Era of Ruin

[Roomsky]

Angels of Another Age was perfectly fine. YMMV on how much you enjoy French's Blood Angels.

 

Fulgurite was boring. I like Narek as a spanner in the works; he really doesn't work as well as the sole protagonist. Ending is Kyme copying Abnett's copying ADB's homework.

 

Fragments was surprisingly mid, and I usually eat up whatever Abnett puts out. I wanted this to be like that Gaunt's Ghosts short that functioned as the denouement to Anarch, but instead its just a servicable Silent Sisters story.

 

Ex Libris is fine also, but ultimately just another Ahriman short.

 

System Purge is dull and I skimmed it.

 

At this point I was fairly disappointed. The stories were fine, but this isn't the Siege epilogue I had hoped for. Then GUY HALEY of all people comes in with the steel chair and heralds the best stories in the anthology.

 

After the Dawn, the Darkness is Haley at his best, focussing on baseline humans instead of demigods. He renders a believable Terra post-disaster, and gives some actual closure to Katsuhiro, thank god. Why is the payoff to the baby in an anthology, though?

 

Homebound is the best story here, exactly the depressed introspection I want in the wake of the Siege. It's beautifully written and a genuinely emotional capper to Wraight's White Scars. I'd argue this short is better than Warhawk, entire.

 

Carrion Lord of the Imperium isn't anything new for ADB, which is fine, because ADB is great. It gives a better understanding for why Dio is such a :cuss:, and the depressed ire with space marines and primarchs is frankly well-deserved. More importantly, it firmly canonizes shirtless mourning custodes, which is a great service.

 

It's not really the anthology I wanted until though last 3 stories. Those last 3 though, mmf, delish.

 

Edited June 24 by Roomsky

[Marshal Rohr]

I did not enjoy the Narek story, mostly because the entire premise was a little silly and underdeveloped along its whole arc. You’re gonna use a special rock to kill someone we know isn’t dead? Yeah, that was never going anywhere. 

[templargdt]

Still listening to the book on my work drive, and got to Katsuhiros story today.  I was 50/50 it was going to end badly, but I was genuinely smiling at the end.  Best thing I've "read" in a very long time. 

 

I'm a big ADB fan since helsreach, and I listened to carrion lord first.  The moment with the boy and the cloak was excellent.  I enjoyed this story too. I wasn't tracking ADB stopped writing, is that accurate?

 

Anyway, I'd really like more on the immediate aftermath of the siege, like how the chaos retreat went, Gullimans arrival, plans for repair of terra, etc.

[Urauloth]

4 hours ago, templargdt said:

The moment with the boy and the cloak was excellent.

 

Reading Carrion Lord made me want to revisit Master of Mankind, and I'm struck by what a great companion piece this scene is to Diocletian and Zephon meeting the refugees in that novel. 

 

Anyway, I finished it, and damn: I liked the first half, but the second half is magnificent. Brilliant work from Guy Haley, and the capstone to Ilya's story is worth the price of the book alone. It does make me think, though, that Era of Ruin isn't a supplementary anthology in any way, it's actually the real last book of the Siege - the series is incomplete without this material.

[Tolmeus]

7 hours ago, templargdt said:

Gullimans arrival, plans for repair of terra, etc

I would have liked to see the reactions of the different loyalist Primarchs, but especially Guilliman on arriving, how Dorn deals with the Emperor enthroned and both their first conversation after the Siege.
But I agree, this is a fitting end for the series and Carrion Lord even traversed to the state of time way after the Siege. I loved it that Dio expresses his disgust at the Primarchs and how he encounters the Imperium becoming the nightmore of religious belief his king hoped to exterminate.
Altough I once again say 
 

Spoiler

F Erebus, really hate this character (which makes him a great character I guess ^^)

 

[wecanhaveallthree]

I'm kind of dumbfounded people appreciate the cloak scene. Yes, I'm fond of saying de gustibus ad infinitum, but...

 

Nobody else got I SAW THE THING AND I CLAPPED energy from that? The inevitable, indeed inescapable result of giving up his cloak is that the boy is going to be immediately killed for it but Dio is like 'not my problem lmao'. The guy spends the whole story being like 'damn I sure hate the Imperial Faith and the veneration of the Emperor! I sure am mad about religion!' but when some kid is like 'are you the object of my worship' he just tousles the kid's hair like, go on ya little scamp, enjoy living the rest of your very short life in misery and fear. Dio knows his cloak is, in less than a day, going to end up on some ritual altar somewhere. He just doesn't care though because, actually, he doesn't know that, the scene isn't concerned with even being internally consistent. It's just A Cool Scene.

 

Speaking of cool scenes: the one thing that really, truly surprises me - and I might have missed it, honestly, so I'm happy to be corrected - is there doesn't appear to be any mention of ladies in gold. 

[grailkeeper]

2 hours ago, wecanhaveallthree said:

 

Speaking of cool scenes: the one thing that really, truly surprises me - and I might have missed it, honestly, so I'm happy to be corrected - is there doesn't appear to be any mention of ladies in gold. 

Decent chance it was written before they suddenly always existed.

[Nagashsnee]

7 hours ago, Urauloth said:

It does make me think, though, that Era of Ruin isn't a supplementary anthology in any way, it's actually the real last book of the Siege - the series is incomplete without this material.

What if BL saw the countless jokes/rage made after the EatD 3 book drama and just lacked the courage to drop the community post of 'book 11 of the HH siege of Terra 8 Book series''.   

 

Marketing team marching into BL 'NOT THIS TIME AMIGOS, NOT THIS TIME'. Kyme: Fine will throw some scrap in and call it an athology. 

 

Probably started typing up 'the final conclusion, to the concluding trilogy of the concluding mini series' and got hit by a sudden post typing clarity. 

 

 

 

 

[Marshal Rohr]

12 hours ago, templargdt said:

Still listening to the book on my work drive, and got to Katsuhiros story today.  I was 50/50 it was going to end badly, but I was genuinely smiling at the end.  Best thing I've "read" in a very long time. 

 

I'm a big ADB fan since helsreach, and I listened to carrion lord first.  The moment with the boy and the cloak was excellent.  I enjoyed this story too. I wasn't tracking ADB stopped writing, is that accurate?

 

Anyway, I'd really like more on the immediate aftermath of the siege, like how the chaos retreat went, Gullimans arrival, plans for repair of terra, etc.

He’s head of narrative now or something like that and does the Amazon liaising 

[templargdt]

6 hours ago, wecanhaveallthree said:

I'm kind of dumbfounded people appreciate the cloak scene. Yes, I'm fond of saying de gustibus ad infinitum, but...

 

Nobody else got I SAW THE THING AND I CLAPPED energy from that? The inevitable, indeed inescapable result of giving up his cloak is that the boy is going to be immediately killed for it but Dio is like 'not my problem lmao'. The guy spends the whole story being like 'damn I sure hate the Imperial Faith and the veneration of the Emperor! I sure am mad about religion!' but when some kid is like 'are you the object of my worship' he just tousles the kid's hair like, go on ya little scamp, enjoy living the rest of your very short life in misery and fear. Dio knows his cloak is, in less than a day, going to end up on some ritual altar somewhere. He just doesn't care though because, actually, he doesn't know that, the scene isn't concerned with even being internally consistent. It's just A Cool Scene.

 

Speaking of cool scenes: the one thing that really, truly surprises me - and I might have missed it, honestly, so I'm happy to be corrected - is there doesn't appear to be any mention of ladies in gold. 

 

I've done things in my life to help people that were very likely going to come to a bad end and I was probably wasting my time and money.  I'm no angel but "when I was thirsty you gave me a drink."  

 

I saw that moment in the story as very human, and good character development.

 

+1 to thankfully no female custodes showing up all of a sudden.  

[TheVoidDragon]

Not read the entire book myself but have seen part of ADBstory that many appear to be taking in completely the wrong way when talking about it elsewhere.  Spoiler for ADBs story:

 

Spoiler

Seen lots claiming that the story reveals there's a "fake emperor on the golden throne", with the "real one" being in another room.

Because many don't seem to understand that the term "graven image" refers to artwork. It's a sculpted version of him on the doors.
 

The story even outright refers to it later on as "artwork".

 

 

I get the impression it's going to end up being yet another example of incorrect memelore parroted by the community even though it's not what was said by the story at all. More misinformation lore because even a story outright telling us something, still isn't clear enough. 

Edited June 28 by TheVoidDragon

[malika666]

  

On 6/22/2025 at 4:43 PM, wecanhaveallthree said:

Really? I don't think 'bad dads' or 'boyish angst' are subtle or intellectual points in ADB's most popular books e.g. Betrayer, First Heretic or Master of Mankind. 'Boyish angst' is perhaps Talos' and Khayon's essential character, and the Black Legion books are founded on and around the idea of Abaddon being very, very disappointed by his 'bad dad'. The characters in his books cry out for better parental figures, mourn their lost innocence and childhood, and suffer tremendous abuse and trauma at the hands of authority figures. This is not necessarily a negative, naturally - I think Argel Tal's conversation with Lorgar on his return from the Warp is actually, physically painful to read for the sheer 'boy trying to make his dad happy even if, or perhaps especially when, it hurts him to do so' energy it has. It's compelling stuff when it's done well.

 

 

 

But isn't the whole 'traumatised boys' with 'bad dads' been the main theme when it comes to Space Marines and Primarchs. I mean, think about it, Space Marines are generally recruited from war(rior) cultures, young/immature boys. They might not have had parent figures, or their parent figures were too busy surviving to really take care of them. Then they become Space Marines and the Primarchs take over the 'father role', which isn't that much greater since these fellas are totally absent as well, too busy with their own thing (conquering the Imperium, being bickering bastards, etc). Not to mention the Emperor (the 'grandfather' then I guess) whose machinations are just a passing down of this intergenerational trauma. Heck...he might have implanted the notion in all of them (Space Marines and Primarchs) about this whole father-child-brother-family thing, but at the end of the day he sees them all as tools.

All of it seems quite textbook developmental and intergenerational trauma to me

[wecanhaveallthree]

Quote

All of it seems quite textbook developmental and intergenerational trauma to me

 

I agree. It feels very strange to read people suggesting otherwise. 

[malika666]

Heck, even the Custodes could partly be added to that whole dynamic. If I understand correctly they too were taken from their parents at a young age and then turned into super soldiers. Sure, they claim to officially be closer to the Emperor and not be his sons, they do seem to behave in a way that sounds like traumatic boys looking for a parental figure. The introduction of the Primarchs and later on Space Marines makes them feel like upset and jealous older siblings.
 

[Marshal Rohr]

Custodes behave and read more like an Emperor’s scheming concubines upset with his sons than son to father. Every time they’re on a page in any book they’re complaining about the people actually doing the important work of empire building. They hated the Thunder Warriors and manipulated things so they were wiped out. They hated the Primarchs. They hate space marines. That’s harem politics. You could replace any reference to Primarch with Prince and any reference to space marines with janissary and you’d have a romantasy novel. 

Edited July 3 by Marshal Rohr

[Ubiquitous1984]

It’s sad that people are taking up so much time dissecting the ABD short which was pretty decent, and not instead revelling in the fantastic work from Haley and Wraight.  Both of their short stories were BL at its absolute finest IMO.  Beautiful stories about humans in the 30k universe.  

[wecanhaveallthree]

Quote

Beautiful stories about humans in the 30k universe.  

 

But I don't want to read about humans. I want to read about Arik Taranis (not appearing in this book). 

[Karhedron]

That is the irony of the Custodians. They are so quick to point out the flaws in the Astartes yet they are blind to their own failings, most notably that they struggle to maintain a sense of purpose without the Emperor. 

[The Scorpion]

Not-so-hot take, but I think after reading all the discussion on here and re-reading ADB' s story, I think that "The Carrion Lord of the Imperium" is not only good, but actually a masterpiece. And that it is even better than Homebound

 

Its just that some of our folks really made a case earlier for media literacy being well and truly dead.

 

It is hinted many times that the Custodians are being myopic. The emperor hid the warp from humanity, obsolecence from the Astartes. Did he hid something from the Talons? (Hint: yes)

 

Diocletian used to have regular dreams. After the Heresy he suddenly dreams of countless humans begging the Emperor for help. Surely these are just dreams, right?

 

If the story reads like the Custodians are seething and coping it is because they are.

 

Yes, they blame the Primarchs. But there is a whole scene on how the Emperor ignores the advice of all his oh-so-trusted buddies because of how much he wants the Primarchs to happen. "They were never meant to last" Dio says, yet by the end of the story his own golden armor is completely out of place.

 

Yes, there is the Imperial Cult, but it doesn't spring overnight.

The story makes long timeskips: an early age with no Null Maidens or Thunder Warriors, a time in the Unification Wars, a time when the Heresy is about to begin, a time decades after the civil war...

 

...then there is a time long after that. A time where the laboratories of the menial who studied Dio's blood have turned into monasteries. A time with Custodians that never knew the Emperor standing guard at his door. A time where all the previous scenes are now forgotten myth.

 

It is only in this final scene that Dio admits what really upsets him: his failure. Not the Imperial Creed, not Bobby G and his godling brothers, not even humanity's tendency for self-destruction.

 

All that remains is a man's search for meaning when he is at a loss with the inescapable truth. Like the Custodians when the first of their number truly died. Like the Emperor when the Webway project blew up before his very eyes. Dio grasps at his in the one task the Emperor asked without ordering of him.

One task that may have greater implications than he first thought.

 

‘We are all shadows grasping for substance in the long nightmare of the soul.’
– Icharos Malvoisin

Chaplain Castigant, Angels Penitent

Edited July 4 by The Scorpion

[Scribe]

9 hours ago, The Scorpion said:

Not-so-hot take, but I think after reading all the discussion on here and re-reading ADB' s story, I think that "The Carrion Lord of the Imperium" is not only good, but actually a masterpiece. And that it is even better than Homebound

 

Its just that some of our folks really made a case earlier for media literacy being well and truly dead.

 

It is hinted many times that the Custodians are being myopic. The emperor hid the warp from humanity, obsolecence from the Astartes. Did he hid something from the Talons? (Hint: yes)

 

Diocletian used to have regular dreams. After the Heresy he suddenly dreams of countless humans begging the Emperor for help. Surely these are just dreams, right?

 

If the story reads like the Custodians are seething and coping it is because they are.

 

Yes, they blame the Primarchs. But there is a whole scene on how the Emperor ignores the advice of all his oh-so-trusted buddies because of how much he wants the Primarchs to happen. "They were never meant to last" Dio says, yet by the end of the story his own golden armor is completely out of place.

 

Yes, there is the Imperial Cult, but it doesn't spring overnight.

The story makes long timeskips: an early age with no Null Maidens or Thunder Warriors, a time in the Unification Wars, a time when the Heresy is about to begin, a time decades after the civil war...

 

...then there is a time long after that. A time where the laboratories of the menial who studied Dio's blood have turned into monasteries. A time with Custodians that never knew the Emperor standing guard at his door. A time where all the previous scenes are now forgotten myth.

 

It is only in this final scene that Dio admits what really upsets him: his failure. Not the Imperial Creed, not Bobby G and his godling brothers, not even humanity's tendency for self-destruction.

 

All that remains is a man's search for meaning when he is at a loss with the inescapable truth. Like the Custodians when the first of their number truly died. Like the Emperor when the Webway project blew up before his very eyes. Dio grasps at his in the one task the Emperor asked without ordering of him.

One task that may have greater implications than he first thought.

 

‘We are all shadows grasping for substance in the long nightmare of the soul.’
– Icharos Malvoisin

Chaplain Castigant, Angels Penitent

 

....

 

It would have been better for me if the story was bad so I didnt feel the need to buy it.

 

Thanks a lot. ;)

[Dornfist]

On 6/21/2025 at 12:36 PM, System Sound said:

Welcome to the Final final SoT book thread!

 

Just started it myself. And right of the bat the introduction states that this will be the last HH book, so signed by Jacob Young's... In 20 bloody 23...

Are you saying we are finally at the End AND the Death????? *Gasps*

 

But for real lol, I do plan to check these stories out either on audible or get the hardcover...haven't decided yet.

 

All I can say for now is this thread has been very interesting to read everyone's opinions on the stories so far. I think the Narek and the Ilya stories are the ones I'm most intrigued by as I have followed both characters with great interest since they were introduced in the Heresy series.

 

And by the Golden Throne, a short story by Abnett with the dreaded word "Fragments"??? Oufff.

On 7/3/2025 at 2:37 AM, wecanhaveallthree said:

 

But I don't want to read about humans. I want to read about Arik Taranis (not appearing in this book). 

You think we will EVER get a follow-up on that guy?? He was one of the few things I cared about in "The Outcast Dead".

Edited July 6 by Dornfist

[Dornfist]

On 6/21/2025 at 4:05 PM, System Sound said:

Somewhere the echoes of "To be concluded in TEatD Vol2." still whisper...

 

As for stuff that came out "after" this, I wouldn't be surprised if they try spin the HH character series and the supposed Horus book as part of the Great Crusade, thus technically not being part of HH... As for stories that are yet to be still collected. We had multiple even before the siege was spun up yet to be collected, and I honestly lost hope they they will ever be. But who knows, maybe there will be another anthology with a foreword "Oppps we forgot these... Nick Khyme 2024."

Ohhh don't remind me. I 'member this with my hardcovers. Circa late 2023: 

[Fedor]

This was disappointing. It seems like there was a conscious decision to keep perspective on the consequences for the "little people and grunts" with this, but there was little thematic coherence beyond that, and it seems we're not getting a counterpart for the higher level players that could balance it out. Only Haley, Wraight, Kyme and ADB provided appropriate stories...and Kyme's was ruined by the ending. Erebus is a joke character now, we might as well have a surprise bonus story drop where he teleports into the throneroom and whispers "who's the big E now" in the Emperor's ear and unplugs the throne.

 

French, Thorpe, Abnett...these could have been fragments/vignettes in tEatD. Thorpe's was the most pointless of all, like some random 40k story reskin he churned out in five minutes, but none should have been commissioned for what is supposed to be a singular closing anthology.

[Corinthus]

This anthology was bad.

 

After a year (was it really a year?) since The End and the Death, I was looking forward to picking this up and seeing what happened to some of the key storylines left unresolved. And then… the first tale is about a random Blood Angel falling to the Black Rage in the most boring, uninspired way. Alright, maybe it’s just a warm-up. Let’s continue.

 

Fulgurite: What even was that? Oh, right—the weird Word Bearer who popped up out of nowhere in the last few books. Guess I missed the memo because I haven’t read every obscure short story or mediocre entry in the endless HH catalogue. Let’s give it a shot… yeah, no. Not good. Almost laughably written. Fabius and Erebus show up again, from nowhere, for no reason.

 

Things aren’t looking good. Two strikes already. But next up is Abnett, so it must at least be decent, right? Nope. Another dull story nobody asked for. Who even are these people? Why should I care about them in the final volume of the entire setting? This is where I started getting genuinely annoyed—and losing focus.

 

Then comes the Thousand Sons. Ahriman is rambling about a brother—but it’s not his brother? Did he forget his name? Is he confusing names? What is even happening? Why am I reading this? I’m lost. I thought this was supposed to be an anthology about the end of the Siege. What is the point of this story?

 

Next is Gav Thorpe. Oh god. And of course, it was just as pointless and boring as expected. I couldn't care less.

 

At this point, I took a break. I was struggling to understand what the purpose of this book was. Eventually, I picked it up again and got to Katsuhiro’s epilogue. That one was good. A well-written, well-framed story. The Palace and Terra lie in ruins, but time is moving again. There’s work to do. A nice wrap-up for a genuinely decent character who came from nothing and ended up being a good companion through the Siege arc. A proper farewell.

 

Then came Wraight. I was praying: “Please be good. Please don’t suck.” And it was good. Actually, probably the best in the book. A fitting goodbye to a beloved character. The setup was solid, the tone was heavy with despair and—finally—Ruin. It felt exactly like what I had hoped for. The Siege and the Heresy are over, and the long, bleak march into the grim future begins. No triumph—just resignation. But the storytelling carries it with care and dignity. Wraight has been the real MVP of the series: consistent, poetic, tasteful. A joy to read. Thank you, Chris Wraight.

 

And finally, ADB. After what I felt was a massive letdown in his Siege novel, I was hoping he’d redeem himself here. And he did. This was strong. His best work in the series, at least for me, is still Master of Mankind, for the sheer weight and atmosphere he brought to it. Here, he taps into that same boldness. The Custodes are perfect vehicles for it—larger than life, mythic. This short wraps things up beautifully, tying together threads from Unification to the Scouring. It feels right: the tone, the grief, the emotional depth. Yes, his themes repeat—but they work here. This is a story about sorrow, about loss, not about clean-cut heroes with clarity and conviction.

And that was it.

 

Honest overall impressions? Not worth it. And kind of depressing. I loved The End and the Death. That, to me, was a true ending to a long journey. This anthology feels like a tacked-on afterthought. Uninspired. Out of place.

Edited July 15 by Corinthus
format

[Nagashsnee]

14 hours ago, Corinthus said:

And then… the first tale is about a random Blood Angel falling to the Black Rage in the most boring, uninspired way. Alright, maybe it’s just a warm-up. Let’s continue.

 

 

 What irks me with the Mechanicum tale and the BA tale, is that they are perfectly fine stories. But feel out of place in this book. And it does them a diservice.  Neither adds anything to the theme of end of a era and dawn of a new. Neither does anything new. Neither explores the consuquences of previous events.   They take two ok short stories and MAKE them bad by sheer lack of purpose. 

Edited July 15 by Nagashsnee