Double Eagle

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Pub Date 17 Sep 2019 | Archive Date 29 Sep 2019
Black Library | Games Workshop

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Description

The war on Enothis is almost lost. Chaos forces harry the defenders on land and in the skies. Can the ace pilots of the Phantine XX turn the tide and bring the Imperium victory? It takes the famous Sabbat Worlds Crusade to the skies, with fast-paced aeronautical action from Dan "Master of War" Abnett.

High-speed air combat in the war-torn Sabbat Worlds!

When the elite fighter pilots of the Phantine XX arrive on the beleaguered world of Enothis, they know this is a desperate hour. The forces of Chaos are closing in and their final push could well wipe out all human life on the planet. Thousands of refugees flee the dark armies and the infamous Chaos fighter pilot Khrel Kas Obarkon is always hunting the skies for more prey... And so it falls to the brave men and women of the Phantine fighter corps. Can they hold up the Chaos advance until reinforcements arrive? In the high-speed white-knuckle terror of aerial combat, can they defeat an enemy possessed by daemons?
The war on Enothis is almost lost. Chaos forces harry the defenders on land and in the skies. Can the ace pilots of the Phantine XX turn the tide and bring the Imperium victory? It takes the famous...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781784968878
PRICE US$16.00 (USD)
PAGES 432

Average rating from 8 members


Featured Reviews

With the upcoming and long awaited release of Top Gun 2 in cinemas what better book to read than double eagle which is more of a war in the air book than a warhammer tale, fast paced, good character development and lots of satisfying action, a thrilling read

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I received this book from NetGalley and Black Library for review.

Dan Abnett is the bee's knees of Warhammer 40k and his writing transcends the already awesome setting especially when it is the softer underbelly of the setting he gets to cover, that underbelly being the poor bog-standard non-augmented humans of the Imperium. Mr Abnett is hugely popular for his Imperial Guard centric Gaunts Ghosts(Double Eagle is a stand-alone spin-off) books but in Double Eagle, we shift focus to the Imperial pilots of the Phantine Air Corps in their grueling 'Battle of Britain' reminiscent air duels with Chaos.

The action is fast, the characters are colorful and gritty and inevitably you end up wanting more,

I hope they Black Library are returning the Phantine XX soon.

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This is a novel from 2004 (with a nice new cover) with a ton of existing reviews, so I can't add any value with another other than to say you'll probably like this if you like a lot of action from a gifted and prolific author.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

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Abnett is bang on form with his latest Sabbat Worlds novel. Tense, gripping and will have your pulse racing at the speed of a las round. Whether it's mid air dogfights or on the ground in the Ops room the pressure is constant and palpable. I've been a Warhammer fan since the days of Rogue Trader and it's not a universe i'm going to tire of any time soon.

Fantastic work

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Dan Abnett has done it again! I have been a huge fan of Warhammer novels, especially those by Dan Abnett, and this one does not disappoint.
If you’re a fan of Warhammer, love gritty action, with solid character development, look no further. This novel is for you!

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Dan Abnett's classic Aeronautica Imperialis novel returns with a gorgeous new cover!

For about a decade and a half, uber-talented author Dan Abnett has been churning out quality books for the Black Library (as well as quality work for other publishers as well). Abnett's work smashes the stereotype that tie-in fiction needs to be poor quality or produced by third-rate hack authors. Then again, if you are reading this and already aware of the basics of WH40K fiction, you already know all about Dan Abnett. If you are new to this stuff, acquaint yourself with Dan Abnett (Gaunt's Ghosts series, Eisenhorn and Ravenor series, Horus Heresy contributions, standalone works). Is Double Eagle a good starting point for reading Abnett, or WH40K fiction? I'm not sure. Is it still a enjoyable piece of military sci-fi? Yes, although don't expect any surprises.

One of the most interesting things about Double Eagle is that it does not fit squarely into any one specific WH40K series. It is not entirely a standalone novel, as it has ties to other series. It is not a Gaunt's Ghosts novel; as they do not feature in the story (save a name drop). However, the story takes place in the Sabbat Worlds, which coincide with a story arc in the Gaunt's Ghosts canon. It is also not an Imperial Guard novel, although the Phantine XX are indeed a Guard regiment (and quite an anomaly, since they are an air regiment which would fall under the Imperial Navy umbrella). Perhaps the best category to place Double Eagle, then, with its strong focus on air combat, is as the only Aeronautica Imperialis novel put out by Black Library.

The events of Double Eagle transpire on the war-torn planet of Enothis. As the bulk of the story unfolds, the Imperial ground forces have already taken a severe drubbing at the hands of an incredibly strong Chaos Force. As the land forces stage a retreat from Chaos-held territories, they re-focus their assault maneuvers to air strikes. A large air force is assembled from the remaining planetary wings (Commonwealth fighters), detachments from the Imperial Navy, and the aforementioned Phantine XX (Imperial Guard). While this is conceptually sound, the forces of the Imperium do not hold complete air superiority. The forces of chaos have a drastic numbers advantage, and are pushing their assault via massive carriers (land-born aircraft carriers). They also have a good number of aces, including one notorious, elusive killer that plagues the Imperial forces.

The main action of the book consists of various dogfights and bombing raid. The Chaos hordes increase the ferocity of their push, and the Imperials harry them as they find themselves becoming more and more cornered with each scrap. At the end, it is an all out Chaos onslaught versus the last remnants of the air defenses for the ultimate fate of Enothis. Fairly standard. The rest of the book deals with the cast of characters and their interaction. I would say it focuses on character development, but these are fairly stock character templates. Abnett's strength makes them enjoyable and engaging; yet it would've taken a miracle to make them unique. There are some interesting detours from the normal WH40K fare with regards to characters as well; Abnett gives us strong female Guard members (including Bree Jagdea, the Phantine leader who is that all-too-convenient mix of capable and caring). Also, there is the fledgling romance between two lost souls (the beyond war-weary Viltry and the widowed Beqa).

Abnett offers up an ensemble cast in Double Eagle, there is no clear-cut main protagonist. There is the already-mentioned Jagdea, Viltry, the bomber pilot who has seen too many crews lost, Marquall, the wannabe ace, Kaminsky, a former Commonwealth pilot sidelined by injury, and Darrow, a highly skilled Commonwealth cadet placed in Operations by an over-protective senior officer. The rest of the Phantine pilots round out the supporting cast. I do not even need to make a spoiler section to tell you that as the stakes are raised, the background players fade away first. Stevie Wonder could see most of the plot points coming.

Now, for the storytelling itself, there's a strong WWII feel to this story. It's strongly implied that the Battle of Britain was an inspirational basis for the narrative. And therefore, the book has one of those old-timey WWII movie feels. But, like other 40K books that tap into the vein of a historic conflict (Fifteen Hours and WWI, Imperial Glory and the Zulu conflict), there are times where you might forget you are reading about an intergalactic story in the 40th Millennium. Ergo, when I am supposed to be imagining brutal dogfights between muscular Thunderbolts and sleek, vector-flight capable Chaos Hell talons, I am drawing a mental image of RAF and Luftwaffe fighters and the rat-a-tat-tat of machine guns (not lasguns and quadcannons). And no, I am not narrow-minded, nor has my imagination atrophied. And this happened fairly often throughout the book. Luckily, it never descends into a tiresome read.

Okay, so with cookie cutter characters and a fairly episodic storyline, will the action save Double Eagle? Now there, we have a definite yes. This book would've been a total failure if Abnett didn't deliver on the air combat. And I have to say, he succeeded in portraying something that I would assume is fairly hard to put into words. You feel the chaotic claustrophobia of the cockpit, the banks, the turns, the G-forces, the fear of an enemy on your tail, and the frustration of a target getting away. The terminology and jargon seems legit, so it is either spot-on or completely convincing malarkey. Well-played either way.

Will 40K fans like this book? Well, if you swear by anything Abnett, that's a no-brainer. If you can really enjoy Imperial Guard novels, then yes. I know I do. But there are no Astartes (Space Marines) here. None at all. And the baddies are, as mentioned, Chaos minions (including a nice appearance by the Blood Pact). But, that's it. No Chaos Space Marines, No orks, eldar, or tau. If any of that is an issue, consider yourselves warned.

Will this work as a standalone for the uninitiated? I think it can. I am not up to the Sabbat Worlds arc of the Gaunt's Ghosts storyline, so I had to read up on the Blood Pact. I had to do some image searching for good pics of the planes involved. There's a Thunderbolt on the cover, but a lay reader might be lost for a good idea of what the other craft look like. Will it even be worth their time to search? I can't guarantee the payoff will be worth it for everyone.

Here's what it is:
The Black Library's sole Aeronautica Imperialis venture is an entertaining romp, with enjoyable, yet completely forgettable characters, and solid depictions of air combat. Another satisfactory outing for Abnett.

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DOUBLE EAGLE / AUTHOR: DAN ABLETT / PUBLISHER: BLACK LIBRARY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

With the re-release of the air combat game Aeronautica Imperialis, it should come as no surprise that Games Workshop's novel factory, The Black Library, have also re-released Double Eagle, the only Warhammer 40,000 novel that deals exclusively with the Imperial Navy fighter pilots. Or to put it another way, Double Eagle is Top Gun, but set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Set during the Sabbat World’s Crusade, we follow the adventures of the Phatine Air Corps, a regiment of soldiers dedicated to supporting the ground troops of the Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard). They’re a typically odd bunch; hailing from a world rich in fuel and pollution, with a population who lives above the cloud-line because the ground is toxic hell hole. They’re a planet full of pilots who have been thrust in a massive interstellar war.

The action takes place on Enothis, a world critical to the war effort. The hellish forces of chaos have superior vehicles and supernatural might on their side. All our plucky pilots have are their faith and an awful lot of pluck. The various aces are engaging and quite familiar. For example, Vander Marquall is your typical vain but talented pilot who lets his lack of confidence get the better of him, and August Kaminsky is the wise old mentor type. Other characters include the caring but tough widow, the talented cadet who’s being held back because of their family and the pilot who’s “seen to much bloodshed.” Though the cast are mostly a pick and mix selection from any World War Two-inspired RAF drama, that doesn’t mean it’s not fun.

This is a Dan Abnett book, so it’s filled with well written ‘soap-style’ personal drama and amazing action scenes. Dan is a cinematic writer and each bit of aerial combat is a joy to read. You get a real feel for what it’s like to strap into an ancient (but super-advanced) plane and take on impossible odds. Because the book has such a broad cast of characters, you’re never entirely sure who’s going to make it to the end and this makes it all the more thrilling. Abnett wants you to care about each las-bolt and bullet hole and keeps you reading to the end.

It’s an interesting twist on the usual Warhammer fare, as most of the books focus on super-humans. Double Eagle is much more down to Earth, despite being set in the sky. Dogfighting fun and a perfect choice for a thrilling holiday read.

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