Continuing with the template (and naming convention) laid down with 2018’s Sons of the Emperor anthology, Scions of the Emperor is a Primarchs anthology featuring eight Horus Heresy short stories from eight different authors. Where it differs is that these stories are almost all from authors not normally associated with their chosen characters. There’s a mixture of stories from across the breadth of the Heresy timeline, from young Ferrus Manus and Roboute Guilliman on their respective home worlds to Rogal Dorn on Terra on the eve of the Siege, via the highs and lows of the Great Crusade and onwards.
It’s not the longest of anthologies, at just over 180 pages (compared to Sons’ 250) but for the most part these stories feel like the right length for what they’re trying to achieve – they’re short and sweet, each one essentially a vignette exploring a single idea. They’re all relatively low-key, avoiding epic battles and the grand sweep of events in favour of smaller, character-led stories – Ian St. Martin’s Better Angels, for example, eschews action entirely and focuses instead on a deft exploration of the importance of art to the Blood Angels. Others feature fighting in varying amounts – from a young Guilliman crushing a rebellion and learning the realities of statesmanship, to an even younger Ferrus battling for survival on his own on the black sands of Medusa.
It’s worth remembering that these stories aren’t meant to provide in-depth explorations of the Primarchs (that what the novels are for), but rather touch upon interesting moments or aspects of their personalities. At times some of them are a little light on detail, and might leave some readers wanting more, but as short one-off stories there’s lots to enjoy in the light touch – in quick illustrations of the Khan’s tactical nous or Dorn’s relationship with Malcador and his brothers, the Lion’s sense of pride, Curze’s unconventional (to put it mildly) logic or Mortarion’s self-doubt. They’re split pretty much evenly between the Primarchs being viewpoint characters or visible presences seen from other perspectives, and it’s consistently interesting to see which aspects of the characters each author chooses to tackle.
As with Sons of the Emperor, this is inevitably going to be a somewhat contentious release by virtue of only being available to buy at events (or possibly Warhammer World) to begin with. For Heresy fans keen to absorb as much information as possible about these characters, there’s plenty of additional texture to be found here, so frustration at having to wait to get hold of this is understandable. There’s nothing truly essential here, however – presumably by design – so while it’s worth picking up if you have the opportunity, you won’t be missing out on crucial information if you have to wait a while. Not even in James Swallow’s story, which does feature a mystery at the heart of the Heresy…but as you might expect treads lightly and keeps hold of its secrets. Overall it’s an interesting, entertaining anthology aimed at Heresy completists rather than being a must-read.
To finish off, here’s a very quick rundown of loosely what each story is about:
- Canticle by David Guymer: a very young Ferrus tests his limits and starts to forge an identity.
- The Verdict of the Scythe by David Annandale: Mortarion wonders whether there’s another way of achieving compliance than what he’s used to.
- A Game of Opposites by Guy Haley: the Khan demonstrates that there’s more to him than speed alone, while up against the Iron Warriors.
- Better Angels by Ian St. Martin: Sanguinius helps one of his sons to understand himself and his purpose.
- The Conqueror’s Truth by Gav Thorpe: Konrad Curze allows a remembrancer an unexpected view of the crusade.
- The Sinew of War by Darius Hinks: a youthful Guilliman learns an important lesson that will shape his future.
- The Chamber at the End of Memory by James Swallow: Dorn challenges Malcador and comes to better understand how far he’s prepared to go.
- First Legion by Chris Wraight: the Lion has an interesting conversation with an Alpha Legionnaire during the Rangdan Xenocides.
Check out the main Horus Heresy reviews page on Track of Words.
