Dan Abnett

This was a gut wrenching conclusion of the long running series. While this is a huge book (around 490 pages) it reads very fast (to my surprise I have to admit). All the story lines from the previous volumes are closed while we get hint of things [that are left open] with possible future effects. I have to admit I am sorry that Thunder Warriors did not play any role in this story, I still hope they will play a role in some of the supplemental stories, be it as part of the anthology or standalone entry. As Malcador notes Emperor made a lots of contingencies and we are left with guessing how closing events from this book will echo ten millenia later.

I wont go into details of the main piece of the story - duel between Horus and Emperor - because one needs to read it for oneself, it is epic. Very aftermath of the duel is so vividly depicted, Warp retreating from the reality and very disorientation of not just people but also planet itself (Blood Angels' trauma being one of the most terrifying).

Do yourself a favor and read this three book set. While first book might seem to be a little bit all over the place, all the story lines and characters will make sense as events go on and will (for me at least) conclude in a very satisfying manner in the very end.

Highly recommended.… (meer)

Before we begin, let me say that I am NOT a professional book reviewer. I just enjoy reading and sharing my thoughts about them. I also have no sense of what a spoiler is, so read at your own risk. I cuss like a sailor, too.

So, I've had this book for a while now because I really enjoy the MCU. I've recently caught up with the movies and decided I would finally read this and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this book, too. The author did a good job of keeping the Avengers in character. There were a couple spots that were hard for me to read simply because, instead of writing one sentence, the author broke up a sentence into multiple sentences. I don't know if that makes sense? Basically, it felt like the two sentences should be combined into one because the stop between them made me pause and broke my immersion a bit.

One of the first things that threw me for a loop was where Hawkeye and Widow landed. When Hawkeye fought fucking dinosaurs, I lost my shit. Since when did Marvel have dinosaurs?! I had to stop and look up the Savage Land and dinosaurs in Marvel because I was losing my mind lmao

{"What did he want?" asked Fury.
"Ultron? He wanted to rule the world."
"Everybody wants to rule the world."}

He said it! He said the thing! I don't know why but I felt so excited when I read this part haha

{"How'd you get the A.I.M guy to talk?" asked Fury.
"Arrows are pointy," replied Hawkeye.}

I felt like I was watching one of the movies, man. Their lines are brilliant and perfectly in character. This is one of my favorite lines because I actually laughed at this (which helped because I was suffering high anxiety at the time.)

{The sentries had brought star systems to their knees.
But the Hulk... was the Hulk.}

Not gonna lie, I snorted at this one. The truth of this is just so on point that it's hilarious. Also #HulkSavesTheDay.

{"You want to do this or shall I?" he asked.
"Be my guest," said Cap.
"I think it's your turn," said Stark.
"Just do it," Cap said.
"It should come from you," said Stark. "It sounds better coming from you."
"Gentlemen..." growled Fury.
Stark smiled and nodded to Cap.
"Okay," said Captain America. "Avengers... assemble."}

Fucking iconic, bro. I want to see these two in a movie fighting over who should say it. Has this happened? I hope so. I didn't really like how he added the speaking tags after each line. It feels unnecessary after the first time because we know it's them speaking. This happens a lot throughout the book to the point where I kind of stopped reading them lol Unless the character did something other than just saying it, I ignored the speech tags.

Another thing that was hard to read in this book was the placement of the sentences. Typically, when you write something like [Cap looked at her.] and then you have him speak, it would be on the same line, right? But it's not. It goes like this:

{Cap looked at her.
"We know where he went?" he asked.}

When this happens, it feels like a character break, as if the baton is being passed on to the next character but then it's still him. This happens a lot through this book and my dumbass brain had trouble keeping up with it because I expected the next character to be speaking only for it to be the previous character so I had to re-read it.

{Cap and Iron Man looked at each other.
"Your turn," said Iron Man.
"I did it last time."
Tony Stark sighed.
"Okay," he said. He turned toward the others. He turned toward the others. "Avengers?" he called. "Guess what I'm going to say next."}

Overall, this book was pretty awesome. Then again, I'm a bit biased because, like I said, I love the MCU - and yes, I know the MCU is technically just the movies and TV shows but I'm including the other media because MU doesn't sound as cool. One thing I kept trying to figure out was where this book fit into the Marvel timeline and if it did at all.

Now, I've never read the comics (aside from Deadpool) and I've only seen the movies and some of the shows which I know doesn't cover the entire universe. I'm really interested to learn the timeline of all Marvel content, including the books and comics, too. It seems like this book would be somewhere in the middle of the timeline, before Infinity War. But... it's been a while since I've seen the movies at the beginning and doesn't Pietro die in the same movie he appears in? In the book, he is alive and well and very much a part of the Avengers. This was confusing to me.

I guess that kind of comes along with the territory, though. When you have a universe that is so damn vast and you have all these people coming together to make content for the same characters, it makes sense that some of the information wouldn't line up. I wish the full timeline of Marvel was in order and made sense but I know that's not the case and is probably impossible to accomplish, especially now. One can dream though.

I definitely recommend this book if you love Marvel or even if you just love superheroes.… (meer)

Re-Read Review February 2024 as part of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project reading guide Omnibus III: The Burning of Prospero
(https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus/iii-the-burning-of-prospero) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the series.

I remembered this was one of the best, but that was about it.

I was not prepared for as close to perfect novel and entry into the Horus Heresy series as this is.

The story of Kasper Hawser and the Vlka Fenryka is one with so much heart, intrigue, and emotion that I took a few minute to compose myself after the end had me crying again, and now reflecting on it I can't help weeping.

(I was always a big crier at stories that touched me and estrogen is a hell of a drug)

Maybe I'll come back and write a more in depth review, but I can't see any way that doesn't end with days of my life and millions of words no-one will read, so this initial re-read reaction will likely be my account.

The VI Legion are done dirty in everything proceeding this book, which is appropriate with their reputation, role, and the way they bear these. I'm actually glad I came into this with such a compromised view of the Wolves of Fenris because it made the journey all the more impactful. I only wish I had read Chris Wraight's Leman Russ: The Great Wolf after this, so my emotions would have been even more destroyed than they were by the end of that book.

Honesty, I understand that having a pain flare up makes me extra vulnerable and the hormones and everything, but I'm just an emotional mess after reading this, which, quite frankly, is often how in love great art to make me feel.

For me, this is the Platonic Ideal of a Horus Heresy novel. From the Pre-Heresy worldbuilding, glorious insight into the heart and soul of a Legion, and revelations of the machinations of the Darker Powers, through being perfectly embedded in, contextualised by, and contextualising the grand narrative of the Horus Heresy and aspects of the Dark Millennium, through gloriously flowing prose and exalted storytelling, including making the often difficult to pull off story about stories and accounts within stories and accounts where there is a magic and vital importance, not to mention masterful manipulations of the way narratives, timelines, and story structure are all integral parts of the whole--playing with the warp and weft of truth, reality, meaning, and time and space to create a surreality with such aplomb to make Kairos Fateweaver start simultaneously molting and malding--to full realised characters put through fascinating, exciting, and tragic situations with enough emotional weight to crush a Lord of Skulls into a Khornate pancake (pankhake?), so as the perfect needlepoint line bursts the tension and I start crying.

(No spoilers: I cried twice during the book. Once reading 12 minutes and then again at the exquisite and heartbreaking end...and then a while bunch of times afterwards and while writing this)

Kasper Hawser is a truly phenomenal character and his story and the stories he collects and tells are brilliant. His namesake and partial inspiration is a fascinating historical reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser.

The way the Vlka Fenryka are brought to life and given a fair and detailed account is a long time coming. The rough housing, wizard hating, ignorantly honourable and brutal archetypes previously seen aren't exactly not true, but only show a fragment of the VI's mien as to tender them as caricature. I feel like I don't even know the Luna Wolves/ Sons of Horus anywhere near as well after three books (I understand that is an aspect of the opening trilogy being more about Loken and the changing soul of the Legion).

My heart will always belong to Chaos and especially the sadbois who were always destined, manipulated, and thrust on their paths by the conscious or purely ignorant actions of their farther, but, much like the World Eaters they are the ice cold executioners, a reflection of the Red Angel's sons' burning butchery (and, as particularly demonstrated in Leman Russ: The Great Wolf, the Rout is an annihilating warrior pack, a reflection of the chivalrous Dark Angels' knightly order), but Leman Russ and his sons' role, perception, and ostracisition were equally ordained and ordered. It's impossible for me to read this book without falling in love with the Wolves of Fenris, feeling their exaltations and pain, regardless of the bloody, brutal role they play for a bitter, broken, and unthankful Imperium.

The only things I can really say to criticise this book are the same complaints I so often have of the Horus Heresy authors and Abnett, time and time again - the absolute lack of women and those that are included merely being plot devices, described their appearance, and in the case of the Silent Siterhood, on screen for barely a chapter, being referred to as "females" twelve times. These warriors, described with their precision and wargear, are never referred to as such or any other description the men are constantly referred to, whether it be on relationship to the role, rank, physical or character description, are only described as "females". It's weird, creepy, misogynistic, and makes Abnett sound like an incel during his mastercrafted tale. To put this in perspective, it feels like Abnett is constantly referring to the Space Wolves 'wet leopard growl' in some form or other, to the point where it starts to feel comical and lazy. "Leopard" appears nineteen times across the whole book, compared to the Sisters of Silence being referred to as "females" twelve times over barely a chapter.

The above criticism taken into consideration, this is genuinely one of the greatest books I have read and almost certainly hold equal top billing with my other most loved books, like The Dream of Doctor Bantam by Jeanne Thornton, The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer, and Quarantine by Greg Egan. I challenge another book to come close to the magnificence of this one. So far The First Heretic and the opening quadrilogy taken as a whole are the closest, but this is in another league Also, a respectable shoutout to The Unburdened (Betrayal at Calth Novella), and the Primarchs novels, Magnus the Red: Master of Prospero and Leman Russ: The Great Wolf for being hot on the heels of those regular Horus Heresy novels.

It has to be noted that Gareth Armstrong gives the performance of a lifetime in this and deserves a huge amount of recognition for absolutely stepping up to meet the quality of this novel. I'm a long time Toby Longworth fangirl who has recently really been digging Jonathan Keeble, especially for his impassioned action oratory, but this might be the pinnacle of a Black Library performance.

Obviously, this is all my subjective personal opinion and your mileage may vary.

I know have a few stories to read to finish this omnibus and I might make my first jump to Warhammer 40K between this and the next omnibus with The Battle of the Fang, The Hunt for Magnus, and Ashes of Prospero, as I don't want this saga within a saga to end!… (meer)