shield of lies out

[hummus]

The new garro is out now.

Any reviews?

[Inquisitor Kravin]

I bought it at the Weekender about a month ago.

I'm a massive fan of Garro and so am biased but I have to say I found this one by far the weakest of the lot. The whole thing really hinges on a single massive plot twist but unfortunately I think Jim Swallow has slightly misjudged the level of foreshadowing. A good plot twist should not give the reader/listener the reaction, "What the ...?! Where did that come from?!" it should be a moment when the penny drops and you go, "Of course! I should have seen that coming." Unfortunately in this case it's a two disc story and less than half way through the first disc I'd already solved the mystery and very accurately deduced the course of the rest of the story arc.

 

This made the rest of the story a tedious trudge towards the moment when our protagonists figured out what was going on. To be fair, the protagonists are not written as being stupid, it's just that I the listener possess knowledge they cannot. If there is a redeeming feature it is that Garro's reaction to the plot twist leads to one of his best scenes yet (and this is a guy who defied Rogal Dorn so we already know he has guts).

[Perrin]

Could you spoil the story for us please kind brother

[Inquisitor Kravin]

Since you asked, but don't say you weren't warned.

Scribe Tallory is on the run from imperial authorities aboard the Terran orbital plate Riga. Nathanial Garro captures her with the intent of executing her as an agent of the Warmaster. When she faces her death with a prayer to the Emperor he stays his hand. She tells him how she uncovered a plot. Someone is siphoning off resources, damaged starships, battered regiments reported destroyed - they are building an army in secret.

Who could the mysterious hooded figure with the hooked nose who has access to the highest levels of Imperial bureaucracy be?

Garro and Tallory stow away aboard one of the ships destined for the mysterious secret destination. They are taken to a planetoid with a dense orange atmosphere and evidence of surface liquid. There they find that a giant fortress monastery is being constructed over a deep pit, all within striking distance of Terra. Garro concludes someone is planning to build a new legion of the astartes.

Sneaking into the fortress they eventually reach the command centre at the top.

SHOCK TWIST: The mastermind is Malcador the Sigilite and they are on Titan. He is secretly preparing an army that will be necessary for the survival of the Imperium after the Heresy.

 

[b1soul]

 

Who could the mysterious hooded figure with the hooked nose who has access to the highest levels of Imperial bureaucracy be?

 

 

Oh wow...that's a tough one. Saruman?

[Kriegsmacht]

Guess i'll be purchasing this one. Out of everything that has come out for the HH series this is probably my favorite line.

 

 

 So looks like this reveal is the beginning of the Grey Knights. I don't have the information nearby(index astartes book) but were the grey knights created after the Heresy ended? Could it be possible to see some sort of Proto-Grey Knights during the war? 

 

[Perrin]

They were started before the end of the Heresy.

 

Before the traitors got to the Sol System, Malcador used some super warp magic to send Titan (already staffed with resources, geneseed, recruits and the original Grandmasters) into the warp. This meant that they could spend decades building the Chapter, while in the real universe only a couple of years past. Titan then emerged from the Warp a year or so into the Scouring.

 

Thanks for that Inquisitor Kravin, you were right about the obvious twist.