Horus Rising: Volume 1 (The Horus Heresy)

I'm over 50, and I've only ever played a few dozen games of Warhammer in my entire life, and all those games were in the late 80's when I was gifted 'space hulk' for a birthday. The game was lost in a house move a couple of years later, and that was that! What I'm getting at is I'm no gamer and I've not attempted to paint a miniature since my Genestealers and Blood Angels from 'Space Hulk' were physically assaulted by my paint brush as a teenager. However, what I do like is science fiction, both film and novels, especially when a great deal of time, thought and effort has been invested in the lore around that particular universe, e.g. Star-trek and Warhammer 40K. I'd been looking for something to read recently as I'd been off work with an injured back and I came across the HH set of books online. I did about 60 mins of wiki reading to get the bare bones and thought I'd give the first book a go. You know you're onto a winner when you sit up waaay past bed time, saying "one more paragraph, ok just this chapter" 4 nights in a row. Yep....4 days and I'm a slow reader who likes to keep checking the index to keep up with who is who, however, I need not have worried as the myriad of character names are repeated often enough for them to sink in, which going into the book was my biggest concern. My second concern was, did I know enough basics? and the hour on Wiki was more than enough, as the author pitched the book just right, telling the story, and injecting the appropriate amount of historical reference where necessary, and it had me gripped. Abnett's descriptions of fight scenes are excellent, but one thing I didn't expect, which was a massive bonus, was the amount of humour in the book, and this is where Abnett excels in character building. I'm not going to bang on about the contents, I'll leave that to the experts, I'm here to convince those like me that it's not a heavy book, it's very enjoyable and entertaining and I've downloaded books 2&3 already! Enjoy! Jon (hubby to firechick)

I'm relatively new to the Warhammer 40K universe, having read (and, it must be said, thoroughly enjoyed) a handful of novels by writers like Ben Counter, James Swallow and, of course, Dan Abnett. In that respect, I expected the impact of this novel, which describes the beginning of perhaps the pivotal event in the 40K universe, to be diminished. Without really understanding who Horus is in relation to the 'present' of the 40K universe, how could it not be? Well, it's a testament to the powers of the author that such considerations as prior knowledge really matter very little. You could be entirely ignorant of the 40K milieu and still be pulled inexorably into a very involving, engrossing and epic story. This is very much a foundational text for the series that follows it. The nature of 30K Space Marines is explored in great detail. Their emphasis on brotherhood, honour and a resolute secularism (this in deliberate ironic contrast to the Emperor-worship that is a hallmark of the 40K setting) is established in considered, intelligent prose and the characters of Abaddon, Loken and Horus himself are all well-delineated. What is clear from this novel is that being a Space Marine is not just about superhuman strength and stamina and a breath-taking expertise with weapons. It's also about a philosophy and a sense of belonging. The seeds of the Heresy are certainly here and they are found as much in the pride of the Legions themselves as they are in the corrupting touch of the Warp. This isn't to say that the novel is one big philosophical treatise. There's plenty of action, as well as talk, and anyone who's read much of Abnett's work will know that he writes action incredibly well. Here, his writing is breathtakingly precise and clear - and terribly exciting. He makes much of the Astartes' size, strength and speed, continually reminding the reader of the superhuman nature of the Space Marines in ways that are simply awe-evoking. Although the Space Marines (particularly the Luna Wolves) are, quite sensibly, centre stage, the more human characters that populate the novel - such as the iterator Sindermann and the remembrancer Euphrati Keeler - are also written very well. Abnett uses them as an effective contrast with the Astartes, highlighting the Space Marines' courage and martial skill, while also illustrating that they are at least one step removed from humanity as we would understand it. Finally, there is Chaos. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but its presence in this novel is handled very well indeed, as, for that matter, is its explanation. On the whole then, an excellent start to the series - one that brings the more hopeful and ordered world of the 31st millennium to life and populates it with believable characters - even the ones that act and talk like little gods. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of this series develops.

I used to be very into my Warhammer 40K with my Space Marine army, and back then the Horus Heresy was a footnote in history. I've always been a fan of the setting, and while I don't play the games anymore, I do still enjoy reading stories. This is the first book in the long running 'Horus Heresy' series, and details the events of 10,000 years before the game. While the book is set far in history from the games' point of view, as these are the precursors to the famous space marines it didn't take long to familiarise myself with the setting. If you're new to the universe then this probably isn't the best book to start with, as there's little introduction to the mythos. The book's setting before the more formal marine chapters known later allow a greater flexibility with the marine characters as they conduct their great crusade to stamp the Imperium's seal across the galaxy. They're still superhuman killing machines, but there are nuances to their cha=racters which help offset the bleakness of the world they inhabit. Of particular interest if Horus, his fate is known to those familiar with the mythos, and its interesting to see the seeds of his future, and see him before his fall. That grim future is one of the aspects that attracts me to the 40K universe. It's very over the top, with enemies on all sides, and within if you're not careful. The basic premise is that humanity had once spread across the stars, but contact had been lost, and Earth was now reclaiming the lost colonies. Naturally many resisted, and that's were the book starts with the subjugation of one such world. As is often the case with these books the action soon involves aliens, and while they're not the most imaginative foes, they are sufficient to provide for some good action. The writer's style works well for the story, it has a sombre formality which matches the nature of the Imperium, but also well paced action for the fighting. My only real complaint was that the ending feels a bit rushed. I would also have liked to have learned more about the second set of aliens. Overall though, I enjoyed reading it. It portrays the world in a detailed fashion, yet at a steady pace. It also has a few philosophical moments with so solid insights. A good read.

Really nicely written. Good start to the heresy story showing the human side of all characters. Went through in few days.

Its the early parts of the horus heresy if your buying this you already know what your in for if you have some idea about Warhammer. In my opinion its a great starting point for anyone starting out ecspecially if your big on chronology. A great read that i thoroughly enjoyed characters are great.

Writing was engaging and entertaining. There are a lot of names and legions to follow but it never feels overwhelming. A great way to start my Warhammer book journey.

Absolutely brilliant book I love 40K playing and painting and after watching some lore videos I couldn’t help but get into the HH series. It’s the first book I’ve finished in over 10 years, can’t wait to the start the next one. Absolutely love Garviel Loken my new favourite character in the setting can’t wait to see what he gets up to next.

First up, i have never played Warhammer. Never. I will however confess to a smidge of D&D back in the 80's BG (before girls). I want you to know this not to save my unredemable reputation, but to tell you that this book, hopefully this series, is good going on great. And more importantly for me, and maybe for you, it is a great read for the many of us who had to think hard, and then wiki, warhammer to understand what it was. This is full on well written Space Opera. Of course it is, But i want impress this point. That it is better written, more imaganitive and less reliant of big hairy space weapons and battle than most Space Opera. There is a suatable array of such hardware, a balenced array of gleaming futureistic boys toys for the machinary fetish intrested,so dont worry if thats your thang. But it also has characters to get intrested in and intreguing plot possabilities for the future. The book is one that works totaly as a novel, fun to read for itself. It works as a single and as the opening work in what seems to be a gargantuan body of related work. Much of what will follow will vary in quality, of this i am sure, but for now this book is worth your time if you like say Honour Harrington or Miles Vorkosien books, i cant say better than that