Hopping back over to the Primarch series and this time, we head into the Iron Hands father - Ferrus Manus. I know very little of this legion as he was ultimately killed off early in the Horus Heresy, and with him gone, his legion is broken and a bit dull. I am hoping this book will fix that.
Title: The Horus Heresy: Primarchs #7 - Ferrus Manus: The Gorgon of Medusa
Author: David Guymer
Blurb: Ferrus Manus, primarch of the Iron Hands, employs his brutal methods of war to bring a world to heel in the Emperor's name.
The Great Crusade has swept across half the galaxy, a million human worlds now embracing the truth and reason that comes with allegiance to the rule of Terra. But even such unparalleled success comes at a cost. Rumours abound that the Emperor plans to step back from the Crusade and raise one of his primarch sons to lead in his stead. Faced with the bitterly non-compliant human empire of Gardinaal and a leaderless host of Ultramarines, Thousand Sons and Emperor’s Children at his Legion’s command, the Iron Hands primarch Ferrus Manus decides to make an example that even the Emperor cannot ignore.
Style: Audiobook
Review
Well I have to be honest, this didn't increase or decrease my opinion of the Iron Hands. I still find them to be on the dull side. Now nothing wrong with the writing, I just feel the characters lack interest in general. Beyond the Primarch the line warriors are just yawn!
It did do well to convay Ferrus Manus' stubbornness and head strong ways that will ultimately lead to him losing his head. I personally found the setting more enjoyable as we watch the worlds of the Gardinall (human) race, kicking some space marine ass. After they refused the rule of the Emperor, they go on to destroy a huge amount of Guard and Space Marines by using nuclear weapons. The scattered forces of Ultramarines, Emperor's Childern and Thousand Sons are then forced onto the back foot. As they await the arrival of Ultramarine reinforcements the Iron Hands task force arrive and take over the campaign. Soon the battle shifts tactics and the Iron Hands brutally shut the rebellion.
The book does well at showcasing the coldness of the Iron Hands and how they are removed from the rest of humanity, a trend that gets worst into the 40k versions of them. Unfortunately the pacing felt slow and Manus is not in the story as much as he should be and this for me weakens the title. The completionist in me is happy I read this but the fan in me thinks I could have just skipped.
Let me know your thoughts.
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