‘Garro: Knight of Grey’ – James Swallow, Taken from ‘Flames of Betrayal’ (Black Library)

 

Page Count: 130 Pages

I’m a little bit annoyed with myself for caving in and buying the ‘Flames of Betrayal’ collection but, I really wanted to read ‘Knight of Grey’ so… :o)

You see, ‘Flames of Betrayal’ is actually ‘Garro: Knight of Grey’ and then all the stories collected in ‘Era of Ruin’ which funnily enough, I went and reviewed over Here, back in March this year.

So… Half annoyed at Black Library for packaging a novella alongside a collection that I already own (I mean, why didn’t they do that when they published ‘Era of Ruin’ in hardback?), half annoyed that I’m just the kind of sucker who will buy the same book twice. Oh well, if that’s the worst thing that happens to me this week… (it won’t be, my job ends on Friday)

Anyway :o)

One of the things that I love about the ‘Horus Heresy’, and ‘Siege of Terra’, books is that you can pretty much pick a character and then follow them through any number of novels, short stories and so on. I’ve got a few favourites and one that I’ve always kept an eye open for is Nathaniel Garro, formerly a Captain of the Death Guard Legion and now, well… He’s not quite sure but he will fight the Traitors until the last. And protect the Living Saint, Euphrati Keeler, as well, mustn’t forget that, because that’s where we find Garro in ‘Knight of Grey’…

In the ashes of Terra, the wounds of the Horus Heresy fester.

While the conflict between Horus and the Emperor of Mankind has reached its bloody end, humanity must now navigate the consequences. If anyone is to survive this Era of Ruin, they must claw their way through the remnants of betrayal, carnage and destruction. The scars of the Siege run deep in the wake of battles like that of Nathaniel Garro, forced to face his father, the monstrous traitor primarch Mortarion, during the height of the conflict.

I’ve said this before, does every plot thread need to be tied off neatly at the end of a series? The answer is a bit of a cop-out but it’s true, I guess it depends on who your favourite character is and of the ones I’ve come across in these books, Euphrati Keeler is probably in the Top Ten but Nathaniel Garro… Top Five, easily.

Here is a character who should be fighting with his Legion but chose to stay loyal to the Emperor above all else. Where has that really left him though? Mistrusted by his peers, on both sides, and left seeking purpose through the machinations of Malcador the Sigilite; Garro is about to discover that purpose on the battlefields outside the Emperors Palace. And what a purpose it is… It’s no spoiler to say that Garro checks out here but what a way to go, leaving scars on his own Primarch but perhaps more importantly, leaving Keeler in a place where she can continue her own work.

What James Swallow does here makes me wish that we’d seen a little more of his work over these two series, I may have to dig out more of his stuff for a re-read. What Swallow gives us here is a great insight into where Garro stands, both on the battlefield and in his own head. Add some amazing ‘set piece’ moments and I found a story that was thoroughly engaging right from the start. The kind of tale where a mighty Space Marine is reduced to the role of under-dog and still takes a stand anyway, even though the price will be high.

It’s all very stirring and heroic and I’m not going to lie, that’s exactly what I need so I was very happy with what I read. If you’re a fan of Nathaniel Garro then I’m pretty sure you read ‘Knight of Grey’ a long time ago. If you haven’t, I think you’re in for a treat here; Swallow signs off Garro’s tale in fine style.