Seeds of Heresy: A Review of Horus Rising

Visiting a oft-mentioned but never described thoroughly time period in a series if always a risky maneuver. Perhaps the most notable example would be the Clone Wars in Star Wars; a series of battles that seems to be on everyone's minds and seems to have had extreme consequences, but for the longest time Star Wars fans could only guess as to what exactly happened. Eventually though, as we all know, Episode 2 and associated content came out and described the setting in detail, and naturally many people were disappointed. As is often the case, leaving something amazing to a viewer's/reader's imagination is often better than anything that could actually be made.

With this in mind, after hearing about the Horus Heresy series being produced by the Black Library, despite popular praise I was somewhat wary of starting it. I didn't want to get my hopes up in case it turned out badly, but nonetheless I ordered the first trilogy and started on Horus Rising by Dan Abnett.

First off, this is the 4th setting I've read of Dan Abnett's (not that he writes all of the HH books, but the first one and a couple others) alongside the two Inquisitor trilogies and the Gaunt's Ghosts series. Again I am incredibly surprised how different his style is compared to the other three; although there are some similarities, it is a far different novel in tone and style than his other works. It works quite well for the more historical aspect the HH series is going for.

The idea behind the HH series seems to be giving a (mostly) impartial account of the events surrounding the Heresy, and the first book deals with the rise of the Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus immediately following the promotion of Horus to Warmaster. It follows the activities of a number of members of Wolves' Fleet, most notably one of the senior Captains of the Legion.

Besides being a very well-written and engaging book, the most captivating aspect of the books is the comparison of the facts and way of life presented in the HH series compared to the "modern" 40k setting. For instance, it's where you get the Emperor saying he doesn't want to be viewed as a god, and Space Marines talking about how happy they are to have eliminated the burden of religion from the Imperium, and a time before the threat of Chaos is readily apparent and such.

To me, it sets up an interesting comparison. I always found the aspect of religion on 40k fascinating; you have the Emperor, who is clearly powerful enough to be unto a god, and an opposite force that fits the classical definition of "evil." It's silly to think that this doctrine is false; religious symbols have a visible effects on daemons and the like. So while the 41st millennium has clearly proven some aspects of life correct, in the 31st they are actively rejecting ideas in a way we find correct in the real world. Abnett also does an excellent job of making the course of heresy obvious, the ideas that people naturally form cults, that it was inevitable that a person as strong as the Emperor would become venerated despite his protestations, the natural rivalry between Primarchs, and so and and so forth.

In an overall sense, Horus Rising is an excellent book, but one I would not approach unless you have a pretty thorough understanding of the backstory and an in-depth knowledge of the universe of WH40k. If you do, it does an excellent job of fleshing out a fascinating time, in terms of the people, places, events, and ideas. If not, it's still a good book, but without experience with the universe you'll miss a lot of the nuance and interesting philosophical points that make the book so good.

-HTMC