What do you think?
Rate this book
The Horus Heresy: Primarchs #16
Rogal Dorn: The Emperor's Crusader
A Primarchs Novel
Rogal Dorn: The Emperor's Crusader is the sixteenth instalment in The Horus Heresy Primarchs series.
READ IT BECAUSE
Six decades into the Great Crusade, expansion has been swift – but the Emperor demands the boundaries of the Imperium grow even further. To this end, four Primarchs are tasked with securing systems beyond the Northern Major Warp Storm, the very presence of which blinds even the Emperor’s psychic sight.
THE STORY
As the Great Crusade enters its sixth decade, the fleets and armies of the Emperor spear out into the galaxy to bring the Imperial Truth to thousands of worlds. Expansion has been swift, but must now be tempered with consolidation. Even so, the Emperor demands that the boundaries of the Imperium be pushed further into the unknown.
The Master of Mankind tasks four primarchs with the dangerous mission of securing the worlds of the Occluda Noctis – hundreds of star systems on the far side of the Northern Major Warp Storm, whose warp-churning presence casts a shadow on the guiding light of the Astronomican and blinds even the Emperor’s psychic sight. Rogal Dorn leads his Imperial Fists directly into the heart of this cosmic twilight. Isolated, battling a foe the likes of which nobody has encountered before, Dorn must use all of his strategic genius and irresistible will to conquer the darkness in the name of the Emperor.
Rogal Dorn: The Emperor's Crusader is the sixteenth instalment in The Horus Heresy Primarchs series.
READ IT BECAUSE
Six decades into the Great Crusade, expansion has been swift – but the Emperor demands the boundaries of the Imperium grow even further. To this end, four Primarchs are tasked with securing systems beyond the Northern Major Warp Storm, the very presence of which blinds even the Emperor’s psychic sight.
THE STORY
As the Great Crusade enters its sixth decade, the fleets and armies of the Emperor spear out into the galaxy to bring the Imperial Truth to thousands of worlds. Expansion has been swift, but must now be tempered with consolidation. Even so, the Emperor demands that the boundaries of the Imperium be pushed further into the unknown.
The Master of Mankind tasks four primarchs with the dangerous mission of securing the worlds of the Occluda Noctis – hundreds of star systems on the far side of the Northern Major Warp Storm, whose warp-churning presence casts a shadow on the guiding light of the Astronomican and blinds even the Emperor’s psychic sight. Rogal Dorn leads his Imperial Fists directly into the heart of this cosmic twilight. Isolated, battling a foe the likes of which nobody has encountered before, Dorn must use all of his strategic genius and irresistible will to conquer the darkness in the name of the Emperor.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2022
78 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Gav Thorpe
377 books576 followersGav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 18, 2022
While the earlier novels in this series were arguably guilty of being a touch Primarch-light, with this book coming hot on the heels of Mortarion it’s not an accusation that can be levelled any more.
Featuring four of the Emperor’s wayward sons (though on three in speaking roles), Malcador and cameos from notable Fists and members of other Legions this has a stellar cast and covers a much larger-scale conflict than most books of similar page count. While personally I may have preferred it broken up into chapters, the continuous prose does give it an urgency, and the passages from remembrancers’ diaries are a definite highlight as well as used tool for signifying the passage of time. While the book does give us a decent insight into the psyche of Dorn, and therefore his Legion- it’s very clear why he was given the roles he was- it doesn’t shed any light on *why* he is how he is; his time on Inwit is one of the least-explored parts of any Primarch’s history and this book feels like something of a missed opportunity to redress that.
Featuring four of the Emperor’s wayward sons (though on three in speaking roles), Malcador and cameos from notable Fists and members of other Legions this has a stellar cast and covers a much larger-scale conflict than most books of similar page count. While personally I may have preferred it broken up into chapters, the continuous prose does give it an urgency, and the passages from remembrancers’ diaries are a definite highlight as well as used tool for signifying the passage of time. While the book does give us a decent insight into the psyche of Dorn, and therefore his Legion- it’s very clear why he was given the roles he was- it doesn’t shed any light on *why* he is how he is; his time on Inwit is one of the least-explored parts of any Primarch’s history and this book feels like something of a missed opportunity to redress that.
April 21, 2024
April 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XV Scale and Stone (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy saga and extras.
Right, if I don't come back to write something now I never will, so let's do this.
A little side note, I've been collecting all the Horus Heresy books on Audible for years now, as locked into my destiny as Sanguinius and Nighthaunter, but I've always had a general antipathy towards the Imperial Fists, particularly Dorn, and a downright aversion to the Black Templars and Sigismund. The former based on how the golden boy in many ways represents the false ideal of fascism, while embodying the cognitive dissonance of believing in it and refusing the evidence both conscious and unconsciously, which isn't used to its fullest to make him a genuinely compelling character until Praetorian of Dorn, in my opinion. The latter is unfair and I am slowly changing my perspective as it's more based on the presentation of them by Games Workshop and my perception of a sunset of the hobby being really into the Black Templars and the Imperium in general for the wrong reasons and not understanding satire. The Horus Heresy has done a brilliant job of fleshing Sigismund out and I am much more interested in him than I once was.
All of this to say, while I collected the bulk of the series when they were on offer, I actually decided against getting Dorn and Sigis books until after I read Praetorian and embarked on this ridiculous campaign to 100% the Heresy. However, as much as obsession compels me, I care now and actually bought credits to pick the two books up. Point being, I've been very leery on Dorn in the past and quite vocal about that, but Praetorian genuinely made him much more of a compelling character, finally living up to the potential glimpsed in The Dark King and The Lightning Tower.
OK. So this book!
The Night Crusade is a huge affair against Unseen human combatants with void and stealth technology that absolutely outstrips the Imperium. It's so devastating that it's wiped out three or more whole Expeditionary Fleets, so the combined might of the Imperial Fists, Blood Angels, and the Dark Angels, the Lion being the most recent addition to the Great Crusade, and later Horus and his sons, are collected to face it. Dorn leads the complicated action to combat the Unseen's advantage and lead the efforts toward Compliance.
Throughout the main narrative a Remembrancer records their view of major events and the effects of the operation on the human contingent, documenting the emotional torment of facing the Unseen.
Like most of the Primarchs books this is significantly shorter than the main series novels, but the aspect that made my experience less optimal was the way it seemed much longer due to the minutia of the logistics of the operation. It's all written well and is punctuated with interesting scenes and the Rembrancer parts, but the third act really did drag for me. This drag coming into a rather abrupt ending was disorientating, but the last tragic twist in the tail was a salve.
The Remembrancer sections are great, especially in the audiobook as they are analogue recordings with sound effects and the Remembrancer addressing the reader through their recording. Witnessing the highs and lows, as well as a very different perspective to Dorn and the other Primarchs is genuinely fascinating. There's something decidedly The Magnus Archives about it, which is really cool, and I would definitely be interested in hearing more of this sort of thing.
There's a lot of action of various kinds that are generally written well, but not particularly my thing, but there are some human and transhuman moments, particularly between a Librarian and a Tech Priest that gave me some of the pathos I crave.
Not any time soon, but I do want to revisit this and see how it feels a second time round because the good parts are great and their aren't bad parts necessarily, just aspects that I found to drag.
Going by the references on Lexicanum, it seems the Night Crusade was either created whole cloth for this story or was just a name floating around that Thorpe fleshed out. The Night Crusade and the Unseen are absolutely interesting and this all makes me want a Grear Crusade series exploring this kind of stuff, especially with just how fascinating the Nephillim and Hrud are in their Primarchs and Heresy moments.
As a Great Crusade book I would give this 4/5, but this doesn't feel like Dorn's Primarchs book, and it feels like a wasted opportunity to explore more of his early life and his own little empire before the Imperium, which gets lots of little references over the Horus Heresy, but no real detail or substance. I think I'm sticking to a high three right now and maybe I'll bump it up after a future reading.
Definitely worth the read, especially if you like the Fists and seeing Imperial operations in more detail, but if you want to know more about Dorn and context for the Horus Heresy, honestly, I would just read the brilliant Praetorian of Dorn again.
***
There's a lot to like here with quality writing, some great ideas and engaging moments. It also gets bogged down in operational and logistical nitty gritty with a closing act that lacks form, despite a wicked sting in the tail.
It's a good book. It's kind of a Primarchs book.
I need some time to get my thoughts in order, especially as there are various aspects to this book and different strengths and weaknesses depending on how it is viewed.
Numbers for art are silly as always, but especially complicated here as I would score this quite differently for the quality of the writing, a stand alone novel, as Rogal Dorn's Primarchs novel, etc. For the time being I'm going with a maleable high three, which might change when I do more of a write up.
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 29 Horus Heresy novels, 16 novellas (including 2 repeats), 99 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 15 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.
Right, if I don't come back to write something now I never will, so let's do this.
A little side note, I've been collecting all the Horus Heresy books on Audible for years now, as locked into my destiny as Sanguinius and Nighthaunter, but I've always had a general antipathy towards the Imperial Fists, particularly Dorn, and a downright aversion to the Black Templars and Sigismund. The former based on how the golden boy in many ways represents the false ideal of fascism, while embodying the cognitive dissonance of believing in it and refusing the evidence both conscious and unconsciously, which isn't used to its fullest to make him a genuinely compelling character until Praetorian of Dorn, in my opinion. The latter is unfair and I am slowly changing my perspective as it's more based on the presentation of them by Games Workshop and my perception of a sunset of the hobby being really into the Black Templars and the Imperium in general for the wrong reasons and not understanding satire. The Horus Heresy has done a brilliant job of fleshing Sigismund out and I am much more interested in him than I once was.
All of this to say, while I collected the bulk of the series when they were on offer, I actually decided against getting Dorn and Sigis books until after I read Praetorian and embarked on this ridiculous campaign to 100% the Heresy. However, as much as obsession compels me, I care now and actually bought credits to pick the two books up. Point being, I've been very leery on Dorn in the past and quite vocal about that, but Praetorian genuinely made him much more of a compelling character, finally living up to the potential glimpsed in The Dark King and The Lightning Tower.
OK. So this book!
The Night Crusade is a huge affair against Unseen human combatants with void and stealth technology that absolutely outstrips the Imperium. It's so devastating that it's wiped out three or more whole Expeditionary Fleets, so the combined might of the Imperial Fists, Blood Angels, and the Dark Angels, the Lion being the most recent addition to the Great Crusade, and later Horus and his sons, are collected to face it. Dorn leads the complicated action to combat the Unseen's advantage and lead the efforts toward Compliance.
Throughout the main narrative a Remembrancer records their view of major events and the effects of the operation on the human contingent, documenting the emotional torment of facing the Unseen.
Like most of the Primarchs books this is significantly shorter than the main series novels, but the aspect that made my experience less optimal was the way it seemed much longer due to the minutia of the logistics of the operation. It's all written well and is punctuated with interesting scenes and the Rembrancer parts, but the third act really did drag for me. This drag coming into a rather abrupt ending was disorientating, but the last tragic twist in the tail was a salve.
The Remembrancer sections are great, especially in the audiobook as they are analogue recordings with sound effects and the Remembrancer addressing the reader through their recording. Witnessing the highs and lows, as well as a very different perspective to Dorn and the other Primarchs is genuinely fascinating. There's something decidedly The Magnus Archives about it, which is really cool, and I would definitely be interested in hearing more of this sort of thing.
There's a lot of action of various kinds that are generally written well, but not particularly my thing, but there are some human and transhuman moments, particularly between a Librarian and a Tech Priest that gave me some of the pathos I crave.
Not any time soon, but I do want to revisit this and see how it feels a second time round because the good parts are great and their aren't bad parts necessarily, just aspects that I found to drag.
Going by the references on Lexicanum, it seems the Night Crusade was either created whole cloth for this story or was just a name floating around that Thorpe fleshed out. The Night Crusade and the Unseen are absolutely interesting and this all makes me want a Grear Crusade series exploring this kind of stuff, especially with just how fascinating the Nephillim and Hrud are in their Primarchs and Heresy moments.
As a Great Crusade book I would give this 4/5, but this doesn't feel like Dorn's Primarchs book, and it feels like a wasted opportunity to explore more of his early life and his own little empire before the Imperium, which gets lots of little references over the Horus Heresy, but no real detail or substance. I think I'm sticking to a high three right now and maybe I'll bump it up after a future reading.
Definitely worth the read, especially if you like the Fists and seeing Imperial operations in more detail, but if you want to know more about Dorn and context for the Horus Heresy, honestly, I would just read the brilliant Praetorian of Dorn again.
***
There's a lot to like here with quality writing, some great ideas and engaging moments. It also gets bogged down in operational and logistical nitty gritty with a closing act that lacks form, despite a wicked sting in the tail.
It's a good book. It's kind of a Primarchs book.
I need some time to get my thoughts in order, especially as there are various aspects to this book and different strengths and weaknesses depending on how it is viewed.
Numbers for art are silly as always, but especially complicated here as I would score this quite differently for the quality of the writing, a stand alone novel, as Rogal Dorn's Primarchs novel, etc. For the time being I'm going with a maleable high three, which might change when I do more of a write up.
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 29 Horus Heresy novels, 16 novellas (including 2 repeats), 99 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 15 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.
July 3, 2025
Presentation of the mind of Rogal Dorn, who demonstrates that war is not just about bolters and chainswords, but also about deep thinking, logistics, and strategy. This is undoubtedly true, but it is presented in a profoundly tedious manner in this book, where Dorn is humble, focused, completely dedicated to the Emperor's cause and goals... and a complete killjoy.
He's undoubtedly not the one who's going to liven up your next party.
He's undoubtedly not the one who's going to liven up your next party.
October 14, 2022
This review does NOT contain spoilers!
While reading this book, I had issues with the pacing and the focus of the action. I may have been too spoiled by the Alpharius novel in hoping that Rogal Dorn would be the primary focus and significant insight into Inwit, Dorn's upbringing, and his motivations would be front and center. The book takes place fairly early in the Great Crusade and follows an early campaign where the VIIth forge deeper into enemy territory while three other primarchs and their legions spiral along the outside. The story follows several characters from known and unknown members of the Imperial Fists to a navigator and a remembrancer. I did frequently find myself asking "What is the point of this story? I'm not getting deeper understanding of Dorn. What am I getting out of all these side character musings and some strategic discussion by Dorn?"
But I pushed through and I am glad I did. In the final section of the book, the various pieces Gav Thorpe inserted along the narrative came clearly into focus and, for me, I finally figured out what the point of the story was by his answering an important question in a way that was different from other HH stories about the character: why Rogal Dorn? Why was he chosen to guard Terra and the Emperor? The final reason may seem a bit simplistic but it genuinely rings true with all the previously established lore that the HH series has laid down in the past. I leave it to other readers to find it out for themselves. I, for one, am glad I stuck it out and got an answer to that question in a satisfying manner as I reflected over the book as a whole.
While I do wish Gav Thorpe did more Eldar stories, he gave my favorite chapter's primarch a fair shake with a tale that really does encapsulate a core aspect of the character. Many thanks for that and for giving me an even better understanding of "Why Dorn?"
While reading this book, I had issues with the pacing and the focus of the action. I may have been too spoiled by the Alpharius novel in hoping that Rogal Dorn would be the primary focus and significant insight into Inwit, Dorn's upbringing, and his motivations would be front and center. The book takes place fairly early in the Great Crusade and follows an early campaign where the VIIth forge deeper into enemy territory while three other primarchs and their legions spiral along the outside. The story follows several characters from known and unknown members of the Imperial Fists to a navigator and a remembrancer. I did frequently find myself asking "What is the point of this story? I'm not getting deeper understanding of Dorn. What am I getting out of all these side character musings and some strategic discussion by Dorn?"
But I pushed through and I am glad I did. In the final section of the book, the various pieces Gav Thorpe inserted along the narrative came clearly into focus and, for me, I finally figured out what the point of the story was by his answering an important question in a way that was different from other HH stories about the character: why Rogal Dorn? Why was he chosen to guard Terra and the Emperor? The final reason may seem a bit simplistic but it genuinely rings true with all the previously established lore that the HH series has laid down in the past. I leave it to other readers to find it out for themselves. I, for one, am glad I stuck it out and got an answer to that question in a satisfying manner as I reflected over the book as a whole.
While I do wish Gav Thorpe did more Eldar stories, he gave my favorite chapter's primarch a fair shake with a tale that really does encapsulate a core aspect of the character. Many thanks for that and for giving me an even better understanding of "Why Dorn?"
October 15, 2022
Unlike Aaron Dembski-Bowden,
Gav Thorpe still seems to have fun writing 40k books.
Gav Thorpe still seems to have fun writing 40k books.
October 21, 2022
Dorn Done Dirty
The book is very fun, it's always nice to see Rogal Dorn in action.
Sadly, the novella choose an extremely ambitious campaign to cover. Four Primarchs, a sector wide war, and all has to be resolved in the length of a novella.
This honestly should have been a duology, with an initial novel covering the four legions present and the initial stages of the war, and the second one covering the end of the war.
Rogal Dorn's novella should have given us a better look into the man than this. More of his childhood, more of his initial stages as a general, more of him discovering the Phalanx.
The book is fun, but disappointing in the choice of topic and execution of it, cutting multiple times away from the action to then simply tell us what happened in a few simple sentences. Aside from Sigismund and to a lesser extend Rann, the characters only exist to drive the plot forwards, even Dorn himself only exists for this purpose. In his own novella, Dorn is only a force of nature to push the plot forwards and help the "good guys" win.
Unless you're an Imperial Fist superfan, you might wanna skip this one.
The book is very fun, it's always nice to see Rogal Dorn in action.
Sadly, the novella choose an extremely ambitious campaign to cover. Four Primarchs, a sector wide war, and all has to be resolved in the length of a novella.
This honestly should have been a duology, with an initial novel covering the four legions present and the initial stages of the war, and the second one covering the end of the war.
Rogal Dorn's novella should have given us a better look into the man than this. More of his childhood, more of his initial stages as a general, more of him discovering the Phalanx.
The book is fun, but disappointing in the choice of topic and execution of it, cutting multiple times away from the action to then simply tell us what happened in a few simple sentences. Aside from Sigismund and to a lesser extend Rann, the characters only exist to drive the plot forwards, even Dorn himself only exists for this purpose. In his own novella, Dorn is only a force of nature to push the plot forwards and help the "good guys" win.
Unless you're an Imperial Fist superfan, you might wanna skip this one.
March 22, 2025
Mimo mojej miłości do uniwersum wh40k to strasznie męczyłem tego audiobooka. Bardzo dużo akcji i ciekawy wgląd w prymarche Iron Fist ale niestety jak większość książek z wh40k wciągam nosem i daje 5/5 to tutaj trwało to tygodniami.
November 13, 2024
Started off really good but I did loose some interest by the second half. Still gets a 4 star.
January 4, 2023
What I enjoyed most about this book was getting to know a more personal side of rogal dorn. Seeing personal stories of the primarchs and that they also learn and grow is rather enjoyable and particularly seeing Dorn grow as a character and getting to understand him more helped change the hard edged military general that he was in my mind to something more personable and human. A good break from the Horus heresy series.
July 13, 2023
Well, what do you know, Warhammer 40k lore actually produced full fledged war novel.
Why do I say war novel? Well, this is first novel in which we see mighty Legion actually fighting the war as armies do. Deploying in force to find the enemy, engaging the enemy, getting beaten up and finally executing concentrated attacks on enemy key-points after months of maneuvering and exploring the battlefield. Again, I know this is SF and fantasy setting but this was first time I have seen mighty Legions fighting an enemy on equal footing in a situation where blunt head on strike wont save the day.
There is no magic augur, there is no magic sensor that will say ping and give the family information of the designer and builder of whatever device points towards (yes, Star Trek, you know what I mean, yes). When enemy is engaged and enemy proves to be on equal footing with Legion (which mysterious Empire of Occulda Noctis area proves to be) there are no dashing raids, assaults from the above, but need for the systematic enemy destruction and victory, not in pyrrhic victory way where one takes control of huge globes cleared of everything, but in way of actually winning the battlefield and conquering the entire star systems.
Of course this approach causes unrest and doubts in military and Legion command structures (why aren't we just stomping them all down!) but in the long terms ensures that conquered territories actually remain conquered. We are shown how Imperial Fists do approve of discussion (although not in democratic way [again as expected in the military], when somebody goes over the line he will get demoted or sent to another troop) and how they come to terms with the Primarch's plan as they become aware of elements that were previously understood by Dorn only.
Dorn is presented as a very, very ..... literal?..... guy. While all his brothers might take some liberty with the orders they receive, Dorn is stickler to commands issued - every action is executed with the single purpose, how to accomplish the plan to the letter. This makes him very sombre commander, because he is aware that his troops and he himself are in the end expendable, and if need be he will sacrifice himself to achieve the goal. Even with this approach he is not waging war to the bitter end - he is aware that extermination of the enemy sometimes might be required, but if possible he will rather try to make war in a way that will pressure the opposition to accept the terms of the Imperium and willingly (sort-of-a) enter the Imperium realm.
On the other hand if opposition is marked as deadly dangerous for humankind from the authority Dorn trust without any doubt ..... then it is game over for the other side.
I have to admit that I never expected him to be this ..... focused? Single-minded? ..... but it explains the tenacity and zealotry Imperial Fists fight with. Dorn is the ultimate guardian, person who will do everything for the order he respects, follows and keeps faithful to. Once Legions were questioned by the Imperium at large after Heresy (famous restructuring) I dont think anybody was suffering more from this lack of trust than Dorn.
Excellent book, from the battlefields to command rooms, discussions and doubts to the ever serene Primarch who stands behind the maxim that Legions are there to serve the Emperor and follow his every command, if required to the bitter end. True believer (or fanatic - depending on viewpoint).
Highly recommended to fans of W40K and Horus Heresy in particular.
Why do I say war novel? Well, this is first novel in which we see mighty Legion actually fighting the war as armies do. Deploying in force to find the enemy, engaging the enemy, getting beaten up and finally executing concentrated attacks on enemy key-points after months of maneuvering and exploring the battlefield. Again, I know this is SF and fantasy setting but this was first time I have seen mighty Legions fighting an enemy on equal footing in a situation where blunt head on strike wont save the day.
There is no magic augur, there is no magic sensor that will say ping and give the family information of the designer and builder of whatever device points towards (yes, Star Trek, you know what I mean, yes). When enemy is engaged and enemy proves to be on equal footing with Legion (which mysterious Empire of Occulda Noctis area proves to be) there are no dashing raids, assaults from the above, but need for the systematic enemy destruction and victory, not in pyrrhic victory way where one takes control of huge globes cleared of everything, but in way of actually winning the battlefield and conquering the entire star systems.
Of course this approach causes unrest and doubts in military and Legion command structures (why aren't we just stomping them all down!) but in the long terms ensures that conquered territories actually remain conquered. We are shown how Imperial Fists do approve of discussion (although not in democratic way [again as expected in the military], when somebody goes over the line he will get demoted or sent to another troop) and how they come to terms with the Primarch's plan as they become aware of elements that were previously understood by Dorn only.
Dorn is presented as a very, very ..... literal?..... guy. While all his brothers might take some liberty with the orders they receive, Dorn is stickler to commands issued - every action is executed with the single purpose, how to accomplish the plan to the letter. This makes him very sombre commander, because he is aware that his troops and he himself are in the end expendable, and if need be he will sacrifice himself to achieve the goal. Even with this approach he is not waging war to the bitter end - he is aware that extermination of the enemy sometimes might be required, but if possible he will rather try to make war in a way that will pressure the opposition to accept the terms of the Imperium and willingly (sort-of-a) enter the Imperium realm.
On the other hand if opposition is marked as deadly dangerous for humankind from the authority Dorn trust without any doubt ..... then it is game over for the other side.
I have to admit that I never expected him to be this ..... focused? Single-minded? ..... but it explains the tenacity and zealotry Imperial Fists fight with. Dorn is the ultimate guardian, person who will do everything for the order he respects, follows and keeps faithful to. Once Legions were questioned by the Imperium at large after Heresy (famous restructuring) I dont think anybody was suffering more from this lack of trust than Dorn.
Excellent book, from the battlefields to command rooms, discussions and doubts to the ever serene Primarch who stands behind the maxim that Legions are there to serve the Emperor and follow his every command, if required to the bitter end. True believer (or fanatic - depending on viewpoint).
Highly recommended to fans of W40K and Horus Heresy in particular.
February 20, 2023
Another enjoyable Primarchs novel romp through the earlier days of the Great Crusade. We get appearances from Fulgrim, Horus, and the Lion as the four Primarchs spread out into an unexplored area of space where several previous expeditions have vanished without any trace in the preceding years.
This book does not explore Rogal Dorn growing up, or his conditions when he was found by the Emperor, it's more a tale of how the man thinks and carries out the Emperor's will, and I like that. I haven't been super huge on a lot of the Primachs as they were growing up, as the stories tend to be pretty boring and one-note. This story instead covers Dorn bringing the first of these new worlds into compliance and how it doesn't go as expected, then moves on to the Primarchs splitting up to cover more ground, as it were.
Dorn is eventually the one who uncovers the force responsible for the disappearances of the previous expeditions, then the book covers that conflict and how Dorn handles it.
Sigismund gets a lot of screen time in this book, which is always welcome, and the narrative is framed as Malcador telling Sigismund and Fafnir Rann the story and how it explains why the Emperor chose Rogal Dorn and the VII Legion to defend Terra against Horus' invasion.
As with many of the Primarchs books, we don't get a lot of brand new information, but it's a good story, quickly-paced, and interesting throughout.
This book does not explore Rogal Dorn growing up, or his conditions when he was found by the Emperor, it's more a tale of how the man thinks and carries out the Emperor's will, and I like that. I haven't been super huge on a lot of the Primachs as they were growing up, as the stories tend to be pretty boring and one-note. This story instead covers Dorn bringing the first of these new worlds into compliance and how it doesn't go as expected, then moves on to the Primarchs splitting up to cover more ground, as it were.
Dorn is eventually the one who uncovers the force responsible for the disappearances of the previous expeditions, then the book covers that conflict and how Dorn handles it.
Sigismund gets a lot of screen time in this book, which is always welcome, and the narrative is framed as Malcador telling Sigismund and Fafnir Rann the story and how it explains why the Emperor chose Rogal Dorn and the VII Legion to defend Terra against Horus' invasion.
As with many of the Primarchs books, we don't get a lot of brand new information, but it's a good story, quickly-paced, and interesting throughout.
September 14, 2023
Time for another Primarchs novel, and this time it's the turn of Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists; known for stoicism, loyalty, strategic thinking, an inexplicable fondness for really bright yellow, and for being very hard to knock over. In many ways he's basically a less exuberant version of 1980s Hulk Hogan, sans moustache.
Anyway, as with all these Primarch books this is a chance to get to know Dorn before the Heresy happened and the 18 uberhumans were nearly sorted into their cackling heretic or depressed loyalist subgroups. Dorn isn't all that different, nor do we learn anything about his youth or upbringing, so instead we get to see some minor squabbling amongst Primarch brothers when they still mostly got along (always fun) and a destructive but ultimately low-stakes battle against humans with the temerity not view the (let's be generous) totalitarian Imperium of Mankind as a really cool thing. It seems at times that Thorpe is playing around with the idea of the Imperium vs Star Trek's Federation, but there is no place for progressive Trek attitudes in 40k and, as we are reminded, Imperial forces may lose battles but the Emperor always wins in the end. Especially in a prequel to a prequel based on the all-conquering Great Crusade.
Recommended for Fists fans and completionists, but far from required reading in the 40k universe.
Anyway, as with all these Primarch books this is a chance to get to know Dorn before the Heresy happened and the 18 uberhumans were nearly sorted into their cackling heretic or depressed loyalist subgroups. Dorn isn't all that different, nor do we learn anything about his youth or upbringing, so instead we get to see some minor squabbling amongst Primarch brothers when they still mostly got along (always fun) and a destructive but ultimately low-stakes battle against humans with the temerity not view the (let's be generous) totalitarian Imperium of Mankind as a really cool thing. It seems at times that Thorpe is playing around with the idea of the Imperium vs Star Trek's Federation, but there is no place for progressive Trek attitudes in 40k and, as we are reminded, Imperial forces may lose battles but the Emperor always wins in the end. Especially in a prequel to a prequel based on the all-conquering Great Crusade.
Recommended for Fists fans and completionists, but far from required reading in the 40k universe.
August 16, 2024
If I could i'd probably give this a 4.5, but because i can't it is good enough to go up rather then down.
This ticks most of my loves from these books,
Scenes with multiple Primarchs interacting? yes!
But more so I loved how Rogal Dorn interacted with his legionaries. The constant fatherly teachings that he passed down to them, letting them make their mistakes to teach them going forward were wonderful.
The only 2 things I am not sure if I like or not are the portrayal of Lion El'Johnson and the ending.
The Lion acts more how I would expect Fulgrim to act.
Sure this is explained away by him being recently discovered and trying to play "catch up" to the other primarchs, but something about how it was actioned and acted in the audiobook seemed petulant and went against what the character of the Lion seems to have been built up to.
The ending as well, without spoiling seemed like it was open to speculation, did Rogal Dorn do the right thing, or at least interpret the message and orders from The Emperor correctly, or did he make a grave mistake?
This was immediately answered by Malchadore, which added credence to the message of the book, but also seemed to lesson the questioning nature of good and bad or right and wrong.
Both of these are genuinely minor complaints compared to how much I enjoyed this book!
This ticks most of my loves from these books,
Scenes with multiple Primarchs interacting? yes!
But more so I loved how Rogal Dorn interacted with his legionaries. The constant fatherly teachings that he passed down to them, letting them make their mistakes to teach them going forward were wonderful.
The only 2 things I am not sure if I like or not are the portrayal of Lion El'Johnson and the ending.
The Lion acts more how I would expect Fulgrim to act.
Sure this is explained away by him being recently discovered and trying to play "catch up" to the other primarchs, but something about how it was actioned and acted in the audiobook seemed petulant and went against what the character of the Lion seems to have been built up to.
The ending as well, without spoiling seemed like it was open to speculation, did Rogal Dorn do the right thing, or at least interpret the message and orders from The Emperor correctly, or did he make a grave mistake?
This was immediately answered by Malchadore, which added credence to the message of the book, but also seemed to lesson the questioning nature of good and bad or right and wrong.
Both of these are genuinely minor complaints compared to how much I enjoyed this book!
August 21, 2025
The Primarchs series are a real mixed bag, but on the whole lean more into the “meh” and “where did my life go?” spaces. When it’s good, it truly shines (Here’s looking at Mike Brooks’ outstanding Alpharius and the excellent Angron book as the tops of the pile; while David Guymers dismal take on Ferrus Manus should never have seen the light of day!!!
Needless to say, I went into this book with low expectations, Gav Thorpe hasn’t been one of my favourite BL authors, but every now and again he really brings it home and he does here, because this is a really good book. It’s bookended to be HH events current at the publish time, just prior to The Siege of Terra, but the main narrative is placed firmly during the Great Crusade. It does an excellent job of really getting into the depths of its subject Primarch, allowing the reader to understand them rather than just dialling in a pointless mini story which so many of this series do. An excellent character study.
There is an odd narrative choice here to eschew chapters - I can understand the purpose, to keep it pacing, but that doesn’t match the narrative which is fundamentally quite spaced out with significant time jumps in a long operation, and it’s frankly quite annoying. Were it bot for this I (ironically) would probably have powered through this much faster!
Needless to say, I went into this book with low expectations, Gav Thorpe hasn’t been one of my favourite BL authors, but every now and again he really brings it home and he does here, because this is a really good book. It’s bookended to be HH events current at the publish time, just prior to The Siege of Terra, but the main narrative is placed firmly during the Great Crusade. It does an excellent job of really getting into the depths of its subject Primarch, allowing the reader to understand them rather than just dialling in a pointless mini story which so many of this series do. An excellent character study.
There is an odd narrative choice here to eschew chapters - I can understand the purpose, to keep it pacing, but that doesn’t match the narrative which is fundamentally quite spaced out with significant time jumps in a long operation, and it’s frankly quite annoying. Were it bot for this I (ironically) would probably have powered through this much faster!
November 24, 2024
This is the worst Warhammer 40k book I have read so far. I wanted to like it because Dorn is my favourite Loyalist Primarch. It was a chore to finish this book. The structure of book makes little sense, with no section breaks or chapters. Also the transitions between one scene and the next is done horribly. The story itself is poorly written. The plot idea could have worked, but it was not executed properly. In addition, I was disappointed the story was not told from Dorn's PoV. It should be noted the last 5-10 pages of the book were good. The last ten pages show how Dorn thinks and acts in any situation; and why he was chosen to fortifying Terra. Overall I was disappointed, and this book might turn me towards chaos.
November 28, 2025
rogal dorn is one of the primarchs i’ve always really enjoyed reading about. his stoic and ferocious mind is always interesting to ‘get inside of’.
and this primarch novel gives us that - to an extent.
since dorns arc is so heavily featured in the siege of terra, i was really hoping we could get a deeper dive into his roots, and this novel gave us that! just not as much as i hoped.
this is still an really good primarch book however!! we do get to learn more about dorn. we do get to see why he’s such a great primarch. we even get some more history of sigismund. but there was a liiiiittle lacking here.
and this primarch novel gives us that - to an extent.
since dorns arc is so heavily featured in the siege of terra, i was really hoping we could get a deeper dive into his roots, and this novel gave us that! just not as much as i hoped.
this is still an really good primarch book however!! we do get to learn more about dorn. we do get to see why he’s such a great primarch. we even get some more history of sigismund. but there was a liiiiittle lacking here.
July 29, 2023
A pretty good book. It is not the best among Warhammer novels, but gives a good overview of Rogal Dorn’s psyche.
The prose, which is not separated into chapters, makes the story a bit hard to digest, and you don’t get a clear idea of why you’re reading. Might as well like the more of the imperial fists. Apart from that, it is enjoyable to read, and thrilling when it needs to be.
By the end, you get a clear overview of the reason why Dorn was chosen to defend the Emperor on Terra, and that is what you get from the book.
The prose, which is not separated into chapters, makes the story a bit hard to digest, and you don’t get a clear idea of why you’re reading. Might as well like the more of the imperial fists. Apart from that, it is enjoyable to read, and thrilling when it needs to be.
By the end, you get a clear overview of the reason why Dorn was chosen to defend the Emperor on Terra, and that is what you get from the book.
January 9, 2024
So this book did not grip me whatsoever to be very honest. The plot seemed to be all over the place but that could also be because I just was not too intrigued. I think the random recording passages were pointless. Felt like the book was just jumping all over the place.
The only saving grace was it was my first time with Sigismund being in a novel and I quite enjoyed the passages with Royal Dorn.
Reading this because I am doing the Dark Angel historical timeline and to be honest, was not worth my time.
The only saving grace was it was my first time with Sigismund being in a novel and I quite enjoyed the passages with Royal Dorn.
Reading this because I am doing the Dark Angel historical timeline and to be honest, was not worth my time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2025
Kind of a Primarchs book, but much more of a "Great Crusade" novel about (yet another from this series) an exemplary battle by the Fists in the Night Crusade. I'd have liked more of actual Rogal Dorn, though, and seeing what Inwit was like as a world before the Imperium, how the Huscarls and Templars were founded, etc. Gav Thorpe's writing is actually not bad in this one, but characters still feel more like pretty one-note caricatures of themselves.
October 12, 2022
Since its Gav who wrote it, im not surprised it was barely 10% about rogal dorn.
Its amazing how some of gavs novels like "wolftime" are masterworks!
But this one.. rogal dorn - the emperors crusader, suck fucking balls!
Also, in the sigiamund novel, fafnir rann was terran or from sol but now he is from inwit..
Mistakes like that are so lame
Its amazing how some of gavs novels like "wolftime" are masterworks!
But this one.. rogal dorn - the emperors crusader, suck fucking balls!
Also, in the sigiamund novel, fafnir rann was terran or from sol but now he is from inwit..
Mistakes like that are so lame
December 23, 2022
I don't think this was the story I wanted to hear about Dorn. He has never been my favorite primarch and this doesn't change my mind, but it's the story Gav wanted to tell and he does it well. I particularly liked his treatments of the other primarchs in the story, how he gives a navigator a character arc, and I love/hate the ending such that it's tempting to bump this up to 5 stars.
March 19, 2023
Se disfruta mucho su lectura. Aunque algunas decisiones son cuestionables, como el hecho de tener que crear toda una nueva cruzada para explicar el nombramiento de Dorn cómo custodio de Terra, el viaje resulta entretenido y está a la altura sino de todas, al menos de muchos libros memorables del lore.
April 7, 2023
Set early on in the crusade, tells of Dorn being overshadowed by his 3 brothers, and largely being stoically okay with that. One big issue with the book is that isn’t split into chapters, and can be come disjointed, as when a different narrative thread is picked up, it isn’t as clear as it could be whose perspective is being presented.
Nice Perturabo easter egg though.
Nice Perturabo easter egg though.
June 11, 2024
Solidly enjoyable action involving everyone's favourite hyper knights in space :-)
Story a little slow in places and the ending was a bit meh but an enjoyable enough entry into the series with some interesting interactions between Horus, Fulgrim, Lion El Johnson and Rogal Dorn and plenty of foreshadowing.
Story a little slow in places and the ending was a bit meh but an enjoyable enough entry into the series with some interesting interactions between Horus, Fulgrim, Lion El Johnson and Rogal Dorn and plenty of foreshadowing.
July 31, 2023
This book is at its strongest when dealing with the relationships between Dorn and his brothers and at its absolute worse when dealing with combat and war. Unfortunately, most of this books is about the combat and war.
January 31, 2024
I'm a huge 7th Legion, Dorn fan, but this book was a slog. I honestly spent months on the audiobook for this one, and it's very much a product of what I know consider, "Late heresy writing," where so many filler chapters are included that the book becomes honestly fatiguing to listen to.
January 2, 2023
A great insight into the character of Rogal Dorn pre-heresy, and the root of his stoic mindset.
January 11, 2023
Admittedly at times I didn't know what was going on but I enjoyed reading it! My favorite chapter is the Black Templars and it was great to get more insight into not only Rogal Dorn but Sigismund.
March 22, 2023
Worth owning the hardcover, but the book itself was not good. You're better than this, Gav.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews