Once again proving that no Horus Heresy story stands alone, Rob Sanders’ latest release – Ironfire – sees the return of Idriss Krendl, the antagonist in The Iron Within. This time he’s front and centre as this story’s protagonist, having been put back together after the disaster at the Schadenhold, and he’s aiming to redeem himself in Perturabo’s eyes by road testing a new, risky siege-breaking strategy of his own devising. Determined to prove that it’s only in body that he’s broken, not in mind, he’s prepared to risk everything, including the lives of his minions and his supposed allies.
Treading a fine line between antihero and moustache-twirling villain, Krendl is absolutely the star of the show, filled with self loathing but fiercely driven to prove that he’s still of use to his Legion and his Primarch. In what is a pretty short and straightforward story, Sanders builds him up into a strangely relatable character, and very different to most Iron Warriors we’ve seen so far. Plot-wise it’s nice to see a traitor vs. traitor scenario, and there are some pretty explosive moments of action as the story goes on. Overall this feels like a fresh and interesting addition to the Heresy series, and as is often the case appears to foreshadow events yet to come.
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