Aaron Dembski-Bowden

This is the first Horus Heresy (or in fact, first WH40K) novel that I've read in a couple of years. I just got tired of all the grimdarkness after a couple dozen in the series. However, this one is a proposition I can make an exception for: a story that focuses on the Emperor of Mankind, his motivation, ambitions and his Great Work beneath the Imperial palace.

Hats off to the author for taking on what I imagine was the most intimidating of 40K canon. I think that he struck the right balance of detail and vagueness about the Emperor himself. He is a force of nature with no need to explain or defend his action. All of humanity are his tools, and his absolute tyranny is unapologetic. We get to learn the full details of his plan for the future of humanity. The ambition is colossal, and the cost is breathtaking.

I also appreciated the limits of his Godlike foresight and intelligence being explained in a very well-written scene that also serves to provide more context about some of his more egregious mistakes (not immediately euthanising Angron when he was found, for example). I thought that the ending was spot-on also; without any spoilers, it sets up the grim foundation for the 40K setting.

Ultimately, this book was written for the fans of 40K lore. Without a solid knowledge and appreciation of that background, it would be a pointless read. For the fans, this is a fantastic addition to the HH tragedy and highly recommended.… (més)

Fantastic! This was my first Warhammer 40k novel and, although very chunky in names and jargon, I was able to follow along due in large part to the wonderful writing of [a: Aaron Dembski-Bowden|172152|Aaron Dembski-Bowden|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332318340p2/172152.jpg] and this great story.

Aaron's words were almost poetic in nature but still easy to digest as they painted a clear picture of what was happening at every twist and turn this novel took, and there were many. I didn't know what to expect from this story, and I'm glad nothing was spoiled because it only made what was unveiled even more shocking and disturbing. The pacing was handled really well with such a huge cast to work with, though there were some characters with diminished storylines later on that I felt took away from the story. Other introductory moments felt like they slowed the pace a bit.

Overall, a superb novel that I will definitely read again when I get a bit more of the 40k lore under my belt!… (més)