Shadows of Treachery is a collection of short stories and is novel number 22 in the series. Let's first check out the official write-up of the book.
From the battlefields of Phall and Isstvan to the haunted shadows of Terra itself – the greatest war in the history of mankind rages on. While the traitor Legions continue their campaign of terror across the galaxy, preparations are made for the defence of the Imperial Palace and the final, inevitable reckoning that must yet come between Horus and the Emperor...
About the book
This anthology spans the entire Horus Heresy, with short stories from Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill and Gav Thorpe, as well as two brand new novella-length tales. Learn the fate of Rogal Dorn’s fleet originally sent to Isstvan III in ‘The Crimson Fist’ by John French, and descend deeper into the darkness of the Night Lords Legion in ‘Prince of Crows’ by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
The Crimson Fist - John French
The Dark King - Graham McNeill
The Lightning Tower - Dan Abnett
The Kaban Project - Graham McNeill
Raven's Flight - Gav Thorpe
Death of a Silversmith - Graham McNeill
Prince of Crows - Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Review
Seven titles in total and I am that I recognize a couple. A few titles I have read before or in some cases listened to on audible, like The Lighting Tower. Overall the these are seven strong stories and some really entertaining reads. I will review each story separately, enjoy!
It's an amazing opening story. It follows the retribution fleet of the Imperial Fists, lead by Alexis Polux. The fleet is becalmed in the Phall system and is ambushed by the Iron Warriors. Leading to some amazing combat action scenes. The twist is heartbreaking and being torn by duty and honour seems to cut Alexis deep. Amazing start to the book.
The Dark King - Graham McNeill
A Night Lords classic. This story and the Lighting Tower are some OG stories. It shows Curze as the complex and broken character that he is. Wracked by his visions of the future Curze attacks Dorn in a brother-on-brother battle, that is hugely atmospheric and helps move the lore along. Completely captivating.
The Lightning Tower - Dan Abnett
The second half of this 2007 collection. We get to follow Dorn, as he deals with the realization that he will have to pull down his fathers' work and re-build the palace into a fortress. A tale of deep dread and a foreboding. Written 14 years ago and the first steps into the heresy, hard to believe Dorn is still waiting for the end.
The Kaban Project - Graham McNeill
An Adeptus Mechanicus tale and a long overdue one. The Kaban Machine is a banned A.I unit made real. When the threat is discovered by a low-level adept, he attempts to flee the forges and warn the allies of the Emperor. But who can he trust? Great story and some amazing characters and locations. Great story.
Raven's Flight - Gav Thorpe
Comically this is set before Deliverance Lost a novel we have already passed in the reading order. The story explains why the rescue team disobeyed Corax's orders and head off to Isstvan to save their Primarch. This seems like it would have been a great story if read in the correct order, here it feels disjointed.
Death of a Silversmith - Graham McNeill
A great foreboding tale. We follow a silversmith, plucked from Terra at the request of Malcador, to join the crusade fleets along side the Luna Wolves. Master of a dieing art he proves popular among the space marines and is tasked with creating two works. The first is a set of rings each showing casing a moon at different cycles for the mournival and the second a crude set of coins embossed with a wolfs head. The story is written with the power of hindsight and fore tells what will happen in the coming Heresy to follow. A very well written story and great lore.
As discussed in my audible adventures Aaron Dembski-Bowden is the master story teller of the Night Lords. It is actually the story that leads to The Long Night tale. The lead like before is Sevatar, the first captain of the Night Lords. The Night Lords have just been defeated by the Dark Angels and their Primarch lies dieing in the medbay, leaving them leaderless and alone in the darkness. As the surviving Captains plan revenge and going out in a blaze of glory, one amongst them rises to take charge (Sevatar) and no one can stand in his path and survive. A beautiful story that ultimately leads to Sevatar's captures and imprisonment, but this character is so amazing that I need more stories about him..please!
And with that the stories are complete. This is a true highlight novel and well worth the cover price highly recommend this book. With this title complete I plan to take a short break to read Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! to give myself a refresh and reset but until then thank you for reading.
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Shadows of Treachery - Kindle Edition
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