The go-to guy for Flesh Tearers in 40k, Andy Smillie has recently turned his attention to their founding chapter, the Blood Angels, as part of the Horus Heresy series. A prequel to Virtues of the Sons (from the Death and Defiance anthology), his ‘quick read’ story Sins of the Father sees the primarch Sanguinius in a dark mood, reflecting on his future and that of his sons. He sees a bleak future for the Blood Angels, with only Azkaellon and Amit offering even a slender thread of hope.
Very much a specialist in shorter-form fiction, Andy Smillie has a great knack for covering a lot of ground in a short space, and this is no exception. It’s dark and ominous, and shows a side to Sanguinius that we haven’t seen before as he dwells on some of his doubts and fears, holding himself up against his brothers and his sons in the light of the future he sees ahead of them. Shot through with a tangible air of sadness, emphasising the tragedy of what we as readers know is going to happen, it’s bleak but perfectly appropriate to the Blood Angels. A fantastic story, that beautifully complements Virtues of the Sons.
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