a whole game with them as like a major, like a major side character. Last survivor of Calth. I think he's the last survivor of Calth. He was just on Calth when he was a kid, yeah?

Wasn't he on Calth when he was a kid? I thought, yeah, he, something like that. I thought he was like a last year. It was a very good point. It didn't expand on it. It didn't expand on it. Anyway, regardless from that, it was a very strange, it was kind of a strange thing because, like, that's normal in the sense of like Warhammer just loves to kill stuff, but it doesn't make the narrative feeling of it any less, like, poor.

You know, like it's still, if you build something up like that, whether, like, it's not an excuse to be like, well, that's normal 40K. I'm like, no, no, no, you build something up like that. You want satisfaction. Like, you built it up and things like that kind of of somebody. It's actually ironic because you know what character I really liked that had like barely any screen time? I really like the dreadnought. He just, just kind of. Oh, yeah.

I like, I just really liked how he was just like, it's almost like he, he, like, killed enough heretics. And it's like, hmm, that's good stuff. And he just like goes back to bed. I don't know why, but for some reason, that just gave me a chuckle. I'm exactly the same when it comes like, especially, I did the exact same crash out when it came to Akron and Kairon, where I was just like, I know that's how it works. We know this is how it works. Just because we know how it works doesn't make it fun. Like it's not

There's so much that could have been Like it could have been Even a tabletop narrative campaign or a mission It could have been an introduction to the next game It could have been There's all sorts of things it could have been And just Oh yeah they're dead now

It's like okay Thematically very appropriate Was it an enjoyable read And did I gain anything out of it? No Okay Cool I guess we'll just move on And it's that sort of like

Instant And this plot is over now that is just a bit, it's just a bit lame. And the thing is you can kill like significant characters, that's totally fine. But it's, like how it's done is kind of important. Like, if you think about the word bearers on the bus, one of the main characters of that entire series dies. But it's, it's to the end. Like, he's all the way through, a scheming bastard. And then right at the end, he gets his comeuppance, and it shows he's not as powerful as he thought he was. which is a very fun way of doing exactly the same thing of wiping out someone with a reputation.

But the journey was more interesting and the resolution is more interesting because of that journey. Whereas when you get someone like Kahoo where it's just, this guy's an absolute legend and he's got terminators with him, and you're like, okay, wow, he's butting heads. Oh, he's gone. Yeah. There's not enough build. And so it's not as impactful. Like the shock values there, but I wasn't shocked because he died. I was shocked because Terminator's got instantly like wiped out and that was a scary moment for the Caradans as a whole.

But I wasn't like, oh, I feel really bad for this dude that I've had like three paragraphs off over the last 200 pages. It's just not enough, you know? I had this conversation with someone recently, but maybe it was, maybe it was us. Maybe we were talking to how? I don't remember, but we were chatting recently about how, um, about how, um, about how, that one guy in the Kivas-Kane book, the first one, like the reformed prisoner, sniper guy, was a genuinely really interesting character

that was kind of getting a bit of a redemption and then just kind of died at the end of the book. And we were like, oh, damn, man, like, that's unfortunate. I feel, I don't know, like, I got, I felt like I got edged. I feel like I got edged this book, you know? Like, like, I was like, okay, It would be the metaphor you'd go for. It would be the metaphor I go for.

Like, the Carcardons are interesting. They're space sharks in a lot of space sharky way. They're, they're brutal. They're brooding. They're, you know, I got like the ethnic influence. Nightlords are doing Nightlord things. Also. I like the idea of like an underground prison thing like that.

It's, I was like, oh, I was like, okay, all right, all right. I'm with this. I'm with this. And then it got to the stuff that I like the least. And that could certainly be a me problem. but I just, I don't like written combat. I just don't, I just don't like it. I like, I like conversations.

I like, uh, tension. And I don't normally get tension in a lot of the combat in, in most books. And so, I mean, I mean, I'll glaze it again. Lion's son of the forest has like three combat scenes in the whole book, novel. And I feel like they're written a lot better, minus the one with like the big warp beast. That one was kind of whatever. But I feel like the tension is stronger there, like less is more type things. So I don't know.

I just, I wonder if the second book is stronger because this felt like a lot of setup. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully. Hopefully. And I will say as well, like something that really makes the Cargaradans so fun and interesting is like the way they refer to different things. So when it comes to just the names they have for stuff and they're naming patterns,

it's it's still familiar but there is an air of mystery that I just I love that sort of thing so like the fact that the that um teaharani is that's probably not how I'm pronouncing that right is it that's fine tecahorangi yeah it's you're we got it yeah no one I didn't do the audio books so I'm just guessing but like him being known as the pale nomad I'm sorry that's just a great name. It sounds awesome. Also, they're going around in a nomad predation fleet. It's just the way they describe their stuff and the kind of like, what's it, what's it called? Is it like Lexicon? Like, just the way they refer to things and their chosen names, calling each other the Void Brother, all of that stuff. It's interesting and it's different and it, like it lends an air of

something that is almost familiar, but has clearly been detached from everywhere for so long that it's become its very own thing. And that's really, really fun. But then we get them in like bits of isolation. So we get bits of information. And it's sort of teased that it's like, oh, there's the, there's the, like you've got the forgotten one. And they've been put in exile and there's a nomad predation fleet.

And the pale note and all this stuff. And it's like, oh, this is great. And then by the end of the book, it's like, yeah, I wanted more of that. I just wanted more of all that stuff. And I feel like there was probably space for it, but they didn't off do a lot of, they shot down the corridor stuff instead. And I could have done with a bit less. They shot down the corridor.

Yeah, they don't even call him the emperor. They call him the void father Rangu. No, see, that's sick, though. It's so good. Yeah. That's sick as hell. Yeah. Yes, that's great. I want more of that.

I want more weird Carceron stuff. of because they've been in isolation for so long. Yes. I wonder if there's maybe a little bit more of a general feel where it's kind of like, hey, this stuff was like, this is the setup, this is the prep.

This is kind of getting this, because I'm pretty sure, call me wrong, but I'm pretty sure the, the Carcaryodons were first ever, like, noticed in the bad ab wars, was it?

Right? Like, like, that's when they were, I think they were referred to as a chapter prior to this in, small excerpts and then fleshed out in this book, I might be wrong. But with that, I do think that it's generally like, okay, this is fine, but maybe the future ones are going to be a little better. I don't know. I'm happy to read the future ones. If the two of you are down to read the sequel,

to kind of like see if that's the correct course they do take. I'm down. I want more space sharks. And I've heard that the next ones are really good. So like, I am at least down for the next. one. If we feel the same about the next one, then maybe we just, you know, for everybody's sanity, we don't continue. But I'm down to keep giving it a chance. It's kind of, it's, it feels like a very, like, funny position to be in where the, the main complaint with this book is that I didn't get enough of the guys that it was named for. Like, that seems like a really odd complaint to have about a story or like an overall plot where you kind of, at the end, the end of the end of it going, I mean, you know,

the story was, yeah, I feel like almost the first quarter of it felt like, yeah, I feel like almost like the first quarter of the book felt like an arbitrator's book, an Arbidi's book. And it's just, yeah, I just, give me the space charge. Admittedly, it does, it does make the whole thing of like, the way they just sort of hove into view all silent and creepy and out of the depths of space. It's kind of effective for that. but again at the same time

whilst it's effective it's still not giving me them it's giving the absence of them and the fact that they are like you know they literally like a shark they just appear out of nowhere which is a really cool concept but I still wanted more of

what they were after that happened and yeah I mean things like the chief librarian and his plan for getting a new librarian and it's square isn't it the little scrawneed human Yeah, Skel. Skel, that's it.

Like, I quite liked the fact that the entire time he's being borderline controlled to run away and protect himself. And it's all just the pale nomad from miles away being like, ah, idiot human. Also, there is one point where Bail Shah is like, he forgot on how pathetic and wretched humans are. Which I was like, Jesus Christ, dude, what the hell? Your ship's got normal humans on it. What's wrong with you? Can I just, who was it that, I don't, I, it might have been

Shadry, or it might have been Shar. They were like killing all the astropass and they, there was like this one old guy and he's like, oh, you should count your lucky stars. If you would, if you had gotten a message out through the astrapass before I killed them, oh brother, I would have needed to take revenge on you

and it would have been a slow death. But now you can thank me because your death is going to be real quick. And he like palms his skull and he's like, now thank me and the poor guy has to be like thank you and then just smushes his fucking head

I was like damn that's like that's okay all right I do like I do like how at the end the really kind of cowardly so to speak arbitrator just like

is alone Rannick yeah like you just kind of left there it's so hot I mean, I get that he's like supposed to be like, ah, the cowardly human type thing. But like, I don't know. Do you guys think Rick really deserved that?

I don't know if he did. No. I think Ranick got the absolute worst end of the deal, like fully traumatized straight off the bat by going up to a shit. And then. She just wanted to prove herself that she, like, she just wanted to be like, no, I deserve this position that I got, like, youngest whatever ever. Like, I'm just going to prove myself.

I'm going to go on this mission. with these veterans and we're going to do the damn thing. Unfortunately, the damn thing was the fucking night lords. Yep, yep. And also, I love that there were some peak night lord shenanigans, especially just allowing her to unload a shotgun into the power armor, just to prove that it was totally pointless. And the fact that afterwards, it's like, oh yeah, my plate's damaged.

Yeah, yeah, it is. But to be fair, you did prove that you didn't care about being shot. point blank range. So congratulations I get, you lunatic. That is the, I don't know, that, that's, that's just peak night lord for me, though. That's, that's 100% peak. Just being like, yeah, try it idiot. The fact that he didn't ricochet and hit her in the face is surprising you're me. I, I thought that maybe that was going to be foreshadowing for like, oh yeah, he was going to be locked in a death battle with Bail Shar, and he was going to be like, oh, shoot, his plate is damaged, rip, and like, you know, like, punch through it or something or, like, stab him with a

chain sword or, like, use a thunder hammer on him or something. And it was going to be like, aha, shouldn't have been so cocky, because now your plate's damaged and that's your weak spot, but that never actually happened. Oh, I think, I think for the most part, for the most part, I don't really have a whole lot to say, because I don't think there's a whole lot to say. Yeah, the, the Kerodons themselves are interesting. The nightlords are about as typical as nightlords get, which is unsurprising to me. There's some decent bits and parts and some of the development is okay, but past that. I don't know.

I'm hoping that the sequel will give me the characterization that I so desire. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Something, I will say something, it does, like when it comes to the overall story of it, like, it's fine. Something that does add to it is the little excerpts from the, from the Inquisitor. that's going to investigate Zartag after the fact.

Mm-hmm, going to all the spots they were just, they were just explaining in the story and seeing like the leftover stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I quite, I liked that. That was like a, that was a fun addition to it because it, again, sort of adds to the mystery side of the Carcaryans. It makes them that little bit more, like, ethereal and predatory because of the whole, like, well, we got here.

And there's a bunch of dead traitors, but everyone's gone. we don't know who killed them. There's no sign of anything. Yeah. Yeah. It's just, there's no one here. What the hell even happened? And then right at the end, they're being the thing of, well, it's been cleared now, so we're good to open the prison again.

And knowing that this is where they come back to take stuff, that's a very cool bit. But again, that just as to the characterization of the Carcadans overall, which is just what I think we just all wanted more of. Full stop all the way through. Yeah. Full stop. I also did kind of like that the night lords were just like, wow, they're just like us, except, God, they're just, they never speak. They're so quiet, it's creepy.

Like, even the night lords find them eerie. Yeah, that's very cool. But I like that. Well, let's hope that the next one is a little, uh, it's apparently versus tyrannids. So, uh, I would make the assumption that, that we maybe do get more characterization because we're not going to get characterization of the dearness. Yeah, I mean, you can't. That could be, that could be the case.

That could be the way of roles. Jeremy the Termigan. It'll be from the, it'll be from the P.O.B of one, one lone guardsman. Don't talk shit on the Termagant. How dare you. Don't talk shit on Jeremy. But, okay. All right.

All right. Well, let's, I mean, I, I mean, we can give it a score if you want. I'm very much like a, I guess, 6.5. kind of thing. I was going to say, I generously give it a six out of ten. Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm the same. It's literally like, these guys are so cool.

Why wasn't there extra? And that's like, I feel like this is, it's one of those things where almost by saying the book wasn't that great, it almost feels like suggesting that the actual, like, the chapter isn't great. But it's literally the opposite problem. they're far better than the book they're in. Yes, no, that that's absolutely what I would call it. Yes, the characterization is far better than the material that is in them.

Also, it should be noted, this is not an IGN, 6 out of 10. Therefore, it's not in the pits of hell. It is a far more, like, could have been better, but I'd say still a little bit, still more than the average 40K book. I mean, it's still better than every Salamander's book I've read. you know high bar it's no damnation of pythos

or whatever the hell that horacey one was it's way better than that yeah no this is I put it above a couple of the other ones I've run as far as it doesn't it doesn't quite do bolter stuff

as well as like Storm of Iron does IMO but it does that could just be because Iron Warriors are sick but it's uh I'd like to see the next one so I suppose we'll have the we'll have the next Carceron's book as our next

book club, yeah? To kind of see how it is? Yeah. The outer dark, right? All right, all right. See you in 25 years. See you for the 28th anniversary of Adrick, everyone. No, that'll be the next one.

Outer dark. All right. We'll see how it goes. And here's hoping. Fingers crossed, everyone. Oh, yeah. Also, Pee-B-Poooooo, shit fart, whatever my normal outroes go.

All right, bye. You know, I think you just ended after the, after the fingers crossed things. I don't... Shut up, D.K.