“The Unremembered Empire” by Dan Abnett (Black Library)

Isolation, Confusion and Consolidation during the Horus Heresy

Far out on the Eastern Fringe, the realm of Ultramar stands alone. Having weathered the Word Bearers’ attack on Calth and the subsequent Shadow Crusade against the Five Hundred Worlds, the Ultramarines primarch Roboute Guilliman now draws all loyalist forces to Macragge as he contemplates a new future for mankind. With the arrival of more and more fugitives from the war that has engulfed the rest of the galaxy, all distinction between friend and foe is lost – isolated from Terra by fearsome warp storms, is Guilliman making a bid for power to rival even the renegade Warmaster Horus?

In The Unremembered Empire, Dan Abnett is firing on all creative cylinders. It’s an epic novel, in many respects – action-packed, momentous, a type of bridging point in the overall Horus Heresy series. I blitzed through this, and was left desperately wanting more at the end. A very good addition to the series. Absolutely addictive.

“The Primarchs” edited by Christian Dunn (Black Library)

Four Tales of the Primarchs

Created in the Emperor’s own image, the Primarchs had long thought themselves to be princes of the universe and masters of their own destiny – they led the Space Marine Legions in glorious conquest of the galaxy, and no enemy of the Imperium could stand against them. However, even amongst this legendary brotherhood, the seeds of dissent had been sown long before the treacherous Warmaster Horus declared his grand heresy.

In this highly-anticipated anthology, we are presented with four stories of the Primarchs. We see the rifts within and between the two sides, traitors and loyalists. Each story looks at the psychologies and psychoses of the Primarchs, how those close to them perceive them, and how they consider different events.

Overall, this is a superb anthology, and I really hope Black Library release at least a couple more similar anthologies in the future, looking at some of the other Primarchs. This certainly lived up to my expectations.