Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy)

When author/editor Mark Charan Newton got involved in the tie-in fiction vs genre fiction debate, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and give a work from Black Library a shot. And since Newton seemed to imply that Dan Abnett was one of the best writers they had, I asked him to send me what he considered to be the author's best novels. One was an omnibus comprised of three books, and I was reticent to start something that big for fear of losing interest. The other was the opening chapter in The Horus Heresy sequence, Horus Rising. I've been told that this is probably one of the best and most entertaining sequences of books in the entire Warhammer 40,000 universe. The premise, that of a galactic civil war threatening to bring about the extinction of mankind, piqued my interest.

Here's the blurb:

It is the 31st millennium. The forces of humanity have reached the stars. Under the benevolent leadership of the Immortal Emperor and his superhuman sons, the primarchs, the Imperium of Man has stretched out across the galaxy. It is a golden age of discovery and conquest. But now, on the eve of victory, the Emperor leaves the front lines, entrusting the great crusade to his favourite son, Horus. Promoted to Warmaster, can the idealistic Horus carry the Emperor's grand plan? Worse still, this promotion has sown discontent amongst his brothers. How long before this escalates into all-out mutiny? Horus Rising is the first chapter in the epic tale of the Horus Heresy, a galactic civil war that threatened to bring about the extinction of humanity.

I'm not sure if it's the case with any other Black Library series, but what makes The Horus Heresy so accessible is the fact that it takes place about 10,000 years prior to most Warhammer 40,000 work. While I'm persuaded that being a newbie means that I likely missed a few nuances and foreshadowing, it by no means influenced my reading experience in any way. Hence, if like me you have always been curious about the Warhammer 40,000 universe but didn't have a clue where the hell to begin, or could not make heads or tails of the continuity, then Horus Rising is the perfect starting point for you. The Horus Heresy recounts a tale of epic proportions which will have grave repercussions in the future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, yet you can read it as a stand-alone series without a glitch. At least thus far. . .

My biggest fear when I began reading Horus Rising was that it would be a seemingly endless sequence of genetically enhanced warriors blowing stuff up. After all, the story begins with a little summary telling readers that the vast armies of the Emperor of Earth have conquered the galaxy during the Great Crusade. Myriad alien races have been smashed by the Emperor's elite soldiers and wiped from the face of history, as the Great Crusade seeks to reunite the disparate stands of mankind under the rule of the Emperor. Understandably, given the tone of this series, yes there are battle scenes and plenty of action. And yet, Dan Abnett imbues this violent tale with much more depth than meets the eye. Beyond the blood and the gore, the author explores a number of themes, chief among them loyalty, duty, brotherhood, faith, and even philosophy.

It's difficult to assess the quality of the worldbuilding based on Horus Rising alone, as I have no prior knowledge of the universe and this novel drops us in the middle of a pivotal moment that will rock the foundations of the Great Crusade. I can only hope that subsequent installments will shine some light on Old Night and past eras during which events on Terra engendered the consolidation by the one who would become Emperor, and which in turn led to the galaxy-spanning Great Crusade. Having said that, Abnett nevertheless offers a number of glimpses that, once more, demonstrates that there is much more to what will become known as the Horus Heresy than meets the eye.

Speaking of Dan Abnett, I particularly enjoyed his writing style. His narrative flows well, and he sets a crisp pace when the plotlines demand it. Yet he creates a good balance by slowing down the rhythm when storytelling must take over, and the man is gifted when it comes to dialogue. Moreover, I was impressed by how he was a master of battle sequences, and still could create ambiguous three-dimensional characters forced to deal with moral dilemmas in these uncertain times. Since The Horus Heresy is a group effort being written by a number of authors, it remains to be seen if the rest of the gang can write as well as Dan Abnett. But one thing is for sure: I'll be sampling more Abnett works in the future.

The most satisfying aspect of this novel was the characterization. Given the premise, I was expecting a number of faceless warriors with no personality, with very few characters rising above the rest. I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course, not every character stands out. But there are quite a few that show a lot of depth and personality. Chief among them is Garviel Loken, principal POV character. Additional well-defined characters include the other members of the Mournival, Aximand, Abaddon, and Torgaddon. The presence and POVs of civilians such as the Primary iterator, Kyril Sindermann, and various remembrancers allow readers to see the events unfold from a totally different perspective. And though Horus Rising weighs in at only 412 pages, there is a surprising amount of character development and growth throughout it pages. The seeds of heresy are sown. . .

All in all, Dan Abnett's Horus Rising exceeded my expectations and made me want to discover what happens next! An interesting and intelligent blend of action and multilayered storytelling, Horus Rising should please a lot of science fiction fans out there.

At least where this title is concerned, tie-in fiction can indeed stand against most science fiction/space opera offerings found on the market today. Whether or not the rest of The Horus Heresy can live up to the expectations created by its opening chapter remains to be seen. But Dan Abnett got me; hook, bait, and sinker!

Give Horus Rising a shot. I have a feeling that most of you won't be disappointed.

Excellent book and introduction to the Warhammer 40K universe! This book seemed very dense and took me longer to read than some books almost twice this size (in this case this is not a bad thing because it was well worth it); perhaps I needed time to absorb all of the characters and races, the history, and new concepts of warfare in this distant future world. While I am primarily a fantasy book reader, this book is one of my all time favorites and should be classified as primarily science fiction. This book is so well executed in every area including plot, action, pacing, writing style, world and character building. While the main character is Loken (an excellent character)this book is full of larger than life characters every reader will want to follow up with after reading this most notably; Warmaster Horus; the Mournival, made up of Little Horus, Abaddon, Torgaddon, and Loken; Fulgrim and several other Primarchs, as well as the elite unites such as the Word Bearers, Blood Angels, Emperor's Children, and Luna Wolves. This book made me care about the characters and what happens to them and their world. Highly recommended for all fantasy and Science fiction readers, especially anyone who has not read Warhammer 40K books. This is the best introduction book I have read to any huge series to inspire a want to continue with a series.

A friend who is also a big gamer recommended this series to me. This is the first book in the Horus Heresy series set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and featuring the Space Marines.

The writing is pretty good. If I had one criticism it's that the author overempahsizes the superhuman-ness of the Astartes (Space Marines). We get it. They are big, perfect specimens of martial virtue. You don't need to repeat it every third page.

One other thing I noted in reading these books (I am on the second now) is there is an inherent contradiction. The Space Marines are on a secular Crusade throughout the Galaxy to bring the light of scientific truth in the name of the Emperor. Yet, the Emperor is immortal and the Astartes are basically gods or demi-gods. There are some 12 or 14 books in the series. I'll be interested to see if this is addressed at some point.

If you like future military sci-fi, lots of violence in a dark and gritty setting, you'd probably like this.

I had put off reading this book for awhile because I wasn't sure if I wanted to start down the road of the Horus Heresy series of novels. But finally I bit the bullet - and I'm glad I did! I should say that I was already a fan of WH40K lore to begin with, and this book is just icing on the cake. The battles are epic and memorable. Mr. Abnett has a wonderful way of making these basically superhuman Space Marines spring to life, and at times, brings out their the human qualities they still have left. The regular human characters, particularly the remembrancers, are fleshed out very well, and the book has a way of making you feel for their plight. And for anyone familiar with how the world ends up 10,000 years after this novel, it's great to see the beginnings of Chaos entering into the ranks, and of Horus and his legion in the beginning. Loken, as the main protagonist of the novel has enough emotion and character to make the reader really empathize with him and the Imperium of Man. I love this book! Now I can't wait to get to the next one!

Get ready to be thrown into the 40k universe full of gore, sweet highly advanced tech/weapons and in depth political systems. The catch is being a fan of 40k isn't a requirement to entering this complex stage. This book is simply classic sci-fi lore full of monsters, space marines and distant and usually very dangerous planets. Abnett's novel excelled by creating real characters not just genetically engineered super soldiers that equate to a bad Jean Claude Van Dam movie. The story mainly revolved around Garviel Loken a highly competent captain in charge of the Luna Wolves company. Loken triumphs and conflicts whether personal or in the hell of war also become ours due to the character development. Every character's personality jumped off the page and allowed Heresy to be more than mindless violence and carnage.

Plot (classic Sci-Fi): Basically space marines go from planet to planet offering two paths for the inhabitants. Give up individual sovereignty and join or be pounded into dust.

Story (captivating overall, with some slow sections): Follows a small time player Loken being raised to higher political and social power within the empire. This book is full of fire fights and gripping close combat. That being said several sections involve setting up side characters and overall plot lines. Don't expect every page to involve shell casings falling to the floor. There are several cliff hangers that more than held my interest. This was a very detailed read and will be best enjoyed by a mature reader.

Writing (superb): The writing is well crafted and thorough. Abnett's Horus novel writing was superior due not to his sole ability to paint action but also to his ability to create believable characters with real thoughts and motives.

Final thoughts: No love story here but this is overall a well crafted sci-fi war drama. I recommend this title for Sci-Fi lovers across the board (whether or not already a 40k fan). I don't recommend Horus for those not interested in reading in depth about character development because there are definite gaps between fighting sequences (totally worth the wait).

This list has been updated up to Betrayer (due to book sizes I only buy paperbacks).

Instead of giving you another needless review about how good or bad the Horus Heresy book is, instead I wanted to give my fellow readers the option to see what the books really do offer. This list contains the most current books `Shadows of Treachery'. I will try to keep it up to date (I will try to read the newest book as soon as I can) and update it within a short period of time.

Now to the fun part. Due to the Horus Heresy not having overly clear timelines or precise timelines (pick whichever you prefer to call it) I had to create a semi-timeline. The actual timeline is not to scale and only contains major events that have occurred in the book series.

Guide:
Each Legion has its own section that shows which book has been attributed to it. The problem with this is that I focused primarily on the main Legion. So I apologize if other Legions were present but not really shown in this chronology. If you see a book title with parenthesis it means the book title and the short story name. The numbers relate to the chronology of the series as well as to the image showing where each book fits.
Furthermore, as a visual help / fun sheet please feel free to look at the picture attached to this review.

Here are the events that I noticed and thought would be important to mention:
First Founding
Beginning of the Great Crusade
Censoring of Lorgar
Counsel of Nikea
Ullanor Crusade
Davin Incidence
Isstvan III massacre
Isstvan V massacre
Calth
Siege of Terra
Death of Horus

Legion I - Dark Angels - Lion El'Johnson
(1) Descent of Angels - Crusade
(2) Fallen Angels - around Isstvan III
(3) Tales of Heresy (Call of the Lion) - before Isstvan III
(4) Age of Darkness (Savage Weapons) - after Isstvan V
(5) The Primarchs (The Lion) - after Savage Weapons

Legion III - Emperor's Children - Fulgrim
(1) Fulgrim - From Counsel of Nikea to Isstvan V
(2) The Primarchs (The Reflection Crack'd) - after Fulgrim
(3) Angel Exterminatus - After Isstvan V

Legion IV - Iron Warriors - Perturabo
(1) Age of Darkness (The Iron Within) - after Isstvan V
(2) Angel Exterminatus - After Isstvan V and Age of Darkness

Legion V - White Scars - Jaghatai Khan

Legion VI - Space Wolves - Leman Russ
(1) Tales of Heresy (Wolf at the Door) - before Prosporo Burns
(2) Prospero Burns - Council of Nikea to after Davin Incident

Legion VII - Imperial Fists - Rogal Dorn
(1) Shadows of Treachery (The Crimson King) - just before Isstvan III
(2) Shadows of Treachery (The Lightning Tower) - during The Crimson King
(3) Age of Darkness (The Last Remembrancer) - after Isstvan V

Legion VIII - Night Lords - Konrad Curze
(1) Shadows of Treachery (The Dark King) - before Isstvan III
(2) Age of Darkness (Savage Weapons) - after Isstvan V
(3) Shadows of Treachery (Prince of Crows) - after Savage Weapons

Legion IX - Blood Angels - Sanguinius
(1) Fear to Tread - prior to Isstvan III

Legion X - Iron Hands - Ferrus Manus
(1) The Primarchs (Feat of Iron) - during Crusade
(2) Angel Exterminatus - after Isstvan V

Legion XII - World Eaters - Angron
(1) Tales of Heresy (After Desh'ea) - during Great Crusade
(2) Age of Darkness (Rebirth) - after Prospero Burns
(3) Age of Darkness (The Face of Treachery) - after Isstvan V & Prospero Burns
(4) Betrayer - After Calth and Battle for the Abyss

Legion XIII - Ultramarines - Roboute Guilliman
(1) Age of Darkness (Rules of Engagement) - after Isstvan V
(2) Age of Darkness (Forgotten Sons) - after Isstvan V & before Know no Fear
(3) Know no Fear - Calth
(4) Betrayer - after Calth

Legion XIV - Death Guard - Mortarion
(1) The Flight of the Eisenstein - Isstvan III

Legion XV - Thousand Sons - Magnus
(1) A Thousand Sons - from Ulannor Crusade to after Davin Incident
(2) Age of Darkness (Rebirth) - after Isstvan V & Prospero Burns

Legion XVI - Luna Wolves - Horus
(1) Horus Rising - Counsel of Nikea
(2) False Gods - Davin Incidence
(3) Galaxy in Flames - Isstvan III
(4) Age of Darkness (Little Horus) - after Isstvan V

Legion XVII - Word Bearers - Lorgar
(1) The First Heretic - Lorgar's turning
(2) Tales of Heresy (Scion of the Storm) - during First Heretic
(3) Battle for the Abyss - before Calth
(4) Know No Fear - Calth incident
(5) Betrayer - After Calth

Legion XVIII - Salamanders - Vulkan
(1) Age of Darkness (Forgotten Sons) - after Isstvan V & before Know no Fear

Legion XIX - Raven Guard - Corax
(1) Deliverance Lost - Isstvan V
(2) Age of Darkness (The Face of Treachery) - early part of Deliverance
(3) Shadows of Treachery (Raven's Flight) - early part of Deliverance

Legion XX - Alpha Legion - Alpharius & Omegon
(1) Legion - pre-Davin Incidence
(2) The Primarchs (The Serpent Beneath) - after Deliverance

Miscellaneous
(1) Tales of Heresy (The Last Church) - Emperor - pre Great Crusade
(2) Tales of Heresy (The Voice) - Sisters of Silence - pre Davin Incident
(3) Shadows of Treachery (Death of a Silversmith) - Remembrancer - Either during Horus Rising or False Gods
(4) Mechanicum - Mechanicum - after Isstvan III
(5) The Kaban Project - Mechanicum - shortly before Mechanicum
(6) Tales of Heresy (Blood Games) - Custodes - after Isstvan III or even Isstvan V
(7) Age of Darkness (Liar's Due) - Heretic - after Isstvan V
(8) Nemesis - Imperial Assassins - after Isstvan V
(9) Outcast Dead - Loyalist / traitors on Terra - during Isstvan V

First thing's first... The Horus Heresy is going to be a huge series if you are going to dive in, it's over 30 books so far. On the plus side not every book is linear and the series does jump around a lot (It's not hard to keep up though) and this breaks things up enough to not make things too stale. The downside is that it's written by quite a few different authors some of which aren't as good as others. Dan Abnett is one of the, if not the best author of the lot of them, and so far Horus Rising is my favorite book in the list, and I am currently through the book Scars.
Horus Rising is straight forward enough, with the rise of Horus, Primarch of the Luna Wolves to the status of Warmaster of the Emperor's Great Crusade. It's a nice fast paced read with good action and a good cast that centers around a marine named Loken who himself has just been elevated to position within Hours' inner circle of advisers. Without going into any more of the story than that I can honestly say that I have recommended this book to everyone that I know that reads Sci-Fi, and so far everyone has seemed to enjoy it.

The Horus Heresy has to be the most significant event in the Warhammer 40,000 universe's 'history'. Abnett gets the story off to a good start here. The opening is terrific, really gripping action. His choice of main character in the unknown Captain Loken is inspired; through this Space Marine hero's eyes we see the Primarch himself and other key characters (such as Abaddon).

Abnett excels at arc plots; mixing the action with a 'bigger story'. Hints and foreshadowings are here aplenty; Abnett is without doubt one of the Black Library's best writers and he uses his skills to good effect.

Character developement has been lacking in some of his works, such as the Gaunt's Ghost series, but here there is plenty of it, and I loved the way he built Horus up as the Heroic Primarch, the Emperor's favourite son, beloved by his men, rather than as a cookie-cut bad guy.

What was disappointing was the ending, which cut of very abruptly, the book trailing off rather than ending with a 'bang' or cliffhanger, and the few basic mistakes, such as repeated references to the '12 primarchs' (there were 20). Abnett is not as good at writing Space Marine combat as some of his fellows, especially Ben Counter, who writes the third book in this series, Galaxy in Flames. Nevertheless, this will not disppoint warhammer 40k fans, and Counter's contribution is worth reading the first two books for all by itself.

For an opening book without much action it lays the groundwork for the series.
Many characters are introduced. We see things through a newly elevated captain to the Mournival, an informal internal advisory council to Horus. I enjoyed learning about the "court" and cast of characters surrounding Horus's "crusade" fleet and the decisions he has to reach as well as his wondering, his subtle knawing doubts that are revealed due to the Emperor retiring from combat back on Terra, questions as to the Emperors purpose and decisions at creating more of a civilian government to run things etc.
I have not read the series so I am not yet aware of the various payoffs.
Abnet is damned good here in one of his least action packed novels. His forte is characther development, surprises and slow reveals and all are on display here.

I haven't finished this book, maybe I never will. It has epic action and battle scenes, and a lot of personality. You can tell that it draws from a wealth of history. Unfortunately, it doesn't make someone unfamiliar with that history feel particularly welcome. Characters, indeed whole classrooms and squads of people are introduced without really being... ya know introduced. People are talking and I don't know who they are half the time. It likes to jump from character to character a lot, and I never really feel like I get the chance to stable my footing. I can't keep track of who I'm reading about.

I really enjoyed the intensity of this title, and I wanted to know what happened next, but it bounced so abruptly from one perspective or another that my idea of what was going on quickly began to unravel. Maybe it gets better and employs more focus later on. I will get back to it some day if I end up with nothing to read.

As I started reading and learning more about the 40K universe, I kept coming back to one question - "What could make Horus and tens of thousands of loyal Space Marines turn against the Emperor?" Once I felt I had enough of a background in the world to understand, I picked up Horus Rising.

The first thing that thrilled me is that the book is told from the point of view of Marines who will turn Traitor. In my opinion, that is a very good way to approach it because it forces the reader to understand the Traitor Legions as people, not as a mindless, faceless hoard of "evil Chaos worshipers."

I liked seeing the beginnings of the God-Emperor religion. I was surprised when I realized that agnosticism was much more common than a belief in the divinity of the Emperor and the evil of the Chaos gods. Given how widespread both beliefs are by the 41st Millennium, the contrast was surprising. In hindsight, it probably should not have been, since at the time of the Heresy, the Emperor has been around the people. He has not spent 10,000 years in the Golden Throne while the cult of his worship grew.

The question still remains about what triggers Horus's fall, since this book ends before that point is reached. I look forward to finding out what happens.

It was with great trepidation that I downloaded and started reading Horus Rising by Dan Abnett. It is in very rare cases that I read licensed properties. All too often these books are cash grabs, with weak plots, poor characters, and just plain bad! This is not the case with Horus Rising.

This book is the first book in a very long series that (spoilers!) tell the story of Horus's fall from being the Imperium's greatest hero to becoming the person that almost destroys the empire. Mr. Abnett has an excellent grasp on the 40K universe and crafts an excellent story displaying the glory of the Adeptus Astartes. He lays the space marines out as an unstoppable force for good, but subtly and carefully shows their cracks and weaknesses. The reader is discovering the full dangers of the 40K universe along with the main characters. This makes for interesting reveals, good suspense and an exciting book. It is not all bolter fire, spinning chain swords and unending fight scenes. This is solid gothic science fiction written by someone who has as much affection for the subject matter as his audience. I'm in the for next 18 books!

Finally, Games Workshop and the Black Library has seen to it that the story of the Imperium greatest and darkest hour be told in a trilogy of novels. What I am talking about is the culmination of the Emperor of Mankind's Great Crusade to unite the scattered humanity into one galaxt-spanning empire. This first novel in the trilogy, as written by fan favorite Dan Abnett, tells of the time of the Great Crusade's culmination. With the Emperor finally relinquishing the command of all crusading forces to his most favored of his twenty genetically-engineered Primarch sons: Horus.

In background stories throughout the history of Games Workshop's 40K universe, Horus has been described in brief detail as being favored by the Emperor above all the other Primarchs. But other than that Horus has been seen and read by all as a twisted, megalomaniacal despot out to overthrow the Emperor once Chaos has gotten hold of him. In Horus Rising, Dan Abnett paints a portrait of Horus and his Luna Wolves Legion as sympathetic characters who are loyal to the tenets of the Emperor's Great Crusade to a fault. Horus is given personality to make him noble and great in the eyes of not just the men he leads but those of others led by his brother Primarchs. He is akin to Lucifer just before the Fall and throughout the novel, Abnett slips in small seeds of doubts and flaws that will surely lead to his predestined role as the Fallen Angel who will raze and burn the galaxy of Mankind before all is well and done.

Abnett's skill at writing battle scenes, especially up-close combat with Horus and his marines against all comers, shows just why his previous Games Workshop novels have been favorites of fans. Abnett also introduces such characters as Abaddon, Torgaddon and Loken. "Sons" of Horus who seem to represent his conscience in more ways than one. Abaddon most fans already know his fate, but Torgaddon and Loken are characters whose story may lead to damnation or redemption as the time for heresy and war inches closer. the book ends with a simple mention of whats to come with the second leg of the trilogy. Horus and his legion to stop at a backwater system and one of its moons: Davin IV.

Abnett has laid down a great foundation for the trilogy and here's to hoping that Graham McNeill (another fan favorite) continues the trilogy with another great story. I can't wait for the second book, False Gods, to be released. The story of the Horus Heresy has been a long time coming. Here's to not waiting too long to finish the saga.

Dan Abnett is my fav writer for Warhammer 40K Series. He knows how to intertwine suspense, intrigue and action flawlessly. Not all of the Horus Hersey titles are actually well written, and often the books make you feel like you're treading down a predictable path with a bunch of giant male-robots [boring & monotonous].
But Dan has a way of breathing life into every lead character in this story.
This book delivers on all fronts, and the veteran storyteller does not disappoint! He really sets the stage for the entire epic Horus series, giving the readers a glimpse of things to come!
If you're a true Warhammer 40K fan you won't regret this one!

Dan Abnett grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go in this story. This is the first Warhammer book I have read and really enjoyed the conspiracy and intrigue mixed in between the battles. I appreciated the character development, which sometimes lacks in sci-fi stories. How the main character questions his beliefs yet still must carry out orders, etc.The only thing I didn't like was the Empire's move toward a science only based society and rejection of religion. But hey, that's the story. This book still made me buy a few more in the series.

Finally, Games Workshop and the Black Library has seen to it that the story of the Imperium greatest and darkest hour be told in a trilogy of novels. What I am talking about is the culmination of the Emperor of Mankind's Great Crusade to unite the scattered humanity into one galaxt-spanning empire. This first novel in the trilogy, as written by fan favorite Dan Abnett, tells of the time of the Great Crusade's culmination. With the Emperor finally relinquishing the command of all crusading forces to his most favored of his twenty genetically-engineered Primarch sons: Horus.

In background stories throughout the history of Games Workshop's 40K universe, Horus has been described in brief detail as being favored by the Emperor above all the other Primarchs. But other than that Horus has been seen and read by all as a twisted, megalomaniacal despot out to overthrow the Emperor once Chaos has gotten hold of him. In Horus Rising, Dan Abnett paints a portrait of Horus and his Luna Wolves Legion as sympathetic characters who are loyal to the tenets of the Emperor's Great Crusade to a fault. Horus is given personality to make him noble and great in the eyes of not just the men he leads but those of others led by his brother Primarchs. He is akin to Lucifer just before the Fall and throughout the novel, Abnett slips in small seeds of doubts and flaws that will surely lead to his predestined role as the Fallen Angel who will raze and burn the galaxy of Mankind before all is well and done.

Abnett's skill at writing battle scenes, especially up-close combat with Horus and his marines against all comers, shows just why his previous Games Workshop novels have been favorites of fans. Abnett also introduces such characters as Abaddon, Torgaddon and Loken. "Sons" of Horus who seem to represent his conscience in more ways than one. Abaddon most fans already know his fate, but Torgaddon and Loken are characters whose story may lead to damnation or redemption as the time for heresy and war inches closer. the book ends with a simple mention of whats to come with the second leg of the trilogy. Horus and his legion to stop at a backwater system and one of its moons: Davin IV.

Abnett has laid down a great foundation for the trilogy and here's to hoping that Graham McNeill (another fan favorite) continues the trilogy with another great story. I can't wait for the second book, False Gods, to be released. The story of the Horus Heresy has been a long time coming. Here's to not waiting too long to finish the saga.

Dan Abnett is my fav writer for Warhammer 40K Series. He knows how to intertwine suspense, intrigue and action flawlessly. Not all of the Horus Hersey titles are actually well written, and often the books make you feel like you're treading down a predictable path with a bunch of giant male-robots [boring & monotonous].
But Dan has a way of breathing life into every lead character in this story.
This book delivers on all fronts, and the veteran storyteller does not disappoint! He really sets the stage for the entire epic Horus series, giving the readers a glimpse of things to come!
If you're a true Warhammer 40K fan you won't regret this one!

Dan Abnett grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go in this story. This is the first Warhammer book I have read and really enjoyed the conspiracy and intrigue mixed in between the battles. I appreciated the character development, which sometimes lacks in sci-fi stories. How the main character questions his beliefs yet still must carry out orders, etc.The only thing I didn't like was the Empire's move toward a science only based society and rejection of religion. But hey, that's the story. This book still made me buy a few more in the series.

There is always a fundamental difference between knowing about the turning point and witnessing it. Every WH40K fan knows about the Horus Heresy and the impact it had on the development of this fictional universe, but up to this point our knowledge was based on snippets and dry facts spread throughout the codices, "White Dwarf" articles etc. However, Dan Abnett manages to do the impossible by showing us and bringing to life the very beginning of this, let's admit it, galaxy-shattering event.

First of all, Abnett gives us in his prequel a very detailed presentation of the reality of the 31st millennium and underlines how it differs from "the grim darkness of the far future" of the 41st millennium we all know and love. The Great Crusade itself, the conduct of Space Marines (i.e. Luna Wolves, since the novel is focused on this particular Legion (yes, Legion, not Chapter yet)) in terms of dealing with defeated foes (look up Chapter Two and tell me you see that scene happening in WH40K!), Space Marine Primarch using, gulp, DIPLOMACY (!) and many, many more: all of it presents a very different, more optimistic, yet hauntingly familiar world which gradual decomposition and reshaping will become all the more frightening over the course of the next novels.

The second best thing about this book are the characters. Having read this and the following novels (up to "Fulgrim" and planning to read the rest) I can guarantee that you won't have to get through "False Gods" and "Galaxy in Flames" to care about the characters. I'm an avid reader of many tie-in novels ("Star Trek," "Star Wars," "(old) World of Darkness" franchises, to name the few) and I know when I see that the authors get lazy and and rely on the background of the characters from other sources to fill in the gaps made by their subpar writing. Trust me, this does not happen here. Each and every character, from the canonical ones (Horus, Sanguinius, Rogal Dorn, Ezekyle Abbadon etc.) to the ones introduced for the first time (Garviel Loken, Mersadie Oliton, Euphrati Keeler, Kyril Sindermann, Ignace Karkasy etc.) has his or her own personality and plays a vital role in allowing the reader to see the events of the novel from a plethora of perspectives, each one of them greatly contributing to making the reading of this novel a worthwhile (and worth-your-money) experience.

The last, but not least, is that Abnett manages to convey something more than just action. It is clearly visible in the moral conundrums of captain Garviel Loken in terms of being, as a Space Marine, somewhere in between a thinking being and an efficient killing machine (again something you don't see often in WH40K) and the issue of the role of religion in life, as best represented by the secular Imperial Truth, considering religion as something anachronistic and dangerous (oh, the irony of this for all of you who know what the Imperium of Man will be like in 10.000 years!), being confronted with the slowly, but steadily developing belief in the 63rd expedition that "the Emperor protects"... and the horrors of the Warp that make a memorable appearance. In any case, this is not a "BIG gunz and BIG batelz" mindless action-fest that some think is Black Library's standard for WH40K fiction.

All in all, I enjoyed "Horus Rising" very much and consider it a great read for W40K fan(atic)s and those who have yet to get to know this universe better (or at all) alike. For the former it will be a great opportunity to see how "the seeds of heresy were sown" and for the latter it will be a great introduction to WH40K in general.

This is a good introductoin to the Horus Heresy novels detailing the iconic civil war of the Imperium that sets the stage for the entirety of the Warhammer 40K novels and games that have been published. As such when I started reading it I really wasnt expecting much. After all, there was no way this was going to be a simple trilogy, the setting has such scope and depth that would be nearly impossible. Another thing I was excited about was that it featured Dan Abnett, a favorite Black library author of mine, writing it.

I did enjoy many parts of the book. The action was fast paced, the character development (such as there is) was good and the plotting was solid as well. I did find two things that I found disappointing though.

The first was that it seemed like all the characters wanted to do was sit around and talk, and talk and talk and then, tired after all that talking, they would take a break and, well, talk some more. Then there would be a quick battle, only to be followed by more talking. <sigh> Yet in all this talk there was, I felt, very little done to establish the background of the series. The rise of The Emperor, the establisment of the Empire took a back set to the Emperor's belief that religion is unessecary and only breeds violence and evil.

The second was the human civilization encountered in the second half of the book. I just could not accept that humans would evolve such a monstrosity where nobles had to have entire chiors accompany them wherever they went in order to just communicate with each other. It broke my suspension of disbelief Im afraid.

With all that said this book probably does deserve four stars just for it being the beginning of a titanic series detailing the origin of the Warhammer 40K universe. A little more action, a little less talk and a more believable civilization would have made it much more enjoyable for me.

Oh and what happens when Horus and the Crusdae meet this Human civilization? They stop to talk. Any tea and crumpets with your talk, Warmaster Horus?

I was not familiar with the Warhammer or Warmhammer 40000 Universe when I picked this book up. I got it when I stopped over in London, because it was signed by the author and it looked interesting.

That has not kept me from thoroughly enjoying this book! It is very well written and well paced. Judging from the other reviews everyone seems to know how this story is supposed to go. I suppose it's as if I am that person who didn't know that Anakin becomes Darth Vader. The characters seem to have a well known destiny, but that was not a problem for me. The character development is very nice. Abnett somehow manages to infuse the Astartes - a genetic creation of mankind bred for war - with layers of depth which are belied by their introduction.

If you like gritty-military sci-fi with an Ancient Rome twist, get this book.

Amazingly written and perfectly executed! Good job Dan Abnett!

If you are new to sci-fi and would like to read an excellent starting point on the WH40K universe this is the place to start. I have been dabbling with 40k since '89 and had always wanted to know what made the Warmaster turn against humanity. Now this book doesn't let you know why but it certain begins the history of how and why it all happened.

Now there are other better written reviews and by the time you get to this review you should already be convinced to pick up this book and the other 2 in the first part of the trilogy.

I have finished all 3 books and have even considered getting back into the table-top game just to become more familiar with the entire 40k universe. For all of you hardcore 40k fans its time to stop rolling the dice for a least a weekend and pick up this series and see why Horus really became a spawn of the Chaos Lords of the Warp!

Like another reviewer, I too have been into WH40k for a very long time. I have read most of the WH40k fiction. Usually, stories that come from any type of game just don't work. The WH40k series has shown that under the right writers, game material can be some of the best sci-fi/fantasy reading around. I have been a fan for a few years and have read more than 20 titles. This one is by far the best sci-fi book I have read in 2 years. The portrayal of Horus by Dan Abnett turns him into a human, believable leader. A hero of the recently begun Space Marine legions. He has recently accepted the title of Warmaster and is still coming to terms with the responsibilities that come with such a title. Told through the experiences of a fellow Space Marine, Horus is shown as a man trying to live up to the image of his god-like father. The events that take place shape the future of a universe and set the galaxy aflame. And here we see it all at the beginning. Brilliant. I have just started to read Abnetts "Gaunt's Ghosts" books and have become a huge fan of his writing. This is by far the best WH40k book yet. I cannot wait to see what Graham McNeill does with his novel. His "Storm Of Iron" was the first WH40k book I read and still remains a favorite. Again, I cannot recommend "Horus Rising" enough. GO BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!

Just started my “Crusade” to read all of the never ending 40K books and this did not disappoint! Absolutely loved this book, I recommend it to anyone wanting a thrilling read! Just understand that I has a massive amount of dialogue compared to other 40k books. For the Emperor brothers and sisters!

A very interesting look into the beginning of the Horus Heresy. The story is quite nice as it shows the Astartes before they became warrior monks and the citizens of the Imperium before everything went to Hell. There are some very nice passages in this. Mr. Abnett can capture the insanity of chaos very well.

It seems to be a requirement nowadays that fantasy/sci-fi has to be so complicated that it confuses the reader. Not the case with this title. A good, streamlined, action-packed story that is a breath of fresh air in a world filled with overly complicated and under-edited trash. Bravo Mr. Abnett, this one was built to last.

Still listening, obviously love the book and series. I first listened to Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett and narrated by Gareth Armstrong and I think I preferred Armstrong’s delivery of the lines more. However, just an opinion, still a fantastic book and narration.

Set in the 31st millennium. Leadership is by the Immortal Emperor the Imperium of Man. They stretch across space looking for their long lost human brothers. Upon locating any, they demand unification and absolute obedience. If denied, the world is conquered and forced to heel. As this story opens, the world that will soon be named "Sixty-Three Nineteen" is under siege by the Adeptus Astartes. The Astartes are used only as a last resort. They are the Imperium's elite. They are sanctioned killers. Their current order is to capture the planet's false "Emperor" and force the planet's unification.

The whole book is told in the third person. Tenth Company Captain Garviel Loken, of the Luna Wolves, is telling how Sixty-Three Nineteen was conquered. The listener is Mersadie Oliton. Mersadie is one of the very first "remembrancers" to be granted access to the surface of the conquered world. (Think of them as reporters or librarians. They record memories of events for historical records.)

The next section is about a planet aptly named "Murder". The world is covered by a type of weather storm shield. Eidolon has sent the Blood Angels down only for them to disappear immediately. He then follows the bad decision with another, sending more men down to investigate. Captain Loken arrives and must rescue Eidolon's men from Megarachnid Warriors. (Resembles huge insects.)

*** There are other tales. This novel is NOT written like an anthology. Again, it is told in the third person, primarily by Captain Loken, and has three parts. This is not Dan Abnett's best work; however, it is worth your time to read and enjoy. ***

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This Black Library novel is a fine beginning to the Horus Heresy, but it appears Dan Abnett has ignored or rewritten many of the core precepts of the Warhammer 40,000, or in this case, Warhammer 30,000 universe, something that many who have been loyal followers of this genre since its inception in 1985 might find disturbing.

Like all Abnett's books, Horus Rising is a fast, furious, and fun ride through the far future, or in this case the past of the far future, if that makes sense. Cast in a time of legends before the immortal Emperor was deified and interned on the Golden Throne, Horus Rising manages to "humanize" the almost mythic, genetically enhanced humans, the Primarchs and their Space Marine "sons". However, it doesn't deliver on much of the background material that has been previously published by Games Workshop, developers of the 40K universe. Whether this is by accident or design is irrelevant; it leaves out crucial background material that causes the book to lack some substance.

Where Abnett does succeed is in laying the groundwork for Horus's fall, and fall he will, make no mistake about that. It takes nearly the entire novel to place Horus on the path to damnation and Chaos. As someone once said, the path to damnation is taken in small steps, not in one giant leap. Sparing the reader any details, suffice it to say I personally was pleased.

Despite my criticism, I look forward to Abnett's next book on the Horus Heresy, False Gods.

The Horus Heresy is a fascinating and important part of the WH40k world and in these new series of books it will shed to light the personnages involved and situations that led to that horrific and tragic event. This first book of the trilogy written by the fantastic Dan Abnett will bring to light those key events plus a close up look at some Primarchs whom little is known. I particularly liked how Abnett made Horus though super-human still display very human weaknesses. The final few chapters are riveting and I simply couldn't put it down until I finished. This book is highly recommended and a must read for any WH40k fan or any sci-fi fan!

I have been involved in the Warhammer 40,000 universe for 20 years now, and have been an avid military sci-fi reader for almost 30 years. For 20 years, fans of Warhammer 40,000 have known the basics of the story that serves as the "foundation" of the entire franchise - the betrayal of the god-like human Emperor by his beloved son, the Warmaster Horus, who becomes the "Satan" figure throughout the rest of the game. Abnett's novel at last puts a human face and details to the story, and has done so with breathtaking, moving brilliance. All of the characters are wonderfully depicted and very engaging, which makes the story all the more bittersweet since we know that despite the nobility and virtue of these characters, they ultimately become villains. The "fall from grace" that this book chronicles is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions - this is now my favorite fiction book of all time.

Incredible, that's about the only word I can think of to describe this book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Some of Abnetts best, in my opinion, it really gives a window into what the crusade was like. I would recommend this book to anyone who has been into WH40K for as long as I have (the Rogue Trader days) The characters came alive on the pages and made you feel like you could be there. Terrific!

There really is no point in me repeating what positive things have already been said about this book--it's written by a great Author and for me personally, I was hooked into the story from page one. Purchase this book WH40k fans! I'm not sure if readers unfamiliar with WH40k will appreciate this series as much as WH40k Fluff addicts like myself.

Dan Abnet shines threw in this amazing peice of fiction based in the warhammer 40,000 univers. written in a well placed 3rd person following one of the captians of the luna wolfs (sons of horus). the book tells an amazing tale that will change your appreacation of 40k litrature, and horus him self. with no desire to give any spoliers all i say is BUY THIS BOOK! it is amazing, if you have never read any 40k literature this is the best place to start and for the rest of us this is essential knowledge that will leave you talking with your friends with as much excitment as the next blockbuster. (if your wondering i got the book early shiped from the uk when released there)

(warning: SPOILERS)

Well, I got this book and I was very very happy with it.

A lot of the 40k books are more like saturday morning cartoons for adults...so they are a good way to pass time on the bus/subway wand such. This book, however, is on a higher level than those.

I won't say this is a masterpiece of literature, but I find it interesting how the book goes to question the need of human beings for religion. The need to worship gods and not just be a secular society.

Further it goes into new more specific designs of the primarchs and their armor. As well as their relationships with eachother. I was very pleased that Horus's fall from glory looks like it will be taken seriously, and not like Anakin's in revenge of the sith...which was quite unrealistic.

I look with hope that the previously unmentioned primarchs will be mentioned in the coming books, since the emperor does talk in brief about the full 20 primarchs.

(warning: SPOILERS)

Well, I got this book and I was very very happy with it.

A lot of the 40k books are more like saturday morning cartoons for adults...so they are a good way to pass time on the bus/subway wand such. This book, however, is on a higher level than those.

I won't say this is a masterpiece of literature, but I find it interesting how the book goes to question the need of human beings for religion. The need to worship gods and not just be a secular society.

Further it goes into new more specific designs of the primarchs and their armor. As well as their relationships with eachother. I was very pleased that Horus's fall from glory looks like it will be taken seriously, and not like Anakin's in revenge of the sith...which was quite unrealistic.

I look with hope that the previously unmentioned primarchs will be mentioned in the coming books, since the emperor does talk in brief about the full 20 primarchs.

I first got into the Warhammer genre by playing the PC game, and wanted to read some of the related material. The author is excellent and clearly has alot of experience in the science fiction realm. I would recommend this book to anyone who is into science fiction/futuristic combat. All action with VERY LITTLE romance thrown in.