Deliverance Lost: The Horus Heresy, Book 18

Deliverance Lost, Book 18. Primary focus, the Raven Guard.First the bad. This is yet another tale where the components were invented to fill a book rather than connect important parts of the larger tale. A primary focus of the book is a technology that would let Astartes be replenished quickly, but as you can guess that advantage does not continue to be used beyond the book, nor does anything decisive happen with the recurring characters.But don't worry about that. This is an entertaining story. It makes the Ravenguard the sight-for-sore-eyes underdogs that are easy to root for. I kinda wish the Ravenguard were as interesting as say, the Blood angels though. Maybe they can give them feathered armpits or beaks on their feet.The conflict with the Traitor legions is decent and they kept the story going with decent characters and a wide variety of subjects and scenes. It was nice seeing so much about Corax and some lesser imperial groups were shown like Imperial Guard and Mechanicus, though those could have used more depth.Overall a simple but enjoyable Space Marine oriented book and it bodes well for the author's future works.

People who are upset with this story I think are missing the point. On the surface this book appears to be about the Ravenguard but it is much more than that. This story finally explains the Primarch Project and the hows and why of space Marine creation if that was not enough it reveals the future of space marines too. It also explain how Alpha Legion can infiltrate other legions. With these pieces of information we can see an entire future of 40k. It would be easy for GW to reveal now that the majority of space marine chapters in existence are actually Alpha Legion. Over the course of 10,000 years the Alpha Legion has had the time to fully understand and replicate the Primarch Project. Screw pace Marines they might had an army of Primarchs cloned out there. This story sets the stage for the reemergence of any primarch and any legion. This story leaves me with only one question. After the Alpha Legions fails in it plan to bring a quick death to humanity would they return to being a "loyal" legion and support the Emperor's plan? As far as we know the Alpha Legion did not go into the Eye of Terror so they have experienced the full 10,000 years all the time having the source DNA to clone 20 primarchs and the ability to grow superior space marines in 72 hours, there is even an indication that they can clone space marines without the need to implant a human first. Obviously the downfall of the Emperor is no longer their goal or there would be 100 million space marines led by 10,000 Alpharious and Omegons marching on Terra. In the same vain they can appear to defend Terra too with a legion of Primarchs ready to run the Imperium. This novel tells more about the past and future of 40k than any other in the series with the possible exception of The Outcast Dead which revealed that the Emperor cannot win against Chaos. That Arik Taranis succeeds in creating a new geneseed blending Thunder Warriors with Astartes and that a single Thunder Warrior can easily beat an Astartes.Years form now we will look back as these 2two novels as where we first learned the fate of the 40k universe.

I stand ready to accept a demon's legion of negative comments from the die hard BL fans, but better to be honest in the review and let the buyer make the purchase "with his or her eyes open."I enjoyed Gav Thorpe's writing style, but this book was just OK.I would not add Deliverance Lost to the top of my reading list even for the die hard BL fan base.The Black Library (BL) has done a great job of putting together a truly fantastic collection of books set in the Warhammer universe, both the Fantasy side and the Warhammer 40K side.Gav Thorpe, the author, spins a good yarn, and his portrayal of Corax, primarch of the Raven Guard, is well done.All that said, while I enjoyed the first several Horus Heresy (HH) books very much, I am not a big fan of Deliverance Lost.Be warned ... spoilers follow.The story picks up immediately after the slaughter of the loyal legions at Isstvan V with significant flashbacks to Corax's childhood and growth into the messiah of Deliverance. (The title of the book has a double meaning, both the loss of the Raven Guard's homeworld and the loss at a chance to deliver the galaxy from Horus civil war.)The premise of the book is that Corax is the guerrilla fighter of the Primarchs. He and the Raven Guard rely on stealth and hit & run tactics to depose the enemies of the Emperor.After the defeat on Isstvan V, Corax and a small number of his legion retreat to refit and determine future plans. Corax takes one ship back to Earth to meet with the Emperor and determine some way to rebuild his legion.The fly in the ointment is that the Alpha Legion has sided with Horus (see  Horus Heresy: Legion (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Horus Heresy) ), and the Alpha Legion has embedded agents within the Raven Guard.The reader follows one of these traitorous scum along through the story.Corax returns to Earth, and he is not permitted to disturb the Emperor. Eventually after a tussle between Rogal Dorn, Corax, and Malcador the Sigilite, the Emperor "possesses" Malcador and gives Corax information on where the Primarch Project remains have been buried beneath a mountain, protected by a killer maze.Corax uses his incredible wits to defeat a maze designed by the Emperor to kill any that entered it.At the core of the maze is the biotechnology used to create the Primarchs. The traitor scum is one of the Raven Guards that accompanies Corax.After returning to Deliverance, Corax and a very clever supporting cast of characters, including some members of the Mechanicum, are able to figure out a way to recreate the Raven Guard in a fraction of the normal time.All goes well until the Alpha Legion is able to insert "demonic DNA essence" into the pure gene sample that then converts the Raven Guard initiates into hideously warped monsters.The twin Primarchs of the Alpha Legion fool Horus, have the corrupt DNA, and Corax continues with hit & run tactics that the reader assumes continues for centuries (all to no real effect apparently).So, why three stars?First, the book is depressing. OK, OK, to stay within BL canon, the Raven Guard had to fail, but there were many places in the book where the Bad Guys(tm) could have failed, but miraculously at every turn, evil triumphed over good. Also, Mr. Thorpe set you up to believe that the traitor scum was facing a moral dilemma and was likely to do the "right thing" in the end. Yeah, didn't happen. Didn't really even hesitate.I like H.P. Lovecraft too, and that is a bleak universe as well -- likely the intellectual origins of the BL Chaos, but subsequent writers added some rays of hope to HPL's creation.There were a number of times when it was difficult to suspend disbelief, and canon was discarded in some cases.The depiction of the Twin Primarchs of the Alpha Legion was often silly. Mr. Alpha himself is mocking Horus' closest companions, and Horus, shown to be fully of Khorn-ian rage in previous books, just sits on his throne smirking. What? Really? No. Also, Horus ends up being fooled by Mr. Alpha with a worthless data-slate with embedded errors. Horus, who is using Chaos magic like a fiend at this point, summoning demons, etc. cannot read the Alpha Primarch? Um, no.The Alpha Legion had sided with Horus, because a council of aliens had convinced the Primarchs that only through Horus being victorious would the galaxy be saved from the "Ruinous Powers." Yet, throughout this book, the Twin Primarchs bedevil and ignore the representative of the council, and at the end, one of the Primarchs throws the representative out into deep space. What? Really? No. If the Primarchs were so convinced that they were doing the right thing that they believed the council and turned against their oaths to the Emperor then surely they would have valued the input from the representative.It just seemed like a ridiculous and coquettish action.The gateway to the Eldar immaterium paths on Earth was still open in this books, but we know that according to time line already established in  A Thousand Sons (The Horus Heresy)  that Magnus had already destroyed the portal (with the help of a Great Old One - not called that in the book, but that is what it was) by this time.The ability of the chaos infested Mechanicum, the Dragons, to cause a complete civil war under the nose of the Raven Guard also seems a stretch. Surely the local population would support the Raven Guard. Think about a local football team. People support those teams under almost any circumstance. Now, add that the Raven Guard is filled with super humans, and, then add all the technology and riches that came with being part of the Imperium ... there is no way that the local populace would have risen up in revolt. Yes, the guildmasters might have, but the local populace ... er, no.There are more, but one final example suffices ... the Emperor, the Master of Mankind, the cleverest of the clever took centuries to figure out the genetic structure for the Primarch project; yet, the Alpha Legion with the help of the Dragon/fallen Mechanicum figures out how to counter the genetic structure in an untraceable way in what ... um, ten minutes or so ... while that is an exaggeration, it is beyond the pale that Alpharius and gang could have figured it out so quickly.At this point, I would love to see the BL pick up on the rebirth of the Emperor in 42K. The recent book  Atlas Infernal (Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor Czevak)  hinted about a way that it might be possible, and there has been speculation within the BL fan base and authors for years about a combined Eldar and Human mythology that included the rebirth of the Emperor.I enjoyed Gav Thorpe's writing style, but this book was just OK.I would not add Deliverance Lost to the top of my reading list even for the die hard BL fan base.in service,Rich

We cannot help rooting for Corax and his men, though we fear their heroic efforts may be doomed. And the primarchs and legionaries of Alpha Legion are fascinating antagonists - surprising, mysterious, and even at times sympathetic.

awesome book.. pretty sad history but its ok

I wouldn’t recommend this book, maybe skip this one if your reading your way thru the series. The only book I e come across (so far) in series that was not a page turner. :(

It has been a long, long time since the HH series have moved along: they have seemed "stuck" at Isstvan, with numerous books telling us what was happening elsewhere at the same time, and a few telling us about a few things about what happened immediately after. This one, however, seems to get things moving a bit as we learn about Corax, nineteenth Primarch of the Raven Guard, and his efforts to warn the Emperor about what has happened and reconstitute his badly depleted Legion (after Isstvan, of course).As other reviewers have mentioned, this one is one of the good ones in the series. It is also full of information on four additional topics:- one is the background an,d history of the Raven Guard and the reason for their speciality: guerilla warfare, hit-and-run tactics and sudden attacks more generally- another is the defense of Terra, the fortification of the Imperial Palace and the role of the Imperial Fists and Rogal Dorn- a third is that we learn more about both the Emperor and his creations - the Primarchs, although more is to come in the future- the last is about the attempts of Corax to fight back after the traitor Legions and the struggle that Corax has to put up when his own system is attacked from within. The Alpha Legion's infiltration was great, but I will say no more about it so as to avoid spoilers.There is however one thing that I found odd or even confusing. The title of the book seems to suggest that Deliverance (the name of a planet) is lost. In fact, it isn't when the book end, although the title's meaning may have to be taken figuratively perhaps?

I'd like to thank Gav Thorpe for yet again delivering one of the most entertaining and unusual stories published by the Black Library so far. Thorpe's Last Chancers trilogy has always been among my favourites because they introduce such likeable characters; considering their horrible natures and desperate situation, this is a big compliment to Thorpe's writing, and to his understanding of his fellow man.There are no long-winded descriptions here. Unlike Graham McNeill, Gav Thorpe can have a shuttle landing without spending EIGHT PAGES describing its journey. In fact Thorpe once again ditches wordy prose in favour of action and blunt, entertaining dialogue. This isn't to say this book is one long battle. Far from it, there isn't that much fighting here, the enemies are time, and those unseen forces who loom over the Raven Guard even though they never actually appear in the book. "Action" is probably not a good word as "direction". Thorpe is taking this story towards a conclusion and doesn't often stop to mess around.The story's direction springs from the needs, requirements and decisions of the Raven Guard characters; mainly Primarch Corus, although his commanders get a chance to shine as well. Fortunately there are no whining, attention-grabbing remembrancers here, they're all dead, along with SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND Raven Guard. When the story opens, only a few thousand traumatised and battle-weary Ravens are left to quit the field. They're rescued thanks to the psychic vision of an Imperial Guard commander who, frankly, brings nothing to this story, and whose every scene could have been cut. (Why do we care about how his servant relishes his status as some kind of high-faluting errand boy? What's that got to do with Horus heading for Earth and the Raven Guard all being dead?)I like Corus. While it's true he lacks some of the depth of Lorgar for example, Corus does not display the tortured anguish every other Primarch has so far - which is actually a breath of fresh air. He's practically destroyed inside by the death of his entire Legion, but he is a hero. He (usually) listens to the counsel of his subordinates and has plenty of time for the "mortals" who serve with his Legion, counting some of them as very close personal friends.Corus, nicknamed "Corax" which means "saviour", was found on a prison planet where he was adopted by the prisoners and raised not in hatred and fear, but in understanding that his people are being oppressed and he is the only man who can actually do something about it. He's taught about morality and friendship BY THE PRISONERS, he discovers innate abilities that make him a devastating killer, yet he is not a brutal or callous murderer and he uses his brains and his fledgling sense of morality to decide what to do. He's not shy of taking action, be it nuking the enemy cities or fighting hand-to-hand with TWO rebel Primarchs at the same time, but he is a good man who lives up to the nickname his fellow prisoners gave him, and destroys only the enemies of mankind and those who would harm the people he loves. So those who claim he is two dimensional are basically missing the point. Men like Corus are the men who held the Imperium together during the Heresy.The cast of Raven Guard are extremely likeable for the most part with funny, robust dialogue which separates them from the warrior-monks of 40K. Little touches, like the Imperial Fists being drawn up in rigid formation while the Ravens stand before them in a loose mob, distinguish the Legion's character from most of the others. The Raven Guard simply do not stand on ceremony, and they are allowed a fair degree of lateral thinking, which causes Corus some headaches towards the end but introduces tension and drama that simply couldn't happen with any other Legion.The dialogue is far better written than in McNeill's (apparently) more popular books, and while Thorpe simply does not have the verbal artistry of Dembski-Bowden (sp?) or James Swallow, he writes good, solid, entertaining stories that are damn well worth your time. Alpharius and Omegon are unfortunately pale shadows of the sinister and frightening creatures from Dan Abnett's "Legion", Alpharius in particular coming across as weak and rather pathetic, not the master of galactic destiny he actually is. However the Alpha Legion infiltrators who pose as Raven Guard bring a far more interesting level of intrigue. They don't know what their mission is and they don't even recognise each other, and at least one of them becomes more sympathetic to the Ravens as he shares death and fear with them.The plot involves Corvus' attempts to rebuild his annihilated Legion and becomes deeply enmeshed in some of the most primordial 40K mythos. The Ravens spend quite a while on Earth unravelling the Emperor's most formidable creation, the Labyrinth, but fortunately Hedgewart/Hogwart/Hoggle is standing outside having a p*ss... only kidding, it's not THAT Labyrinth, it's a damn sight tougher to get through alive. As usual this is a Heresy story that balances on a knife edge between hope and tragedy and while you suspect what's going to happen, you are never quite sure.The introduction of the mark 6 "beaky" power armour is handled well. It's known as the Corvus suit and the beaked helmet is an Imperial in-joke that the Primarch appreciates, even if his men don't. Oh, and Corvus' only surviving ship is called the Avenger... about time we had a Heresy-era ship with an awesome name!So yeah, I absolutely LOVED this despite its flaws. Reading this and Fulgrim back to back really shows the Thorpe's direct, minimalist style compared to the struggling, amateurish way McNeill writes. While Fulgrim is absolutely amazing and so much better-written than his other works it makes me suspicious, it would have been better if a skilled author had attempted it... but better Graham McNeill than Ben Counter.There's lots going on, I loved the dialogue, it's just a good solid book without Remembrancers and it's infinitely more relevant than the TWO Dark Angels books (come on, where are the World Eaters and Blood Angels?).Note: My apologies to McNeill fanboys, but come on, eight pages to describe a shuttle journey... :\

Im taking a guess that the only reason this book exists is that someone at black library woke up and thought "whats the worse Gav Thorpe can do the best selling horus heresy and does it matter since folks will buy it regardless of quality".Well folks this is the result.To sum the book up Corax and his legion escape the Isstvan dropsite massacre with massive losses. We really only spend a chapter on this mainly because Gav cant write massive battles and hes already covered it in a series of terrible audio dramas.Corax decides the rebuild his legion and his father the emperor of mankind agrees to give him the tools as long as they can solve his wacky dungeon crawl. What we get is a third of the book wasted to space marine fighting in a bad D&D dungeon in a seek and find quest.It gets better but not by much, the alpha legion have sinister plans to steal the Secrets the Raven Guard hold. Corax shares storys with us of his past and background as a rebel leader which is likely the books highlight.And thats it really. Nothing of great important, the books final battle just feels like Gav wrote a show case in which the Ravens win because the story says so...and its a perfect win because Gav so wants the Ravens to be awesome.There not a single likeable character on offer, besides Corax every character exists simply to say a couple of lines, get shot, die pointlessly or point out obivous plot points, they may as well call them Angry marine, Captain Emo and Sgt Plot point because not a one of them had anything to make them into the next Loken, Garro or Tarvitz.To sum up avoid if possible because there not a thing that will draw you back to re-read this snorefest again.