‘The Solar War’ – John French (Black Library)

 

Page Count: 411 Pages

You probably figured this out already (especially as I finished off the last three books, in the series, not so long ago) but I gave up trying to read the ‘Siege of Terra’ series in order (and the ‘Horus Heresy’ books as well, thinking about it) a long time ago. Finding the books is one thing, I’m also completely at the mercy of whatever cover art catches my eye at any particular moment. It’s a hard life ;o) That’s why I headed back to the beginning of the Siege, just after seeing what happens at the end, and saw how it all kicked off; with the kind of pyrotechnics that would give the Death Star Superlaser a serious inferiority complex…

After seven years of bitter war, the end has come at last for the conflict known infamously as the Horus Heresy. Terra now lies within the Warmaster’s sights, the Throneworld and the seat of his father’s rule. Horus’ desire is nothing less than the death of the Emperor of Mankind and the utter subjugation of the Imperium. He has become the ascendant vessel of Chaos, and amassed a terrible army with which to enact his will and vengeance. But the way to the Throne will be hard as the primarch Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian and protector of Terra, marshals the defences. First and foremost, Horus must challenge the might of the Sol System itself and the many fleets and bulwarks arrayed there. To gain even a foothold on Terran soil, he must first contend the Solar War. Thus the first stage of the greatest conflict in the history of all mankind begins.

It has taken seven years (in the series) for the Traitor Warmaster’s fleets to finally reach the Sol system; now all they have to do is fight a ‘planet by planet’ battle to Terra itself… The pressure is on French then to deliver an opening salvo, to this series, that recognises what’s at stake for both sides and responds accordingly in terms of both plot and spectacle. And if this wasn’t enough, French has to deliver all this, knowing that the vast majority of readers will already know how the Siege ultimately ends.

No pressure then, right…? ;o)

So, does he deliver?

Well, if my earlier comment about the Death Star didn’t give the game away… Yes, Jon French absolutely delivers with a book that is literally ‘wall to wall’ battles throughout (with great attention paid to the cataclysmic damage caused) but also takes the time to focus on a favourite character of mine… and put the poor lady through the wringer with several moments that underline the pure chaos (no pun intended) in a solar system full of huge warships trying to kill each other. One moment, in particular, absolutely turns everything upside down at just the right moment (or wrong moment, depends whose side you’re on). There are plenty of other eye-opening moments, moments that really highlight the genius of Horus (but also Perturabo, lets give him his due) and also show how cheap human life is in this conflict, for both sides.

‘The Solar War’ is a book that really demands your attention then and pays you back with the kind of spectacle that you’ll only get from a Warhammer 40K book (well, 30K here but you know what I mean). It’s a little ironic then that I’m someone who has difficulty focusing on protracted void battles, and that’s what this whole book is really :o) To be fair, French strikes a very good balance between ‘widescreen space combat’ and more focused looks at certain characters (Abaddon suddenly becomes a lot more interesting) and I won’t judge a book based on a problem that’s on me. I guess it’s just something to be aware of but French does more than enough to ensure that this wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.

I’m late to a lot of the ‘Horus Heresy’ and ‘Siege of Terra’ books (quelle surprise…) but during my reading, John French has been making a name for himself with books that really capture the depth and scope of this galactic civil war. ‘The Solar War’ is another more than solid example of his output here and really sets the scene for what is to come.