I was not looking forward to Heralds of the Siege. AT. ALL. It’s yet another short story collection, and we’re so close to the end of the Horus Heresy. Why are we shoe-horning in another anthology, especially after Slaves to Darkness already established the rounding up of the troops? Begrudgingly, I forced myself to read it, and dang it if it wasn’t the BEST short story collection in the entire series.
I kept waiting for the one short story that would let me down. There’s usually at least one that’s weaker than the rest. There wasn’t one. Not even the one about Eidolon (“The Soul, Severed” by Chris Wraight) or “Now Peals Midnight” by John French.
Some of the stories, like “The Ember Wolves” by Rob Sanders and “Children of Sicarus” by Anthony Reynolds, started off slowly. But just as I would start to think that this story would be the weakest link, the plot would take a completely unexpected turn, and, well, insert cliché here.
Unlike Slaves to Darkness, Heralds of the Siege did not focus on one side of the civil war aisle. Most of the stories were about the loyalists on Terra getting ready for the invasion, but a good number were also about the invaders. The previously mentioned “Children of Sicarus” showed why Kor Phaeron stopped pouting after his failure on Calth and finally agreed to meet up with Lorgar. (Spoiler: it’s for an even pettier reason than you think.) “Exocytosis” by James Swallow wrapped up what happened after Typhon showed up near Caliban at the end of Angels of Caliban. “The Soul, Severed” by Chris Wraight, and “The Painted Count” by Guy Haley told of how the Emperor’s Children and the Night Lords are handling things in the absence of their primarchs.
The two best stories of the whole collection are “Dreams of Unity” by Nick Kyme and “The Board is Set” by Gav Thorpe. “Dreams of Unity” is without a doubt the best story Nick Kyme has contributed to the entire Horus Heresy series. And I don’t just say that because there are no Perpetuals present. That said, though, the lack of Johnny G & Crew is certainly a bonus.
I don’t want to go into it too much, because everyone should read this short tale. I’ll only say that it’s about the last of the Thunder Warriors trying to eke out an existence in the underbellies of Terra. Go read it.
“The Board is Set” is the final story in the book. While a lot of it is a little cheeky with what the author and reader already knows will happen in the upcoming siege, the wink-wink-nudge-nudge didn’t diminish the impact at all. Malcador plays a game that seems to be a combo of the Imperial Tarot and regicide with the Emperor. On the surface, it’s an obvious metaphor for the battles on Terra and the final fight, but underneath lays bare the true feelings of the Emperor with his sons and even Malcador. Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Master of Mankind already proved how callous the Emperor is, but “The Board is Set” feathered that cap. In addition, it unintentionally (or maybe intentionally, depending upon publication dates) set the stage for the entire Dark Imperium trilogy.
It’s hard to believe, but I really don’t have a gripe about anything in this book. Never thought I’d see that day with the Horus Heresy. But we’re actually nearing the very, very end at last. Next is the penultimate book, Titandeath. From the book summary, it appears to be some more padding. Something, something, Titans fighting Titans at the main pass into the Sol System, blah blah blah. Maybe it will surprise me as much as Heralds of the Siege did.
Fifty-two books down, 2 to go.
Horus Hearsay is dedicated to Keri’s journey through the Horus Heresy saga. The chronicling of the Horus Heresy began over ten years ago, with currently 54 books in total, not counting The Primarchs series or the various short stories outside of the official anthologies. Horus Hearsay will only cover the main novels.
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