What do you think?
Rate this book
The Horus Heresy #Novella
The Honoured
The Battle for Calth is over, and the Underworld War has begun. Steloc Aethon and his Ultramarine brothers battle the treacherous Word Bearers in the darkness, but will they be consumed by vengeance?
In the immediate aftermath of the Word Bearers’ attack on Calth, survivors from both sides were driven into the subterranean arcology shelters by the tortured Veridian star. While their primarch Roboute Guilliman had planned for many seemingly unthinkable eventualities, the Ultramarines now face a new war in the underworld – could Steloc Aethon, renowned captain of ‘the Honoured 19th’ Company, be the one to lead them to ultimate victory over the traitors? Perhaps, if he can master his own bitter desire for vengeance…
See the Ultramarines from the new boxed game 'The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth' brought to life as the destruction of Calth forces them into desperate battle in the Underworld war. The undisputed hero is a Terminator sergeant who wades through liquid coolant and forces himself to his very limits to defeat the foe...
In the immediate aftermath of the Word Bearers’ attack on Calth, survivors from both sides were driven into the subterranean arcology shelters by the tortured Veridian star. While their primarch Roboute Guilliman had planned for many seemingly unthinkable eventualities, the Ultramarines now face a new war in the underworld – could Steloc Aethon, renowned captain of ‘the Honoured 19th’ Company, be the one to lead them to ultimate victory over the traitors? Perhaps, if he can master his own bitter desire for vengeance…
See the Ultramarines from the new boxed game 'The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth' brought to life as the destruction of Calth forces them into desperate battle in the Underworld war. The undisputed hero is a Terminator sergeant who wades through liquid coolant and forces himself to his very limits to defeat the foe...
ebook
First published April 12, 2016
10 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Rob Sanders
114 books86 followersRob Sanders is the author of twelve novels, as well as numerous anthologised short stories, novellas, audio dramas, computer games and comics. His fiction has won national writing competitions, been featured on the BBC and appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. His poetry has been short listed in national contests. He lives off the beaten track in the small city of Lincoln, UK.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 6, 2021
3,5 stars
A nice all-action Horus Heresy novel, but not adding anything to the saga timeline and the Calth war was already described for good in previous novels, novellas and e-shorts.
But for that, it is a real good read for a novella based on a GW tabletop miniatures boxed set game.
The action never stops and at the end you can't wait to start reading The Unburdened and see the story from the Word Bearers point of view.
A nice all-action Horus Heresy novel, but not adding anything to the saga timeline and the Calth war was already described for good in previous novels, novellas and e-shorts.
But for that, it is a real good read for a novella based on a GW tabletop miniatures boxed set game.
The action never stops and at the end you can't wait to start reading The Unburdened and see the story from the Word Bearers point of view.
April 6, 2020
Well written, nothin-but, action story of what happens on Calth directly after Know No Fear. Sanders has chops when it comes to writing vivid, clear action pieces and actually felt some twinges of somethings when some shit went down with certain characters. Good side story, even if it doesn't necessarily do anything to further the Heresy story overall.
April 21, 2017
Nice short face paced read. No where like the Mark of Calth or the short stories about Calth, but a unique view from Ultramarines who grew up on Calth.
January 18, 2016
I can sum up this novella with the following:
-Ultramarine armour for hero characters is invulnerable until the author doesn't want it to be.
-Word Bearer armour made of soggy cardboard.
-Ultramarine armour for hero characters is invulnerable until the author doesn't want it to be.
-Word Bearer armour made of soggy cardboard.
February 6, 2024
First time reading February 2024 as part of a Heresy Omnibus Project+ complete readthrough of the Horus Heresy series, as part of the Shadow Crusade II The Underworld War Omnibus (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...
It's never a good sign when you feel a palpable sense of relief, like the weight of ceramite-clad razorwing lifted from your shoulders, when a book is finished...
Following the Battle of Calth, as illuminated wonderfully by Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill's in Know No Fear and Calth That Was (in Mark of Calth), The Honoured follows survivors of the initial devastation and attack by the Word Bearers as they race to escape the scouring solar flares from Viridian (caused by the XVII's infernal rites) within the underground arcologies. The safety of the subterranean network is relative for the Ultramarines as the Sons of Lorgar lurk in the dark. The Honoured Captain Aethon is particularly conflicted about the atrocity that has be fallen one of the beacons of the Five Hundred Worlds, as at one time he had a friend in the Word Bearers Chaplain, Kurtha Sedd.
I really don't want to be too disparaging of Sanders' novella, it's certainly not as actually offensive and disturbing to see published by Black Library like Illyrium by Darius Hinks, which has no redeeming qualities in my opinion, it doesn't have the casual, at times pointed and upsetting misogyny of a number of Dan Abnett's otherwise brilliant books, and it doesn't get into some really weird bioessentialist and worrying sexism and misogyny, particularly in Fulgrim, of the otherwise great Graham McNeil. (My calling Abnett otherwise brilliant and McNeil otherwise great in no way condones or excuses the harmful aspects of some of their writing, which I will always call out in reviews. It is simply making the point that when they aren't doing that I thoroughly enjoy their writing, so I have to suffer through that unacceptable bullshit it I want to be able to read the Horus Heresy, cool stories about the Inquisition, etc.)
What The Honoured does do is fundamentally not reach anywhere near the bottom of the bar for the Horus Heresy series in my personal opinion. On the rare occasion this happens I always point out just how much I love this series and that reading the opening quadrilogy again recently, after getting back into reading...everything in the last year, after lacking the capacity and drive for a long time, made me realise just how good this series is, not 'for Warhammer books', which I otherwise grade on a curve, but without qualifier. They are at least as good, if not better (if such a thing can actually be quantified when discussing art) than many well-respected and classic books, in general literature as well as within fantasy and science fiction. They set themselves standards in the work and established expectations in their readers, so I do my best to meet each one, at least the books (I am sometimes swayed by just having a lot of fun with a short story or audio drama) with this in mind.
I feel like this could be a fault that should be laid at Black Library's feet, rather than Sanders', as I am not sure I believe this novella, released alongside David Annandale's The Unburdened, collected together at Betrayal at Calth, were ever planned to be a part of the Horus Heresy series. I believe their primary intent was to be supporting stories for and including the characters seen in the Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth box set that marked the first release of plastic Heresy Era models, which was a huge deal in the hobby side of things as previously these kinda of models had only been available as premium resin releases through Forge World, making them prohibitively expensive for many. But they were released as officially part of the Horus Heresy series, despite not being collected into any anthology, as all previous novellas and stories only available in limited edition and/ or event only releases.
I haven't read a huge amount of the specific release tie-in books, after finding the Assault on Black Reach novel by Nick Kyme that accompanied the 5th edition Warhammer 40K starter set of the same name, although I do remember Ascension of Balthasar audio drama by C.Z. Dunn, a tie in to the Dark Vengeance starter set that was used for both the 6th and 7th editions of 40k was pretty good. I think it's fair to say, at least historically, that the tie in stories haven't been viewed or received with the same expectations and praise as the other Black Library releases. With this in mind, if The Honoured were to be released as purely a box set tie in that just happened to take place during the Horus Heresy, I would view it much more positively, as I would, as I have mentioned before when works haven't achieved the Heresy standard, if it had been released under the Space Marine Battles title, which is a huge, mostly very loosely connected, series that tells the stories of significant battles and events previously only referred to in the lore and background books that has a greater variance in quality in my personal opinion.
I hate to say it, but I really struggled with this book and, if I wasn't the autistic completionist I am and hadn't caved and bought the Betrayal at Calth the audiobooks yesterday, I don't think I would have gotten through it. Jonathan Keeble's narration and his unique ability to embue the narration of action with such energy made a huge difference, but, even with that, by the end I was checked out and running down the clock. I dislike using a term that is used to diminish Warhammer 40K stories, but here it seems apropos. This novella is largely 'bolter porn', meaning that it almost entirely over the top action and violence, things you absolutely do want and have to expect in stories in the 31st and 41st Millennia, but the term makes sense in that pretty much being all that this is.
As a Horus Heresy book it seems to miss the essence that has charged the Heresy isn't simply that many of the Legions fought and lived and died together, but rather it's the emotional weight of relationships established within these testing crucbles of war--the substantiated, variously intense and interwoven relationships between Loken, Tarvitz, and Garro in the opening books being a perfect example--and the intensity of pain and grief felt by personal perfidy of former friends turning on each other and aligning themselves with regimes neither one can understand as a thing but wrong and evil. The purported friendship between Aethon and Kurtha Sedd is referenced a bunch and the Ultramarines Captain has a memory of battling Orks alongside Sedd and the Word Bearer saving his life, but there is not deeper connection beyond us being told there is, and even when we are in Aethon's thoughts there isn't any significant sorrow or heartache expressed in a meaningful way. This relationship is a step up from referencing bringing a nest of gundarks to Compliance (my go to Star Wars reference for making the mistake of telling, not showing), but as presented it is barely warmer than the scene Lorgar receiving Illuminarum from Ferrus Mannus as "thanks for the “reinforcement”" (he refuses to call it a "rescue") in The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
Ultimately, this came across like a brilliant write up on a Zone Mortalis narrative campaign of the tabletop wargame, rather than a Horus Heresy novella. I can't in good faith recommend it to anyone beyond the absolute completionist, someone so in love with Cobalt Bois from Imperium Secundus who has consumed everything else, or simply someone looking for some decent enough action and inspiration for their Betrayal at Calth box set, ignoring the Horus Heresy branding.
Honestly, if I was a touch less neurodivergent and didn't want to maintain the integrity of my almost complete Horus Heresy Collection on Audible, I would ask for my credit back. But, again, that's purely from my perspective at wanting and expecting more from a Horus Heresy title.
I have enjoyed David Annandale's work in the past, so I am truly hoping The Unburdened will have some more meat on its bolter.
This quote blew my mind and made me exclaim, What in the Ignace Karkasy would never is this?!
"Urcus slows. His plate is giving him away...he hears the Dreadnought searching chambers and forking tunnels...It can smell him – it can smell the honour of his plate, the nobility of his primarch’s blood, his loyalty and his genic fortitude"
What does honour on ceramite, nobility in blood and loyalty and fortitude in genes smell like, is ask you?
This was the Remembrancer, Ignace Karkasy's olfactory response to coming into contact with Astartes for the first time in Horus Rising by Dan Abnett:
"The Astartes save us from the brink, the brink, but oh my life how they stink, they stink" -
I was starting to lose my mind towards the end and I was daydreaming about some 'who's on first?' stuff with Kurtha's confusing name:
Aethon: Kurtha said what?
Dardanus: ...K-Kurtha Sedd
Urcus: DUDE, WHAT DOES MINE SAY?!
It's never a good sign when you feel a palpable sense of relief, like the weight of ceramite-clad razorwing lifted from your shoulders, when a book is finished...
Following the Battle of Calth, as illuminated wonderfully by Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill's in Know No Fear and Calth That Was (in Mark of Calth), The Honoured follows survivors of the initial devastation and attack by the Word Bearers as they race to escape the scouring solar flares from Viridian (caused by the XVII's infernal rites) within the underground arcologies. The safety of the subterranean network is relative for the Ultramarines as the Sons of Lorgar lurk in the dark. The Honoured Captain Aethon is particularly conflicted about the atrocity that has be fallen one of the beacons of the Five Hundred Worlds, as at one time he had a friend in the Word Bearers Chaplain, Kurtha Sedd.
I really don't want to be too disparaging of Sanders' novella, it's certainly not as actually offensive and disturbing to see published by Black Library like Illyrium by Darius Hinks, which has no redeeming qualities in my opinion, it doesn't have the casual, at times pointed and upsetting misogyny of a number of Dan Abnett's otherwise brilliant books, and it doesn't get into some really weird bioessentialist and worrying sexism and misogyny, particularly in Fulgrim, of the otherwise great Graham McNeil. (My calling Abnett otherwise brilliant and McNeil otherwise great in no way condones or excuses the harmful aspects of some of their writing, which I will always call out in reviews. It is simply making the point that when they aren't doing that I thoroughly enjoy their writing, so I have to suffer through that unacceptable bullshit it I want to be able to read the Horus Heresy, cool stories about the Inquisition, etc.)
What The Honoured does do is fundamentally not reach anywhere near the bottom of the bar for the Horus Heresy series in my personal opinion. On the rare occasion this happens I always point out just how much I love this series and that reading the opening quadrilogy again recently, after getting back into reading...everything in the last year, after lacking the capacity and drive for a long time, made me realise just how good this series is, not 'for Warhammer books', which I otherwise grade on a curve, but without qualifier. They are at least as good, if not better (if such a thing can actually be quantified when discussing art) than many well-respected and classic books, in general literature as well as within fantasy and science fiction. They set themselves standards in the work and established expectations in their readers, so I do my best to meet each one, at least the books (I am sometimes swayed by just having a lot of fun with a short story or audio drama) with this in mind.
I feel like this could be a fault that should be laid at Black Library's feet, rather than Sanders', as I am not sure I believe this novella, released alongside David Annandale's The Unburdened, collected together at Betrayal at Calth, were ever planned to be a part of the Horus Heresy series. I believe their primary intent was to be supporting stories for and including the characters seen in the Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth box set that marked the first release of plastic Heresy Era models, which was a huge deal in the hobby side of things as previously these kinda of models had only been available as premium resin releases through Forge World, making them prohibitively expensive for many. But they were released as officially part of the Horus Heresy series, despite not being collected into any anthology, as all previous novellas and stories only available in limited edition and/ or event only releases.
I haven't read a huge amount of the specific release tie-in books, after finding the Assault on Black Reach novel by Nick Kyme that accompanied the 5th edition Warhammer 40K starter set of the same name, although I do remember Ascension of Balthasar audio drama by C.Z. Dunn, a tie in to the Dark Vengeance starter set that was used for both the 6th and 7th editions of 40k was pretty good. I think it's fair to say, at least historically, that the tie in stories haven't been viewed or received with the same expectations and praise as the other Black Library releases. With this in mind, if The Honoured were to be released as purely a box set tie in that just happened to take place during the Horus Heresy, I would view it much more positively, as I would, as I have mentioned before when works haven't achieved the Heresy standard, if it had been released under the Space Marine Battles title, which is a huge, mostly very loosely connected, series that tells the stories of significant battles and events previously only referred to in the lore and background books that has a greater variance in quality in my personal opinion.
I hate to say it, but I really struggled with this book and, if I wasn't the autistic completionist I am and hadn't caved and bought the Betrayal at Calth the audiobooks yesterday, I don't think I would have gotten through it. Jonathan Keeble's narration and his unique ability to embue the narration of action with such energy made a huge difference, but, even with that, by the end I was checked out and running down the clock. I dislike using a term that is used to diminish Warhammer 40K stories, but here it seems apropos. This novella is largely 'bolter porn', meaning that it almost entirely over the top action and violence, things you absolutely do want and have to expect in stories in the 31st and 41st Millennia, but the term makes sense in that pretty much being all that this is.
As a Horus Heresy book it seems to miss the essence that has charged the Heresy isn't simply that many of the Legions fought and lived and died together, but rather it's the emotional weight of relationships established within these testing crucbles of war--the substantiated, variously intense and interwoven relationships between Loken, Tarvitz, and Garro in the opening books being a perfect example--and the intensity of pain and grief felt by personal perfidy of former friends turning on each other and aligning themselves with regimes neither one can understand as a thing but wrong and evil. The purported friendship between Aethon and Kurtha Sedd is referenced a bunch and the Ultramarines Captain has a memory of battling Orks alongside Sedd and the Word Bearer saving his life, but there is not deeper connection beyond us being told there is, and even when we are in Aethon's thoughts there isn't any significant sorrow or heartache expressed in a meaningful way. This relationship is a step up from referencing bringing a nest of gundarks to Compliance (my go to Star Wars reference for making the mistake of telling, not showing), but as presented it is barely warmer than the scene Lorgar receiving Illuminarum from Ferrus Mannus as "thanks for the “reinforcement”" (he refuses to call it a "rescue") in The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
Ultimately, this came across like a brilliant write up on a Zone Mortalis narrative campaign of the tabletop wargame, rather than a Horus Heresy novella. I can't in good faith recommend it to anyone beyond the absolute completionist, someone so in love with Cobalt Bois from Imperium Secundus who has consumed everything else, or simply someone looking for some decent enough action and inspiration for their Betrayal at Calth box set, ignoring the Horus Heresy branding.
Honestly, if I was a touch less neurodivergent and didn't want to maintain the integrity of my almost complete Horus Heresy Collection on Audible, I would ask for my credit back. But, again, that's purely from my perspective at wanting and expecting more from a Horus Heresy title.
I have enjoyed David Annandale's work in the past, so I am truly hoping The Unburdened will have some more meat on its bolter.
This quote blew my mind and made me exclaim, What in the Ignace Karkasy would never is this?!
"Urcus slows. His plate is giving him away...he hears the Dreadnought searching chambers and forking tunnels...It can smell him – it can smell the honour of his plate, the nobility of his primarch’s blood, his loyalty and his genic fortitude"
What does honour on ceramite, nobility in blood and loyalty and fortitude in genes smell like, is ask you?
This was the Remembrancer, Ignace Karkasy's olfactory response to coming into contact with Astartes for the first time in Horus Rising by Dan Abnett:
"The Astartes save us from the brink, the brink, but oh my life how they stink, they stink" -
I was starting to lose my mind towards the end and I was daydreaming about some 'who's on first?' stuff with Kurtha's confusing name:
Aethon: Kurtha said what?
Dardanus: ...K-Kurtha Sedd
Urcus: DUDE, WHAT DOES MINE SAY?!
February 9, 2016
Oh The Honoured by Rob Sanders.
This was an interesting novel, being the first real "heavy tie-in" for the Horus Heresy series. I don't think the fact that it was tied to the Betrayal at Calth box helped it very much. Firstly, because the war on Calth has already been fairly well covered, what with Dan Abnett's masterful 'Know no Fear', a fair number of short stories, a novella, and at least one audio drama. I just don't feel the need for this particular series, outside of something that only really exists because they needed a tie-in release, and Neil Roberts already did the box cover art.
The story itself was pretty good, but had some glaring flaws. I really liked the mad dash to escape the surface of Calth. The whole chapter put me in the mind of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' in the sense of speed and relentlessness. From there, seeing the Ultramarines come to terms with their grief over what has happened was awesomely done, watching Aethon wage his underworld war from the command perspective, as well as the action at times were all extremely well done. Speaking of action, this book really never stopped. There might be a moment of reflection here or there, or a wondering of how this might change the Adeptus Astartes and the universe as a whole every now and again, but action was definitely the main focus 99% of the time here. And while the actual action was well done, I feel like this novel really suffered from the age old plague of warhammer fiction. Namely, that the protagonists were utter beast of war and mostly unstoppable, with the occasional side character being killed to try and show that they didn't steam roll the Word Bearers with no causalities. And Sergeant Urcus. Holy hell, Urcus. The Ultramarine would have been much better off throwing him single handed against the entire Traitor Legions for how invincible he was. I wish I was kidding. He could do it all, from survive for long periods of time on Calth's surface, attacks from swarms of Legionaries to being flash frozen, fighting off a contemptor mostly single-handedly, the list goes on. I know Terminator armour is good stuff, it makes the wearer a walking tank. But I really think they took his entire character too far. The plot armour was too thick for me to have any sense of belief in the setting of this novel.
Meanwhile, our Word Bearers are fumbling toddlers that might have watched a war movie once for tactics and wore home-made paper mâché "power armour". They were literally useless dolts. Somehow hundreds of the Word Bearers, admittedly a little insane from Chaos(already?), couldn't do a damn thing. They had some awesome lines, and a few surprising(and a few unsurprising) ambushes/betrayals, but mostly, they were just fumbling toddlers.
Overall, I had fun reading the book, but the flaws really came up to hit me in the eyes. I can't say I would recommend it outside of those die-hard Warhammer fans, Ultramarines fans, or Heresy fans that MUST read everything. Even Ultramarines fans might not be too pleased with all the plot armour and cheese.
This was an interesting novel, being the first real "heavy tie-in" for the Horus Heresy series. I don't think the fact that it was tied to the Betrayal at Calth box helped it very much. Firstly, because the war on Calth has already been fairly well covered, what with Dan Abnett's masterful 'Know no Fear', a fair number of short stories, a novella, and at least one audio drama. I just don't feel the need for this particular series, outside of something that only really exists because they needed a tie-in release, and Neil Roberts already did the box cover art.
The story itself was pretty good, but had some glaring flaws. I really liked the mad dash to escape the surface of Calth. The whole chapter put me in the mind of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' in the sense of speed and relentlessness. From there, seeing the Ultramarines come to terms with their grief over what has happened was awesomely done, watching Aethon wage his underworld war from the command perspective, as well as the action at times were all extremely well done. Speaking of action, this book really never stopped. There might be a moment of reflection here or there, or a wondering of how this might change the Adeptus Astartes and the universe as a whole every now and again, but action was definitely the main focus 99% of the time here. And while the actual action was well done, I feel like this novel really suffered from the age old plague of warhammer fiction. Namely, that the protagonists were utter beast of war and mostly unstoppable, with the occasional side character being killed to try and show that they didn't steam roll the Word Bearers with no causalities. And Sergeant Urcus. Holy hell, Urcus. The Ultramarine would have been much better off throwing him single handed against the entire Traitor Legions for how invincible he was. I wish I was kidding. He could do it all, from survive for long periods of time on Calth's surface, attacks from swarms of Legionaries to being flash frozen, fighting off a contemptor mostly single-handedly, the list goes on. I know Terminator armour is good stuff, it makes the wearer a walking tank. But I really think they took his entire character too far. The plot armour was too thick for me to have any sense of belief in the setting of this novel.
Meanwhile, our Word Bearers are fumbling toddlers that might have watched a war movie once for tactics and wore home-made paper mâché "power armour". They were literally useless dolts. Somehow hundreds of the Word Bearers, admittedly a little insane from Chaos(already?), couldn't do a damn thing. They had some awesome lines, and a few surprising(and a few unsurprising) ambushes/betrayals, but mostly, they were just fumbling toddlers.
Overall, I had fun reading the book, but the flaws really came up to hit me in the eyes. I can't say I would recommend it outside of those die-hard Warhammer fans, Ultramarines fans, or Heresy fans that MUST read everything. Even Ultramarines fans might not be too pleased with all the plot armour and cheese.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2015
This is basically a 130-odd page fight scene. So in a sense it's really quite impressive that the author maintains that for so long, action sequences are hard to do. Particularly with so little narrative structure.
Despite that, there are a few decent character moments.
But yes, on the whole, quite disappointing because it's so... unadventurous.
It also feels like half-a-novel, which, given there is a sister volume, it probably is half-a-novel. Which, I hope this is not going to be a trend with the Black Library.
Despite that, there are a few decent character moments.
But yes, on the whole, quite disappointing because it's so... unadventurous.
It also feels like half-a-novel, which, given there is a sister volume, it probably is half-a-novel. Which, I hope this is not going to be a trend with the Black Library.
September 1, 2021
Disappointingly dull. The Unburdened is a far superior take on events to this. Sanders tries to continue Abnett's style from Know No Fear in this book but just can't seem to get it right. This just lacks any real focus for me. A shame.
February 20, 2019
As the Veridian sun began to bombard the planet Calth with lethal radiation, Remus Ventanus ordered the surviving population to get underground NOW. The book opens with Ultramarines racing for the sanctuary of the arcologies the people of Calth had started to build before the Emperor's dreams were shattered forever. Hot on their trail were the Word Bearers abandoned on the surface.
Frustrating to say since I love Ultramarines so much, but the characters in the twin book, The Unburdened, seemed better written. Steloc Aethon, the terminator captain leading the survivors, insists that the Word Bearers should accept death at his hands as a fair and just punishment, and I wonder how someone who just watched **an entire fucking planet die** could think that his opponents care about "fair" or "just". He tries to reason with his old friend Kurtha Sedd, the dark apostle leading the Word Bearers, because deep in his hearts, Aethon believes that friendship is magic. And when a space marine decides something is true, no amount of logic can persuade them otherwise.
After reading The Unburdened, I almost dreaded reading this book, and my notes are just :-( repeated over and over as one Ultramarine hero after another is brought down. Rob Sanders can be hit or miss: When he hits, he hits HARD. When he misses... well, you still gotta read it, at least once.
Frustrating to say since I love Ultramarines so much, but the characters in the twin book, The Unburdened, seemed better written. Steloc Aethon, the terminator captain leading the survivors, insists that the Word Bearers should accept death at his hands as a fair and just punishment, and I wonder how someone who just watched **an entire fucking planet die** could think that his opponents care about "fair" or "just". He tries to reason with his old friend Kurtha Sedd, the dark apostle leading the Word Bearers, because deep in his hearts, Aethon believes that friendship is magic. And when a space marine decides something is true, no amount of logic can persuade them otherwise.
After reading The Unburdened, I almost dreaded reading this book, and my notes are just :-( repeated over and over as one Ultramarine hero after another is brought down. Rob Sanders can be hit or miss: When he hits, he hits HARD. When he misses... well, you still gotta read it, at least once.
August 9, 2025
"In every victory resides a future defeat; in every survivor, the potential for death anew. For like the galaxy, war is an endless spiral of violence visited and visited upon. All are part of such a spiralling decent into carnage and some are even engineered for it. Fight not its irresistible pull. Fight on into inevitability."
Captain Aethon "The White Spider" is a son of Calth and loyal brother of the Ultramarines. He could never have imagined the betrayal that would come from the Word Bearers, especially from Kurtha Sedd, a man he respected and considered a brother.
The Ultramarine counterpart to the novella "The Unburdened" this is a story of the Underworld War. While The Unburdened was a deeply spiritual and esoteric journey to match the nature of the Word Bearers, this Ultramarine focused story is tactical and action focused.
I thought Rob Sanders did a great job capturing the shock and horror experienced by the Ultramarines on Calth, and gave each Ultramarine character a unique voice to make them distinct.
Also small cameo by Pelion of the Ultramarines who also featured in the Rob Sander's short story "A Deeper Darkness".
This novella alongside "The Unburdened" were created as a tie-in to the Betrayal at Calth boxset. So Captain Aethon was created to represent the Cataphractii Terminator Captain in the box. Just a fun bit of trivia.
Captain Aethon "The White Spider" is a son of Calth and loyal brother of the Ultramarines. He could never have imagined the betrayal that would come from the Word Bearers, especially from Kurtha Sedd, a man he respected and considered a brother.
The Ultramarine counterpart to the novella "The Unburdened" this is a story of the Underworld War. While The Unburdened was a deeply spiritual and esoteric journey to match the nature of the Word Bearers, this Ultramarine focused story is tactical and action focused.
I thought Rob Sanders did a great job capturing the shock and horror experienced by the Ultramarines on Calth, and gave each Ultramarine character a unique voice to make them distinct.
Also small cameo by Pelion of the Ultramarines who also featured in the Rob Sander's short story "A Deeper Darkness".
This novella alongside "The Unburdened" were created as a tie-in to the Betrayal at Calth boxset. So Captain Aethon was created to represent the Cataphractii Terminator Captain in the box. Just a fun bit of trivia.
January 7, 2018
I'm giving this 4 stars for Ultramarines in despair, not because I want them to suffer, but because it is an unusual look for them, it's good for a change. I give it 4 stars for Steloc Aethon and Arkan Dardanus. I'm not giving it 5 stars because of the overwhelming amount of bolter porn, which I often do appreciate, but only in moderate dosage. Not giving it 5 stars because of simple minded Word Bearers, who also seem way too inferior to their opponents in battle. Not giving it 3 stars, because it's a smaller novella, so the negative sides could not entirely piss me off. Overall I enjoyed it.
October 14, 2018
Ugh. I read this in two halves despite it being tiny, which might have something to do with why I don't really rate it. The writing style started to really grate on me, and I feel it really suffered from saying the same thing about three times in different ways, right after one another. The story is great though, so if you can get past the writing definitely go for it.
February 10, 2019
This was a fun story set just after the destruction of Calth, with all the survivors of the attack being forced underground and into a battle to control the tunnels.
Aethon VS his newly corrupted battle brother Kertha Sedd was a great dynamic and even though he gets killed in the end it was great to see how resilient terminator plate truly is throughout the book.
Aethon VS his newly corrupted battle brother Kertha Sedd was a great dynamic and even though he gets killed in the end it was great to see how resilient terminator plate truly is throughout the book.
January 29, 2025
This is the companion novella to The Unburdened, telling the story from the Ultramarine side instead of the Word Bearer side. It's not as interesting in part because I already knew the plot and also because the Ultramarines are boring soldiers and the Word Bearers are psychopath chaos worshippers. But it still pretty good. I admit I skimmed a lot of it.
September 13, 2022
Nice quick story compared to the others like an extended epilogue to the previous book. Enjoyable read and enjoyable insight more into the ultramarines.
Love the rationing of ammunition that isn't normally done due to the circumstances.
Love the rationing of ammunition that isn't normally done due to the circumstances.
December 2, 2025
Not much to say on this one. This felt like one prolonged fight scene that didn't accomplish much by the end of it
This one took me longer than it should have to finish given it's length, ready to move on from it
This one took me longer than it should have to finish given it's length, ready to move on from it
February 11, 2018
Good character development and knowledge of the lore base
August 3, 2023
Quite fun.
May 16, 2024
Enjoyable battle book that managed to maintain a sense of tension throughout.
November 9, 2024
Solid action. A few strange parts. But all around banger.
August 3, 2025
Mostly bolter porn and unlikely survival has some good moments but the Ultramarine characters are too one note to capitalise on them.
January 17, 2017
I read this book in one sitting while at work tonight. It is only 212 pages but it is a blast, literally and story-wise. This book is a novella, i suppose. It is one half of a pair of novels written to support the Betrayal at Calth Horus Heresy novel, in which the Word Bearers attempt to destroy Calth and the Ultramarines Primarch, Roboute Guilliman.
This novella is the efforts of the underground war the Ultramarines fight against the Word Bearers, as the sun death irradiates and burns everything on the face of the planet. The Word Bearers, traitors and evil incarnate have something wicked planned deep in the planet's underground arcologies.
An evil Word Bearer Chaplain leads the chapter, and this book entails a running firefight that starts about a dozen pages in and ends at the final battle of the book.
This book was a ride and there were so many highs and lows, as favored heroes rise to glory and fall in agonizing defeat, both to the Chapter and the poor reader (me).
This was an excellent read and I can't wait to get into the other book, which details the Word Bearers side of this deadly conflict. 40K For the win!
Danny
This novella is the efforts of the underground war the Ultramarines fight against the Word Bearers, as the sun death irradiates and burns everything on the face of the planet. The Word Bearers, traitors and evil incarnate have something wicked planned deep in the planet's underground arcologies.
An evil Word Bearer Chaplain leads the chapter, and this book entails a running firefight that starts about a dozen pages in and ends at the final battle of the book.
This book was a ride and there were so many highs and lows, as favored heroes rise to glory and fall in agonizing defeat, both to the Chapter and the poor reader (me).
This was an excellent read and I can't wait to get into the other book, which details the Word Bearers side of this deadly conflict. 40K For the win!
Danny
September 28, 2023
It was ok. Nothing surprising, nothing new. Just some fighting in underground Calth.
August 10, 2016
Review also published here
What The Honoured does rather well is depict the Ultramarines' trauma following the death of Calth's sun, and the rush for the arcologies, to take shelter from the radiation.
Had it focused more on these aspects and less on the many action scenes that only ever see side characters or Word Bearers dead, this could've been an excellent short novel.
Instead, I found myself wanting to skip paragraphs during the many battles, and groaned over and over as the terminator sergeant in this story got beaten, battered, frozen, left hanging on a ledge and what not, all with his armor's integrity already compromised from prolonged exposure at the surface before reaching the arcology entrance. This character had so much plot armor, I just couldn't take it.
The organizational and smaller-scale engagements early on are rather well done and interesting. In fact, the scenes of Captain Aethon and his command making contact with other Ultramarine forces throughout the depths of Calth were more engaging to me than the exchange of bolter shells later on, including the sheer unstoppable Word Bearers dreadnought which shreds everything but the relevant characters. There was just so much over the top action here, mostly with very predictable outcomes, that I felt the tension sucked right out of it.
What it does well is depict Steloc Aethon's doubts and clinging to the faint hope that, somehow, Kurtha Sedd, his former friend and leader of the Word Bearers in the vicinity, can be redeemed and made to see reason. That their friendship still counts for something.
Instead, Aethon is setting up his own suffering and disappointment.
I am not sure if the battles were mandated by the book being a companion novel to the Horus Heresy: Battle at Calth tabletop set, but it would certainly explain the focus on big, bombastic action scenes that heavily pronounced the "bigger" models from the set, and just wouldn't let them go down. It makes me wonder how much more fulfilling and rewarding The Honoured could have been with less of these, and more character development instead.
What The Honoured does rather well is depict the Ultramarines' trauma following the death of Calth's sun, and the rush for the arcologies, to take shelter from the radiation.
Had it focused more on these aspects and less on the many action scenes that only ever see side characters or Word Bearers dead, this could've been an excellent short novel.
Instead, I found myself wanting to skip paragraphs during the many battles, and groaned over and over as the terminator sergeant in this story got beaten, battered, frozen, left hanging on a ledge and what not, all with his armor's integrity already compromised from prolonged exposure at the surface before reaching the arcology entrance. This character had so much plot armor, I just couldn't take it.
The organizational and smaller-scale engagements early on are rather well done and interesting. In fact, the scenes of Captain Aethon and his command making contact with other Ultramarine forces throughout the depths of Calth were more engaging to me than the exchange of bolter shells later on, including the sheer unstoppable Word Bearers dreadnought which shreds everything but the relevant characters. There was just so much over the top action here, mostly with very predictable outcomes, that I felt the tension sucked right out of it.
What it does well is depict Steloc Aethon's doubts and clinging to the faint hope that, somehow, Kurtha Sedd, his former friend and leader of the Word Bearers in the vicinity, can be redeemed and made to see reason. That their friendship still counts for something.
Instead, Aethon is setting up his own suffering and disappointment.
I am not sure if the battles were mandated by the book being a companion novel to the Horus Heresy: Battle at Calth tabletop set, but it would certainly explain the focus on big, bombastic action scenes that heavily pronounced the "bigger" models from the set, and just wouldn't let them go down. It makes me wonder how much more fulfilling and rewarding The Honoured could have been with less of these, and more character development instead.
February 4, 2016
Although I generally dislike the over appraisal of the ultra marines legion, I found reading about their despair quiet satisfying. Don't get me wrong I am a faithfull follower of the Emperor of mankind but to see the chaos, well it's just marvelous.
Reading Kurtha Sedd's story makes one feel the betrayal, not that at Calth but that of the emperor at Monarcha, having been stripped of all one holds dear one can not just expect them to swallow it, take a deep breath and walk it of.
The emperor knew this would happen the question remains though, why did he allow it? why did he watch for decades how his most faithful servants conquered in his name only to spit on their effort.
If you consider the Bearers of the Word as crazed traitors think again, they had every reason to want to destroy their oppressor, the only thing they did wrong was to turn to chaos for it swallowed them whole and left nothing of their former selves.
Reading Kurtha Sedd's story makes one feel the betrayal, not that at Calth but that of the emperor at Monarcha, having been stripped of all one holds dear one can not just expect them to swallow it, take a deep breath and walk it of.
The emperor knew this would happen the question remains though, why did he allow it? why did he watch for decades how his most faithful servants conquered in his name only to spit on their effort.
If you consider the Bearers of the Word as crazed traitors think again, they had every reason to want to destroy their oppressor, the only thing they did wrong was to turn to chaos for it swallowed them whole and left nothing of their former selves.
December 29, 2015
Released to accompany the new Betrayal at Calth Horus Heresy board game, Rob Sanders’ The Honoured is one half of a pair of short novels that tell the story behind the game, set on Calth in the aftermath of the Word Bearers’ surprise assault on Roboute Guilliman and his Ultramarines. As the Veridia star dies, irradiating the planet’s surface and forcing the remaining combatants of both sides underground, Ultramarines Captain Aethon rallies his troops in defence of what remains of Calth, facing off against his old friend Kurtha Sedd of the Word Bearers.
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
October 5, 2016
Pretty whatever. The Ultramarines' side of The Unburdened by David Annandale. I liked this more than most of Sanders' other 40K stuff I've read, but that's damning with faint praise. What I liked best was the interaction between Aethon & the dreadnought. Their banter should've been the focus of the book.
March 25, 2024
It was aight, nothing special. Some cool parts. Loved the description of Urcus and his terminators walking through the radiation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews