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Grammaticus was a character I grew to love, fear, hate, love, and feel sorry for. I started off with ravenor rogue and then eisenhorns trilogy (backwards I know) as my intro to warhammer. Great story. The book tells a great tale of the "fall" (). i followed up with the horus heresy novels and have enjoyed all of abnetts work. Legion was cool and the Alpha legion is pretty amazing. of one of the legions to the horus heresy and why but leaves you guessing what they really chose given the prophecy as well as what ended up happening later on. I am off to begin the the founding (gaunts ghosts)by abnett and can't wait.
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. Rather, they twist, manipulate, and discover secrets within the universe in order to gain mastery of their surroundings.
But that's what's truly great about it.Dan Abnett writes about the Alpha Legion PERFECTLY. 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.
More than mere soldiers, they act more like spies and throughout the whole novel you rarely see them fight. 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. 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.
5 stars, easily.
I love the concept of this series, showing events taking place simultaneously across the entire galaxy--a monumental task indeed. A great look into the inner workings of Alpha legion, the way they operate, the way the think, and how they react to obstacles. Most everyone knows the short version of the Horus Heresy story, but this series is to tell the entire story and give diehard fans what they have been begging for, the BIG PICTURE.Additionally this series can be for newcomers to the 40K universe that want to learn the who,what,where,how and why things happened the way they happened. The plot keeps you guessing and really hooked me with it's "spy/espionage" encounters. I finished this book understanding Alpha Legion much more then from the short stories and fluff I've read over the years.The Horus Heresy Series is the "fleshing out" of many,many years of fluff from the GW WH40k Universe. It is not meant to be an "instant gratification" story to be read in one book. I want to know every detail about this war and finally GW is delivering.
-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. 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. Internal intrigue, espionage, and alien conspiracy intertwine in this 7th book of the Heresy series. 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. 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. 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.
This book sucks you right in, and is hard to put down. What an amazing book. I just finished it last night. The plot twists are so well done, and you never see them coming. Not only that, but some of the secrets revealed change the Warhammer 40,000 universe forever.
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