Tag Archives: Word Bearers

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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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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QUICK REVIEW: The Revelation of the Word – David Annandale

David Annandale’s 25-minute Horus Heresy audio drama The Revelation of the Word features a great cast of Black Library audio stalwarts and tackles one of the most delicious ironies of the series. During his Shadow Crusade against Guilliman’s 500 Worlds, Lorgar Aurelian’s meditations are disturbed by one of his sons bringing word of a strange discovery. Travelling to its source, Lorgar finds an underground church and a congregation basing their forbidden worship of the Emperor on the Lectitio Divinitatus. Aurelian’s initial rage as his words are turned against him soon gives way to further scorn of his distant father’s followers.

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QUICK REVIEW: Shadow of the Past – Gav Thorpe

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.

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Lorgar: Bearer of the Word – Gav Thorpe

For the fifth instalment of the ongoing Horus Heresy-set The Primarchs series, Gav Thorpe takes a look at the primarch of the Word Bearers in Lorgar: Bearer of the Word. When disgraced preacher Kor Phaeron finds a strange infant – clearly touched by the gods – in the company of a band of ragged nomads travelling the arid lands of Colchis, he instantly recognises the potential for his own gain represented by Lorgar. We watch as he exerts his influence upon the impressionable Lorgar, and how their relationship develops as Lorgar himself changes.

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Daemon World – Ben Counter

2003’s classic Black Library novel Daemon World, by Ben Counter, is something of an iconic 40k novel despite being about as un-40k as you can imagine…but in a good way. On the titular daemon planet Torvendis, deep within the Maelstrom, Lady Charybdia rules in the name of Slaanesh, her great city built upon deep-running strata of battle and death. When the mountain tribes begin to stir, and Word Bearers arrive hunting one of their own, the balance of power on Torvendis begins to change.

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QUICK REVIEW: Vox Dominus – Anthony Reynolds

Five years after its publication in Treacheries of the Space Marines, Anthony Reynolds’ short story Vox Dominus is now also available as a standalone e-short. Carrying on the story of Marduk from Reynolds’ Word Bearers trilogy (and very spoilerific if you haven’t read at least Dark Apostle) it sees the Word Bearers clashing with their cousins in the Death Guard over the unexpected arrival of the corpse of XVIIth Legion battleship. While a combined force of Word Bearers and Death Guard investigate the stricken Vox Dominus, Marduk sees the opportunity to further his own plans, complete with a little treachery.

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RAPID FIRE: Gav Thorpe Talks Lorgar: Bearer of the Word

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library authors talking about their 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 it.

In this instalment I asked Gav Thorpe about his new Primarchs novel Lorgar: Bearer of the Word, which was first released a few months ago in limited edition format, and is now available to order in standard edition. Without further ado, over to Gav.

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Forgotten Texts: Snares and Delusions by Matthew Farrer

“You will set your eyes on the heart of Varantha, and all will come to an end”

Matthew Farrer’s second story for Black Library, and his first Warhammer 40,000 tale, Snares and Delusions sees Chaplain De Haan of the Word Bearers corrupting an Eldar Exodite world in his search for the craftworld Varantha and his foretold destiny. Possessed of boundless reserves of hatred and convinced he’s on the path to glory, De Haan is utterly focused on bringing the loathed craftworld to heel in spite of the Eldar’s reputation for trickery. Even when his words of fire and hate fail him before a sermon to his flock, his self belief remains absolute…

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Children of Sicarus – Anthony Reynolds

A Horus Heresy audio drama from Anthony Reynolds, Children of Sicarus follows on from the end of the graphic novel Macragge’s Honour to show a little of what happened when Kor Phaeron led his surviving followers to the daemon world of Sicarus. Surrounded by enemies and with ever-dwindling numbers, the Word Bearers find strange allies who promise to aid them against the malicious attentions of one of Sicarus’ daemonic warlords, the ‘Kairic Adept’ Larazzar. Along the way Kor Phaeron encounters a reincarnating priest, an ancient and worryingly precise prophecy, and a tangible link to his distant primarch Lorgar.
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