A Horus Heresy Primarchs short story which acts as a prequel to Matt Farrer’s After Desh’ea and his own novel Angron: Slave of Nuceria, Ian St Martin’s Ghost of Nuceria takes a look at the moment of Angron’s unwilling reunion with the Emperor. In his final days on Nuceria, Angron leads a ragtag army of fellow slaves in a hopeless battle against the overwhelming forces of the High Riders, the Nucerian nobles. He’s come to terms with his inevitable death and the chance to find peace at last, but fate and the father he never wanted conspire against him.
Most Heresy fans will already be familiar with this in principle, but it’s the first time the actual moment – when Angron is whisked away from Nuceria – has been shown. As it’s a short story there’s not really scope for showing much of the wider context or the time leading up to this moment so St. Martin keeps things tightly focused, providing just enough to show a less familiar side to Angron and emphasise exactly what this means to him. There’s perhaps more impact if you’ve read Slave of Nuceria, but either way it’s an interesting little character study and a welcome reminder that there’s more to this character than just the Butcher’s Nails.
Check out the main Horus Heresy reviews page on Track of Words.
