Customer Reviews

Horus Heresy: Legion

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I hope that every morning when Dan Abnett wakes up and goes outside to pick up his bottle of milk from the stoop there is a Games Workshop staffer waiting for him. The staffer holds in one hand a gift basket full of fresh fruit and chocolates and in the other hand a large sack full of money.

I say this because Dan Abnett is simply the best author Games Workshop has available and the moment that he figures out he can earn more cash not leashed to Games Workshop's setting, the Black Library will burn to the ground.

Witness 'Legion', the latest in the Horus Heresy series. Deftly written, this is a story about intrigue and deception, not about dudes shooting other dudes. It builds on one of the least developed Space Marine chapters, the Alpha Legion, and gives them a place in the setting. It also develops the history of the setting even more through details of the Geno, a human army, and the memories of Grammaticus, one of the story's principal characters.

The story is a mind-twist and rightly does not feature a lot of Space Marines. Why should it? Most of the mysteries of the Alpha Legion could be answered in two pages at the start of the book, which wouldn't leave much of a story. Instead, the reader gets to follow a handful of characters (one of the hallmarks of Abnett's style is the use of a cast of POV characters) as they get enveloped deeper and deeper within the Legion's coils. The revelations at the end of the book are both shocking and satisfying and Abnett knows his craft well enough to end the story there.

So if you enjoy the setting of the Warhammer 40k universe, pick this book up. Read it for the characterization and plot and don't fret that you don't see too many world-spanning, gut-eviscerating chaotic action scenes. Because Abnett's 'Legion' is akin to the Alpha Legion itself - cunning, deliberate, and always worth getting to the bottom of.

This book is the second foray by veteran Black Library author Dan Abnett in the Horus Heresy series, and the seventh book in that series overall. His other efforts include works concerning the Imperial Guard (the Gaunt's Ghost series) and the Inquisition (both the Eisenhorn and Ravenor novels). Set in Games Workshop's rich, gothic Warhammer 40,000 (40K) setting, it benefits from 20 years of accumulated canon and imagination. This novel tells the tale of the 20th Space Marine Legion, the Alpha Legion, its Primarch Alpharius, and its network of operatives and spies.

Unlike most of the other Horus Heresy Novels, this one does not use the Marines as the primary point of view. Instead we see the tale through the eyes of members of the Imperial Army, primarily members of Geno Five-Two Chiliad, genetically engineered warriors left over from the Emperor's unification of Earth, essentially primitive prototypes for the mighty Space Marines. Peto Soneka, a "het" (translation: Captain) for one of their units is the most compelling character, but he's joined by a host of others that have equally believable abilities and motivations. Writing interesting characters has always been one of Abnett's strong points.

The beginning, usually one of Abnett's strongest points, stumbles in this novel due to an excess of odd terms that aren't easily defined by context. Where he usually weaves a compelling and immersive setting early on, it's difficult to maintain suspension of disbelief when you're wracking your brain in an attempt to figure out what some obtuse term actually means.

Fortunately he settles down into his typical excellent pacing after the first two or three chapters, and his action writing is as strong as ever. By the time you've gotten a third of the way into the book, you've forgotten the ragged beginning and can't wait to get to the next chapter. Particularly compelling is the view of the Marines of the Alpha Legion through human eyes. They retain their mystery and ability to inspire awe throughout, unlike some of the other books of this series. He really captures the intrigue, deception, and pragmatism of the Legion and mirrors it in many situations throughout the novel.

The climax and ending, typically one of Abnett's great weaknesses, works far better in this case than most of his other plots. It's not flawless, but as the deceptions within deceptions begin to unravel, the final choices are both interesting and unexpected. To say anything more might spoil the fun!

In short: if you can make it through the first few chapters, the rest of the work is well worth the price of admission, and is a refreshing change from the typical grind of "Legion goes bad except for a few good guys who try to fight the tide" that is typical of the other Horus Heresy books. Highly recommended for 40K fans, and still worth a look from general sci-fi readers.

At first I was skeptical of the book through the first 20-30 pages, the setting was just unfamiliar for a Warhammer 40k novel and I had seen almost no mention of any Astartes.

But that's what's truly great about it...

Dan Abnett writes about the Alpha Legion PERFECTLY. I was always critical of the Astartes Legions simply for their quasi-invincibility and extraordinary firepower and Dan Abnett, in an amazing book, turned all my presumptions and perceptions around! The novel is exhilarating and the Alpha Legion is easily the most interesting legion to read about. More than mere soldiers, they act more like spies and throughout the whole novel you rarely see them fight. Rather, they twist, manipulate, and discover secrets within the universe in order to gain mastery of their surroundings. They're not the Emperor's lapdogs like other legions are; rather, while accepting the Emperor and ultimately following his beliefs for the good of mankind, they are still critical of his Utopian ideals.

I don't want to spoil the story, suffice to say that it teaches you a lot about not only the horus heresy but the warhammer universe in the future as well.

5 stars, easily.

A very interesting book, full of intrigue, as befits a book about the Alpha Legion. While I wish the book had showcased the Alpha Legion more, it does a great job of showing the reader how they go about their business. I often found myself wondering what was the truth and what was subterfuge. Dan Abnett does a great job keeping us in suspense and not revealing too much too quickly, perhaps as a way to keep the mystique of the Alpha Legion intact. We also get an extensive look at the Imperial Army, who are the main protagonists of this book. The ending offers a surprising and tragic revelation on the real reason the Alpha Legion turned to Horus' side. All in all very good.

This will not endear me to the Warhammer faithful, but, the only reason I was drawn into the WH universe was because I was intrigued by this book called Horus Rising by a guy named Dan Abnett--truth is I wouldn't have had any interest if I had realized that it was part of a game oriented book series, I'm sorry, but there you go.
Having since read a number of his books, and some by other Black Workshop authors, I have come to realize how lucky I was to have picked up that first DA book. I have become convinced that mr Abnett is better than, not just his fellow writers (though they are all competent, some more some less ), but the material itself. Don't get me wrong, the WH40K universe is... fun, but it isn't much more than that--except when Dan takes control.
Dear mr. Abnet: Please have more faith in yourself! I consider you equal to the likes of Neil Asher and Iain Banks. I beg you to move on to creating your own worlds, I for one will be there to buy them with all enthusiasm.

Internal intrigue, espionage, and alien conspiracy intertwine in this 7th book of the Heresy series. As always, Abnett launches us into a story already in progress and weaves it through without needless inconsistencies and of course, with his signature pacing and plot development. Stuck in a war of attrition against a seemingly weaker foe, the Imperials are hard pressed and frustrated. This backdrop is but the beginning stage that will drive the forces of the Emperor's might into a stunning climax where only one choice can be made. -As it has already been noted in the following books of this Heresy series, nearly every story line was dedicated to the legions of the Emperor as they turn toward the darkness and fall from grace. This ongoing epic seems to develop by either one of three ways: (1) They are thoroughly deceived, (2) They are forced into rebellion and are overwhelmed, or (3) They with full knowledge willingly submit to a path of rebellion, ruin, and destruction. So it goes with human nature and so it goes with fate. As Dan Abnett adds further to this convoluted volume, he gives us a rather unique take on apostasy and the forces that turn brother to war against brother.

Finally a Horus Heresy novel that isn't about 3 billion Marines blasting away at 3 trillion renegade humans / xenos / traitor marines!

This novel was absolutely engrossing from the moment it was picked up until the moment it was put on the shelf beside the rest of the Horus Heresy novels. The intrigue, deceptions and plot twists start at the very beginning and don't let up throghout the entire story. The Astartes were used very sparingly, with the reader only seeing perhaps half a dozen of them in total until the end of the story. This helps keep the reader wondering exactly what part they play, and keeps the Imperial Guard soldiers that encounter them in absolute awe of them rather than a common and quickly forgotten encounter.

The end of the story was amazing, it was completely not what I wanted to happen by the time I made the journey there, but exactly what would have happened in reality, and that made it all the more memorable.

This novel stands in stark contrast to The Flight of The Eisenstein (Absolute bottom of the barrel for this amazing series of books) and I suggest to anyone who is standing here trying to decide which Horus Heresy novel to read next; this is the one.

I read this book in about 4 days and really enjoyed it. I thought it provided some additional background that wasn't previously provided. I thought he did a great job of providing not only character background and depth. But he also provided some background to how things started on Terra. The end was some what confusing. I'm going to re-read soon to make sure I didn't miss anything. I think Dan Abnett is the best author for this publisher.

Dan Abnett sets his sights on the Alpha Legion and the Imperial Army in this Pre-Heresy novel. That's a very important fact to remember when reading this superior work. As is the fact that not all is revealed and you will be left scratching your head at the end of Abnetts' latest masterpiece.

Abnett once again unleashes an amazing cast of characters that are more then just stock action heroes. Characterization is one of the strong suits in Abnetts arsenal and he puts it to full use here in regards to Imperial Army officers and spies. The Alpha Legion itself is kept in the shadows. We get glimpses of their character but no more then that. Their modus operandi is touched upon as is their mysterious Primarch.

Legion delivers as promised on the cover, secrets and lies. Beyond that, an excellent read.

The poor quality of writing in the striking majority of Warhammer 40K novels forces a more discerning reader to adopt a simple standard - whether or not the novel in question is going to repeatedly insult his intelligence. I am glad to report that Legion does not.

I had low expectations for Mr. Abnett's latest addition to the Horus Heresy series, mostly due to the absolute disaster his previous Warhammer 40k work was. In Legion, the author sticks to what he does best; namely, taking an Imperial Guard (in this case, a proto-Guard) unit, and focusing on the interaction of several well fleshed out characters. The setting created, though hardly memorable, is not terribly generic and, most importantly, believable, as far as w40k goes. Abnett also manages to avoid, by design or happenstance, the pitfall of writing the characters too similarly to his earlier novels. This is commendable.

Naturally, Legion isn't perfect and sports a few annoyances, such as the unsatisfyingly bland depiction of Alpharius and the use of euphemisms where stronger language is more appropriate. These, however, are not considerably detracting.

I found the plot's progress well-paced and finished the book in 2 days. I enjoyed it and was entertained by the story, which is precisely what I was hoping for.