Horus Heresy Primarchs #15 by David Annandale

The 15th Primarch novel (novella) takes us to the Death Guard and their Primarch – Mortarion.

From the book:

Once, the Galaspar System suffered under the cruel regime of the Order. Billions of people toiled endlessly to enrich their masters, enduring short lives of poverty, squalor and fear. But Galaspar’s sins did not go unnoticed by the Imperium, and so Death itself sentenced the Order to annihilation.

Mortarion, newly uplifted to commander of the Death Guard, descended upon the world, and with him came a slaughter of untold proportions. The sheer brutality of Mortarion’s campaign left the Imperium appalled. Seeking to understand its horrors, two noble primarchs have come to Galaspar, summoning their brother to account for his actions. But the Pale King brooks no challenge to his methods, for when the scythe falls, it reaps a gruesome toll.

Part of the Primarchs (Horus Heresy) series sees Mortarion justify his methods in the compliance of Galaspar. Starting with Horus & Sanguinius who have come to underestand why Mortarion took such brutal measures and why so much of the population lies dead… being counted by those left.

Mortarion doesn’t justify his actions, but he does explain them; how a precision strike through the planets defences and assaulting a hive with a spaceship was the only way to cut the head off the Order.

Unlike some of the Primarch books this was primarily about Mortarion, and his role in the fighting for compliance – and it is better for it. The reader gets a real sense of how Mortarion think, plans, and acts in the face of a world run by the few, at the cost of the many.

I also loved the descriptions of the organisation of the hive, and fighting within it… this book would not be out of place in the Necromunda hives… albeit without the Noble Houses being defeated by Mortarion and the Death Guard. Who knew that 10,000 years after these events and Imperium would be replicating the very worlds that Mortarion fought to destroy.

A great addition to the series.

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— Declan & Eeyore

Horus Heresy Primarchs #9 by David Annandale

The 9th Primarch novel (novella) takes us to the XVIIIth legion and the uniting of their warriors of Terra with those of Nocturne… with Vulkan they will become the Salamanders.

From the book:

As the Emperor marshals his armies to reclaim the galaxy for the glory of mankind, one by one his Space Marine Legions are reunited with their missing primarchs. The XVIII Legion are still waiting to find their true identity, unaware their own lord has been found. In the Taras Division, legionaries face annihilation as they take a last, desperate stand against a monstrous ork invasion. Meanwhile, on Nocturne, Vulkan has raised and trained a new force of warriors. Now it is the time for him to lead his sons into battle. Now it is the time for him to truly don the mantle of primarch, not only to save one half of his Legion, but forge a new, indivisible whole.

Part of the Primarchs (Horus Heresy) series sees the Primarch of the XVIII legion – the Salamanders – set forth from Nocturne to save his Terran warriors from the Orks. They have positioned themselves in the way of an attack moon, and there is no where to retreat to and so they stand to defend the last of the population of the Taras Division.

Annandale gives the Lord of Drakes some air-time in this quick paced novella, but most of it centres around the activity of the Terran soldiers of the Salamanders as they wait for the arrival of reinforcements that they know won’t come. The Orks are seemingly unstoppable and the Space Marines get ever more desperate – including re-routing a volcano — multiple times! (It wouldn’t be a birth of Salamander without diverting a volcano).

Vulkan does get a few scenes, but mostly fighting inside a Ork Moon, killing Warbosses and normal Orks with abandon – but unfortunately no peril – and so despite being purportedly about Vulkan this book – as with a few of the Primarchs series – is more about his legion than him. It’s disappointing, but not surprising – the series is becoming a bit pot-luck as to whether it is a story about the Primarch, or his legion.

We always encourage people to shop at local bricks and mortar stores, but if your friendly local book store doesn’t have this available, we have a UK Amazon affiliate link & a USA Amazon affiliate link for which Woehammer receives a small commission.

— Declan & Eeyore