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The Horus Heresy #29
Vengeful Spirit
Once the brightest star in the Imperium and always first among his primarch brothers, Horus has dragged the Space Marine Legions into the bloodiest conflict that the galaxy has ever seen. While their allies wage war on a thousand different fronts, the XVIth Legion descend upon the Knight world of Molech – home to the ruling House Devine, and a principal stronghold of the Imperial Army. The forces loyal to the Emperor stand ready to defy the Warmaster, but just what could have drawn Horus to attack such a well defended planet, and what might he be willing to sacrifice to fulfill his own dark destiny?
Read it because
He's been in the shadows since the opening trilogy, but it's finally time for Horus to reclaim his place at the forefront of his Heresy. And his plan is so jaw-droppingly audacious that it'll change the way you think about him forever...
The eBook edition includes integrated illustrations of characters and events from the story, and an afterword that places the story in context within the series.
456 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2014
193 people are currently reading
1889 people want to read
About the author
Graham McNeill
339 books903 followersHailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in surveying to work for Games Workshop as a games designer. He has a strong following with his novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar, Dead Sky, Black Sun and Storm of Iron.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
June 16, 2014
With the last several books, we’ve seen a growing trend among big installments. While showing no signs of halting the ongoing exploration of the Imperium’s last days as a semi-benevolent empire and the war which destroyed all, it’s hard not to notice there’s been some streamlining. Rather than the episodic or semi-individual stories we had previously, many novels now directly link into countless short tales and other books. We saw this with Betrayer, Scars and Unremembered Empire, and even Vulkan Lives to a lesser degree, and that continues here. Unfortunately, despite Graham McNeill being an incredibly talented writer when it comes to weaving countless sub-plots and a broad focus, Vengeful Spirit collapses under the weight of the author’s ambition.
Set sometime after the events of Scars and Angel Exterminatus, the books sees focus returning to the Sons of Horus once more. Having allowed the legions of his brothers to do most of the work and remaining on the sidelines for some time, Horus leads both his legion and the Death Guard in a seemingly pointless assault on the world of . Heavily defended by a vast warfleet, Imperial Knights, companies of astartes from other legions and millions of Imperial Army troops, it will be a costly victory at best. However, Horus remains convinced something vital to his war effort remains hidden on the world. Something long left out of sight of the galaxy, so potent that the Emperor wiped his sons’ very minds to hide it…
Now, despite that opening let this be made clear: There are good story moments and good concepts here. Unlike some of the unmitigated disasters we have seen before, Vengeful Spirit is less a terrible story than it is just too many tales fitted into one book. Even with its vastly bulked out size, there’s just too much going on and there are only brief moments or glimpses of good ideas which are really able to flourish here.
The most obvious among these are the the Sons of Horus themselves and their primarch, who are given some much needed attention. Focused primarily upon setting the scene for the series and fleshing out the initial beginnings of the Heresy, the Luna Wolves lacked the same attention and exploration as some other legions, and many points were never quite followed up on. The apparent lack of lasting impact of Isstvan III, very little attention truly played splitting of the Mournival, and Horus having his switch flipped from good to evil were among the flaws. Many of these are more closely addressed here and we do start to see more signs of the old legion slipping further into darkness even as it reflects a little more upon their history. The ongoing changes within the legion and its leaders remains a core focus and the story pushes figures like Abaddon a little further down the path towards damnation.
Horus also benefits here as we see more of his original personality shine through at times. While the initial trilogy made his corruption appear far too rapid, with a seemingly total personality change at times, here there are indicators that some of him remains. A few old warrior attitudes and ideas remain present, and it’s just enough to show that Horus is still the Warmaster the series began with.
These are the two elements which work best in the story’s favour, but beyond it the book starts to have problems. Take the Death Guard and Mortarion for example. This is the first story we have had them as a major supporting force in since Galaxy in Flames, and the revelations of Scars. Despite this though, they’re barely present and feel more like additional muscle for armies than true characters, disappearing into the background for long periods at a time. The same goes for Fulgrim, yes he’s in this, who is supposedly an important figure but is barely seen. It’s no hyperbole to say that there are enough characters and stories in this book to fill up not only a second novel but another short story anthology, and it’s just too much by the end. Unlike Warriors of Ultramar or Priests of Mars, it doesn’t emphasise the scale of events but just leaves the reader wondering “Wait, who was that again?” What makes this even worse is that this book tries to follow on from the Garro audio dramas, but fails to make use of the wide assortment of figures or their personal histories due to their limited focus.
These flaws would be enough to cause Vengeful Spirit problems, but then you have the lack of payoff to many critical story points. A few too many obstacles feel too easily overcome and we never see a crucial part of what drew Horus to the planet in the first place, nor the ultimate fates of many major characters. So often events have a titanic build-up, only for the focus to completely skip the outcome or skim over it to try and develop some other story element. For all the monumental developments going on, so many subplots and themes are so underdeveloped that they end up feeling like lifeless padding despite the obvious potential behind them. Admittedly the cartoony elements are overt even by Warhammer’s standards, with the name of Aximand’s weapon, the grotesque wound of one new addition to the legion’s Mournival and Tormageddon being almost worthy of a parody.
Sadly, this is one to be skipped at the end of the day, or bought as paperback if you are truly determined to get it. It’s a sign of how horribly wrong Unremembered Empire could have gone and while the quality of prose is up to standard, that doesn’t matter when the subject matter so badly mishandled. Spend your time and money catching up on any of this series’ installments you missed, chances are they’ll be better than this one.
Set sometime after the events of Scars and Angel Exterminatus, the books sees focus returning to the Sons of Horus once more. Having allowed the legions of his brothers to do most of the work and remaining on the sidelines for some time, Horus leads both his legion and the Death Guard in a seemingly pointless assault on the world of . Heavily defended by a vast warfleet, Imperial Knights, companies of astartes from other legions and millions of Imperial Army troops, it will be a costly victory at best. However, Horus remains convinced something vital to his war effort remains hidden on the world. Something long left out of sight of the galaxy, so potent that the Emperor wiped his sons’ very minds to hide it…
Now, despite that opening let this be made clear: There are good story moments and good concepts here. Unlike some of the unmitigated disasters we have seen before, Vengeful Spirit is less a terrible story than it is just too many tales fitted into one book. Even with its vastly bulked out size, there’s just too much going on and there are only brief moments or glimpses of good ideas which are really able to flourish here.
The most obvious among these are the the Sons of Horus themselves and their primarch, who are given some much needed attention. Focused primarily upon setting the scene for the series and fleshing out the initial beginnings of the Heresy, the Luna Wolves lacked the same attention and exploration as some other legions, and many points were never quite followed up on. The apparent lack of lasting impact of Isstvan III, very little attention truly played splitting of the Mournival, and Horus having his switch flipped from good to evil were among the flaws. Many of these are more closely addressed here and we do start to see more signs of the old legion slipping further into darkness even as it reflects a little more upon their history. The ongoing changes within the legion and its leaders remains a core focus and the story pushes figures like Abaddon a little further down the path towards damnation.
Horus also benefits here as we see more of his original personality shine through at times. While the initial trilogy made his corruption appear far too rapid, with a seemingly total personality change at times, here there are indicators that some of him remains. A few old warrior attitudes and ideas remain present, and it’s just enough to show that Horus is still the Warmaster the series began with.
These are the two elements which work best in the story’s favour, but beyond it the book starts to have problems. Take the Death Guard and Mortarion for example. This is the first story we have had them as a major supporting force in since Galaxy in Flames, and the revelations of Scars. Despite this though, they’re barely present and feel more like additional muscle for armies than true characters, disappearing into the background for long periods at a time. The same goes for Fulgrim, yes he’s in this, who is supposedly an important figure but is barely seen. It’s no hyperbole to say that there are enough characters and stories in this book to fill up not only a second novel but another short story anthology, and it’s just too much by the end. Unlike Warriors of Ultramar or Priests of Mars, it doesn’t emphasise the scale of events but just leaves the reader wondering “Wait, who was that again?” What makes this even worse is that this book tries to follow on from the Garro audio dramas, but fails to make use of the wide assortment of figures or their personal histories due to their limited focus.
These flaws would be enough to cause Vengeful Spirit problems, but then you have the lack of payoff to many critical story points. A few too many obstacles feel too easily overcome and we never see a crucial part of what drew Horus to the planet in the first place, nor the ultimate fates of many major characters. So often events have a titanic build-up, only for the focus to completely skip the outcome or skim over it to try and develop some other story element. For all the monumental developments going on, so many subplots and themes are so underdeveloped that they end up feeling like lifeless padding despite the obvious potential behind them. Admittedly the cartoony elements are overt even by Warhammer’s standards, with the name of Aximand’s weapon, the grotesque wound of one new addition to the legion’s Mournival and Tormageddon being almost worthy of a parody.
Sadly, this is one to be skipped at the end of the day, or bought as paperback if you are truly determined to get it. It’s a sign of how horribly wrong Unremembered Empire could have gone and while the quality of prose is up to standard, that doesn’t matter when the subject matter so badly mishandled. Spend your time and money catching up on any of this series’ installments you missed, chances are they’ll be better than this one.
May 21, 2014
With several story lines active - sometimes with jarring lack of transition, I could not lock on to any of them as interesting. I loved seeing Loken's return to the series (outside of the Garro spinoff), but his plotline felt lifeless and inconsequential. We are introduced to yet another eternal with no explanation or back story. Horus himself remains an inconsistently painted character... is he the ruthless evil from one book, or is he the tragic hero from another? Or is he the pathetic fool from this one? Also, seriously, when did he suddenly become terrible at planning wars? He was the greatest tactician, second only the the big E himself, and he can't think to... nevermind, that would be spoilers. Suffice it to say that he doesn't *think* about the battlefield several times in this book.
Otherwise the book is just flat, like many of McNeill's Ultramarine books. There isn't any one thing that made the book bad, it just comes across as boring.
I know this review sounds overwhelmingly negative, but it is still a HH book. That by definition makes it an interesting read, and I appreciate more story fill. I still blew threw it, and didn't want to stop turning the pages.
Otherwise the book is just flat, like many of McNeill's Ultramarine books. There isn't any one thing that made the book bad, it just comes across as boring.
I know this review sounds overwhelmingly negative, but it is still a HH book. That by definition makes it an interesting read, and I appreciate more story fill. I still blew threw it, and didn't want to stop turning the pages.
January 18, 2025
EASILY one of the better Heresy books out of the last bunch I’ve been reading. Warhammer has been monopolizing my attention lately. Neal Asher and Peter F Hamilton are two of my favorite authors, and I’ve recently read two of their new ones and it’s weird but I’ve wanted to rush through them to get back to the Warhammer universe. This series continues to amaze me and all the stuff I want to talk about and cheer about would just be spoilers for earlier happenings so I’m keeping my mouth shut. Great books great series immensely entertaining!
December 4, 2014
The battle of Molech. The transmogrification of Horus. The return of Gavriel & Iacton to the Vengeful Spirit.
Some HH books are these "ohby the way" kind of stories. We all know the tale, it was 10,000 years ago. So much so that it is now really just vague legend. So we miss all the small chess moves that made up the greater story. But too many stories are... rather pointless. There were twinned, failed assassination attempts back in book... 5 or so. Oh, okay. But they failed, other than one of the Sons being killed, and him only a bit player. Those stories are ho-hum from the standpoint of "really, is it THAT much drama? We know the coup will fail because we know how the story ends and it doesn't end with you, mister Assassin".
Vengeful Spirit isn't like that though. At least it doesn't feel that way. You get a vague sense of Horus' becoming, although it is kept very vague indeed. At least we now have SOME explanation for how he went from a mortally wounded plague victim to the monstrosity that was so powerful that the Emperor himself needed help in killing him (again, according to legend).
The Molech corruption was the only real unlikable part of this tale. The characters you hate are actually good and lawful, and the ones that rise up and seize their rightful place are the chaotic ones. Cast in this light, its amazing to me that after 10,000 years Chaos still hasn't triumphed.
There's a lot of good to be found here,in among the chaff too. The characters are better written than most of Graham's Ultramarines, and thankfully so, them being such huge characters. Horus is finally back at the front and center of things. Mortarion is cast in a light much different than he has been universally thought of. I put this down to Graham's need to bend canon; his Ultramarines are very much not Marine-ish in a lot of ways. So his Death Lord is not quite as deathy as he might be.
The Imperator titan was done an awful disservice, and it cemented the Molech corruption as my least-favorite part of this story. This amazing god-machine THING should have been more impactful, beyond just scaring the un-scare-able half of the Mournival. It's tale was ignominious and unworthy.
Little Horus Aximand (or Lil'Horus, which I was calling him by the end of this book), went from Petyr Baelish to Forrest Gump; he was just cast adrift; very odd for the gent who really embodied the tragedy of the fall of the Luna Wolves.
All in all, this was a strong, serviceable addition to the HH saga, and one that covered a lot of little details about things we only get glimpses of.
My last note is a direct plea to the HH authors: Please, oh please stop with the incessant need to throw in these perpetuals, especially bit players who don't excite us or really matter in the scheme of things. We don't need a cadre of Highlanders with shadowy agendas. John, Ollie and Vulkan are the three who are riveting and having a football team full of these people makes them less special to us. So enough, please.
Some HH books are these "ohby the way" kind of stories. We all know the tale, it was 10,000 years ago. So much so that it is now really just vague legend. So we miss all the small chess moves that made up the greater story. But too many stories are... rather pointless. There were twinned, failed assassination attempts back in book... 5 or so. Oh, okay. But they failed, other than one of the Sons being killed, and him only a bit player. Those stories are ho-hum from the standpoint of "really, is it THAT much drama? We know the coup will fail because we know how the story ends and it doesn't end with you, mister Assassin".
Vengeful Spirit isn't like that though. At least it doesn't feel that way. You get a vague sense of Horus' becoming, although it is kept very vague indeed. At least we now have SOME explanation for how he went from a mortally wounded plague victim to the monstrosity that was so powerful that the Emperor himself needed help in killing him (again, according to legend).
The Molech corruption was the only real unlikable part of this tale. The characters you hate are actually good and lawful, and the ones that rise up and seize their rightful place are the chaotic ones. Cast in this light, its amazing to me that after 10,000 years Chaos still hasn't triumphed.
There's a lot of good to be found here,in among the chaff too. The characters are better written than most of Graham's Ultramarines, and thankfully so, them being such huge characters. Horus is finally back at the front and center of things. Mortarion is cast in a light much different than he has been universally thought of. I put this down to Graham's need to bend canon; his Ultramarines are very much not Marine-ish in a lot of ways. So his Death Lord is not quite as deathy as he might be.
The Imperator titan was done an awful disservice, and it cemented the Molech corruption as my least-favorite part of this story. This amazing god-machine THING should have been more impactful, beyond just scaring the un-scare-able half of the Mournival. It's tale was ignominious and unworthy.
Little Horus Aximand (or Lil'Horus, which I was calling him by the end of this book), went from Petyr Baelish to Forrest Gump; he was just cast adrift; very odd for the gent who really embodied the tragedy of the fall of the Luna Wolves.
All in all, this was a strong, serviceable addition to the HH saga, and one that covered a lot of little details about things we only get glimpses of.
My last note is a direct plea to the HH authors: Please, oh please stop with the incessant need to throw in these perpetuals, especially bit players who don't excite us or really matter in the scheme of things. We don't need a cadre of Highlanders with shadowy agendas. John, Ollie and Vulkan are the three who are riveting and having a football team full of these people makes them less special to us. So enough, please.
November 19, 2017
So I tried to read this book two years ago, the translated version. It was weird, short, blurry ending. Then I figured out the book was not fully translated so I just read a part of it, oh well. Now I decided to get back to it and give it another shot, in English. NOW SPOILERS. Not a fan, not at all. Even though McNeill's writing is fairly good, the events in this book are upsetting to say the least, and not in a good way. It's not a tragedy that rips your heart out of your chest, no, it's just fuckin' weird and unnecessary. Bringing Loken back was never a good idea. Bringing him back to kill off Iakton Kruze - horrible idea. You wanted a loyal Luna Wolf, why not Iakton? His role was beautiful, powerful and tragic, now he's just gone. For people who were not upset enough by this - here's Mersadie Oliton for you. Her appearance just makes you ask WHY? Why would you turn things that way? Couldn't you just keep it quite? I don't know. And then again. If you were not upset enough, you get Tormageddon. Tarik-reborn-because-chopping-his-head-off-was-not-enough. No. Just no. Overall I might be very confused and lost, but I feel like we could've totally survived without this whole thing. Meh.
October 29, 2025
Graham McNeill's best work so far.
April 13, 2024
April 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XIV Shadows of the Warmaster II Lords of Death (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus series and extras.
OK. I am forcing myself to get this done, so I can review The Buried Dagger and not get too far behind.
I don't usually do a whole Cindy style warning about this being a rant review for my own personal entertainment, despite standing by the content of it. This isn't for McNeill or anyone who knows him personally or are a hardcore fan. He's a problematic fave for me whose quality of writing I almost always really appreciate, if not his personal views, particularly around sex, gender, and misogyny, that find their way into his writing. Fulgrim is an excellent novel with some truly toxic notions in it that have nothing to do with Slaanesh, but I am a big, if critical fan.
Unfortunately, in my personal opinion, which all of my reviews are, but I want to really emphasise that hare and apply it to the whole thing so I don't have to keep repeating it, I think this book is problematic in some areas for sure, but, honestly, I'm more bummed out by just how not good this book is. I say not good because I don't think it's necessarily bad enough to be called bad, or rather, I think it's bad, but there are some moments and turns of phrase I don't think are bad, but the majority of it is just... kinda boring, lifeless, derivative, and a tragic waste of a whole bunch of important characters and moments that simply aren't given the care or imbued with the energy they deserve.
This was a slog to get through and I have a cornucopia of conditions and disabilities that mean I only have the capacity to listen to audiobooks and play video games all day (it really isn't as fun as it sounds). If I didn't have the time, Chaos Gate to give some attention to, and the audiobook, I would have struggled to read this, even if I had the brainpower for text at the moment.
I'm going to try to avoid major spoilers, but I will be giving an overview and discussing various elements, obfuscating to avoid spoilers as best I can, but yeah. Potential spoilers ahead. I might also get things wrong and have missed stuff. Time has past and my brain is certifiably not good.
The Sons of Horus have come to Molech for reasons. There are reasons and they are actually very interesting, but it is very vague and handwavy for a lot of it, which is somewhat thematic, but also not good. Molech is an Imperial world seemingly within the Ultramar Segmentum that the Emperor, Horus, the Khagan, and Sanguinius brought to Compliance during the Great Crusade, and it is the sight of something important the Emperor did, but he did his best to erase all knowledge of it from his sons and their Legions. Molech is a world of Knightly Houses, in the large mechanical walker vehicles of the same name sense, more than the more medieval culture of Caliban. The Houses are the autocrats of the planet with the most influential House effectively being the planetary governors. I know it's very cheap and easy to take this shot, but as we saw in the prelude story, The Devine Adoratrice, it's knockoff Game of Thrones shit with full incest weirdness layed on thick. Before Compliance, Molech was big into serpent cults, which is surely not going to be an issue here at all. There's interfamily fracassing and succession stuff. You get it.
The Sons of Horus with their new Mournival and an increasingly potentially interesting, but absolutely wasted here Little Horus Aximund, which you would only really know anything about if you read the appropriate side stories (The amount of homework the average reader is not going to have done is a massive issue for this book and increasingly for the series, but it's super evident here as we will see) get into it with the local forces as well as Ultramarines and the Blood Angels who just kind of appear later on so they can witness the Red Angel (the one from Fear to Tread). It's a bloody battle with Horus and others taking some big blows and making strange calls, seemingly just to make the fight more protracted. In the midst of this a very capable woman McNeill has made into the archetypal 'badass mum Madonna', opposed to the 'whore' of the incestuous cultist lady in the McNeillian dichotomy, who is on a mission to get her family out and is all sorts of awkwardly gestured to as being incredibly important with odd emphasis throughout the book in ways that feel very strange and clumsy for a writer of McNeill's talents.
While all of this is going on, the Knight Errants, lead by [Cerberus], which would be absolutely baffling to a reader not familiar with the Garro audio dramas and stories, are on a recon mission to the eponymous flagship of the Sons of Horus.
Revelations and apotheoses occurr and tragic things play out, but with such vagueness and lack of energy that they just kinda happen and made no impact on me, which is wild considering the mix of what we have here and what's going down!
This is, like, the first big swing back to the Sons of Horus as the main focus since the opening trilogy, and it being this lacklustre, while containing such essential information and elements is unfathomable and...I dunno--it's literally hard to feel that heartbroken or angry about it as this book is an emotional null.
I want to be fair and say that some Chaosy descriptions are pretty great. I did appreciate those. I feel like they were tragically brief and so much, and this applies to everything, not just the Chaos stuff, of what was actually interesting and important got glossed over and/ or given the least amount of screen time.
The majority of this book is absolutely soupy and badly written action. I make no bones about not exactly being in the Heresy for the action, but I like it when it's good and McNeill can normally write pretty good action, but this ain't it. Another big part of this book is Oscar bait drama of a mother getting her family out of a warzone. That could be good and, honestly, some of the writing here, at least foundationally, is some of the strongest, but this is hamstrung by the magical emphasis place around motherhood to the point where it feels like conservative 'values' are creeping in. The Game of Thrones nonsense is just boring, poorly thought out, and badly written. It's just a very weak example of something we've seen a decent example of before with a sudden and jarring focus on sex that hasn't really been a big deal in this series. It is also unbelievably gross and ableist in the language and descriptions of disabilities and disfigurement, both within the story and the passive narration. It's incredibly othering and weird and gross and I really didn't appreciate at all.
I don't even know what to say. Honestly, this is a whole lot of I incredibly bland nothing with bad vibes on the side to reintroduce a character from Crusader Host and a new person who will presumably actually be important later on, do some reuninting and tragedy with the Sons, and most important answer one question that allows a certain amount of levelling up to occur. Everything else is a huge vat of bland, thin broth.
I'm pissed off because there's characters and moments, both new and existing, that I either would or do care deeply about, but ended up feeling nothing because there's such an utter lack of presence and immediacy here.
I don't know whether McNeill was forced to write this as others were busy, whether the time crunch on this was brutal, if he was resting on his laurels or lost to ego, but there just doesn't feel like there is even a big swing at him trying something. There's just no energy at all.
I would give anything to see what James Swallow would have done with these ingredients.
I did not have fun and would not read again. Unlike, Legion, which is another book I found incredibly unpleasant to read, and doesn't make the re-read pile, mainly due to the gross perspective on a number of things rather than the actual story, there aren't even specific bits I would return to, as I would with the Acuity in Legion, as they are all so brief and a bullet point summary really does cover it.
Yes, this review has been harsh, maybe too harsh, but this is honestly how I feel. I care a great deal about this series and I am a big fan of Warhammer and the creative output of all the folx involved in its various aspects. The whole way the Horus Heresy is presented, and so often succeeds in being, is a prestige series of serious quality and care that should be taken seriously. We can still have fun and not take canon or whatever too seriously, but the quality and created expectations are established, but they are sadly lacking here.
I'll say it again, McNeill is a problematic fave. Generally I really enjoy his writing, especially the quality of his prose, and the political worldview stuff sucks and I call it out when it comes up, but I am a fan of his works and this series, so this isn't coming from a place of hate of ignorance. I'm just being honest. It really sucks just how much this books kinda sucks.
***
I have a lot to say about this and very little of it is positive, but I'm so thoroughly over it right now that I can't bring myself to think about this book for a bit and need to press on and patch up the mass reactive Heresy Fatigue wound this has left in me.
I cannot fathom taking some of the finest ingredients and ending up with...this. I'm genuinely flabbergasted.
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 25.64 Horus Heresy novels, 14 novellas (including 1 repeat), 86 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 13 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and a short story...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
OK. I am forcing myself to get this done, so I can review The Buried Dagger and not get too far behind.
I don't usually do a whole Cindy style warning about this being a rant review for my own personal entertainment, despite standing by the content of it. This isn't for McNeill or anyone who knows him personally or are a hardcore fan. He's a problematic fave for me whose quality of writing I almost always really appreciate, if not his personal views, particularly around sex, gender, and misogyny, that find their way into his writing. Fulgrim is an excellent novel with some truly toxic notions in it that have nothing to do with Slaanesh, but I am a big, if critical fan.
Unfortunately, in my personal opinion, which all of my reviews are, but I want to really emphasise that hare and apply it to the whole thing so I don't have to keep repeating it, I think this book is problematic in some areas for sure, but, honestly, I'm more bummed out by just how not good this book is. I say not good because I don't think it's necessarily bad enough to be called bad, or rather, I think it's bad, but there are some moments and turns of phrase I don't think are bad, but the majority of it is just... kinda boring, lifeless, derivative, and a tragic waste of a whole bunch of important characters and moments that simply aren't given the care or imbued with the energy they deserve.
This was a slog to get through and I have a cornucopia of conditions and disabilities that mean I only have the capacity to listen to audiobooks and play video games all day (it really isn't as fun as it sounds). If I didn't have the time, Chaos Gate to give some attention to, and the audiobook, I would have struggled to read this, even if I had the brainpower for text at the moment.
I'm going to try to avoid major spoilers, but I will be giving an overview and discussing various elements, obfuscating to avoid spoilers as best I can, but yeah. Potential spoilers ahead. I might also get things wrong and have missed stuff. Time has past and my brain is certifiably not good.
The Sons of Horus have come to Molech for reasons. There are reasons and they are actually very interesting, but it is very vague and handwavy for a lot of it, which is somewhat thematic, but also not good. Molech is an Imperial world seemingly within the Ultramar Segmentum that the Emperor, Horus, the Khagan, and Sanguinius brought to Compliance during the Great Crusade, and it is the sight of something important the Emperor did, but he did his best to erase all knowledge of it from his sons and their Legions. Molech is a world of Knightly Houses, in the large mechanical walker vehicles of the same name sense, more than the more medieval culture of Caliban. The Houses are the autocrats of the planet with the most influential House effectively being the planetary governors. I know it's very cheap and easy to take this shot, but as we saw in the prelude story, The Devine Adoratrice, it's knockoff Game of Thrones shit with full incest weirdness layed on thick. Before Compliance, Molech was big into serpent cults, which is surely not going to be an issue here at all. There's interfamily fracassing and succession stuff. You get it.
The Sons of Horus with their new Mournival and an increasingly potentially interesting, but absolutely wasted here Little Horus Aximund, which you would only really know anything about if you read the appropriate side stories (The amount of homework the average reader is not going to have done is a massive issue for this book and increasingly for the series, but it's super evident here as we will see) get into it with the local forces as well as Ultramarines and the Blood Angels who just kind of appear later on so they can witness the Red Angel (the one from Fear to Tread). It's a bloody battle with Horus and others taking some big blows and making strange calls, seemingly just to make the fight more protracted. In the midst of this a very capable woman McNeill has made into the archetypal 'badass mum Madonna', opposed to the 'whore' of the incestuous cultist lady in the McNeillian dichotomy, who is on a mission to get her family out and is all sorts of awkwardly gestured to as being incredibly important with odd emphasis throughout the book in ways that feel very strange and clumsy for a writer of McNeill's talents.
While all of this is going on, the Knight Errants, lead by [Cerberus], which would be absolutely baffling to a reader not familiar with the Garro audio dramas and stories, are on a recon mission to the eponymous flagship of the Sons of Horus.
Revelations and apotheoses occurr and tragic things play out, but with such vagueness and lack of energy that they just kinda happen and made no impact on me, which is wild considering the mix of what we have here and what's going down!
This is, like, the first big swing back to the Sons of Horus as the main focus since the opening trilogy, and it being this lacklustre, while containing such essential information and elements is unfathomable and...I dunno--it's literally hard to feel that heartbroken or angry about it as this book is an emotional null.
I want to be fair and say that some Chaosy descriptions are pretty great. I did appreciate those. I feel like they were tragically brief and so much, and this applies to everything, not just the Chaos stuff, of what was actually interesting and important got glossed over and/ or given the least amount of screen time.
The majority of this book is absolutely soupy and badly written action. I make no bones about not exactly being in the Heresy for the action, but I like it when it's good and McNeill can normally write pretty good action, but this ain't it. Another big part of this book is Oscar bait drama of a mother getting her family out of a warzone. That could be good and, honestly, some of the writing here, at least foundationally, is some of the strongest, but this is hamstrung by the magical emphasis place around motherhood to the point where it feels like conservative 'values' are creeping in. The Game of Thrones nonsense is just boring, poorly thought out, and badly written. It's just a very weak example of something we've seen a decent example of before with a sudden and jarring focus on sex that hasn't really been a big deal in this series. It is also unbelievably gross and ableist in the language and descriptions of disabilities and disfigurement, both within the story and the passive narration. It's incredibly othering and weird and gross and I really didn't appreciate at all.
I don't even know what to say. Honestly, this is a whole lot of I incredibly bland nothing with bad vibes on the side to reintroduce a character from Crusader Host and a new person who will presumably actually be important later on, do some reuninting and tragedy with the Sons, and most important answer one question that allows a certain amount of levelling up to occur. Everything else is a huge vat of bland, thin broth.
I'm pissed off because there's characters and moments, both new and existing, that I either would or do care deeply about, but ended up feeling nothing because there's such an utter lack of presence and immediacy here.
I don't know whether McNeill was forced to write this as others were busy, whether the time crunch on this was brutal, if he was resting on his laurels or lost to ego, but there just doesn't feel like there is even a big swing at him trying something. There's just no energy at all.
I would give anything to see what James Swallow would have done with these ingredients.
I did not have fun and would not read again. Unlike, Legion, which is another book I found incredibly unpleasant to read, and doesn't make the re-read pile, mainly due to the gross perspective on a number of things rather than the actual story, there aren't even specific bits I would return to, as I would with the Acuity in Legion, as they are all so brief and a bullet point summary really does cover it.
Yes, this review has been harsh, maybe too harsh, but this is honestly how I feel. I care a great deal about this series and I am a big fan of Warhammer and the creative output of all the folx involved in its various aspects. The whole way the Horus Heresy is presented, and so often succeeds in being, is a prestige series of serious quality and care that should be taken seriously. We can still have fun and not take canon or whatever too seriously, but the quality and created expectations are established, but they are sadly lacking here.
I'll say it again, McNeill is a problematic fave. Generally I really enjoy his writing, especially the quality of his prose, and the political worldview stuff sucks and I call it out when it comes up, but I am a fan of his works and this series, so this isn't coming from a place of hate of ignorance. I'm just being honest. It really sucks just how much this books kinda sucks.
***
I have a lot to say about this and very little of it is positive, but I'm so thoroughly over it right now that I can't bring myself to think about this book for a bit and need to press on and patch up the mass reactive Heresy Fatigue wound this has left in me.
I cannot fathom taking some of the finest ingredients and ending up with...this. I'm genuinely flabbergasted.
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 25.64 Horus Heresy novels, 14 novellas (including 1 repeat), 86 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 13 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and a short story...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
April 13, 2017
Epic. This was a real page turner for me. Death Guard, Sons of Horus, Fulgrim, Ultramarines, Dorn, Knights Errant, Russ, Blood Angels and an Eternal! Too much, too much...
March 2, 2015
Damnital! See what I did there. Graham McNeill is basically the only author in the BL who seems to either care or just get the assignments that push the story forward. How long has it been since Counter crushed me with the death of Loken? Too long. Loken is back and leading a squad of Malcador and Garro's Knights to infiltrate Horus' flagship, Vengeful Spirit. Aside from Loken so many great characters from the books and audio dramas are back. Oh and by the way, sarcastic voice, Horus has found the planet that the Emperor went to and basically entered into the Warp and stole the power of the gods for himself, and Horus wants to do that too. This book was really great, and frankly something I have been needing for too long. However, this is a stepping stone to Terra, so does that mean I don't get a conclusion until 2020? Probably. I feel like the BL has diluted this story with extreme time, number of novels that don't move the story, 1000s of characters and names that don't get referenced in years, audio dramas, ebook releases, and special novellas that keep me feeling like my grip on the tale overall is more and more tenuous. It is frustrating. What started as a great way to tell an epic back story has become a lumbering giant that it seems no one person can keep entirely in their view.
Other chapters show up in this book, Ultramarines and Blood Angels, but neither seem really well written. The BAs kill themselves instead of bowing the the Red Angel, if there was ever a more convenient plot device it's that thing. And the Ultramarines...over 10000s of pages, it is GREAT they are the largest legion because they die in cobalt droves! Anyway. I'll keep going, but as an ARDENT fan, this whole lets squeeze the fans for all their money, is getting a little tiresome.
Other chapters show up in this book, Ultramarines and Blood Angels, but neither seem really well written. The BAs kill themselves instead of bowing the the Red Angel, if there was ever a more convenient plot device it's that thing. And the Ultramarines...over 10000s of pages, it is GREAT they are the largest legion because they die in cobalt droves! Anyway. I'll keep going, but as an ARDENT fan, this whole lets squeeze the fans for all their money, is getting a little tiresome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2023
‘You’re sure you’re fine?’
‘I’m better than fine,’ said Horus. ‘I won.’
Vengeful Spirit is another nexus novel in that threads from multiple stories are pulled together. There is a proliferation of characters who aren’t essential and it would be fine if their resolution had been something like this:
…but, unlike The Unremembered Empire, I genuinely believe McNeill pulls it off. The Afterword explains why. McNeill wanted to show us Horus, who had been virtually inert since the original trilogy, and he wanted to show him in action. Centre everything on Horus and this book makes a lot of sense.
He was an observer in his own story. And that was just wrong.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
‘Only four seconds from your breach,’ said Ares Voitek.
‘That all?’ said Severian, gratefully putting his arm around the former Iron Hand’s shoulders. ‘Could have sworn it was longer.’
Vengeful Spirit gets on with the action, and that’s how I recommend you read it. Void space battles, sieges, open fields battles. Titans, plagues, warp creatures and glorious melee.
And I rate this bolter porn in terms of pacing and variety. McNeill does not linger that long on scenes, for example Mortarion slaughtering his bodyguard for warp spaghetti reasons is a major character development that McNeill doesn’t hang around on… …but, does it really matter? The point is the act itself and I am fine with an economic approach to inner thoughts from time to time. McNeill states in his afterword that was his intent with Horus, and I consider that applies more widely too.
I don’t necessarily disagree with any criticism made since 2014 about this book. It is stuffed full of plotlines and characters, some of which have (arguably – I am going to argue it) inadequate payoffs. Despite this, once wheels get spinning on the story it moves and moves and moves, and McNeill is a good enough writer to make that moving fun.
It is very much showing the bullets flying rather than telling you what those bullets are thinking. If that is not your thing then yeah, you aren’t going to like this book, but it’s kind of crazy you realized that 29 novels into a series.
Understanding the point
Alcade was dead the moment he moved, but he did it anyway. It was the best thing Alivia had ever seen. The legate of the XIII Legion thrust with his gladius. It snapped on the amber eye at Horus’s breast.
My initial defence of Vengeful Spirit boils down to “Let people have nice things”. Am I pretending that McNeill does not have cardboard cutouts acting as personalities? Characters from the Blood Angels and Ultramarines are given backstories then… …no-stories. Where’s this Perpetual come from? Fulgrim was there??? And so on…
And my answer is: Horus.
This is a series that (as McNeill freely admits) has an issue with the bid bad not really being there, not really doing anything. It’s devolved at times into relatively petty conflicts between particular sets of Primarchs, none of whom would be a threat to the EMPEROR OF MANKIND. But here, in Vengeful Spirit, Horus makes things happen, and everyone else turns around him.
A (hilarious) microcosm of this is Horus’ dealings with the Red Angel. A daemonic force and major development from Fear to Tread…
…that Horus slaps the stuffing out of:
‘All you need know is that there are enemies whose blood has yet to be shed,’ said the Red Angel. ‘Unleash me! I will bathe in an ocean of blood as deep as the stars.’
‘No,’ said Horus, unsheathing the claws within his talon and turning to stab them through the chest of the Red Angel. ‘I need to know quite a bit more than that, actually.’
…and Horus later makes it clear he’s not putting up with lengthy evil diatribes:
‘Very well, I will take you to the Ruinous Powers,’ it said with a hiss of venom that curdled the air. ‘The Obsidian Way is the eternal road. It is perilous for flesh and soul. It is not for mortals to walk, for its dangers are–’
‘Shut up,’ said Horus. ‘Just shut the hell up.’
I view Vengeful Spirit from this perspective: not multiple plotlines awkwardly threading together and competing for space, rather it is a whirlpool of characters, all dragged towards the beast at the centre. They have their own goals and reactions to situations but they all seek to escape Horus’s maw. That is why the Blood Angel and Ultramarines don’t get quite they payoff you would like – they are ants to Horus’ development. The manner of destruction of the Imperator class Titan might seem anti-climatic, but its very existence is a petty insignificance to a transhuman who is sees himself as a god.
As to the other characters, Mortarion probably retains the most freedom of action, which makes sese as a fellow Primarch who has npt fully hopped on the crazy train (see Fulgrim). Loken has good lines and I warmed to the idea of his resurrection, but he defines himself as the antithesis to Horus, which limits his character path:
‘I was never a Son of Horus,’ said Loken.
‘I was and remain a Luna Wolf.’
The failures of other characters in Vengeful Spirit are interesting. The Perpetual gets another shot and the initial development of her backstory here were enjoyable pauses in the action. The Red Angel’s interaction with the Blood Angels is funny and confirms the supremacy of Horus. Alcade is brave but it means nothing. I could go on… …and on - there really are a lot of characters here.
That is why I see the centering of Horus as essential. It makes sense if everyone else is subject to him, so that they feed into him as an antagonist:
Horus nodded to the vast citadels in the mountains. ‘You’re here to guide me. Your masters need me, so take me to their fortresses, speak my name and tell them the galaxy’s new master would treat with them.’
We need a big bad!
‘I’m better than fine,’ said Horus. ‘I won.’
Vengeful Spirit is another nexus novel in that threads from multiple stories are pulled together. There is a proliferation of characters who aren’t essential and it would be fine if their resolution had been something like this:
…but, unlike The Unremembered Empire, I genuinely believe McNeill pulls it off. The Afterword explains why. McNeill wanted to show us Horus, who had been virtually inert since the original trilogy, and he wanted to show him in action. Centre everything on Horus and this book makes a lot of sense.
He was an observer in his own story. And that was just wrong.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
‘Only four seconds from your breach,’ said Ares Voitek.
‘That all?’ said Severian, gratefully putting his arm around the former Iron Hand’s shoulders. ‘Could have sworn it was longer.’
Vengeful Spirit gets on with the action, and that’s how I recommend you read it. Void space battles, sieges, open fields battles. Titans, plagues, warp creatures and glorious melee.
And I rate this bolter porn in terms of pacing and variety. McNeill does not linger that long on scenes, for example Mortarion slaughtering his bodyguard for warp spaghetti reasons is a major character development that McNeill doesn’t hang around on… …but, does it really matter? The point is the act itself and I am fine with an economic approach to inner thoughts from time to time. McNeill states in his afterword that was his intent with Horus, and I consider that applies more widely too.
I don’t necessarily disagree with any criticism made since 2014 about this book. It is stuffed full of plotlines and characters, some of which have (arguably – I am going to argue it) inadequate payoffs. Despite this, once wheels get spinning on the story it moves and moves and moves, and McNeill is a good enough writer to make that moving fun.
It is very much showing the bullets flying rather than telling you what those bullets are thinking. If that is not your thing then yeah, you aren’t going to like this book, but it’s kind of crazy you realized that 29 novels into a series.
Understanding the point
Alcade was dead the moment he moved, but he did it anyway. It was the best thing Alivia had ever seen. The legate of the XIII Legion thrust with his gladius. It snapped on the amber eye at Horus’s breast.
My initial defence of Vengeful Spirit boils down to “Let people have nice things”. Am I pretending that McNeill does not have cardboard cutouts acting as personalities? Characters from the Blood Angels and Ultramarines are given backstories then… …no-stories. Where’s this Perpetual come from? Fulgrim was there??? And so on…
And my answer is: Horus.
This is a series that (as McNeill freely admits) has an issue with the bid bad not really being there, not really doing anything. It’s devolved at times into relatively petty conflicts between particular sets of Primarchs, none of whom would be a threat to the EMPEROR OF MANKIND. But here, in Vengeful Spirit, Horus makes things happen, and everyone else turns around him.
A (hilarious) microcosm of this is Horus’ dealings with the Red Angel. A daemonic force and major development from Fear to Tread…
…that Horus slaps the stuffing out of:
‘All you need know is that there are enemies whose blood has yet to be shed,’ said the Red Angel. ‘Unleash me! I will bathe in an ocean of blood as deep as the stars.’
‘No,’ said Horus, unsheathing the claws within his talon and turning to stab them through the chest of the Red Angel. ‘I need to know quite a bit more than that, actually.’
…and Horus later makes it clear he’s not putting up with lengthy evil diatribes:
‘Very well, I will take you to the Ruinous Powers,’ it said with a hiss of venom that curdled the air. ‘The Obsidian Way is the eternal road. It is perilous for flesh and soul. It is not for mortals to walk, for its dangers are–’
‘Shut up,’ said Horus. ‘Just shut the hell up.’
I view Vengeful Spirit from this perspective: not multiple plotlines awkwardly threading together and competing for space, rather it is a whirlpool of characters, all dragged towards the beast at the centre. They have their own goals and reactions to situations but they all seek to escape Horus’s maw. That is why the Blood Angel and Ultramarines don’t get quite they payoff you would like – they are ants to Horus’ development. The manner of destruction of the Imperator class Titan might seem anti-climatic, but its very existence is a petty insignificance to a transhuman who is sees himself as a god.
As to the other characters, Mortarion probably retains the most freedom of action, which makes sese as a fellow Primarch who has npt fully hopped on the crazy train (see Fulgrim). Loken has good lines and I warmed to the idea of his resurrection, but he defines himself as the antithesis to Horus, which limits his character path:
‘I was never a Son of Horus,’ said Loken.
‘I was and remain a Luna Wolf.’
The failures of other characters in Vengeful Spirit are interesting. The Perpetual gets another shot and the initial development of her backstory here were enjoyable pauses in the action. The Red Angel’s interaction with the Blood Angels is funny and confirms the supremacy of Horus. Alcade is brave but it means nothing. I could go on… …and on - there really are a lot of characters here.
That is why I see the centering of Horus as essential. It makes sense if everyone else is subject to him, so that they feed into him as an antagonist:
Horus nodded to the vast citadels in the mountains. ‘You’re here to guide me. Your masters need me, so take me to their fortresses, speak my name and tell them the galaxy’s new master would treat with them.’
We need a big bad!
January 9, 2017
This was easily one of the best HH books written. Great dialogue, character arcs that are meaningful. And finally portrayal of characters as not painfully edgy. A very solid view of Horus and his Legion... Without all the edgy bad guy. (badass villain with motives ftw!)
A great read, I'd suggest it to all HH fans.
It does go between 4 POV so if you don't like that swap this may not be the book for you.
A great read, I'd suggest it to all HH fans.
It does go between 4 POV so if you don't like that swap this may not be the book for you.
October 19, 2023
I wanted to like this one, i didn’t I am sorry, if your story relies on me having to read short stories or different books just to know what half of the references it was that would have helped me understand what half this book is about, and if all those stories are not circulated in print anymore or were part of some over expensive anthology that Black Library was not even caring about to also include in the Horus Heresy series then I am sorry, they did this book wrong.
December 23, 2014
Wait, Loken's alive?
The main character from the opening of this series who was apparently dead and buried and gone gone gone, just suddenly randomly pops up in this one and he's alive?
Because there was an obscure audio-play that brought him back?
Whut?
See, this is the problem, it is unreasonable to expect the readers to listen to every single audio play, every single tiny little short story GW release as ridiculously over-priced padding. Most of the readers I would wager are just reading the main novels, and to have something as massive and plot-critical as Loken still being alive, just thrown in as an after-thought at the beginning of this is a massive massive mis-step, and one that I really can't forgive.
But it's indicative of a larger problem in this tome, by which, so many insignificant random plot-threads and side-characters that just go nowhere. If we cared about any of these random side things? Then fine, but... it's all just so random. The side-plot of the fall of a noble house is so badly written it's almost completely illegible, and the big payoff is... that they all just disappear and we never get any final resolution. Presumably the knights died when the big thing exploded? But it's just not clear.
What was the point of the whole side plot with the Blood Angels? If they were just going to perform a truly ridiculous Life Of Brian style suicide attack plan. I actually laughed out loud at how stupid that was.
And the final confrontation with Horus is just... so stupid. We are to assume that Loken goes from big vocal confrontation with Horus, to a massive punch-up, in which... Horus just vanishes? There is absolutely no mention of what Horus is doing when a huge fight erupts before him. Does he just sit back on his throne and watch the brawl? Presumably.
And it's a shame, because there is some good stuff in here. I really enjoyed about half of it, the half that is ~focussed~, but the 50% that is just rambling nonsense really should have been removed by a good editor and left on the cutting room floor.
Was going to give it two stars, for the good stuff. But the ending is just so bad...
The main character from the opening of this series who was apparently dead and buried and gone gone gone, just suddenly randomly pops up in this one and he's alive?
Because there was an obscure audio-play that brought him back?
Whut?
See, this is the problem, it is unreasonable to expect the readers to listen to every single audio play, every single tiny little short story GW release as ridiculously over-priced padding. Most of the readers I would wager are just reading the main novels, and to have something as massive and plot-critical as Loken still being alive, just thrown in as an after-thought at the beginning of this is a massive massive mis-step, and one that I really can't forgive.
But it's indicative of a larger problem in this tome, by which, so many insignificant random plot-threads and side-characters that just go nowhere. If we cared about any of these random side things? Then fine, but... it's all just so random. The side-plot of the fall of a noble house is so badly written it's almost completely illegible, and the big payoff is... that they all just disappear and we never get any final resolution. Presumably the knights died when the big thing exploded? But it's just not clear.
What was the point of the whole side plot with the Blood Angels? If they were just going to perform a truly ridiculous Life Of Brian style suicide attack plan. I actually laughed out loud at how stupid that was.
And the final confrontation with Horus is just... so stupid. We are to assume that Loken goes from big vocal confrontation with Horus, to a massive punch-up, in which... Horus just vanishes? There is absolutely no mention of what Horus is doing when a huge fight erupts before him. Does he just sit back on his throne and watch the brawl? Presumably.
And it's a shame, because there is some good stuff in here. I really enjoyed about half of it, the half that is ~focussed~, but the 50% that is just rambling nonsense really should have been removed by a good editor and left on the cutting room floor.
Was going to give it two stars, for the good stuff. But the ending is just so bad...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2014
Overall I was really disappointed by this book.
It had some good points through the story, but it just felt like it was a 'lets jam our latest products in here' by GW.
It is a shame as this is the first book I have been disappointed to read by McNeill.
I would rate this as the the 3rd worse in the series after 'Battle for the Abyss' and 'Descent of Angels'.
It had some good points through the story, but it just felt like it was a 'lets jam our latest products in here' by GW.
It is a shame as this is the first book I have been disappointed to read by McNeill.
I would rate this as the the 3rd worse in the series after 'Battle for the Abyss' and 'Descent of Angels'.
July 5, 2017
holy cats this book took forever to finish. Full disclosure, the book was fine, but i just wasn't feelin' the Horus Heresy as much as i thought i was when i started it.
Graham McNeill can be a little "hit or miss" for me. Sometimes his books are great and really scratch an itch, and other times i just can't get into it. This book was very much in the 2nd category. Overall it was fine, and some important stuff happened. But my biggest complaint was when it came time for all the action. The actual invasion of Molech was just... painfully boring to me. It wasn't written badly by any means, but it was page after page of action sequence that i just couldn't get excited about.
I've found more and more, that i really enjoy the character development and insight into some of the personalities populating the 30k universe, a whole whole lot more than what is often referred to as "bolter porn". Ultra-violent descriptions of how a person was shot, gutted with a chainsaw-sword or had their tank explode out from underneath them... are just... they kinda make me wonder why i'm reading this in the first place.
The exploration of the culture of the ruling houses of Molech, the differences in ideology of the Space Marine chapters, philosophical conversations between members of the Pathfinders team and how they're dealing with the emotional trauma of being separated from their Legion... THAT stuff was golden. I wanted this book to be 100% THAT. But instead, i had to endure several pages of people dying in progressively messier and messier ways, that was just... kinda lame.
I love Black Library's warhammer books (be it 40k, horus heresy or even fantasy/age of sigmar), but science-fiction should actually be ABOUT something. Pointless action for it's own sake is not what i'm here for, and sadly, a whole lot of Black Library books feature that pretty prominently. The Horus Heresy, blissfully, is often about so much more, and this has been reflected (IMO) by the presence of several volumes showing up on the NYT best seller's list. It's fine. I know there are a lot of readers who are in it for those action sequences and struggle with all the "talky talky" exposition and plot progression, but... *sigh* I guess I've just been spoiled. By contrast, McNeill's Thousand Sons novel was amazing, and getting inside Ahriman's head, his culture, his ideals and beliefs, and even the glimpse into HOW he does the things he does, was truly spectacular.
Like i said, this book wasn't bad, but boy those action scenes went on for a long time, and i had a hard time convincing myself to spend the time to get through them.
Graham McNeill can be a little "hit or miss" for me. Sometimes his books are great and really scratch an itch, and other times i just can't get into it. This book was very much in the 2nd category. Overall it was fine, and some important stuff happened. But my biggest complaint was when it came time for all the action. The actual invasion of Molech was just... painfully boring to me. It wasn't written badly by any means, but it was page after page of action sequence that i just couldn't get excited about.
I've found more and more, that i really enjoy the character development and insight into some of the personalities populating the 30k universe, a whole whole lot more than what is often referred to as "bolter porn". Ultra-violent descriptions of how a person was shot, gutted with a chainsaw-sword or had their tank explode out from underneath them... are just... they kinda make me wonder why i'm reading this in the first place.
The exploration of the culture of the ruling houses of Molech, the differences in ideology of the Space Marine chapters, philosophical conversations between members of the Pathfinders team and how they're dealing with the emotional trauma of being separated from their Legion... THAT stuff was golden. I wanted this book to be 100% THAT. But instead, i had to endure several pages of people dying in progressively messier and messier ways, that was just... kinda lame.
I love Black Library's warhammer books (be it 40k, horus heresy or even fantasy/age of sigmar), but science-fiction should actually be ABOUT something. Pointless action for it's own sake is not what i'm here for, and sadly, a whole lot of Black Library books feature that pretty prominently. The Horus Heresy, blissfully, is often about so much more, and this has been reflected (IMO) by the presence of several volumes showing up on the NYT best seller's list. It's fine. I know there are a lot of readers who are in it for those action sequences and struggle with all the "talky talky" exposition and plot progression, but... *sigh* I guess I've just been spoiled. By contrast, McNeill's Thousand Sons novel was amazing, and getting inside Ahriman's head, his culture, his ideals and beliefs, and even the glimpse into HOW he does the things he does, was truly spectacular.
Like i said, this book wasn't bad, but boy those action scenes went on for a long time, and i had a hard time convincing myself to spend the time to get through them.
March 28, 2018
I was reading this for and for a while I was annoyed at most of the parts of the story that did not involve him. Fortunately I read the story really slow: because of that I could savor the parts with the character I liked and stop reading when the other characters started to annoy me. As a result, I actually came around to enjoying the nuances in even the most vile, repulsive, reprehensible, and despicable characters.
It never ceases to amaze me that, even after his fall, Horus is still...well...Horus.
He's genuinely charismatic and charming and so friggin convinced that he's righteous. Even while all these people around him have been warped into these demonic entities, in his day-to-day life Horus is still doing his same old thang he's always done: leading war campaigns, conquering worlds and in general being a total boss. The implication that someone at their most "evil" and their most "virtuous" (comparatively speaking) can look the exact same is such a stark contrast to a lot of the other corrupted figures in these stories and honestly it's quite delightful. If they were going for a depiction of what moral relativism looks like, I think they hit the nail on the head with Horus' character arc.
I hated Raeven Devine with a passion, and every page that depicted his deranged and malicious POV was noxious to my eyes. But there is a twist in his story that makes it aaalllllll better...just trust me on this one.
Alivia started out really boring, and I don't think I ever came around to loving her, but I do appreciate that she had actual heart.
With , I am genuinely surprised at the extent they were willing to explore his humanity. It was without a doubt the most rewarding aspect of the book. Weirdly enough his character arc reminds me a lot of people I've met from church who grew up going to church and never really questioned things of that nature until it somehow just doesn't "work" for them anymore...especially with the descriptions of an intense sense of belonging to a group, and then having that stripped away and you have to ask yourself some really hard questions about your personal identity separate from all of those things.
This story kinda brings it full circle: like, you can find that belonging without compromising your individuality and I think that's a really important message for a lot of people.
It never ceases to amaze me that, even after his fall, Horus is still...well...Horus.
He's genuinely charismatic and charming and so friggin convinced that he's righteous. Even while all these people around him have been warped into these demonic entities, in his day-to-day life Horus is still doing his same old thang he's always done: leading war campaigns, conquering worlds and in general being a total boss. The implication that someone at their most "evil" and their most "virtuous" (comparatively speaking) can look the exact same is such a stark contrast to a lot of the other corrupted figures in these stories and honestly it's quite delightful. If they were going for a depiction of what moral relativism looks like, I think they hit the nail on the head with Horus' character arc.
I hated Raeven Devine with a passion, and every page that depicted his deranged and malicious POV was noxious to my eyes. But there is a twist in his story that makes it aaalllllll better...just trust me on this one.
Alivia started out really boring, and I don't think I ever came around to loving her, but I do appreciate that she had actual heart.
With , I am genuinely surprised at the extent they were willing to explore his humanity. It was without a doubt the most rewarding aspect of the book. Weirdly enough his character arc reminds me a lot of people I've met from church who grew up going to church and never really questioned things of that nature until it somehow just doesn't "work" for them anymore...especially with the descriptions of an intense sense of belonging to a group, and then having that stripped away and you have to ask yourself some really hard questions about your personal identity separate from all of those things.
This story kinda brings it full circle: like, you can find that belonging without compromising your individuality and I think that's a really important message for a lot of people.
May 24, 2025
Ilgi pirms diženais primarks Horuss izdomāja, ka tēvs Imperators vairs nav cienīgs būt cilvēces Impērijas valdnieks un vadītājs, uz planētas Molech Imperators no tumšajiem warp spēkiem, ja ne pat dieviem, ieguva kādu dāvanu, lielāku ieskatu un zināšanas par Visumu, savu spēju daudzkāršu pieaugumu. Bet āķis tajā, ka vēlāk, kad Moleha miera ceļā no jauna tika iekļauta Impērijas sastāvā, tam līdzi uz planētas bija vēl daži dēli primarki. Starp tiem pats Horuss, kurš Impērijai lojālas planētas Dwell sakaušanas un iznīcināšanas laikā tās zināšanu krātuvēs atklāj mājienu aizmetņus, kas liek aizdomāties, kāpēc gan tas vai Vengeful Spirit ietvaros darbību ņemošais Death Guard leģiona primarks Mortarions, kā arī jebkurš cits, izņemot Imperatoru, nespēj atcerēties neko sīkāku par Molehu, kā vien, ka tur bijuši.
https://poseidons99.com/2025/05/24/gr...
https://poseidons99.com/2025/05/24/gr...
May 2, 2023
Personally I think this book can be red very early on like after the first 5 books
Horus rising
False gods
Galaxy in flames
Flight of eisenstein
Fulgrim
Vengeful spirit.
It has some fan favorite charecters from the first books returning that we otherwise don't see for a long time with all the books in between. So many different forums suggest different reading orders and for some reason I don't know vengeful spirit was pretty far down to read towards the end but I would have happily enjoyed this one pretty early on and think it fits better there.
Horus rising
False gods
Galaxy in flames
Flight of eisenstein
Fulgrim
Vengeful spirit.
It has some fan favorite charecters from the first books returning that we otherwise don't see for a long time with all the books in between. So many different forums suggest different reading orders and for some reason I don't know vengeful spirit was pretty far down to read towards the end but I would have happily enjoyed this one pretty early on and think it fits better there.
November 24, 2025
A bloated mess with what seemed to be at least 8 different perspectives. Hyper specific play-by-plays of battles to the point of absurdity. The inability to write female characters without talking about sex or their bodies.
In short, a very average McNeill Horus Heresy novel.
In short, a very average McNeill Horus Heresy novel.
April 29, 2014
Graham McNeill has two kinds of books. First one is in my opinion not bad, just "meh" (yes I am looking at you Ultramarines and Sigmar, or Outcast Dead for the that matter.) Second kind could be described as "Holy Shit DID YOU SEE THAT! Wow that was unexptected, wait what?! Oh my it is going to.. etcetera etcetera"
Vengeful Spirit is the second kind.
Yes, it has another Perpetual sideplot and boring one for that matter. And Imperator class titans are becoming punching bags on par with Avatars of Khaine, no matter how the writer justifies its end. But these are only important nitpicks I have.
Otherwise it is a ride I devoured in one afternoon. Whole plot moves forward, we have new revelations (or confirmations if you like) about Emperor being magnificent bastard and battles monstrous enough that I suspect McNeill want to out-piss Abnett and Calth in duel over who will write the Siege of Terra.
What elevates this novel over its bolterporn compatriots are the characters. Horus is again in the forefront and you will start the despise him for what is he becoming despite all his PR gibberish. Little Horus is becoming a real tragic hero. You will see a humane face of Abaddon. Falkus Kibre became a real personality, not some extra. And you will love Grael Noctua for the dick he is. Damn I just named only five characters out of bazillion. Shit.
Well be prepared for Mortarion speeding his way down the slippery slope, one scene wonder of Legio Fortitudes principii, whole plot of fall of House Devine (I was pleasantly surprised with the plot twist) and BLOODY HELL I FORGOT there is ancestor of Leonid Semper from Gordon Rennies Gothic War novel!
In the end, Vengenful Spirit does not end in my Horus Heresy Top Five (which consists of Flight of Eisentein, Mechanicum, Thousand Sons Betrayer and First Heretic) but it comes close (in brutal elbow contest with Scars).
Definitely one of the better Horus Heresy novels, I can only recommend.
Vengeful Spirit is the second kind.
Yes, it has another Perpetual sideplot and boring one for that matter. And Imperator class titans are becoming punching bags on par with Avatars of Khaine, no matter how the writer justifies its end. But these are only important nitpicks I have.
Otherwise it is a ride I devoured in one afternoon. Whole plot moves forward, we have new revelations (or confirmations if you like) about Emperor being magnificent bastard and battles monstrous enough that I suspect McNeill want to out-piss Abnett and Calth in duel over who will write the Siege of Terra.
What elevates this novel over its bolterporn compatriots are the characters. Horus is again in the forefront and you will start the despise him for what is he becoming despite all his PR gibberish. Little Horus is becoming a real tragic hero. You will see a humane face of Abaddon. Falkus Kibre became a real personality, not some extra. And you will love Grael Noctua for the dick he is. Damn I just named only five characters out of bazillion. Shit.
Well be prepared for Mortarion speeding his way down the slippery slope, one scene wonder of Legio Fortitudes principii, whole plot of fall of House Devine (I was pleasantly surprised with the plot twist) and BLOODY HELL I FORGOT there is ancestor of Leonid Semper from Gordon Rennies Gothic War novel!
In the end, Vengenful Spirit does not end in my Horus Heresy Top Five (which consists of Flight of Eisentein, Mechanicum, Thousand Sons Betrayer and First Heretic) but it comes close (in brutal elbow contest with Scars).
Definitely one of the better Horus Heresy novels, I can only recommend.
July 27, 2019
What an amazing read. The story of the Imperium, the culminating heresy and the plans for the future of Terra all come to a head in this novel. We get glimpses into many of the Primarch's whereabouts and motives, especially the traitor ones and get a really concise view of why Horace still feels what he's doing is right. And to my great pleasure, we get a look into one of the knight houses and how much they mean to any army's victory.
Amazing read.
Amazing read.
June 3, 2014
I cannot believe how bad this book was. I mean I've read all the horus heresy and this should is easily the worst out yet, I was extremely dissapointed.
November 19, 2017
Slam bang world ending war! Glimpses intoHorus and the Emperor. Solid story.
June 16, 2025
ESPÍRITU VENGATIVO, La Herejía de Horus, de Graham McNeill. Sigue la macrosaga de la Herejía de Horus con la XVI Legion atacando un planeta imperial que, en un principio, carece de valor estratégico. La guerra civil se va desarrollando y en este tomo vamos viendo como ya se sientan las bases para el futuro ataque a Terra. También somos testigos de lo que significa un asalto de Marines Espaciales a un planeta, con brutales bombardeos orbitales y gigantescas armas de destrucción que sólo van dejando a su paso ruina y muerte, cambiando para siempre la faz del planeta. Sin embargo, por poderosas que sean las legiones traidoras, no podrían cumplir sus propósitos si no fuera por la ayuda del Caos y, llegados a este punto de la saga, vamos comprendiendo que tanto Horus como el resto de primarcas traidores, a pesar de su arrogancia y supuesta superioridad, no son más que carniceros esclavizados por el Caos. El autor, con mucha épica, nos introduce en un mundo horrible donde la línea que separa a los leales de los traidores es muy delgada. Sin lugar a dudas, esta saga se va superando con cada libro y va asentando los cimientos de lo que vendrá, con nuevos y viejos personajes a la vez que otros van evolucionando a medida que la guerra se desarrolla. ¿Cuál es el problema? Que estos libros no se pueden leer sueltos. O lees desde el principio de la saga, o no te enteras de nada, porque aquí se da por descontado que el lector conoce a fondo el universo futurista de Warhammer.
Horus descarga su furia contra el planeta Molech, gobernado por la Casa Devine. Protegido por poderosas fuerzas imperiales e incluso por contingentes de Marines leales, Molech plantea un problema. ¿Por qué un planeta alejado de las principales rutas imperiales y sin apenas valor estratégico posee tantas defensas? Horus pretende hallar la respuesta y para ello no dudara en arrasar Molech y exterminar a sus habitantes con tal de conseguirlo.
Horus descarga su furia contra el planeta Molech, gobernado por la Casa Devine. Protegido por poderosas fuerzas imperiales e incluso por contingentes de Marines leales, Molech plantea un problema. ¿Por qué un planeta alejado de las principales rutas imperiales y sin apenas valor estratégico posee tantas defensas? Horus pretende hallar la respuesta y para ello no dudara en arrasar Molech y exterminar a sus habitantes con tal de conseguirlo.
June 28, 2024
So I try to be fair but now that I am this far into this "series" of books it's time to let the chips fall where they will. It's become obvious that Graham McNeill has been picked to write some of the larger plot point books of the series and I have become less impressed with each book that we come to. He seems to follow the adage that "more is better" and if that logic follows than over the top is obviously 'great!' Given free reign to write 500+ page books that don't seem to even cover much plot ground this is perhaps just indicative that whatever sells than absolutely "more is better". I for one will try to stick with Abnett as much as I can, thank the holy emperor Black Library chose him to close out the series with the last three (3 part!) 300+ page books, I can only shudder at what that might have looked like in other hands.
May 13, 2024
This book felt like a moment to check in with some mainstay characters of the series. We evaluate where they are at, how their motivations have changed, and we get a look at the road ahead as we enter what is clearly a sort of Phase 2 to the Heresy. I found the world of Molech an interesting plot, if somewhat rushed towards the end. Horus' lasting charisma led my favourite parts of the book.
August 16, 2023
Pretty good book that has a ton of action, although it seems to try and show Horus as a tactical genius but utterly fails and just kinda makes it seem he’s just throwing men into a meat grinder?
Still nice that the plot is finally advancing
Still nice that the plot is finally advancing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
Very underwhelming with some weird lines. Horus talks way too human at times. Feels very rushed an half baked as a product.
Wasnt insufferablely bad. Just forgettable.
3/5
garviel being alive was also just handled awfully. Acts nothing like his original self.
Wasnt insufferablely bad. Just forgettable.
3/5
garviel being alive was also just handled awfully. Acts nothing like his original self.
March 25, 2024
A interesting look into the start of the Knights Errant and the progression of the Warmaster Horus.
I really enjoyed the climax where Horus offers Garviel another spot back at his side.
I really enjoyed the climax where Horus offers Garviel another spot back at his side.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2024
Good book overall, but I would have liked to see Horus's journey through warp and ascendacy to godhood in more depth. Few lines truly isn't enough for such a important event.
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