Leman Russ: The Great Wolf

The Horus Heresy: Primarchs #2

by Chris Wraight

At the the height of the Great Crusade, Leman Russ and his Dark Angel brother, Lion El'Jonson, come into conflict as they pacify the world of Dulan.

Many are the sagas of Leman Russ, Lord of Winter and War, most fearsome of the Emperor’s primarch sons. At the height of the Great Crusade, his Space Wolves fight to bring the rebel world of Dulan to compliance. Enraged by the defiance of the tyrant Durath, Russ has pledged to strike him down personally – but his brother Lion El’Jonson of the Dark Angels advises more caution. With the might of two Legions arrayed against Durath, tensions nevertheless run high, and the rivalry between the Wolf and the Lion threatens to engulf them all.

It's one of the definitive events from Warhammer 40,000 lore, the origins of the ten-millennium-long enmity between the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels. It's a tale that fans have been waiting to read for decades… and now you can.

Exclusive to blacklibrary.com, this lavish Limited Edition includes the following features:
– 176-page hardback novel encased in a magnetic presentation box
– Grey leather-effect vinyl with a heat debossed and burnished gold foiled sigil of the Space Wolves Legion
– Spine is wrapped with grey cloth with bronze foil
– A marker ribbon
– Matt laminated covers include a crop of unique artwork which is reproduced in full in the interior.
– Each copy is uniquely numbered from an edition of 2,500.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Action, Ebooks

174 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2016

About the author

Chris Wraight is a British author of fantasy and science fiction.

His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.

He is based in the south-west of England.

Reviews

[Dylan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man Leman fucking Russ: The Great Wolf. What a story! Chris Wraight draws us in to the story at a remarkable point in history. The Legions are no more, and our first Chapter recruits are preparing for war out in the sea of stars. The mythical tale of The Lion and The Wolf is told as a saga, and we get a surprising amount of insight into not only Leman Russ’ head, but also some of his early commanders that survive through the Heresy. The saga brings us in to the escalating war with the Dulan Empire and their tyrannical leader, an extremely hardy space-faring race that refuses the offer to join the growing Imperium. From there we get an action packed tale of war and bloodshed, with loads of insight into Russ, his relationships with the wider Imperium, and his Legion as a whole.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the entire build up for the fight between Leman Russ and Lion El’Johnson was absolutely brilliant, to say nothing of the fight itself.

And I think the epilogue was an extremely nice touch to bring the story full circle. This is definitely the epitome of what the Primarchs series should be.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Let it be heard,' he said, a soft growl that nevertheless carried to all quarters. 'You were wronged. We wronged you. I come here for your pardon.'
The Lion smiled thinly, and finally extended his hands in greeting. He came forwards and took Russ by both arms.
'It is given,' he said, less sourly now, though still with that sonorous seriousness of purpose that seemed to mark his every word. 'For those are noble words.'
Russ gripped him back, making the embrace closer and dragging the Lion's ear to his fanged mouth.
'I said them for your knights,' Russ hissed, now in his brother's hearing alone. 'I'll add this, just between us - if you ever fire on my sons again, boy, I'll rip your throat out and eat it. How do you like that oath?'

After a disappointing, but not too much, first book had a real blast reading this second installof the Primarchs novella series set in the Great Crusade, just before the Horus Heresy.
Chris Wraight made a real good job with this tale about the Primarch of the VI Legion and confirmed himself as the best Skald to put on words the Vika Fenryka saga.
I really loved Russ' version about how the feud between the Wolves and the First Legion started, an ancient rivalry lasting for hundreds of years and being still remembered by the two Chapters, pale shades of the former glorious Legions, with periodical ritual duels between their champions.

Each pod glowed red, then orange, then a fiery white as it hit re-entry, edges blurred from the immense pressures and speeds.
Inside the First Legion units the kill-squads remained silent, lost in their pre-combat meditation. Inside the VI Legion pods the warriors roared with exhilaration, thumping their armoured fists against the restraint cages and setting up the chorus of howls that would accompany their emergence onto the killing fields.

Loved Wraight's depiction of the differences between the Wolf and the Lion, so different gene-brothers but still so similar, and the same goes for their gene-sons: one the model of every following Space Marimes Legion was supposed to be, and one with its inner flaw exposed and menacing to doom.
Loved the slow-burn setup to the two Primarchs' duel, action packed with great void battles, the two Legions busy into assaulting together Dulan, a defying world refusing to comply and its Tyrant, and the reckless strike by the late arrived wolves who wronged the Lion costing himself the lives of some of his best warriors.

The Lion looked up at the gathering storm, and felt the presence at his back of thousands of his gene-sons, and knew that thousands more would be landed soon and thrown into the heart of the battle He held his blade aloft, feeling the metal shiver as lightning caught and skipped along its length.
'One more world,' he said, softly, a ritual as old as the Crusade itself. 'For you, Father, one more world.'

Loved the depiction of the noble and calculating Lion of Caliban, so well done to overshadow for good Russ and everything else in this book.
Loved the author's sub-plot about the VI Legion gene-flaw, the degenerating Wulven curse plaguing the Space Wolves, and the hinting to the ones inside other Legions possibly coming to light sooner or later.

He had never seen Dorn return bearing the Allfather's body. He had never seen them carry Sanguinius away. By the time he had made it to Terra, the damage was done; the halls were sealed, the last words of the Master of Mankind heard and acted upon. Now He was gone, locked within a mountain of His own devising, and even His sons could not reach Him again.

And that unexpected ending, set at the end of the Siege of Terra, a great spoilering one if you are a newbie of W40K lore, was totally unexpected and breath-taking for me.
I still think that this series of novellas could have been better if focused on the time period between the Primarchs being scattered across the galaxy and their later reunion with the Emperor, but this was a real blast of a read, the tale of the Lion and the Wolf is one of the iconic myths that shape the setting (Hope to read sooner or later Lion El'Jonson's version about it), and I just enjoyed every part of it.

[DarkChaplain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review also published here

Leman Russ: The Great Wolf left me conflicted. I struggled to get invested in this Primarchs novel for quite some time before I decided to just sit down and get it done. Despite having some brilliant moments that left me in awe, the almost overwhelming amount of action, especially early on, left me struggling to enjoy the book.

A big part of my problems with this one isn't just down to content, or specifically a big focus on battles. The structure of it all is what made it feel as exhausting to me as it did. Leman Russ comes along split into a mere six chapters. The first and last of these form the meta narrative, putting the rest of the book into the context of Russ telling the story of his feud with the Lion of Caliban. They are, however, not labeled as prologue and epilogue like you might expect.
The remaining four chapters in between focus on the war for Dulan, the Wolf King and the Lion's many disagreements and ends in, as lore would have it, them punching the living hell out of one another. This iconic and highly anticipated moment in 40k history was handled exceptionally well, in my opinion, whereas the early parts and what may constitute as the main plotline felt underwhelming to me.
I digress, however. While reading the book, I found many, many scene changes that could have easily warranted a chapter break. I've always been in favor of having a good amount of chapters. As long as you're not as ludicrous with it as the Star Wars: Rogue One Junior Novelization which has over 60 chapters for a mere 192 pages, I'd say a few redundant chapter breaks are preferable to having endlessly long ones. Leman Russ, to my dismay, has plenty of those.

I honestly don't know what went wrong here. A lot of times the book lent itself to thematic breaks left and right, splitting battles from more profound and introspective moments, but instead it all runs together into one mess that I found tough to keep excited over. If you're anything like me in this regard, you might struggle.

But aside from these structural issues, I found the novel too loaded with battle scenes and all they entail. The first Dulan-plotline chapter kicks off with a massive boarding action, for example. Yes, it did a good job showcasing the Wolves' way of war, their howling and single-mindedness, but it dragged on a bit too much for my liking. It isn't that Wraight didn't make an effort to make me appreciate the Jarl of the 13th Great Company. I quite liked Jorin Bloodhowl of Dekk-Tra. His role within the Legion is fairly unique, due to being one of Russ's old guard on Fenris. It is just that I never really felt much for the Dulanians. They were the stand-in antagonists. The only thing they actually had going for them for the biggest part of the novel was their advanced and odd technological level. But if that's the only thing I can associate with them for the majority of the story, then I cannot claim to find that very interesting or engaging.
It seemed like the perfect opportunity to showcase an advanced civilization that rejects the Imperium's rule, yet the only part that came close to that was the Lion's final meeting with the "Tyrant" of Dulan. That was about where I got curious about this civilization. Sadly, that's also where it became irrelevant to the rest of the book.

I guess it is to be expected somewhat to have the war on Dulan be more of a backdrop for the Wolf vs Lion story of old. We didn't really know much about the conflict before and all the interesting bits were about how Russ and Jonson started their Legion feud for good. But for that, I feel that this happened a bit too late in the book. The buildup was decent, if action-heavy, but the blows landed only in the final stages of the book. As a climax it worked wonders and made me appreciate Wraight's skill at handling Primarchs once again. But between this rivalry plotline, the Dulan war and the third plotline involving the curse of the 13th Great Company, I felt like it didn't take center stage enough.
All three plotlines needed more to them to really shine. They were serviceable, but in the end I felt that the book needed more room to properly build them up. They play into one another just well enough to not make the book feel shizophrenic, but not well enough to properly satisfy me.

Having a big timeskip after the conclusion of the big brawl, rushing through the Heresy-to-come up until the aftermath of the Imperial Palace, was awkward in my opinion as well. It is clear that Wraight wasn't going to spoil Heresy-series events, and that the book needed to work stand-alone and not hold anything mandatory for the flagship series. The encounter between the two brothers also needed to be in the book. But after being relatively slow and bogged down with battles for 80% of the book, having one of the 4 chapters available to the core-part of the novel rush through decades into the future of the HH series, felt awkward. It seems more like a pacing issue to me than anything down to Wraight's skills as an author. In fact, this chapter was one of the most engaging parts of the book for me. It just didn't fit as neatly as I've come to expect from Wraight after all I've read from him.

But this is all so very negative, isn't it? I honestly don't like being this way. My disappointment has a lot to do with the high expectations I had for this novel, based on Wraight's own work with the Space Wolves both in and out of the Horus Heresy series. And truthfully, he did a bang-up job showcasing the Great Crusade-era Legion, with quite a few bits of foreshadowing and easter eggs. The Wolves felt dangerous in many scenes, and the Lion too felt authentic to his core character archetype. He is proud, deeply arrogant, but also insanely competent. Despite all of that, Wraight made it clear that the Lord of Angels wasn't quite as cold-hearted as he often appears. It was great to see Lion El'Jonson this way. The scenes putting the lense on him were some of the best in the book.
Russ, too, did get some neat additions to his character and the fears he held for his Legion. This is a Wolf King that wants his Legion to be seen as more than simple-minded barbarians, quite in contrast to his appearance in Prospero Burns, where he seemed mostly comfortable with the idea of being underestimated by all. It is interesting to see how many aspects of Leman are the same as in chronologically later depictions, while subtle changes were made to accomodate his pre-Heresy Great Crusade incarnation.

Yes, Leman Russ: The Great Wolf is well worth reading. It may be my least-favorite Primarchs novel out of the first three and took me a good while to slog through, but it is still a competent novel that does a lot of good things for the Vlka Fenryka. I'd say the final chapters where everything comes to a head alone make this book worthwhile, despite the pacing and structural issues. It is, however, one of the books that I wish hadn't gotten the short novel treatment but instead been a full-length novel. I believe that, had that been the case, Wraight could have fully lived up to expectations and made all three plotlines compelling in their own right. Either way, it is a great read for fans of the Wolves, but also the Dark Angels and people like me who wanted to see more Great Crusade depictions of the Legions than we got so far.

[Marc Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the Lion and the Wolf is legend by the 41st millennium, one still honoured in the ritual duel between the Chapters who followed those Primarchs. Chris Wraight takes us to the very core of that myth with a rousing story of bombastic heroism, uneasy alliance and secret fear.

The intertwined arcs of the story are a testament to Wraight's work on the Wolves in both 30k and 40k, taking us from the familiar to the intriguingly new. Not simply a blow by blow account of the war for Dulan, it is a story that roots us in the past even as it surges towards the known future, with a few surprising stops along the way. Russ is sensational; savage yet canny, brutal yet nuanced. Jorin Bloodhowl receives a good strong appearance and a firm story arc that adds to his history with Russ and the special bond they share. The Lion is wonderfully portrayed; mercurial and inscrutable as always, with an almost playful edge to him that sometimes veers into aristocratic jadedness.

All in all this is a powerful showing from Wraight, evoking his strongest Wolf work of the past (such as Parting of the Ways or Wolf King.) Equal parts galloping battle scenes and introspection of purpose, duty and legacy, this is a fine addition to the Primarchs series and a vindication of Wraight as a skjald of Fenris

[Javir11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

Le iba a poner 3 estrellas, pero el último tercio de la novela me ha dejado muy buen sabor de boca y me ha evocado a los buenos libros de la Herejía.

Sobre esta saga lo comentado siempre, solo apta para seguidores de WH40K, para el resto si es que quieren empezar con este mundillo, mejor otras sagas.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Primarchs series, riding on the tails of the Horus Heresy books. Again, as with the Roboute Guilliman book, herein lies a tale of the Primarch before the fall of Horus and the wars that follow. This is about a younger and less cynical (sort of) Leman Russ, back when his legion were still getting their feet under them and turning into the weapon that the Emperor would use to do terrible and amazing things, where other legions were unable to succeed.
The writing the author does here encapsulates Leman Russ as being more than just a blunt weapon of killing. There is real depth to him in this book, and yet the propensity for violence and ignorance at the world around him lies there also. Russ is a killer, and all his sons are as well. They are also an example of life with no boundaries, no walls and no conscience. Many a legion would like to have that latitude in their service to the Emperor, but the Space Wolves are very unique.
This book goes into the curse, the very powerful flaw that the Wolves have, wherein the Wulfen genetics take over, transforming them into a true wolf hybrid, bent on murder and bloodshed and unable to be reached by brother or Primarch.
A large plot device in this book is the interaction between Russ and The Lion, the Primarch of the Dark Angels, the 1st Legion. The war for the Tyrant of Dulan, and the inclusive kill order that accompanies this is why the Space Wolves were tasked to do this, as they have no qualms about being the weapon. The problems begin when a dreadnought of the Space Wolves fires on a Dulan heavy cruiser and destroys it. The Dark Angels for back on the Space Wolves ship and a void battle almost ensues. Russ is drawn into this and is forced to apologize and ask forgiveness from his brother, as Dark Angels were on the destroyed Dulanite ship, trying to gain the helm and take over the ship. Repeated hails from the Dark Angels were ignored, as is wont for the Space Wolves, they simply acted. Instantly this threw up walls between the two brother Primarchs and they had to work this out. The haughty and knightly Lion accepted Russ' apology and the agreed on a battle strategy for the capture and end of the Tyrant of Dulan.
This book was well written and is indeed a worthy book to follow the first in this series. I enjoyed the story and the plot the author fashioned here. Pick this one up and enjoy the experience if you are a Horus Heresy fan or a fan of 40K and the Space Wolves.

Danny

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

February 2024 Review as part of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project reading guide Omnibus III: The Burning of Prospero
(https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) Additional Material as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the series.

***

I need to properly catch up on reviewing Magnus The Red: Master of Prospero and this when I get the chance, but I just finished it and I have to say that this was a wild ride! I had a similar experience as this time through with Thousand Sons with wishing it got it's emotional claws in earlier, and then was a bit disappointed by it by so much action, but well-written bolter porn as an artform, as well as feeling the two major threads were not connected enough, but it absolutely came together perfectly at the end with a big reveal that had me absolutely sobbing my heart out and a tradition that had me weeping again.

Bloody brilliant and very different for the Horus Heresy and the Primarchs. This is epoch shit right here!

[Panczito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moja pierwsza książka z uniwersum Warhammera 40.000. Musze przyznać że to dokładnie to czego się spodziewałem. Taki literacki McDonalds. Łatwo wchodzi i szybko się czyta. Dla nieobeznanych w uniwersum ilość nazw własnych może być przytłaczająca i męcząca ale wprawionego nerda nic tu nie zaskoczy 8-) Fajnie że postacie prymarchów są bardzo jaskrawo przedstawieni: Leman Russ jako rubaszny psychopata debilek a Lion jako zmanierowany cyc z kijem w tyłku hehe. Fajne, myślę że posiedze teraz troche w tym uniwersum.

[Veronica Anrathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not expecting to like it that much, normally not too crazy about the wolfies, this was a very entertaining read. Compared to Guilliman and Magnus, reading about the familiar events and the infamous rivalry between Dark Angels and Space Wolves was very pleasant, especially when it comes to getting more insight on the legendary duel between Lion and Russ. First chapters were not really doing it for me, but the fight just compensated for everything. The story also has a very good structure to it, a true saga for the generations to come.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never liked the mutts and have always prefered cold aristos like the Lion over barbaric warlords like Russ. This was the case in this book as well, but Chris managed to show me the point of view the Wolves and that's the magic of good literature.
http://citadelata.com/the-great-wolf/

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Boring.Boring. I usually like Wraight but this was just dull.

[Dean Goosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was... FANTASTIC!

[Andrey Nalyotov · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a desire within each of us,
in the deep center of ourselves 
that we call our heart.
We were born with it, 
it is never completely satisfied,
and it never dies only rekindles...

Chris Wraight is number one BL author — that's totally undisputed now after the glory of Scars, The Path of Heaven and the novellas Brotherhood of the Storm and 'Wolf King'. For Warhammer 40,000, he has written the Space Wolves novels Blood of Asaheim and Stormcaller, as well as the Space Marine Battles novels Wrath of Iron and War of the Fang etc.
This time he got another Primarch to write about. As a BL author he already added a legacy to Lord of Winter and War in the amazing 'Wolf King' novella (bridge between Scars and Path to Heaven). But it focused majorily on Bjorn, SW belief transition/evolution and AL mastery. So Leman Russ: The Great Wolf as part of Primarchs series goes directly for Leman Russ character.
Narrative. As novella (and it's novella and not a novel) synopsis says 'many are the sagas of Leman Russ, Lord of Winter and War, most fearsome of the Emperor’s primarch sons. At the height of the Great Crusade, his Space Wolves fight to bring the rebel world of Dulan to compliance. Enraged by the defiance of the tyrant Durath, Russ has pledged to strike him down personally – but his brother Lion El’Jonson of the Dark Angels advises more caution. With the might of two Legions arrayed against Durath, tensions nevertheless run high, and the rivalry between the Wolf and the Lion threatens to engulf them all. This time the plot goes exactly as synopsis says comparing to a lot of BL books which has totally different narrative comparing to the previously posted synopsis.
It's not a newest decision to make storytelling from the point of future. Here we have Leman Russ describing a memorable event for the Galaxy and both SW and DA Legions to newly assessed Blood Claw Haldor. At the same time it is not simply a retelling of an story — it is a memoirs of a demigod, brother and a father to his sons, whom he will leave behind very soon. Also it is a warning for SW temper and ability to chain the inner wolf.
As for the story itself it is a very old piece of a lore, which lived with fans for as long as the W40K setting existed. It is a legend of the 41st millennium, a legend that is still honoured by both now Chapters in duel. It is a point of glory and respect for both Chapters and has led to the proud and stupid death of hundreds of loyal SM who would have better lived to fight Imperium enemies instead of dying to stupid mistake of the past. Chris Wraight at last shows us the truth behind the myth. With his all so usual now amazing writing style and prose.
All the previous Chris Wraight work on the Wolves helps him to become a true scald for the temperament Legion/Chapter. And with Leman Russ: The Great Wolf he tried to dig deep into the psyche of a Legion, who is always on the edge of a beast and duty. And he achieved his goal by showing how the Wolves (even breaking lore a little) are transformed into a beast (Wulfen) and what level of danger/self-control it takes to stop before the abyss descent.
Further events shown from the eyes of 13th Company you could believe in — especially Jorin Bloodhowl and Bulvye, and some of his guards. They're all Russ's shieldbrothers. Add to that a straigthforward naval combat involving the 13th as they chase down a Dulanese ship following an orbital battle of a rim world — and it gets better and better from here.
Further first meeting between Russ and the Lion is incredibly evocative. Chris Wraight changes primarchs personas on a whim. And do it masterfully. Russ showing admiration and cold headness to the Lion and at the same time author gave us Lion as a closed up, a little choleric, moody and totally unpredictable as always went with him. At the same time further through the novel we see Lion at his best — you can truly believe that here is the Primarch who are not only good at bringing world's to heel but also building the Empire from the ashes. That's probably the best depiction of Lion to date since Savage Weapons.
The plot goes in an amazing rush of events. Space combat; science adventure of trying to find a homeworld of an enemy empire; race to get fatherly approval by fulfilling the objective; insane boarding actions, orbital assaults; Wulfen curse and information warfare. And on and on it flies — you can't stop turning the pages. Until the 'great', so famous duel of 2 demigods starts.
Russ storms in after one beheading event and the ensuing well known argument/duel/gutter brawl ensues. Both are pretty matched, and that is depicted masterfully as expected from Chris Wraight. But eventually Russ gains upper hand but then realises the ridiculous nature of their fight and starts laughing. That event on itself shows the true brotherhood that could have existed between the brother Primarchs, if not for the bottomless pits of pride. As shown further then Lion interprets that as Russ conceding and when Russ doesn’t answer, knocks him out. And thus a myth exposed and it's truly unbeliveable that something so basic will went on and on for millenias to come. Showing again that SM are truly superhuman, and really can hold a grudge for a long time.
The further events and memories/events post Terra Siege & Scourging are sad but at the same time truly wonderful, which shows the greatness of author writing style.
The moment then Russ concludes his story and discusses the breakup of the Legions and post HH events truly roll a tear in your eye.
Also the story portends the friendly fire incidents, in itself foreshadowing the future events of Horus Heresy and further wars to come.
Characters. As a main stage actor and the one from whose eyes the Great Wolf is shown we have several wolves from the 13th Company. Their character depicted brilliantly. The 13th are those who took the gene-seed as adults, the one who were with the Russ from the beginning. The ones who survived and now slowly dies in the fires of Great Crusade.
Russ and Lion as mentioned above both immensly great characters, depicted as they should have been depicted a long time ago in a long list of books from the previous authors. Russ is sensational; savage yet canny, brutal yet nuanced. Russ dreams, especially while unconscious, and recollections of the key moments in the HH are truly epic - Nikaea, Prospero, Alaxxes, landing on Terra after it is too late.
The Lion is wonderfully portrayed; mercurial and inscrutable as always, with an almost playful edge to him that sometimes veers into aristocratic jadedness. Also shown previously as a primarch with quick rage moments Lion shows here a considerable restraint in giving Russ time to claim "his prize" he only moves in cause his own troops start taking heavy losses.
Also we have Dulans. Who as the 'main' enemy are a very tricky adversary, with their own version of power armour and horrifically effective shielding and weapons, and even something akin to a Leviathan Dreadnought but nastier.
All in all this is a powerful showing from Chris Wraight, evoking his strongest wild side in equal parts of galloping battle scenes and introspection of purpose, duty and legacy.
Cons.
Even with amazing novels Chris Wraight creates, some issues/cons still exist.
First of all — lorewise issues. In contradiction to previous novels - the Wulfen aren't widely known among the VI-th, even with a Primarch. Which is beyond strange -cause all the Primarchs know everything about their sons. The Jarl and Priests of Dekk Tra are concerned it is purely their Company afflicted and keep it from Russ and the rest of the Legion — which is kind of 'WHAT?' moment. It can't be helped, but it feels that all the secrecy is going to shoot the VIth in the foot eventually. Which we know actually happened.
There are several moments then Russ shows intellect and wisdom, the barbarian imagery being shown as a front as we've seen earlier. And then he goes to being a barbarian everyone knows he is — out of the blue.
Sometimes it seems that Chris Wraight is really struggling with the SW lore and it's continuity.
Total Score. All in all it's another stellar achievement of Chris Wraight. Which grows to an unreachable heights with each new book. Cementing his position of Ceisar in BL authors circle.
4,5 out of 5 stars!
And that's from me — great Space Wolves hater :)

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 4th primarch novel I have red and this is by far the best one so far. Unlike the other 3 I red (guillimen, Magnus, vulkan) in this one we actually get some depth to the primarch and we see lemans personality all his pros and cons, we see he isn't a raging barbarian as some would have us believe. He may have a rage problem but he also has great honour. This story also heavily features lion el'jonson so if your a fan of him and the dark angels you would also enjoy this. We see the lions and russes long feud detailed in here which was pretty cool.

[Sougeitu · Rating 4 out of 5]

My personal favourite scene in this book is when Leman is dreaming in his comatose state and recalling the first time he met Big E. That description was so moving and reminded me of the Norwegian landscape.
The portrayal of Leman and Lion in this book is something to cherish, especially since the author also contributes a fight.

[Angel M Velez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and to tell a short story of him in a crazy battled is amazing. I can tell you that you, must pick it up.

[David Guymer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually the first thing of Chris' I've read that doesn't have 'Iron' in the title (all the way back to Iron Company...) but this is definitely up there with the best. It does what the best Black Library fiction does, drawing on something from the lore and running with it. The characterisation of Russ and the Wolves is incredible, and I particularly liked the scene-setting asides explaining how they are viewed from distant Terra, but it was the portrayal of the Lion and his knightly Dark Angels that really struck me. Definitely one of the best I've read yet.

[Tyberius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some high points. A few lows. Drones on in a few parts. Im always a sucker for a weapon with a good history though.

[Sarah McNally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read this three times now, just to make sure I wasn’t overlooking something super amazing. It felt like nothing really happened. And then it did…for a chapter…and then it went back to nothing happening again. Sad times.

[Andrew Ziegler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these novellas as side stories of pre-Horus Rising insights into the Primarchs. Though, one could argue that this one was almost as much about the Lion as the Wolf. I think though, having been a fan of 40k for close to 25 years, and having read so many novels and fluff from rulebooks that are more like ancient scrolls of yesteryear I have had the fate of the Primarch's and the HH kind of ruined for me already. So, I should not be grumpy that this, like the novel Corax jumps in and out of time with the HH. However, when I started on the LONG journey of the HH series, I was taking that as gospel and using it as the official history of the event. So I kind of willfully forgot those spoilers of my younger days. Willfully forgot...not like it had anything to do with my age. Shut up. You are old! Anyway - CW is as competent a writer of the Wolves as some of the best. Though I think this was a bit heavy on the savage/beast aspect than others. I miss their refined and controlled rage from Prospero Burns. All in all, a good story, spoilery to the HH overall, and maybe a little too heavy on the DA primarch. Give it a read. :)

[Zachary Baseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently gotten into Warhammer 40K and with the Space Wolves as my favorite marine chapter, I was excited to read this book. It was... Not bad. The story covers one of the more challenging sieges of Leman Russ's career and his continued rivalry with another one of Primarch Brothers. The action itself is fine, sort of generic space battle Science Fiction with a little bit of some cool close combat fights. The book does do a good job of giving some good character dissection for Leman Russ, painting him as a Pseudo Ned Stark, a guy who honors his word and expects others to do the same. Overall, very good and enjoyable, not an all time favorite but still good.

[Matija Drmota · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really nice structure to the story, the Great Wolf telling his story like a skald, makes for a wonderful bridge between past and future. I really liked how the book characterizes Leman Russ and the Space Wolves legion against the Dark Angels and Lion El'Johnson. I especially loved the interplay between the Wolf and the Lion.

Was thinking of giving it four stars, but man, did Chris Wraight save the best for last in this book. The final chapters are easily amongst my favorite moments of the 40k books.

[John Underhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a good Leman Russ story, and chapter five in this book makes it all worth it. Not only does one learn of the history of the duels between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves, but you get a rare glimpse into the just-post-battle-for-Terra 31st Millenium. A Cracking read and highly recommended!

[Glyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really lapped up this short but intensely satisfying novel in the nascent Primarchs series.

In the Horus Heresy novel"Prospero Burns" the great Dan Abnett was tasked with ret-conning the VI Legion "Space Wolves" from being loud, brash, hard drinking swashbuckling Space Vikings into something far more considered and incrediblydangerous- The Emperor's ultimate sanction against any Legion that goes too errant. Ever since that novel, Chris Wraight has successfully made the Vika Fenryka his own, building on the excellent foundations laid by Abnett.

This novella is barely 150 pages long but it deals with one of the most infamous incidents in the history of the Space Wolves;- the birth of the feud with the Dark Angels. It is one heck of a story too. Whilst the Wolves are pursuing the destruction of a Human Empire that rejects the call of the Great Crusade they find themselves struggling against technology that is at least the equal of the Imperium. The Wolves however are relentless in their prosecution and it is a matter of great irritation when they learn that Terra is no longer willing to indulge the prolongation of the campaign and has assigned the First Legion "Dark Angels" to assist in the swift termination of the war.

To their Primarch Leman Russ this is the worst possible action. The Dark Angels and their austere, calculating and ruthless Primarch are the absolute antithesis of the Wolves with their concepts of honour and the hate that carries you through to victory. Russ tells us that he has barely spoken two words to Lion' El Jonson whom he considers to be smug arrogant and condescending. He further suggests that, in his opinion, they were about two words too many. Any campaign featuring these two was always going to be tense. Wraight builds this idea wonderfully as a legion tragedy leads the unfolding plot and we see the irony of the Wolves trying to keep secrets from the ultra secretive First Legion.

Russ and indeed Jonson come across as both being somewhat sad and flawed geniuses. They both do the badass when required and Waight handles that aspect as well as anyone yet one is left with a sense of pathos about both of them and a sense that there remains tales to tell in this rivalry

All in all this is an excellent book and highly recommended to any fan of WH40K non fans will enjoy it but will gain less than the 40K geeks

[Simon Mee · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOORAY for Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion, our ever-dauntless heroes, doing their best for the galaxy!!!

Dulanian corpses, both armoured and in civilian robes, lay across the floor, disfigured by bolter-shell exit wounds.

...uh, you know, breaking a few eggs to make an omelette...

deck ankle-deep in blood

...I guess at least they mean well...

For the Allfather!' he thundered, hurling the broken pilot away and sending him slamming into the far wall of the dome.

...ok...uh, hooray?

Leman Russ is the inferiority complex made (trans)human.  He's out to be the God-Emperor's goodest boy while him and his men constantly trip over his Primarch sized third leg.

Oops, our men went wolverine mode and slaughtered that ship’s crew we were meant to interrogate. Oops, probably should have answered our radios before blowing away our own allies. Oops, kinda got distracted on a side mission and pulled a Streisand effect while trying to cover up our men turning into wolverines. Oops, might try to kill my brother before belatedly realising the pointlessness of it all and laughing my way to a fist induced concussion.

Leman Russ is a tragic figure in that, while he is an unstoppable force against basic  enemies, he's always a level below the top tier primarchs, your Guilliman, Sanguinius, Horus or, in this book, El-Johnson. What The Great Wolf demonstrates is why Russ didn't quite have what it took when he was later sent to deal with Angron and Magnus. A great warrior, for sure, but not one to advance your strategy. 

Anyway, it's another dark story in a dark universe, with El-Johnson beheading his way to victory in a Melian Dialogue. No one's truly good, etc etc.  You're not going to miss the jackhammer of a point.

That said, credit must be given to the epilogue. Warhammer 40K's emotional range doesn't stretch beyond the primary colours, but there's a hint of pastels in the final pages, both with Russ and the novella's framing character, with faded glories, self reflection and honouring the past. It's not an easy thing to pull off.

Finally, while the Space Wolves have become a meme for furries, the yiffing was kept to a minimum.

[AshBornd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Брат с Братом сцепились по пьяни. Каждый век одно и тоже...
Hola Amigos! Как всегда пройдемся по пунктам:

О чем:
Сеттинг Warhammer (между Ересью и 40к).
Во времена после Ереси молодой космоволк перед вылетом на первое боевое задание встречает в коридорах Клыка самого примарха Лемана Русса, который решает рассказать ему историю.
Далее почти вся книга описывает события, о которых хотел поведать Русс:
Во времена Великого К.П., ещё до Ереси Волчий легион изрядно пробуксовывает в приведении очередной системы к "Согласию". В результате для решения проблемы прибывает примарх Лев Эль Джонсон со своими Темными Ангелами.
Далее небольшое произведение рассказывает одновременно о боевых действиях, усиливающейся неприязни двух примархов и о "фирменном" недуге легиона космоволков.

Персонажи:
Повесть рассказывает о самом Руссе и его подчиненных лишь поверхностно. Некоторое раскрытие происходит только у Лемана и Льва, в момент обострения их неприязни.

Повествование:
Книга, типично для Райта, написана вполне нормальным, но скучноватым слогом. Смысловой нагрузки в повести от силы страниц на 10, поэтому все остальное место занимают экспозиция и описания, среди которых размазаны стандартные для серии боевые сцены.
Юмора практически нет.

Мнение:
Серия "Примархи" вновь не радует. В случае с Кораксом интересные события можно было развить и растянуть на полноценный роман, вместо посредственной повести. С Руссом ситуация обратная - все описанные события можно было смело уместить в небольшой рассказ, не растягивая повествование обилием экспозиции, которая все же не доходит до уровня графомании.
В общем свои подозрения насчет того, что серия "Примархи" - такое же "зло", как и "space marines battles"я подтвердил. Лучше бы авторы писали полноценные романы или сборники рассказов.
Впрочем сама по себе повесть вышла неплохая. Экспозиция подана на достойном уровне, а разбавленные ей смысловые части все же хороши.
Это чтиво, очень похожее на Битву за Клык и по сути две эти книги можно считать неплохим мостом между Ересью и событиями после 32го тысячелетия.

Оценка 8-/10.
Рейтинг "goodreads" - 4.01/5
Моя группа Вконтакте - https://vk.com/ashborndetv

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novel gives us Leman Russ in a very different light - in my opinion much different from the books Prospero Burns and Thousand Sons where he did show his shrewd nature but nevertheless savage approach to warfare.

Although always shown as short-tempered and quite a savage, Leman Russ is much, much more - his savagery a mere mask to hide very powerful and intelligent individual.

He is a realist, aware that only thing his legion is capable of is savage berserk hit and run and total annihilation of enemy. He does not seek glory in establishing empires or planning the attacks in such a way that enemy is defeated even before swords are drawn. He knows he and his legion are blunt instrument and he knows all of the legions are just that - deadly instruments used by the Emperor to achieve his goals.

Only thing that remains is loyalty and Leman Russ and his legion have always been loyal.

But this does not mean that he does not have dark thoughts - what should he do when Crusade reaches the end, what then? What is then to be with his Wolves? if their only gift is battle prowess what can they do in times of peace?

When gruesome mutations start happening through-out the famed 13th Wolf Company during battle with highly advanced Dulan, everything is set for an event that will bring Leman in direct collision course with his brother Lion El'Jonson. Choosing loyalty to his sons over his personal honor coupled with epic short temper will cost Leman dearly on a personal level.

Highly recommended to all fans of Horus Heresy.

P.S.

On a side note, conversation between Dulan Tyrant and Lion El'Jonson is second highlight of the novel. His words echo as a warning of a coming darkness but also as light of hope that darkness can be defeated.

[Alex Kostyuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, i have to admit that since i was sucked into the world of warhammer i never thought that i could like The Space Wolves after having fallen in love with the Dark Angels....but over the years after reading ragnar blackmane series as well as different horus heresy books i have to admit the wolves have grown on me quite a bit and this book does not disappoint!

The story is set quite a few years after the Imperial Palace siege where a much older Russ retells the saga of how he met the Lion on Dulan and what transpired that day...so where as the real time is post heresy the majority of the story told takes place in the early days of the Great Crusade...we learn of Russ' initial feelings about the dark angels and we see 2 opposing legions in mentality and warfare being forced to work together in tandem...needless to say there is quite a bit of rivalry and at some cases outright violence (u find out that the wolves actually killed quite a few Dark Angels first in a somewhat not so important skirmish with a 3rd party power and due to negligence) and it gets worse from there....not to spoil anything its a retelling of one of the stories we all knew about but never heard the details of...

95% of the book is the retelling of the story of the Tyrant of Dulan and of how Lion and Russ get along with the last few pages focusing on what happens in the immediate aftermath of the Emperors death and then jumping back and into the future of how the ritual combat between SW and DA champions was born...

Its a very good read and a very good book, only reason it dosent get 5 stars is due to the insane time jumps which confused the heck out of you untill you re read them again :P

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have a very special place in my heart for russ & his wolves.
my first 40k books i ever read were the space wolves omnibus’. i cried during one of them.
months later as i was going through the heresy, i got to wolfsbane. i cried during that one too. (i know i know. this is a leman russ review. i’m getting to that)

anyways - this was officially my 3rd warhammer book it that has caused me to cry. sure this book has its fair share of battles and we dive into that rivalry with lion and his dark angels. plus the 13th great company is involved, who are my personal favs.
but at its core. this book is about the hopelessness leman feels. the hopelessness of losing everything he grew up with. how his legion… i mean chapter is changing. how the tales and sagas of the past are changing. and how he’s losing the ones that know those truths. losing the ones that know him. the real him.

i always rage a little bit when people describe russ and his wolves as ‘just’ vikings. or barbarians. when in reality, russ may be one of the most emotional characters in the setting.

this first half of this book was not my cup of tea per-se (i’m not into battle p**n). but stick with it. this is a saga that should be remembered.

[Maksud Afandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first chapter the story is stellar, with the new space wolf meeting Leman at seemingly his lowest and in a very introspective mood and then begin to tell the tale like an old grandpa. Through out the story Leman just feels like a tired man, he seems deeply sad and earning, which is fascinating from such a character. The whole plot about them discovering and trying to deal with the gene seed flaw is also pretty interesting cause I never thought about what it would be like when they didn’t know it existed.

Probably the main draw of the book is the relationship between The Lion and Russ, their “rivalry”, as well as the overall way that the wolves and Russ are seen by outsiders as lesser, in this case the focus was specifically on the views of the dark angels and Lion El’Johnson. The Lion actually gets a lot of attention, which is great too, I liked seeing more of him, he is almost a second main character considering we see a lot of his own struggles and some of his inner thoughts.

The ending was honestly what really made the book for me, both the part with Russ himself and the young wolf that was not so young anymore, felt like it completed the story.