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The Horus Heresy #54
The Buried Dagger
For long years, the Horus Heresy has ground on. Now, the Death Guard have been sent to begin the final battle. But Mortarion and his sons must face their gravest challenge first – for Nurgle has claimed them as his own, and he will not be denied…
The skies darken over Terra as the final battle for the Throne looms ever closer... As the Traitor primarchs muster to the Warmaster’s banner, it is Mortarion who is sent ahead as the vanguard of the Traitor forces. But as he and his warriors make way, they become lost in the warp and stricken by a terrible plague. Once thought of as unbreakable, the legendary Death Guard are brought to their knees. To save his Legion, Mortarion must strike a most terrible bargain that will damn his sons for eternity. Meanwhile, in the cloisters of Holy Terra, a plot is afoot to create sedition and carnage in advance of the Horus’s armies. Taking matters into his own hands, Malcador the Sigillite seeks to put a stop to any insurrection but discovers a plot that he will need all of his cunning and battle-craft to overcome.
The skies darken over Terra as the final battle for the Throne looms ever closer... As the Traitor primarchs muster to the Warmaster’s banner, it is Mortarion who is sent ahead as the vanguard of the Traitor forces. But as he and his warriors make way, they become lost in the warp and stricken by a terrible plague. Once thought of as unbreakable, the legendary Death Guard are brought to their knees. To save his Legion, Mortarion must strike a most terrible bargain that will damn his sons for eternity. Meanwhile, in the cloisters of Holy Terra, a plot is afoot to create sedition and carnage in advance of the Horus’s armies. Taking matters into his own hands, Malcador the Sigillite seeks to put a stop to any insurrection but discovers a plot that he will need all of his cunning and battle-craft to overcome.
386 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2019
113 people are currently reading
1850 people want to read
About the author
James Swallow
302 books1,068 followersJames Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.
DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.
Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.
For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow
Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.
You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.
DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.
Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.
For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow
Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.
You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
August 12, 2019
You know what? I'll just give it 5 stars. Wasn't sure if it should be 4, normally I give 5 only when I am completely and utterly blown away, but I think this book deserves it for several reasons. It took 54 novels and numerous shorts to FINALLY give us a proper Mortarion story. This is the main reason why The Buried Dagger is a must read. As much as traitor Primarchs' daddy issues are becoming pretty repetitive, that's what the Heresy is all about, isn't it? Through this story with a rather poetic name we learn more about Morty's personality and we get to finally become empathetic towards him. I've definitely learned a lot. The fall of Death Guard next to the birth of Malcador's Knights is a lovely combination of stories to tell, every chapter is engaging, no "filler", especially considering the multitude of big names from the older novels taking part. Very well written, beautiful scenes that just come to life in the reader's brain, powerful ending too. Makes me very excited to finally start reading the Siege of Terra.
September 30, 2019
The sigil was tattooed upon the thick, pale muscle of his bicep. The glaring skull signified the shadow of death that both loomed over the soldiers and marched as their ally, while the six-pointed star was said to represent the light of the new dawn freedom would bring to Barbarus. Those so marked as Skorvall was were Mortarion’s Death Guard, his unbroken blades in the war against the Overlords.
54th book of the Horus Heresy is the long awaited tale of Mortarion and XIV Legion's doom, but being a Death Guard themed novel Nathaniel Garro has a main role too, closing lots of sub-plots and setting the stage for the upcoming Solar War.
The flashback intervals about Mortarion's past war on Barbarus against the Overlords, his first meeting and camaraderie with Calas Typhon (Typhus, you bastard!), and the arrival of the Emperor saving his lost
Maybe the part about XIV Legion stranded inside the Warp was too rushed in favor of developing the Malcador's and Grey Knights origin's storylines, but I'm so much a fan of Mortarion, since I first read about the Fall of Deah Guard in theRealm of Chaos: The Lost and The Damned handbook 29 years ago, a nearly legendary moment in old W40K canon, that reading this book was just a blast for me.
And that double ending with Garro and Loken in front of the saluting Seventy survivors, in name and honor if not in number, ready for their last stand, and the newborn Daemon Prince of Nurgle and his army coming out of the Warp into real space and acquiring their target, is just one of the best of the whole series.
‘Cities are aflame across the planet. The people are dying. The war is already here.’
Malcador did not answer. Instead, the reply came from a dark-eyed warrior who stood in the shadows beneath the wing of a shuttle. ‘This is not the war, Death Guard. These are just the ripples ahead of the wave, lapping at the shoreline. You should look up. The flood tide will be so great and so vast, you may mistake it for the sky.’
A fitting ending to a ten years long saga and an excellent prologue to his long waited conclusion: the Siege of Terra.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2020
Well, after 53 books we finally get a proper Death Guard novel. Except actually, we don't. The book's biggest problems are really what it fails to be, rather than what it is. Viewed in isolation, this is probably a 2.5 star book. But you can't view the 54th book in a series in isolation, and because of that it is a true disappointment. The book splits itself into three narratives, with very little overlap so each really needs to be discussed in turn.
Young Mortarion- This section was generally good. It suffered a bit from not being fleshed out as much as would be ideal, Morty's interaction with his 'father' could have done with some expansion, as could the characters of the other 'lessers'. Swallow's descriptions also seem a little bland, there isn't enough atmosphere injected into the place, though there is considerably more than in the other sections.
The Knights Errant- And now the major problem with the book. This entire section, which makes up 50% of the book in chapter terms, has absolutely nothing to do with the Death Guard at all. Every other chapter is a tedious, irrelevant slog, only put in because the plot-line needed wrapping up and the series had run out of books so it had to go somewhere. A small sub-plot on Garro and his relationship with the rest of the legion would have fit in, but this does not. Under other circumstances I might have been interested, but it was so awkwardly shoe-horned in and so obviously making the other narratives suffer through lack of space, that it killed any desire I had to follow it.
The Becalming- If anything, even worse! What is advertised as the main focus of the book in its blurb gets, maybe, 10% of the book at best. The whole thing is skimmed over in the most pedestrian way imaginable. The opportunity for horror, of a fleet caught idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean while increasingly at the mercy of things they don't understand and afraid of the enemy within their own bodies could have been fantastic. Instead we get a by-the-numbers recounting of what we already knew. With little expansion, and no introspection or exploration. No time with other characters and looking at the varied ways they view what was happening. Almost no description: there is never the feel of a living fleet, the claustrophobia of being becalmed, or the horror of a desperate way out.
So 1.5 stars for the Young Morty section, but overall a stinker. And not in the good Death Guard sense!
Young Mortarion- This section was generally good. It suffered a bit from not being fleshed out as much as would be ideal, Morty's interaction with his 'father' could have done with some expansion, as could the characters of the other 'lessers'. Swallow's descriptions also seem a little bland, there isn't enough atmosphere injected into the place, though there is considerably more than in the other sections.
The Knights Errant- And now the major problem with the book. This entire section, which makes up 50% of the book in chapter terms, has absolutely nothing to do with the Death Guard at all. Every other chapter is a tedious, irrelevant slog, only put in because the plot-line needed wrapping up and the series had run out of books so it had to go somewhere. A small sub-plot on Garro and his relationship with the rest of the legion would have fit in, but this does not. Under other circumstances I might have been interested, but it was so awkwardly shoe-horned in and so obviously making the other narratives suffer through lack of space, that it killed any desire I had to follow it.
The Becalming- If anything, even worse! What is advertised as the main focus of the book in its blurb gets, maybe, 10% of the book at best. The whole thing is skimmed over in the most pedestrian way imaginable. The opportunity for horror, of a fleet caught idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean while increasingly at the mercy of things they don't understand and afraid of the enemy within their own bodies could have been fantastic. Instead we get a by-the-numbers recounting of what we already knew. With little expansion, and no introspection or exploration. No time with other characters and looking at the varied ways they view what was happening. Almost no description: there is never the feel of a living fleet, the claustrophobia of being becalmed, or the horror of a desperate way out.
So 1.5 stars for the Young Morty section, but overall a stinker. And not in the good Death Guard sense!
April 25, 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.
Unholy muck! Unholy rotting muck! That bounty of Nurgle's absurd!
This is book 54 of 54, but novel 27 for me (and all the rest below) with the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order, and it brings me immense joy to see just how unfathomably hard Swallow stuck the landing on the end of this series, which is obviously immediately followed by the Siege of Terra series and whatever else.
I had so much fun with this and it was everything I needed after having such a meh time with Vengeful Spirit!
This final novel of the main Horus Heresy Series is a strange hybrid of many things, all of them good, but a bizarre cornucopia nonetheless. As the end of the series there are two major things still to be in place before the Siege of Terra and the Dark Millennium of Warhammer 40,000 we know and love. These being Mortarion's constant hatred of warpcraft and denial of the Grandfather, and those of the Malcador's Chosen Knights Errant who will be in action under their own steam during the siege and those who will head to Titan to finally get ready to actually found the Grey Knights who will take up arms as the secret force of Astartes waging an eternal war against Daemons and the horrors of the warp, Hellblazers to the Men in Black of Deathwatch.
It does somewhat feel like two novellas melted together, but fortunately in a chocolate and peanut butter kind of happy accident.
The Garro/ Knights Errant narrative is the culmination of all of Swallow's dalliances with the Sigillite and his neopolitan nephews and it faithfully adheres and represents every aspect I've come to know and mostly love about these stories. There is something fishy going on with Malcador's manservant and a strange malady effecting the Sister's of Silence that calls for more of that famous Lord of Terra empathy and kindness, which the grey bois are forced to wrangle and confront.
The concept of the Knights storyline is great and some of the revelations along the way are phenomenal and I was properly gobsmacked with horror at the main reveal that is a more of a side story, but one I found far more interesting than the main narrative. The main story is fine. Great ideas, good writing, brilliant character work with the crew, and some genuinely tragic moments, ultimately culminating in an appropriately weighty and satisfying end that's not an ending, but the end of an era kind of thing. It just works and I felt things and I have so much to say about the Black Library writer's, their characters, and their views on prisons (their views being it's a plot device and their kinda bad, but we need em kinda thing, similar to the vibes they give about cops too) [prisons bad ACAB always], but they don't think enough about, so I'm not going to get bogged down and at least it's not as awful and painfully written as the prison stuff on Vengeful Spirit, so I'm just going to say this narrative isn't perfect, but the highs are so very high and the overall quality and wrapping up the Knights Errant and the Horus Heresy many series work is as good as I could hope with how up and down this series can be!
*More on Mortarion's narrative and overall thoughts another time!*
And we're back!
The other half of this book is like a proto The Primarchs series for Mortarion, which in itself split between the present with the reuniting of the Primarch and his wayward First Captain after some time apart and Typhon's coming to the the Grandfather moment captured in Exocytosis, and the past of Mortarion's early life on Barberous, how he met Typhon, and how he became the revolutionary leader the Reaper of Men. The past clear and the present is a whole kerfuffle in the warp and then everything converges in one perfect moment...
I absolutely adored this storyline! I have long said that my heart belongs to Nurgle, but I don't really care for the Death Guard or Mortarion...and I was so wrong. They simply weren't given the depth and care they deserved. Morty is almost always portrayed as little more than a grumpy gasmask, but here he is a fully rounded character with a tragic backstory and I kinda absolutely love him now. My sweet bitter baby isn't a patch on my precious angry boy, but I actually properly care now! It's just wonderful to see them get given the care and attention they deserve, as it is awesome to see the dynamics at play between the old comrades.
The backstory stuff is unbelievably intense and nightmarish in the best way, and, while some of his YA dystopian hero arc is a touch rote after a certain point, Swallow does a masterful job of juggling past and present with the Knights Errant storyline too.
I just had so much fun with this and it did the almost impossible ask of ending the main Horus Heresy Series with aplomb, both paying homage and bringing storylines to a close or next step, while further fleshing out the galaxy and lore and characters in a really entertaining and engaging way.
Awesome stuff!
Getting back into the Heresy has been a lot of things for me, but one major thread has been the surging of my admiration and appreciation for Swallow and my own swallowing of Corax at my negative memories of reading the Rafen Blood Angels books that I Oath myself to this moment to read through again and give another shot. I'm thinking, maybe as a combined Blood Angels and Fabius Bile saga as he's the BBEP the third book, if I recall.
It is isn't perfect, but it's bloody close and will absolutely do. Wonderful stuff!
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 27 Horus Heresy novels, 14 novellas (including 1 repeat), 91 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.
Unholy muck! Unholy rotting muck! That bounty of Nurgle's absurd!
This is book 54 of 54, but novel 27 for me (and all the rest below) with the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order, and it brings me immense joy to see just how unfathomably hard Swallow stuck the landing on the end of this series, which is obviously immediately followed by the Siege of Terra series and whatever else.
I had so much fun with this and it was everything I needed after having such a meh time with Vengeful Spirit!
This final novel of the main Horus Heresy Series is a strange hybrid of many things, all of them good, but a bizarre cornucopia nonetheless. As the end of the series there are two major things still to be in place before the Siege of Terra and the Dark Millennium of Warhammer 40,000 we know and love. These being Mortarion's constant hatred of warpcraft and denial of the Grandfather, and those of the Malcador's Chosen Knights Errant who will be in action under their own steam during the siege and those who will head to Titan to finally get ready to actually found the Grey Knights who will take up arms as the secret force of Astartes waging an eternal war against Daemons and the horrors of the warp, Hellblazers to the Men in Black of Deathwatch.
It does somewhat feel like two novellas melted together, but fortunately in a chocolate and peanut butter kind of happy accident.
The Garro/ Knights Errant narrative is the culmination of all of Swallow's dalliances with the Sigillite and his neopolitan nephews and it faithfully adheres and represents every aspect I've come to know and mostly love about these stories. There is something fishy going on with Malcador's manservant and a strange malady effecting the Sister's of Silence that calls for more of that famous Lord of Terra empathy and kindness, which the grey bois are forced to wrangle and confront.
The concept of the Knights storyline is great and some of the revelations along the way are phenomenal and I was properly gobsmacked with horror at the main reveal that is a more of a side story, but one I found far more interesting than the main narrative. The main story is fine. Great ideas, good writing, brilliant character work with the crew, and some genuinely tragic moments, ultimately culminating in an appropriately weighty and satisfying end that's not an ending, but the end of an era kind of thing. It just works and I felt things and I have so much to say about the Black Library writer's, their characters, and their views on prisons (their views being it's a plot device and their kinda bad, but we need em kinda thing, similar to the vibes they give about cops too) [prisons bad ACAB always], but they don't think enough about, so I'm not going to get bogged down and at least it's not as awful and painfully written as the prison stuff on Vengeful Spirit, so I'm just going to say this narrative isn't perfect, but the highs are so very high and the overall quality and wrapping up the Knights Errant and the Horus Heresy many series work is as good as I could hope with how up and down this series can be!
*More on Mortarion's narrative and overall thoughts another time!*
And we're back!
The other half of this book is like a proto The Primarchs series for Mortarion, which in itself split between the present with the reuniting of the Primarch and his wayward First Captain after some time apart and Typhon's coming to the the Grandfather moment captured in Exocytosis, and the past of Mortarion's early life on Barberous, how he met Typhon, and how he became the revolutionary leader the Reaper of Men. The past clear and the present is a whole kerfuffle in the warp and then everything converges in one perfect moment...
I absolutely adored this storyline! I have long said that my heart belongs to Nurgle, but I don't really care for the Death Guard or Mortarion...and I was so wrong. They simply weren't given the depth and care they deserved. Morty is almost always portrayed as little more than a grumpy gasmask, but here he is a fully rounded character with a tragic backstory and I kinda absolutely love him now. My sweet bitter baby isn't a patch on my precious angry boy, but I actually properly care now! It's just wonderful to see them get given the care and attention they deserve, as it is awesome to see the dynamics at play between the old comrades.
The backstory stuff is unbelievably intense and nightmarish in the best way, and, while some of his YA dystopian hero arc is a touch rote after a certain point, Swallow does a masterful job of juggling past and present with the Knights Errant storyline too.
I just had so much fun with this and it did the almost impossible ask of ending the main Horus Heresy Series with aplomb, both paying homage and bringing storylines to a close or next step, while further fleshing out the galaxy and lore and characters in a really entertaining and engaging way.
Awesome stuff!
Getting back into the Heresy has been a lot of things for me, but one major thread has been the surging of my admiration and appreciation for Swallow and my own swallowing of Corax at my negative memories of reading the Rafen Blood Angels books that I Oath myself to this moment to read through again and give another shot. I'm thinking, maybe as a combined Blood Angels and Fabius Bile saga as he's the BBEP the third book, if I recall.
It is isn't perfect, but it's bloody close and will absolutely do. Wonderful stuff!
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 27 Horus Heresy novels, 14 novellas (including 1 repeat), 91 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.
March 9, 2019
I'm going to try and keep this spoiler free, but I will make reference to the Dramatis Personae and blurb.
This book represents the mono-style books that everyone was after in the early days of the series. It has Mortarion's origin story and the climax of the Death Guard/Nurgle story. It also has an original series of events happening on Terra which is overlaid with a climax event for one set of characters and an origin story for another set of characters (if you have seen the Dramatis Personae you will know what I mean).
I can't know how you will feel about the main blurb story if you have no idea of where this leads, but if you have any knowledge and/or love of Mortarion and the Death Guard in 40k, as I do, I would strongly suggest that you skip this book. If you can imagine the most pedestrian take on the origin story and the Nurgle/Death guard climax, then this is it. You will imagine a better narrative by not reading this book or that is, at least, how I feel.
The story on Terra is generally a bore. It is a tying up of loose ends from earlier stories and, whilst some of the easter eggs, and specific scenes, are fun, the overall novel just does not hit the mark. It felt like it was tidying things up ready for the next series.
The characters are also deficient. They don't come over as individuals - save the 4 biggest players. Malcador in particular feels too flippant, opaque and reckless and Mortarion feels too much like a naive child.
This book represents the mono-style books that everyone was after in the early days of the series. It has Mortarion's origin story and the climax of the Death Guard/Nurgle story. It also has an original series of events happening on Terra which is overlaid with a climax event for one set of characters and an origin story for another set of characters (if you have seen the Dramatis Personae you will know what I mean).
I can't know how you will feel about the main blurb story if you have no idea of where this leads, but if you have any knowledge and/or love of Mortarion and the Death Guard in 40k, as I do, I would strongly suggest that you skip this book. If you can imagine the most pedestrian take on the origin story and the Nurgle/Death guard climax, then this is it. You will imagine a better narrative by not reading this book or that is, at least, how I feel.
The story on Terra is generally a bore. It is a tying up of loose ends from earlier stories and, whilst some of the easter eggs, and specific scenes, are fun, the overall novel just does not hit the mark. It felt like it was tidying things up ready for the next series.
The characters are also deficient. They don't come over as individuals - save the 4 biggest players. Malcador in particular feels too flippant, opaque and reckless and Mortarion feels too much like a naive child.
February 25, 2019
It's good but it's not great. It doesn't do anything particularly unexpected with the story. A bit of this can be attributed to adapting old lore that doesn't really work as well in the modern day, especially compared to works like Fulgrim or First Heretic, which expand greatly on those legions's downfall.
But it has its good moments; Mortarion's war on Barbarus is interesting, with the character getting a lot more depth than he probably would have if it was just about the fall to Chaos. That story is also fine, but as I said there aren't any real twists that those who know the story of the Death Guard didn't know about. And it's not as fleshed out as I would expect from something about the Death Guard and Nurgle; we don't really see the horror that unfolds as much as I would have liked. I don't usually do gore - it's not something I seek out as entertainment - but I've seen other stories do this better.
Tying in the origin of the Grey Knights was an odd choice as well. Sure Garro plays a role in that but beyond the story of a chaos incursion on Terra before Horus arrives for the final battle it doesn't have much to do with the Death Guard. It all feels like tying up loose ends before the battle, something which could have been left to other stories.
But as I say it's fine. There are bits which stick like Mortarion's past, the somewhat brief description of the destroyer plague and where Mortarion finally falls to Chaos. But if I was suggesting a compelling story about a once proud legion falling to the darkness, I'd recommend plenty of Horus Heresy books other than this one.
It's nice to have some loose ends addressed mind, but if this came out a few years before I may have been singing its praises more. At the least I appreciate that this event has been accounted for. So now all that's left is the Siege of Terra, so that should be good.
But it has its good moments; Mortarion's war on Barbarus is interesting, with the character getting a lot more depth than he probably would have if it was just about the fall to Chaos. That story is also fine, but as I said there aren't any real twists that those who know the story of the Death Guard didn't know about. And it's not as fleshed out as I would expect from something about the Death Guard and Nurgle; we don't really see the horror that unfolds as much as I would have liked. I don't usually do gore - it's not something I seek out as entertainment - but I've seen other stories do this better.
Tying in the origin of the Grey Knights was an odd choice as well. Sure Garro plays a role in that but beyond the story of a chaos incursion on Terra before Horus arrives for the final battle it doesn't have much to do with the Death Guard. It all feels like tying up loose ends before the battle, something which could have been left to other stories.
But as I say it's fine. There are bits which stick like Mortarion's past, the somewhat brief description of the destroyer plague and where Mortarion finally falls to Chaos. But if I was suggesting a compelling story about a once proud legion falling to the darkness, I'd recommend plenty of Horus Heresy books other than this one.
It's nice to have some loose ends addressed mind, but if this came out a few years before I may have been singing its praises more. At the least I appreciate that this event has been accounted for. So now all that's left is the Siege of Terra, so that should be good.
September 12, 2020
So this is it, the final Horus Heresy book the big finisher and...... it is a letdown.
Every fan of warhammer 40k and especially those who are into the chaos marines know the story; Typhon tricked the legion and Mortarion in the warp after he had taken out their navigators to allow him and his fellow psychic marines to try guide the legion to Terra and the start of the siege. This allowed him to sent the fleet into the embrace of grand father Nurgle the chaos god of despair and plague which results in a broken Mortarion finally giving in his own and his legion's soul to the great chaos entity. It is an established story, so the book was not meant to be read or written like that, it should have been one of those "despite everything you kinda wish it doesn't end like you know it has to" books. Halass James Swallow bit of more then he could chew.
Were to start well for starters the "trick" what trick? Typhon literally drags a bunch of the fleet navigators in front of Mortarion and his inner circle of legionnaires, accuses them of treachery and then blasts them apart with his gun. Even Mortarion was like "dude..... WTF?" I mean where is the subtlety here? We read here and there that he has hoped and planned Mortarion's turn to the warp and nurgle as early as the days of Barbarus before the coming of the emperor and this is the best he could come up with? The character of Typhon feels like a hollow puppet, he is doing the stuff the plot is telling he is supposed to do but I just don't believe it. I don't see the charisma, the drive, the conviction, the strength of character that would have been necessary for any individual to plot against your own commander and legion like that. Qualities that Erebus had aplenty. Lore wise Erebus and Typhon are contenders of being the first chaos space marines but comparing them now would make that claim laughable, Erebus just knocks it out of the park while typhon is left wheezing at the first base.
That brings me to my second issue, namely we get so much hinted at but get to see so little. Yes we get the moment the infection hits the death guard but we get to see so little of it. Where is the buildup to the big breaking point? What happened to the bitterblood legionnaire confined in his dreadnought? Did he get changed like the rest of the legion or not? What I did like was the actual high point, which is mixed with the memory of Mortarion's failure to kill his stepfather, the overlord of Barbarus. The submission he had to make to the emperor and later to the chaos god, does feel as a painful familiar moment, a second realization that for all his claims of him being the most enduring warrior, the unbreakable soul, that in the end he does break and did so twice. His fate is to defy what he knows in heart is to be the truth, that he and his legion are not ever enduring, they break. It might take longer but in the end they do break. So it is even more painful for me as reader that it all happens so quickly and has so little emotional punch.
Why does it have so little built up? Why do we not get the story of Typhon scheming for years, his interactions and struggles with Erebus to let him turn his genefather on his terms? Why do we not get his pilgrimage with a part of the legion, which is only barely hinted at but yet noted as being crucial for what is about to happen? Why do we only get snips and bit of the past of Mortarion and his struggle on his own birth planet and his war against his stepfather? Why do we get so little of what this book claims to be the core story? For lords sake, Typhon's name is the name of the demon child of Gaia that ripped out the nervous system of Lord Zeus and had to be imprisoned under mount Etna, it is a name of terror and horror that should be earned, but he does not. And he does not even get a chance to earn it and why s that?
Because Malcador and the grey knights, that's why..... For at least a third of the book is dedicated to a mediocre subplot involving Nathanial Garro, the proto grey knights and Malcador that leads up to the final moment, when the grey knights chapter was born and sent off to prepare for what was to come after the Horus Heresy. Simply put.... I don't care and I hate that this is in this Death guard book. This should have been its own book. In stead of having so many anthology books or short stories involving the knights errant/ proto Grey knights, they should have made say book 53 on the grey knights and gotten that out of the way. Now because of this neither death guard fans nor grey knights fan have anything to be happy about.
Is there nothing redeeming about this book? Not really no. It is mediocre at best and primarily because they had to forcibly mix two stories that little to nothing to do with one-another. This should have been the final betrayal, the crescendo of treachery of a beloved brother betraying the legion he fought with, a horrible self delusion of endurance brought low, a gruesome story of how far a primarch has to fall before he breaks. In stead we get this, a sad rehash of story that had better been left to your own imagination.
A shame
Every fan of warhammer 40k and especially those who are into the chaos marines know the story; Typhon tricked the legion and Mortarion in the warp after he had taken out their navigators to allow him and his fellow psychic marines to try guide the legion to Terra and the start of the siege. This allowed him to sent the fleet into the embrace of grand father Nurgle the chaos god of despair and plague which results in a broken Mortarion finally giving in his own and his legion's soul to the great chaos entity. It is an established story, so the book was not meant to be read or written like that, it should have been one of those "despite everything you kinda wish it doesn't end like you know it has to" books. Halass James Swallow bit of more then he could chew.
Were to start well for starters the "trick" what trick? Typhon literally drags a bunch of the fleet navigators in front of Mortarion and his inner circle of legionnaires, accuses them of treachery and then blasts them apart with his gun. Even Mortarion was like "dude..... WTF?" I mean where is the subtlety here? We read here and there that he has hoped and planned Mortarion's turn to the warp and nurgle as early as the days of Barbarus before the coming of the emperor and this is the best he could come up with? The character of Typhon feels like a hollow puppet, he is doing the stuff the plot is telling he is supposed to do but I just don't believe it. I don't see the charisma, the drive, the conviction, the strength of character that would have been necessary for any individual to plot against your own commander and legion like that. Qualities that Erebus had aplenty. Lore wise Erebus and Typhon are contenders of being the first chaos space marines but comparing them now would make that claim laughable, Erebus just knocks it out of the park while typhon is left wheezing at the first base.
That brings me to my second issue, namely we get so much hinted at but get to see so little. Yes we get the moment the infection hits the death guard but we get to see so little of it. Where is the buildup to the big breaking point? What happened to the bitterblood legionnaire confined in his dreadnought? Did he get changed like the rest of the legion or not? What I did like was the actual high point, which is mixed with the memory of Mortarion's failure to kill his stepfather, the overlord of Barbarus. The submission he had to make to the emperor and later to the chaos god, does feel as a painful familiar moment, a second realization that for all his claims of him being the most enduring warrior, the unbreakable soul, that in the end he does break and did so twice. His fate is to defy what he knows in heart is to be the truth, that he and his legion are not ever enduring, they break. It might take longer but in the end they do break. So it is even more painful for me as reader that it all happens so quickly and has so little emotional punch.
Why does it have so little built up? Why do we not get the story of Typhon scheming for years, his interactions and struggles with Erebus to let him turn his genefather on his terms? Why do we not get his pilgrimage with a part of the legion, which is only barely hinted at but yet noted as being crucial for what is about to happen? Why do we only get snips and bit of the past of Mortarion and his struggle on his own birth planet and his war against his stepfather? Why do we get so little of what this book claims to be the core story? For lords sake, Typhon's name is the name of the demon child of Gaia that ripped out the nervous system of Lord Zeus and had to be imprisoned under mount Etna, it is a name of terror and horror that should be earned, but he does not. And he does not even get a chance to earn it and why s that?
Because Malcador and the grey knights, that's why..... For at least a third of the book is dedicated to a mediocre subplot involving Nathanial Garro, the proto grey knights and Malcador that leads up to the final moment, when the grey knights chapter was born and sent off to prepare for what was to come after the Horus Heresy. Simply put.... I don't care and I hate that this is in this Death guard book. This should have been its own book. In stead of having so many anthology books or short stories involving the knights errant/ proto Grey knights, they should have made say book 53 on the grey knights and gotten that out of the way. Now because of this neither death guard fans nor grey knights fan have anything to be happy about.
Is there nothing redeeming about this book? Not really no. It is mediocre at best and primarily because they had to forcibly mix two stories that little to nothing to do with one-another. This should have been the final betrayal, the crescendo of treachery of a beloved brother betraying the legion he fought with, a horrible self delusion of endurance brought low, a gruesome story of how far a primarch has to fall before he breaks. In stead we get this, a sad rehash of story that had better been left to your own imagination.
A shame
September 2, 2020
Fairly decent look inside the Death Guard. As an author, I understand the need to make your characters sound cool, but you would think a being as omnipotent as the Emperor of Mankind would have put a little more thought into what he was doing with some of these names. How do you create the Death Guard and not expect them to turn against you? At any rate, the story bounces back to Mortarion's youth and his path to the powers of Chaos. Thrown in the plight of Malcador's Knights Errant and the stage is set for the invasion of Terra. Pretty good build up to the final campaign of the Heresy.
February 23, 2019
The beginning of the end.
It all comes down to this . Fathers and sons; thoughts and deads; betrayal from many quarters. In the distance at last the light of the Sol system........a fitting end.
It all comes down to this . Fathers and sons; thoughts and deads; betrayal from many quarters. In the distance at last the light of the Sol system........a fitting end.
February 25, 2019
Very much the novel I hoped Swallow had in him. He does a masterful job of tying all the loose threads regarding Mortarion, Typhus and Garro and more besides. Oh. And those fellas that become the first Grey Knights. Specifically the one among their number who...
...but that would be telling.
...but that would be telling.
December 31, 2022
The Buried Dagger is almost as much about the Knight's Errant and founding of the Deathwatch as it is about Mortarion. Whilst readers most interested in Mortarion's fall to Nurgle may be disappointed (as this is arguably the weakest part of the book), readers interested in Mortarion's past or catching up with the established characters of Garro, Loken, Rubio or Malcador will be pleasantly surprised.
Whilst not good enough to join the ranks of the sacred S-tier of Horus Heresy titles, The Buried Dagger is certainly one of the better entries in the series.
Whilst not good enough to join the ranks of the sacred S-tier of Horus Heresy titles, The Buried Dagger is certainly one of the better entries in the series.
February 25, 2019
A fitting end to the series , well thought out strong character development so many lose ends tied up and any more opened , the siege has begun !
March 5, 2019
All the pieces are now in place. The four Ruinous Powers have their respective Princes as of this book. I have mixed feelings about James Swallow's writing. His Blood Angel books, including "Fear to Tread" are just suboptimal. His first two Rafen books are just plain bad. However, I've gobbled up his Nathaniel Garro books as if they were ice cream, and since "The Buried Dagger" is a Death Guard novel, it has a lot of Garro.
This was a wild ride, with plotlines for Garro, Loken, Malcador, and Mortarion of course. One thing is clear--while we know how this saga ends, we sure as heck have a lot more stories within it to read.
Only one gripe: the novel directly contradicts two short stories, "The Last Council" and "Grandfather's Gift", giving alternate versions of the events in those shorts.
This was a wild ride, with plotlines for Garro, Loken, Malcador, and Mortarion of course. One thing is clear--while we know how this saga ends, we sure as heck have a lot more stories within it to read.
Only one gripe: the novel directly contradicts two short stories, "The Last Council" and "Grandfather's Gift", giving alternate versions of the events in those shorts.
May 3, 2019
Rather plodding and by-the-numbers book, tbh. Definitely only for completionist Horus Heresy fans.
Has some nice ideas (mirroring Mortarion's relationship with his 3 father figures, Car to and Loken's choices and destinies), but it never excelled.
I was always a fan of the tragic horror of the Fall of the Death Guard - stranded in the Warp, a mysterious disease plaguing them, desperately calling out for aid only to have it abated by an utter horror... This book ruins it: the "stranding" was done deliberately, and it was all just part of a plan. Yawn.
Has some nice ideas (mirroring Mortarion's relationship with his 3 father figures, Car to and Loken's choices and destinies), but it never excelled.
I was always a fan of the tragic horror of the Fall of the Death Guard - stranded in the Warp, a mysterious disease plaguing them, desperately calling out for aid only to have it abated by an utter horror... This book ruins it: the "stranding" was done deliberately, and it was all just part of a plan. Yawn.
December 6, 2019
This is the best book written about a traitor Primarch. It tells the story of Mortarion, from before his discovery by the Emperor, up to the present time in the Heresy series. It also offers the reaction to the current actions on Terra and how theyre' preparing for the immenent arrival of the traitors. This is another awesome book in this series, another must read, and AWESOME FINAL CHAPTERS.
April 18, 2025
A fantastic end to the Heresy before it falls upon the Sol System. We are given a great and detailed story of Mortarion's youth, a massive amount of lore on the mysterious Malcador and his Knights Errant project and the slow and painful doom of the Death Guard into the clutches of the Lord Of Decay. Never did I think I'd be feeling sorry for Mortarion, and yet I pity the entire legion. Picked for a fate worse than death before they were born, dead and yet undying, The Death Guard are lost forever in a loop of decay and rebirth
August 11, 2025
What a ride. At last, an in depth look at a Primarch who, until this point, seemed like a bit of a caricature. We finally see why Mortarion became a monster. I find myself, regrettably, sympathizing with him. This one also brilliantly pushes the Garro/Knights Errant story forward. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough. It’s finally time for the Siege of Terra!
September 15, 2025
The last book in the Horus Heresy I’ve read at last! The journey from the first book in the saga to the last has been great, epic and satisfying! The creation of the Grey Knights is a good one and it was a page turner! I will now commence on the Siege of Terra series and conclude the Horus Heresy and what happens 10 000 years later! :).
January 15, 2025
Readers with weak stomachs be warned. This book is incredible but it is also real gross.
June 20, 2025
very fun deathguard focused book. things aren't very cash money in the traitor legions right now. the voice actor went INSANE for the lord of the flies daemon. it could have been a new death core album. those vocals were nasty
March 10, 2019
Excellent finish for the lead up to the Solar War; the story of Mortarion's early years is an amazing story, the author managed to make him seem more human and almost a sympathetic figure. While at the same time revealing Malcador the Sigillite as a far more powerful figure, something that has been hinted at previously, but here he puts all of his power on display.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2019
Good enough
Slow start, meh middle, good last few chapters. Read if you’re a 40k geek, or fans of Grey kniggets or Death Guard emos, or the Horus Heresy story.
Slow start, meh middle, good last few chapters. Read if you’re a 40k geek, or fans of Grey kniggets or Death Guard emos, or the Horus Heresy story.
October 29, 2024
The book Mortarion deserved and finally got.
October 22, 2022
Normally not a fan of the Death Guard as they go overboard on the grossness factor, BUT this book made them out in a more sympathetic light! Also wow. Just finished the final Horus Heresy book before the Siege Of Terra. It has been a long journey.
March 13, 2019
Book 54 in the Horus Heresy, James Swallow’s The Buried Dagger brings the main-range series to a close as the final book before the Siege of Terra begins. It’s a deserved moment in the spotlight for the Death Guard both past and present, told across two narratives with similar themes. One strand features the long-awaited ‘doom of the Death Guard’, the moment when Mortarion and his sons are becalmed in the Warp and turned to Chaos, while the other focuses on ex-Death Guard Nathaniel Garro and Malcador’s Knights Errant as they unravel a series of complex, unexpected mysteries back on Terra.
This is a book about journeys reaching crucial moments, not necessarily endings but tests, revelations and turning points – for the characters and for the series as a whole. There’s an awful lot for it to cover, and while it might not be to everyone’s taste it manages to combine a lot of threads – including a few really big ones – into a narrative that’s entertaining, intriguing and complex. In an ideal world then perhaps the two arcs would have been told in separate books, but then Swallow’s Garro stories have always been about gradually digging into his motivations and the lengths he’s prepared to go so it makes sense to bring his story almost to a close alongside a fascinating character study of his estranged Primarch. After this, all that’s left is to watch as the Siege unfolds.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/03/...
This is a book about journeys reaching crucial moments, not necessarily endings but tests, revelations and turning points – for the characters and for the series as a whole. There’s an awful lot for it to cover, and while it might not be to everyone’s taste it manages to combine a lot of threads – including a few really big ones – into a narrative that’s entertaining, intriguing and complex. In an ideal world then perhaps the two arcs would have been told in separate books, but then Swallow’s Garro stories have always been about gradually digging into his motivations and the lengths he’s prepared to go so it makes sense to bring his story almost to a close alongside a fascinating character study of his estranged Primarch. After this, all that’s left is to watch as the Siege unfolds.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/03/...
March 20, 2019
Buried Dagger, the last Horus heresy book. (Mild spoilers ahead). Although I enjoyed most of it, my problems with the book is more about that WHICH ISN'T THERE, instead of that which is there.
I liked the built up, with Mortarion fighting his way forward, only to have Typhon snatch his victory in front of him. Nice entrance by Typhon. Liked the complex relationship between these two, with Mortarion being unable to see the real Typhon beneath his old friends skin. This works also nice towards the 40.000 timeline and the dark imperium novels : Typhus going his own way, not following his prim arch, there being even some antipathy between them.
I liked the character of the death guard and their prim arch, with endurance and never retreat as their central aspects. The Barbarus passages were a good look into Mortarion's psyche, his honor, his proud being, his antipathy of sorcery, it all added to his character. Thought those scenes had the right feeling. Nice view on Barbarus, with the mists, the overlords, the villages etc.
The knight errants chapters were okay, but perhaps not that necessary.
My biggest problem with the book, as I said, is that which isn't there. The built up was good, but once the fall of the Death Guard started, it all went WAY TO FAST. Liked the scenes when they first entered the warp and were struck with the first problems. But while there was a nice built up with this sickness starting to spread, suddenly everything went very fast. Everywhere sick legionaries, Mortarion himself infested. This really needed more time, more pages, more built up. The book would be about the fall of the Death Guard, but exactly THIS FALL didn't get that much pages in this book. Confrontation Mortarion - Typhon towards the end was good, but Mortarion's own fall at the end was again to short, to quickly done. Of all the primarchs turning daemon prince, Mortarion's fall seemed the most rushed. Also the description of how he changed : only a few lines. This really is the books biggest problem. It's too much about Mortarion's origins and the knights errant, too few about the fall of the Death Guard.
Still, I enjoyed the novel and most of the chapters. 4 out of 5 stars still.
December 2, 2019
After more than 13 years and 54 books, ‘Horus Heresy’ has come to its supposed end, or at least up to its final phase of ‘Siege of Terra’. So, does the final book do the series justice? Well, it focuses heavily on some of the fan favorite characters, and one of the most charismatic Traitor Primarch and his legion while telling the story of their transformation into chaotic forces as they travel towards the final confrontation for Terra. And each page of this tale drips with the glorious journey of the series so far and portends of a bleak and brutal future.
The story basically follows two different plot lines; one follows Mortarion and his Death Guard legion in the warp, and the other follows Garrow, Loken and the other Knights-Errants fighting against incursions by chaos forces on Terra. Both stories follow the theme mentioned in the name as we are slowly introduced with long buried treachery. The author also uses his storytelling to build up the atmosphere for the upcoming ‘Siege of Terra’.
The plot line following Mortarion is something fans of the Primarch have been waiting for a long time. While the author focuses much more on his time on Barbarus, it is fun to finally into his mind and have an idea of his motivations and anguishes. The story on Terra is much more action oriented and we finally get to see what is going on in the throneworld.
Among the characters I really loved Mortarion and his first captain Typhon, their unique relationship which led to the eventual downfall of the Death Guard is depicted quite brilliantly. Before starting the book, I thought I was going to hate Typhus, but Swallow does excellent work going beyond the usual black and white character troupes. At times I even felt bad for Calas Typhon and I definitely felt sympathetic towards his goal, I mean the man is actually trying to make his beloved Legion more stoic and endurable, no matter how twisted his way is.
Garro is as refreshing as ever, being the most human character despite not actually being a human at all. Tylos Rubio is someone I am definitely quite interested in, and would like to read more of his adventures if possible. Malcador is an immensely powerful, cunning and deceptive old guy, who comes out as arrogant as I thought he would be. My only gripe is about Garviel Loken, as I thought that the author didn’t do him justice. This is not the Loken I know from the opening trilogy, as he rather pale and out of focus compared to others.
I really loved the way everything came together at the end, setting the stage for the next part of the tale. And I certainly can’t wait to dive into ‘Siege of Terra’ after reading this one.
Rating – 9 out of 10.
Find other reviews and stuff for 'Black Library' fiction on my blog - https://theoctedpath.wordpress.com/
The story basically follows two different plot lines; one follows Mortarion and his Death Guard legion in the warp, and the other follows Garrow, Loken and the other Knights-Errants fighting against incursions by chaos forces on Terra. Both stories follow the theme mentioned in the name as we are slowly introduced with long buried treachery. The author also uses his storytelling to build up the atmosphere for the upcoming ‘Siege of Terra’.
The plot line following Mortarion is something fans of the Primarch have been waiting for a long time. While the author focuses much more on his time on Barbarus, it is fun to finally into his mind and have an idea of his motivations and anguishes. The story on Terra is much more action oriented and we finally get to see what is going on in the throneworld.
Among the characters I really loved Mortarion and his first captain Typhon, their unique relationship which led to the eventual downfall of the Death Guard is depicted quite brilliantly. Before starting the book, I thought I was going to hate Typhus, but Swallow does excellent work going beyond the usual black and white character troupes. At times I even felt bad for Calas Typhon and I definitely felt sympathetic towards his goal, I mean the man is actually trying to make his beloved Legion more stoic and endurable, no matter how twisted his way is.
Garro is as refreshing as ever, being the most human character despite not actually being a human at all. Tylos Rubio is someone I am definitely quite interested in, and would like to read more of his adventures if possible. Malcador is an immensely powerful, cunning and deceptive old guy, who comes out as arrogant as I thought he would be. My only gripe is about Garviel Loken, as I thought that the author didn’t do him justice. This is not the Loken I know from the opening trilogy, as he rather pale and out of focus compared to others.
I really loved the way everything came together at the end, setting the stage for the next part of the tale. And I certainly can’t wait to dive into ‘Siege of Terra’ after reading this one.
Rating – 9 out of 10.
Find other reviews and stuff for 'Black Library' fiction on my blog - https://theoctedpath.wordpress.com/
January 27, 2023
The final Horus Heresy novel finds Mortarion and his Death Guard trapped in the warp at the mercy of the agents of Chaos, while Garro, Loken, Varren and Rubio find themselves leading the defense of the White Mountain at the onset of the invasion of Terra while Malcador is busy doing Malcador things.
I rather purposely started this novel directly after finishing Mortarion: The Pale King, as Mortarion and the Death Guard are some of the lore I am most drawn to. In this I found the greatest strength as well as weakness of this novel.
The story is basically told in three places: Young Mortarion leading to his meeting of the Emperor and the seeds of his hatred thereof; current-day Mortarion stranded in the warp leading to his downfall to Papa Nurgle; and the defense of Terra at the onset of the invasion.
While I actually liked the Terra stuff more than I expected, I feel like the book would have worked better as a narrative had that portion been moved to its own novel or novella and we got to spend more time with Mortarion wrestling with the Destroyer virus and its effects on himself and his men leading to his ultimate acceptance of Papa Nurgle. The beginnings of the virus were great, and seeing Mortarion come to the realization that his men are doomed is also good, but we spend literally two pages of Mortarion wandering the corridors and seeing him conclude his Legion is doomed. I really would have enjoyed spending more pages exploring the slow descent into pain and madness that the men were experiencing and Mortarion coming to grips with Typhus and everything he had seen happening. For such an important moment in Warhammer 40k lore, I was surprised at ulatimately how quickly that part was mostly glossed over.
And the parts with young Mortarion were fine but felt like they could have been trimmed a bit in favor, again, of elongating the time we spent in the warp in modern day.
Spending time with our Astartes pals on Terra was fun enough, and Malcador forming the Grey Knights was a fun plot to follow, I still just felt like it should have been its own book. It's weird that, for a 54 book series, I feel like they felt they were running out of time somehow.
Anywho, it was an overall enjoyable read with some minor flaws. Mortarion becoming the thrall of Nurgle should have been given more page time, but that's my biggest complaint.
I rather purposely started this novel directly after finishing Mortarion: The Pale King, as Mortarion and the Death Guard are some of the lore I am most drawn to. In this I found the greatest strength as well as weakness of this novel.
The story is basically told in three places: Young Mortarion leading to his meeting of the Emperor and the seeds of his hatred thereof; current-day Mortarion stranded in the warp leading to his downfall to Papa Nurgle; and the defense of Terra at the onset of the invasion.
While I actually liked the Terra stuff more than I expected, I feel like the book would have worked better as a narrative had that portion been moved to its own novel or novella and we got to spend more time with Mortarion wrestling with the Destroyer virus and its effects on himself and his men leading to his ultimate acceptance of Papa Nurgle. The beginnings of the virus were great, and seeing Mortarion come to the realization that his men are doomed is also good, but we spend literally two pages of Mortarion wandering the corridors and seeing him conclude his Legion is doomed. I really would have enjoyed spending more pages exploring the slow descent into pain and madness that the men were experiencing and Mortarion coming to grips with Typhus and everything he had seen happening. For such an important moment in Warhammer 40k lore, I was surprised at ulatimately how quickly that part was mostly glossed over.
And the parts with young Mortarion were fine but felt like they could have been trimmed a bit in favor, again, of elongating the time we spent in the warp in modern day.
Spending time with our Astartes pals on Terra was fun enough, and Malcador forming the Grey Knights was a fun plot to follow, I still just felt like it should have been its own book. It's weird that, for a 54 book series, I feel like they felt they were running out of time somehow.
Anywho, it was an overall enjoyable read with some minor flaws. Mortarion becoming the thrall of Nurgle should have been given more page time, but that's my biggest complaint.
May 27, 2025
Finally… some more focus on the Death Guard… however it only took 50 more novels since Flight of the Eisenstein to get there and it’s at the very end of the Horus Heresy series.
I don’t really know how to put it with this story. It starts out a little weird and a little too slow for my taste. In fact, it took a few re-listens of the first few chapters for me to really get it. There’s about three-ish different narratives with one being set in the past with Mortarion’s upbringing on Barbarus, one in the present with Mortarion and Typhon navigating through the warp on their way to rendezvous with the Traitor Legions in preparation for the Siege of Terra, and lastly the Knights Errant with Garro (the cooler Loken), Loken (the less cool Garro), and Malcador the Sigilite,
The Knights Errant narrative is just plain okay. It’s honestly not particularly memorable and kind of just seems like some backtracking because maybe it was realized last minute that more backstory was needed for the Grey Knights. I think the most enjoyable thing I found with it is the framing of Malcador to be a bit more dark, which has opposed the view I’ve had of him just being the Emperor’s BFF/favorite mind wizard.
The past and present narratives involving the Death Guard and Mortarion, however, are what’s really important and what I think overrules the mediocrity of the Knights Errant story and makes this story amazing. They both tend to intertwine with one mirroring the other in some ways and ultimately leads to a very bleak and grimdark conclusion that will fundamentally change the Death Guard. You’re with Mortarion from the beginning, seeing him go from a weak and meager character that is afraid of his tyrannical foster father to a leader that unites the oppressed people of Barbarus to overthrow the tyrants that are done having a boot to their throats.
I think the most significant tie between the two narratives is the relationship between Mortarion and Calas Typhon in how it is formed and eventually is strained.
I think it’s a shame that The Buried Dagger is at the very end of the series because I feel like it likely doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. That being said, I think it’s a great way to cap off the Horus Heresy series. The board is set and the pieces are in place, the Siege of Terra is next.
I don’t really know how to put it with this story. It starts out a little weird and a little too slow for my taste. In fact, it took a few re-listens of the first few chapters for me to really get it. There’s about three-ish different narratives with one being set in the past with Mortarion’s upbringing on Barbarus, one in the present with Mortarion and Typhon navigating through the warp on their way to rendezvous with the Traitor Legions in preparation for the Siege of Terra, and lastly the Knights Errant with Garro (the cooler Loken), Loken (the less cool Garro), and Malcador the Sigilite,
The Knights Errant narrative is just plain okay. It’s honestly not particularly memorable and kind of just seems like some backtracking because maybe it was realized last minute that more backstory was needed for the Grey Knights. I think the most enjoyable thing I found with it is the framing of Malcador to be a bit more dark, which has opposed the view I’ve had of him just being the Emperor’s BFF/favorite mind wizard.
The past and present narratives involving the Death Guard and Mortarion, however, are what’s really important and what I think overrules the mediocrity of the Knights Errant story and makes this story amazing. They both tend to intertwine with one mirroring the other in some ways and ultimately leads to a very bleak and grimdark conclusion that will fundamentally change the Death Guard. You’re with Mortarion from the beginning, seeing him go from a weak and meager character that is afraid of his tyrannical foster father to a leader that unites the oppressed people of Barbarus to overthrow the tyrants that are done having a boot to their throats.
I think the most significant tie between the two narratives is the relationship between Mortarion and Calas Typhon in how it is formed and eventually is strained.
I think it’s a shame that The Buried Dagger is at the very end of the series because I feel like it likely doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. That being said, I think it’s a great way to cap off the Horus Heresy series. The board is set and the pieces are in place, the Siege of Terra is next.
February 12, 2025
The Buried Dagger serves as quite a haunting and tragic inclusion to the Horus Heresy series, chronicling the final, fateful steps of Mortarion and his Death Guard Legion as they succumb fully to the corruption of Chaos God Nurgle. Firstly, James Swallow here delivers a deeply atmospheric and character-driven two way narrative, blending the relentless horror of the Death Guard's fall with an introspective exploration of Mortarion's past including all his hatred of weakness and his doomed struggle against the very forces he once sought to resist. Whilst on the other hand we witness the final machinations of the Knights-Errant as well as the seeming founding of the Grey Knights. Though nothing in this book shines brighter than the overall story regarding the inevitability of Mortarion's fate, not as a simple act of betrayal, but rather as the culmination of a long, slow erosion of his will further shaped by his deeply ingrained resentment toward the Emperor and his own horrific upbringing on Barbarus. Moreover Swallow takes the time to further enrich Mortarion’s character by attributing large efforts to the dynamic between Mortarion and Typhon, his First Captain of the Death Guard whose ambition and deceit ultimately seal the Legion's perpetual damnation. With Swallow crafting Typhon as an insidious presence whose secret embrace of the Warp is at first subtle but ultimately decisive in leading the Death Guard into their never ending entrapment of the warp and their agonizing transformation into the Plague Marines of Nurgle. For me, the novel's structure, which alternates between the present and flashbacks to Mortarion's past was an amazing way to add emotional weight to his arc, making his eventual fall feel all the more poignant. The battle sequences, while less frequent than in other Horus Heresy novels, are brutal, vivid, and atmospheric, emphasizing the suffocating horror of the Legion's fate rather than grand, large-scale warfare though still never faltering on its fights of course. This is as well I believe the best Primarch/Legion introduction book i’ve read so far this shit was beautiful and Morty is a goat.
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