‘Siege of Terra: Era of Ruin’ – Various (Black Library)

 

My journey through the war zones of the ‘Horus Heresy’ and ‘Siege of Terra’ continues in much the same way that it always has; a vague nod at some kind of reading order but mostly determined by what book(s) I can afford and what cover catches my eye at any given moment. The cover for ‘Era of Ruin’ looks absolutely amazing, and I’ve been dipping in and out of anthologies at the moment, so this seemed like a good book to visit :o) We’re coming in right at the end of the Siege of Terra this time. The big guns have fallen silent but you can still hear scattered small arms fire in the ruins, amongst other things…

Horus is dead. His Heresy is over. The scars of mankind’s great schism will never fully heal. For those left behind, a new Era of Ruin is dawning, promising both new beginnings and fresh peril for an Imperium riven by trauma and war.

When I spoke about ‘The Shattered and The Soulless’, not so long ago, I wondered whether every plot-line needs to have a line neatly drawn under it at the very end. I’m still not sure, to be honest, but I’ll give the ‘Horus Heresy’ and ‘Siege of Terra’ series the benefit of the doubt (again). Everyone has a favourite character or storyline and that’s where books like ‘Era of Ruin’ turn up and do a job, giving as many readers closure as they can.

And ‘Era of Ruin’ did a very good job of this, in broad strokes, rounding things off for certain characters, who had to step back from the narrative and let the Emperor and Horus fight it out, but perhaps more importantly, really capturing the air of uncertainty that surrounded the conclusion of the Siege, and what it promises for the future. You’re fighting for your life and then suddenly, the gunfire stops and you’re still standing. Or you’re trying to rebuild, in some manner, but the remnants of the Siege are still playing out their last fanfares. What happens next? ‘Era of Ruin’ does well to capture the sense of elation but also, at the same time, that feeling of shock and a creeping dread that for the first time in centuries, humanity may have to learn to live without the guiding influence of the Emperor. Nobody knows and that makes this collection very bittersweet.

At the same time though, ‘Era of Ruin’ had the same problem that I had with ‘The Shattered and The Soulless’… It wasn’t the books fault though, I was just given endings to tales that I haven’t been able to get round to reading yet. In that sense (and I know it’s obvious), the more of the preceding books that you’ve read, the more you will get out of ‘Era of Ruin’. The upside of that though is that there is something here for everyone. None of the stories were bad, some were excellent, it’s just that certain tales didn’t resonate as much as they perhaps wanted to. Lets take a quick look at each of those tales…

Angels of Another Age - John French

Not a bad opener but this tale of the Black Rage lost something by not being accompanied by its cause. And Dan Abnett had already covered that (and the Black Rage) in the ‘End and the Death’ books so… Maybe one specifically for fans of the Blood Angels?

Fulgurite - Nick Kyme

Word Bearer Narek Barathusa is on a mission to save his Legion, by killing his father, and while I’m still not a hundred percent sure who Narek Barathusa is, I loved that Kyme strung out his tale, only to end it in the way that he did.

Fragments (All We Have Left) - Dan Abnett

This was more like it. Dan Abnett’s tale of Aphone Ire’s last stand, and what it forces her to confront, is very well told. I loved the circular nature of the plot and how Ire tells her tale. And it doesn’t hurt that there’s plenty of action happening at the same time ;o)

Ex Libris - John French

If you’re going to show the full affect of Horus’ death, who better to tell it than one of the most powerful psykers of the Thousand Sons? A man who can see into the Warp itself?

I struggled to get my head round this one (I’m no psyker…) but even though I couldn’t decipher some of it, French really captures the enormity of the event.

System Purge - Gav Thorpe

I’m not a big fan of the Mechanicus so approached this tale with a little trepidation but, turns out that I shouldn’t have worried. ‘System Purge’ isn’t a stand out tale here but it was fun with a side helping of ‘poking holes in the rigid structure of the Mechanicus Hierarchy’ (I’ve always got time for that).

After the Dawn, the Darkness - Guy Haley

Ever since I first saw Katsuhiro (in ‘Saturnine’?), he’s been a real favourite of mine so I was pleased to see him, and his son, get some closure here in a heart warming tale that shows humanity is still possible, even in a world that’s on the edge of ending.

Homebound - Chris Wraight

It has been far too long since I last read the ‘White Scars’ entries, in the ‘Horus Heresy’, so I’m probably missing a lot about Ilya Ravallion’s relationship with the Khan and his sons. When it’s Chris Wraight telling the tale though… I picked it up very quickly and was more than happy to sit with this story until it ended. Definitely one of my favourites here.

The Carrion Lord of the Imperium - Aaron Dembski-Bowden

And talk about ‘saving the best tale for last’. Dembski-Bowden’s tale of the Custodes, in the aftermath of the Siege, casts a harsh light on what it means to be immortal and continue to live in the shadow of your greatest failure (amongst other things). And how close did Guilliman come to death (and not realise it)? Damn…

Definitely something here for everyone then. Not every entry was a huge hit but 'Era of Ruin' was definitely a good read the whole way through.