Picking up where LJ Goulding left off in Prince of Blood, Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s A Rose Watered with Blood is a story of Lotara Sarrin and the Conqueror as the World Eaters – and what was once their primarch Angron – make for Terra. Twisting under the influence of the monster chained deep within its hold, its crew butchered by the legionaries who were once their protectors, it’s increasingly clear that the Conqueror has a mind of its own. As they inch closer to Terra, Lotara faces up to the ugly darkness growing within her ship and within the hearts of its crew.
Lotara Sarrin is a fascinating character, uncompromising and deeply principled despite the troubled company she keeps. There’s a powerful sense of melancholy about the situation she finds herself in, (mostly) retaining her sanity while the World Eaters degenerate around her, and here we see her strength of character tested once again as Dembski-Bowden explores the changes being forced upon her and her ship. For the most part it’s a quiet, reflective, understated story which cleverly calls back to themes from the earliest Heresy stories, focusing on Lotara’s personal challenges but also bringing the World Eaters’ arc up to date in preparation for the Siege. Well worth checking out.
This was released as part of the 2018 Black Library Advent Calendar – click here to see the main page for the Advent Calendar, with links to all of the reviews.
Check out the main Horus Heresy page on Track of Words.
