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The Horus Heresy #21
Fear to Tread
Since the earliest days of the Great Crusade, Sanguinius – angelic primarch of the IXth Legion – was ever among the closest and most loyal of Horus’s brothers. But the Blood Angels have long kept their true nature hidden from the rest of the Imperium, and when the Warmaster hints that the key to their salvation may lie in the ruins of a conquered world, the sons of Sanguinius race to claim it. Now, as the revelation of their betrayal dawns and the traitors’ hand is revealed, the Blood Angels must face all the warp-spawned armies of Chaos, as well their own personal daemons, upon the blasted plains of Signus Prime...
508 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
258 people are currently reading
2142 people want to read
About the author
James Swallow
302 books1,068 followersJames Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.
DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.
Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.
For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow
Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.
You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.
DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.
Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.
For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow
Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.
You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
August 17, 2012
This is the problem with a series - any series: usually, they aren't planned out at the start. This leads from whatever beginning (good, bad, otherwise) to most often a strong middle - and then the end could go either way. And God help you if you're dealing with a trilogy with an amazing second act.
"Warhammer 40,000: The Horus Heresy" isn't under the restraints of a trilogy. It now spans 18 novels (plus 3 more announced - and we're just reaching the end of the Second Act), 8 collections of novellas and short stories (with another 2 announced), 6 audio dramas (with another 2 announced), and four art books - with 14 authors and I don't know how many painters on the art books who have had 20 years to plot the entire thing out. Are all of the books good? Yes and no. Novel 8 ("Battle of the Abyss") is well written if you like Dan Brown - in other words, it's shit, but it's shit that keeps you turning the pages, as a suicide mission to destroy the largest starship ever created bumps along, the literary version of a jalopy. But the payoff for Novel 8 comes in Novel 17 ("Know No Fear: The Battle of Calth"), although never explicitly stated - if you think about that the starship Abyss could have done had it made it to Calth, you see that Novel 8, while bad, was worth reading.
And they do this all of the time. The opening of Novel 17 ("Deliverance Lost" follows the aftermath of an audio drama and a short story, both of which color the characters and fill in much of the dialog and drama. But those are all the aftermath of two other books (Novels 5 ["Fulgrim"] and 13 ["The First Heretic"]), which both dance through the opening four novels (isn't Non-Linear MetaNarative FUN?!).
Now I told you that to give you this warning - I can't review the book properly without giving away the plots to other books. So forgive the following...
"Fear to Tread" is the first one that I think I have to say "read the others first" about. It makes it more enjoyable to know why the appearance of some characters aren't just cameos but threats. The doubts that the cast of this book have about character from other parts of the metaplot, the smirking "Oh, brother, you have no idea" moments, this book ties up a few loose end, and follows others further.
It also allows a nice mirroring effect. If "A Thousand Sons" and "Prospero Burns" were the story of Ragnarok under the guise of "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" and "The Manchurian Candidate" (both: IN SPPPPAAAAACCCCCEEEE), then "Fear to Tread" is a parallel to "False Gods" (Novel 2), and Milton's War in Heaven in "Paradise Lost" under the guise of...well...genetically altered post-human vampires...IN SPPPPAAAAACCCCEEEE! But (unlike Milton - and I [surprisingly] mean this in a good way) the warfare and violence is not glamorized. As cool as it seems, as cool as it look mentally playing out, the characters must deal with their actions. Innocent people die by the score, and for some of the post-humans that fact is a burden they carry with them. [Fun fact - there are a few short stories dealing with people literally created for combat dealing with PTSD, and long passages of humans dealing with the effects of watching post-human soldiers in action in every book.]
Thematically, this is a book about secrets, repression of the self, and betrayal (well, they're all about betrayal - it's a civil war). All of the protagonists are holding back something from the others - in one case, the Primarch's (read: General) secret is the entire plot, while those of his soldiers' may prove to be the only way out. The air of distrust and fear runs thick, and makes the quieter moments just as tense as the action.
I recommend the book fully, on the condition that the others have been read as well. If not, ***.
"Warhammer 40,000: The Horus Heresy" isn't under the restraints of a trilogy. It now spans 18 novels (plus 3 more announced - and we're just reaching the end of the Second Act), 8 collections of novellas and short stories (with another 2 announced), 6 audio dramas (with another 2 announced), and four art books - with 14 authors and I don't know how many painters on the art books who have had 20 years to plot the entire thing out. Are all of the books good? Yes and no. Novel 8 ("Battle of the Abyss") is well written if you like Dan Brown - in other words, it's shit, but it's shit that keeps you turning the pages, as a suicide mission to destroy the largest starship ever created bumps along, the literary version of a jalopy. But the payoff for Novel 8 comes in Novel 17 ("Know No Fear: The Battle of Calth"), although never explicitly stated - if you think about that the starship Abyss could have done had it made it to Calth, you see that Novel 8, while bad, was worth reading.
And they do this all of the time. The opening of Novel 17 ("Deliverance Lost" follows the aftermath of an audio drama and a short story, both of which color the characters and fill in much of the dialog and drama. But those are all the aftermath of two other books (Novels 5 ["Fulgrim"] and 13 ["The First Heretic"]), which both dance through the opening four novels (isn't Non-Linear MetaNarative FUN?!).
Now I told you that to give you this warning - I can't review the book properly without giving away the plots to other books. So forgive the following...
"Fear to Tread" is the first one that I think I have to say "read the others first" about. It makes it more enjoyable to know why the appearance of some characters aren't just cameos but threats. The doubts that the cast of this book have about character from other parts of the metaplot, the smirking "Oh, brother, you have no idea" moments, this book ties up a few loose end, and follows others further.
It also allows a nice mirroring effect. If "A Thousand Sons" and "Prospero Burns" were the story of Ragnarok under the guise of "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" and "The Manchurian Candidate" (both: IN SPPPPAAAAACCCCCEEEE), then "Fear to Tread" is a parallel to "False Gods" (Novel 2), and Milton's War in Heaven in "Paradise Lost" under the guise of...well...genetically altered post-human vampires...IN SPPPPAAAAACCCCEEEE! But (unlike Milton - and I [surprisingly] mean this in a good way) the warfare and violence is not glamorized. As cool as it seems, as cool as it look mentally playing out, the characters must deal with their actions. Innocent people die by the score, and for some of the post-humans that fact is a burden they carry with them. [Fun fact - there are a few short stories dealing with people literally created for combat dealing with PTSD, and long passages of humans dealing with the effects of watching post-human soldiers in action in every book.]
Thematically, this is a book about secrets, repression of the self, and betrayal (well, they're all about betrayal - it's a civil war). All of the protagonists are holding back something from the others - in one case, the Primarch's (read: General) secret is the entire plot, while those of his soldiers' may prove to be the only way out. The air of distrust and fear runs thick, and makes the quieter moments just as tense as the action.
I recommend the book fully, on the condition that the others have been read as well. If not, ***.
November 13, 2012
So, needless to say, I'm going to keep reading this unending series (I've come to terms with the fact that it never will). However, I definitely have my favorite installments (which tend to go over extremely well with me) and my let downs. Sadly, this chapter falls into the second category. I really was looking forward to this particular take on the Blood Angels (a personal favorite), and was sadly disappointed.
This books dragged like no other, for everything execpt the last 50-100 pages or so. It took me over an entire month to read it, as every time I picked it up, I fell asleep, or got bored to where I had to put it down. Nothing important really happened for the majority of the book, and though things were being set up for the end, it was a heck of a trip getting there. This book lives for its ending, which is always sad to me--like a person living to die, their life washing by in mediocrity and then flashing out with a bang. Sure it may stir some emotion at the end, but what about everything that happened before? Does all that suddnely go away? Still, the book wasn't exactly bad, just nothing really special.
Sanguinius, a character that SHOULD be really cool, kind of sucked it up. He was a little pathetic. It's so frustrating when you have a character that should be really cool and interesting, turns out to not deserve the supposed accolades.
There were some neat "revelations" as relevant to the overall 40k universe and story (again at the end of the book), but again, the rest of the book didn't really support itself.
But, as most of the books in this series tend to go over well with me, I guess I'll wait for the next one, and hope that its a better one.
This books dragged like no other, for everything execpt the last 50-100 pages or so. It took me over an entire month to read it, as every time I picked it up, I fell asleep, or got bored to where I had to put it down. Nothing important really happened for the majority of the book, and though things were being set up for the end, it was a heck of a trip getting there. This book lives for its ending, which is always sad to me--like a person living to die, their life washing by in mediocrity and then flashing out with a bang. Sure it may stir some emotion at the end, but what about everything that happened before? Does all that suddnely go away? Still, the book wasn't exactly bad, just nothing really special.
Sanguinius, a character that SHOULD be really cool, kind of sucked it up. He was a little pathetic. It's so frustrating when you have a character that should be really cool and interesting, turns out to not deserve the supposed accolades.
There were some neat "revelations" as relevant to the overall 40k universe and story (again at the end of the book), but again, the rest of the book didn't really support itself.
But, as most of the books in this series tend to go over well with me, I guess I'll wait for the next one, and hope that its a better one.
September 9, 2012
As I said to a friend of mine: "it's as awesome as Know No Fear, only with the infinitisimally cooler Blood Angels instead of Ultramarines".
In the first chapters of the book it already becomes clear that the Blood Angels' Black Rage is NOT, as lore implicitly led us to believe, a condition that only manifested in the Blood Angels after their Primarch died... it already existed before that. Which immediatly begs the question: what causes it... (hint: it's quite easy to imagine once you consider the chapter's name, spoiler: )
The plan of Horus and his infernal allies is to subject the chapter to an "obvious choice" to join the heresy, and for that the chapter is being sent to the Signus cluster which is under lockdown by the warp itself. To say that the described scenes of the taking over by the warp are scary, is the same euphemism as saying that the Emperor's Children are maybe a little self-obsessed...
As Know no Fear did with the Ultramarines, Fear to Tread really redefines the Blood Angels as a chapter, both strengths and weaknesses. The characters, the primarch, the Flaw in the chapter are beautifully organised into the grand scheme of the warhammer universe. And although there are some things you see coming, a lot of other elements really are new to the Big Story of the Horus Heresy. And we get to see who or what the Red Angel is, something that was already introduced in some artwork in 2005 (remember the group-picture of the heretics in the great artwork book) !
(I'm not going into the particularities of the story, as that would without any exception lead to more spoilers. Suffice to say that AwEsOmE should somehow be able been spelled with color letters and shining hues)
The story, my dear Horus Heresy fans, ends on a cliffhanger. No, the Blood Angels story is (mostly) at an end, but suddenly a big fucking plot-element is revealed... well, almost. There have been A LOT of hints to it in the previous books, but the end of Fear to Tread is where the hints stop, and the facts that Something Else is going on, something which was not yet known in the Lore, show clearly. The last sentence is going to end the Blood Angels story nicely, but open up a very very big cup of questions, begging to be answered in following stories.
Yes, I say this after (almost) every Horus Heresy book, but this one was again one of the best ever. Can't wait for the next... hell, if it's only titles and subjects I'll be happy !
Recommended, but read a few other Horus Heresy tomes first :)
In the first chapters of the book it already becomes clear that the Blood Angels' Black Rage is NOT, as lore implicitly led us to believe, a condition that only manifested in the Blood Angels after their Primarch died... it already existed before that. Which immediatly begs the question: what causes it... (hint: it's quite easy to imagine once you consider the chapter's name, spoiler: )
The plan of Horus and his infernal allies is to subject the chapter to an "obvious choice" to join the heresy, and for that the chapter is being sent to the Signus cluster which is under lockdown by the warp itself. To say that the described scenes of the taking over by the warp are scary, is the same euphemism as saying that the Emperor's Children are maybe a little self-obsessed...
As Know no Fear did with the Ultramarines, Fear to Tread really redefines the Blood Angels as a chapter, both strengths and weaknesses. The characters, the primarch, the Flaw in the chapter are beautifully organised into the grand scheme of the warhammer universe. And although there are some things you see coming, a lot of other elements really are new to the Big Story of the Horus Heresy. And we get to see who or what the Red Angel is, something that was already introduced in some artwork in 2005 (remember the group-picture of the heretics in the great artwork book) !
(I'm not going into the particularities of the story, as that would without any exception lead to more spoilers. Suffice to say that AwEsOmE should somehow be able been spelled with color letters and shining hues)
The story, my dear Horus Heresy fans, ends on a cliffhanger. No, the Blood Angels story is (mostly) at an end, but suddenly a big fucking plot-element is revealed... well, almost. There have been A LOT of hints to it in the previous books, but the end of Fear to Tread is where the hints stop, and the facts that Something Else is going on, something which was not yet known in the Lore, show clearly. The last sentence is going to end the Blood Angels story nicely, but open up a very very big cup of questions, begging to be answered in following stories.
Yes, I say this after (almost) every Horus Heresy book, but this one was again one of the best ever. Can't wait for the next... hell, if it's only titles and subjects I'll be happy !
Recommended, but read a few other Horus Heresy tomes first :)
February 11, 2017
This is without a doubt the dopest shit I have ever read. The Blood Angels are put to the ultimate test, as angels are thematically pitted against vile demons of the warp. I frequently grew spontaneous erections as battle scenes involving Sanguinius were portrayed, and wept tears of joy at depictions of his undying love for his sons. Many times I felt a warmth come over me as I imagined that I was a Bloof Angel and Dopeguinius was talking to me personally. I was travelling at the time of finishing this book, at a massive beach party... it was my birthday and despite the exotic locale, friends and drinks, finishing this book was the real highlight of my birthday. 5/5 stars
May 30, 2019
The first half really seemed to plod along and made me question the aim of this installment, but the last half was very exciting and made up for it. If it was a rating of just the last half of the novel it would be higher.
April 12, 2023
There are good Warhammer 40k books and bad Warhammer 40k books. This was a good one. The Horus Heresy novels recently have been poignant, if you can really use that word to describe this series, because you know that all of these stories about the Legions are moving inevitably towards Horus, Sanguinius and the Emperor all having their showdown at the Throne of Terra.
This is Sanguinius's novel. I liked it because the concept of the Blood Angels sounds like something designed to draw 16-year-old girls into the game: Space Marines who are vampires, and their Primarch had angel wings! This took the Flaw and made it into something out of Greek tragedy rather than Twilight. (I almost typed TrueBlood except that the day Space Marines start having sexy affairs with humans is the day I shove the Black Library editorial staff off a tall building.)
This is Sanguinius's novel. I liked it because the concept of the Blood Angels sounds like something designed to draw 16-year-old girls into the game: Space Marines who are vampires, and their Primarch had angel wings! This took the Flaw and made it into something out of Greek tragedy rather than Twilight. (I almost typed TrueBlood except that the day Space Marines start having sexy affairs with humans is the day I shove the Black Library editorial staff off a tall building.)
October 29, 2024
I love books, I love reading and this right here is a perfect example of why. A thorough study of the Blood Angels, their primarch, and the genetic “defect” hidden in them all. A whole sort of possessed solar system is the stage and the Warmaster’s treachery has the Blood Angels sailing into the gates of hell. I had so much fun reading this I’d devour a hundred pages in a sitting. Sanguinius, seems to me at least, to be one of the more approachable primarchs. Like he is the one most easily able to relate to his legion as well as the humans supporting them and it makes him a very real flesh and blood character for me. I really can’t believe the imaginations of some of these writers as they continue to surprise and impress me with the overall stories, action, and emotion contained in these books. Years ago when I read my first Warhammer novel I remember expecting cheesy sophomoric stuff and I’m so glad those expectations are crushed with each new read. I love books, I love reading, and I love the Warhammer universe!
June 21, 2017
You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
Shadowhawk reviews the latest Horus Heresy novel, by New York Times Bestseller and long-time genre writer, James Swallow as he tackles the noble warriors of the Ninth Legiones Astartes, the Blood Angels.
“Fear To Tread is the definitive Blood Angels novel, and without a doubt the best Horus Heresy story yet told.“ ~The Founding Fields
Blood Angels, Blood Angels, Blood Angels. They are tied at the moment alongside the White Scars and the Iron Warriors for the least amount of appearances in the Horus Heresy so far. The Khan and his sons are rumoured to be getting either a novel or a novella next year, while the sons of Olympia will be featuring in Graham McNeill’s next, Angel Exterminatus, alongside the Emperor’s Children and the novel may be coming out as soon as mid-Fall this year. But, the Blood Angels have been one of the three legions who we’ve seen in the Horus Heresy since the earliest days, for they had quite a decent appearance in Horus Rising, although under rather tragic circumstances. Since then, there has been precious little on them, and the wait for the Ninth Legion to get their own prominent story has been long overdue. What complicates matters is that they only have two major events of note as far as I can tell: Signus Prime, which marks the first fall of Sanguinius, and the Siege of Terra with its terrible conclusion which leaves the legion without its father.
As you can tell, in an event as epic in scope as the Horus Heresy which defines the entire mythology of the Warhammer 40,000 setting and which is the greatest event in the in-setting history, expectations from the Blood Angels for their own novel are going to be quite high. Any author who writes them (and that novel) has a lot to live up to: the nobility of the Blood Angels, the terrible twin curses that the legion’s descendants suffer from, the betrayals at Signus Prime, the epicness of the Siege of Terra and Sanguinius’ role in it that people have been visualising in their minds for years now. Plus the fact that this is a New York Times Bestselling series now, with several entries on the list. Unlike any of the other Horus Heresy novels to date, except for Gav Thorpe’s Deliverance Lost which deals with the Raven Guard, my expectations for Jim’s latest outing were really high. I’ve been a fan of the Blood Angels ever since I first picked up Deus Encarmine, the first Blood Angels 40k novel, also by Jim. If there’s any Blood Angels fiction out there, I’ve pretty much read it all, outside of some really old material.
Once I got done with Fear To Tread, I asked myself one question: Did Jim deliver on the inherent promise of the novel and was I wowed by the end of it? I got a rather simple answer: This novel is Heresy gold. There are a few things that I thought could have been more epic but that’s a minor issue because the author has already raised the bar quite high on his own.
Where to begin really? The brotherly intimacy of Horus and Sanguinius and watching as the former betrays the latter? The gut-wrenching moment of Sanguinius’ first fall to the Bloodthirster Ka’Bandha and the subsequent, but momentary, devolution of the legion? The coldness of the legion’s descent into the madness of the Red Thirst, the more debilitating of it’s two genetic curses? The sacrifices made by some of the key characters of the novel? The breath-taking moments when Sanguinius stands together in the same room as Sanguinary Guard Commander Azkaellon and First Captain Raldoron? The Primarch’s dedication to his sons and the legion? The moment when he realises that his most beloved brother, the one he trusted above all others, has betrayed him so deeply? The legion’s horror at what it encounters in the Signus system? The clash between the Blood Angels and the daemonic armies of Ka’Bandha and Kyriss?
There’s just too much in this novel that deserves praise and I’m not even sure that my review could even do it justice. Going into this review, one thing that persists in the back of my mind is how to justify to you, the reader of my review, that you need to get this book pronto. I’m a James Swallow fan, big time. I’ve read the majority of his work for Black Library and I’ve loved it, barring some issues with his second Horus Heresy novelNemesis which caused me to put it down mid-way. I’ve listened to his Judge Dredd audios (published by Big Finish and principally voiced by the awesome Toby Longworth) and I’ve loved them. It is almost a given that if he puts anything out, I’m going to love it. Goes without saying that he’s one of the best Black Library authors for me. But how to condense that down so I don’t appear the “lovestruck” fanboi who can’t see his favourite author do no wrong?
I don’t know. All I can tell you is that if you loved Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s The First Heretic, Graham McNeill’s The Outcast Dead, Gav Thorpe’s Deliverance Lost, Dan Abnett’s Know No Fear and the recent Primarchs anthology, then you are going to love this too. Each of the prior books has consistently set a high standard for Horus Heresy novels, each is better than the last and that is saying something since they are all excellent.
https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...
Shadowhawk reviews the latest Horus Heresy novel, by New York Times Bestseller and long-time genre writer, James Swallow as he tackles the noble warriors of the Ninth Legiones Astartes, the Blood Angels.
“Fear To Tread is the definitive Blood Angels novel, and without a doubt the best Horus Heresy story yet told.“ ~The Founding Fields
Blood Angels, Blood Angels, Blood Angels. They are tied at the moment alongside the White Scars and the Iron Warriors for the least amount of appearances in the Horus Heresy so far. The Khan and his sons are rumoured to be getting either a novel or a novella next year, while the sons of Olympia will be featuring in Graham McNeill’s next, Angel Exterminatus, alongside the Emperor’s Children and the novel may be coming out as soon as mid-Fall this year. But, the Blood Angels have been one of the three legions who we’ve seen in the Horus Heresy since the earliest days, for they had quite a decent appearance in Horus Rising, although under rather tragic circumstances. Since then, there has been precious little on them, and the wait for the Ninth Legion to get their own prominent story has been long overdue. What complicates matters is that they only have two major events of note as far as I can tell: Signus Prime, which marks the first fall of Sanguinius, and the Siege of Terra with its terrible conclusion which leaves the legion without its father.
As you can tell, in an event as epic in scope as the Horus Heresy which defines the entire mythology of the Warhammer 40,000 setting and which is the greatest event in the in-setting history, expectations from the Blood Angels for their own novel are going to be quite high. Any author who writes them (and that novel) has a lot to live up to: the nobility of the Blood Angels, the terrible twin curses that the legion’s descendants suffer from, the betrayals at Signus Prime, the epicness of the Siege of Terra and Sanguinius’ role in it that people have been visualising in their minds for years now. Plus the fact that this is a New York Times Bestselling series now, with several entries on the list. Unlike any of the other Horus Heresy novels to date, except for Gav Thorpe’s Deliverance Lost which deals with the Raven Guard, my expectations for Jim’s latest outing were really high. I’ve been a fan of the Blood Angels ever since I first picked up Deus Encarmine, the first Blood Angels 40k novel, also by Jim. If there’s any Blood Angels fiction out there, I’ve pretty much read it all, outside of some really old material.
Once I got done with Fear To Tread, I asked myself one question: Did Jim deliver on the inherent promise of the novel and was I wowed by the end of it? I got a rather simple answer: This novel is Heresy gold. There are a few things that I thought could have been more epic but that’s a minor issue because the author has already raised the bar quite high on his own.
Where to begin really? The brotherly intimacy of Horus and Sanguinius and watching as the former betrays the latter? The gut-wrenching moment of Sanguinius’ first fall to the Bloodthirster Ka’Bandha and the subsequent, but momentary, devolution of the legion? The coldness of the legion’s descent into the madness of the Red Thirst, the more debilitating of it’s two genetic curses? The sacrifices made by some of the key characters of the novel? The breath-taking moments when Sanguinius stands together in the same room as Sanguinary Guard Commander Azkaellon and First Captain Raldoron? The Primarch’s dedication to his sons and the legion? The moment when he realises that his most beloved brother, the one he trusted above all others, has betrayed him so deeply? The legion’s horror at what it encounters in the Signus system? The clash between the Blood Angels and the daemonic armies of Ka’Bandha and Kyriss?
There’s just too much in this novel that deserves praise and I’m not even sure that my review could even do it justice. Going into this review, one thing that persists in the back of my mind is how to justify to you, the reader of my review, that you need to get this book pronto. I’m a James Swallow fan, big time. I’ve read the majority of his work for Black Library and I’ve loved it, barring some issues with his second Horus Heresy novelNemesis which caused me to put it down mid-way. I’ve listened to his Judge Dredd audios (published by Big Finish and principally voiced by the awesome Toby Longworth) and I’ve loved them. It is almost a given that if he puts anything out, I’m going to love it. Goes without saying that he’s one of the best Black Library authors for me. But how to condense that down so I don’t appear the “lovestruck” fanboi who can’t see his favourite author do no wrong?
I don’t know. All I can tell you is that if you loved Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s The First Heretic, Graham McNeill’s The Outcast Dead, Gav Thorpe’s Deliverance Lost, Dan Abnett’s Know No Fear and the recent Primarchs anthology, then you are going to love this too. Each of the prior books has consistently set a high standard for Horus Heresy novels, each is better than the last and that is saying something since they are all excellent.
September 11, 2012
In all blunt honesty I have not been a huge fan of James Swallow's other Horus Heresy novels, this book however reminded me. Black Library doesn't hire crappy writers for Horus Heresy (40k and fantasy I'm told there are some...but I'm not to expert there.)James Swallow took a stand beside my favorite writers in the series, (Graham McNeill, Dan Abnett and Aaron the guy who's last name I'm to lazy to look up and spell).
This book probably had the most flash backs of any heresy novel so far but it was so...perfect. It gave you amazing feel for the Blood Angels and there primarch unique and adorable personality. You really got to see Horus (pre-heresy and post-heresy)the change that had taken place in him and pre-heresy how close he and Sanguinius where. Sanguinius trusted him with his darkest secret. The red thirst. Which everybody else knew all about because fanboys can't draw a Blood Angel with out it drinking blood or having blood on his face, it would be to boring.
Nikaea was revisited again and once again we are all reminded, the Emperor is a retard for putting that into place.
I love how it brought in the low ranking space marines and made them just as cool as the high ranking if not more so.
Order of greatness in heresy novels: 1. Horus Rising, 2.Fear to Tread, 3.Thousand Sons and tying for 4. The First Heretic and Deliverance Lost.
I hope someone will understand this mess, at some point my head may clear a bit more and then I can actually write a review.
This book probably had the most flash backs of any heresy novel so far but it was so...perfect. It gave you amazing feel for the Blood Angels and there primarch unique and adorable personality. You really got to see Horus (pre-heresy and post-heresy)the change that had taken place in him and pre-heresy how close he and Sanguinius where. Sanguinius trusted him with his darkest secret. The red thirst. Which everybody else knew all about because fanboys can't draw a Blood Angel with out it drinking blood or having blood on his face, it would be to boring.
Nikaea was revisited again and once again we are all reminded, the Emperor is a retard for putting that into place.
I love how it brought in the low ranking space marines and made them just as cool as the high ranking if not more so.
Order of greatness in heresy novels: 1. Horus Rising, 2.Fear to Tread, 3.Thousand Sons and tying for 4. The First Heretic and Deliverance Lost.
I hope someone will understand this mess, at some point my head may clear a bit more and then I can actually write a review.
November 25, 2021
I find it difficult to review but want to give it 5/5.
The story had an even pace and went deep, a wonderful analysis of fury and hatred. How not purity makes noble but the eternal struggle against those inner vices.
In context of the Horus Heresy, it is singled out. This is the story of the Blood Angles and Horus' betrayal to them. About the truth of blood. About the willpower of dignity. And, of course, about war.
Since paperback prints of the series become harder and harder to come by, I was first displeased to have only fetched a tattered and discolored copy of Fear to Tread. Now that I know the story, it has become my favorite of the collection so far. The tears, scars and rusty stains prove to be the best condition for this kind of book to deliver its story in.
The story had an even pace and went deep, a wonderful analysis of fury and hatred. How not purity makes noble but the eternal struggle against those inner vices.
In context of the Horus Heresy, it is singled out. This is the story of the Blood Angles and Horus' betrayal to them. About the truth of blood. About the willpower of dignity. And, of course, about war.
Since paperback prints of the series become harder and harder to come by, I was first displeased to have only fetched a tattered and discolored copy of Fear to Tread. Now that I know the story, it has become my favorite of the collection so far. The tears, scars and rusty stains prove to be the best condition for this kind of book to deliver its story in.
Read
December 4, 2024Between “40K books that I really like” and “40K books that I don’t like” lies a secret third thing, which is “40k books that I appreciate for being goofy grimdark pulp nonsense” which is what this one is. Not bad, but genuinely goofy as hell.
I like the theme of like, trying to cope with even the *idea* of tragically losing a parent, but I don’t think the text really grappled with it well enough or even to just generally enough of a degree for me to engage fully with it. It’s kind of important for these guys and something that, despite all the bonus vampirism and weird chaos rage, is intensely relatable for a lot of people, myself included. A lot of us are scared of our parents dying- we don’t need to be posthumans to feel that kind of anxiety about it. It’s a good through-line just… not really dealt with in a way I thought was using it to its full potential.
That all being said, I like a lot of the character work in here. Specifically I love the stuff with Horus and Sanguinius. MAN!! Those guys were in love. Really hurts to think about. I liked the weird daemons and their stupid bickering. Fun stuff in here, even if I though the overall text fell a little flat :)
I like the theme of like, trying to cope with even the *idea* of tragically losing a parent, but I don’t think the text really grappled with it well enough or even to just generally enough of a degree for me to engage fully with it. It’s kind of important for these guys and something that, despite all the bonus vampirism and weird chaos rage, is intensely relatable for a lot of people, myself included. A lot of us are scared of our parents dying- we don’t need to be posthumans to feel that kind of anxiety about it. It’s a good through-line just… not really dealt with in a way I thought was using it to its full potential.
That all being said, I like a lot of the character work in here. Specifically I love the stuff with Horus and Sanguinius. MAN!! Those guys were in love. Really hurts to think about. I liked the weird daemons and their stupid bickering. Fun stuff in here, even if I though the overall text fell a little flat :)
January 24, 2025
Pirms Horusa atklātas nodevības un sacelšanās pret Imperatoru un tam lojālajiem leģioniem, viņa Sons of Horus jeb agrākie Luna Wolves leģions un brāļa pirmarka Sangviniusa Blood Angels(BA) ne reizi vien abiem leģioniem sadarbojoties roku rokā bija veiksmīgi spējuši pieveikt jebkuru Impērijas citplanētiešu rasu ienaidnieku. Tam par piemēru tiek sniegts pirmās daļas prologs uz Melchior planētas, kur to leģioni veiksmīgi ‘’pasificē’’ kseno-rases Nephilim kontrolē kritušu civilizāciju.
https://poseidons99.com/2025/01/24/ja...
https://poseidons99.com/2025/01/24/ja...
June 18, 2022
Es gracioso porque justo lo mejor del libro, la introducción a Signus Prime, con el misterio en el aire y el juego con los horrores demoníacos, es probablemente de lo mejor del libro. Lo que pasa es que la verdadera chichilla está muy concentrada en las últimas 100 páginas (de 500) y es un acto que casi está telegrafiado
September 29, 2024
We have been shown the worst of ourselves and it is a sobering truth to behold.
January 28, 2025
Sanguinus genuinely makes any story he is in brighter both mood wise and in just how wonderfully pure a character he is. Pacing issues aside a fantastic real debut for the Blood angels and seeing a truly human primarch is wonderful
August 25, 2020
This was phenomenal! I Love this series dearly as it is just pure fun, Space Knights knocking the shit out of each other with chainswords and machine guns that fire self propelled explosive warheads, what's not to like eh?
Anyway to the review. The Blood Angels are the focus of this novel so expect gore, lots of gore. As the blurb hints you learn more about the flaw that effects the Blood Angels right up to the present 40k era with Sanguinius sent by his beloved brother Horus to deal with some pesky xenos who may hold the key to their salvation. Only it is of course a fools errand as Horus is a baddie by this point and so this turns into an all out blood bath with a huge army of Khorne aligned Daemons.
I won't say anymore as I don't believe in just describing the plot as a review but can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this. Even if you are not a fanboy of the Blood Angels like I am this is an action packed, hellride through the psyche of one of the darker loyalist legions.
Anyway to the review. The Blood Angels are the focus of this novel so expect gore, lots of gore. As the blurb hints you learn more about the flaw that effects the Blood Angels right up to the present 40k era with Sanguinius sent by his beloved brother Horus to deal with some pesky xenos who may hold the key to their salvation. Only it is of course a fools errand as Horus is a baddie by this point and so this turns into an all out blood bath with a huge army of Khorne aligned Daemons.
I won't say anymore as I don't believe in just describing the plot as a review but can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this. Even if you are not a fanboy of the Blood Angels like I am this is an action packed, hellride through the psyche of one of the darker loyalist legions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2021
It’s a decent HH book, but it’s also utterly unimportant and the characters are a bit flat and undeveloped. It does have some nice warp lore, and it’s definitely something you’ll want to read if you like the Blood Angles, but out of the 15ish HH books I’ve read by now it’s probably the most skippable of them.
June 18, 2020
Someone take the author’s thesaurus away. Characters are flat, plot grinds on and on until finally finding its footing in about 20 pages at the very end. All in, just not very good.
July 5, 2025
3.5/5
Lots to like in this one, but also a lot of less than satisfactory dialogue, bad pacing, and once again a horrendous narrator on the audiobook side of things.
I can look past all these faults anytime that Sanguinius is on the page though. He shines no matter who’s writing him, at least up to the point that I’m at. This book also has probably my favorite prologue of any Horus Heresy book I’ve read.
Not a perfect entry by any stretch of the imagination, but more good than bad.
Lots to like in this one, but also a lot of less than satisfactory dialogue, bad pacing, and once again a horrendous narrator on the audiobook side of things.
I can look past all these faults anytime that Sanguinius is on the page though. He shines no matter who’s writing him, at least up to the point that I’m at. This book also has probably my favorite prologue of any Horus Heresy book I’ve read.
Not a perfect entry by any stretch of the imagination, but more good than bad.
March 21, 2019
So far in this series, this book brings the treachery of Horus into focus and aligns all of the story lines to a point.
The character sketches of Sanguinas and post heresy Horus help us to see just how the heresy was able to spread and involve all of the Primarchs now.
This is a great book and I highly recommend it to any 40K for or anyone who likes the stories of the Blood Angels.
The character sketches of Sanguinas and post heresy Horus help us to see just how the heresy was able to spread and involve all of the Primarchs now.
This is a great book and I highly recommend it to any 40K for or anyone who likes the stories of the Blood Angels.
June 8, 2025
3.5
This book has the same problem as many other Horus Heresy books, i.e., the build up is too long and kind of boring. But once the main topic of the book starts oh it is very good. I feel like I read last 300 pages in a one breath.
It got me really emotional by the end and I almost cried a little for Sanguinius and his sons.
This book has the same problem as many other Horus Heresy books, i.e., the build up is too long and kind of boring. But once the main topic of the book starts oh it is very good. I feel like I read last 300 pages in a one breath.
It got me really emotional by the end and I almost cried a little for Sanguinius and his sons.
September 9, 2025
An easy and fun read overall. If you're a Blood Angels fan, this is pretty much a must read but not a priority if your trying to read through the mammoth book series that is the Horus Heresy. I read it alongside the Devastation of Baal, which I feel enhanced my enjoyment of both books. Seeing the Blood Angels through both their early days and modern was a great experience.
January 8, 2024
It took me a week to read the first half of this book and a day for the second and I think that pretty much sums up the whole book. Sanguinius is easily in the top 5 primarchs. I sure hope nothing bad happens to him!
March 26, 2023
Very good, nice to see some daemons and such
The wolves seemed to serve no real purpose tho
The wolves seemed to serve no real purpose tho
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2024
This book could have easily been a few hundred pages shorter.
Although there was much build up, I didn't find myself really knowing/diving deeper into characters lile Meros, but other parts of the cast ,like Kano or Raldoron, were quite interesting, but with that much space for development, I think I would have expexted more.
There were some nice scenes and cool moments, (especially the ending), quotable lines and chaos moments, but overall it didn't pay off.
Perhaps some parts are better left to the Imagination.
Although there was much build up, I didn't find myself really knowing/diving deeper into characters lile Meros, but other parts of the cast ,like Kano or Raldoron, were quite interesting, but with that much space for development, I think I would have expexted more.
There were some nice scenes and cool moments, (especially the ending), quotable lines and chaos moments, but overall it didn't pay off.
Perhaps some parts are better left to the Imagination.
September 25, 2024
"only angels may fly" 10/10
November 17, 2024
A great story in the series. A great introduction to the Blood Angels and the tragic events of Signus Prime.
June 15, 2025
Starts off incredibly slow and ends with some powerful storytelling and sacrifice. A bit too grimdark for me though.
September 24, 2025
pretty good. Think I need to change from just reading horus heresy as it's getting a bit samey, and there are about a billion books in the series
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