Kogot Horusa

Black Legion #1

by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Russian Book. Publisher: Fantastika. Pages: 416. Year: 2016. Cover: Hardcover.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Novels

Paperback

First published April 22, 2014

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Talon of Horus was an interesting read. It was my very first book told from the viewpoint of the Traitor Legions. Iskandar Khayon is a Chaos Marine and a sorcerer. Embroiled in the conflict between the various Traitor Marines, also known as the Nine Legions, Khayon and a mixture other Astartes from various Traitor Legions decide to try to change things.

I will not spoil the rest of the story, but this is basically the story of how the Black Legion arose out of the Nine Legions (the Nine Traitor Legions). It is the story of how some of the Chaos Marines, tired of fighting each other, band together to seek out a leader. There is one person they all have in mind.Only one with the skill, talent and sheer power to become a new Warmaster. His name, a blast from the past, is Ezekyle Abaddon. The First Captain of the Luna Wolves.

While the story isn't as well written as some of the other Warhammer books it is still good. I enjoyed the interesting look at the Chaos Marines. Also this version of Abaddon seems far more mature, intelligent and cynical than the old First Captain from the Horus Heresy books. This takes places roughly a few thousand years after the events of the Heresy.

A pretty good tale. Really liked the fact it showed the Traitor Marine's point of view and motivations. Not as good as the Horus Heresy series but an entertaining addition to this series nonetheless.

[Gareth Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly sublime novel. A brilliant start to a new long running series and a fantastic insight into the workings of the Warp, Chaos and Daemons.
This is the best thing put out by BL to date and the most beautiful, wonderful and utterly singular novel by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.

[Cory Rathbun · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADB, you magnificent bastard. Incredible.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose was excellent, it was very well written. My biggest problem is that just... not much happens.

The first 50 odd pages is... a conversation. Then they find the magical macguffin. Then there's a short fight at the end. And that's... about it.

And it's very Basil Exposition-ey at times.

However, we learn some interesting things about the way the warp is. The WH40k universe is redefined to be even more grim and bleak than it already is. (Honestly though, it is getting a ~little~ nihilistic. Is the Astartes vs Cthulhu story that far away? :) ) And there are a lot of really neat little character moments that I enjoyed very much.

For a book that got the full-blown epic Black Library £40 special edition treatment, I mean, it was a good story, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. Was left feeling sort of glad I borrowed it from a friend (and read it REALLY REALLY CAREFULLY! Honestly I've never been so nervous reading a book before.) rather than buying it myself.

I'm looking forward to the second volume though. If it expands on the set-up in this first one. It could be a rollicking good read.

One big spoilery question though, two of the core companion characters appear to die at the end in the fight with you-know-who, but I missed if we found out if they're actually dead or were just seriously injured? It seems a fairly large omission if the book didn't answer that, so I wonder if I just missed it?

[Darrel Vater von Katzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Talon of Horus is an amazing book! I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this, but I have been amazed with where this story went.

This story fleshes out an area of the 30-40k lore that has been neglected so far. What happened to the traitor legions between the end of the Horus Heresy and the start of the Black Crusades? How did the Black Legion form and so on. I don't want to give anything away, but this is definitely a must read book of any fan of Horus Heresy or anyone that enjoys reading about the true nature of Chaos and the Traitor legions.

Hopefully it will be a start to a very interesting new series.

I am really hoping this might be the beginning of the 'end times' of the 40k universe.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Talon of Horus tells a story from a very interesting timeframe in the Warhammer40K universe: between the Horus Heresy and the Black Crusades there lie millenia in which the Imperium of Man was relatively at peace, insofar even that "The Nine Legions" where stuff of legend, believed to be lost in the Eye of Chaos and succumbed there to the Warp's fickle winds... and in essence, they were.

Small spoiler annex "oh-my-god now I really want to read this"-statement: This story is how the XVIth legion, the Sons of Horus, died; and how the Black Legion rose to power to the extent of them being able to call the Black Crusades into reality. The spoiler consists of the fact that it has always been a big misconception to think that the Black Legion came from the Sons of Horus: they are completely different Legions!

The main character is Khayon, a legionnary from the Thousand Sons, who stumbles into a quest to help some remnant of the fading XVIth chasing after legends.
ADB again succeeds in portraying traitor marines in such a way that you symphatise, no matter the horrors they willingly inflict upon their victims. Also, this character is that interesting, together with his retinue that even the "real" main character, the current bearer of The Talon of Horus, becomes a bit boring.

I find myself unable to describe any scene without adding more spoilers. The story is magnificently captivating, the new realisations about the WH40K universe are numerous; the finale blows your mind both with the adrenalin of the action, and the emotionality of the statements and conclusions being drawn.

It's not a recommended story for WH40K newbies, as the story ties and links with both the past (all of the Horus Heresy novels) and the present (the stories about the Black Crusades). But, for completeness sake, some novels to start from:
Past:
- Horus Rising
- False Gods
- Galaxy in Flames
- A Thousand Sons
- Prospero Burns
- The First Heretic
- Betrayer
Present:
- Night Lords
- any WH40K (the game) codex on Chaos and Chaos Space Marines... just to hear of the stories told

[John Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great novel by Mr. ADB himself.

Told from the perspective of a Thousand Son legionary, he recants his time as one of Abaddons lieutenants. First giving us a little insight into what happened after the "Traitor" legions were defeated on Terra and what happens when they were banished into the Eye. It wasn't just a quick turn around of revenge that made the Sons of Horus turn into the Black Legion, but a slow crawl. He tells us of what life is like within the Eye. Something that we don't hear of too often from other Black Library authors, and he tells it in such great detail. ADB has definitely come a long way from his first novel Cadian Blood, and it seems (to me at least) that each novel gets better than the last!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Chaos Space Marines, both pre heresy and post heresy. Or for anyone who has interest into learning more about the Eye of Terror and its influence on the flesh. Actually, this book should be read by anyone who enjoys the Warhammer 40k universe. So stop reading this review and go out and buy it!!!

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this is one of the best Warhammer 40,000 books I've ever read and, quite frankly, it's one of the best Horus Heresy books I've read and it's not even a Horus Heresy Book. The Keeble audiobook really adds to the Heretical goodness!

I truly adored this and absolutely smashed the audiobook in 24 hours, despite actually having stuff on today.

The voice, tone, characterisation, and narrative are all exquisite, emotionally grounded, and thoroughly entertaining.

Abaddon doesn't appear until two thirds of the way through, but who cares!? Iskandar Khayon and his merry band of misfits are EVERYTHING.

After the Horus Heresy ending in decline, despite the last ADB book and Abnett's valiant efforts, this has reminded me of exactly what can be so genuinely great about stories in this universe, which is simply high quality prose and characters with depth and emotion to balance and make the GrimDark epicness actually have weight.

I already feel the third book being my Winds of Winter.

Imagine if all 40K books were half as good as this? What a world.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

WTF!
I ❤ The Black Legion.
They've got the driest/blackest sense of humour..
Sign me up!

[scafandr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хорус пал, его выжившие друзья убежали в Око Ужаса зализывать раны - на этом этапе мы начинаем читать роман "Коготь Хоруса", входящий в состав трилогии о Черном Легионе. Описание ведет Искандар Хайон, лорд-чернокнижник Тысячи сынов. Собравшись на тайной сходке по просьбе Фалька (космодесантника хаоса), Хайон Фальк и примкнувший к ним Укрис из Пожирателей миров, установили, что некто (судя по всему Дети императора) хотят клонировать Хоруса. Это нужно срочно пресечь, т.к. Хорус будет уже не тот, да и если бы был тот, то и он не нужен, так как обгадился он в итоге по полной. Спустя некоторое время к ним совершенно неожиданно присоединяется великий и ужасный Абаддон, у которого свои цели на возрождение славы былого ордена, дабы доказать всем, что главная проблема в галактике - это именно они, а не тираниды или разные ксеносы.
Я могу назвать этот роман вступительным. Знакомимся с героями, слушаем их размышления, проникаемся идеями, пытаемся понять мотивацию. Я все время ждал, когда начнется традиционный экшен для среднестатистического Вархаммера, но он так и не начался. Стычки, конечно есть (в основном с порождения��и хаоса), но они проходят фоном, т.к. не это главное в романе. Для меня может быть это и есть главный недочет романа. С другой стороны, есть куча других книг с феерическими сражениями. В "Когте Хоруса" мы получили начало истории об импозантных фигурах из Ока Ужаса, которые обязательно в следующих книгах цикла начнут творить разные непотребства.
Начало хорошее, не шибко высокого градуса, но обнадеживающее в плане следующих романов. Пора выходить из тени, Абаддон!

[Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talon of Horus is one of the best 40K books I’ve ever read. There’s so much myth and legend packed into this tale that I feel genuinely sentimental about this fictional little (big) universe. In the Night Lords trilogy, Talos, the protagonist, pulls a gladius from its sheath and hands it to a human dissenter aboard his ship to teach him a lesson:

“The blade in your hands was forged on Mars in an age now believed to be myth by almost every soul in the Imperium. It has cut the heads from men, women, children, aliens and beasts. With these hands, I pushed it into the beating heart of a man who ruled an entire world.”

It might seem small, but this scene is exactly what made me start reading the Horus Heresy. The blade isn’t just a weapon… it carries history, dread, and the weight of countless lives. In that moment, I could feel the universe and all the lore and intrigue behind it.

Talon of Horus does the same, but on an almost overwhelming scale. It’s like walking through a museum and seeing relics from the past with your own eyes, but in this case, through the perspective of a Thousand Sons Sorcerer who has a curious number of tricks up his sleeve and fantastic storytelling flair.

That’s another thing worth calling out: How authentic the narrative pace and structure is. Khayon is in captivity, recounting his tales to his captors, and sometimes slips in and out of a story. He pauses just enough to explain, illuminate, or show how it matters beyond the story. Keeping a writing style so unique and consistent would be really hard IMO, but it was very well done.

[Jack Hayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Really disliked the first half of the book and thought the second was good. Not good enough, however, to save the book. Maybe will read Black Legion? Part of my attempt to read 40k in chronological order.

74% Abandon Abaddon?

[Juri Sabol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you wanna hear a joke? Okay

Thousans Sons sorcerer, World Eaters centurion, Emperors Children captain, Ealdari scourge and daemon walks into the bar.... and the World Eater says "Don't call me Firefist."

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Dembski-Bowden's work. They have a way of capturing certain elements in the 40k universe that very few of the Black Library's stable of writers can.

That said, The Talon of Horus left me with mixed feelings.

On one hand, this is a wonderful novel. At first, I was thrown by the choice to use a Thousand Son character to tell the tale of the Black Legion. But, as the novel progressed, it made complete sense. Not only did it allow for a few really interesting side characters, but it also allowed for some nice discussions about the warp. (I was reading this alongside the last book of the Ahriman series, so it was an interesting counterpoint to this tale)

There are some absolutely beautiful things in this novel. The slow build to the creation of the Black Legion was nice, and helped to show why they came about. It gave me some insight into something I never really liked in the 40k universe, and helped me to understand the motives behind them where other novels had left Abaddon coming across as a fool. (surprisingly, Aaron was the author of that series as well) By the end of the novel, I actually liked the Black Legion and what it stood for.

Another thing is the side characters. Each and every single one of them were fleshed out in some manner and were both unique and interesting. There were points where I felt that perhaps they were too unique, pushing the boundaries of believability of the story, almost crossing into the Mary Sue area of things.

Compared to a lot of 40K novels, this one contains a lot more dialogue and inner thoughts of the protagonist. It may not be for everyone, but it helped to explain certain things, and at times the exposition was actually needed, and slotted in perfectly with how the story was fitting together. Without these moments, this would have been a very lack luster novel, and nothing more than the standard action novels we so regularly see in 40k fiction.

But with all that said, there were some issues with this book, beyond the before mentioned toeing of the Mary Sue line. My biggest has to do with the clone of Horus. It is mentioned time and time again in 40k fiction that the primarchs were to the space marines as the space marines are to normal humans. This can actually be seen in the current release of the primarchs in the game itself. Yet in the confrontation with the cloned Horus in this, the way everything plays out not only downplayed the primarch (maybe a cloning flaw?), but also made him sized the same as Abaddon in his terminator warplate, which shouldn't have been the case. Most people wouldn't have noticed this, but it really took me out of the story.

Another is just the ease at which the protagonist and his warband solve some of the issues of this story. Sure, there will be readers who will read these events and go: 'That was so cool!!', yet really, the way the events play out are just so... glossed over to the point where they seemed easy for the group to achieve. It robbed the tale of a lot of character building and weakened the tale overall. It felt very much deus ex machina.

Yet, in the end, I really enjoyed this novel, and will probably read it again. The protagonist was fascinating and engaging, and I found myself thinking about him every so often when I wasn't reading the novel. I found myself leaning towards reading this novel despite being in the middle of a handful of other 40k novels. It's worth reading, and even more so if you are a Black Legion or Chaos marine player.

[Stefan Popovici · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you love everything Warhammer? Do you devour any bits of lore available? Do you care about the world and its characters? If not, then you won't like this. This book is for people who eat and breathe Warhammer 40k.

The book tells the origin story of the Black Legion and of how Abaddon became Warmaster of Chaos. The main character is one Iskandar Khayon, sorcerer of the Thousand Sons legion. He gathers a ragtag group of allies and spends most of the book trying to find the legendary Vengeful Spirit intending to claim it as his own. His plans change when he actually finds the vessel and meets Abaddon but this only happens later in the story.

What really surprised me here is that The Talon of Horus is a very risky and atypical 40k book. Generally, 40k novels thrive on explosive action and adrenaline fueled battle scenes with some character moments thrown in between them. The best books in the series manage to blend these two elements and thus making you actually care about what happens in those battles. Here, ADB takes a huge chance by almost exclusively focusing on world building and character development. There are precious few battle scenes and even those that exist are short and nowhere near the scope and scale of the grand engagements found elsewhere. This could have easily derailed the entire thing but for me it managed to make the whole experience all the more special.

ADB has a very unique style of writing Chaos. In most books, the Traitor Legions and just generally anyone even remotely aligned to Chaos are portrayed as one dimensional evil fanatics devoid of any character. He on the other hand tries to give them sentience and personalities beyond being just fodder for the "good guys". For all I know he could be a Chaos God himself, sent to Earth to try and fool us all into embracing the Pantheon. But in the off chance that he isn't, he remains probably the best Chaos writer that Black Library has.

[Andrew Ziegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of the BEST Warhammer 40K universe based novels I have ever read. ADB brings all of his ability illuminating and making sympathetic and compelling villains once again. I hated Dan Abnett because he would make characters in this gaming universe that I cared about and missed when he killed them off, but ADB has this amazing skill of taking figures you should absolutely hate and only want to see fail and turning them into interesting, deep, and compelling figures in an every growing mythology. ADB writes so well in this universe, and is consistently creating and breaking ground in lore that needs to be told. I am really excited for the next novel in this series. I also have to say, because I am pretty sure he has been exposed to it, if you like the narrative style here, read Bernard Cornwell's Winter King trilogy about King Arthur. A prisoner recounting lost days of brotherhood and tragedy once again. If not, your loss. ADB, damnit, you are awesome. Don't stop.

[Veronica Anrathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

*0*

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was AMAZING! Right from the beginning The Talon of Horus had me hooked!

My entire life up to this point, I haven't been a big reader. Throughout all of grade school and high school, I was never big on reading, having really never even fully completed a novel until late high school (grade 12 I believe?) when I read The Hobbit. In my late teens/early 20's, I would go on to read Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour, and then eventually my first Warhammer 40k novel in First and Only of the Gaunt's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett. Up until 2021, those are the only novel I can confidently say that I fully read from front to back, while being fully engaged in them. Each of them taking me a fair amount of time to complete, reading not even a chapter a day. I had always loved the idea of being a reader, but could never get myself to commit to it.

The reason I bring all of this up in a book review, is because in 2021, I decided to get very into reading the many Warhammer 40k novels, and 40k lore in general. I have purchased a handful of books over the last few weeks, and begun reading them. This is the third 40k novel I have read (First and Only, then Fifteen Hours, then this), and I crushed it in 10 days. 10 days for a 400 page novel is a VERY big deal for me. Never before in my life have I been this invested and engaged in a novel of any kind. I had trouble putting this book down. I would sit to just read one chapter, and end up going through three of them, which I'm sure to many other people seems normal, but this had never happened to me before.

Aaron Dembski-Bowden is a FANTASTIC author. The story told by ADB through the main character and narrator (Iskandar Khayon) of The Talon of Horus is masterfully crafted. There were many points throughout this novel where the narrator would be tasked with explaining a wholly inhuman experience occurring in a weird hell dimension in space, only to go off on a wonderfully worded tangent, painting a beautifully grotesque, relatable image of the events which were occurring, and the thoughts and emotions of those experiencing them. You would think reading a novel about an 8 foot tall, space faring, warrior sorcerer, with immense psychic powers may be a little difficult to follow along with, but the words practically leapt off the page and into my mind.

Going into this, I had a few assumptions about what a novel focusing on the chaos space marines may look like, and I'm happy to say I was completely off the mark. I was NOT expecting the level of respect, honour, brotherhood, and even humour that I read. Sure, they are evil, evil in a universe where even the best examples of the "good guys" are comparatively evil by modern standards. The characters can be cruel, blood-thirsty, and hold little value for lives that aren't their own, or that of their fellow chaos space marines, but, in this novel they are made to be very easy to follow along with and root for throughout their journey.

The only minor drawback I found in this book, is that it seems it would be difficult to come into from a standing start in terms of Warhammer 40k lore. There are many references to the events of the Horus Heresy, as well as a number of characters offhandedly mentioned that have been established elsewhere throughout the years. Some of these events and characters I was familiar with, but many of them I was not. Leading me to have to occasionally stop what I was reading and look someone or something up to have a better understanding of what was going on. While this was mildly inconvenient, I don't consider this a big problem at all, just something to be aware of going into it.

Through fear of spoiling any of the events of this book, I think this is where I will end things. The Talon of Horus was the first truly wonderful and addictive reading experience I have ever had, and I CANNOT wait to get started on the next novel in the series. Beyond that, I look forward to reading all of Aaron Dembski-Bowden's other works in the 40k universe.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very mythic, very legendary tale, from the point of view of a Thousand Sons sorcerer who's been there when the Black Legion was born.

That said, I considered removing one star because a lot of the epic scale and framework was lost on me. I am not that familiar with the rumors and hearsay about the the Black Legion's origin, the significance of their first battles were as unfamiliar to me as the importance of an eye witness reporting these events.

However, the protagonist and his personal conflicts are amazing. His voice of telling is captivating all on its own. Watching the disrupted warbands of the nine traitor legions find common ground in the Eye of Terror, that galactic anomaly where warp and reality blend into an unholy purgatory of hell, is amazing.

And in all honesty, the way they fight for survival and ultimately reach their incredible strategic goals, finding purpose after losing everything up to and including their identity, is also working much to the credit and impact of this novel.

All things considered, if you're a 40k enthusiast and care to know about the Black Legion, this book is a must read. If you're new to the franchise, it can still be a very exciting and thought provoking lecture, but I believe way too much knowledge about the universe is expected in advance for the experience to really work without it.

[Brady Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books in the 40K universe so far. Really cool hearing the views of the traitors legions and what makes them tick. I liked the format of the protagonist seemingly telling his story to the Imperium.

Some interesting characters, and it’s equally interesting to see how these very different characters form relationships with each other. Some decent action, especially at the end and really excited to read the second book in the series, The Black Legion, if I can get hold of a copy!

[Remembrancer S Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

well that was quite the enjoyable lesson.
I do so love getting all perspectives on things.
to see the villains point of view is something you don't always get even in large epics like 40K.

I did so love that we had a psycher that used an battle ax.
such a rare combination. usually they're using staffs maybe a sword or something like that more elegant weapons.
but there's something quite enjoyable about a sorcerer who is more or less a blunt instrument.

as well as a world eater who isn't just a blathering idiot but a thinking individual.

like the best 40K stories it's never the story itself that carries the day It is very much the characters.

[booksbyg · Rating 5 out of 5]

So impressed with this work - the combination of Aaron Dembski-Bowden and Jonathan Keeble really makes this audiobook amazing! I was so impressed I searched for anything else Keeble had narrated. Great plot, great characters and a shame that Games Workshop haven't created a model of the main character (yet!) Really looking forward to listening to the second book in this series but also loved it so much I may also read it too! Great stuff!

[Ben Vogensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked it. The characters were really engaging and Khayon was fascinating to uncover increasingly more about as the story went forward. The ending in particular was phenomenal as you actually kinda see where the Black Legion is coming from. The way Abbadon was portrayed was also really cool. My only real complaint is that the pacing in the middle was a bit too slow imo.

[Javier Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

After exclusively reading the Horus heresy books, it took a while to get my bearings on the story. Once I did, oooooh boy, this was a ride. Great story telling by ADB. I’m looking forward to reading more from him.

[Володимир Кузнєцов · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не новий для Варгаммера випадок - книжка більше про бекграунд та історію персонажей та лор фракцій, ніж про самостійний цікавий сюжет. Утім, написана вельми майстерно, щоб не набриднути.

[sivel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I'm not so crazy about the whole thing being a narration, atleast in some parts - but it is really well written and holds a great part of lore I never imagined to read.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jack Neighbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. ADB is such a pleasure to read and this is a great book from the chaos perspective. Definitely highly recommend.

[Thomas Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice book, good flow, interesting characters. Some background knowledge of 40k is recommended before you start this novel.

[Lachlan Babbage · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a 4.5 stars from me.
I audiobooked this one while travelling for placement. Phenomenal narration and amazing storytelling and character development. My only wish would be for a slightly less rushed ending.