Horus Rising (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy)
by Dan Abnett
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dan AbnettEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-25
ISBN: 184416294X
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Games Workshop
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Book Reviews of Horus Rising (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy)
Book Review: Great from the first to the last page.
Summary: 5 Stars
There is always a fundamental difference between knowing about the turning point and witnessing it. Every WH40K fan knows about the Horus Heresy and the impact it had on the development of this fictional universe, but up to this point our knowledge was based on snippets and dry facts spread throughout the codices, "White Dwarf" articles etc. However, Dan Abnett manages to do the impossible by showing us and bringing to life the very beginning of this, let's admit it, galaxy-shattering event.
First of all, Abnett gives us in his prequel a very detailed presentation of the reality of the 31st millennium and underlines how it differs from "the grim darkness of the far future" of the 41st millennium we all know and love. The Great Crusade itself, the conduct of Space Marines (i.e. Luna Wolves, since the novel is focused on this particular Legion (yes, Legion, not Chapter yet)) in terms of dealing with defeated foes (look up Chapter Two and tell me you see that scene happening in WH40K!), Space Marine Primarch using, gulp, DIPLOMACY (!) and many, many more: all of it presents a very different, more optimistic, yet hauntingly familiar world which gradual decomposition and reshaping will become all the more frightening over the course of the next novels.
The second best thing about this book are the characters. Having read this and the following novels (up to "Fulgrim" and planning to read the rest) I can guarantee that you won't have to get through "False Gods" and "Galaxy in Flames" to care about the characters. I'm an avid reader of many tie-in novels ("Star Trek," "Star Wars," "(old) World of Darkness" franchises, to name the few) and I know when I see that the authors get lazy and and rely on the background of the characters from other sources to fill in the gaps made by their subpar writing. Trust me, this does not happen here. Each and every character, from the canonical ones (Horus, Sanguinius, Rogal Dorn, Ezekyle Abbadon etc.) to the ones introduced for the first time (Garviel Loken, Mersadie Oliton, Euphrati Keeler, Kyril Sindermann, Ignace Karkasy etc.) has his or her own personality and plays a vital role in allowing the reader to see the events of the novel from a plethora of perspectives, each one of them greatly contributing to making the reading of this novel a worthwhile (and worth-your-money) experience.
The last, but not least, is that Abnett manages to convey something more than just action. It is clearly visible in the moral conundrums of captain Garviel Loken in terms of being, as a Space Marine, somewhere in between a thinking being and an efficient killing machine (again something you don't see often in WH40K) and the issue of the role of religion in life, as best represented by the secular Imperial Truth, considering religion as something anachronistic and dangerous (oh, the irony of this for all of you who know what the Imperium of Man will be like in 10.000 years!), being confronted with the slowly, but steadily developing belief in the 63rd expedition that "the Emperor protects"... and the horrors of the Warp that make a memorable appearance. In any case, this is not a "BIG gunz and BIG batelz" mindless action-fest that some think is Black Library's standard for WH40K fiction.
All in all, I enjoyed "Horus Rising" very much and consider it a great read for W40K fan(atic)s and those who have yet to get to know this universe better (or at all) alike. For the former it will be a great opportunity to see how "the seeds of heresy were sown" and for the latter it will be a great introduction to WH40K in general.
Summary of Horus Rising (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy)
This is the launch title in an amazing new series that tells the incredible story of the Horus Heresy, the civil war that almost tore the Warhammer 40,000 universe apart. Penned by the Black Library's best-selling authors, the Horus Heresy range will pull no punches, dealing with classic themes of honour, duty and betrayal in a unique SF setting. After thousands of years of expansion and conquest, the human Imperium is at its height. His dream for humanity accomplished, the Emperor hands over the reins of power to his Warmaster, Horus, and heads back to Terra. But is Horus strong enough to control his fellow commanders and continue the Emperor's grand design, or will such incredible power corrupt him?War Books
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