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Ketzerfürst (2012)

by Aaron Dembski-Bowden(Favorite Author)

4.21 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Heyne

series

The Horus Heresy

review 1: This book takes a long look at the Word Bearers legion, the first legion to turn away from the Emperor and begin worshiping Chaos (thus the novel name). The book begins with a bang as as the Ultramarines, led in person by Papa Smurf himself, land on a planet brought to compliance by the Word Bearers and find the population worshiping the Emperor; The population is forcibly evacuated and all the cities are destroyed by orbital bombardment as a lesson for Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers, not to worship the Emperor like a god. Well, this works a bit too well, as Lorgar begins his long, gradual, and tragically understandable journey down the dark and crooked road to embracing the ruinous powers of Chaos. This is the real beginning of the heresy, with events 40 years befor... moree Horus' betrayal setting the stage in grand fashion. I'm kind of perplexed as to why it took 15 novels before this vital backstory was filled in, but I can't complain about how it's done; The author is skillful enough that at times I found myself rooting against what any sane observer would class as the good guys, and instead hoping the chaos-mutated, demon-possessed abominations that the Word Bearers let themselves become will come out on top. It may sound weird, but I think this is actually the most emotional of the Horus Heresey novels so far, and I mean that in the best possible way. The positives keep on coming: Rowboat Girlyman, Primarch of the Ultrasmurfs, gets knocked right on his ass in the first few chapters; The pivotal and much referred-to but never before seen (that I've read) Drop Site Massacre is finally detailed; Primarchs like Corax and Cruze who have yet to see the spotlight are given some screentime.My one and only complaint about this book is that this probably should have been the fifth in the series after Flight of the Eisenstein; I'd recommend reading the original trilogy, Flight of the Eisenstein, and then this book - just make sure you have enough time set aside because you won't want to put any of them down.
review 2: The next time you have a fight with your dad and think you have daddy issues, just think of the story of Lorgar and think about how he essentially launched a galactic civil war full of daemons and genocide that killed billions of people because of HIS daddy issues.I've read some of Aaron Dembski-Bowden before and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite Black Library authors. I picked this book up so I could read The Betrayer which is kinda like a sequel to this one. As with the other books of his I've read, the writing for this one was top-notch. The entire book, especially the beginning, evokes the concept of a Greek tragedy in the 31st millennium with guns that make people explode. The Word Bearers are rebuked by the Emperor for their worship of Him which is a tragedy in of itself. If you're a 40k scholar like am, you'll recognize that the religious practices of the Word Bearers (eg. purity seals, black chaplain armor, etc) are the same religious practices utilized by essentially every space marine chapter 10,000 years later. Indeed, deny his own divinity is what essentially instigated the entire Horus Heresy to begin with. ADB did an excellent job portraying Lorgar as a very sympathetic figure. After all, as with all the primarchs, he was incredibly influenced by the planet he landed on as a child, in this case, a planet of pious worshipers. The character Argel Tal was an excellent compliment to Lorgar's that I actually enjoyed more overall. Argel Tal represents his Legion and their desire for an object of worship. His reluctance in the Legion's new practices shows a different side of the Heresy. It shows that much of the Word Bearers, fanatics they may be, are no simple zealots that throw themselves for their beliefs, but something more. Much of Argel Tal's actions are a product of desperation. He doesn't want to do much of the things he does; he just feels as if it'll serve the greater good. Still, that doesn't make it any easier. His change in the end summarizes the entire fall from grace of his Legion.Simply one of the best the Black Library has put out. It's excellent for newcomers of the 40k (or 30k) universe and those seeking information on the origins of the Heresy. less

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