A rare post-Heresy Primarchs story, Gav Thorpe’s Shadow of the Past takes place on a moon in the Eye of Terror, where Dark Apostle Kalta-Ar of the Word Bearers supervises the building of a grand monument to the dark gods. Protected from the dangers of the warp by ritual means, the Word Bearers nevertheless find themselves under attack by something that bleeds out of the shadows to rend and tear. When they at last bring their monstrous attacker to bear only to find their weapons useless, Kalta-Ar entreats the daemon primarch Lorgar to aid him and his surviving warriors.
Tag Archives: The Primarchs
QUICK REVIEW: Mercy of the Dragon – Nick Kyme
In his Primarchs short story Mercy of the Dragon Nick Kyme tackles the introduction of Vulkan to the Great Crusade in a tale of two interwoven strands. In one we see the Emperor explain Vulkan’s place amongst the primarchs to his son, attempting to convince the lord of drakes to leave Nocturne and take his place alongside his brothers. In the other we’re offered glimpses of Vulkan’s first engagement as part of the Crusade, observed by the Emperor and Ferrus Manus. Between them, both strands demonstrate Vulkan’s character and his value to the burgeoning Imperium, and his primarch brothers.
QUICK REVIEW: The Abyssal Edge – Aaron Dembski-Bowden
A slow, quiet tale of perspectives and choices, Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Primarchs short story The Abyssal Edge features two primarchs and two First Captains, but is told from the perspective of a crippled human archivist. Desk-bound after a terrible crash, former fighter pilot Orthos Ulatal finds the tedium enlivened by a report implying conflict between the Night Lords and the Thousand Sons. His investigations lead him to the threatening company of Jago Sevatarion, the truth of what happened between Konrad Curze and Magnus the Red, and a glimpse behind the facade of the ongoing Great Crusade.
QUICK REVIEW: The Passing of Angels – John French
A typically thoughtful and evocative John French short story, The Passing of Angels – included in the Primarchs anthology Sons of the Emperor – takes a close look at Sanguinius’ understanding of the role he was created to play. Leading the Blood Angels’ Destroyer Host into battle against a human world which deployed proscribed weaponry against the Imperium, he takes upon himself the burden of unleashing such devastation, while allowing his sons to absolve themselves of the deaths they cause. Across a non-linear story we get a few glimpses of what Sanguinius and those around him think of the nature of angels.
Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix – Josh Reynolds
Josh Reynolds’ novel Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix makes it four traitor-to-be primarchs in a row in Black Library’s The Horus Heresy Primarchs series. For this, the sixth book in the series, we see the primarch of the Emperor’s Children embark upon his first solo compliance mission, to Twenty-Eight One, or Byzas. Though ostensibly welcoming of the Imperium, Fulgrim knows he must still work hard to bring Byzas and its people to compliance. Stung by perceptions of him and his legion, he sets out with just seven of his sons to demonstrate his methods and prove his worth to his brothers.
RAPID FIRE: David Guymer Talks Ferrus Manus: Gorgon of Medusa
Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library 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.
In this instalment I spoke to David Guymer about his latest novel, in the Horus Heresy Primarchs series – Ferrus Manus: Gorgon of Medusa, which is available to buy right now.
QUICK REVIEW: The Atonement of Fire – David Annandale
Warning: there may be spoilers in this review, and the story itself, if you haven’t read Ruinstorm.
Originally available only in the Black Library Events Anthology 2017/18, David Annandale’s An Atonement in Fire is billed as a Primarchs short story, although it’s a pretty direct follow-on from Ruinstorm. With the Blood Angels making for Terra, Guilliman launches an all-out attack on a World Eaters fleet threatening both Sanguinius’ path and a loyal Imperial system. Never one to make it easy on himself, Guilliman is determined to protect Diavanos, allow the Blood Angels safe passage, and atone for the sin he feels he committed in creating Imperium Secundus.
Black Library Advent Calendar 2017 – Recap
As we close in on the last few days of 2017, we’ve reached the end of the Black Library Advent Calendar for another year. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or, you know…busy) let’s just recap – for the last few years, Black Library have released a digital short story or short audio drama every day from the 1st to the 24th December. Over the course of the Advent period we – Black Library fans – get to check out a range of content from different authors, with each day revealing a new surprise.
The Primarchs Audio Dramas with Robbie MacNiven, Laurie Goulding and Ian St. Martin
If you’ve been following the 2017 Black Library Advent Calendar throughout December then you’ll probably already know that three of the twenty-four stories were audio dramas in the Horus Heresy Primarchs series. These three stories are the first audio dramas we’ve seen so far in the Primarchs series, and two of them offer the first contributions to the Heresy in any form by the authors in question.
QUICK REVIEW: A Lesson in Darkness – Ian St. Martin
A suitably dark and grisly tale, Ian St. Martin’s short audio drama A Lesson in Darkness is a Primarchs story concerning Konrad Curze, primarch of the Night Lords. When the human world of Piamen refuses to join in Imperial unity, the Imperium sends Curze and his legion to bring the Piameni to heel. Newly reunited with his legion, Curze demonstrates his instinctive mastery of terror tactics as he brings compliance to the horrified population of Piamen. For his legion, and Captain Nivalus in particular, it’s an early taste of what’s to come under Curze’s leadership.