"The Big ..." is a naming convention for heist stories. In this case, the object of theft happens to be a big dakka. Too clever for yous.

Bricky: Horus is MID he got NO lore. -Proceeds to read Horus Rising. -gets into the rabbit hole and reads False gods and Galaxy in flames. - Cries to guts theme song.

This book left me wanting for a full-length Drukhari romcom.

So I feel like you guys missed the subtext of Ulfthak's opening chapter. He's being setup to fail by the Tech-Wagh Warboss. They are a tech-based warband but were sent to an Exodite World where there is no technology to speak of. Ulfthak is an up and coming boss and the Big Boss of the Waaagh is being a bit cunning and looking to chop off this latest upstart. Chasing the Drukhari into the Webway is a desperate gamble for Ulfthak because if he doesn't come back with some good Loot he is in deep trouble.

To answer "do orks get smarter as they get bigger?" That's exactly what krorks are! Orks didn't devolve from fighting for tens of thousands of years, they devolved because the War in Heaven was the most intense fight ever and nothing's matched that. The Great Crusade was intense enough to produce a handful of krorks, starting the War of the Beast.

I think the reason the Drukhari and Orks play so well together is they both show that degredation of culture that is the corner stone of 40k lore, only instead of humans its the original War in Heaven species. Specifically it shows how they each the two group arguably most changed since their inception have handled said change. The Orks seems to have found peace (in so many words) with themselves through the desire for fighting, while the Drukhari are just fearful and hate themselves but won't admit it to anyone out of misplaced pride.

The Crimson Fist scene was so fuckin hype, man.

Horus Rising next lettss goooo- "I was there, the day the Horus killed the Emperor"

The space marine was 100% a crimson fist. Which makes even more sense why he wouldn't reason with him as Crimson Fists HATE orks.

You say Blood Meridian isn't a 40K book but you can't convince me that the Judge isn't a Night Lord temporally displaced by Warp shenanigans.

I liked the grot part, feels like they are giving the grots a chance to shine like the goblins do occasionally in fantasy

Dunno what you mean about the romance coming out of nowhere. They’d been drip feeding us romance tropes from the start but immediately burying it under Drukhari paranoia.

This book has the best line I’ve ever read in any book. “Even Humies made sense in their own way. They’re alot like orks just really really bad at it.”

Genuinely surprised you didn’t get the dark eldar romance. It was so clearly telegraphed. Right from the first time the two arkons fight together and save each other’s lives. And the male one (can’t remember his name) kept staring at dianera.

i'm surprised you didn't see the romance coming, that shit was the telegraphed thing in the whole, knew it would happen from their first scene together

I’m 90% sure da Beaky was a Crimson Fist. It would explain why he was less than inclined to hear out our boy, not that humies need a why, as that chapter were almost annihilated by an Ork WAAGH and hold a special grudge against the green skins.

Dhaemira and the other Archon love story was so cute for how short it was!

Can’t wait for Bricky to get life long trauma from Blood Meridian lmao

I fricken LOVE the grots, Snaggy is a fantastic character, so far I have loved both iterations of Snaggy rising to "power" only to instantly lose it and have to start over. The running gag will be a cool supprise once he finally keeps hold of the power, though I hope it doesnt happen for like 4 more books.

They could have named it Da Grate Eskape.

Little tooth’s plot line is just Oedipus’ with a little more stabbing.

I was expecting snaggy and the grotts to break off into their own faction in Cammoragh and become like a Cammoragh gang

So, Mike Brooks already has a grot revolution short story "Da Gobbo's Revenge" (Which has sequels "Da Gobbo's Demise" and "Da Gobbo Rides Again" by other authors).

You did Lion: Son of the Forest, then said you we're either gonna continue Eisenhorn, Horus Rising or one of the two Fulgrim books. Horus Rising and Malleus (2nd Eisenhorn book) we're 2 of the most hype book choices you could have made besides continuing the Cain series, and out of nowhere you did 2 Ork books instead. I think you guys might wanna make a list of all the books you've done and are planning to do, just so you can keep track.

DK Orks do indeed enjoy traveling through the warp because they can occasionally get a fight on the trip.

Shy need to bring back little Bricky goblin every time podcast talk about Greenskins.

Blood Meridian is astounding and disturbingly true

50:58 I'd love to be a part of the conversation for Horus Rising. It's my favorite Heresy book and just epitomizes the genuine peak that everything falls from once the Heresy begins in full swing. Gods sometimes I wish I had the following and reach for this request to be considered.

I’m almost positive that “Da Big Dakka” is a reference to New York’s nickname The Big Apple, which in turn is referring to the city planet of Commaragh.

Ork main here: I loved the book! The orks were fun, the Gretchen were hilarious, and the drukhari were surprisingly compelling. Biggest breaker of disbelief for me here was Ufthak’s intelligence, which I get is due to him evolving into a warboss but he seems almost as smart as Ghaz in this, the prophet himself. For me it goes: 1: big dakka 2: warboss 3: brutal Kunnin But I love them all!

Dark eldar murder sex... Just another Tuesday. The attraction when fighting, not that big a deal and when you think about how the eldar feel something It over whelms them.

Emphasizing the fact that nobody is born evil in a setting where EVERYBODY is evil is so fucking good

Personal note on non Ork parts. I’m yet to read this book. But after reading Warboss, I was genuinely impressed on how author managed to show A LOT of respect and depth to Aeldari in short two chapters. And after hearing your discussion, I’m even more looking forward to other Brooks books specifically for other WH factions.

I sense Shy in these comments, arguing with people and bullying all the Little Guys in the comments

When Bricky stopped DK with Shy's "what I hate" (Fucking Grots!) I thought he's gonna go for gachimuchi memes. And I am actually disappointed he didn't go full FUCKING GROOOOTS, *GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!*

Just to throw my bias out there, I was a Lelith simp before I even knew her name...... Remember this is the woman who first literally told Yvraine where she could stick it and then showed her, who later went. "If you will save my species, my blade is yours." For an evil B@#$F, that's quite noble. I was going to buy this book the moment you showed me that it exists.

If you want more dark eldar books the path of the dark eldar trilogy is a very good place to go, loads of interesting very different characters, that give you all kinds of view of who the drukhari are, is a fun read.

Listening to "The Maniac Horde" while reading the ork sections of the book feels like it's essential.

The best part of the KZfaq version is how it gives more voice to Shy. "I think it would be amusing to watch them all die" was hilarious! 🤣

Oh very excited to see what's up with horus rising.

>chortles< Big Dakka Enajee

SKAVEN WHEN PLS I NEED MY LITTLE RAT BOYS

Im with Bricky on this one. I actually like Da Big Dakka over Brutal Kunnin but only because the Ad Mech stuff weighed it down.

Would love to see a return to the gaunts ghosts series at some point. Especially because the next one is ghostmaker, which goes into the history of the ghosts and explores many of the individual stories and characters of the major players

not terminally british GLORIOUSLY birtish and as undying as the english empire

Vulkan Lives! I got a theory, and this seems like a good place to vet it out. I think Vulkan will be the next primarch to return. He will be the warboss of an ork warban. After falling into the Warg energy with the beast, his mind melded with it and was reborn as a half ork, half man primarch. He is struggling with the ork mind saying "smash the punny git" and primarch mind saying "protect those who cannot protect themselves, for together we are strong" . Imagine orks in power armor made by Vulkan.

If I were to recommend a future book, Silent Hunters was a fun read. Big dakka reminded me of that one and thought it’d make for a good book club read.

I really want Vect to be a Lord Venturi clone. I mean, it may not work, but it'd be hilarious if pulled off correctly.

As a Drukhari book it’s still not at the level of Path of the Drukhari…as a book about how weird and dramatic Eldar can be through the eyes of another faction it’s top class. If they release another Drukhari book after the Lelith one we really need a book on Valossian Sythrac (those who know, know) dudes due a model too tbf

Maybe “Da Big Dakka” was actually thought. Like the thing that lets Ulfthak really win is the fact that he gets smarter. So that’s as good of an explanation as any for the name I feel.

The only real problem is that this book isn't "Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!" which is 10/10 IMO. Not only with the greenskins, but the Inquisition and also how incredibly inhuman Space Marines are. Also, that book literally made me cry a bit. Such excellence.

I’d say at some point, you should check out “Lukas the Trickster” it’s an amusing look into the space wolves from their resident master of shitfuckery. It isn’t a story of his wildest exploits (like dropping a tax delegation into a grox pen while they were in mating season) but it’s a pivotal story for a space wolf named character I think you guys would have a LOT of fun learning about.

This book supports what I always assumed, that the Krorks didn't devolve into orks because of infighting, but because the war in heaven was the biggest fight in history z and when it ended there just wasn't enough violence on the galaxy to sustain their forms

Judge Holden from Blood Meridian is darker than 40k..... almost

Another book that I really loved was Catachan Devil, lot's or Ork Kommando's vs Catachan, awesome read for those that like blood axes

No fvcking way. Just started horus rising last week. Id call it a sign

Please please please do one of these for Mike’s next book on Leilth and the Ynnari! It’s my dream book and somthing I’ve been waiting on for year!!!!

I genuinely thonk that this book was about getting Ulftak in a place of power so that you can make an ork complex enough to carry a solo book. I think that Ulftak and Da Genrul will go at it in the next book (he's already smart enough to make it work)

I wonder if there are any Harlequin centric books. I am curious as to how they operate.

If I may make a suggestion for future book clubs, if you'd like a faction that doesn't underestimate the orks, Outgunned by Denny Flowers is a pretty good Astra Aeronautica book about a propagandist following a fighter pilot in an air war against an ork warband, I'd revommend it

If you like Dark Eldar stuff I'd recommend the charcaradon's book Silent Hunters by Edoardo Albert. There is also a great ork vs catachan book called Catachan Devil by Justin Woolley

It kind of sounds like the Big Daka should have been why they even got into Commorragh in the first place, chasing after it and then escaping cause they finally got it

Didn't Lelith bugger off with the Ynnari? Helsreach is pretty good.

30:30 "He was greatly inconvenienced and indisposed for an annoying amount of time."

Oh DK... it wasnt 12 inches of Venom. It was 19 X3.

Just discovered your book reviews guys, and they're great! Realy great discussion and fun hosts! However...there are some big misses on your reviews so far! Here is a list of great books for you to put on the 'to read' list ... Titanic / Double Eagle - Dan Abnett. Fantastic Stand Alone DA books. The Emperor’s Gift - Underappreciated ADB book, but one of his best. Lord of the Night - Simon Spurrier. Nightlords before ADB. Fire Caste - Peter Fehervari, closest BL has to a cult author, and a mature book. Daemon World - Ben Counter, weird and wonderful. The Masque of Vyle - Andy Chambers. Great contained short story from one of the architects of modern 40k. Carrion Throne - Chris Wraight detective book on Holy Terra. Riders of the Dead - Dan Abnett. Great stand alone Abnett set in Warhammer Fantasy Drachenfels - One of the earliest GW books ever written, and still a classic. Looking forward to what is coming next!

Prophets of the WAAAGH stories is still my favorite Ork book. Even if they are way too short. 22:48 Oy! Prophets of the waaagh got that.

OK, if you talk about Horus Rising, please bring up the heresy conversation. It's such a small thing, but it's so interesting to me in the first book of a series called the Horus Heresy.

Valerya (the homeland of the Targerians) and Commoragh have a lot of similarities when you think about it

This book was downright philosophical. On both parts of the Orks and in comparison, the Drukhari

Surprised you guys didn't notice the romance earlier. It started off pretty soon in the book.

I loved it all the Drukari stuff was so good and i even liked the grott stuff didnt love it but liked it and i already done Horus Rising so a free 3 months for me

I don't wanna be that guy but that dark aldar lady is dead. Just as ufthak left a whole bunch of demons showed up up and the book made it clear that if demons show up then everyone there will die . Either by demon hands or other dark aldar hands . She is screwed

A grot revolution book would be a great way to bring in Plastic Grot tanks and mega grot tanks.

Honestly, I wish that they had replaced most of the grot parts with bits Da Boffin doing weird ork mech stuff. I really like Mike Brooks and his grot stories, but I think they really missed an opportunity to have the ork mech shine

Snaggi is great in his short story “packin heat”, which is in between warboss and da big dakka. But he didn’t need so much screen time in this

Bricky's and DK's minds are going to be turned upside down if they ever get to talking about the War of the Beast.

How long has DK had cat paws for legs?

The only thing that snaggy contributes to the overall nerrative is that he came up with the idea on how to find Ufthak once he was captured. Which plays into that whole part of the great green prophecy from warboss and how "the gods speak to me". The issue is that is the buffen and nisquick could have just been written to find that out themselves and then we could cut out those 5 grot chapters.

I really want you guys to read hellsreach as it too is an ork book, but it’s an ork book from an entirely human perspective, it is such a contrast from the mike brooks ork books that I don’t think you’ll ever see orks the same again

I love orks but thought brutal kunnin was at most maybe a 6/10. Interesting to see yalls take on this one

35:30 Passion is passion. If you hate someone that implies you spend time thinking about them, through this both love and lust can sprout..... There is an entire movie entitled "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate:" At a base level hatred implies you value their input, even if it is there to sideline or end you, the respect remains.

Is much as I wanna keep up with book club stuff, I just can't so hearing these kinda reviews is nice lol. However I will say the reason I can't keep up is cause they got me into the Ciaphas Cain series and I haven't stopped since I started that lol

SPACE!!!

37:40 ..................Or they just kill you.

Yes yes yes horus rising, i can't wait

Check out the Path of the Dark Eldar trilogy. It has an Incubus as a main character.

If you guys want to check out an amazing Drukhari book check out “Lukas the Trickster” it’s a epic tale of space wolf and Drukhari back and forth. Really good highly recommend! And the audio reading is really great too!

I found hilarious that once he got smarter the diction and the writing actually got better.

Horus Rising is pretty damn good.

Im fine with Horus Rising. By far my favorite Heresy first.

If you want the biggest mix up on an ork story helsreach has you covered The green tide has not been done better since that book

Heh, DK wanting a special edition black library book. First time kid?

10:30 Well make up your mind, Bricky. Do they sound human or British?

As someone who skipped this month but doesnt wanna get everything spoiled just yet its really hard to find next months book in here :( Would be cool if that could somehow be in a comment or description q.q Had this issue in the past as well plssss

There are a few things that was unnecessary in the book, and other things that felt semi forced in cuss the Writer is Mike Brooks. He has the tendency to include current day speak in his books. (Dude literally made a insert Sargon of Akkad in one of the books 😅)

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!!!!!

I believe that the older the ork get the smarter they get, a lot of orks just get smarter when they grow because the bigger you get the likelihood you survive, we've seen orks that aren't really big as other war bosses but more intelligent than them example are badruck, zodgrod and even tuska these orks aren't really that big but they're considerably smarter than other big orks

Please don’t shorten Horus heresy to Horusey it sounds too close to Horussy

i feel you may have had this recommendation already, listen to The Legend of Kronan Da Kunnin by Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer. Way better than anything out of the Black Library.