This was the second-to-last novel in the pre-Siege of Terra arc that will bring me to the end of the Horus Heresy.
I enjoyed Guy Haley’s story. My only issue with it was that I don’t think he worked hard enough to impress upon me the scale of the titans. These war machines are more than your garden variety battlemechs: they are horizon-darkening, walking fortresses that bristle with death. I found myself lapsing again and again into picturing them as basic Locusts or Atlasses a la FASA’s designs. Or the transforming jets and walkers from Macross, if you’re an enjoyer.
Despite this dissonance Haley managed to breathe a lot of life into the characters, and crystalized the relationships the meat-born pilots have with their god-engines. While I don’t plan to continue consuming Black Library Warhammer 40,000 content beyond the end of the Heresy, this book had me thinking that I’ll miss the grimdark future once I’m done.
2024.09.28 – 2024.10.15
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