Fear To Tread

[Leksington]

Black Library Trailer for Fear to Tread:

http://youtu.be/SdadH2_aur0

[WarSpirit]

You sir are a lucky man to have been able to read that book, can't wait to read it !

[bazleuk]

just finished the book and its been worth the wait ever since i picked up 2nd edition and decided the sons of Baal were the army for me , i hope they do it in audio.

[Brother Captain Kezef]

Anyone else catch the Nephilim reference? In biblical terms the Nephilim where the offspring of angels and humans, creatures of great power and evil. Some debate on whether they where the spawn of loyal angels or of fallen but it's a nice angelic reference to tie it all together.

[b1soul]

Aargh just be released already!

[Zynk Kaladin]

Aargh just be released already!

 

I know, right? I haven't been so excited over a book before. :rolleyes:

[interkino]

Hey folks. Today i finished reading Fear To Tread, our very own shiny Horus Heresy novel.

 

Most of you know that it's written by James Swallow and for a lot of you that isn't necessarily the greatest endorsement as his 40k Blood Angels series is far from his best work.

I'll Start off by nipping this in the bud right away- Forget about the Blood Angels series. Remember when you read Flight of the Eisenstein and thought it was awesome? This is the James Swallow we're talking about here. It's a fantastic book.

 

I'm going to delve into some of the details so from this point on, we are going to be entering spoiler country, so for the love of god if you dont want details of the book ruining for you then stop here.

 

SPOILERS

 

 

 

I believe that this was already revealed in an extract in Hammer and Bolter but ill chuck it on here anyway: The Red thirst exists in the time of the crusade, though in extremely limited numbers (Sanguinius mentions it affecting maybe a hundred brothers over a similar space of time.)

 

The book opens with a section detailing the Luna Wolves and Blood Angels in battle against an alien race called the Nephilim. In the wake of the battle, Captain Raldoron informs Sanguinius that a brother has become "lost". Sangy follows and finds a Blood Angel crouched in the ruins of a chapel, sipping blood from a cupped hand. The Primarch tries to reason with him but the Bloodie is too far gone and attacks Sanguinius who has no choice but to kill him by breaking his neck.

In the aftermath, it turns out Horus had followed his brother and witnessed the whole thing, Sangunius admits that there is a flaw hidden in his Legion's geneseed. When Horus asks why he never told the Emperor, Sanguinius alludes to the lost legions, suggesting the Blood Angels would be put down, so to speak.

 

This revelation is used in the main meat of the book, Horus sending the legion to the Signus Cluster, first under the pretense that the Nephilim have emerged, but also informing Sanguinius that the xenos have some technology that could provide a cure.

 

Obviously this is all part of Horus' plan to ensnare the Blood Angels. Interestingly, there is a difference of interests amongst the chaos forces. It seems the Powers that be (represented by Kyriss the keeper of secrets and Kabandha, Ol Big axe himself), want to corrupt the Legion and Sanguinius, using the flaw to lure them onto the path of Khornate worship. Horus on the other hand refuses to even try to influence his brother, demanding that he be killed and offering his skull up to Kabandha. Kyriss senses that Horus is afraid that Sanguinius under the sway of chaos would rise to be a greater star than him and therefore he would rather corrupt Sangunius' legion and break the Angel's heart.

 

Sanguinius is handled brilliantly as a character, exuding the right mix of nobility and humanity that you would expect, but also counter balanced by his more fearsome war aspect. There is a scene following Ullanor where Horus retires to his quarters, his mind filled with doubts about taking on the mantle of Warmaster. Sanguinius turns up and with a few easy words, lifts the weight from his brothers shoulders. It was nice to see that sort of interaction, just to emphasise the fact that Sangunius was the one primarch that made an effort to connect with his brothers on each of their own levels.

 

The Action in the Signus cluster is well handled, with planets turning erratically on their axis and then collapsing in on themselves, millions of corpses arranged into a space borne eight pointed star. There's a simple sequence where a veil falls across the sector, blotting out the stars. It's relatively small in the scheme of the book, but Jim Swallow turns into a very haunting moment.

 

The Red Angel! Early on in the book, we see Erebus coerce Fabius bile into relinquishing one of the legionnaire corpses he has in storage. It seems Fabius has been acquiring bodies from all sides, using them to further his experiments. Erebus promises not to tell Horus if he is allowed to take one of the Blood Angel ones.

This turns out to be Captain Tagas of the 11th Company who died on Murder (Metal spider xenos from Horus Rising anyone?) Tagas' Soul/warp essence/insert metaphysical term here is then used to empower a vast amount of warp energy that is shackled upon Signus Prime. This energy is harnessed by Kabandha and channeled into a monstrous blow that slays five hundred Blood Angels at once. The psychic backlash overwhelms Sanguinius and the energy exacerbates the flaw within the blood angels geneseed.

 

We are led to believe Tagas to be the Red Angel throughout, however it turns out that it is in fact a legion Apothecary by the name of Meros. With the red thirst raging unchecked, Sanguinius is faced with a choice- Take the corrupting rage energy unto himself, becoming damned, or watch as his legion degenerates into savages. Meros kinda Alexanders the whole knot and sacrifices himself up, becoming the Red Angel.

 

Hmmm what else.... Raldoron is of typical "Hardcore first captain" template. He was passable to me but he comes across as just another Ventanus.

 

Azkaellon is an absolute starch arse. Not in a detrimental way however, it's a very deliberate choice. His manner is borne out of being solely responsible for the well being of a demi god.

 

Amit....oh Amit. If you like Flesh Tearers, you'll love Amit. He's known as the Flesh Tearer within the legion and his company all carry flaying knives. He's fantastically blunt and Sanguinius confides in him that he considers Raldoron and Amit to be his closest sons, particularly Amit because his forthright manner keeps him honest. When things turn south at Signus, He is first to voice the idea that Horus has betrayed them, earning an almighty clout from Sanguinius but standing his ground never the less. I liked him a lot.

 

The Bloodies are joined by a small space wolves contingent. It seems they were dispatched to keep an eye on the Legion following the cleansing of prospero, just in case they go a bit wiggy too. I'm afraid they don't meet a good end, being mauled by Amit and co whilst in the grip of the red thirst.

 

 

 

 

I've not covered everything, if there are questions you want asking then feel free to fire away, just please keep them spoiler tagged to avoid ruining things for others.

 

Hi Dear kraine, I ask some clarification about your detailed summary.

I'm a fan of PH-BA (if you see my signature, you'll understand what I mean :eek ) for this reason I'd like to know...

 

1) The Bloodies, are the BA who affected by Red thirst? their armour painted with black tint? the ancestor of MIB?

 

2) What kind of enemies the BA met on their passage? daemons? other SM? (the rumors on word bearers it's true?)

 

3) Any characterization about Raldoron and Amit? I want to realize both Amit that the "Hardcore first captain".... :P

 

Thank you very much for your help ;) ;) ;)

[SamaNagol]

Ive had enough, I just bought it off ebay for triple cover price lmao

[Pavement Artist]

Hey folks. Today i finished reading Fear To Tread, our very own shiny Horus Heresy novel.

 

Most of you know that it's written by James Swallow and for a lot of you that isn't necessarily the greatest endorsement as his 40k Blood Angels series is far from his best work.

I'll Start off by nipping this in the bud right away- Forget about the Blood Angels series. Remember when you read Flight of the Eisenstein and thought it was awesome? This is the James Swallow we're talking about here. It's a fantastic book.

 

I'm going to delve into some of the details so from this point on, we are going to be entering spoiler country, so for the love of god if you dont want details of the book ruining for you then stop here.

 

SPOILERS

 

 

 

I believe that this was already revealed in an extract in Hammer and Bolter but ill chuck it on here anyway: The Red thirst exists in the time of the crusade, though in extremely limited numbers (Sanguinius mentions it affecting maybe a hundred brothers over a similar space of time.)

 

The book opens with a section detailing the Luna Wolves and Blood Angels in battle against an alien race called the Nephilim. In the wake of the battle, Captain Raldoron informs Sanguinius that a brother has become "lost". Sangy follows and finds a Blood Angel crouched in the ruins of a chapel, sipping blood from a cupped hand. The Primarch tries to reason with him but the Bloodie is too far gone and attacks Sanguinius who has no choice but to kill him by breaking his neck.

In the aftermath, it turns out Horus had followed his brother and witnessed the whole thing, Sangunius admits that there is a flaw hidden in his Legion's geneseed. When Horus asks why he never told the Emperor, Sanguinius alludes to the lost legions, suggesting the Blood Angels would be put down, so to speak.

 

This revelation is used in the main meat of the book, Horus sending the legion to the Signus Cluster, first under the pretense that the Nephilim have emerged, but also informing Sanguinius that the xenos have some technology that could provide a cure.

 

Obviously this is all part of Horus' plan to ensnare the Blood Angels. Interestingly, there is a difference of interests amongst the chaos forces. It seems the Powers that be (represented by Kyriss the keeper of secrets and Kabandha, Ol Big axe himself), want to corrupt the Legion and Sanguinius, using the flaw to lure them onto the path of Khornate worship. Horus on the other hand refuses to even try to influence his brother, demanding that he be killed and offering his skull up to Kabandha. Kyriss senses that Horus is afraid that Sanguinius under the sway of chaos would rise to be a greater star than him and therefore he would rather corrupt Sangunius' legion and break the Angel's heart.

 

Sanguinius is handled brilliantly as a character, exuding the right mix of nobility and humanity that you would expect, but also counter balanced by his more fearsome war aspect. There is a scene following Ullanor where Horus retires to his quarters, his mind filled with doubts about taking on the mantle of Warmaster. Sanguinius turns up and with a few easy words, lifts the weight from his brothers shoulders. It was nice to see that sort of interaction, just to emphasise the fact that Sangunius was the one primarch that made an effort to connect with his brothers on each of their own levels.

 

The Action in the Signus cluster is well handled, with planets turning erratically on their axis and then collapsing in on themselves, millions of corpses arranged into a space borne eight pointed star. There's a simple sequence where a veil falls across the sector, blotting out the stars. It's relatively small in the scheme of the book, but Jim Swallow turns into a very haunting moment.

 

The Red Angel! Early on in the book, we see Erebus coerce Fabius bile into relinquishing one of the legionnaire corpses he has in storage. It seems Fabius has been acquiring bodies from all sides, using them to further his experiments. Erebus promises not to tell Horus if he is allowed to take one of the Blood Angel ones.

This turns out to be Captain Tagas of the 11th Company who died on Murder (Metal spider xenos from Horus Rising anyone?) Tagas' Soul/warp essence/insert metaphysical term here is then used to empower a vast amount of warp energy that is shackled upon Signus Prime. This energy is harnessed by Kabandha and channeled into a monstrous blow that slays five hundred Blood Angels at once. The psychic backlash overwhelms Sanguinius and the energy exacerbates the flaw within the blood angels geneseed.

 

We are led to believe Tagas to be the Red Angel throughout, however it turns out that it is in fact a legion Apothecary by the name of Meros. With the red thirst raging unchecked, Sanguinius is faced with a choice- Take the corrupting rage energy unto himself, becoming damned, or watch as his legion degenerates into savages. Meros kinda Alexanders the whole knot and sacrifices himself up, becoming the Red Angel.

 

Hmmm what else.... Raldoron is of typical "Hardcore first captain" template. He was passable to me but he comes across as just another Ventanus.

 

Azkaellon is an absolute starch arse. Not in a detrimental way however, it's a very deliberate choice. His manner is borne out of being solely responsible for the well being of a demi god.

 

Amit....oh Amit. If you like Flesh Tearers, you'll love Amit. He's known as the Flesh Tearer within the legion and his company all carry flaying knives. He's fantastically blunt and Sanguinius confides in him that he considers Raldoron and Amit to be his closest sons, particularly Amit because his forthright manner keeps him honest. When things turn south at Signus, He is first to voice the idea that Horus has betrayed them, earning an almighty clout from Sanguinius but standing his ground never the less. I liked him a lot.

 

The Bloodies are joined by a small space wolves contingent. It seems they were dispatched to keep an eye on the Legion following the cleansing of prospero, just in case they go a bit wiggy too. I'm afraid they don't meet a good end, being mauled by Amit and co whilst in the grip of the red thirst.

 

 

 

 

I've not covered everything, if there are questions you want asking then feel free to fire away, just please keep them spoiler tagged to avoid ruining things for others.

 

Hi Dear kraine, I ask some clarification about your detailed summary.

I'm a fan of PH-BA (if you see my signature, you'll understand what I mean ;) ) for this reason I'd like to know...

 

1) The Bloodies, are the BA who affected by Red thirst? their armour painted with black tint? the ancestor of MIB?

 

2) What kind of enemies the BA met on their passage? daemons? other SM? (the rumors on word bearers it's true?)

 

3) Any characterization about Raldoron and Amit? I want to realize both Amit that the "Hardcore first captain".... ;)

 

Thank you very much for your help ;) ;) ;)

 

Not at all mate, hope i can clear things up.

 

1.) Sorry dude wasn't sure what you meant by this. I used "Bloodie" as a stupid little abbreviation for blood angel, not in reference to the red thirst afflicted. Interestingly, when they put down the red thirst marine, Raldoron blackens his armour markings with Baal Inkstone, in a fairly obvious nod to the death company.

 

2.) There is a small contingent of Word bearers, though they are mainly there to facilitate events on Signus. It's the first time daemons have manifested in force in the series, so it really is their show. (Watch out for the Blood angels versus a possessed city!)

 

3.) Raldoron is very similar to Ventanus of the Ultramarines in that he falls into that maverick/ unconventional captain mould. He clashes nicely with Azkaellon, Captain of the Sanguinary guard, who is quite possibly the most dour and ramrod straight marine outside of the Death guard.

 

Amit is as coarse and brutal as you'd expect from the chap who founded the flesh tearers. He is a bit of an anomaly in an otherwise quite genteel and cultured legion. He is a great character however and Sanguinius states he favours Amit as a close adviser simply because he always tells the truth, even to his detriment. (It's he who suggests Horus has betrayed them, and stands by it even when sanguinius smacks him about a bit)

 

 

 

Not at all mate :D

[SamaNagol]

Finished reading it.

 

This is one of the most cinematic and exciting books out of the Heresy series yet. So many easter eggs in there too. And the twists are awesome!

 

HIGHLY recommended! I will forgive James Swallow any number of 'Red Fury's for this

[Emperor's Scourge]

Bought it at Games Day. Had Swallow sign it for me. Still have about 200 pages left to read. Unless it :cusss the bed suddenly it's easily one of my favorites of the HH so far.

 

Wolves get done wrong though. We were just following orders!

[Lord_Caerolion]

I love the fact that the Emperor/Malcador is worried about the Blood Angels aswell, is there any legion they're not suspicious of? and having some Blood Angels off a load of Wolves is exactly the kind of dark secret I love in my 30k/40k. Although it would have made more sense to have Custodians there instead of Wolves, I'm still not a big fan of this whole Spaces Wolves as the Emperor's executioner's angle.

 

 

That little review has made me look forwards to this much more, can't wait for it...then the long wait for Betrayer begins.

 

 

Apparently it was only Malcador who was worried, not the Emperor, according to an email from Swallow, hence the Wolves being sent, not the Custodes. After all, as fitting as it would be to send the Custodes, the Wolves were already spread across the galaxy, and Malcador has no authority to get the Custodes to do anything, essentially while going behind the Emperor's back. Plus, apparently Malcador sees the Wolves as ultimately expendable. The whole response is up on the Horus Heresy section, under the Primarch Roles thread.

 

[Pavement Artist]

Bought it at Games Day. Had Swallow sign it for me. Still have about 200 pages left to read. Unless it :cusss the bed suddenly it's easily one of my favorites of the HH so far.

 

Wolves get done wrong though. We were just following orders!

 

 

Apparently Vampire> Werewolf

[Zynk Kaladin]

Finished reading it.

 

This is one of the most cinematic and exciting books out of the Heresy series yet. So many easter eggs in there too. And the twists are awesome!

 

HIGHLY recommended! I will forgive James Swallow any number of 'Red Fury's for this

 

You aren't making waiting very easy... :devil:

[SamaNagol]

 

Having the Wolves there was clearly explained as Malcador having small contingents of Wolves watching EVERY still loyal Legion.... just in case. Whereas the Emperor sanctioned the Wolves to go to Prospero hence the Custodes and Sisters.

 

Having Amit's company take out the squad of Wolves was dealt with really well. It was entirely understandable due to the blood lust fuelled by the warp device, and it is a nice throw forward to the Flesh Tearer/Space Wolf conflict listed in the codex. It sets the path for Amit leading his newly formed chapter on somewhat of a penitent crusade in all but name taking the Victus into the middle of nowhere due to his own personal burden of guilt.

 

I really liked the book, not only as a Flesh Tearers enthusiast but just as a piece of cool pulp sci fi. And it is one of the GREAT HH series books! Congrats James Swallow for doing it right!

 

[Augustus]

Best HH novel so far. Easy. And I usually stay away from BA novels.

 

At long last a book about the Angels is done expertly.

I weep for my Dark Angels. Lol

[Blood Angel Scout]

Got the ebook today, finished it tonight...superb

[Sabadin]

Noticed Swallow couldn't help throwing in subtle references to Rafen using Meros' encounter in the Bloodlines short lol. Also interested in seeing how they'll handle the Librarians breaking the Edict of Nikea before it was officially retracted, or if their story will be the catalyst to restoring the Librarian program. And it finally answers the question of whether or not Sanguinius went to the final battle on The Vengeful Spirit knowing full well he was going to die to Horus.

[Blindhamster]

having finished the audio book (and looking forward to reading the hard copy later this month)

 

I can honestly say that was one of my favourite Horus Heresy Novels to date, In fairness to Swallow, the other BA books DID get better each time, but here... he really nailed it, his portrayal of Sanguinius and his Angels was spot on IMO, some excellent forshadowing, and some nice plot twists, you can see how it all fits together with all the rest that's going on too.

 

The characters were all nicely portrayed, some cool nods to other characters as well which really helped pace things.

 

 

Anyone notice that he portrayed Sanguinius as using a spear during the visions of the future? Interesting little nod there.

 

As for the Librarians, in fairness, the Dark Angels also break the edict (Primarchs - Dark Angel short is focused heavily on that) The Space Wolves apparently just ignore it outright (WHY does the big E accept this I wonder..)

 

I actually found myself feeling sorry for the wolves, but genuinely found Steels reaction to Meros a bit odd, why the hateful spit? I assumed it was meant to be clear they Angels were under ill effects and not in control?

 

I do have a theory... bear with me... What if Meros (the Red Angel) will eventually become... the Sanguinor?? I pondered the way he is, part of Meros is apparently still there, Sanguinius vows to help him essentially, and the blurb for the Sanguinor basically implies he may be a daemon of some kind anyway. IMO it's more likely than it being Azkellion (whom was interesting if a little dour)

 

 

[Julius Firefocht]

Bought the book yesterday and finished it in two sittings.

 

This is arguably James Swallow's best Horus Heresy book, and it does clear the crime of writing the travesty that is the 40K Blood Angels series. It's all there, everything that you would have expected and liked about our great Legion is beautifully portrayed within the book. The classic imagery of noble Angels fighting against evil Daemons is constantly evoked, lending a mythical feel to the entire Signus Prime conflict.

 

I admit I had some trepidation when I first picked up the book, thanks to the author's previous run-ins with the Blood Angels. But once the story started, the pages simply started flowing without pause. ADB said elsewhere on these forums before, that it would be a good story. And he was right.

 

I have this nagging feeling that if James Swallow was allowed to rewrite the 40K Blood Angels series and incorporate the latest fluff changes (Sanguinary Guard, clarified origins of Black Rage/Red Thirst), he would have done a much better job than the current novels.

 

In conclusion, if you are a Blood Angel fan, you practically owe it to yourself to buy the book. If you are just a fan of the Horus Heresy series, then get it, if only because this is simply one of the best and most iconic novels of the entire series so far.