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The Horus Heresy #25
Mark of Calth
In this all-new collection of Horus Heresy stories, witness the untold tales of the Underworld War.The Heresy reached Calth without warning. In just a few hours of betrayal and bloodshed, the proud warriors of the XIIIth Legion � Guilliman’s own Ultramarines � were laid low by the treachery of their erstwhile brothers of the XVIIth. Now, as the planet is scoured by solar flares from the wounded Veridian star, the survivors must take the fight to the remaining Word Bearers and their foul allies, or face damnation in the gloomy shelters beneath the planet’s surface.The battle for Calth is far from over...
The Shards of Erebus
Calth That Was
Dark Heart
The Traveller
A Deeper Darkness
The Underworld War
Athame
Unmarked
The Shards of Erebus
Calth That Was
Dark Heart
The Traveller
A Deeper Darkness
The Underworld War
Athame
Unmarked
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2013
146 people are currently reading
1638 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Goulding
66books42followersL. J. Goulding is a British novelist, scriptwriter and editor, living and working in Los Angeles, California. His credits include 'League of Legends: Realms of Runeterra', the Black Library audio dramas 'Malcador: First Lord of the Imperium', 'The Heart of the Pharos', 'Scythes of the Emperor: Daedalus', and 'Mortarion's Heart', the novel 'Slaughter at Giant's Coffin', and many short stories for publishers in the UK and US.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
April 29, 2022
"The Mark of Calth" was pretty good overall. It is a collection of short stories based around the events on Calth.
During the burning of Monarchia, the Word Bearer's homeworld capital, the Ultramarines were the Legion that, at the Emperor's orders, helped to "return" the Word Bearer's to Compliance. The Word Bearers never forgot that incident. It caused them to turn to Chaos. Calth was a prosperous agri-world in the Ultramar system. They exact their vengeance upon the Ultramarines. This is a collection of short stories about that time.
The vast majority of the stories are excellent. They not only give an idea of the carnage at Calth, but it feeds up tidbits of fascinating lore about some rather famous from the 40K timeline (this is 30K). The only stories that weren't all that great were the two at the end named "Atheme" and "Unamrked". Those two? Not very good. But all the other stories are well done.
During the burning of Monarchia, the Word Bearer's homeworld capital, the Ultramarines were the Legion that, at the Emperor's orders, helped to "return" the Word Bearer's to Compliance. The Word Bearers never forgot that incident. It caused them to turn to Chaos. Calth was a prosperous agri-world in the Ultramar system. They exact their vengeance upon the Ultramarines. This is a collection of short stories about that time.
The vast majority of the stories are excellent. They not only give an idea of the carnage at Calth, but it feeds up tidbits of fascinating lore about some rather famous from the 40K timeline (this is 30K). The only stories that weren't all that great were the two at the end named "Atheme" and "Unamrked". Those two? Not very good. But all the other stories are well done.
May 19, 2024
Mixed pickles, some better than others, some experimental in format. The big ones like French and Haley actually don't do too well with shorts, and the feeling is more akin to a literary moment than a plot taking place. However, all are connected to the catastrophic event at Calth, giving us sort of a 360° view through time and space. Not as thrilling as it could have been, but not too bad all in all.
March 21, 2016
The Shards of Erebus by Guy Haley:
A awesome short story that shows what Erebus was up to prior to Calth, and how we came to have some of his awesome powers. This is the first time I can recall getting to really see into his head, and it was awesome. As much as he is a greag villain
5/5
Calth that was by Graham McNeill:
The longest portion of the Mark of Calth anthology, and damn was it good. It was broken up into 37 different parts, following various different aspects of Calth after the events in Abnett's Know No Fear. The novella was awesome, the action was great and the characters were phenominal. The only thing I didn't like was that whoever was the MC for any given part did amazing. I mean, 200 v 600, and the 200 win without even losing 1? That is some OP plot armour shit right there. Other than some stuff like that, it was damn good.
4/5
Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds:
/review/show...
4/5
The Traveller by David Annandale:
A great short story that shows what life is like for the average refugee of Calth, and how they can be their own worst enemies, and how the daemons are much more terrifying than one might expect. The short was great, and I look forward to seeing where it leads!
4/5
A Deeper Darkness by Rob Sanders:
A very interesting short, more akin to a work of horror than I am used to in the action of the Horus Heresy, but still just as good. I am finding that I am really enjoying Rob Sanders work in the HH thus far, his grasp on the different Legions, as well as the terror of Chaos are both welcome, and a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to see what else he does in both the HH and 40K!
4/5
The Underworld War by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
An awesome short story, showing the makings of the Gal Vorbek, or at least the possesed Chaos Space Marines. The story was awesome, as I have come to expect from ADB, and had the twist was absolutely stunning! I think they could make much more on the whole creation of the Possesed, and i'd like to see them play a bigger role in future novels. Also, i'd like to know if Argal Tal was able to accomplish Lorgar's task for him. I would definitely like to see more work from ADB on the XVIIth Legion in the future!
5/5
Athame by John French
An interesting short story following the life of the ritual dagger that we see in Dan Abnett's novel Know No Fear. While the short was interesting, and I am definitely interested in where our old friend has gone, and where the blade will likewise go, the short story was really nothing special, in my opinion. French did an awesome job at playing fate with that dagger, and making the short interesting, but overall, I feel nothing was really added, besides the whole warrior in gold thing, which I cannot wait to see how that turns out!
3/5
Unmarked by Dan Abnett:
So, I said I wanted to see were Oll went, and bam! That is what I get lol.
Anyways, more great stuff from Abnett, though it really didn't suffer from his usual overzealous discription of the environment, it really added to it in this. I look forward to seeing where all these stories lead, since the Mark is still counting there on Calth!(at least where I am at :p)
4/5
The Book itself:
The internal artwork as above and beyond for this anthology. Really damned good stuff.
And the little 100 word notes after each story was another nice little tid bit!
A awesome short story that shows what Erebus was up to prior to Calth, and how we came to have some of his awesome powers. This is the first time I can recall getting to really see into his head, and it was awesome. As much as he is a greag villain
5/5
Calth that was by Graham McNeill:
The longest portion of the Mark of Calth anthology, and damn was it good. It was broken up into 37 different parts, following various different aspects of Calth after the events in Abnett's Know No Fear. The novella was awesome, the action was great and the characters were phenominal. The only thing I didn't like was that whoever was the MC for any given part did amazing. I mean, 200 v 600, and the 200 win without even losing 1? That is some OP plot armour shit right there. Other than some stuff like that, it was damn good.
4/5
Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds:
/review/show...
4/5
The Traveller by David Annandale:
A great short story that shows what life is like for the average refugee of Calth, and how they can be their own worst enemies, and how the daemons are much more terrifying than one might expect. The short was great, and I look forward to seeing where it leads!
4/5
A Deeper Darkness by Rob Sanders:
A very interesting short, more akin to a work of horror than I am used to in the action of the Horus Heresy, but still just as good. I am finding that I am really enjoying Rob Sanders work in the HH thus far, his grasp on the different Legions, as well as the terror of Chaos are both welcome, and a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to see what else he does in both the HH and 40K!
4/5
The Underworld War by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
An awesome short story, showing the makings of the Gal Vorbek, or at least the possesed Chaos Space Marines. The story was awesome, as I have come to expect from ADB, and had the twist was absolutely stunning! I think they could make much more on the whole creation of the Possesed, and i'd like to see them play a bigger role in future novels. Also, i'd like to know if Argal Tal was able to accomplish Lorgar's task for him. I would definitely like to see more work from ADB on the XVIIth Legion in the future!
5/5
Athame by John French
An interesting short story following the life of the ritual dagger that we see in Dan Abnett's novel Know No Fear. While the short was interesting, and I am definitely interested in where our old friend has gone, and where the blade will likewise go, the short story was really nothing special, in my opinion. French did an awesome job at playing fate with that dagger, and making the short interesting, but overall, I feel nothing was really added, besides the whole warrior in gold thing, which I cannot wait to see how that turns out!
3/5
Unmarked by Dan Abnett:
So, I said I wanted to see were Oll went, and bam! That is what I get lol.
Anyways, more great stuff from Abnett, though it really didn't suffer from his usual overzealous discription of the environment, it really added to it in this. I look forward to seeing where all these stories lead, since the Mark is still counting there on Calth!(at least where I am at :p)
4/5
The Book itself:
The internal artwork as above and beyond for this anthology. Really damned good stuff.
And the little 100 word notes after each story was another nice little tid bit!
April 12, 2023
Can't say I enjoyed any of the stories in this anthology and it didn't progress the main heresy at all. I red in forums that this book could be skipped and I agree with that completely. Kind of wish I didn't waste my time on it but as Im bit of a completionist I pushed through it. If you really love the word bearers or ultramarines you may enjoy it more. Little to no feature of the primarchs either if your looking for any of that.
February 6, 2024
Re-Listen February 2024 as part of a Heresy Omnibus+ complete readthrough of the Horus Heresy series, as additional to the Shadow Crusade II The Underworld War (
I remember getting my hands on the hardback of this when it came out and finding the smooth cover nicely stimmy long before I became aware I was autistic. I also remember really having a good time with this anthology, but not remembering any of its contents, beyond The Shards of Erebus, which is seared into my mind after making so many Subtle Knife references.
Returning to this years later with the context of intensely following the enmity and atrocities the XIII and the XVII Legions bare and commit against one another a decidedly delicious, dark, and different experience with a cracking anthology.
I am genuinely surprised by the amount of tepid and cold renews I've seen on here.
I have reviewed each of the stories and novella in more detail a separately, but I will briefly describe the overall threads of this anthology and list and comment on the contents.
The bulk of the stories focus on the Underworld War that occurred in the arcologies beneath scoured and impossibly irradiated surface of Calth, exploring the conflicts the humans and Astartes face, both within and without, as they try to process the trauma of Calth being decimated at the hands of their once battle brothers, the Word Bears, being stuck underground, trapped, and abandoned, and still needing to keep fighting the increasingly disturbed and maniacal enemies. There are also a couple of prequels showing how things came to be joe and where they are.
The Shards of Erebus by Guy Haley: Erebus forges eight new Athames, powerful ritual blades, from the Anathame that laid Horus low for himself and those leading the attack on Calth, as well as returning to Davin to seeking to learn from the Serpent Lodge priest and get some much needed closure.
Calth That Was by Graham McNeill: This novella is continues Ventanus' narrative from Know No Fear with the gang getting together to take the fight to the Word Bearers. A brilliant coda for the novel that sees some of the last open combat, before the reprise of the Underworld War. A fantastic frenetic ensemble tale of action and heroics.
Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds: The future star of Reynolds Word Bearer series, Marduk, flexes the powers he has gained from something other than his mentor, bringing them into conflict, and showing some very different perspectives to the use of the Warp, as well as getting new angle on Guilliman's heart-stopping confrontation with Kor Phaeron.
The Traveller by David Annandale: A gothic horror about belief, and the dangers and open mind, a jealous heart, and the sadistic righteousness of passing judgement.
A Deeper Darkness by Rob Sanders: A mythic horror about an unknowable monstrosity called forth from the Warp, stalking the dark, and the helplessness of being unable to save everyone.
The Underworld War by Aaron Dembski-Bowden: An incredible story taking place after the Underworld War had raged for nearly seven years and one of the few remaining Possessed Word Bearer embarks on a journey that will test their mettle as they try to escape Calth and ensure the fallen are remembered.
Unmarked by Dan Abnett: following on from where Oll Persson and his ragtag bang of survivors left Calth, they wander through strange places and times, pursued by a powerful entity from the Immaterium. Absolutely filled with wild classical references and fascinating information about Oll's past.
Truly a quality collection of stories that uses its focus to explore different perspectives and styles, making the most of the unique and awful circumstances of Calth.
Absolutely loved it!
***
Such an unbelievably amazing and impressively different anthology! Will write up a review later.
I remember getting my hands on the hardback of this when it came out and finding the smooth cover nicely stimmy long before I became aware I was autistic. I also remember really having a good time with this anthology, but not remembering any of its contents, beyond The Shards of Erebus, which is seared into my mind after making so many Subtle Knife references.
Returning to this years later with the context of intensely following the enmity and atrocities the XIII and the XVII Legions bare and commit against one another a decidedly delicious, dark, and different experience with a cracking anthology.
I am genuinely surprised by the amount of tepid and cold renews I've seen on here.
I have reviewed each of the stories and novella in more detail a separately, but I will briefly describe the overall threads of this anthology and list and comment on the contents.
The bulk of the stories focus on the Underworld War that occurred in the arcologies beneath scoured and impossibly irradiated surface of Calth, exploring the conflicts the humans and Astartes face, both within and without, as they try to process the trauma of Calth being decimated at the hands of their once battle brothers, the Word Bears, being stuck underground, trapped, and abandoned, and still needing to keep fighting the increasingly disturbed and maniacal enemies. There are also a couple of prequels showing how things came to be joe and where they are.
The Shards of Erebus by Guy Haley: Erebus forges eight new Athames, powerful ritual blades, from the Anathame that laid Horus low for himself and those leading the attack on Calth, as well as returning to Davin to seeking to learn from the Serpent Lodge priest and get some much needed closure.
Calth That Was by Graham McNeill: This novella is continues Ventanus' narrative from Know No Fear with the gang getting together to take the fight to the Word Bearers. A brilliant coda for the novel that sees some of the last open combat, before the reprise of the Underworld War. A fantastic frenetic ensemble tale of action and heroics.
Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds: The future star of Reynolds Word Bearer series, Marduk, flexes the powers he has gained from something other than his mentor, bringing them into conflict, and showing some very different perspectives to the use of the Warp, as well as getting new angle on Guilliman's heart-stopping confrontation with Kor Phaeron.
The Traveller by David Annandale: A gothic horror about belief, and the dangers and open mind, a jealous heart, and the sadistic righteousness of passing judgement.
A Deeper Darkness by Rob Sanders: A mythic horror about an unknowable monstrosity called forth from the Warp, stalking the dark, and the helplessness of being unable to save everyone.
The Underworld War by Aaron Dembski-Bowden: An incredible story taking place after the Underworld War had raged for nearly seven years and one of the few remaining Possessed Word Bearer embarks on a journey that will test their mettle as they try to escape Calth and ensure the fallen are remembered.
Unmarked by Dan Abnett: following on from where Oll Persson and his ragtag bang of survivors left Calth, they wander through strange places and times, pursued by a powerful entity from the Immaterium. Absolutely filled with wild classical references and fascinating information about Oll's past.
Truly a quality collection of stories that uses its focus to explore different perspectives and styles, making the most of the unique and awful circumstances of Calth.
Absolutely loved it!
***
Such an unbelievably amazing and impressively different anthology! Will write up a review later.
January 4, 2023
Took me way to long to get theough this. Coming just after a beast of a book that was Betrayer, i think i was already done with Calth after that. But BL thought it a good idea to even push more padding into the HH series. Stories were oke, and one or two stood out, I guess by now if you understood why Decsent of Angels was part of this series you will understand why this one was also included. Glad I got to see some Gramaticus again, that was unexpected there with the last story.
May 13, 2019
Another perfectly timed short story anthology in the Horus Heresy series. This collection has a central theme of the atrocity that occurred on Calth and is seen/retold through several unique perspectives. All of the stories are good, but my favorite was the story of the athame, a relic that has changed hands and shaped the destiny of the universe several times.
Great read!
Great read!
July 5, 2023
Bit of a slog to be honest, but ADB and DA delivered the goods as always.
January 31, 2022
Another okay mix of short stories dealing with the aftermath of the Calth betrayal. Just like the other short story anthologies, this one has stories that are great and others that are dull, still enjoyed it for the most part however.
July 3, 2017
A good collection of short stories, which contains probably my favourite piece of 40k fiction - Unmarked by Dan Abnett. An excellent story I'd like to see made into a full novel.
February 9, 2025
Some decent short stories. Nothing outstanding though. Fuck Erebus!
September 11, 2020
A Deeper Darkness stole the show. Hands down the best short story in the entire collection. If they were all that good, this would have been a Lovecraftian collection of 40k lore.
May 11, 2025
No story here was bad I want to preface with that. At worst the basic premise and idea was interesting and at best I am once again enthralled by whatever the hell the perpetuals have going on and my classics degree finally getting it's due.
January 6, 2025
This was a book. I have read it.
Bit of a pointless entry, with not a whole lot of new ground covered. Probably could’ve been condensed into 1 or 2 short stories as it was repetitive (Word Bearers Bad)
In a word: skippable
Bit of a pointless entry, with not a whole lot of new ground covered. Probably could’ve been condensed into 1 or 2 short stories as it was repetitive (Word Bearers Bad)
In a word: skippable
October 14, 2024
Lickety-shplit
June 3, 2013
"The Heresy came to Calth without warning. In just a few hours of betrayal and bloodshed, the proud warriors of the XIIIth Legion � Guilliman’s own Ultramarines � were laid low by the treachery of their erstwhile brothers of the XVIIth. Now, as the planet is scoured by solar flares from the wounded Veridian star, the survivors must take the fight to the remaining Word Bearers and their foul allies, or face damnation in the gloomy arcology shelters beneath the planet’s surface."
I always thought 'Know Know Fear' ended rather suddenly. The book spent an age introducing characters and a new world to the Horus Heresy universe to then almost arbitrarily massacre half of them after the tumultuous events of the Word Bearers treachery. 'Mark Of Calth' is a good place to pick up where some characters left off or where events ended rather suddenly in the previous book.
Some stories took a rather unique approach, following the destiny of a particular anathame knife. Following it's travels (and murders) throughout history before it reached the events of Calth. Or another story detailing the unique forms of claustrophobia and paranoia prevalent in a post apocalyptic Calth in the underground arcologies.
I think my favorite was 'A Deeper Darkness' by Rob Sanders. A relative newcomer to the Warhammer 40K writing team. The melds of Adeptus Astartes with the Perseus myth and the facing of the Gorgon I did quite enjoy and found most thrilling.
Short stories might be good to slate the appetite but they will always leave you wanting more and that's what 'Mark of Calth' does. The stories of Captain Ventanus and Oll Persson should be expanded (and probably will at some point) as their tales will no doubt have great effect on the wider Horus Heresy universe.
I always thought 'Know Know Fear' ended rather suddenly. The book spent an age introducing characters and a new world to the Horus Heresy universe to then almost arbitrarily massacre half of them after the tumultuous events of the Word Bearers treachery. 'Mark Of Calth' is a good place to pick up where some characters left off or where events ended rather suddenly in the previous book.
Some stories took a rather unique approach, following the destiny of a particular anathame knife. Following it's travels (and murders) throughout history before it reached the events of Calth. Or another story detailing the unique forms of claustrophobia and paranoia prevalent in a post apocalyptic Calth in the underground arcologies.
I think my favorite was 'A Deeper Darkness' by Rob Sanders. A relative newcomer to the Warhammer 40K writing team. The melds of Adeptus Astartes with the Perseus myth and the facing of the Gorgon I did quite enjoy and found most thrilling.
Short stories might be good to slate the appetite but they will always leave you wanting more and that's what 'Mark of Calth' does. The stories of Captain Ventanus and Oll Persson should be expanded (and probably will at some point) as their tales will no doubt have great effect on the wider Horus Heresy universe.
July 19, 2014
This anthology of the Horus Heresy takes place in the wake of the Word Bearers' invasion of the planet Calth (see Dan Abnett's Know No Fear). The surface of Calth is no longer inhabitable, but the Word Bearers and their daemons remain, so the loyal Ultramarines have taken the fight into the underground shelters and arcologies.
I cannot remember if I have ever commented on this before, but reading these books is a little depressing. These books are set in Warhammer 40K's history, so whatever happens in these books, it's all for naught. No matter what victories are won, or heroic deeds done, the Emperor will still nearly die, and the Imperium will turn into the monstrosity that it is. Ah, well.
I cannot remember if I have ever commented on this before, but reading these books is a little depressing. These books are set in Warhammer 40K's history, so whatever happens in these books, it's all for naught. No matter what victories are won, or heroic deeds done, the Emperor will still nearly die, and the Imperium will turn into the monstrosity that it is. Ah, well.
May 20, 2013
Not bad book and it was good that ADB didn't fuck it up with biasedness towards traitor legions...
June 4, 2020
Only read the Shards of Erebus short story. Extremely well written, but it doesn't add much for a guy like me who hasn't read any Calth books yet.
August 19, 2014
You can read the full review over at my blog:
In the wake of Black Library switching and changing the printing schedules and formats of its flagship Horus Heresy series back in late 2012, I fell off with the series in early 2013. Where before I read the publisher’s novels pretty much as soon as they were released or just prior, months went by before I read anything, and this applied more so to Horus Heresy since I preferred to wait for the regular paperback editions. As such, I am significantly behind in my reading, though the experience of catching up has been fairly delightful thus far, especially with their various audio dramas. I got back on track back in May with Nick Kyme’s Vulkan Lives, and that reignited my interest in the series, though I haven’t been able to read another Heresy novel until just a few days prior.
Mark of Calth is the twenty-fifth novel in the series and to read this one, there isn’t a lot that someone needs to have read already, which is great really. The anthology kicks off from Dan Abnett’s fairly amazing Know No Fear from 2012 and it expands upon a lot of the minor arcs in that novel, as well as setting the stage for more future stories. Guy Haley, David Annandale, Graham McNeill and Anthony Reynolds deliver some really good stories, with lots of action packed in, while the stories by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Dan Abnett, Rob Sanders and John French are good but do miss the mark in some ways.
The first story in this anthology is by Guy Haley, Shards of Erebus. Guy is a relative newcomer to writing for Black Library, having published his stories only in like the last year, year-and-a-half or so, but in that short frame of time he has already shown that he is right up there with the best of them. In this short story he tackles the Word Bearers for the first time and specifically, he deals with characters like Erebus and Kor Phaeron, two of the biggest characters in the Horus Heresy series.
The story deals with Erebus as he learns myriad forms of warp-sorcery under the tutelage of the Davinite priestess who (kind of) killed him back in False Gods to allow Horus to have his out-of-body-near-death experience that would see him fall to Chaos. Guy weaves together the narrative of Erebus� warp-studies and the fruits of his labours as he prepares for the Word Bearers� massive invasion of Calth, and it proves to be a tightly-plotted story about one of the most hated characters of the era, as far as readers go. Indeed, he is a character that I love to hate, like a few others from the various Traitor Legions.
Given how major a character Erebus is, getting a story focused on him and his various manipulations of the people around him is something that proves to be very compelling. You don’t get to see so much of a focus on him anymore, and this story is a great vehicle for him.
Of course, he isn’t the only major character here, for there are other Word Bearers of note in the story, and seeing him interact with all of them is also an eye-opener. Especially when Kor Phaeron pretty much confirms that while Erebus was once his student, he is on his own path now and Kor Phaeron has no real hold on the First Chaplain anymore. The story ultimately sets the stage for some of the events of Know No Fear and even for some of the later stories in this anthology, so in that respect as well it proves to be a fairly good one.
Rating: 8.5/10
The second story here is Graham McNeill’s novella Calth That Was. First of all, what is nice here is that editor Laurie Goulding mixed up the lengths of the stories and gave us a novella here instead of the as-expected short story. More so given the publisher’s current taste of releasing Horus Heresy novellas individually in shiny packages that will not get reprinted for at least 2 years. And it also helps that Calth That Was is packed full of awesome action and some great characterisation as well.
The story here picks up from where Know No Fear left off and we find ourselves down in the trenches with Fourth Captain Remus Ventanus as he leads a combined force of Ultramarines, Mechanicus and Imperial Army against Word Bearer remnants on Calth. In this story, several months (possibly a few years as well?) have passed since Calth became a wasteland thanks to the Word Bearers� treachery and time has allowed the Ultramarines and their leaders to regroup and fight back against the invaders. The Word Bearers have begun to take severe casualties and their number of victories are beginning to shrink in the face of the Ultramarines� victories.
Remus Ventanus particularly has emerged as a hero of the Underworld War and part of the narrative focuses on that aspect of his personality. As a loyalist Ultramarine who believes fully in his Primarch and the Emperor, he does not like the connotations of the epithet given to him, Saviour of Calth, for it has religious connotations, but he does accept it out of necessity. There’s even a great short scene in the middle of the novella when he discusses this with a fellow Ultramarine officer that is worth reading.
The story is larger than just a single battle against the Word Bearers however, and it provides some interesting details on how the Ultramarines reorganised themselves following the death of Calth and how the Word Bearers were ultimately defeated. That, more than anything else, is the true value of this novella, for we know very little of the seven long years that the Ultramarines spent trapped on Calth as the Underworld War raged on and their later reentry into Heresy proper.
There are a few things here and there in the novella where I felt that Graham gave in to some inner bias with regards to the Ultramarines and he built them, and specifically Remus, as infallible, not to mention that this novella is as packed with gratuitous exaggerated vocabulary as some of his other recent work, so it wasn’t as grand an experience as I preferred. But that’s fine. The story was still pretty darn good, especially towards the end, when it lays the groundwork for some more stories and connects to bits of established lore.
Rating: 9/10
The third story here is Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds and this one is undoubtedly my favourite here. Anthony has a long history with Black Library and his Word Bearers trilogy featuring the Dark Apostle Marduk is among some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 works. In this story we get to see some of the origins of Marduk before he ever became a Dark Apostle, from his days as an acolyte to the legion’s senior cadre of sorcerers and officers. The short story is one that I’d read last year itself since it was released as an individual story and I liked it as much now as I did it then.
Dark Heart is set during the events of Know No Fear, just before the big climax between Guilliman and Kor Phaeron, and it helps cast a light on both Marduk and Kor Phaeron. It gives us an understanding of both characters, especially their motivations for the things they do and believe in, which is pretty important since they haven’t been featured all that much until now.
There is some good action in the short story, yes, but there is also a lot of nice character-building, so I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Moreover, it is nice to see Anthony writing more for the series and for Black Library in general. His Word Bearers are really good, most of all.
Rating: 9.5/10
Next up is The Traveller by another relative newcomer, David Annandale. David for me is one of Black Library’s best among the new authors that have joined in the last 2-3 years, and he has always been quite impressive. With The Traveller he kind of experiments with a new style of story than he has written before and it kind of works, but the specific device he uses didn’t work out all that well for me.
But, I’ll have to say that getting a grunt-level look at the Underworld War, specifically with the mortals of the Imperial Army and others, that was an eye-opener indeed. Too often the Heresy stories deal with the Legions and others of the same caliber, so the grunts of the Imperial Army often get sidelined. Not so with this story, and in fact it ties in to one of the key events of Know No Fear, helping to explain part of the opening events of the invasion itself.
Given that the Word Bearers are pretty much daemon-worshippers at this point and that the Underworld War lasted for nearly seven years, it stands to reason that there would have been some daemon-oriented shenanigans in Calth’s underground tunnels and arcologies. David certainly builds up the atmosphere and dread really well, so he passes on that note.
Rating: 8/10
In the wake of Black Library switching and changing the printing schedules and formats of its flagship Horus Heresy series back in late 2012, I fell off with the series in early 2013. Where before I read the publisher’s novels pretty much as soon as they were released or just prior, months went by before I read anything, and this applied more so to Horus Heresy since I preferred to wait for the regular paperback editions. As such, I am significantly behind in my reading, though the experience of catching up has been fairly delightful thus far, especially with their various audio dramas. I got back on track back in May with Nick Kyme’s Vulkan Lives, and that reignited my interest in the series, though I haven’t been able to read another Heresy novel until just a few days prior.
Mark of Calth is the twenty-fifth novel in the series and to read this one, there isn’t a lot that someone needs to have read already, which is great really. The anthology kicks off from Dan Abnett’s fairly amazing Know No Fear from 2012 and it expands upon a lot of the minor arcs in that novel, as well as setting the stage for more future stories. Guy Haley, David Annandale, Graham McNeill and Anthony Reynolds deliver some really good stories, with lots of action packed in, while the stories by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Dan Abnett, Rob Sanders and John French are good but do miss the mark in some ways.
The first story in this anthology is by Guy Haley, Shards of Erebus. Guy is a relative newcomer to writing for Black Library, having published his stories only in like the last year, year-and-a-half or so, but in that short frame of time he has already shown that he is right up there with the best of them. In this short story he tackles the Word Bearers for the first time and specifically, he deals with characters like Erebus and Kor Phaeron, two of the biggest characters in the Horus Heresy series.
The story deals with Erebus as he learns myriad forms of warp-sorcery under the tutelage of the Davinite priestess who (kind of) killed him back in False Gods to allow Horus to have his out-of-body-near-death experience that would see him fall to Chaos. Guy weaves together the narrative of Erebus� warp-studies and the fruits of his labours as he prepares for the Word Bearers� massive invasion of Calth, and it proves to be a tightly-plotted story about one of the most hated characters of the era, as far as readers go. Indeed, he is a character that I love to hate, like a few others from the various Traitor Legions.
Given how major a character Erebus is, getting a story focused on him and his various manipulations of the people around him is something that proves to be very compelling. You don’t get to see so much of a focus on him anymore, and this story is a great vehicle for him.
Of course, he isn’t the only major character here, for there are other Word Bearers of note in the story, and seeing him interact with all of them is also an eye-opener. Especially when Kor Phaeron pretty much confirms that while Erebus was once his student, he is on his own path now and Kor Phaeron has no real hold on the First Chaplain anymore. The story ultimately sets the stage for some of the events of Know No Fear and even for some of the later stories in this anthology, so in that respect as well it proves to be a fairly good one.
Rating: 8.5/10
The second story here is Graham McNeill’s novella Calth That Was. First of all, what is nice here is that editor Laurie Goulding mixed up the lengths of the stories and gave us a novella here instead of the as-expected short story. More so given the publisher’s current taste of releasing Horus Heresy novellas individually in shiny packages that will not get reprinted for at least 2 years. And it also helps that Calth That Was is packed full of awesome action and some great characterisation as well.
The story here picks up from where Know No Fear left off and we find ourselves down in the trenches with Fourth Captain Remus Ventanus as he leads a combined force of Ultramarines, Mechanicus and Imperial Army against Word Bearer remnants on Calth. In this story, several months (possibly a few years as well?) have passed since Calth became a wasteland thanks to the Word Bearers� treachery and time has allowed the Ultramarines and their leaders to regroup and fight back against the invaders. The Word Bearers have begun to take severe casualties and their number of victories are beginning to shrink in the face of the Ultramarines� victories.
Remus Ventanus particularly has emerged as a hero of the Underworld War and part of the narrative focuses on that aspect of his personality. As a loyalist Ultramarine who believes fully in his Primarch and the Emperor, he does not like the connotations of the epithet given to him, Saviour of Calth, for it has religious connotations, but he does accept it out of necessity. There’s even a great short scene in the middle of the novella when he discusses this with a fellow Ultramarine officer that is worth reading.
The story is larger than just a single battle against the Word Bearers however, and it provides some interesting details on how the Ultramarines reorganised themselves following the death of Calth and how the Word Bearers were ultimately defeated. That, more than anything else, is the true value of this novella, for we know very little of the seven long years that the Ultramarines spent trapped on Calth as the Underworld War raged on and their later reentry into Heresy proper.
There are a few things here and there in the novella where I felt that Graham gave in to some inner bias with regards to the Ultramarines and he built them, and specifically Remus, as infallible, not to mention that this novella is as packed with gratuitous exaggerated vocabulary as some of his other recent work, so it wasn’t as grand an experience as I preferred. But that’s fine. The story was still pretty darn good, especially towards the end, when it lays the groundwork for some more stories and connects to bits of established lore.
Rating: 9/10
The third story here is Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds and this one is undoubtedly my favourite here. Anthony has a long history with Black Library and his Word Bearers trilogy featuring the Dark Apostle Marduk is among some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 works. In this story we get to see some of the origins of Marduk before he ever became a Dark Apostle, from his days as an acolyte to the legion’s senior cadre of sorcerers and officers. The short story is one that I’d read last year itself since it was released as an individual story and I liked it as much now as I did it then.
Dark Heart is set during the events of Know No Fear, just before the big climax between Guilliman and Kor Phaeron, and it helps cast a light on both Marduk and Kor Phaeron. It gives us an understanding of both characters, especially their motivations for the things they do and believe in, which is pretty important since they haven’t been featured all that much until now.
There is some good action in the short story, yes, but there is also a lot of nice character-building, so I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Moreover, it is nice to see Anthony writing more for the series and for Black Library in general. His Word Bearers are really good, most of all.
Rating: 9.5/10
Next up is The Traveller by another relative newcomer, David Annandale. David for me is one of Black Library’s best among the new authors that have joined in the last 2-3 years, and he has always been quite impressive. With The Traveller he kind of experiments with a new style of story than he has written before and it kind of works, but the specific device he uses didn’t work out all that well for me.
But, I’ll have to say that getting a grunt-level look at the Underworld War, specifically with the mortals of the Imperial Army and others, that was an eye-opener indeed. Too often the Heresy stories deal with the Legions and others of the same caliber, so the grunts of the Imperial Army often get sidelined. Not so with this story, and in fact it ties in to one of the key events of Know No Fear, helping to explain part of the opening events of the invasion itself.
Given that the Word Bearers are pretty much daemon-worshippers at this point and that the Underworld War lasted for nearly seven years, it stands to reason that there would have been some daemon-oriented shenanigans in Calth’s underground tunnels and arcologies. David certainly builds up the atmosphere and dread really well, so he passes on that note.
Rating: 8/10
July 10, 2023
Not essential, but not a total miss
The Reach
I shake the bolt round about the inside of my armoured fist. Like a die, it rattles. Like a die, it awaits an outcome. An outcome unknowable in the enclosed space of my gauntlet.
I feel there are three overarching themes woven into the stories of Mark of Calth: Horror, Confinement and Weird Magical Swords. The characters, other than Pelion the Lesser (who never appears again), are mostly forgettable, the plot threads pretty minor, servicing far distant stories or shuffling characters along.
And this is good! Sort of. It’s something different and distinguishes the compilation from other Horus Heresy books to date. The structure of the stories appears thoughtful, both chronologically and thematically. Each story is also unburdened by the Primarchs� overweening personalities, or even major space marine characters. We literally dig deep, we literally confront the horrors real and psychological and we� …hold some weird magical swords that literally cut the fabric of space time � I’m not ever going to get the obsession with athame, whether as a weapon or a word, but there’s useful lore in there.
Mark of Calth is therefore “kind of� worth a read, as an attempt to try something different. Bolters still set to blast, though.
The Grasp
‘I’m so scared,� she replies, the honesty falling out of her. ‘I know,� I try to reassure her. Then I lie. ‘Me too.�
So the “sort of� part of whether Mark of Calth is “good� comes down to the execution. Only Sanders� story (with the aforementioned Pelion) is unambiguously enjoyable, transcending the themes of horror and confinement that inhabit the story. None of the rest are bad, but shorn from the focus on character, the authors flounder a little. Unusually, Dembski-Bowden’s one is the weakest, trying to weave in two timelines where the build-up, main event, and revelation are all very flat. McNeill’s novella is a throwback to shoot shoot shoot mixed with gnarly driving manoeuvres as plot devices. Annandale is at least in his element with the horror aspects, though all pretence of mystery or craft is abandoned within the first few pages. The rest are fine without being anything exceptional.
The muzzle drifts between them. My ceramite fingertip finds its way to the trigger, and both I, Pelion the Lesser, and the weapon find our way to realisation.
Mark of Calth is an example of achievements falling short of the ambition. I give it three stars to reward that ambition, but anything more would imply it was “essential� despite it having negligible impact on the storyline, i.e. the stories on their own are unmissable. And they’re just not. Not quite. Rather, Mark of Calth is “sort of�, “kind of� worth a read.
The Reach
I shake the bolt round about the inside of my armoured fist. Like a die, it rattles. Like a die, it awaits an outcome. An outcome unknowable in the enclosed space of my gauntlet.
I feel there are three overarching themes woven into the stories of Mark of Calth: Horror, Confinement and Weird Magical Swords. The characters, other than Pelion the Lesser (who never appears again), are mostly forgettable, the plot threads pretty minor, servicing far distant stories or shuffling characters along.
And this is good! Sort of. It’s something different and distinguishes the compilation from other Horus Heresy books to date. The structure of the stories appears thoughtful, both chronologically and thematically. Each story is also unburdened by the Primarchs� overweening personalities, or even major space marine characters. We literally dig deep, we literally confront the horrors real and psychological and we� …hold some weird magical swords that literally cut the fabric of space time � I’m not ever going to get the obsession with athame, whether as a weapon or a word, but there’s useful lore in there.
Mark of Calth is therefore “kind of� worth a read, as an attempt to try something different. Bolters still set to blast, though.
The Grasp
‘I’m so scared,� she replies, the honesty falling out of her. ‘I know,� I try to reassure her. Then I lie. ‘Me too.�
So the “sort of� part of whether Mark of Calth is “good� comes down to the execution. Only Sanders� story (with the aforementioned Pelion) is unambiguously enjoyable, transcending the themes of horror and confinement that inhabit the story. None of the rest are bad, but shorn from the focus on character, the authors flounder a little. Unusually, Dembski-Bowden’s one is the weakest, trying to weave in two timelines where the build-up, main event, and revelation are all very flat. McNeill’s novella is a throwback to shoot shoot shoot mixed with gnarly driving manoeuvres as plot devices. Annandale is at least in his element with the horror aspects, though all pretence of mystery or craft is abandoned within the first few pages. The rest are fine without being anything exceptional.
The muzzle drifts between them. My ceramite fingertip finds its way to the trigger, and both I, Pelion the Lesser, and the weapon find our way to realisation.
Mark of Calth is an example of achievements falling short of the ambition. I give it three stars to reward that ambition, but anything more would imply it was “essential� despite it having negligible impact on the storyline, i.e. the stories on their own are unmissable. And they’re just not. Not quite. Rather, Mark of Calth is “sort of�, “kind of� worth a read.
January 31, 2023
Vingt-cinquième tome de la série, on approche de la moitié, avec les cinquante-deux tomes de la saga. Le tome est composé de plusieurs histoires, tournant toutes autour de Calth et de son soleil qui, après le passage d'une partie de la légion de Lorgar, est instable et rend invivable la surface de Calth.
A travers les histoires, on suit différents personnages, certains tentant de survivre, d'autres histoires se focalisant sur les Word Bearers et divers Space Marines de cette légion. Comme vous le savez sans doute, les Word Bearers sont la légion que je déteste le plus, dans le sens où je ne les supporte pas du tout. Pour résumé, je vais vous citer un dialogue de Perturabo sur les dieux, tiré de The Horus Heresy Primarchs : Perturabo, le marteau d'Olympia de Guy Haley : « Ce que vous prétendez m'a tout l'air de sottises, un voile pudique jeté sur votre ignorance. Je n'aime pas vos dieux, ce sont les ennemis de la raison ».
Bref, nous avons d'un côté des Ultramarines qui tentent de repousser les forces ennemies dans les tunnels que les impériaux sont obligés de creuser. Ils tentent avant tout de survivre, vu que la surface n'est plus vivable. De l'autre, on suit des aventures de certains habitants qui creusent les tunnels. Chaque Ultramarine tente par tous les moyens d'éliminer le plus de Word Bearers, les pourchasser ... Le moment que j'ai apprécié le plus est celui où des Ultramarines surprennent des Word Bearers qui n'ont quasi plus de munitions et les finissent à distance. Pour le reste, on a une histoire où des dagues hérétiques sont données à certains membres clés des Word Bearers, ses « dagues » étant tirées de l'arme qui a blessé Horus.
Bref, pour le reste de l'ouvrage, je n'ai rien trouvé d'autres d'intéressant, il n'y a rien d'intéressant à apprendre, j'ai l'impression que ce tome fait un peu traîner la série et c'est un tome que je retiendrai spécialement, il est un peu ennuyant en quelque sorte, sans rien apporter de spécial. En conclusion, un tome assez moyen dans l'ensemble à mon goût, sans plus.
A travers les histoires, on suit différents personnages, certains tentant de survivre, d'autres histoires se focalisant sur les Word Bearers et divers Space Marines de cette légion. Comme vous le savez sans doute, les Word Bearers sont la légion que je déteste le plus, dans le sens où je ne les supporte pas du tout. Pour résumé, je vais vous citer un dialogue de Perturabo sur les dieux, tiré de The Horus Heresy Primarchs : Perturabo, le marteau d'Olympia de Guy Haley : « Ce que vous prétendez m'a tout l'air de sottises, un voile pudique jeté sur votre ignorance. Je n'aime pas vos dieux, ce sont les ennemis de la raison ».
Bref, nous avons d'un côté des Ultramarines qui tentent de repousser les forces ennemies dans les tunnels que les impériaux sont obligés de creuser. Ils tentent avant tout de survivre, vu que la surface n'est plus vivable. De l'autre, on suit des aventures de certains habitants qui creusent les tunnels. Chaque Ultramarine tente par tous les moyens d'éliminer le plus de Word Bearers, les pourchasser ... Le moment que j'ai apprécié le plus est celui où des Ultramarines surprennent des Word Bearers qui n'ont quasi plus de munitions et les finissent à distance. Pour le reste, on a une histoire où des dagues hérétiques sont données à certains membres clés des Word Bearers, ses « dagues » étant tirées de l'arme qui a blessé Horus.
Bref, pour le reste de l'ouvrage, je n'ai rien trouvé d'autres d'intéressant, il n'y a rien d'intéressant à apprendre, j'ai l'impression que ce tome fait un peu traîner la série et c'est un tome que je retiendrai spécialement, il est un peu ennuyant en quelque sorte, sans rien apporter de spécial. En conclusion, un tome assez moyen dans l'ensemble à mon goût, sans plus.
December 26, 2023
Let me preface this review with the fact that I am not really interested in Calth, or the battle that took place there. I am not an Ultramarine fan, though I do like the Word Bearers. So I went into here expecting some really good stories about a vicious battle for a planet and to see how all the authors could bring it together.
What I got was... meh.
There are some really good stories in this collect that I legit enjoyed. They captured the brutality of the war and what both sides went through to perpetuate the battle. You get some really good character moments, and there is some really talented writing in this book. But sadly, it's the other, less good stories, that dragged things down.
The one that dragged the most was Dan Abbnett's last story of the collection. Oi. Now, let me state that I am not a fan of the Cabal, nor am I a fan of the immortal humans. I think they were a dumb idea that was brought in to help explain what happened to the Alpha Legion, and then everyone else decided to run with it. (it worked for the Alpha Legion book, but hasn't worked anywhere else) The fact that the characters travel through time, to the 1900s specifically at one point, is jarring. The whole point of 40k is that it's FAR in the future, to a time so far in the future it is hard to imagine. Bringing it back to our current timeline kills the mood and cements the fantastical in the real.
Now some people may love that, I personally loath it. That and time travel.
So yeah, all in all this collection is just average for me. There are some really good stories, and some really average ones. If you are an Ultramarine or Word Bearer fan, this may be an anthology you really enjoy. But for me, other than a couple of the stories, I will probably forget most of the stories and will move on to the next Horus Heresy book...
What I got was... meh.
There are some really good stories in this collect that I legit enjoyed. They captured the brutality of the war and what both sides went through to perpetuate the battle. You get some really good character moments, and there is some really talented writing in this book. But sadly, it's the other, less good stories, that dragged things down.
The one that dragged the most was Dan Abbnett's last story of the collection. Oi. Now, let me state that I am not a fan of the Cabal, nor am I a fan of the immortal humans. I think they were a dumb idea that was brought in to help explain what happened to the Alpha Legion, and then everyone else decided to run with it. (it worked for the Alpha Legion book, but hasn't worked anywhere else) The fact that the characters travel through time, to the 1900s specifically at one point, is jarring. The whole point of 40k is that it's FAR in the future, to a time so far in the future it is hard to imagine. Bringing it back to our current timeline kills the mood and cements the fantastical in the real.
Now some people may love that, I personally loath it. That and time travel.
So yeah, all in all this collection is just average for me. There are some really good stories, and some really average ones. If you are an Ultramarine or Word Bearer fan, this may be an anthology you really enjoy. But for me, other than a couple of the stories, I will probably forget most of the stories and will move on to the next Horus Heresy book...
April 4, 2021
Další povídkový sborník, tentokrát zasazený na planetu Calth, sídla Ultramariňáků, než byli zaskočeni podlou zradou Nositelů slova. Zrada nedopadla tak úplně stoprocentně, ale i tak planeta skončila v troskách a zbývající obyvatelé pokračují ve sveřepém boji (a přežívání) v podzemí.
Už to samo o sobě dává na vědomí, že to nebude veselé čtení. A fakt není.
I když se tenhle sborník nedá moc dobře číst samostatně a musíte mít aspoň nějakou představu, o co v téhle sérii jde a kdo je kdo, tak většina příběhů funguje sama o sobě, neslouží čistě k dokreslování nějakých větších událostí. Jsou tu i vojenské akce, ale mnohem spíš se příběhy pohybují na pomezí hororu či thrilleru. Zajímavé je i to, že je pár povídek je spolu volně provázaných a dává dohromady větší děj.
Při čtení mě napadlo, co mě na Warhammeru přitahuje (kromě gotické velkoleposti). Povídka A Deeper Darkness mi vysloveně připomněla chvíle, kdy jsem v mládí četl Conana a ještě to na mně působilo. Podzemní prostory, hrůza z temnoty, osudovost, síla, postupně umírající členové skupiny�
Ale i jinak sborník drží vysokou kvalitu a střídají se tu military akce (Calth that Was), spíše hororové thrillery (Dark Heart či Traveller), osobní dramata (The Underworld war � zvažující oddanost bojovníka své legii), či to conanovské A Deeper Darkness.
Plus je tu povídka Athame, popisující poměrně zajímavým způsobem osudy rituální dýky, která se objevila už v Know no Fear (a hraje velkou roli i v tomhle sborníku). A končí to samozřejmě Abnettem, který nechává své hrdiny putovat časem i prostorem a vrací do příběhu postavu z Legie.
Z toho, co jsem zatím četl, mi tohle přišlo jako jeden z těch nejvyváženějších sborníků. Nebo si už prostě zvykám.
Už to samo o sobě dává na vědomí, že to nebude veselé čtení. A fakt není.
I když se tenhle sborník nedá moc dobře číst samostatně a musíte mít aspoň nějakou představu, o co v téhle sérii jde a kdo je kdo, tak většina příběhů funguje sama o sobě, neslouží čistě k dokreslování nějakých větších událostí. Jsou tu i vojenské akce, ale mnohem spíš se příběhy pohybují na pomezí hororu či thrilleru. Zajímavé je i to, že je pár povídek je spolu volně provázaných a dává dohromady větší děj.
Při čtení mě napadlo, co mě na Warhammeru přitahuje (kromě gotické velkoleposti). Povídka A Deeper Darkness mi vysloveně připomněla chvíle, kdy jsem v mládí četl Conana a ještě to na mně působilo. Podzemní prostory, hrůza z temnoty, osudovost, síla, postupně umírající členové skupiny�
Ale i jinak sborník drží vysokou kvalitu a střídají se tu military akce (Calth that Was), spíše hororové thrillery (Dark Heart či Traveller), osobní dramata (The Underworld war � zvažující oddanost bojovníka své legii), či to conanovské A Deeper Darkness.
Plus je tu povídka Athame, popisující poměrně zajímavým způsobem osudy rituální dýky, která se objevila už v Know no Fear (a hraje velkou roli i v tomhle sborníku). A končí to samozřejmě Abnettem, který nechává své hrdiny putovat časem i prostorem a vrací do příběhu postavu z Legie.
Z toho, co jsem zatím četl, mi tohle přišlo jako jeden z těch nejvyváženějších sborníků. Nebo si už prostě zvykám.
June 28, 2020
These short stories all relate to Know No Fear in some way or another, so it makes no sense to read this until you've read that first.
* The Shards of Erebus by Guy Haley - Do you remember the Davinite priestess that had to cut Erebus' throat in order for the heresy to happen? Erebus sure does!
* Calth That Was by Graham McNeill - Two weeks after Know No Fear, Ultramarines and Word Bearers continue the war for Calth.
* Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds - Marduk stands trial for murdering his mentor during the assault on Zetsun Verid.
* The Traveller by David Annandale - Jassiq Blanchot survived the destruction of Veridius Maxim, maybe the only survivor. He is lucky.
* A Deeper Darkness by Rob Sanders - Hylas Pelion is Pelion the Lesser, but he is still an Ultramarine dammit.
* The Underworld War by ADB - The Word Bearers on Calth have been forgotten. Lorgar has forgotten them. But Jerudai Kaurtal will make him remember.
* Athame by John French - Once upon a time, a dude carved a knife. Read after Prospero Burns.
* Unmarked by Dan Abnett - Something stalks the pilgrims who escaped Calth when no one was looking.
A Deeper Darkness reads like a Greek tragedy, and is hands down the best story in the collection. The Underworld War is ADB's version of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, superbly executed. This book is a solid outing all around.
* The Shards of Erebus by Guy Haley - Do you remember the Davinite priestess that had to cut Erebus' throat in order for the heresy to happen? Erebus sure does!
* Calth That Was by Graham McNeill - Two weeks after Know No Fear, Ultramarines and Word Bearers continue the war for Calth.
* Dark Heart by Anthony Reynolds - Marduk stands trial for murdering his mentor during the assault on Zetsun Verid.
* The Traveller by David Annandale - Jassiq Blanchot survived the destruction of Veridius Maxim, maybe the only survivor. He is lucky.
* A Deeper Darkness by Rob Sanders - Hylas Pelion is Pelion the Lesser, but he is still an Ultramarine dammit.
* The Underworld War by ADB - The Word Bearers on Calth have been forgotten. Lorgar has forgotten them. But Jerudai Kaurtal will make him remember.
* Athame by John French - Once upon a time, a dude carved a knife. Read after Prospero Burns.
* Unmarked by Dan Abnett - Something stalks the pilgrims who escaped Calth when no one was looking.
A Deeper Darkness reads like a Greek tragedy, and is hands down the best story in the collection. The Underworld War is ADB's version of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, superbly executed. This book is a solid outing all around.
July 12, 2022
The stories here are a mix between pointlessly meh and truly exceptional, but let down by the monotony of things.
The highlights here for me we're David Annandale's "The Traveller" (Annandale captures horror in a wonderful Lovecraft via Lumley style that fits beautifully for me just how Chaos should be), ADB's "Underworld War" (clever and different - for me this is what a short should be to have purpose as literature) and finally Dan Abnett's "Unmarked" (just 'cause I really like Oll Persson).
The rest of the book is pretty dry but, for me, that wasn't the worst. As I read through the maze of Horus Heresy stories I've been trying to work out some kind of compromised reading order which is largely chronological but balanced by the common sense of trying not to juggle 10 books at a time to make it work. This would be made a darned sight easier if the stories in the Anthologies were at least in SOME SEMBLANCE OF ORDER!
The stories here jump all over the place - some pre-date the start of the Heresy, some unfold over eons, some are years on from Know No Fear. All I ask is that the editor actually puts them in an order that makes sense - please?!
Aside from "Athame" and "Unmarked", which run together to some extent, and "Shards of Erebus" which, rightly, starts the book, the position on the other tales is very off which feels jarring (and necessitates actually reading stories out of order so they make more sense).
The highlights here for me we're David Annandale's "The Traveller" (Annandale captures horror in a wonderful Lovecraft via Lumley style that fits beautifully for me just how Chaos should be), ADB's "Underworld War" (clever and different - for me this is what a short should be to have purpose as literature) and finally Dan Abnett's "Unmarked" (just 'cause I really like Oll Persson).
The rest of the book is pretty dry but, for me, that wasn't the worst. As I read through the maze of Horus Heresy stories I've been trying to work out some kind of compromised reading order which is largely chronological but balanced by the common sense of trying not to juggle 10 books at a time to make it work. This would be made a darned sight easier if the stories in the Anthologies were at least in SOME SEMBLANCE OF ORDER!
The stories here jump all over the place - some pre-date the start of the Heresy, some unfold over eons, some are years on from Know No Fear. All I ask is that the editor actually puts them in an order that makes sense - please?!
Aside from "Athame" and "Unmarked", which run together to some extent, and "Shards of Erebus" which, rightly, starts the book, the position on the other tales is very off which feels jarring (and necessitates actually reading stories out of order so they make more sense).
October 20, 2020
The Shards of Erebus by 4/5
Calth That Was by 2/5
Dark Heart by 4/5
The Traveller by 5/5
A Deeper Darkness by 4/5
The Underworld War by 4/5
Athame by 4/5
Unmarked by 2/5
Calth That Was by 2/5
Dark Heart by 4/5
The Traveller by 5/5
A Deeper Darkness by 4/5
The Underworld War by 4/5
Athame by 4/5
Unmarked by 2/5
February 21, 2021
I think this book of the series would have been fine. it was actually pretty good. but I have to mark it as the point at which I finally said enough is enough with this series. At first it really felt like we were getting good plot and character development but now I'm starting to feel to the point where I'm just watching the same events unfold from multiple points of view. Who h yes I understand is the point of the story lol. I also understand the authors are very restricted and what they can do, but I wish that we were getting more than one battle with four books written about it. At the beginning of this series we would get a plot for each book, now we get a plot and then three or four books on it turning the whole series into a giant clusterf*** of an anthology.
I think after reading some other things I would very much like to attempt to read some different Warhammer 40K books but I definitely need to take a break from these for now
I think after reading some other things I would very much like to attempt to read some different Warhammer 40K books but I definitely need to take a break from these for now
December 24, 2024
A solid collection of short stories and a novella. While covering an objectively more interrelated set of events, this collection somehow doesn't feel as coherent as Shadows of Treachery - something that stood that anthology apart.
The selection finished strong with Unmarked, a story following Ollanius Persson and thereby tying us back to not only the wider Heresy, but even stimulating linkages to its very finality. A very exciting feeling indeed! Unfortunately this wasn't quite enough to raise my 3 stars to a 4.
One last thing I noted: I really wish they leaned into the underworld war more. It was set up so brilliantly at the end of Know No Fear and in a series with a growing number of recycled plots it seemed like a unique context to base even a handful of stories in. After all the talk about the inhospitality of Calth's surface, people sure did spend a long time walking around on it!
The selection finished strong with Unmarked, a story following Ollanius Persson and thereby tying us back to not only the wider Heresy, but even stimulating linkages to its very finality. A very exciting feeling indeed! Unfortunately this wasn't quite enough to raise my 3 stars to a 4.
One last thing I noted: I really wish they leaned into the underworld war more. It was set up so brilliantly at the end of Know No Fear and in a series with a growing number of recycled plots it seemed like a unique context to base even a handful of stories in. After all the talk about the inhospitality of Calth's surface, people sure did spend a long time walking around on it!
June 19, 2017
I'm starting to feel a little disillusioned with this series. Of all the contributing authors I find myself disheartened to find all bit one or two of them named on a cover. Luckily both of the authors I'm still excited by contribute to this collection of short stories and novellas, so amid all the repetitive dross and stalling there are occasional glimmers of greatness. The editors of this series should be thanking their lucky stars for Graham McNeill, and even more importantly Dan Abnett, because they're pretty much carrying the whole enterprise at this point.
I recognise that I'm somewhat behind, so maybe the series picks up and re-attains it's former glories, but I'm not holding out much hope.
I recognise that I'm somewhat behind, so maybe the series picks up and re-attains it's former glories, but I'm not holding out much hope.
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