This is a follow up to the events of First Heretic and Know No Fear. It makes for a great bookend to a Word Bearers semi-trilogy. Here we have Lorgar and the Word Bearers along with Angron and the World Eaters assaulting the Ultramar system. They are doing everything they can to keep the Ultramarines occupied. This will help Horus when he assaults Terra. It is known that Robert Gulliman and the XIII legion are pretty bad ass and they could really hamper (if not stop) a traitor legion assault against Earth, I mean Terra.
There is a boat load of awesome in this book. We start with a battle raging on the planet Armatura, the “War World”, which is a mix of Ultramarine training planet and a Forge World. This planet is just one of the 500 Worlds of Ultramar. If it falls, so does a chunk of the Ultramarines military industrial complex. The Word Bearers and World Eaters are rampaging across the planet and meeting harsh XIIIth resistance. Of course the traitors win and push farther into the Ultramar system. Post battle there is a lot of reflection on the some pre-Heresy events and a look into what the Word Bearers are really trying to accomplish in the Ultramar system.
Then we have a return to Nuceria where Angron’s growth/status/birthing pod landed. Here he was raised in the gladiatorial pits and given the “Butchers Nails” which are cool dreadlock wires that make one super kill crazy and fearless in combat. Oh yeah, they also drive you a bit mad, but risk reward right? This planet shaped him into the crazy bad-ass we all know and love. Lorgar and Angron return here to get Angron some revenge and to also fulfill a twisted Word Bearer prophecy. This all goes quasi-akimbo due to the remnants of the Calth survivors lead by Gulliman appearing to get some payback.
This of course ends with a whole mess of great combat along with fantastic twists on a few Word Bearer prophecies.
I won’t get into too much detail, as not to spoil for those whole haven’t and want to read this. This is a great book and really ties up some Hersey events. There are also a lot of great cameos here. We get Lorgar and Angron as major characters. Then there is the return of Argal Tal from First Heretic. Kharn is a big character and a buddy to Argal Tal. Erebus shows up for better or worse. Horus and Russ also make appearances. The events throughout the novel are great and the epilogue is just as a excellent and left me with a warm fuzzy feeling! As usual Aaron Dembski-Bowden delivers another strong novel. Go grab First Heretic, Battle for Calth and Betrayer and enjoy a really good Word Bearer 40K trilogy.
The usual list of awesome sauce….
Primarch + Primarch + Warhound titan = greatness!
Russ vs. Angron! This is like Hulk Hogan vs. The Macho Man
Primarch + Primarch + Primarch = some Royal Rumble/Survivor Series type awesomeness! We are talking houses of fire, loaded elbows from the turnbuckle and folding steel chairs here.
Kharn is actually lucid and pretty damn cool. See how he was before what we know from the codex and game.
Kharn finds himself a weapon.
World Eater librarians? Yeah they had them and seeing their treatment and reactions is a great nod to the future.
Butcher Nails implants and what they do/ don’t do.
How the Word Bearers try to turn The Angel.
Astartes Destroyers are seen in action.
We get to see why Erebus is the douche he is.
Contemptor Dreadnaught action!
The Corinthian!
A bunch of future prophecies both real and false are thrown around. A look to the 40K future is seen and that is always cool.
A favorite 40K phrase is said at just the perfect time and makes the events that much more fantastic!
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