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The Horus Heresy #Short Story
Savage Weapons
For two years, the Dark Angels have battled the Night Lords on the worlds of the Aegis sector, and they are no closer to victory. When the traitor primarch known as the Night Haunter issues a challenge, Lion El'Jonson of the Dark Angels descends to an abandoned world for a final confrontation with his treacherous brother. But the Night Haunter has a darker purpose...
Read it because
It's a clash of primarchs, as the Lion takes on Konrad Curze (and not for the last time). It's also the first appearance of a certain Jago Sevetarion, who will go on to become pretty important to the Heresy.
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
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301 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 10, 2015
For two years the Dark Angels and Night Lords Legions have waged the Thramas Crusade deep in the Eastern Fringe with neither side able to gain an advantage over the other. When Konrad Curze makes contact with the Lion an epic duel takes place.
A good story that takes the story away from Isstvan, but leaves the reader wanting more with unanswered questions...
What was the message Curze gave the Lion from Horus?
What did Sevetar do to be censured with the red guantlets?
A good opening salvo to a story arc that takes place away from the rest of the galaxy, the tale is continued in the novella The Lion.
A good story that takes the story away from Isstvan, but leaves the reader wanting more with unanswered questions...
What was the message Curze gave the Lion from Horus?
What did Sevetar do to be censured with the red guantlets?
A good opening salvo to a story arc that takes place away from the rest of the galaxy, the tale is continued in the novella The Lion.
March 21, 2016
This was a very fun short, following the Lion's Dark Angels in their war against the Night Lords, and is a lead in, I presume, to the Unremembered Empire, and more of the Imperium Secondus arc. A very fun read, getting to see the Night Lords fight, and getting to see the Dark Angels lose. Curze is a terrifying individual, and so are most of the Astartes at his command. I can't wait to see more of them in the HH. Even the Dark Angels were likable in this short, which should say how good it was!
September 5, 2023
ilysm my little sewer rat (sev)
January 3, 2025
Massacre & Savage Weapons both are largely immersive short stories detailing the brutal & steadfast feud between Lion El Jonson, Primarch of the First Legion & his brother Konrad Curze, Primarch of the Eighth Legion. This story shifts the focus of the Heresy to a more personal confrontation, highlighting the ideological clash between Lion El'Jonson & Konrad Curze, with a majority of the strength in these stories lying in their psychological depth, exploring the philosophies that constantly drive these Primarchs. Curze's nihilistic worldview & his obsession with the manipulation of fate contrast sharply with the Lion's rigid,cynical sense of duty, creating a tense, complex, & pretty well layered narrative & rivalry. The final duel between them & their commanders is described with such great visceral intensity & yet the real pull of the scenes lie in their words, tearing into each other's beliefs with every swing with as much ferocity as their blades. Lion El Jonson also might be my favorite Primarch at the moment, he goes pretty hand & with Fulgrim as of right now.
May 25, 2022
Dark Angels are extremely hit or miss, depending on the author. Their very concept is not just boring, but actively revolting, the whole knightly shtick just doesn't work on any level whatsoever. This was one of the misses.
Also the action. I know action is always directed by authorial intent, where does the plot and drama goes, the action facilitates that. But good authors at least attempt to hide it behind feasible events.
Here, none of that happens. We know neither of the primarchs will die, not because of outside knowledge, but because any one of them dying would be bad for the aimed type of drama. This allows both of them to act totally idiotic, like they themselves know they won't die. Curze should have been dead at least thrice over, but the plot armor allows him to be extra edgy. The Lion is also dumb, for the sake of the plot.
The banter between the marines was good though.
Also the action. I know action is always directed by authorial intent, where does the plot and drama goes, the action facilitates that. But good authors at least attempt to hide it behind feasible events.
Here, none of that happens. We know neither of the primarchs will die, not because of outside knowledge, but because any one of them dying would be bad for the aimed type of drama. This allows both of them to act totally idiotic, like they themselves know they won't die. Curze should have been dead at least thrice over, but the plot armor allows him to be extra edgy. The Lion is also dumb, for the sake of the plot.
The banter between the marines was good though.
January 5, 2026
This was solid as a short story and felt impactful as a larger moment for the Dark Angels as part of the Heresy.
The engagement between Jonson and Curze is definitely planting some seeds to be revisited between the two legions in the future -- Alajos' death in this story made it unclear if either of the two Legionaries prominently followed in this would survive, helping to build the tension in the moment.
This felt appropriately paced for a Short Story, without too much of the wordy descriptive fluff that I feel is so common in alot of these HH tales. Definitely recommend for those wanting to go deeper into the First Legion Heresy stories.
The engagement between Jonson and Curze is definitely planting some seeds to be revisited between the two legions in the future -- Alajos' death in this story made it unclear if either of the two Legionaries prominently followed in this would survive, helping to build the tension in the moment.
This felt appropriately paced for a Short Story, without too much of the wordy descriptive fluff that I feel is so common in alot of these HH tales. Definitely recommend for those wanting to go deeper into the First Legion Heresy stories.
October 21, 2021
The story was actually pretty good. I listened to it as an audiobook and while I normally enjoy Gareth Armstrong's performances in the Black Library Audiobooks, his voices for the Lion and Curze didn't really resonate with me. They seemed overdone and stereotypical compared to how the story was actually written when I read this story as part of the Tales of Heresy anthology. Otherwise I would have given it a 4.
September 11, 2023
Dažādajiem Horusa atbalstošajiem leģioniem ar pārsteiguma elementa palīdzību ir izdevies gūt neskaitāmas uzvaras, brutālas un nežēlīgas Imperatora lojālistu sakāves, bet pēc vairākiem stāstiem no ‘’slikto’’ tēlu nometnes, rodas jautājums, vai nesaskaņas un neuzticība pašu rindās nenovedīs uzurpatora Horusa centienus pie nozīmīgākās sakāves.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
July 23, 2025
A brutal and nasty clash!
Why, oh, why did blacklibrary not feature a full novel on the thramas crusade?
The conflict between the dark angels and the night lords was such a brutal and nasty affair that we are very lucky that ADB can show and portray so much in such a short word count.
Also, the dark angels primarch the Lion is depicted perfectly here, in such sharp contrast to the nightlords primarch Konrad.
Plus, Sevatar and Corswain were bloody excellent!
Why, oh, why did blacklibrary not feature a full novel on the thramas crusade?
The conflict between the dark angels and the night lords was such a brutal and nasty affair that we are very lucky that ADB can show and portray so much in such a short word count.
Also, the dark angels primarch the Lion is depicted perfectly here, in such sharp contrast to the nightlords primarch Konrad.
Plus, Sevatar and Corswain were bloody excellent!
March 3, 2020
Listened to in isolation from the rest of the anthology, this is a great story that bridges nicely the different arcs of the Heresy, but feels like a slight dislocation from Fallen Angels; I’m sure, however, that’s as much down to me revisiting the books non-sequentially as anything else.
Both Legions are shown at close to their best, and the big personalities of the cast compliment each other well, all being memorable in their turns in the spotlight.
Both Legions are shown at close to their best, and the big personalities of the cast compliment each other well, all being memorable in their turns in the spotlight.
December 12, 2024
I am trying to read these in the fan-recommended reading order but this one is mostly about Corswain and Curze, two characters who have been up to unrelated things and I don't know very well. I am looking forward to learning what else they've been up to in other plotlines because I know Curze is a big deal to Jonson later in the series. Still pretty readable.
October 28, 2021
The Lion vs the Night Haunter on a barren world at the edges of the Imperium. Dark Angels vs Night Lords two years into their campaign of mutual destruction. Solid story told from the perspective of one of the Dark Angels and a good look at the two Primarchs now that the Heresy is in full swing.
January 20, 2025
This was a master piece. Collected in age of darkness anthology. A short story between Konrad curze and the lion playing cat and mouse and eventually leading to a epic confrontation, the talk between the 2 was awesome and the fight to follow.
November 6, 2022
The Dark Angels pursue the Night Lords, far from Terra, and Robot Girlyman's self-righteous ambition becomes known.
December 18, 2024
Great action scenes, a fun transitional story. I really enjoyed seeing several of the greatest duelists going head to head.
January 25, 2025
Dark Angels Body Piercing. Gotta love the body bling.
July 1, 2025
This was totally fine. Fun short story and my first dip into the dark angels and night lord legions which their dynamic is the best part of this
August 23, 2025
Definitely a cool story, Im a night lords fan and their attitude in this book was a highlight to see them conflicting. it's like noble knights against gangsters.
September 24, 2025
3.5, Lion El Jonson contra Konrad Curze, salen Corswain y Sevatar, y Bowden escribe bastante bien. Algo de calidad en historias sobre los Angeles Oscuros se agradece bastante. Seguiremos informando.
January 13, 2026
Oh no I think I'm a dark angel fan.
March 11, 2024
March 2024 Re-Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order - Omnibus VIII Angels of Darkness (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy saga and extras.
I don't stand by my initial review and actually enjoyed this a great deal this time!
The Lion and the Night Haunter meet for a parle? A duel? A tete-a-tete? with their closest sons and pontificate about Horus and the Emperor, before going at it hammer and tongs.
I really don't know what I was on about before. I chalk it up to the experience of listening to a bunch of audio dramas and short stories with only the context of reading a bunch of the Horus Heresy various times, but many years ago, and revisiting the within the context of the series and especially using yer Horus Heresy Omnibus Project.
It's not a perfect story by any means, but ADB's prose, dialogue, and characterisations are great, and the events are pretty wild and gnarly. I love the bookended dream of the Beast of Caliban and, I assume, the allusion to the taint of the homeworld and the Legion.
Great stuff!
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 16.41 Horus Heresy novels, 7 novellas, 41 short stories/ audio dramas, as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 8 Primarchs novels, 3 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
***
Initial Review 2/5
Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed a lot of A D-B's work. I remember absolutely loving the Night Lords trilogy and accompanying audio drama. They are clearly a talented and successful writer and I am a mere ratgirl whose chronic pain is singing like Butcher's Nails right now, so I might be less mind than I might otherwise be.
Savage Weapons is a Thramas Crusade short story/ audio drama that presents itself as a novella with way too many chapters that hardly make sense in what is almost entirely one contiguous short story with barely a paragraph break (and sometimes not even an entire word) between chapters. This is a petty grievance and not a big deal. It does seem odd though.
It's the Eastern Fringe dark armour with winged helms bro off between the Lion's cubs who haven't been grounded and Night Haunter turbo goths. In the midst of the interminable conflict (I've only read a handful of short stories and audio dramas, but the Thramas Crusade continues to be a absolute snorefest), Johnson and Curze take a break from their Chuckle Brothers routine (to me, to you) to have a chinwag and give Sevatar and Shang/ Sheng to be the Hot Topic bullies to their Ren Fayre cousins, giving Corswain the opportunity to be cool, calm, and stoic, while remembering the time he killed one of the Great Beasts of Caliban and how it has haunted his nightmares ever since.
On the positive side, the description of the Great Beast hunt is pretty great (and maybe should have been more of the focus of a much shorter story) and the 'laddy bants' between the legions is rather amusing. The prose isn't A D-B's best, but it's pretty good and Gareth Armstrong always does a great job as narrator.
Ultimately, I just found it incredibly dull, doing nothing to further the story, explore the characters (beyond Corswain is cool under pressure), or anything interesting or entertaining enough to warrant a Horus Heresy story and an hour and a half of my time.
Again, I'm very grumpy and in a lot of pain, and frankly, I have come to expect a much higher standard from Horus Heresy stories and A D-B in general. I'm critical because I care and I'm a bitch because I'm tired and sore.
I don't stand by my initial review and actually enjoyed this a great deal this time!
The Lion and the Night Haunter meet for a parle? A duel? A tete-a-tete? with their closest sons and pontificate about Horus and the Emperor, before going at it hammer and tongs.
I really don't know what I was on about before. I chalk it up to the experience of listening to a bunch of audio dramas and short stories with only the context of reading a bunch of the Horus Heresy various times, but many years ago, and revisiting the within the context of the series and especially using yer Horus Heresy Omnibus Project.
It's not a perfect story by any means, but ADB's prose, dialogue, and characterisations are great, and the events are pretty wild and gnarly. I love the bookended dream of the Beast of Caliban and, I assume, the allusion to the taint of the homeworld and the Legion.
Great stuff!
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 16.41 Horus Heresy novels, 7 novellas, 41 short stories/ audio dramas, as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 8 Primarchs novels, 3 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
***
Initial Review 2/5
Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed a lot of A D-B's work. I remember absolutely loving the Night Lords trilogy and accompanying audio drama. They are clearly a talented and successful writer and I am a mere ratgirl whose chronic pain is singing like Butcher's Nails right now, so I might be less mind than I might otherwise be.
Savage Weapons is a Thramas Crusade short story/ audio drama that presents itself as a novella with way too many chapters that hardly make sense in what is almost entirely one contiguous short story with barely a paragraph break (and sometimes not even an entire word) between chapters. This is a petty grievance and not a big deal. It does seem odd though.
It's the Eastern Fringe dark armour with winged helms bro off between the Lion's cubs who haven't been grounded and Night Haunter turbo goths. In the midst of the interminable conflict (I've only read a handful of short stories and audio dramas, but the Thramas Crusade continues to be a absolute snorefest), Johnson and Curze take a break from their Chuckle Brothers routine (to me, to you) to have a chinwag and give Sevatar and Shang/ Sheng to be the Hot Topic bullies to their Ren Fayre cousins, giving Corswain the opportunity to be cool, calm, and stoic, while remembering the time he killed one of the Great Beasts of Caliban and how it has haunted his nightmares ever since.
On the positive side, the description of the Great Beast hunt is pretty great (and maybe should have been more of the focus of a much shorter story) and the 'laddy bants' between the legions is rather amusing. The prose isn't A D-B's best, but it's pretty good and Gareth Armstrong always does a great job as narrator.
Ultimately, I just found it incredibly dull, doing nothing to further the story, explore the characters (beyond Corswain is cool under pressure), or anything interesting or entertaining enough to warrant a Horus Heresy story and an hour and a half of my time.
Again, I'm very grumpy and in a lot of pain, and frankly, I have come to expect a much higher standard from Horus Heresy stories and A D-B in general. I'm critical because I care and I'm a bitch because I'm tired and sore.
August 1, 2025
The Lion is a hunter, a monster killer, a weapon forged by the Emperor. His brother Curze a mad butcher, a torturer, a sadist. In the void they have played a dark game of cat and mouse, slaughtering worlds and burning ships in the darkness of space. Now it will come to an end, in a climatic confrontation.
ADB feels his story with such character and charisma that it is impossible to not get sucked in. The story oozes drama and was a strong conclusion to the book. I would love to see him write the Dark Angels again.
ADB feels his story with such character and charisma that it is impossible to not get sucked in. The story oozes drama and was a strong conclusion to the book. I would love to see him write the Dark Angels again.
May 4, 2020
Lion being brutal
An excellent short story giving nuance to the hostility that festers between kurze and the lion, I would like a full novel about them
An excellent short story giving nuance to the hostility that festers between kurze and the lion, I would like a full novel about them
February 16, 2022
Superb! An excellent short story showing us the start of the conflict between the Dark Angels and Night Lords. Must read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews