A Couple More ‘Horus Heresy’ Short Stories…
It turned out that work wasn’t so bad yesterday after all; it was busy but there were no nasty surprises hiding in my email so I’m counting it as a win. All I need to do today is exactly the same stuff all over again, just in the office this time :o)
Anyway, I had to work pretty hard to carve out some reading time and there wasn’t an awful lot of it so… It was back to the ‘Horus Heresy’ again with another couple of stories that looked like they could see me through a short lunch break. And they did, let me tell you about them.
‘Prologue to Nikaea’ – David Annandale (Black Library)
Page Count: 21 Pages
The Emperor's Golden Throne is the best known throne on Terra – and it is Malcador the Sigillite's ultimate destiny. But it is not the only throne on the Imperium's heart-world – Malcador himself has one, in a chamber he uses to pluck secrets from the tides of the immaterium. When his scryings draw the Sigillite to the world of Thawra, he finds a planet plagued by a new terror – an organised corps of psykers. As war rages on the world and witch battles witch, Malcador wonders if this may be a portent of the terrors to come…
I knew that the Council of Nikaea happened, and what came out of it, but I never knew what led to it. I’m also a bit of a fan of Malcador the Sigilite so had to give this tale a go.
I loved Annandale’s depiction of the Warp and how it draws you into the wider tale. I also got a lot out of how Annandale shows us the dangers of of unregulated psychic ability, in the Imperium, by first throwing one of the most powerful psykers into the Warp, and having him barely make it out alive. With that fresh in the mind, you can see what’s coming for the psykers of Thawra and Annandale doesn’t pull any punches. You may not agree with the Emperor’s eventual decision (a discussion for another day) but you can see why he made it. I’m glad I gave ‘Prologue to Nikaea’ a go, it adds some welcome context to the main event.
Now, lets see if I can post about something longer than twenty pages tomorrow… Fingers crossed ;o)
Anyway, I had to work pretty hard to carve out some reading time and there wasn’t an awful lot of it so… It was back to the ‘Horus Heresy’ again with another couple of stories that looked like they could see me through a short lunch break. And they did, let me tell you about them.
‘The Final Compliance of Sixty-Three Fourteen’ – Guy Haley (Black Library)
Page Count: 11 Pages
As Horus grinds the Imperium beneath his boot, emissaries from the XVIth Legion return to worlds sworn to the Warmaster during the Great Crusade to have them renew their fealty. With the Sons of Horus already at battle readiness over Sixty-Three Fourteen, a grim decision must be made...
Eleven pages of story is pushing the limits of what I’m prepared to pay £1.99 for, quick read or not. I’m all in favour of keeping your pricing consistent but there are times when a sliding scale is appropriate… I was after a quick read though and it was Guy Haley’s name on the front cover so I gave it a go and… It wasn’t a bad read. There obviously wasn’t enough time to really get into the characters but I enjoyed the way that Haley kept me guessing as to how Planetary Governor Oquin would greet the Sons of Horus, or even if he would be allowed to. Again, not enough time for the ending to really make its mark but there is still a lot of good stuff happening here.
Page Count: 11 Pages
As Horus grinds the Imperium beneath his boot, emissaries from the XVIth Legion return to worlds sworn to the Warmaster during the Great Crusade to have them renew their fealty. With the Sons of Horus already at battle readiness over Sixty-Three Fourteen, a grim decision must be made...
Eleven pages of story is pushing the limits of what I’m prepared to pay £1.99 for, quick read or not. I’m all in favour of keeping your pricing consistent but there are times when a sliding scale is appropriate… I was after a quick read though and it was Guy Haley’s name on the front cover so I gave it a go and… It wasn’t a bad read. There obviously wasn’t enough time to really get into the characters but I enjoyed the way that Haley kept me guessing as to how Planetary Governor Oquin would greet the Sons of Horus, or even if he would be allowed to. Again, not enough time for the ending to really make its mark but there is still a lot of good stuff happening here.
‘Prologue to Nikaea’ – David Annandale (Black Library)
Page Count: 21 Pages
The Emperor's Golden Throne is the best known throne on Terra – and it is Malcador the Sigillite's ultimate destiny. But it is not the only throne on the Imperium's heart-world – Malcador himself has one, in a chamber he uses to pluck secrets from the tides of the immaterium. When his scryings draw the Sigillite to the world of Thawra, he finds a planet plagued by a new terror – an organised corps of psykers. As war rages on the world and witch battles witch, Malcador wonders if this may be a portent of the terrors to come…
I knew that the Council of Nikaea happened, and what came out of it, but I never knew what led to it. I’m also a bit of a fan of Malcador the Sigilite so had to give this tale a go.
I loved Annandale’s depiction of the Warp and how it draws you into the wider tale. I also got a lot out of how Annandale shows us the dangers of of unregulated psychic ability, in the Imperium, by first throwing one of the most powerful psykers into the Warp, and having him barely make it out alive. With that fresh in the mind, you can see what’s coming for the psykers of Thawra and Annandale doesn’t pull any punches. You may not agree with the Emperor’s eventual decision (a discussion for another day) but you can see why he made it. I’m glad I gave ‘Prologue to Nikaea’ a go, it adds some welcome context to the main event.
Now, lets see if I can post about something longer than twenty pages tomorrow… Fingers crossed ;o)
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