Horus Rising (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy) by Dan Abnett
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Book Reviews of Horus Rising (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy)
Book Review: Horus Rising sheds light on the shadows of the past
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been a long time fan of the WARHAMMER 40,000 universe for going on 16 years now. Anyone who is a fan has heard of that sinister betrayal of the most beloved son of the Emperor. The Horus Heresy. It brought the futuristic fate of mankind to the brink of destruction 10,000 years ago in the timeline of this rich fictional world. The full story of events leading up to and during the Heresy have always been vague and shrouded in mystery. Now, with the Horus Heresy book series, light is finally being shed on the shadows of the past. All fans of this universe have wondered just how it all came about, how could the Emperor of Mankind so misjudge his favorite son, how could Horus betray all of mankind so.
I have loved everything I have read by Dan Abnett and this book is no exception. Not only does it illuminate the distant past of the 40K Universe it paints Horus as the noble leader who is strugling to fulfill the task set to him by the Emperor. What is this task? Only total galactic domination for the good of all mankind. No pressure or anything. This book makes the mysterious past all the more tragic for the fall the we all know Horus takes. He is no longer just the most powerfull of all the Emperor's warriors who gets greedy and sets his eyes to the throne of the Imperium. With this story he has a face and a soul and yearns to please the Emperor with all of his heart. It shows how the Imperium's way of keeping secrets regarding the forces of Chaos left it's armies unprepared and uninformed about the potential for corruption from Chaos. They never knew what to watch for. This story shows how Horus does his best to fill the shoes the Emporer left for him but how he is undermined by the bureaucracy the Imperium is putting into place as well as the corruption of Chaos within his armies. Before he was a power-hungry war-mongering maniac but now he is a tragic hero who loses his way in the end. The legend of the Horus Heresy is all the more sinister and tragic for this book and undoubtedly the series to follow.
This book is a must read for all WH40K fans especially Space Marine Gamers.
Book Review: Pretty Cool
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've read much Warhammer 40k, then this is the novel you've been waiting. Black Liberty sends out one of their best authors to make it count. Finally, you see the formation of the Imperium and the ultimate betrayal! Well, not really. The book picks up somewhere a couple centuries after the Crusade just started. Horus has already been made Warmaster.
At first this was disappointing, but I think they're leaving themselves some wiggle room to tell another precursor series of books down the road. There are quite a few mentions of the times before the Crusade started and events that took place between then and Horus' promotion. Seems like Black Liberty will have material for a good long time to come.
There are just too many great parts of this book to list them all. From the first battle where Horus kills the "Emperor" (not a spoiler, it's literally the 2nd sentence of the book!) to the battle vs the giant spider aliens on Murder everything is nicely polished. Even the slower parts in between battles are still compelling. and actually found the story of the mortal rememberers to be interesting. I did think there was just a little too much heavy handed foreshadowing being thrust upon the reader at times, but generally it was handled very subtly which I appreciate.
After all the bad things written about Horus, it was pretty interesting to see a time when he was the favored son. You'll find yourself thinking him very reasonable and likable. You can also see both why he was the perfect one to take over for the Emperor, both in battle prowess and in political savvy, but at the same time by giving someone so good at the job that level of power you can see how he was able to move so many against the Emperor. I've already purchased the other two books in the initial Horus trilogy and a couple later on in the series. I just hope the others are half as much fun as this one was.
Book Review: Is This Fortuitous Prophecy?
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not an avid reader of fiction, nor am I familiar with the Warhammer 40,000 series, but this book is filled with what is a very plausible world of the future. Truly, the ideas of the society of man, in 31st millennium, that are represented in this book are quite exquisite and I would even extrapolate that this is fortuitous prophecy. To the philosopher in me this book calls with its thematic elements of politics, transhumanism, war, space faring, space colonization, economy, culture and technology, and all with a galactic scale overtone. This also is a symphony to those atheists whom wish to see religion purged from our human culture, which is the fundamental reason for the cosmic war that the human empire has enacted. This book has a preponderance of philosophical statements that I recorded in quotes as I read the book. Why I am so adamant about my position on this book is due to seeing a relevance to technologies that we have, in reality, began to endeavor into the preliminary trials of at this time, be it computer, mechanical or genetic. I really feel that this is how we as humans will transition into the 31st millennium. Read "The Scientific Conquest of Death" by the Immortality Institute and then "Radical Evolution" by Joel Garreau, that should get you started on technologies, some of which are alluded to in this book. The other technologies that are populated throughout this book are merely on the horizon of human expedition, maybe still centuries out, but it will come if we desire to build them; for we have the power of creation, and what we desire we will acquire. I will definitely continue with this series! -D.R.ThomasBook Review: Some of the finest Sci-fi ever written...
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are a fan of the Warhammer 40K universe, this is a must read without any reservations. Dan Abnett's work has continued to gain in realism and scope and so far Horus Rising is the best book he has ever produced. I say this after having read the book without putting it down yesterday, and previously believing he would be hard pressed to surpass his excellent work with the Gaunt's Ghosts novels. Someday I had hoped someone would bring the horror and intrigue of the Horus Heresy to life in exception verse. Abnett has done so and then some. The feel of the book has gone beyond my own expectations and makes you realize the depth of betrayal that had to have occured to bring fully half the Legions of the Adaptus Astartes into the grip of Chaos. Most of all you will read this and find yourself with favorite characters, dispite the fact you know they are doomed by history. In the first book alone the reader is drawn in by the Majesty of the soon to be lost Luna Wolves Space Marine Legion. Above and beyone that, fans of the other First Founding Legions have the opportunity to glimse their own fore fathers, and more importantly, the Primarchs themselves as they cross paths with the Warmaster in the last days of the Crusade. Having the opportunity to read anything of my own Chapters Primarch, Sanguinious, would have made me buy this book. I was delighted to read an excellent protrayal of the Angel, who was Horus's closest brother. Buy this book... read it, and then read it again before you share it with your friends. We will all be awaiting the next chapter in this series.Book Review: The best WH40k book yet.
Summary: 5 Stars
Like another reviewer, I too have been into WH40k for a very long time. I have read most of the WH40k fiction. Usually, stories that come from any type of game just don't work. The WH40k series has shown that under the right writers, game material can be some of the best sci-fi/fantasy reading around. I have been a fan for a few years and have read more than 20 titles. This one is by far the best sci-fi book I have read in 2 years. The portrayal of Horus by Dan Abnett turns him into a human, believable leader. A hero of the recently begun Space Marine legions. He has recently accepted the title of Warmaster and is still coming to terms with the responsibilities that come with such a title. Told through the experiences of a fellow Space Marine, Horus is shown as a man trying to live up to the image of his god-like father. The events that take place shape the future of a universe and set the galaxy aflame. And here we see it all at the beginning. Brilliant. I have just started to read Abnetts "Gaunt's Ghosts" books and have become a huge fan of his writing. This is by far the best WH40k book yet. I cannot wait to see what Graham McNeill does with his novel. His "Storm Of Iron" was the first WH40k book I read and still remains a favorite. Again, I cannot recommend "Horus Rising" enough. GO BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!