Dreadwing

The Black Library Novella Series 1 #5

by David Guymer

With the Ruinstorm broken and the forces of Guilliman and Sanguinius making all haste for Terra, the Dark Angels lead a bloody campaign of annihilation against the worlds of the Traitor Legions. But as the Legion fragments and the tally of shattered worlds between them and Terra grows, it falls to the Wing lieutenants to question whether the Lion still wages a war he intends to win – or one he has already lost.

Read It Because

Just what did the Lion do while the traitors descended on Terra? David Guymer reveals how the Lion gave in to fury, and what stopped him from breaking his Legion against an endless tide of enemies.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Novella, Fiction

141 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2018

About the author

David Guymer is a freelance author, PhD in molecular microbiology (which still comes in more handy than you might think), and tabletop warlord based in the Yorkshire East Riding. He has written for Black Library, Marvel, Aconyte Books, Asmodee, Mantic Games, Cubicle 7, Creative Assembly, and Mongoose Publishing.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has a primarch, there is an ok story and it has a few lore bits. These are the pros.

The cons include it being a difficult read. It has sentence after sentence of jargon and boring description which translates to a tarpit read. It was really hard work. It also has far too many characters when there are only 3 that are important to the story. Finally, it's not punchy enough for a novella.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaged in a campaign of harassment against Traitor-held worlds, tensions within the I Legion are rising as the question of whether to return to Terra becomes ever more important. While the Lion broods in silence, his lieutenants Redloss and Holguin – of the Dreadwing and Deathwing respectively – are at odds, one keen to continue the campaign and the other desperate to head for Terra.

Individual scenes are largely well done, and there are some nice touches with the strained relationship between Holguin and Redloss, while the Lion’s motivations and thought processes are kept intriguingly at a remove. As a whole, however, it’s just a bit disjointed and lacking a clear through-narrative. It’s also a little puzzling as to why it’s called Dreadwing, given that there’s as much focus on Holguin and his Deathwing as there is on Redloss. It’s hard not to think that a narrower focus dealing with fewer characters might have worked better for a novella, with the bigger picture tackled in a full-length novel.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/11/...

[Declan Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lion - Primarch of the Dark Angels - is pressed to go to Terra to assist in the defense against Horus and the rest of the Heretics, but he resists the advice, and instead takes his fleet to retake a forgeworld in the region.

Set up as a pre-cursor to the Siege of Terra, this book is okay, but only for those following all (or at least most) of the Horus Heresy series. The explanation for the Lion's behaviour doesn't seem to be well thought out and explained and - whilst the fighting is described in the way of the other novels - there is little good explanation for turns in the flow of the battles.

[Michael Botterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but the issues I have with it are a) the title which is is wrong because it’s more about the Deathwing than Dreadwing.

And b) it’s clearly crying out to be a bigger book, it needs a much bigger story to actually deliver justice to the story.

We need more of this because it feels like it deserve more.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 2 out of 5]

April 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XVI Imperium Secondus II Fate's Ashes (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras.

History is repeating itself. I adored one of the twin Betrayal at Calth novellas and much less the other. Now, I adored one of the Scattered Triumvirate novellas and it was not this one.

Dreadwing picks up after the dissolution of Imperium Secondus and Guilliman, Sanguinius, and the Lion having their when shall we three meet again? moment. Sanguinius is racing to Terra, Guilliman is doing his best to slow Horus' roll to give the Angel time, a slice of which is depicted in the phenomenal Spear of Ultramar, and the Lion is setting fire to the galaxy on the assumption Horus will win and because he is a colossal sook.

I truly loathe writing negative reviews, especially for works I don't perceive as being problematic, simply not a gratifying or enjoyable experience.

In many ways this feels like all the aspects I most disliked from The Path of Heaven with none of the stuff I liked and no Chris Wraight. The first third is just the commanding officers of the Dark Angels fleet trying to find the Lion on his flagship and arguing about what to do. The middle third has some interesting moments, especially with some nicely write Watcher cameos, and a very weird Daemonic moment, but it also absolutely brushes over some things that seem like they should be important and given some time and gravitas, but they're not, so they feel weightless. The last part is a big, stodgy, soupy battle against Mechanicus forces that is all quantative and no qualitative, all detail and no heart or immediacy. And then it's just over with an incredibly bleak and nihilistic ending that could really be something, but there's no vitality or spirit established to be crushed by the ending.

I'm truly perplexed.

This is the closest I have come to DNFing in all the many things I've read in this ridiculous endeavour because I found this to be an arduous task with little to no reward or experience. It also suffers from something I mentioned in my review for The Divine Word, being that I don't feel I gained more from reading this than reading a few sentences that cover the main points conveyed--Dark Angels blowing up Traitor homeworlds, seizing places of strategic value, and the Lion has gone full Joker mode causing tensions and rifts already present to fester and the Watchers want them to go back to Caliban.

As always, this is just my personal reflection on my experience with this book and your mileage may well vary. If you enjoy it I genuinely love that for you and don't mean any disrespect to the author.

I feel very weird doing this at all, especially on such a negative review, but I was oddly inspired by just how much the destruction of Chemos was almost a footnote in this book to imagine a story of someone witnessing it and having more of a moment. I haven't written anything in a really long time and this is rough as anything, but I am genuinely over the moon to have spent the whole day writing.

So, yeah. This is a short story called Chimæra (CW: Suicide, Cannibalism, Mental Degradation, and Loss of Self): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 32 Horus Heresy novels (including 1 repeat), 21 novellas (including 2 repeats), 111 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 16 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 1 Characters novel, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...). 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.

[Andrew Waite · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

Despite title, discloses very little about the Dreadwing (a topic that’s been crying out for more info within the lore), and story arc is disjointed and uninteresting at its best.

Easily the worst Dark Angel book, and possibly only second worst Horus Heresy series thanks to Damnation of Pythos.

Even at only 100+ pages I struggled to find the motivation to finish the whole book

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a Dark Angels fan and I read this FR a look at the infamous Dreadwing and bolter porn. That didn’t happen. Instead, I started to kinda like the Lion and also see how secretive the Dark Angels are and how the Watchers manipulate them. I’m sure Dark Angels fans will like it even though it seems disjointed.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good- you see some of the interpersonal conflicts that are damaging the Dark Angels Legion, as well as touch on some of the secrets and darkness that exists in said Legion. Good plot, interesting characters, and a quick read.

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lion engages in behind-enemy-lines operations against the Traitors. Goal is to bleed the enemy and force him to bind his forces chasing the raiders instead of focusing on the main push towards Terra.

But as it is always case with Lion and the 1st Legion motives are not clear (I especially liked one of the "quotes" at the start of the chapters in which Alpharius says he could never read and predict Lion El'jonson).

Since Lion enjoys the complete mystery and wants to keep the situation totally compartmentalized rift slowly shows up in the 1st Legion forces he commands - while some want to move towards Terra, others are solely interested in survival of Caliban. Everybody misses crucial part of the puzzle [except the Lion] and this stress starts to show up because nobody knows what is supposed to be a correct move. Lion expertly plays on the 1st Legion's finely tuned "distrust everyone and everything" instinct in a way that nobody questions any of his decision [even when he turns against his allies from Mechanicum].

As it is always case these read-my-mind approaches to management and leadership leads to big troubles. Especially in cases when any voice questioning or against the Lion's decision might bring decapitation into play. As can be expected due to this people tend to get hesitant to voice their opinions.

Good novella, showing that Lion is loyal to the Emperor, but first and foremost he is loyal to himself and to secrets he harbors. In comparison Alpharius is very transparent. Watchers in the dark are equally frustrated because they cannot make the Dark Angels act - whatever they say 1st legion treats as half-truths or even lies because they are fed half-truths and conflicting information themselves all the time. I guess that after a while one starts to consider every information as incomplete and then just follows on with the majority.

I hope we get more (full novel size) stories about the 1st very soon. They are truly interesting force.

Highly recommended to all fans of Warhammer 40k and Horus Heresy.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suitably depressing and grim tale. Set after the events of "Ruinstorm" the Lion and the First Legion are razing the world's of the Traitor Legion in an attempt to draw forces away from the upcoming Siege.

I thought this novel did a good job of drawing together a lot of the threads set up in previous Dark Angel stories. The death of Nemiel in "The Lion" is referenced multiple times to explain why the Dark Angels are fearful of their father's anger, and why they cannot confide in him. The Lion's distrust towards others is explained by way of reference to the trust he once placed in Perturabo (as seen in Descent of Angels) which was of course broken by the betrayal on Isstvan V. The plotline of Caliban and the Watchers that had been developed across multiple stories like "Cypher: Guardian of Caliban" "Master of the First" and "Angels of Caliban".

A significant part of the story is dedicated to rhe growing divide between the Lion and his sons. The Lion is focused on destroying the Traitor's homeworlds, while some of his sons like Holguin Commander of the Deathwing, wish to make haste to Terra to fight in the Siege. This divide only grows over the course of the book, as the Lion acts increasingly secretive and decieves even those he calls allies. The plot is clearly shaping up to prepare for the conflict on Caliban, where Luther has already declared independence from the Imperium.

The titular Dreadwing make scattered appearances throughout the book, with Farith Redloss, Commander of the Dreadwing opposing Holguin. The Dreadwing emprace an ideology of total destruction, and that is the path the Lion now walks. At this point the Lion believes Terra to have fallen. He no longer believes he is fighting to save the Imperium, instead he fights to scorch the earth so that Horus will be the master of ash and death and nothing more. Which makes "Dreadwing" a rather fitting title for the novel.

[Glyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Horus Heresy has proved to be a great cash cow for Black Library. No less than 54 full novels, countless short stories, a good few novellas and a pile of audio dramas spread out over some 14 years.
Dreadwing is a novella that probably does not need to exist. It does little to advance the over arching story and there are few character developments. If anything, the most important aspects are mentioned in passing. On the face of it, there is little to recommend here.

Despite that I gave it four stars.. My reasoning for this is quite simple. The novels follows the 1st Legio Astartes "Dark Angels" in the aftermath of the events of the novel Ruinstorm. Their Primarch Lion'el Jonson has decided that he cannot get back to Terra in time to make a difference, instead he will draw Horus' traitor armies away from Terra by destroying the homeworld of each and every one of the Traitor Legions. Like his father the Emperor, Jonson doesn''t really do explanations of his actions so even his most trusted lieutenants are bemused and hurting about the diktat to let Terra stand or fall withou them. That forms the narrative grist to this story as two rival Commanders vie for the Primarch's attention.

This novella is a fascinating and well imagined insight into the secretive and determinedly insular Dark Angels. By having the "noble" Deathwing Commander clash with the avowedly pragmatic (read devestatingly ruthless) titular Dreadwing we see the philosophical conflict that rages within the legion.

If you are a Dark Angel fan then this is interesting if not you can pass on it without losing too much

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist nichts für Einsteiger ins Warhammer-Universum. Da es sich um ein Prequel handelt, geht Guymer automatisch davon aus, dass man die Hauptgeschichte kennt. Oder zumindest die handelnden Figuren.

Ich kannte weder die Handlung, noch die Charaktere, und aufgrund des häufigen Namedroppings und der Erwähnung von Geschehnissen, die mir nichts sagen, kenne ich diese Punkte noch immer nicht so recht. Hauptsächlich war ich verwirrt.

Jedoch hat mir der Löwe als Figur starken Eindruck gemacht. Er ist ein typischer Vertreter der starken Helden im Warhammer-Universum. Über allem thronend, dominierend. Er wird mir wohl in Erinnerung bleiben, auch wenn ich alles andere aufgrund Unverständnisses vergessen werde...

Die typischen Warhammer-Elemente haben mir aber auch hier zugesagt, weshalb die Geschichte noch immer drei Sterne verdient. Wer sich in The Horus Heresey auskennt, wird wahrscheinlich mehr mit dem Text anfangen und ihn somit auch besser geniessen können.

[Jack Volante · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read exactly what the DAs were doing during the siege of Terra... going around insta-gibbing a lot of the traitor legion's homeworlds.
The portrayal of The Lion was enjoyable. He really is a moody emo, but you could say that about a lot of the Primarchs.
The best interaction was between the two captains of the different squads - I can't remember their names - and I was unsure which one was going to become one of the Fallen.

Overall, a great story that all DA fans SHOULD read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all legions in the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels have had the rockiest path. With multiple writers tackling the legion, some of which I quite enjoyed like Mitchel Scanlon's Descent of Angels, and others which just fell flat. As such a lot of their Heresy era books feel unessential and uninteresting, not so here. Guymer manages to meld together all of the disparate elements of the Heresy era Dark Angels to tell an entertaining, and compelling story.

[Kevin Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for any Dark Angels fan

If you’re a Dark Angels fan, this should definitely be on your reading list. It shows scenes deep inside the Lion’s circle and goes a long way towards understanding his motivations.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Largely pointless

Starting well, this novella rapidly descends into another boring battering of a world by an author that gives fighting the excitement level of the evaporation of moisture from paint. Sigh.

[Lewis Salter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good insight into what could be considered an anti-hero legion and how they responded to the horus heresy.

[Ulzeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I quite enjoyed ‘Angels of Caliban’, but this might be the best Dark Angels-focused Horus Heresy writing yet. Guymer’s Lion is perhaps a rival to ADB’s or Abnett’s: mysterious, arrogant, yet undeniably charismatic, you can see exactly why he’s able to run his Legion like a… well, like a king! ‘Dreadwing’ also gives us Holguin and Redloss, two interesting Dark Angel lieutenants, and fleshes them out a lot, showing us why these two determined and loyal servants of their Primarch could be at odds.

I also really like all the drill-downs on the different Dark Angel ‘wings’ and how their differing philosophies can cause them to view each other with some wariness. It really seems like a shame that the Dark Angels storyline of the Heresy is so tangled in other linked storylines and has such wildly varying quality (and perhaps too many authors involved) because even though they don’t “do much” in the Heresy they are one of the coolest, most interesting factions. And this story really made me wish Guymer had got a full HH novel about them. Maybe he’ll get a chance to pick them up again in the Scouring. You know they’re not gonna let him do anything with the actual ‘Battle of Caliban’ or whatever. But I think he's one of the most underrated authors for Heresy stuff right now.

I’m a little confused at how low this is rated on Goodreads! But Dark Angels fans seem a very picky bunch with quite different tastes to me.

Boy, when are we getting a new Horus Heresy story compilation? It feels like there’s about 3-4 years of short stories and novellas that could be collected into a pretty meaty paperback. For a while it seemed like the story collections were all that were coming out for the Heresy… now I miss those days!

8.5/10

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella from David Guymer. The author clearly knows how to write engaging characters which inhabit a brilliantly imaginable world complete with all the technicality to make it believable too.
The problem I have with this novella is the title. Yes, the Dreadwing feature, but not as much as it focuses on Holguin of the Deathwing. This character, amidst all the other goings ons of the story, really appears to be more the focal point than Farith Redloss of the Dreadwing, or any of his subordinates or the Dreadwing by and large. Furthermore, the story doesn't really ever show them on a war footing as a Wing, so I'm really at a loss as to why it is titled 'Dreadwing' at all. One would also think that Black Library would produce this volume to reflect the lore contained within... The Dreadwing's insignia is that of an hourglass fashioned as a skull, not a generic arrangement of Dark Angels-related insignia.
Aside from those relatively minor points (though I have a particular distaste for inaccurate marketing), the work is a great take on the First legion and the events that lead them to being absent from the forthcoming Siege of Terra.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so fed up with authors in black library doing the same sort of thing with the 1st legion dark angels, always making out like they are bad and have heretic like tendencies. The reason I started getting into 40k was the dark angels, I bought the codex and was hooked, hearing about honourable knights and the great primarch who didn’t fight for glory or praise but for right and was a master tactician and great warrior. But in Horus heresy books just like this one they make out he a nasty guy and at one point it even says that the lion is more likely to go to Terra to make sure guilliman or dorn can’t get the glory rather than him going to save his fathers empire, I mean come on to f*** we are talking bout the greatest most honourable knight here and black library allowing authors to make him 1 punch kill his own men for not agreeing with him and killing for the sake of it, pure nonsense and it does my head in I’m going to stop getting DA books if it keeps happening.

[T R Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreadwing follows Lion El ‘Jonson and his Dark Angels as they conduct their crusade of vengeance through Traitor controlled space during the build-up to the Siege of Terra. This was an entertaining book with a some reasonably good intrigue within the ranks of the Dark Angels that I found quite interesting, with the split between the Dreadwing and the Deathwing being particularly good. I did like the Lion in the book, particular when he first appears, but the main Deathwing and Dreadwing characters are also good as well. The action in the book was quite basic but still somewhat entertaining nonetheless, much like the novella itself.