Re-Read Review February 2024 as part of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project reading guide Omnibus III: The Burning of Prospero
(https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus/iii-the-burning-of-prospero) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the series.

I remembered this was one of the best, but that was about it.

I was not prepared for as close to perfect novel and entry into the Horus Heresy series as this is.

The story of Kasper Hawser and the Vlka Fenryka is one with so much heart, intrigue, and emotion that I took a few minute to compose myself after the end had me crying again, and now reflecting on it I can't help weeping.

(I was always a big crier at stories that touched me and estrogen is a hell of a drug)

Maybe I'll come back and write a more in depth review, but I can't see any way that doesn't end with days of my life and millions of words no-one will read, so this initial re-read reaction will likely be my account.

The VI Legion are done dirty in everything proceeding this book, which is appropriate with their reputation, role, and the way they bear these. I'm actually glad I came into this with such a compromised view of the Wolves of Fenris because it made the journey all the more impactful. I only wish I had read Chris Wraight's Leman Russ: The Great Wolf after this, so my emotions would have been even more destroyed than they were by the end of that book.

Honesty, I understand that having a pain flare up makes me extra vulnerable and the hormones and everything, but I'm just an emotional mess after reading this, which, quite frankly, is often how in love great art to make me feel.

For me, this is the Platonic Ideal of a Horus Heresy novel. From the Pre-Heresy worldbuilding, glorious insight into the heart and soul of a Legion, and revelations of the machinations of the Darker Powers, through being perfectly embedded in, contextualised by, and contextualising the grand narrative of the Horus Heresy and aspects of the Dark Millennium, through gloriously flowing prose and exalted storytelling, including making the often difficult to pull off story about stories and accounts within stories and accounts where there is a magic and vital importance, not to mention masterful manipulations of the way narratives, timelines, and story structure are all integral parts of the whole--playing with the warp and weft of truth, reality, meaning, and time and space to create a surreality with such aplomb to make Kairos Fateweaver start simultaneously molting and malding--to full realised characters put through fascinating, exciting, and tragic situations with enough emotional weight to crush a Lord of Skulls into a Khornate pancake (pankhake?), so as the perfect needlepoint line bursts the tension and I start crying.

(No spoilers: I cried twice during the book. Once reading 12 minutes and then again at the exquisite and heartbreaking end...and then a while bunch of times afterwards and while writing this)

Kasper Hawser is a truly phenomenal character and his story and the stories he collects and tells are brilliant. His namesake and partial inspiration is a fascinating historical reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser.

The way the Vlka Fenryka are brought to life and given a fair and detailed account is a long time coming. The rough housing, wizard hating, ignorantly honourable and brutal archetypes previously seen aren't exactly not true, but only show a fragment of the VI's mien as to tender them as caricature. I feel like I don't even know the Luna Wolves/ Sons of Horus anywhere near as well after three books (I understand that is an aspect of the opening trilogy being more about Loken and the changing soul of the Legion).

My heart will always belong to Chaos and especially the sadbois who were always destined, manipulated, and thrust on their paths by the conscious or purely ignorant actions of their farther, but, much like the World Eaters they are the ice cold executioners, a reflection of the Red Angel's sons' burning butchery (and, as particularly demonstrated in Leman Russ: The Great Wolf, the Rout is an annihilating warrior pack, a reflection of the chivalrous Dark Angels' knightly order), but Leman Russ and his sons' role, perception, and ostracisition were equally ordained and ordered. It's impossible for me to read this book without falling in love with the Wolves of Fenris, feeling their exaltations and pain, regardless of the bloody, brutal role they play for a bitter, broken, and unthankful Imperium.

The only things I can really say to criticise this book are the same complaints I so often have of the Horus Heresy authors and Abnett, time and time again - the absolute lack of women and those that are included merely being plot devices, described their appearance, and in the case of the Silent Siterhood, on screen for barely a chapter, being referred to as "females" twelve times. These warriors, described with their precision and wargear, are never referred to as such or any other description the men are constantly referred to, whether it be on relationship to the role, rank, physical or character description, are only described as "females". It's weird, creepy, misogynistic, and makes Abnett sound like an incel during his mastercrafted tale. To put this in perspective, it feels like Abnett is constantly referring to the Space Wolves 'wet leopard growl' in some form or other, to the point where it starts to feel comical and lazy. "Leopard" appears nineteen times across the whole book, compared to the Sisters of Silence being referred to as "females" twelve times over barely a chapter.

The above criticism taken into consideration, this is genuinely one of the greatest books I have read and almost certainly hold equal top billing with my other most loved books, like The Dream of Doctor Bantam by Jeanne Thornton, The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer, and Quarantine by Greg Egan. I challenge another book to come close to the magnificence of this one. So far The First Heretic and the opening quadrilogy taken as a whole are the closest, but this is in another league Also, a respectable shoutout to The Unburdened (Betrayal at Calth Novella), and the Primarchs novels, Magnus the Red: Master of Prospero and Leman Russ: The Great Wolf for being hot on the heels of those regular Horus Heresy novels.

It has to be noted that Gareth Armstrong gives the performance of a lifetime in this and deserves a huge amount of recognition for absolutely stepping up to meet the quality of this novel. I'm a long time Toby Longworth fangirl who has recently really been digging Jonathan Keeble, especially for his impassioned action oratory, but this might be the pinnacle of a Black Library performance.

Obviously, this is all my subjective personal opinion and your mileage may vary.

I know have a few stories to read to finish this omnibus and I might make my first jump to Warhammer 40K between this and the next omnibus with The Battle of the Fang, The Hunt for Magnus, and Ashes of Prospero, as I don't want this saga within a saga to end! ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2023/09/review-of-prospero-burns-by-dan-abnett.... ( )

El Emperador está furioso. Magnus el Rojo, primarca de la legión de los Mil Hijos, ha cometido un error de proporciones catastróficas y ha puesto en peligro a la propia Terra. Al Señor de la Humanidad no le queda más remedio que encargarle al primarca de los Lobos Espaciales, Leman Russ, la misión de apresar a su hermano en el planeta Prospero, el lugar de origen de los Mil Hijos. No será fácil someter al Planeta de los Hechiceros a la voluntad del Emperador, pero tampoco detener a Russ y a sus Lobos Espaciales. Con el corazón poseído por la ira, el Rey Lobo está decidido a llevar a Magnus ante la justicia del Emperador. Los acontecimientos que decidirán el destino de Prospero se desatan.

Another good book by Dan Abnett. I feel he does a good job with stories that don't have that much to tell. ( )

Most of Dan Abnett's Horus Heresy books are fantastic. I didn't feel that way about this one. The build up is far too long, in my opinion, even though the payoff is incredible. If I ranked just, say, the last one-third of the book I would give it a 4 or 5 star rating. You really have to stick with a lot of what seems to be unnecessary stuff to get to that point though. ( )