Dark Imperium

Dark Imperium by Guy Haley is a Warhammer 40K novel set after the cataclysmic events of 8th Edition, released to accompany the launch of the Dark Imperium boxed set. A gigantic warp storm has torn the galaxy in half, plunging half of the Imperium into anarchy, but in this darkest hour a primarch has arisen from near-death to lead a new brand of Space Marines in defense of humanity...Roboute Guilliman has returned.

That grand introduction I just did is a bit misleading, because it doesn't capture the spirit of Dark Imperium. Haley's novel, the first to chronicle any of the events unfolding in this brave new 8th-ed galaxy, doesn't have a grandiose, overly-dramatic story arc. Its pages aren't clotted with the viscera of battle scenes, and the chapters don't grind out the same drumbeat of endless war we've heard a thousand times before. Haley has written a much smarter novel than that.

The new status-quo introduced in the 8th edition of Warhammer 40K simply cannot be encompassed by a single novel. What Haley has achieved is a book that gives readers a sense of the broader picture without collapsing beneath its weight. Set mainly in Ultramar, Dark Imperium brings the Indomitus Crusade to a close as Guilliman hurries home to combat the threat of Mortarion, providing varied insights into the changing Imperium along the way. By sticking to this loose narrative Haley is able to explore many rewarding aspects of the new setting, from the dissolution of the Primaris Space Marines into their parent chapters to the clash between Guilliman's 30K mindset and the grim darkness of the far future. He handles the primarch himself with aplomb, crafting a nuanced version of Guilliman whose struggles against the immense difficulties of his new position humanise him in a way I haven't seen before. His dislike of Cato Sicarius is the icing on the cake.

Dark Imperium lacks a singular antagonist; while Mortarion makes an appearance he never confronts Guilliman. Instead, the power of Nurgle itself is made the enemy, literally manifesting through a subplot that plays out in a hospital on Iax. The human soldiers convalescing there provide a counterpoint to Guilliman's rarefied perspective, anchoring part of the story in human experiences. Introducing Nurgle as an insidious threat that builds to breaking point was a masterstroke, and the panoply of horror that results is as glorious to read as it is repulsive. I expected Guilliman to come to Iax's rescue and therefore tie the main strands of the story together, but that isn't the story Guy Haley has written. Dark Imperium is an introduction, and the big picture matters more than narrative structure.

It isn't often that a novel subverts my expectations in a good way, but Dark Imperium did. It is a collection of different elements that together tell a story that was needed rather than one that was expected. It is both a continuation of all that has come before and the stepping off point for a whole new paradigm, and I cannot think of anything that embodies the spirit of 8th edition more than that.    

The Reading Pile

Hi gang, here's an update on my Black Library reading pile! From top to bottom I have:

Lorgar: Bearer of the Word, book five in the Primarchs series. I have finished reading this one and moved on to...

Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix. I will be reviewing this one not just for the blog but also as part of a monthly book review event put together by the manager of my local Warhammer store. Keep an eye out for the link!

Moving out of 30K and into Warhammer Fantasy, I have The Rise of Nagash by Mike Lee and The Vampire Wars by Steven Saville. These are both part of the fantastic Warhammer Chronicles range, which collects classic series from Warhammer Fantasy into big, sexy omnibuses. I am thoroughly enjoying Rise of Nagash and have just started its second book, Nagash Unbroken. Once I am done with the history of the Tomb Kings I will turn my attention to the Vampires, giving myself a thorough education in the history of the Undead before jumping into...

Lords of the Dead, the first omnibus in the End Times series. The End Times chronicles nothing less than the fall and destruction of the Old World, the cataclysmic event that ended Games Workshop's oldest setting and cleared the stage for Age of Sigmar. Lords of the Dead is followed by Doom of the Elves, but before I read that I will be getting my hands on The Sundering, another Warhammer Chronicles omnibus to be released in February that covers the most formative event in Elven history, the split that created the High Elves and Dark Elves.

Lastly I have Ghost Warrior by Gav Thorpe. I prefer 30K to 40K as a rule, but the events of 8th Edition have shaken up the setting in new and fascinating ways and I am intrigued by the new Ynnari faction that Ghost Warrior is all about. Not sure when I'll be getting around to this one, but you can be sure you'll get a review when I do! 

That's all for now. I've got a whole swathe of reviews waiting in the pipeline, so check back soon!

Looking to the Future

Hi all!

It's been a long journey, but just over two years since I began this blog I have reached my long-awaited milestone of catching up with the published Horus Heresy. For much of the time it was two steps forward, one step back as Heresy novels continued to be published, but with my review of Old Earth posted there are no novels left that I have yet to read and discuss. Thank you to my small group of anonymous followers, wherever you are, for giving me hope and a reason to continue by bumping up those page views. I'd love to hear from you guys, so feel free to leave a comment and I will certainly reply.

Where to now, you ask? Well, I can't think of a better time to announce an expansion of the blog. For the last two years I have restricted The Heresy Reviewed to reviews of the Horus Heresy series, but with the advent of 8th Edition this year the Warhammer universe has never been more exciting and from now on I will be including reviews of novels from Warhammer Fantasy, Horus Heresy: The Primarchs and Warhammer 40K. I already have a review of Guy Haley's Dark Imperium ready to go and there are other novels waiting in the wings.

One of the developments I am most excited about is the new series Horus Heresy: The Primarchs. This series of eighteen planned novellas explores each of the primarchs in turn through stories set during the Great Cruade and earlier, providing us with new insights into their character and history. Six out of the eighteen novellas have been published so far, and I will be presenting double reviews until I catch up with this series as well. Additionally, I will be ranking these novellas as I go to determine which of the eighteen I enjoyed the most, adjusting the leaderboard with each new publication.

Lastly, the final new feature I will be adding to the blog is previews of upcoming releases. Each month Black Library publishes several new titles and I will be keeping you up to date on which ones I will be reading and reviewing.

Thanks again, and happy reading!

RG   

Old Earth

Old Earth by Nick Kyme is the forty-seventh installment in the Horus Heresy series. The conclusion of Kyme's Salamanders trilogy within the series, it follows Vulkan's journey to Terra and the culmination of Shadrak Meduson's war against the Sons of Horus.

When I first heard that Nick Kyme's Salamanders-focused Heresy narrative was going to comprise a trilogy, I had my doubts. After all, Vulkan Lives was a dark mess whose few good moments couldn't redeem it. Deathfire lifted my expectations by telling an engaging story with relatively few bumps, but final judgement had to wait until the trilogy was complete. Reading Old Earth has given me the chance not just to judge the book on its own merits, but to reflect on Kyme's trilogy as a whole and how it fits into the wider series.

Old Earth itself is a very good novel, the best of Kyme's three. Vulkan's journey to Terra provides a strong central narrative that forms the bones of the story, but by itself it would not be beefy enough to carry a novel. The flesh of Old Earth is provided by Shadrak Meduson's Shattered Legions and their war against Tybalt Marr's Sons of Horus. Meduson is given as much page space as Vulkan for the first three-quarters of the book, the war narrative separated into three battles which escalate in size and importance. Meduson himself is a welcome presence after so long lurking in the shadows, but the Shattered Legions' secret weapon is the Iron Hand Lumak and his Salamander buddy Nuros, whose strong friendship and banter over naming Lumak's sword is the emotional heart of the novel. Kyme was handed a lot of good material by the Shattered Legions anthology, but he does a good job of building it up into a plot with consequence and gravitas.

Old Earth would have been good anyway had it just told the stories of Vulkan and Meduson, but Kyme also wraps up the subplots involving Eldrad Ulthran, the Cabal, Barthusa Narek and several of the Perpetuals that he has folded into his trilogy. Eldrad killing his way through the Cabal was deeply satisfying to read, and Kyme either ends or sets up the final chapter in the stories of each character. By the end of the novel he has completed two major plot arcs and moved several characters into their positions for the endgame, making Old Earth a successful exercise in advancing the series as well as an excellent story.

For these reasons, Kyme's Salamanders Heresy trilogy can be labelled a success. There have been some long stretches where the writing quality was uneven and overall there is too much ambiguity and not enough description for my taste, but the story told was a worthy one and Old Earth brings the cycle of the Salamanders to a very satisfying conclusion. It is both the capstone of Kyme's Heresy endeavour and the installment that proves it was worth undertaking. My doubts were assuaged, and I have no regrets.       

Legacies of Betrayal

Legacies of Betrayal is the thirty-first installment in the Horus Heresy series. An anthology, it presents eighteen short stories previously published in other formats along with the novella Brotherhood of the Storm.

Serpent by John French involves a a group of Davinite priests massacring another group of Chaos worshipers.

Hunter's Moon by Guy Haley reveals the fate of the Space Wolves pack sent to watch Alpharius through a tale told by the lone survivor of the incident.

Veritas Ferrum by David Annandale describes the actions of the eponymous Iron Hands vessel during the space battle above Isstvan V.

Riven by John French tells the story of Crius, an Iron Hand from the Crusader Host who is released from his duties to gather loyalist reinforcements and unearths his legion's darkest secret.

Strike and Fade by Guy Haley follows a small group of Salamanders survivors on Isstvan V as they lay an ambush for some Night Lords.

Honour to the Dead by Gav Thorpe follows the loyalist Legio Presaegius as they fight traitor Titans during the Battle of Calth.

Butcher's Nails by Aaron Dembski-Bowden sees tensions arise between the Word Bearers and World Eaters at the outset of the Shadow Crusade that must be put aside when Eldar attack.

Warmaster by John French is a monologue by Horus as he discusses the nature of his allies with the skull of Ferrus Manus.

Kryptos by Graham McNeill follows Nykona Sharrowkyn of the Raven Guard and Sabik Wayland of the Iron Hands as they infiltrate a Dark Mechanicum forge to steal a vital piece of tech.

Wolf's Claw by Chris Wraight tells of how Bjorn One-Handed came by the power claws that earned him the name Fell-Handed.

Thief of Revelations by Graham McNeill follows Ahriman's efforts to understand the flesh-change and seek the intervention of Magnus, who takes him on a soul-flight to investigate the current state of the war.

The Divine Word by Gav Thorpe follows Therion Cohort praefector Marcus Valerius as he prosecutes a war alongside the Raven Guard and takes his first steps toward embracing the Lectitio Divinitatus as a result of his prophetic dreams.

Lucius: The Eternal Blademaster by Graham McNeill continues Lucius's story as he leaves his legion behind to seek out a duel with the famous Thousand Sons swordsman Sanakht on the Planet of the Sorcerers.

Kharn: The Eightfold Path by Anthony Reynolds shows Kharn fighting in his legion's gladiator pits and succumbing to the butcher's nails as a result of daemon-Angron's influence.

Cypher: Guardian of Order by Gav Thorpe follows Zahariel and Cypher of the Dark Angels on Caliban as the investigate the re-emerging supernatural disturbances beneath the Northwilds.

Heart of the Conqueror by Aaron Dembski-Bowden depicts the decision of the Conqueror's loyalist Navigator to take her own life to thwart her traitorous legion.

Censure by Nick Kyme follows Aeonid Thiel as he struggles to adapt to the Underworld War on Calth, rescuing his comrades with the help of a human auxiliary after an attack by Kurtha Sedd.

Bjorn: Lone Wolf by Chris Wraight depicts Bjorn battling daemons alongside his brothers and slaying an enemy champion.         

Ruinstorm

Ruinstorm by David Annandale is the forty-sixth installment in the Horus Heresy series. The conclusion of the Imperium Secundus arc, it follows the Ultramarines, Blood Angels and Dark Angels as they navigate the Ruinstorm on their way to Terra.

Ruinstorm has redeemed David Annandale in my eyes. There are a number of factors working in this book's favour and they combine to make it a thrilling, page-turning ride that shows us what Annandale can do when he gives himself good material.

From the start the plot of Ruinstorm benefits from a powerful motive force; the inner drive of the primarchs Sanguinius, Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson to reach Terra launches the story into action and their distinct perspectives allow Annandale to maintain the pace by switching back and forth between them, meaning we never have to stop for contemplation or the traditional mid-part dip of the three-act structure. Ruinstorm doesn't linger unnecessarily either; at a bit over 300 pages it is significantly shorter than most other Heresy novels but still has time to conclude everything before the end.

Annandale's unique take on the grimdark pervades Ruinstorm just as it did The Damnation of Pythos, but here it benefits the story rather than bogging it down. Set right at the end of the Heresy, Ruinstorm shows us just how thoroughly prolonged exposure to the Warp has altered the galaxy within the Ruinstorm, providing suitably massive obstacles for the three mighty protagonists to overcome. Given the poor reception Damnation received I hoped that Annandale would wash his hands of it, but to his credit he has stuck to at least some of his guns and brings Madail back as the novel's main antagonist, this time showing it at its full power as a terrifying, space-faring high priest of the Chaos Gods capably of mutating worlds with its mere presence. Madail is a superb villain, and his defeat is all the more satisfying for it.

Ruinstorm is an excellent addition to the Heresy. It shows how the three legions of the Imperium Secundus reached Terra and reveals why only one of them was present at the Siege, but it is worth reading just on its own merits. We have read David Annandale at his worst, but now finally we can read him at his best.
  

Tallarn

Tallarn by John French is the forty-fifth installment in the Horus Heresy series. An anthology, it gathers together all four of French's Tallarn stories to provide an overview of the Battle of Tallarn.

Tallarn is a somewhat unusual anthology. Written entirely by one author with specific subject matter, it is much more focused than a typical anthology, but unlike the similarly assembled Corax, Tallarn does not tell a linear story. Instead it provides a mosaic-like view of the Battle of Tallarn, each narrative filling in some of the missing information until the overall picture becomes clear. This approach must have sounded good in theory, but in practice it makes for a somewhat dull reading experience.

Tallarn opens with Tallarn: Witness, a short story from the perspective of Tallarn's new governor as he tours the battlefields in a Titan after the battle is over. Structurally this was a good choice as it sets up expectations for the stories to come. However, the redundancy of its never to be seen again characters telegraphs a problem that plagues the rest of the anthology: without a single ongoing storyline, characters and plot elements have no room to develop, and so the structure of the book becomes as suffocating as the toxic air of Tallarn itself.

Tallarn: Executioner is the high point of the anthology. Set at the very beginning of the Battle of Tallarn when the loyalist Imperial Army are just beginning to fight back, it has the strongest characterisation and most compelling sequences. As a reader, I felt like I was right there in a claustrophobic tank with the rag-tag loyalist crew as they crawled through the toxic wasteland that used to be their home. Things end badly for them, but the self-contained story is just one piece of the overall narrative. 

Tallarn: Siren is the transition point between the major phases of the Battle of Tallarn, revolving around the efforts of both sides to secure the planet's last functioning astropath. It is a necessary and tightly written piece of the overall story, but as a former audio drama it comes across as bland on paper and lacks the atmospheric quality that made Executioner enjoyable.

Tallarn: Ironclad is the longest story in the anthology and brings the recently escalated Battle of Tallarn to an unsatisfying conclusion. Ironclad features perspectives from both sides and some of the anthology's best characters, and here there is actually room to give them all proper stories. Unfortunately, while their individual stories are compelling all they lead to is a vaguely confusing tangle of plotlines and an abrupt ending that doesn't answer any of the readers' questions or provide any meaningful resolutions. I was left feeling like this anthology was a waste of time, and that impression hasn't changed.