Tag Archives: Horus Heresy

Revisiting Battle for the Abyss by Ben Counter

Ben Counter’s 2008 novel Battle for the Abyss, the eighth book in Black Library’s vast Horus Heresy series, is widely – albeit certainly not exclusively – considered as one of the weakest novels in the series. I’ve largely steered clear of conversations discussing this particular book, as until recently I had only the loosest of recollections regarding what happened and how much I enjoyed it. However, its poor reputation has nagged at me for a while (you know me, I prefer to look for positives rather than negatives), and an ongoing discussion with a friend about the themes, connections and outliers in the Heresy prompted me to revisit this most reviled of Heresy novels. This article is the result, in which I’m going to discuss my thoughts on the book and make the argument that despite some notable flaws, it’s a book which really doesn’t deserve the reputation it’s acquired.

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RAPID FIRE: Mike Brooks Talks Alpharius Head of the Hydra

Welcome to this instalment of my Rapid Fire series of author interviews – today I’m chatting to Mike Brooks, author of Alpharius: Head of the Hydra. This is Mike’s first Horus Heresy novel for Black Library, and the 14th novel in the ongoing Primarchs series, and promises to be a treat for all fans of the ambiguous XX Legion – the Alpha Legion. I asked Mike for the lowdown on the new book, and despite all the secrets in which it’s shrouded he was able to reveal a little information about what to expect. Alpharius: Head of the Hydra is available to pre-order in swanky Limited Edition hardback on Saturday 16th January, with the standard hardback, ebook and audiobook versions presumably coming three months or so later.

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Best of Black Library 2020 – Horus Heresy

It’s almost the end of 2020, so I’m taking a look back at the Black Library stories I’ve read this year and choosing a few highlights for each of the main settings – and this time it’s the turn of the Horus Heresy. Take a look at my 40k roundup if you haven’t already, but for this article I’ve picked out the three Heresy stories I’ve enjoyed reading the most during 2020. As I mentioned in the 40k article, these are just my own choices based on what I’ve read this year – I’ve limited myself to Heresy stories (both the main range and the Siege of Terra) that I’ve read in 2020, and which were published this year too.

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Black Library in 2021: Online Preview Reaction

With no Black Library Weekender in 2020 – for obvious reasons – the ‘Coming Soon’ seminar that usually closes the event was replaced by an online Black Library preview from the Warhammer Community team. You can check out all the reveals, and re-watch the whole stream, over on the Warhammer Community website, but in this article I’m going to offer up some of my reactions to the preview and the books announced. I’ll give an overview of the preview to begin with, then go on to cover what was announced for each of the main ranges, including a little bit about which of my predictions/hopes proved accurate.

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The Black Library Online Preview – Hopes and Predictions For 2021

There might not have been a Black Library Weekender this year (it’s 2020 after all – what do you expect?!), but on Saturday 5th December there’s going to be an online Black Library preview, replicating the ‘Coming Soon’ seminar that usually closes each Weekender. I thought it might be interesting to look ahead to the online preview and speculate a little on what’s going to be announced for 2021. It’s all guesswork at this point, but a bit of speculation is always fun, and I’ve thrown in some of my hopes for 2021 as well (i.e. things I’m not expecting to be announced, but that I’d love to see).

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RAPID FIRE – Gav Thorpe Talks Luther: First of the Fallen

Welcome to this instalment of my Rapid Fire series of quick author interviews, in which I’m talking to Black Library author Gav Thorpe about his new novel, Luther: First of the Fallen. This is the second (short) novel in the Horus Heresy Character Series, after 2019’s Valdor: Birth of the Imperium, and is available to pre-order today as a Limited Edition hardback ahead of its standard release in a few months’ time. It promises to be an in-depth exploration of the Dark Angels through the eyes of Luther himself, and coming from Gav – who’s done a lot of work with this Chapter/Legion over the years – it should be a fascinating read.

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RAPID FIRE: Graham McNeill Talks Fury of Magnus

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

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QUICK REVIEW: Child of Chaos – Chris Wraight

One of the most notorious figures in the Horus Heresy, the much-loathed Word Bearer Erebus is the subject of Chris Wraight’s fascinating character study Child of Chaos. From the arid streets of a forgotten Colchisian village to the ruins of an ancient temple to the Ruinous Powers on Davin, Erebus calmly and succinctly tells his own story of single-minded determination and dedication, speaking directly and unashamedly to the reader of his childhood, his journey, his beliefs and the vital role he played in the Heresy.

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Sons of the Selenar – Graham McNeill

While Black Library’s Siege of Terra series is closing off the Horus Heresy with eight novels covering the major story beats, Graham McNeill’s Sons of the Selenar marks the first in an additional set of novellas which tackle slightly smaller subjects within the context of the Siege. In this case, the story of Sharrowkin, Wayland and the Sisypheum continues as, returning to the Sol System, loyalties within the crew begin to fracture. Drawn to embattled Luna, the few remaining Shattered Legionaries must put division aside and act as one if they’re to ensure vital secrets remain out of the traitors’ hands.

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The Horus Heresy: Preparing for Sons of the Selenar

I don’t know about you, but after nearly 15 years and goodness knows how many stories, I’m increasingly finding it tricky to keep track of characters and story arcs in Black Library’s Horus Heresy series. Not so much the main series beats, but the smaller arcs and threads that run throughout the Heresy – there are just so many of them, and in some cases it’s been years since I last read these stories. Now that the Siege of Terra sub-series (or whatever you want to call it) is here, it feels more important than ever to have a good handle on who’s who; I want to get as much enjoyment out of these final few books as possible!

Having just got my hands on a copy of Graham McNeill’s Siege of Terra novella Sons of the Selenar, I realised that I really couldn’t remember much about the characters I was going to be reading about. I could have jumped straight in and I’m sure I would have got the gist, but as this was likely going to be the final mission for the crew of the Sisypheum, I wanted the book to have the greatest possible impact! With that in mind, I dug back through my copies of previous Heresy books and revisited each of the key stories which lead up to Sons of the Selenar. Having done so, I thought I would put together a quick article pointing out what those stories are and where to find them, in case it’s useful to anyone else.

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