Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter

The Horus Heresy: Primarchs #12

by Guy Haley

A Horus Heresy: Primarchs novel

Few among the legendary primarchs are as feared as Konrad Curze, the Night Haunter. Even before his fall to darkness, he was a sinister legend, a remorseless killer. This is his story.

READ IT BECAUSE
The Night Haunter is a fascinating character, a man who could have been a hero, but for the daemons that plague him, the result of his nightmarish visions of a future he helps to create. Guy Haley delves into this lord of the night, in a story you'll never forget…

THE STORY
Of all the Emperor’s immortal sons, the primarchs, it is Konrad Curze whose legend is the darkest. Born in the shadows of Nostramo, a world of murderers, thieves and worse, is it any surprise that he became the figure of dread known only as the Night Haunter? Heed now the tragic story of the creature Konrad Curze, master of the Night Lords Legion, of how he became a monster and a weapon of terror. He who once served the Imperium saw the truth in a maddening universe and the hypocrisy of a loveless father, and embraced the only thing that made any sense – darkness. From the blood-soaked gutters of his hiveworld upbringing, to the last days of his ill-fated existence, Curze is a primarch like no other and his tale is one to chill the very bone…

Written by Guy Haley

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Horror, Action

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2019

About the author

Guy Haley is the author of over 50 novels and novellas. His original fiction includes Crash, Champion of Mars, and the Richards and Klein, Dreaming Cities, and the Gates of the World series (as K M McKinley). However, he is best known as a prolific contributor to Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.

When not writing, he'll be out doing something dangerous in the wild, learning languages or gaming.

Reviews

[Marco Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly excellent novel. If you are not familiar with the 40K setting, you may not know that the Space Marine Legion's Primarchs all represented an aspect or style of warfare. The Space Wolves acted as the Emperor's executioners, the Alpha Legion was designed for covert operations, the Imperial Fists were masters of fortification and so on. The VIIIth Legion, the Night Lords, were terror troops. By the horrific death of thousands they would cow millions. This was their mandate.

Their Primarch was equally disturbing. Konrad Curze, the Night Haunter, created a Legion filled with the hive scum of Nostromo. Sociopaths and murderers, the Night Lords' reputation was dark even among their brother legions.

This book is a look at Konrad. Gifted with the ability to see the future, Konrad awaits his forseen death. As he waits he tells a tale that explains his madness and inevitable fall. Perhaps one of the most tragic of the Primarchs, his unstable personality did not sit well with the missions tasked to the VIIIth. In time the VIIIth would follow Horus into the arms of Chaos.

A fascinating look at a disturbing Primarch. Well written, it is interestinf due to the outlook of Curze. He seeks justice, but it is justice deviod of mercy. A truly strange Primarch, who accepted his fate. A great look into one of the most murderous of Legions- the VIIIth, Night Lords.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the primarchs I have always felt that the nighthaunter was the closest thing to a human. Yes he is a grotesque being and much like a mythological creature is bigger then life as are all primarchs. But unlike most primarchs, Konrad Curze story has been humanized more then others. It must be because the other primarchs that became traitor had a chaos component to their actions (even the alpha legion in their own way) their fall was linked to a chaos corruption but the nightlords aren't, most are closer to renegades then traitor marines and the Nighthaunter has never accepted chaos in his being. So the story of his fall has always been more complex and more personal then with any other traitor primarch (perhaps Perturabo is an exception but he too became a demon primarch at the end).

Something I find wrong with the lore of most primarchs is most stories of the primarchs subscribe to the idea of a fixed future. The traitors fell as they did partially because of the chaos plot to make them fall but mostly because they wandered to the edge of the abyss to peer over the edge. With the loyalist primarchs I miss the temptations that should have been on their path; surely there must have been points in their lives where say Rogal Dorn could have walked a different road? Are they not all a new form of classic tragic demigod heroes infused with hubris? Are not all the gifts of the emperor prone to both great achievement and great horror? Yet only from Sangiunius do we ever get these inner fears and doubts which makes him by far the most interesting loyalist primarch.
Most stories about the primarchs only rarely gives us glimpses of the inner turmoils, desires and doubts of the primarchs, even with Sangiunius is this a side story. This book does the complete opposite, it is nothing but inner turmoil, crushed desires and doubts. This is a collection of short stories reformed to be the ramblings of a madman, a being pushed to the limit by what he has done and a need for atonement from a dead father he never really accepted in his heart as his own.

As horrible as the nighthaunter is, I can't but help to feel sorry for him and felt this way before reading this book but even more so after. I always knew that his visions of the future were options, possibilities but with varying degree of probability. But not even one person ever explained that to him!! That is for me the most maddening part of his story; why did no one of his more psychic brothers or his father ever bother to explain to him that the worst outcome is not fixed in stone?No most seemed to have been content with using him or verbally spitting in his face and not once did the emperor intervene. I mean djees did the emperor just want someone like that, an utter emotional mess inching towards breakdown? did he think he needed to come to that realization on his own? But this is the same emperor who utterly misunderstood Angron and doomed him from the start so.....

Unlike Angron who's story is tragic for different reasons, Konrad Curze story is tragic because he is an example of a fragile but beautiful soul who was cast in the most horrid of circumstances. Having crashed on the most depressing world in the whole of the 40k universe (suicide being the top cause of death alongside murder and lungcancer) would turn anyone into a sobbing mess but someone with foresight who gets confirmation again and again of how awful everyone is? Combine that with an innate emotional need for justice and setting things right and you end up with someone who is bound to break at some point.

But he did not have to break...; That seems to be the point this book sets out to make. Konrad Kurze is realizing at long last, after finally being honest to himself while having a mock conversation with his fallen father, how at times his life could have been different. The most tragic moment for me was when he saw so clearly two possibilities involving a young criminal and gangmember he had in his claws; one he struck Konrad down and turning him into a famous and ruthless mobboss, the other he accepts the nighthaunter as his lord to inspire him as he would inspire others like him to aid him in making this world a better place for all. Look I get that most people would find any system that relies on theatrical murder and vigilante militias to ensure safety to be a horrible situation (and it is) but in the context of Nostramo (also know as gotham planet or arkham city globally), this would have been the best of paths. A path that would have led to Curze building a solid powerbase, a way to refine his philosophy, to humanize it, to use it for more then mere punishment but achieve true societal justice; but he had to trust and he had lost the capability to do so.

You see, this is for me such a good story because I can relate to Konrad Curze on some emotional level; misanthropy that originated out of a deep emotional hate of injustice and an ever more pressing need to understand why people commit horrible deeds. This is the kind of misanthropy that is a shield for your mental health but might in itself become a terrible curse to carry. This kind of misanthropy can lead you down a dark path of ever higher disgust and anger towards your fellow human beings who fail to live up to your albeit positive but unattainable standards. I understand this mentality because for years I have lived with it, it edges on my state of mind and tries to take over and I have to fight to keep it down. At the same time I have to accept this part of me and feel some affection for it; for it is also the side that forms the core of my sense of what is right and wrong.

I always get strange looks when I tell fellow 40K fans that the nightlords and the nighthaunter are my favorite legion. They see a twisted madman and a legion of lunatics; I see lost potential looking back at me and whisper its temptation to me while warning me at the same time. From a story point of view, I feel like a lot was put into this book, loose ties that needed to be tied up but I missed a few things. A part I wished had been included in this book; the time he spent with fulgrim, never has that story been told on what he learned from his brother primarch of the third legion. Nor has the story been told of his first meeting with the nightlord legion and their reaction towards the nature of their lord or his lack of followers on his own planet. The interactions between the nightlord and his brothers as well as the relationship with his legion have always come from the closing years of the crusade and the heresy itself and even tough that is fascinating and tragic, it would be more powerful to see the full length of his twisted path; I wish the story of the early days will be told at some point; maybe then if a writer is bold enough, can a different nighthaunter be shown, one who might still have turned back from his path that lead to his vindication and death.

Ave Dominus Nox

[Marc Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curze is an interesting novel, certainly one of the more ambitiously eclectic entries into the Primarchs series.

Cross-sectioning the Night Haunter's history in jagged strips, it paints a picture of him at his best, his worst, and everything in between.

Haley frames it all as a confessional, adding layers and depth to a foregone conclusion. He veers between the ridiculous and the sublime; as writers for Curze often do (it's like roleplaying a Malkavian), but ultimately I think he sticks the landing.

Essentially every previously named Night Lord gets screen time, or at least acknowledged. This helps to give us other points of view and expands the narrative, keeping them locked in orbit around Curze, as damned by his destiny as he is.

Though, on that note, the last bit of the novel is really quite interesting in addressing the inevitability of fate- through a most interesting vector.

Would highly recommend. Not perfect, but darkly entertaining and with much food for thought.

[Normkompatibel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, Guy Haley can write and he wrote some of my favorite Horus Heresy Books (Perturabo is an excellent book of rare quality). But this book is a mess. It aims to tie up loose ends and involve all the Nightlords we learned to like/fear: Sevatar, The Painted Count, even Talos but that's _all_ it does and it does it badly. The metaphors are uninspired and repetitive; (apparently Konrad looks cadaverous and that needs to be mentioned twenty times) the violence and torture that need to make us fear the 8th legion don't do their job and just register as unnecessary. Haley does a poor job in describing Konrad's madness. Storywise it's all over the place, it tries to tell too many different stories from too many different points of views. It reads like a collection of unrelated short stories put in a blender and then haphazardly arranged as a novel. I was really looking forward to learning more about my favorite Primarch and all I can think is ,'no, this is not canon'. I just want to forget this ever happened.

[Anthony Giordano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you’ve been reading Warhammer 40,000 fiction for years, or are a relative tyro, you are familiar with the Space Marines. These legendary, genetically-enhanced super-soldiers turn the battle in their favor just by showing up; cutting swathes through their enemies with martial and strategic prowess. All Space Marines; Loyalist or Traitor/Chaos, can trace their roots to a Founding Chapter. Each Founding Chapter, in turn, was comprised of Astartes who were the gene-children of a Primarch; that Primarch being a son of the God Emperor of Mankind. Recently, The Black Library began a novella series dedicated to these demigods; hence, The Horus Heresy Primarchs series was born. Today, I review Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter by Guy Haley. This is the story of the Primarch of the VIII Legion, the Night Lords. Note: this is Book 12 in the Primarchs series (each book, of course, is a standalone tome, allowing you to pick and choose as interests you).

Before we start reviewing the book itself, let’s talk a bit about Primarchs, Founding Chapters, and old 40K lore. Suffice to say, over the past few decades, the lore has grown, been fleshed out, and developed a lot. Looking back on the original concepts for the Founding Chapters, you basically have “Historical Military Faction X….in Space”. Substitute any famous faction for X – Romans, Vikings, Mongols, etc. It was cool at the time; it’s near comedic in retrospect, and it’s a testimonial to the work that’s been done to create the rich, canonic lore we have today.

But what about the Night Lords? Well, you know that extra quiet kid from High School, who wore all black and sat in the back? Remember his doodles in his notebooks? All lightning, skulls, curved, talon-edged bat-wings? Wicked claws and swords? Yeah, the Night Lords were his contribution to the lore. They are the epitome of all those drawings. They are the terror in the night, they are badder than bad.

All jokes aside, the Night Lords are a faction which rules, fights, and subjugates via terror. Their Primarch, Konrad Curze, embodies all of the tenets in spades. Named for Joseph Conrad, as well as legendary antagonist Kurtz, he possesses a true heart of darkness. He is also conflicted, self-loathing, and absolutely mad. In harnessing all of these myriad personality traits (disorders?), Haley has presented us with an utterly fascinating, and overall excellent character study of the madman, his last moments, and some snapshots of what made him who he was.

First, the blurb
Of all the Emperor’s immortal sons, the primarchs, it is Konrad Curze whose legend is the darkest. Born in the shadows of Nostramo, a world of murderers, thieves and worse, is it any surprise that he became the figure of dread known only as the Night Haunter? Heed now the tragic story of the creature Konrad Curze, master of the Night Lords Legion, of how he became a monster and a weapon of terror. He who once served the Imperium saw the truth in a maddening universe and the hypocrisy of a loveless father, and embraced the only thing that made any sense – darkness. From the blood-soaked gutters of his hiveworld upbringing, to the last days of his ill-fated existence, Curze is a primarch like no other and his tale is one to chill the very bone…

Quick note: The Primarchs novellas don’t follow strict structural guidelines; hence, they are not all ‘histories’ of the Primarchs. Different authors have chosen to focus on battles, histories, etc., stressing instances which they felt best illustrate the character of the Primarch in question.

The overarching storyline for Haley’s Curze story focuses on Curze’s last days; living in an emotional exile of sorts on the planet Tsagualsa, awaiting the arrival of the Callidus assassin M’Shen (if you are new to 40K, this is not a spoiler: Curze’s assassination is common knowledge). During this period of waiting, he delivers a testimonial of sorts; recounting his life, absolving himself of the atrocities committed by his own hands, and laying the blame for his ails and miseries squarely at the feet of his father, the Emperor of Mankind. These scenes are brilliant, and showcase Haley having a great time writing for this twisted demigod. The motif of “Daddy issues” often comes up when dealing with Primarchs; instead of trying to buck the trend, Haley gleefully picks up the ball and runs like Hell with it. In this scenes, Haley paints Curze as a nightmarish Hamlet; who, instead of regaling a skull with his self-pitying soliloquies, has crafted an effigy of his own father to voice his complaints to. An effigy of his father, comprised entirely of parts cobbled from collected bodies. A literal Corpse-Emperor.

Over the course of decrying his absentee father, and attempting to validate his past actions as righteous, we are treated to a series of vignettes which showcase the real Curze (Spoiler: he’s not righteous; he’s a sadistic madman). Among these are the final days of the crew of the ship which discovered the stasis coffin that Sanguinius had placed Curze in (this, in the end, provided Curze with a ride to Tsagualsa, and his rendezvous with destiny). Other vignettes show glimpses of Curze on Nostramo, his acts in punishing Legion members guilty of acting outside of acceptable parameters of terror, and the rise of a gang-led governmental coup on Nostramo; which would have grave ramifications for the Night Haunter’s adoptive world. Finally, as these storylines play out; we also witness another trend playing out; the degradation of the overall quality of Night Lords Legion stock; exacerbated by the withering quality of aspirants provided for elevation to the level of Astartes.

Let’s look at the elements bit by bit:

Characters
Haley maintains a tight dramatis personae here. This is almost entirely a one-man show, as it should be.

And, I simply cannot emphasize enough how well Haley ‘gets’ Curze, and delivers in his presentation. Haley captures the look, the physicality, the motions, the madness, the tenuous sanity, the rage, the sorrow, even the fear, of this most troubled Primarch. He sets up the plausible argument that yes, perhaps Curze was truly a victim of being a creature of pre-ordained design; and then, we will see an example reminding us of the natural, gleeful malice upon which his cruelties are predicated. Curze’s ‘punishments’ are meted out in the name of a justice, which by his own admission, omits the critical aspect of mercy. Of humanity. And that is because neither are present in his emotional palette.

Konrad Curze is a lethal madman living at the intersection of petulance and depravity, and Haley delivered this with a ribbon on top.

There are cameo appearances by key Night Lords, including fan-favorite Talos. Some decent page time is meted out to First Captain Sevatar, as well as Chapter Equerry Shang. Sevatar makes for a great, stalwart servant of his Primarch, and there is some well-orchestrated friction between him and Shang.

In each of the vignettes, we are treated to memorable human characters. This is a specialty of Haley’s; to flesh out these characters, even though they might only serve insignificant parts in the overall narrative. The best example of this is Elver, serving on the Sheldroon, the freighter which discovers Curze’s drifting sarcophagus. His presence in the novel is bolstered by a detailed backstory, and fully realized character arc. There are primary players in full length novels that do not get this level of authorial investment. But this has always been one of Haley’s strengths; a vivid imagination and the skill to realize it on paper.

Plus, I’m sure he’s aware of the importance of fleshing the characters out quickly. Any human who crosses paths with Curze tends to have their lifespan truncate drastically as a result.

World building
Here we arrive at Haley’s other great strength; worldbuilding. See, Haley is not just a great tie-in fiction author, he’s a sharp, savvy sci-fi author in general. You can really see this in effect when he’s discussing the mechanics of space travel. Most authors treat it as either seafaring vessels, or fighter planes, but in space. Haley truly delves into the physics, theoretics, and all that other scientific stuff which just whizzes over my head.

In the Curze novella, there are a lot of rich backgrounds which are brought to robust life courtesy of his deft keystrokes. The dark, hateful, crime-ridden avenues of Nostramo, where life is less than cheap and taken without a second thought. The filthy, poorly maintained Sheldroon; whose filthy sump tanks have become festering biomes. Desolate Tsagualsa, and the gruesome fortress in which Curze verbally meanders through his last days; decorated with the deft touch of an artisanal sadist. Floors festooned with mosaics of tooth, walls of living, moaning victims, stretched out and stitched together, wailing for an eternity.

The lore of the Night Lords is filled with such macabre window-dressing. Instead of trying to downplay it; Haley again embraces the visceral decor, treating readers to the sights and smells, reminding us that some organs have those stubborn, crunchy-chewy bits.

Action
So, if there’s one complaint that I have about Haley, in general, it’s that I’m not a huge fan of his action scenes. Luckily, there are not many action scenes in this book. The few that are present are done fairly well. However, if you need a little more bolter action in your Warhammer offerings, consider this a fair warning. The crux of this novella is charting Curze’s descent into absolute madness, not mulching xenos.

Overall Writing
Again, stellar. This is a short work, but Haley makes his words count. He lays down a bunch of threads, and makes sure to tie them all up by close. He employs a rich, vibrant, intelligent vocabulary, which is something I’ve always appreciated from him.

Pacing is great; no slow, stalling bits. Nothing rushed, either.

Final Thoughts
This is one of the most enjoyable, satisfying books I’ve read from The Black Library in a while. You can tell that Guy Haley was having a lot of fun writing this book; and that’s good, because when the author’s having fun then usually the readers will too.

Instead of reducing Konrad Curze to a moustache-twirling, cartoon villain; or, potentially worse, a too-cool-for-school misunderstood anti-hero, Haley embraced and explored the madness eating the man. The Primarch of the VIII Legion was a natural dichotomy; both a victim of circumstances (of birth, etc.) beyond his control, and a complicit perpetrator of the atrocities for which he was so rightfully loathed.

Thus was the legacy of Konrad Curze, Primarch of the VIII Legion, and, also, The Night Haunter.

This review appears over at Grimdark Magazine. Why not stop by, read some other reviews, and give this one a like or three?
https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/revi...

[Veronica Anrathi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Enough time has passed since I read this and I think I am finally ready to actually write a few words. This horrid thing has pushed me, a Night Lords fan of many many years and a dedicated Heresy reader, away from Black Library for 5 years. No joke, this was an insult to me and every fan who cares about these characters and what they represent. This book has previous lore contradictions in nearly every chapter. This book ridicules and infantilizes establish characters, simply turning them into caricatures of themselves. Guy Haley, though a talented author who wrote several 5 star books that I adore, has ZERO understanding of the Night Lords, he should not have taken this job. He also very clearly refuses to see them as anything but mustache twirling villians for some reason that feels borderline personal. On top of this, extremely sensitive topics of suicide and rape are NOT addressed responsibly AT ALL, I happened to read this trash months after losing a dear friend to suicide and I was horrified by the way Guy treated such a delicate matter, moreover - the chapter involving this goes against EVERYTHING Konrad Curze has ever stood for as a character. While reading this, I have made many pages of notes and was planning to write a big review, but it's just not worth it. The damage is done, new readers will try to learn about the Night Lords through this (short, stand alone, sorta new), will get a certain impression and will never invest their time into reading the wonderful trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, any of the good Heresy shorts, or even look into the *classic* Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier. These people will miss out on some of the best pieces of Black Library literature because who would ever want to get to know these one dimensional maniacs? I wish I could give it less than one star, though there are other Primarch books that are poorly written, and this one is arguably not AS bad in terms of the author's writing ability, it is just uniquely outrageous due to the mess it has created and canonized. Also shout out to Guy, who literally compared Night Lords fans to serial killer groupies on twitter. Good job, mate. Really makes me want to read more of your books.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twelfth novel in Black Library’s The Horus Heresy Primarchs series, Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter is Guy Haley’s third contribution and by a comfortable margin his most unconventional one yet. A twitchy, jittery collection of characters and plot threads, it sees Curze – twisted, haunted, damaged – spending the final hours of his life reliving some of the key events which led him inevitably to a moment he’d long foreseen. Crouched in the darkness, talking in his madness to a (literally and figuratively) distant father, his only thoughts are to justify his monstrous actions and find vindication in light of the Emperor’s own cold contempt.

Or at least, that’s one possible interpretation of the book, of the events it describes and of Curze’s intentions and motivations. It’s not a book which provides straight answers, but instead it offers a sharp, insightful representation of a complex character which actively encourages the reader to draw their own conclusions. Was Curze’s fate inevitable? Could he have turned out differently under other circumstances? Was the Emperor ‘right’ to use him in the way he did…answers of a sort are provided, but it’s for each reader to decide whether – or how much – to sympathise with Curze.

Read the full review here: https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/08/...

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: A LOT. Discussed below.

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.

Right up top I want to make a couple of things clear. I absolutely adored this and don't know whether this saga has left my heart so scarred I was unable to cry or if I simply had a more apropos reaction to the maudlin sobriety of the final fated tragedy.

However, I totally get how others would not and know there are those whose reviews and opinions I respect who absolutely loathed this book. It's potentially extremely triggering with referenced suicide, sexual assault, child abuse, a lot of physical andsome psychological abuse with disturbing detail and gore, in a strange place of being less, more, and as much as you might expect from Night Haunter's Primarchs outing. I don't think these things are used flippantly, at least no more than the atrocities and war crimes that are Warhammer, though I'm no expert. I am of the opinion that as people like G.R.R Martin about sex scenes, Quentin Tarantino about violence, and many survivors of violence and abuse have spoke out about not being silenced on those topics and the hypocrisy with which these different things are sometimes weighed. They aren't all equal of course, an Exterminatus in the Dark Millennia or by the Death Star are horrifying war crimes, but so large and unimaginable as to become abstracted, while Necrons' Flayed Ones, the Night Lords proclivities, and the crimes of Nostramo circle closer to reality and garner a certain degree more care and gravitas. I also feel leary about referencing Tarantino with sources saying he's a real piece of shit himself.

My point being everyone has their own lines and triggers, and I'm no expert on the content in here. My own C-PTSD is largely from emotional abuse at home and school, and even if I had experience more in line with elements in here it would still be one perspective. All of this to say, if you have any concerns or have had anything in previous Horus Heresy books hit you the wrong way, tread lightly or maybe just skip this one. I will say there isn't any explicit misogyny, which has been a big problem, with Abnett and McNeill particularly. Although, the few women in this story, aside from the referenced Assassin, M'Shen, are furniture and victims.

OK. Deep breath.

This is the story of a dark and stormy night in which a sculptor plies his trade one last time, recounting the significant events of his life.

I think Haley did the impossible here.

Several instances of the impossible by my accounting, but I have already said that I absolutely loved this novel, so as the Lycaens used to say, save some salt for the gruel, and this review. Your mileage may well vary.

I say Haley did the impossible largely because he had so many long established hoops to jump through, an Atlas-like weight of history and expectation, not to mention the fact that this story had the whole of the Horus Heresy, Warhammer 40K lore, codices, and media, including the understandably lauded Night Lords series by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (which I am having to use every fibre of my will to not read again until I do the further reading tour once the Heresy is settled) that has a big focus and a whole exquisite audio drama, Throne of Lies, all about the inescapable and timely(?) demise of the Night Haunter, and he also had to tell his own story of the Primarch the Emperor named Konrad Curze. Speaking of the Emperor, another impossible feat is an exchange that I don't think could be more perfect in its content, tone, and the uncertainty of the veracity of any aspect of it at all.

So yeah, I think Haley did something special here.

**I always try to avoid spoilers, but I will be speaking more generally about the structure and beats of the story going forward, so if you don't want any of that or potential minor spoilers don't read on**

The story revolves around Night Haunter (who I have to apologise to for constantly writing Nighthaunter in previous reviews) on the night or whatever time it actually is. I think it's to assume it's always at least dusk where the Night Lords are. Curze is working on a grand flesh sculpture and he is accounting significant moments from his life and making his case for himself and fate to the flesh wrought creation. These vignettes of his life cover all the way from his awakening on Nostramo to his awakening after the Heresy (my autism is unhappy Lexicanum doesn't seem to have a M-date for me, but it's somewhere in the region of the magical amount of time from the Prequels to A New Hope so not necessarily not that long, but things are already largely blurred and mythical), through the events around his awakening, to the calling of his surviving Night Lords to him. There are significant moments with the three most prominent Night Lords, Sevatar, Tseng, and Talos, and in a similar vein to the gorgeous tapestry of a victory lap Warhawk of Chogoris is for Chris Wraight and his while White Scars Wraight Heresy, this takes the disparate lumps of and binds them together with grizzly sinew, while adding his own gobbets of meaty goodness.

Beyond the story of how he made his way back to his fortress, one other aspect not really fleshed out before that I really appreciated are the details of how Nostromo and the Night Lords recruits became such a hive of scum and villainy. This was something that always irked me, as writing off a planet as either genetically and/ or culturally predisposed to criminality and being immoral is just baaaaad and actually problematic. I'm not going to get my well worn soap box out, but monolithic and bioessentialist aspects of sci-fi and fantasy have roots and in connotations with real world bigotry and that sucks. The explanations make sense and work without stretching anything, which is cool.

The most important thing about this of course is the Night Haunter himself, especially as he is the one telling all these tales. I think his character is captured magnificently with it being clear that he is a product of the Emperor's gene labs and dark bargains, his life before the Imperium, the experiences of the Great Crusade and subsequent destruction of Nostromo, the calamitous battles between him and the Lion with the complicated relationships and goings on during and post Imperium Secondus, the genuinely horrific thing one of his brothers does to him, and what became of his Legion. He is broken and twisted by fate, the Emperor, and his own weaknesses and indulgences. I think Haley walks the perfect line of sympathy, empathy, and condemnation, all by Curze's own words and deeds. Personally, I find him an incredibly sympathetic character whose deck was rigged from the start and then suffered nothing but gaslighting from his father who created and condoned his actions, and scorn, revilement and betrayal from his brothers who rejected him and condemned his actions. He is responsible and contemptible for the foul things he did, but just how culpable and capable of doing anything else is something that will forever be a question. Perhaps he went to his death with an answer, perhaps not.

I don't know what else to say.

I bloody loved this.

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 32 Horus Heresy novels (including a repeat), 20 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, 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.

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The most recent Primarch novel I had read was ‘Angron: Slave of Nuceria’. Whilst I enjoyed it, I can’t help but feel that my rating of four out of five might have been a little too generous. That is entirely the fault of Konrad Curze. This novel was what Slave of Nuceria could have been but fell incredibly far short of.

The best way to describe it is ‘an insane novel that is all over the place … yet works all the better for it’. The novel has two settings. The first being the present day where Konrad awaits the arrival of the assassin he has foresaw, eager to let his demise play out as his foresight has shown him. Of course, waiting for one’s death must be terribly boring, So Konrad passes the time by having a raving mad discussion with a corpse-dummy he has made up to look like his father. Absolutely bonkers, right? Yep, but insanity is, sadly, one of the many traits that Konrad has in abundance.

The other time period is basically random parts of Kondrad’s past that he feels have all served to make him the man/demi-god/Primarch/beast that he is today. Through these parts of history we see the people Konrad interacted with (poor, poor people). We are shown his origins on Nostramo from his humble beginnings of a Batman-style vigilante … well, if Batman were a thousand times darker than he is. The primarch’s entire life up until the point at which he currently tells his tale is shown through these past sequences.

Normally, I am not one for flashbacks. So the thought of an entire novel of flashbacks (seemingly randomly thrown together no less) was a little off-putting to me. My love of the Night Lords history and the urge to know more of their primarch kept me hooked, though. Thankfully! For if I had stopped, I would have missed out on a truly wonderful primarch novel.

I think I enjoyed this one so much because it felt like it had more life to it than Angron’s novel. Anything involving Konrad just felt like it belonged whereas some of Angron’s felt a bit shoe-horned in.

For those of you more familiar with the 30k history, this novel throws up a fair few ‘hmmm, what if that’s what happened?’ scenarios regarding the Emperor and the Horus Heresy in general. For years we have been told of this glorious Emperor of Mankind and how he is a paragon of justice. Konrad Curze questions that, his visions of the future make the reader wonder why the Emperor ever allowed anything like the Heresy to happen given the fact that He is also able to peer into the future.

I really like the direction that 30k & 40k is going these days and this book just adds more cement into already solid foundations going forward.

Bravo, Guy Haley. You smashed this one out of the park.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brutal, chaotic account of a murderous madman.

Thank you, Black Library, for providing me a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Konrad Curze, primarch of the 8th legion, is insane. His legion rots from within. His death is approaching, and he’s decided it’s time to confront his absent father. His tale is long, unforgiving, twisted and dark as only that of one abandoned, growing alone on a sunless world could possibly be. His life is spread open, vivisected and shared as he convicts the God Emperor, and himself.

This book is not for the faint of heart, or stomach. It’s brutal, vicious, full of graphic violence and grim, callous murder. I’d like to say it’s a headlong descent of an inhuman primarch into madness, but it’s more complicated than that. Perhaps it’s an exploration of how the effects of one poisoned, lightless, murderous planet can ripple outward ceaselessly. I do know that it’s a hard book to read sometimes. There seems to be little if anything to redeem Konrad Curze. There are plain descriptions of the choices he’s making conveyed at points, but much of the book is about death, dismemberment and torture, and worse. Given that it’s a Warhammer book, surprisingly, there are also very few battles in the story. Also, though the story is posited as the Night Haunter sharing his past with his father before he is murdered, much of the story itself is not in his POV.

Haley has some very intriguing turns of phrase, his prose is incredibly descriptive and there is some very interesting world-building that is conveyed. There are some especially captivating depictions, for instance, that I would almost say are entirely worth the read by themselves. Most of all, this book is worth reading, for those who are brave enough to do so, to fill in the blanks about Konrad Curze.

[Pavle · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, the greatest Primarch tale in a long-line of many great stories brought about from the Primarch Novel Line.

I was fortunate to receive this as a gift for my birthday as a collectors edition, and honored to have received it.

This was grim, horrific, and honorable exposition of the Night Haunter. I will not give anything away in this review, other than it is akin to a confessional of Machiavellian proportions.
To quote the great, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, "Die as you lived. Son of the eighth legion - in midnight clad." Guy Haley did the Night Lords Primarch justice and lived up to the already treasured tales of this dark legion.

[Matias · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars from someone who's read of Konrad Curze before. I guess 3 stars from a possible newcomer, perhaps? Speculation...

I saw this as an amazing take on the character in question and also on the Night Lords legion.

I recommend reading this one. It is especially gritty sci-fi fantasy novel with it's short length as it's only fault.

[Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

eren yeager batman book pretty good

this book is a bit all over the place with how it skips around to various points in the story of Konrad Curze but I thought it was all intentional as it seems to flesh out Curze’s complex and messed up sense of morality. I think tone-wise it’s very reminiscent of the demeanor the Joker has throughout the Arkham Knight video game going from being a snarky arrogant sociopath, to the memories of his life ultimately culminating together as he has a “confrontation” with Big E and has a bit of a mental break.

generally i feel like this is a pretty good depiction of Curze, but at times it kind of characterizes him as a murder hobo or someone that sees murder and torture as the same way as someone who is addicted to food and eats out of boredom.

overall a pretty good story and primarch novel, i just wish it had characterized him a little similarly to how he was depicted in the A Lesson In Darkness short story.

[Zygfryd · Rating 2 out of 5]

2+

[Simon Mee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another bad guy, perhaps even the worst, in that he's just not very good at it.

Bad Guy

Konrad Curze was his name, and though he had many gifts bestowed upon him by his father, sanity was not among them

Curze is a bad dude. And whatever Haley's faults, Haley has always been good at getting across the main feature of a character, even if overwrought, or a bit against the overall theme

It is at your option to debate whether Curze’s methods are out of line with his brother Primarchs, at least when properly executed. To me, it seems pretty easy – Curze's terror and torture barely registers in the wider tome of warcrimes committed by all sides. In the Warhammer 40k universe, Curze is “right” to say he is no worse than any other Primarch.

Theoretically.

However, the flaws that drives Curze's insanity is that Curze:

- enjoys commiting those warcrimes a little too much (alot);

- cannot get his Legion to properly execute the "war" part of warcrimes;

- cannot get proper men into his Legion; and

- is repeatedly shown to be an untrustworthy character.

Curze discards those who are of no use to him. He’s also too arbitrary in his “punishments.”

It took him three attempts to stand. Curze's boredom had cost Elver dearly.

Curze’s acts of insanity could not be put on screen under any plausible rating. However, they are not necessarily gratuitous, and instead serve as a mockery of the atrocities committed by others in the name of the Emperor of Mankind. Curze's dark but half-cocked reflection of the Imperium's methods works, unless you're weak of stomach.

The point is that, while the traitor Curze might represent an “alternative” to the loyalists in theory, in practice you could never support or even tolerate him. It is easy to take the loyalist side.

Loser

Curze was a cancer, a creature of anarchy

Curze radiates dark energy on the cover of the book. Yet in the text Curze is an utterly uncharismatic loser. Even his own Night Lords Legion explicitly hates him. Whatever the theoretical arguments around Curze’s approach to obtaining “compliance” from resisting worlds, Haley makes it clear that Curze’s practical results hardly rise above a shambles.

The victims of Curze as shown in this book are slaves, a widow, ship’s crew, his own men and one possibly half decent assassin. He is a pathetic bully who blows up his own planet because he lacks any imagination to fix problems of his own making.

You don’t have to like Curze and his characterisation here is consistent. Despite this, I still feel the bad guys in this universe are bit underwhelming. Perhaps Fulgrim has his moments, but he ends up possessed at the critical moment, and Horus is strongest before his falll.

Haley is at his best when relatively equal characters argue competing views, such as between Curze’s equerry Shang and the First Captain Sevatarion. Unfortunately, the moments are limited and do not develop within the book itself. Curze is just too one note, and the hints that he could have been a hero but for his insanity fail to ring true.

He's just too much of a bumbler.

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very disturbing novel on many levels.

First is Curze himself. For all means and purposes emotionally unstable and fatalistic to the core he is disgusted with himself and what his role in the Imperium is. Relying on fear and fear alone to both govern the worlds under his dominion and his legion it is no small wonder that he slowly loses grasp on his Night Lords as they slowly degenerate into psychopathic murdering lot that moves on to kill and maim for killing and maiming alone. This again proves to Curze that everything is falling apart and only thing to do is to go around killing and butchering puny humans because .... anxiety is difficult you know :)

Curze, being a fatalist sees what he takes to be guaranteed future where everybody dies ... well he dies and therefore he sees no point in aiming for anything. So he just becomes madder and madder until he finally decides to end his life through the assassin sent by Imperium but in the process makes sure his father (Emperor) gets the finger because .... why not, I guess, if Curze goes down lets drown everybody in blood.

Second level is Emperor - what did he truly see in Curze and his ever increasingly psychopathic legion? As time goes on I truly wonder what Emperor's end-goal is because he must be heading somewhere with all his actions... right? If not then this is truly epic tragedy.

Excellent book, highly recommended to all fans of Warhammer 40K and Horus Heresy especially.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just want to start this with... I 'Liked' this book. It's well written, and Guy Haley is one of my favorite authors for Black Library. But as a Night Lords/Konrad Curze book it just didn't click for me.

The overall portrayal of Konrad and Sevatar seem at odds with the characters that I've grown to know over all of the 40k books I've read. I know that there is a saying that there is no such thing as 'Canon' as far as 40k history goes, and that it can be re-written at any point or explained into a new direction. But I think that this lessens the collective history of the Night Lords and Curze. It takes a complex and brutal Chapter that always had a 'Necessary Evil' angle and a Primarch that was tragic in his walking the hazy hell-scape between Chaos and the 'evil' he perpetrated and boils him and his chapter down to sadists and murderers without any purpose.

I don't think this is a bad book by any means, but I struggle to reconcile where it fits in the Night Lords mythos that has already been written and formed my view of who this Chapter and it's Primarch is.

[Tommy D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m staring to not trust the reviews of GW books. I’m not sure if the fan base is blinded, doesn’t read anything else, or are simple apologists at this point.
Fear to Tread & Nemesis have near perfect reviews on almost every site, but both are utter dirge!

I rate Guy as a writer but this book just makes Kurze look silly and a lot less intimidating than the image I had before I read this.

It does nothing better than the Chapter Approved article from White Dwarf in the late nineties did, and does a lot worse than the Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski Bowden.

Saved from a 1-star review as Guy is a decent writer and because it feels like he was pressured into writing this rather than having a passion to do it. The final chapter has an interesting exchange which is honestly the best part of the book. The rest is utter droll and really should’ve been edited out.

Unfortunately this is one to skip, and especially so if you’re a Night Lords fan who doesn’t want their favourite Legion spoiled.

[David Graziano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good preamble to the Night Lord omnibus, wich is one of the best by ADB. Gives a quick glimpse into the mindset of the edgiest Primarch, and with that a easy path to pitiless judgement.

[Jake Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone new to Warhammer 40k and grimdark fantasy in general, finally pouring through one of these novels was intimidating due to the labyrinthine nature of this universe and its lore. However, for all I can observe, a good many of these novels focus far less on the particulars and timelines and instead are led by their characters first and foremost. I saw that some of the Primarch stories and all the Horus Heresy stuff seemed to be where a lot of people recommended you start, just picking the characters that seemed intriguing and then going from there. Thankfully, I chose well starting with the story of the broodiest, edgiest boy out there: The Night Haunter.

Konrad Kurze’s story feels like it takes just enough different perspectives and characters to really grant this universe scale without sacrificing intimacy. You get a great look at the internal machinations of this guy and his pathology, and the result is somewhere between legitimate Shakespearean tragedy and pulpy Hannibal-style grotesquerie. I found it rather easy to engage with the multiple threads strung together by a solid framing device that slowly sends all these threads towards the same destination. Not only do you understand Kurze’s turmoil as someone stricken with unbearable paranoia and visions of his own death, but some side players (notably members of his Legion) ended up feeling just as consequential and interesting. There’s plenty of true blue horror in this that spans from legitimately chilling to near cartoonishly overbearing- but it’s all in keeping with the tone and the setting. I always figured ‘grimdark’ stuff would strike me as cloying or overly edgy, and I’m sure that’s the case with some of these, but there’s levity and a solid grasp on drama here that I think warrants me giving it more credit. Some of these threads do feel so disparate at the start that you wonder just why exactly the fractious narrative is the way it is, but as it goes along it manages to synergize in a way I found conclusive and satisfying. The final moments in particular struck me as legitimately gripping in a way I really hoped this story would have in it, and I’m pleasantly satisfied that it met my expectations. While yes, it’s definitely pulpy, this is seasoned and thoughtful prose that doesn’t outstay its welcome, nor does it lean on lazy syntax or fluffy descriptors. This is clearly curated and guided by a skilled hand that struck me quite similarly to the authorial voice of someone like King doing a later Dark Tower novel, my exact brand of fictional nonsense. While not for the faint of heart and certainly not for the completely uninitiated, if you like horror and tragedies, Kurze is a classic archetype we see in stories like King Lear of someone who is bound to a fate only they are privy too, and the execution of how we come to understand his dilemma is pretty damn well-oiled. The best compliment I can give this is that I definitely will not stop here.

[Mitchell George · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter as part of the most recent WH40K Humble Bundle, but I specifically started reading it as some greater context for my listen to the Soul Hunter audiobook, which takes place in the modern setting but with the Night Lords.

This was a incredibly solid read, giving us a great underlining depiction of possibly the most 'broken' Legion of the Great Crusade. The framing device of the book, Curze monologuing to a flesh sculpture that he views as The Emperor, was fantastic. The emotional outpouring, somewhere between a remorseful criminal, a self-affirming psycopath, and a petulant child, really struck a cord with me. This book is equal parts engaging, terrifying, occasinally disgusting, and in it's final moments, genuinely sad.
Kurze is a terrible, monster of a man - but he had his place as a monster of Nostramo. Seeing the nessercery evil that he was on Nostramo, before he becomes the nightmare that he never should've been is truly something to behold. The book never truly has a 'wow' moment, but it's consistent through and through, and so far one of the better entries I've read of the Primarch's series. Well recommended, especially for those looking for a bit more insight into the Night Lords.

[Maksim Prokhorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a one of a kind book, its narrative only plausible in the setting of Warhammer. Yet unlike most books of this setting, where 90% is action, here 90% of it functions as a character study into the most compelling yet horrific character you'll see in literature.

It is like following an absolutely deranged villain of slasher film whose victim is the galaxy. You really don't get this sort of pov anywhere else. However, while the book is horrifically violent and grim, it is presented through glorious prose that leave you thinking about the nature of justice and human cruelty.

Sometimes it is admittedly so excessive that becomes comedic, yet that is its charm, as again you really won't find a book more frantic than this one.

The way it is framed is also fantastic, framing a god fallen from grace and into the most decrepit state you could imagine.

While not for everyone, this book delivers exactly what it promises, in a way that does not overstay its welcome, leaving you wanting more. Beautifully mad.

5/5, perfect for what it is.

[Bookstrider]

Review first published on instagram@bookstrider

For someone that has never heard about this series it was a huge dive into a new world. I did have to google certain things to understand the setting. If you have tried Warhammer - you are better prepared than I was (I've only tried it once). ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
However, the novel was fascinating, intriguing, grotesque and dark. The layers of this character is something that just pulls you in, the madness, the suffering, all combined - you can help but feel for Konrad. Could he have turned out differently? Did he ever stand a chance? I dont know. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
I enjoyed the audibook version and I am en intrigued enough that I want to know more about this world and the Night Haunter. Now that I know his backstory, maybe I will find his development into this dark monster more meaningful? ⁠⠀
Huge credit to Jonathan Keeble for narrating this in a wonderful way that just captured all the misery and suffering. ⁠

[nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe a spoiler.

The best in the series so far. The Primarch books and stories have been a mixed bag honestly. Generally the authors have picked a specific story or incident to try to get a fix on that Primarch. They've mostly been just okay. Couple of standouts, couple of failures, and mostly blah.
This one is different. The story is the hours leading up to Curze's assassination. This shouldn't be a spoiler, it's documented throughout the 40k novels but I warned you. During these hours Curze looks back over the defining moment of his existence. Some are his point is view. Some how victims. Some are a legionnaire. All are telling and horrifying and sad and there honestly isn't a wasted page.
This is the template for all other Primarch books. It's five well deserved stars.
At the end I hated Curze because he is truly a monster. At the end you want to weep for Curze because he didn't have to be but didn't know it.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super exciting story - essentially a ‘what if’ of if superman landed on a dystopian crime planet and it messed him way up because of it.

Unfortunately it’s also weighed heavily down by the way it jumps between at least 4-5 stories/settings and, at least in the audio, without any title card or marker? I have genuinely never rewound an audiobook to figure out who, what and when SO frequently.

All they needed was “Nostromo” - “oh ok so it’s when he’s a kid/growing into the Night Haunter; “Tsugualsa” - “back in his lair, ok gotcha”; “Sheldroon” - “right so back on the space ship”; “Nostromo” - “alright so back on the planet, cool”

The jumping around, back and forth, wasn’t the issue - it was that it took me out every time when I had to rewind twice to figure out the setting of the next 10 mins. However, every chapter, once I figured out where it was set in the timeline, I had a blast 💥

[Lize · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I will not become that creature” Konrad Curze. So heartbreaking. This book was such a wasted opportunity, unfortunately. So much could have been written and explained, but squandered. The Night Lords is one of my favourite factions, due to the trilogy to be honest, which this little book almost broke. Yet, there is enough still in there for a 3 out of 5. Good thing I listened to the book on Audible, because I am sure the actual book would start smelling- the descriptive writing work there quite well. Maybe my day job is lecturing and researching the future, so I can absolutely attest that dwelling there too much could drive one to insanity- because all that was done, all that was warned against could come to pass with destructive clarity. Then sometimes one has to sit back and enjoy it all burn down.

[Ignacio · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I have made my peace with all this blood and agony. ‘None of it was my fault,’ he said. ‘As one cannot regret the diktats of fate, for one has no influence over it, then one cannot bear guilt. I torment myself no longer over my nature, for that too was beyond my control.’

Konrad Kurze is such a tragic character. He committed all these atrocities and embraced the worst of what he was because he believed that he was a prisoner of fate – that the future is written in stone.

Yet underlying this belief was a choice. He chose to believe that fate was immutable, he chose to forego his agency in exchange for absolution. Utterly tragic. A part of him knew that fate was not immutable, that he could choose and that’s what drove him mad.

A tragic character, probably one of my favorite primarchs.

[Tyler Kershaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

When people look at Konrad Curze they see him as either being a misunderstood tragic figure who's mental illness made him seek justice in the most extreme manner whilst taking no love in his barbarity. The other side see him as nothing more than a crazed psychopath who hurts others for his own personal enjoyment and uses justice as an excuse for his depravity. This book presents both sides as being accurate. Curze is a crazed hypocrite who's madness is only matched by his self loathing. He wants to be a noble figure of morality but his own depravity and fixation on following fate to the bitter end was his ultimate downfall.

[Christopher Prats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best Warhammer book I’ve read. These books, though fun, always tend to lean towards being more bolted-porn, than lore-enhancing.

That’s a shame, since the concept of 40k, and 30k as well, leaves much to be explored; and the personal relationships of the Primarchs and the reasons behind why certain ones fell away from the proverbial light was often done too hastily, and sometimes quite badly.

Curze’s fall leaves you hating the monster he becomes, but wishing for more glimpses of the regal majesty that he must have had, more often than not, during the earlier days of the crusade.

Good book, hopefully we get more like it.