The End and the Death: Volume I: The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra, Book 8

Husband has been an avid follower of the series. He enjoyed this latest addition.

This book is long, really long, so long that Abnett had to split it in order to release in 2? volumesNow the issue is that not all that is written here is good, seriously if you see the chapter's title is "Fragments" skip it, you're not missing much. But what's good is REALLY GOOD, it sets up the final confrontation while also doing its best to pave the way for the send-off of most of the main characters and their respective plots, some interesting developments and revelations and even bittersweet moments for characters that are not gonna make it.I'm eagerly waiting the conclusion.

We've known the story of the final confrontation of the Emperor and Horus for decades. But always it has been described in relatively dry terms and at a very high level - like a history text.The Games Workshop authors have been toiling for years now telling the story of the Heresy from every angle and in great detail. In doing so they have introduced us to many many new characters readers have come to care about through those many novels and short stories. They have given the Heresy the grandeur missing from all the prior descriptions of the conflict.But it has all, and always, been to lead us inexorably to this point. The final battle. A battle whose end we already know, and which will give birth to the entire larger 40k universe we have been reading about and playing in for almost 40 years.I would not want to have to write this story. To try to do justice to the enormous wind-up that got us here. So did Abnett pull it off?Yup. At least through the first half.The structure of the book takes us essentially from the sealing of Eternity Gate by Sanguinius to the boarding of the Vengeful Spirit and the initial encounters there. It is told in vignettes that alternate between main characters moving the timeline of the book forward, and vignettes documenting - very up close and personal - scenes from the conflict raging in and around the palace. I think this structure does a good job conveying the scale of the conflict as it winds to its final conclusion. It keeps us from forgetting that while the main fight is going to be between the Emperor and Horus, millions of others are fighting and dying at the same time.Is it long? Yes. But did you want it to be short? Could this have been told in a shorter format? Sure, but that's already been done. And if the "fluff" (as some describe it) had been left out, I think the book would have failed to convey the scale of it all. This is the pivotal moment in the entire 40k universe. I think it's appropriate to take the time to do service to that. And to do service to all the "minor" characters that have fought through however many thousands of pages of novels to get to this point. I think they earned it.And I think Abnett was absolutely the right author to tell this final story of the Heresy. GW has lots of great authors writing lots of great novels and short stories for it. But the guy who gave us Eisenhorn, Ravenor and Gaunt's Ghosts has to occupy a special place.

Lettura interessante e appassionante

An amazing book from the best author of the last 20 years.