The First Heretic-a quick review

What happens when an Astartes Chapter fails in the eyes of the Emperor of Mankind? Well, this novel gives you the answers to that question.

After the Battle for Calth, I went back and read The First Heretic. It didn’t really hurt to read this out of order, but it would have given me a better insight to the characters in Battle o’ Calth as a few of the Word Bearers appear in both. Anyway…………………

The Word Bearers are the focus of this novel and they have gone through a few changes in the 40K game. They are avid worshipers of the Emperor and that is frowned upon by him and many others. They are a very spiritual chapter and after they are disciplined by the man they worship they start a search for answers. For if the Emperor is not a god, then some god must have created him and everything else. Lorgar and the gang go in search of universal truths and what they find does change the landscape of the universe for humanity.

• · The fact that several of the Primarchs know and were affected by the loss of the II and XI Primarchs and their legions.
• · The event that caused the baby Primarchs to be pulled from Terra and thrown all over the galaxy is revealed.
• · The battle cry “DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR!” is officially spoken and by a Night Lord to boot!
• · The discovery, exploration and naming of a famous and infamous warp anomaly.
• · The Word Bearers found and brought Cadia to compliance.
• · The birth of She Who Thirsts witnessed from a non-Eldar.
• · The creation of Possessed Chaos Marines!
• · Istvaan V from another perspective.
• · Curze getting into the action against Corax, even though it is incredibly brief.
• · Lorgar, Lorgar, Lorgar! Why he flipped. What he did to get others to flip to become bad guys. Well actually anything related to him as this is the first real story that focuses on him.
• · The Emperor is the Primarch of the Custodies…..or is he? Why do the Word Bearers want a genetic sample from the Custodies as well?

This novel is more of what I want and like from the Heresy series. It covers some previously shadowy events, gives insight to unanswered 40K questions and creates a few more questions as well. I really liked it and was impressed by the writer, Aaron Dembski-Bowden. He throws in a lot of the usual 40K novel stuff, but does a good job of balancing it. There is never too much action, descriptive imagery or horrid dialogue.

I thought it was a good read and great addition to the series. It gives a look into a chapter that the game has over looked and changed as of late. Plus it is hard to feel sorry for the Word Bearers and their Primarch. Much like the other traitor legions, they are not portrayed as tragic heroes.