Loads of spoilers in this post, it's kind of a review but an informal one.


Just finished it and it was a very enjoyable read. I like the links it has to 40k although I've not read the series which it relates to, I could appreciate the implications.

The idea behind Perturabo's turn is simple at first but slowly you find he has lots of layers that lead me to relate to him greatly and because of this I now understand why he turned but also that with a bit more interaction with the Emperor, he could have easily stayed loyal.

I don't think his hatred of Dorn came across well though, it seemed too similar to Lorgar's perceived slights that Guilliman had thrown his way. Perturabo seemed angry at a lot of the other legions but he chose to focus on Dorn because well, they shared a similar theatre is all that it came down to for me. I think more needs to be put in here, it really appears to similar to the Word Bearers and Ultramarines for my liking.

Each character was quite well done, including for the most part the Iron Hands who, imo, retrieved a bit of their dignity after their previous outings and 40k novels. The lunatic iron father came close to following their previous examples of stupidity though.

I love the Raven Guard, I mean I really do, I just hope he wasn't on the receiving end of lucius's special ability, because he was pure awesome.

Lucius' special ability triggers when an opponent takes pleasure in killing him, and that the RG clearly did not. But Slaanesh apperently did not want to loose him and gave him a free pass from death.

But yeah, Peturabo's brooding nature probably led him to imagine all sorts of slights from Dorn. And I seem to remember a passage somewhere, where Peturabo spewed a high amount of vitriol at Dorn becaue he claimed noone could breach the Imperial Palace. Also, his weapon Forgebreaker, wasnt that the hammer forged by Fulgrim and given to Ferrus Manus? I know Peturabo got the hammer from Horus. Cue possible taint in it to magnify his worries is my belief.

I don't think the hammer was tainted, Perturabo was had already turned by the time he got the hammer after the istvaan massacre.

There were points in the story I didn't understand after finishing the book because they weren't answered, such as Ferrus keeps popping up in mirrors to fulgrim, there was the detail shown of Ferrus when he landed on Medusa.

I hope that the captain they were trying to save shows up later to see whether he made it or not. I don't get the plan the eldar had, it made no sense unless they truly thought two legions were completely stupid and incompetent.

The Raven Guard was absolutely badass, it was so cool seeing lucius finally put in his place and to a raven guard as well, I mean before the HH they weren't really respected as fighters, mainly infiltrators and ambushers, but since the HH series it's been made clear that they are great close combatants.

I still dislike the idea of Salamanders having pure black skin with red eyes which apparently can see through shadows easier than most marines, I thought that was the Night Lords special thing.

I'm so glad the Iron Hands are fighting back, I'm just not so sure I can bring myself to like any more than I do due to the damage in previous novels and the most recent 40k stories.

Yes, the display of Ferrus's arrival on Medusa seemed completely irrelevant to the story. Yes, we get to see how the Iron Hands reacts to the passing of their primarch and the beginning splintering of the legion.

Though i thought it a neat point that Fulgrim was haunted by the specter of Ferrus.

Regarding the eldar guides. They were druchii and as I could surmise, their aim was to use the two forces to break open Lydris to allow them to abscond with a planet's worth of waystones to stave off the souldrain of the druchii in commoragh, which will have such terrible influences on them over the next 10k years. But they had not counted on Fulgrim offering them all up in sacrifice to Slaanesh.

I'm not buying a hardback, it's just too expensive - once the paperback's out I'll get it.

^ This.

I'm interested, though - What's the name of the Raven Guard?

Nykona Sharrowkyn

Do you have some ideas of your own? Would be interesting to hear them

What rank was he? Do we know who the Raven Guard's first captain is (either Heresy-era or current)?

Sadly, inflexible, dull-witted and being [email protected] by the EC seems to be their theme. I did like Wrath of Iron though.

A bit too feminine for my taste

On the topic of Dorn and Perturabo, something drastic should of happened between them, there's so much vitriol thrown at the Imperial Fists way that something should've plainly occurred rather than the current situation which is the Iron Warriors hating the so called "Boastful Dorn" who took loads of credit including having the flag of the fists over an alien stronghold after it was the Iron Warriors who did all the work. Think this is referring to the picture from the Index Astartes articles for the Iron Warriors.



I know the two scrapped after Dorn stated if he was manning the Emperor's Palace no one could penetrate it, but it still appears to be jealousy, perceived slights and the anger at being used to garrison worlds that makes up the majority of Perturabo's anger at them.

It's surely one of the top legion rivalries but it's too much like the Ultramarines and Word Bearers for my liking.

To be honest, the Iron Hands come out better overall from this story vs the Emperor's Children, there's a distinct funny moment with a death Iron Hand which is absolutely awesome and hilarious at the same time.

I don't know the rank of the Raven Guard, but the ship they are on is Iron Hands and Iron Father Wayland demands the use of ranks and titles to keep the structure intact but I don't think the Raven Guard is ever called by one, however he's distinctly awesome, wields a pair of black blades and goes to toe with Lucius twice with an eventual conclusion as well.

Uh...the Iron Hands look better because one of them dies funnily?