Meduson: The Ultimate Edition

The Horus Heresy #Anthology

by Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill (Contributor), Chris Wraight (Contributor)

Driven almost to the brink of self-destruction by the death of Ferrus Manus, the Iron Hands now seek vengeance for the many horrors of Isstvan V. Gathering survivors from the Raven Guard and the Salamanders aboard any vessels capable of warp travel, they wage a new campaign of annihilation against the traitor forces across the galaxy - a campaign masterminded by legendary warleader Shadrak Meduson.

Read it because
After a year of being exclusive to Warhammer World, now everyone can read these tales of the Shattered Legions, by some of Black Library's top authors. And if that wasn't exciting enough, there's a brand new tale by Chris Wraight.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies, Audiobook

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2015

Reviews

[Liam Tondeur · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book adds more to other short stories or ties in with a few of the more recent novels in the series. It was a good look at the Iron Hands legion post-Istvaan and enforces my idea that they are largely total dicks.

Some good offerings from giants like Abnett and McNeill.

Annandale makes another go at it but makes the mistake of using the wrong name near the end of his tale - I think he originally wrote it for his Atticus character.

Wraight follows up on his Torgul Khan character from Scars, which was welcome.

Hayley's two stories link with one another but the book left too long a gap between the two for me to click instantly that this was the case.

French delves deeper into the technology banned by Ferrus which briefly made an appearance in another short story.

I've seen it said that this book is tailored solely for those who follow the Iron Hands but I will disagree; this is a must for anyone who is interested in the Horus Heresy lore. I would welcome more Legion-themed anthologies in the future. Overall this was a very strong series of short stories yet it is a shame that anthologies is mainly what is coming out in the 2014/15 Black Library release schedule. I think we're about due another epic Horus Heresy novel of 'Know No Fear' proportions.

[Dylan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meduson by Dan Abnett:
Hot damn, I might have to go out on a limb and say that is one of my favourite stories by Dan Abnett to date! For the first time, we get to see the real Shadrak Meduson, and how he came to be such a prominent figure in the post Istvaan Iron Hands, and boy does he not disappoint!
The whole story was phenomenal, getting to see a good chunk of the Iron Hands and how they reacted to the Massacre was awesome, as I feel that Dan Abnett did a pretty damn good job of showing it. The internal conflicts of the once-Legion was extremely well done, as well as the conflict with their shattered brothers of the Raven Guard and the Salamanders. I wish we got to see a little more of them, but it was a story focused on Meduson and he was fucking awesome.
I felt he was a little overpowered when it came to his fighting of the Terminator (as is characteristic of Dan Abnett’s main characters, and one of the reasons I am not a die hard fan of his work). I mean, a terminator by itself if a terrifying monster of unstoppable power, and couple that with a warrior who is renowned even outside of his legion for his power and brutality, and then he gets one clumsy strike in that misses and gets instant killed by a standard marine(albeit one that has A LOT of experience). I still felt that that last battle should have been a little harder/drawn out. Maybe the Terminator should have killed a few loyalists and taken considerable damage first, or Meduson shouldn’t have won so single handedly/easily.
Now my review feels lopsided, but well, Ill finish with I LOVED the story, a solid 5/5 for the atmosphere and the actual story, as well as most of the action. Incidentally, the whole loyalist vs traitors was much more even than it has been in some other stories, which was a breath of fresh air.
Damn good stuff, Mr. Abnett.
5/5

Unforged by Guy Haley:
Unforged was phenomenal, capturing the utter depression and chaos of Istvaan, post-Massacre. Guy Haley did an amazing job of building the characters and their situation in a short time, and the twist at the end was perfect. Well done Mr. Haley!
5/5

Immortal Duty by Nick Kyme:
Immortal Duty was a damn good read, but there were a few things that bugged me about. On the positive side, the action was awesome. The Iron Hands didn’t feel like they were instantly “better” just because they were the focus of the story, and the main character had a definite personality from the get go that I really enjoyed. This also added some much needed culture and…. Force organization (?) to the Iron Hands. The MC is a member of the Meduson Immortals, ie. The Iron Hands siege/breacher squads. It showed how they were members taken from across the clans (which so far have all felt the exact same, to me.), because they have erred in some way. They are given a new name and a boarding shield and expected to go on suicide missions until they die a glorious death.
While the Iron Hands are still a dreadfully boring Legion for me, this short did them justice. I don’t think “The Flesh is Weak” was mentioned once, and the talk of their augmentations was kept to a minimum and just a side note.
On the negative side, I felt like it was slightly clumsily written. Random mini flash backs to the world where the MC was deemed to have erred, and nothing really came of it. He met, by extreme coincidence (which did bug me a bit), the World Eater he had become “Sword Brothers” with. I feel like that could have been done better, instead of a random 6 paragraph flash back scattered throughout the action. I guess it feels like it broke the flow of the story.
All in all a cracking read by Nick Kyme, definitely a nice addition to the anthology, despite a few things I personally didn’t like!
4/5

Grey Talon by Chris Wraight:
Grey Talon was a fantastic short story that takes place after the 28th Horus Heresy novel, “Scars”, and focuses on an Iron Hands Legionary and a group of penitent White Scars. Hibou Khan was the main character of the Scars, and he was a fantastic character to read about yet again, seeing his story play out some more was awesome! The whole philosophy and mindset of the White Scars brushing up against the unyielding methodical character of the Iron Hands was great. The action was intense and made for a fun read, getting to see the White Scars fight with a legionary who has complete opposite ideas about fighting and war. The arrival of our title hero was great as well. Can’t wait to see what Chris Wraight does next! Hopefully some more White Scars goodness!
5/5

The Keys of Hel by John French
The Keys of Hel follows an older short story titled “Riven”, which I thought was more of a one-shot piece of fiction, but here we are!
The story was extremely well written, showing the confusion and madness of the Keys of Hel, and also what that group of….. ex-Iron Hands? Have been up to since Riven. The action was awesome, but the political conflict was much greater when a group of Iron Hands found our characters cursed by the Keys of Hel, and what followed. I do hope we get to see those guys again, and see how their story ends. It is also worth noting that they never completely explain what the Keys of Hel are, or how they work, but that overall isn’t much of a problem as “dark forbidden technology” pretty much covers it! Still, a damn good read!
4/5

Deeds Endure by Gav Thorpe
I can’t really say that I was a huge fan of this short story. While it certainly had its’ moments, the characters just didn’t feel right, and with the main source of conflict being ideological between allies, it left a lot to be desired. The Iron Hands were taken at the very basic “Always angry/The Flesh is Weak” while the Salamanders were TOO worried about the collateral damage to possibly still loyal/possibly already traitor citizens of the Imperium.
Going back to the Iron Hands, the “Spearhead-Centurion” Kratoz I think was going in too many different directions or the author didn’t know what he wanted to do with him. He would go from pointing his ships guns at the Salamanders whom he vastly out numbered to worrying over the fact that they didn’t eat the food he had set out for them? It was just…. Weird. He didn’t have that unbendable stubbornness that almost all Iron Hands had. And the Salamanders were off too, being more willing to die and destroy armour built by their Primarch, than the kill citizens of unknown allegiance? I know that the Salamanders are the most humanist of the Legions, but still, there has to be a point to where even they’ll say “Yeah, maybe we shouldn’t destroy priceless armour that our *dead* father left us to MAYBE save these relatively few normal people are MAYBE still loyal.” So, needless to elaborate further, I didn’t really like the characters. I mean, they were definitely straight out of their respective legions in some ways, and just way off in others. The end was phenomal though, and not in the sarcastic “The story ended” kind of way. Getting to see the Salamanders take on a vastly superior army and make a last stand was awesome! As well as the twist involving the Iron Hands. Really damn good stuff ther
3/5

Noose by David Annandale:
The Noose was an awesome story that follows on a little bit from The Damnation of Pythos, and boy was it an action packed story! I wish the Emperor’s Children had done a little better or won, as they are my favourite Legion, but it was still a damn good story. I like seeing that the Iron Hands are evolving alongside the Raven Guard and Salamanders, as that hasn’t been actually SHOWN much in the Horus Heresy, despite the Shattered Legions being a large focus of a lot of fiction. Overall, a damn good story.
4/5

Unspoken by Guy Haley:
I wish they had either put this story directly after “Unforged”, or turned Unforged and Unspoken into a single story, as Unspoken is a direct sequel story(though from a different perspecitve). The story was awesome, and we get to see what happens to our few surviving characters from Unforged, and how they are adjusting to the new War and what not. The main character of this one was interesting, shocked into silence and trying(and failing) to come to terms with what has happened was nice. I also really liked that the Shattered Legions CHANGED. The Iron Hands weren’t the same Iron Hands they had been in Promethean Sun and Feat of Iron(aside from that they seem to think about Ferrus Manus’ death a lot, but we don’t see it affect them too terribly much). Here we see some real change in a sizable faction of the Iron Hands, which was nice. Though we have seen it before in some stories, I just think that it isn’t as present in all of the Shattered Legion fiction. Such as the Raven Guard or Salamanders don’t really change, and are almost never the real focus. It’s almost always the Iron Hands, and I’m glad we got the see some of our friendly neighborhood Nocturnians’ in this anthology.
4.5/5

The Either by Graham McNeill:
Hot damn but it must have been a little while since I have read any of Graham McNeill’s Heresy stuff!
At least it feels like it has been a while, because that was one damn good story! Following Shadrak Meduson’s arch nemesis(personified I suppose), here we get to see Tybalt Marr, on of my absolute favourite Sons of Horus, rejoin his Legion and the events that ensue. The story was great, the action and suspense were insanely fun. The plotting and then seeing the big man himself was great. In terms of the Son of Horus, this takes place shortly before Vengeful Spirit, but it was still phenomenal, and I really can’t wait to see where this goes. Definitely my favourite story of the anthology, though there were tons of great ones! I might be the only one, but I am really hoping for a Sons of Horus based limited edition soon, as they are the namesake of the series, and we haven’t seen one yet!
5/5

[Andrey Nalyotov · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best HH anthologies of late. Especially considering it consists of all new stories. Some of them are great, some so-so, but in general it was a good read half a year ago.

[Bart Landman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The flesh is weak

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW Surgery/ Self-Surgery that could be triggering for Self Harm

April 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XII The Truth of Iron (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus series and extras.

This review is for the titular story, Meduson by Dan Abnett, as it doesn't have its own entry on here and I find it very hard to imagine that all the reviews on here are from people who got their hands on the initial Games Workshop HQ in Nottingham release and then later limited book and CD release of this anthology. I continue to be eternally frustrated by limited editions that are purely for events so many can't get to for infinite reasons, to create its own scarcity and value, as with the Horus Heresy novellas and general Black Library practice, and last, but by no means least when they contain significant parts of a wider series! I abhor it and get that GW and BL love their event releases, but collecting thematic stories published elsewhere or just keeping it to general setting stuff for the various properties they have would be so much better for everyone, especially as those denied the initial release are disappointed and I have to feel like the folx who got every single exclusive and limited edition would be disappointed by how many of the anthologies after the first few were just collecting everything they already got their hands on, making the wait between books and narrative progression all the more protracted.

OK. Limited and exclusive editions for their own sake rant over.

This story absolutely rips!

In West Terra, Old Albia, Smith was born and raised, Storm Walkers he served with in the early days...
(I was going to do the whole direst Fresh Prince verse from Shadrak, but I had a nasty C-PTSD episode this morning and don't have the brain power. Maybe, I'll return to it over the course of The Truth of Iron, we'll see)

This is the story of how Meduson became Warleader of the Shattered Iron Hands following the calamitous events of the Dropsite Massacre. It is the tale of his reforging; a remaking of himself beginning with symbolic self surgery that gives him a needed and portentous iron hand, along with that of what is left of the Shattered Legions with him being the outspoken visionary who could see that the way the Legion operated within and how it allied itself with the other survivors of Isstvan V, namely the Raven Guard and Salamanders, and the strength of will and purpose to alloy this new and disperate elements to create a blade made of Shattered Legions, tempered and quenched with vengeance into hardened steel that, in the words of Magos Marcaida, will kill.

It's been a while since I read some Abnett, and with my tepid feelings on Legion as a whole and absolute disgust and disdain for just how grossly misogynistic, racist, and when you look at the elements, time it was written, and Abnett being a white Brit like myself, comes across as wildly Islamaphobic it is, it's nice to be back to the more familiar ground of just absolutely solid writing resonating with emotion and pathos.

This is genuinely not just a solid story, but one that actually stirred something in me and conveyed the complicated and fraught mix of emotions felt by the blunted, but not broken Iron X.

I don't really have much else to say beyond this being a brilliant story that I believe is essential for understanding where the Iron Hands were and how they come to be where they are under the guidance of Meduson. Maybe, for those speedrunning the narrative beats it could be skipped, but there's absolutely no way I could get into the head of a person not in the Horus Heresy to get to see and feel all the things. Regardless of interest in the Heresy, this would also be essential reading for any Iron Hands fans, but let's be honest, if that's the only thing here that applies to you, I would be flabbergasted at how you came to be reading this.

Awesome story is awesome.

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 21.41 Horus Heresy novels, 12 novellas, 63 short stories/ audio dramas, 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...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.

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the full review over at my blog:

https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...

As I’ve no doubt mentioned before, the story of the Horus Heresy is one of great tragedy, of dreams shattered, of brotherhoods sundered, of oaths broken, of horrors unleashed. The greatest of these horrors was the Dropsite Massacre on the world of Istvaan V, where the loyal legions of the Warmaster Horus ambushed and nearly wiped out three legions loyal to the Emperor. That event unleashed the greatest tragedy of the Heresy, when brother fought brother, when brother killed brother. In the wake of such a cataclysmic event, how the Imperial legions survived to take their revenge and even prosper and adapt is one of the greatest highlights of the era.

Meduson is an anthology that continues the tale of the so-called Shattered Legions, the Iron Hands, Salamanders and Raven Guard. We begin with a great introduction to the titular character Shadrak Meduson, a line-captain of the Iron Hands, and continue on from there as several characters from across the Iron Hands are shown to evolve to accommodate changing circumstances or fall in failure and even delves into some of what the traitors are doing. It is a decent anthology featuring some of the Horus Heresy series’ best writers, and there are some true gems here that lay the foundation for what follows on.

The first short story in the anthology is Meduson by Dan Abnett in which he introduces us to Shadrak Meduson, a captain of the Iron Hands who reforges the remnants of his Legion post-Dropsite Massacre into a fearsome guerilla force that causes havoc for the traitor Legions. It is a rather endearing story as we see how Meduson fights the Legion’s lethargy and compromises in judgement, intending to create something better that is worthy of their dead Primarch’s memory. What I liked most about the short story was not the actions of the titular character, but his ruminations on his past. We learn that the Iron Hands were called the Storm Walkers before Ferrus Manus was found, that they were led by an honourable warrior by the name of Amadeus DuCaine, of some of the history of the Storm Walkers before the Great Crusade was even launched. That was truly a treat as far I’m concerned.

The main story was no less entertaining, but at times I felt that Dan Abnett was rushing through the plot to get to the ending and establish Meduson as the new leader of the Tenth. Too much happens in a short time-frame and it mostly comes across as Dan Abnett just going through the motions, which is a little disheartening. Still, he ends the story on a really awesome note, and definitely lays down the seeds of Meduson’s name becoming a byword for vengeance as the Heresy progresses from Istvaan V to beyond it.

Rating: 7.5/10

The second story is Unforged by Guy Haley and it is a micro-short. However, it is no less emotionally-moving for that. Set in the grim aftermath of the Dropsite Massacre, it follows a small squad of Salamanders as they fight to survive against the traitor forces. Unforged is short and to the point, leaving with you a sick feeling in your stomach by the end, as you get to a very heart-breaking ending. It makes one weep to see how far the Legions have fallen, the sense of betrayal all-consuming, blinding one to any and all realities that are beyond their understanding. This was pretty excellent.

Rating: 9/10

Nick Kyme’s Immortal Duty is next and it is an interesting one. We follow Legionary Gallikus of the Iron Hands, one of the Legion’s Immortals who have “erred” in some way and are formed into a small independent force of warriors who have to atone for their mistakes. It was a very different take to the Iron Hands than I’m used to, and I think that was rather intentional on Nick’s part because it forces you outside of your comfort zone. It is partly a flashback story as Gallikus recounts an old event, a shared combat zone with the World Eaters, and that certainly had me sticking through the end in one sitting.

The writing can be erratic here as the switch between the present and the past is a little confusing. I suppose that part of the tension there is because of the first person narrative that Nick uses, but for all that, the action scenes are really good, and the twist at the end of the story is one hell of a twist, by any measure. Another heart-twisting moment of sorts, and definitely a redemption of some of the story’s negatives.

Rating: 7.5/10

Fourth in line in the anthology is John French’s The Keys of Hel, which I thought was a rather innovative story and deals with some of the concepts of the Tenth Legion that have largely gone unexplored in the series so far. Namely, what kind of advanced biomechanical technology the Legion is privy to. This is another first-person narrative, and the entire story revolves around what the Keys of Hel are and whether they will be the salvation of the Tenth in these desperate times, or that which hastens their degradation. Knowing how fatalistic and stubborn the Iron Hands become down the long millennia, you could say that the conclusion is obvious, but John nevertheless writes an interesting tale that really holds your interest all the way to the end.

Once again, the ending is not a good one, for it is a tragedy writ small in the larger scheme of things as the Legion comes into conflict with itself over how to prosecute its war for vengeance and meaning in the aftermath of Ferrus Manus’ death. The Iron Hands are like leaves in the wind and desperately craving some insight to gain meaning into what their lives have become and could be and were. Really fascinating.

Rating: 8.5/10

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He stared out. He saw only infinite blackness. He knew that somewhere in its enfolding embrace, lost and scattered in the darkness, were the souls of the ones that had lived, souls that he would struggle to unite until death claimed him. And out there too, blacker than the void by far, were the treacherous souls of the ones he would destroy."

No Legion was more broken by the Dropsite Massacre than the Iron Hands. You can graft a new hand, but not a new head. Leaderless with Ferrus Manus, the Legion faces the threat of slow death from inaction.

Before he was an Iron Warrior Shadrak Meduson was a Storm Walker fighting in the last years of the Unification Wars. Experience of life outside of the rigid hierarchy of the Clans and their Iron Fathers has prepared him to be flexible in the face of adversity, an uncommon trait in the Iron Hands.

This story also sees the start of the rivalry between Tybalt Marr of the Sons of Horus, and Meduson.

Overall a strong introduction to an important character in the Heresy.

[Gamer Gamersson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was honestly pretty good! I had nothing but a passing interest in Meduson, and I thought I'd check out the short story that spawned the character. This is a great example of good writing elevating mediocre characters and narratives. The Iron Hands have pitifully little lore, and are usually written pretty devoid of soul, so the fact that Dan Abnett managed to write something enjoyable with them is a testament to his skill.

The story doesn't really add much to the overall narrative, but it's pretty fun to read, and that's honestly plenty reason.

[Lanfear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Son los manos de hierro contra los hijos de Horus o lo que se llamen ahora estos idiotas y el libro debería ser la hostia pero no es así. Le falta algo o es que yo he leído ya demasiado warhammer y ha perdido toda la gracia para mí. Es Manus contra Fulgrim otra vez por los dioses, debería tener algo, pero no, solo Levannas mola. Y es un guardia del cuervo...

[Bryan Moreton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable series of short stories focused on Shadrak Meduson and the Shattered legions in the wake of Istavan. Interesting background information on the shattered legions but it doesn't move the story forward. I would recommend for Iron Hands and Salamanders players particularly.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read title story do far. Reading it in Shattered legions.

[Seb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good until the final dialogues, which are a bit contrived.

[Jimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have done with less angst ridden space marines and more story progress.
The last story at least took a half step forward.

[Fantasyfan123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only the short story Meduson by Dan Abnett.

[75338 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't bother.

Unless you're a die hard fan of Iron Hands or just HAVE to read everything Horus Heresy. It's advertised as a Dan Abnett title but he just has one middling meh story that's all about dragging this HH cash cow out for as long as possible with as many characters as possible. The rest is standard BL anthology "huh, what's happening with who, wait, nevermind it's over" story format.

If that's your thing, great, get this. If not stay away from this and the BL "pay-ahead-of-time for stuff that we know won't sell otherwise" deal that I was a sucker for.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meduson by Dan Abnett - 5/5
Unforged and Unspoken by Guy Haley - 4/5 and 4/5
Immortal Duty by Nick Kyme - 4/5
Grey Talon and Hand Elect by Chris Wraight 5/5 and 3/5
The Keys of Hel by John French - 3/5
The Noose by David Annandale - 3/5
Deeds Endure by Gav Thorpe - 4/5
The Either by Graham McNeill - 5/5

[Daniel McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly previously published shorts (though some which had previously been audio only) plus the titular novella. Mostly pretty good stuff but it's all been published again in Shattered Legions so don't pick this one up if you don't already have it.

[Lasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid anthology, thow all of the stories are included in the shattered legions book along with the seventh serpet story. But nonethless sheds some well deserved light on the iron hands and shadrak himself