Audio Review // Lost Sons by James Swallow
It feels like an age since we last had some Blood Angels properly show up in the Horus Heresy, but now that they're here, it feels like the Angels are starting to make some serious moves, and, more importantly, they're starting to get some bloody great stories!
This time we're heading back to Baal with James Swallow and Lost Sons.
The Details
Title: Lost Sons
Author: James Swallow
Format: Short story
The Blurb
The Blood Angels were lured into a trap at Signus Prime by the most vile treachery imaginable, but not all of them went with Sanguinius on that fateful journey.
Keeping the home fires burning on Baal, the remaining honour guard receive news of their Primarch's death and must decide upon the final course for their Legion themselves.
The Review
I'm going to say it again because apparently I haven't complained about it enough yet: These short stories need more bloody page space!
Lost Sons is another perfect example. The story takes place on Baal, where thirty Blood Angels have been left behind while the majority of the Legion heads off with Sanguinius towards the Signus Cluster. Then the Horus Heresy does what the Horus Heresy does best: Everything goes to hell.
Communication with the Legion is lost, and the small garrison suddenly finds itself completely cut off and without clear orders. Nobody knows what's happened to Sanguinius or the rest of the Blood Angels, and that leaves our thirty Space Marines with a rather enormous problem. What the hell do they do now?
The thirty Blood Angels aren't exactly united on the answer. Some want to remain on Baal and follow their original orders. Others want to go looking for their Legion and discover what has happened to their brothers. And then you've got those who want to take the fight directly to Horus and seek revenge. It's a fascinating little snapshot of the Blood Angels at a point when everything they thought they knew is suddenly falling apart, and then things get even more interesting.
A Knight Errant of Malcador arrives on Baal with a very specific mission. The Sigillite wants the Blood Angels' equipment, gene-seed and other precious Legion assets moved to Terra. With the Heresy raging across the galaxy, Malcador wants to make sure these irreplaceable resources are kept safely away from the traitors. Sounds sensible enough, right? Well...The Blood Angels aren't exactly thrilled about the idea.
This is where the story really kicks into gear. Rather than simply handing everything over, the Blood Angels unite in defiance of Malcador's wishes. And in honour of their brothers whom they believe to be lost, they paint their armour black and cross out their Legion symbols.
That's where I immediately went: Hang on a bloody minute...Because if you're familiar with the Blood Angels, you know exactly what this starts to look like. Are we getting our first glimpse of the Death Company? Maybe? This is a suicide squad paint scheme it turns out, but represents the Death Company mindset perfectly. So this is kind of the beginning of something that will become one of the most iconic formations in the Blood Angels lore.
And I bloody love this sort of thing. It's one of those little moments in the Horus Heresy where you're reading along and suddenly realise you're watching the origins of something you already know from the 41st Millennium.
Then comes the questions...Of course, this being a tiny short story, James Swallow doesn't exactly stop and explain everything to us. Which is both brilliant and incredibly frustrating! Because now I've got questions.
Are these technically the beginnings of the Death Company?
By refusing the Sigillite's orders, have these Blood Angels effectively put themselves on the wrong side of Imperial authority?
What happens to them?
And what exactly happens when the rest of the Legion eventually returns?
I WANT ANSWERS! But, as is becoming a recurring theme with these Horus Heresy shorts...I'm probably not getting them anytime soon. That's the frustrating part. There's so much packed into this story that I desperately wanted another twenty or thirty pages to explore it properly.
Final Thoughts
Despite being incredibly short, Lost Sons is absolutely packed with Horus Heresy goodness. You've got the Blood Angels dealing with the apparent loss of Sanguinius, internal divisions within the surviving members, Malcador's plans for their gene-seed and equipment, the Knights Errant, and what could potentially be the earliest glimpse of something that will eventually become the Death Company. That's a LOT to squeeze into one short story.
James Swallow does a fantastic job of making this feel important, and I really enjoyed getting this glimpse into the Blood Angels at such a pivotal moment. But once again, I finished the story wanting more.
More Blood Angels.
More Baal.
More of these characters.
More answers to my bloody questions!
Still, if this is the beginning of the Blood Angels really getting stuck into the Horus Heresy, then I'm absolutely here for it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find out whether any of these questions ever get answered...Cheers for reading, and I'll see you on the next adventure!
