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Fulgrim: The Perfect Son
A Warhammer 40,000 Novel
For too long the Emperor’s Children have been denied their birthright. Their once-glorious Legion has been fractured into disparate warbands, condemned to ravage world after futile world in the pursuit of ambition and excess. But no longer.
READ IT BECAUSE
Fulgrim has a simple job for his sons, but what happens when it turns out to be far more complicated than it seems? Dive into the fractious nature of the Emperor's Children when things aren't quite going their way – rife with arrogance, internecine conflict, and divergent viewpoints.
THE STORY
Lord Fulgrim – ascended Primarch of the III Legion, the Perfect Son, the Emperor-in-Waiting – has issued a challenge to his scattered warriors: vanquish the Imperial world of Crucible, and bring him the head of the Black Templar charged with its defence.
But Fulgrim’s plans go far beyond the conquest of a single planet, and what should have been a swift and bloody offensive turns into a gruelling siege. With success uncertain, a world in flames around them, and the Legion turning their weapons inwards as well as out, the would-be champions are forced to confront a bitter truth. What must they sacrifice for victory and the favour of their Primarch, and what will be left of them when the war is over?
For too long the Emperor’s Children have been denied their birthright. Their once-glorious Legion has been fractured into disparate warbands, condemned to ravage world after futile world in the pursuit of ambition and excess. But no longer.
READ IT BECAUSE
Fulgrim has a simple job for his sons, but what happens when it turns out to be far more complicated than it seems? Dive into the fractious nature of the Emperor's Children when things aren't quite going their way – rife with arrogance, internecine conflict, and divergent viewpoints.
THE STORY
Lord Fulgrim – ascended Primarch of the III Legion, the Perfect Son, the Emperor-in-Waiting – has issued a challenge to his scattered warriors: vanquish the Imperial world of Crucible, and bring him the head of the Black Templar charged with its defence.
But Fulgrim’s plans go far beyond the conquest of a single planet, and what should have been a swift and bloody offensive turns into a gruelling siege. With success uncertain, a world in flames around them, and the Legion turning their weapons inwards as well as out, the would-be champions are forced to confront a bitter truth. What must they sacrifice for victory and the favour of their Primarch, and what will be left of them when the war is over?
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2025
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117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 27, 2025
I was eagerly awaiting this book and was absolutely devastated.
Even from the short story Perfection and Pain, I had a feeling we were heading toward a naive and foolish main character, and that the perspective of the conflict would be portrayed very poorly.
I’m a big fan of the Horus Heresy series, and I always enjoyed exploring Fulgrim’s internal conflict and struggle.
Here, however, all of that is completely erased. His sons — the followers of the Third Legion — are depicted as utter degenerates.
There isn’t a single compelling character, unlike other works dedicated to the Emperor’s Children.
It feels like a very lazy and dull strategy: dumb down every character — but for what?
Just to make them lose? Just to make them look ridiculous?
In the end, we’re left with a completely overwritten and pre-shaped image of the Emperor’s Children, Fulgrim reduced to a mere afterthought, and once again the ever-triumphant Imperium, this time in the form of the Black Templars.
Even from the short story Perfection and Pain, I had a feeling we were heading toward a naive and foolish main character, and that the perspective of the conflict would be portrayed very poorly.
I’m a big fan of the Horus Heresy series, and I always enjoyed exploring Fulgrim’s internal conflict and struggle.
Here, however, all of that is completely erased. His sons — the followers of the Third Legion — are depicted as utter degenerates.
There isn’t a single compelling character, unlike other works dedicated to the Emperor’s Children.
It feels like a very lazy and dull strategy: dumb down every character — but for what?
Just to make them lose? Just to make them look ridiculous?
In the end, we’re left with a completely overwritten and pre-shaped image of the Emperor’s Children, Fulgrim reduced to a mere afterthought, and once again the ever-triumphant Imperium, this time in the form of the Black Templars.
April 27, 2025
don’t waste your money
Awful. I fell asleep 4 times reading it. Forgettable characters, dry plot and Fulgrim is barely in it. If I could ask for a refund I would. Seriously, I mean that. This is arguably one of the worst 40k books I’ve read and I’ve read over 100.
Awful. I fell asleep 4 times reading it. Forgettable characters, dry plot and Fulgrim is barely in it. If I could ask for a refund I would. Seriously, I mean that. This is arguably one of the worst 40k books I’ve read and I’ve read over 100.
April 28, 2025
“'No one's going to challenge them. Just another planet torn to pieces while the Space Marines fight their wars. What does any of it matter?'”
I enjoyed Fulgrim: the Perfect Son. It’s a good 40k book. There’s an awful lot to like about it. As the quote above suggests, it’s an example of the more nuanced story that BL have been publishing in the last few years, and perhaps if it leaned into this more it would be a more interesting and significant book. Unlike last year’s Lords of Excess, the Emperor’s Children are sharing the spotlight with the Black Templars, but I think the most compelling narrative thread is following the militia of Crucible. The 3rd Legion are the sort of glorious bastards we’ve come to love in their appearances in BL literature and shine without tipping into caricature. Dorn’s crusaders are suitably grim and don’t pull focus from their traitorous cousins. The book doesn’t fall into the tie-in trap of reading like a catalogue of shiny new toys, and as well as the aforementioned shades of gray also delivers action and some unexpected twists. It’s a solid book that would be one of the better entries in the underrated Space Marine: Battles series. The ending is great, and is a really satisfying and neat payoff that doesn’t feel forced at all- which not all BL books can boast.
I think that paragraph felt like there was a “but” coming because there certainly was one, and it’s not necessarily the fault of the book itself.
This book isn’t a Fulgrim book. He barely features. We learn nothing of his return or time since the Scourging. It’d be pretty straightforward to reskin the Emperor’s Children characters in this book to any legion or traitor warband- they are well-written but lack the gloss that sets them apart from their less excessive peers. For that, see Lords of Excess, which perhaps unfairly, this book can’t escape the shadows of. The Angron novel that came out alongside his lovely new model featured him on the page less, but he suits being an elemental force driving his legion; readers know that his sons want/need to please Fulgrim and seek his approval, this book could have showed *why* but I don’t feel it quite managed that.
Jude Reid has written a book that is very enjoyable and has the kernel of a much more interesting story than many other 40k books. Unfortunately, BL have published it under the name of a major player in the setting alongside a major faction revamp and I fear that for many readers it just won’t meet their preconceptions and expectations.
I enjoyed Fulgrim: the Perfect Son. It’s a good 40k book. There’s an awful lot to like about it. As the quote above suggests, it’s an example of the more nuanced story that BL have been publishing in the last few years, and perhaps if it leaned into this more it would be a more interesting and significant book. Unlike last year’s Lords of Excess, the Emperor’s Children are sharing the spotlight with the Black Templars, but I think the most compelling narrative thread is following the militia of Crucible. The 3rd Legion are the sort of glorious bastards we’ve come to love in their appearances in BL literature and shine without tipping into caricature. Dorn’s crusaders are suitably grim and don’t pull focus from their traitorous cousins. The book doesn’t fall into the tie-in trap of reading like a catalogue of shiny new toys, and as well as the aforementioned shades of gray also delivers action and some unexpected twists. It’s a solid book that would be one of the better entries in the underrated Space Marine: Battles series. The ending is great, and is a really satisfying and neat payoff that doesn’t feel forced at all- which not all BL books can boast.
I think that paragraph felt like there was a “but” coming because there certainly was one, and it’s not necessarily the fault of the book itself.
This book isn’t a Fulgrim book. He barely features. We learn nothing of his return or time since the Scourging. It’d be pretty straightforward to reskin the Emperor’s Children characters in this book to any legion or traitor warband- they are well-written but lack the gloss that sets them apart from their less excessive peers. For that, see Lords of Excess, which perhaps unfairly, this book can’t escape the shadows of. The Angron novel that came out alongside his lovely new model featured him on the page less, but he suits being an elemental force driving his legion; readers know that his sons want/need to please Fulgrim and seek his approval, this book could have showed *why* but I don’t feel it quite managed that.
Jude Reid has written a book that is very enjoyable and has the kernel of a much more interesting story than many other 40k books. Unfortunately, BL have published it under the name of a major player in the setting alongside a major faction revamp and I fear that for many readers it just won’t meet their preconceptions and expectations.
July 27, 2025
Some of the better atmosphere and character work I've seen from the Black Library in quite a while. Grimdark really bleeds through the pages when the authors are allowed to write from the villains POV, because then the Imperium isn't treated as some misunderstood white knight. The various Emperor's Children are more than just stereotypes, the smattering of PDF militia and Cadian (sigh) guardsmen add an element of humanity, and then there's the Black Templars crusading it up. Really deciding between the best of bad options.
The downside is that the author sucks at all the military-side of things. You never get a sense of the battle space, nor understand what either side is doing through the war and siege. And let's not bother with army compositions and numbers, that's far beyond the author's cares. Strategy is basically showing and swinging a power sword. It's almost forgivable as the author often doesn't even sketch out the broad strokes. Like, has the entire 3rd Legion shown up on Crucible? What's their plan? No one knows, and I doubt the author considered it. But then the author will spend a paragraph trying to sketch out some epic scene and you realize the scope of ignorance.
The ugliest part of this is the combination of not caring about logistics combined with characters. Various POVs just magically appear where they need to be. There's zero attempt to explain how Fulgrim is in real-space and if there are limits on his power, and Daemons can show up wherever they want and corrupt however they want. All the icons, totems or fetishes that empower Chaos is just tossed out the window as folks do whatever they need to do to make the plot work. And the ending is just a confluence of seemingly random events that the reader can pretend was all the will of some greater deity, but feels more like the author reached their required page count and decided to end the story.
In short, recommended with a lot of reservations, for WH40K fans.
The downside is that the author sucks at all the military-side of things. You never get a sense of the battle space, nor understand what either side is doing through the war and siege. And let's not bother with army compositions and numbers, that's far beyond the author's cares. Strategy is basically showing and swinging a power sword. It's almost forgivable as the author often doesn't even sketch out the broad strokes. Like, has the entire 3rd Legion shown up on Crucible? What's their plan? No one knows, and I doubt the author considered it. But then the author will spend a paragraph trying to sketch out some epic scene and you realize the scope of ignorance.
The ugliest part of this is the combination of not caring about logistics combined with characters. Various POVs just magically appear where they need to be. There's zero attempt to explain how Fulgrim is in real-space and if there are limits on his power, and Daemons can show up wherever they want and corrupt however they want. All the icons, totems or fetishes that empower Chaos is just tossed out the window as folks do whatever they need to do to make the plot work. And the ending is just a confluence of seemingly random events that the reader can pretend was all the will of some greater deity, but feels more like the author reached their required page count and decided to end the story.
In short, recommended with a lot of reservations, for WH40K fans.
May 5, 2025
A good book about a battle between the emporers children and the black templars. Not a lot about fulgrim at all.
I enjoyed it but nothing more than bolter p***
I enjoyed it but nothing more than bolter p***
May 18, 2025
As a chaos fan, I was pumped to get my hands on a new Fulgrim novel. However similar to the Angron novel, Fulgrim is barely even in the book. instead its the usual trope of chaos betraying each other along with mediocre at best bolter porn.
Ive read nothing from the author since her other books that i know of are about the sisters of battle and Im not a fan of the faction. However from what i've seen on other forums, theres not many good things said about the author's writing in those. Wish i took the hint. Hopefully Black Library moves on from Reid because not only was the book a disappointment but as a chaos fan, we dont get many opportunities for proper chaos books and this was just a waste of time, especially for a main character like Fulgrim.
Ive read nothing from the author since her other books that i know of are about the sisters of battle and Im not a fan of the faction. However from what i've seen on other forums, theres not many good things said about the author's writing in those. Wish i took the hint. Hopefully Black Library moves on from Reid because not only was the book a disappointment but as a chaos fan, we dont get many opportunities for proper chaos books and this was just a waste of time, especially for a main character like Fulgrim.
December 18, 2025
The narrator as always with his words put justice to an otherwise repetitive story. I loved the development of Tamaris as a character, and the rest of the Palatine Blade, but the overall story seemed dull and out of place for a Primarch to care about a world the story to take place on. Seemed very out of character for Fulgrim, as if Jude Reid doesn’t understand the concept of a Primarch. She also made a mockery of the Black Templars, so if you are going into this thinking you’ll find some awesome duels between Templars and Emperors Children, this book is a miss. What a way for Fulgrim to blunder into 40K.
June 13, 2025
Está bien y tal pero no tiene nada que ver con Fulgrim y me da la sensación de que es una historia que aporta bastante poco al worldbuilding de la franquicia.
May 21, 2025
Fun but mostly pointless.
We don’t get any returning EC characters, any reason why Fulgrim’s returned or what his plans are, any scenes of Fulgrim’s POV, and the characters are mostly forgettable.
Sure there’s some fun action scenes and all the characters are sympathetic for the most part but there’s nothing really there.
Completely skippable if you aren’t interested in the EC—Hell, even if you are you can probably skip it since it doesn’t add anything to the Phoenician’s character or motivations.
We don’t get any returning EC characters, any reason why Fulgrim’s returned or what his plans are, any scenes of Fulgrim’s POV, and the characters are mostly forgettable.
Sure there’s some fun action scenes and all the characters are sympathetic for the most part but there’s nothing really there.
Completely skippable if you aren’t interested in the EC—Hell, even if you are you can probably skip it since it doesn’t add anything to the Phoenician’s character or motivations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2025
Quite a disappointment. No shade to the author but I feel like she spent too much time in this novel dwelling on things that didn't drive the story forward. The characters seem to me to be rather uninteresting to follow and more often than not came off rather pathetic, not like the giant chaos infused warriors I've read of in other Black Library novels. The Black Templar and Guard bits were a bit more compelling but I didn't pick up a BT or Guard book. Fulgrim is barely a thing in this book as well, which considering there's a whole interview where it's stated we'll be finding out what he's actually been up to for 10,000 years, added to the disappointment. I'll give it to Jude for her way of depicting gore, wounds and impacts of battle (I mean that literally, she describes how a blade pierces flesh really well) but it turns to the books detriment when you realise you've read how injections pierce a spinal column or a blade cuts through skin for the umpteenth time.
August 11, 2025
Fulgrim is back and here to lead his legion again, but desires a champion, because his father has a champion and Fulgrim is his father's son. In Fulgrim's his eyes, he pure perfection and believes himself better than the emperor, so why not do everything the emperor did but "try" to do it better while sexyback is playing.
Funny enough Fulgrim isn't really a main character. He's more of a side character.
Instead a follows a Blade master named Marduk Tamaris who seeks to become Fulgrim's Perfect Son, which is equivalent to the Emperor's Champion. And yes, The Emperor's Champion named Johannes Berengar.
What is funny, though, is that the Blademaster's are supposedly perfect in their art of slaughter, but the main character, Tamaeis seems to get his arse handed to him time and time again while the Black Templar's are being glazed.
Also there's also a minor plot involving human characters which was a snooze tbh.
Funny enough Fulgrim isn't really a main character. He's more of a side character.
Instead a follows a Blade master named Marduk Tamaris who seeks to become Fulgrim's Perfect Son, which is equivalent to the Emperor's Champion. And yes, The Emperor's Champion named Johannes Berengar.
What is funny, though, is that the Blademaster's are supposedly perfect in their art of slaughter, but the main character, Tamaeis seems to get his arse handed to him time and time again while the Black Templar's are being glazed.
Also there's also a minor plot involving human characters which was a snooze tbh.
May 12, 2025
I was really hoping this book would help advance the overall story in the modern 40k setting, but it has done anything but.
The story itself fine but there’s nothing about what fulgrim has been doing the last 10,000 years, why he’s suddenly returned now or what the loyalist primachs’ reaction might be - Do they even know fulgrim is active again? I don’t know, it doesn’t say.
It’s just another story about taking over another world for no real reason. I was really hoping for some kind of secret agenda reveal at the end or even a cut scene to terra, but again nothing.
I really think they have missed a good opportunity to move things forward.
If you just want to read 40k then it’s fine but if you’re hoping for more in terms of advancing the bigger picture then perhaps wait for the next release.
The story itself fine but there’s nothing about what fulgrim has been doing the last 10,000 years, why he’s suddenly returned now or what the loyalist primachs’ reaction might be - Do they even know fulgrim is active again? I don’t know, it doesn’t say.
It’s just another story about taking over another world for no real reason. I was really hoping for some kind of secret agenda reveal at the end or even a cut scene to terra, but again nothing.
I really think they have missed a good opportunity to move things forward.
If you just want to read 40k then it’s fine but if you’re hoping for more in terms of advancing the bigger picture then perhaps wait for the next release.
April 30, 2025
Well, this was one of the novels I was most looking forward to this year. I’ve read a couple of stories by Jude Reid before and wasn’t impressed, so I lowered my expectations. Still, I felt very disappointed when I finished the novel...
I mean, If you enjoy yelling why would you do that? at fictional people and being bored and facepalming during battles, this one’s for you (the action scenes actually are about as thrilling as a nap).
Overall, this book is a masterclass in missed potential.
I mean, If you enjoy yelling why would you do that? at fictional people and being bored and facepalming during battles, this one’s for you (the action scenes actually are about as thrilling as a nap).
Overall, this book is a masterclass in missed potential.
May 9, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. Don’t be put off by some of the reviews, it’s definitely worth reading.
Fulgrim was not as involved as I thought however the way he took on the role of master manipulator was perfect, and the scenes he was in really captured his character. Fulgrim was haunting every character even when he wasn’t there, truly showing the unsettling effect he had on other characters.
Tamaris and the Emperors Champion were also really well written and I enjoyed the fight scenes these characters were involved in.
Fulgrim was not as involved as I thought however the way he took on the role of master manipulator was perfect, and the scenes he was in really captured his character. Fulgrim was haunting every character even when he wasn’t there, truly showing the unsettling effect he had on other characters.
Tamaris and the Emperors Champion were also really well written and I enjoyed the fight scenes these characters were involved in.
May 5, 2025
Somehow worse than the Angron book.
Was expecting to at the very least have Fulgrim react to his brother Guilliman's return. Especially considering they built some rivalry against each others (which is well narrated in Guy Haley's Plague War series) but no. Just some bad bolt-porn.
Fulgrim is sitting in the background. Ian St Martin did a much better job at portraying the ECs in his Lucius work (The Fautless Blade for example).
Don't waste your money.
Was expecting to at the very least have Fulgrim react to his brother Guilliman's return. Especially considering they built some rivalry against each others (which is well narrated in Guy Haley's Plague War series) but no. Just some bad bolt-porn.
Fulgrim is sitting in the background. Ian St Martin did a much better job at portraying the ECs in his Lucius work (The Fautless Blade for example).
Don't waste your money.
May 12, 2025
The title can be a bit misleading, but it is still a great story.
Jude Reid takes the reader inside the III legion and pulls back the curtain on the jealousies and motivations that keep the Emperor's Children moving forward. The main protagonist is interesting and undergoes quite the journey throughout the book.
While the mortal cultist sub-plot is interesting, there are times when it drags the pace of the story.
Overall an interesting read. Just wish it had a different title.
Jude Reid takes the reader inside the III legion and pulls back the curtain on the jealousies and motivations that keep the Emperor's Children moving forward. The main protagonist is interesting and undergoes quite the journey throughout the book.
While the mortal cultist sub-plot is interesting, there are times when it drags the pace of the story.
Overall an interesting read. Just wish it had a different title.
May 12, 2025
Not my favourite heretic novel.
Wasn’t awful but not a patch on the likes of the Black Legion or Ahriman books.
I enjoyed it as a way to tie the Emperors Children in returning to the galaxy as unified force under their genesire, I just didn’t quite enjoy any of the main characters but I wonder if that’s the point- imperial space marines and traitors being as intensely unlikeable as each other?
Worth a read for backstabbing slaaneshi action.
Wasn’t awful but not a patch on the likes of the Black Legion or Ahriman books.
I enjoyed it as a way to tie the Emperors Children in returning to the galaxy as unified force under their genesire, I just didn’t quite enjoy any of the main characters but I wonder if that’s the point- imperial space marines and traitors being as intensely unlikeable as each other?
Worth a read for backstabbing slaaneshi action.
June 8, 2025
Lo único que critico es el nombre del libro. Fulgrim? Apenas aparece como en cuatro escenas. No es para nada el personaje principal del libro en cuestión. Ni un flashback como para decir que lo comprendimos un poco más a él y su historia. Pero si lo leemos sin expectativas, realmente esta muy bien. Una buena introducción al personaje de Tamaris y su lucha para convertirse en el campeón de la tercera. Amé a Mauvais, y el esquema de alianzas y traiciones a su alrededor.
April 30, 2025
For a legion that claims to be perfect the characters in this are anything but, maybe their degeneracy has caused this or maybe they were never that perfect to start with, fulgrim is shown as a petulant daemon primarch, nothing new there, for me the ancillary characters were by far more interesting and by that I mean the militia not the templars or cadians
Narrated with aplomb
Narrated with aplomb
May 15, 2025
This is the most anticlimactic Primarch return to 40k novel ever. I feel pity for all the Emperor’s Children players who were excited for Fulgrim’s comeback story. And if someone was wondering whether to start a new army, they can simply give up buying the new line of EC models after reading this book. It's that bad.
May 17, 2025
A book that seems to be getting review bombed, as a longtime Emperor's Children fan, I had a great time with this book.
The rare Black Library book that showcases how cruel the Cadians can be, especially when paired with the Black Templars.
A book about egotistical bastards all preening for the love of an uncaring demigod looking to entertain himself.
The rare Black Library book that showcases how cruel the Cadians can be, especially when paired with the Black Templars.
A book about egotistical bastards all preening for the love of an uncaring demigod looking to entertain himself.
June 18, 2025
Disappointingly a book not about Fulgrim. I was hoping for a book about Fulgrims warp shenanigans and being a scourge on the imperium. What we got was a pretty slow story about the usual chaos betrayals. Whilst it fits in the usual story telling of chaos. it just seems to be a story that is re-hashed re-shaped and boxed up and re-printed.
May 12, 2025
I really wish GW would stop naming their books 'Fulgrim' or 'Valdor' and have the characters the book is supposed to be about appear only a handful of times. I feel like I was conned with this one. Also no real plot twist or new bits of lore, very disappointing.
August 17, 2025
Another book that barely feature the primarch its named after. The emperors children characters are fairly well written showcasing their rivalry that inevitably comes to blows but the end result is blander than the other Emperors children books that have come out.
August 21, 2025
For a book that’s meant to be the grand return of such an important character to this universe, like Fulgrim, it really feels like he’s barely in it and doesn’t really influence the story too much directly. The action parts are fun, but it left a lot to be desired
April 29, 2025
A good read but I wanted a book with Fulgrim as the main character.
May 7, 2025
It was good for me not great and not amazing and i liked the way people of crucible where portraited.
May 11, 2025
Was not a fan. Fulgrim is more of a side character than the protagonist the book made him out to be. The other characters are rather bland and the story felt lacking.
May 23, 2025
Not high art but certainly very enjoyable!
July 21, 2025
I had to formally apologize to my friend Austin for thinking he judged Sigismund and the black Templars too harshly. They are in fact “effing zealots”.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews