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The Last Loyalist
A World Eaters Short Story
Zhukel Dror and a small group of shell-shocked loyalists hold out on the world of Isstvan III. Fighting off their former brothers as attrition, claustrophobia, and the psychological trauma of betrayal takes its toll on them, ultimately they are undone as Zhor snaps and murders his brothers in a rampage caused by the Butcher's Nails.
READ IT BECAUSE
It’s a tragic and harrowing tale recounting the physical and mental struggles of the loyalist survivors of the Isstvan III Atrocity – a dark event which heralded the start of the Horus Heresy.
THE STORY
The events on Isstvan III in the early years of the 31st Millennium are among the darkest in the history of humanity and brought about the start of a galactic civil war, the ramifications of which are still felt 10,000 years later. Following the traitorous assault, a handful of shell-shocked loyalists remain, but their efforts to survive are ultimately in vain, as an unseen enemy walks amongst them.
Written by David Guymer.
Zhukel Dror and a small group of shell-shocked loyalists hold out on the world of Isstvan III. Fighting off their former brothers as attrition, claustrophobia, and the psychological trauma of betrayal takes its toll on them, ultimately they are undone as Zhor snaps and murders his brothers in a rampage caused by the Butcher's Nails.
READ IT BECAUSE
It’s a tragic and harrowing tale recounting the physical and mental struggles of the loyalist survivors of the Isstvan III Atrocity – a dark event which heralded the start of the Horus Heresy.
THE STORY
The events on Isstvan III in the early years of the 31st Millennium are among the darkest in the history of humanity and brought about the start of a galactic civil war, the ramifications of which are still felt 10,000 years later. Following the traitorous assault, a handful of shell-shocked loyalists remain, but their efforts to survive are ultimately in vain, as an unseen enemy walks amongst them.
Written by David Guymer.
- GenresScience Fiction
34 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 24, 2023
6 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
David Guymer
173 books176 followersDavid Guymer is a freelance author, PhD in molecular microbiology (which still comes in more handy than you might think), and tabletop warlord based in the Yorkshire East Riding. He has written for Black Library, Marvel, Aconyte Books, Asmodee, Mantic Games, Cubicle 7, Creative Assembly, and Mongoose Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2024
Oof. This story is the hopeless sort of grimdark instead of the horrorful of grimdark. Focusing on the survivors of Istvaan III and their hopeless resistance. Touches on how each of those left dealing with not on the betrayal but how they see themselves since they were considered 'disloyal'.
It especially doesn't sit well with a particular World Eater.
It especially doesn't sit well with a particular World Eater.
May 28, 2024
May 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order (https://www.heresyomnibus.com) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras - Now in Immaterium of everything outside the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project working on the Primarchs and other stories, before the Siege of Terra.
This broke me in half and is genuinely one of the best Horus Heresy stories I've read in a long time. It's also the most recently Horus Heresy work published, before Eidolon: Auric Hammer later this year, and between this, Hill, Collins, Annandale, Goulding, and French (of the most recently published works I've enjoyed), I am over my bout of concern of the future of the Horus Heresy.
This also marks my completion of everything in the main Horus Heresy Series! I just have Scions of the Emperor and to double check any Primarchs stuff I've missed, and then it's just the Siege to go!
A month after the beginning of brotherly butchery and betrayal on Isstvan III, Zhukel Dror, Sergeant of the World Eaters' 8th Assault Company, disparagingly referred to as 'Khârn's Rabble', is almost certainly the last loyal Son of the XII still breathing. His mind and body are failing him, but the brothers he have found in the discarded of the Traitor Legions have not. Together, they try to stay alive in a living hell...
It's honestly been way too long since someone took a chainaxe to my heart and I had a proper bloody cry at one of these silly bloody stories!
I am deadly serious when I say that I cannot remember the last time I felt so viscerally and emotional invested in a set of characters, not to mention just how quickly and thoroughly I was bought in!
You may be wondering if there is anything left to say about Isstvan III in the year of your lordy M3.24? Isn't the Horus Heresy over and done now?
The first answer is there absofuckinglutely is! This story is phenomenal and there is actually a real lack of Isstvan III side story and individual exploration, especially from Loyalist World Eaters, even the Death Guard, Emperor's Children, and Luna Wolves/ Sons of Horus have seen little to nothing outside of Galaxy in Flames and Flight of the Eisenstein. There's a lot more for Isstvan V with Scorched Earth and Raven's Flight, which remains one of my favourite audio dramas and almost certainly my largely action-centric stories in the Heresy. The potential for individual stories and moments are immense, and Guymer truly put on an exhibition here.
I don't even know what else to say.
I've obviously read a bunch of Guymer on this ridiculous reading journey, but hadn't really made a big note of their work previously, though I know I've definitely enjoyed some. Reading this honestly makes me want to read everything they've done now.
Look, am I the biggest World Eaters, tragedy, and desperate fellowship fangirl, and should you take this review with some salty tears?
Absolutely! But, I fucking LOVED this and it got more of an emotional reaction out of me than anything in a while. I think I might have to Flight of the Eisenstein and this to my Omnibus Omega retrospective for before The End and the Death now.
I cannot tell you how happy I am to be this sad!!!
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read* all 54 Horus Heresy main series novels (+1 repeat), 25 novellas (+2 repeats), Cthonia's Reckoning, as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels 3 Primarchs antholologies , 3 Characters novels, and 181 short stories/ audio dramas across the Horus Heresy (inc. 11+ repeats). Plus, 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
*My tracking consistently proves shoddy, but I'm doing my best.
This broke me in half and is genuinely one of the best Horus Heresy stories I've read in a long time. It's also the most recently Horus Heresy work published, before Eidolon: Auric Hammer later this year, and between this, Hill, Collins, Annandale, Goulding, and French (of the most recently published works I've enjoyed), I am over my bout of concern of the future of the Horus Heresy.
This also marks my completion of everything in the main Horus Heresy Series! I just have Scions of the Emperor and to double check any Primarchs stuff I've missed, and then it's just the Siege to go!
A month after the beginning of brotherly butchery and betrayal on Isstvan III, Zhukel Dror, Sergeant of the World Eaters' 8th Assault Company, disparagingly referred to as 'Khârn's Rabble', is almost certainly the last loyal Son of the XII still breathing. His mind and body are failing him, but the brothers he have found in the discarded of the Traitor Legions have not. Together, they try to stay alive in a living hell...
It's honestly been way too long since someone took a chainaxe to my heart and I had a proper bloody cry at one of these silly bloody stories!
I am deadly serious when I say that I cannot remember the last time I felt so viscerally and emotional invested in a set of characters, not to mention just how quickly and thoroughly I was bought in!
You may be wondering if there is anything left to say about Isstvan III in the year of your lordy M3.24? Isn't the Horus Heresy over and done now?
The first answer is there absofuckinglutely is! This story is phenomenal and there is actually a real lack of Isstvan III side story and individual exploration, especially from Loyalist World Eaters, even the Death Guard, Emperor's Children, and Luna Wolves/ Sons of Horus have seen little to nothing outside of Galaxy in Flames and Flight of the Eisenstein. There's a lot more for Isstvan V with Scorched Earth and Raven's Flight, which remains one of my favourite audio dramas and almost certainly my largely action-centric stories in the Heresy. The potential for individual stories and moments are immense, and Guymer truly put on an exhibition here.
I don't even know what else to say.
I've obviously read a bunch of Guymer on this ridiculous reading journey, but hadn't really made a big note of their work previously, though I know I've definitely enjoyed some. Reading this honestly makes me want to read everything they've done now.
Look, am I the biggest World Eaters, tragedy, and desperate fellowship fangirl, and should you take this review with some salty tears?
Absolutely! But, I fucking LOVED this and it got more of an emotional reaction out of me than anything in a while. I think I might have to Flight of the Eisenstein and this to my Omnibus Omega retrospective for before The End and the Death now.
I cannot tell you how happy I am to be this sad!!!
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read* all 54 Horus Heresy main series novels (+1 repeat), 25 novellas (+2 repeats), Cthonia's Reckoning, as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels 3 Primarchs antholologies , 3 Characters novels, and 181 short stories/ audio dramas across the Horus Heresy (inc. 11+ repeats). Plus, 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
*My tracking consistently proves shoddy, but I'm doing my best.
December 29, 2023
Istavaan III a new perspective
A very well written short that takes us right back to the first major betrayal. I really enjoyed this fresh new perspective on an event that could not possibly be fully covered in the main series. I would be very interested to see other stories set during the Istavaan III betrayal.
A very well written short that takes us right back to the first major betrayal. I really enjoyed this fresh new perspective on an event that could not possibly be fully covered in the main series. I would be very interested to see other stories set during the Istavaan III betrayal.
September 14, 2024
Who are you loyal to and who is loyal to you?
September 9, 2025
Dror of the World Eaters has grown tired of the killing. Weeks after the “Life Eater” virus bomb was dropped on Isstvan III, the remaining loyalists are still fighting, and what ccupies Dror’s mind is the question of why? Why did his father damn him to death? Why must he kill his own brothers?
Atmospheric and bleak, this tale is a depressing one, fitting for a story set on Isstvan III.
Atmospheric and bleak, this tale is a depressing one, fitting for a story set on Isstvan III.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews