Book Review // Horus Heresy: Black Oculus by John French
Could this be the shortest short story in the Black Library catalogue? Probably not… but it’s certainly in the running.
Black Oculus (The Horus Heresy – Short Story)
Author: John French
Official Fluff:
After Fulgrim’s ascension to daemonhood at Iydris, Perturabo and the Iron Warriors are trapped by the singularity at the heart of the so-called Eye of Terror. With no other escape, they plunge straight through the black hole itself.
By sheer chance — or something far darker — the fleet emerges in the Tallarn System. But the Navigators who guided them are not unchanged. Now corrupted, they serve a new and terrible purpose, and Perturabo’s plans for vengeance move one step closer to reality.
This story bridges the gap between Angel Exterminatus and the Battle of Tallarn, focusing on the cost paid by the Navigators who serve the Iron Warriors.
The Review
I wasn’t exaggerating — this really is a very short story. But despite its length, it’s packed with atmosphere and ideas.
We experience the journey through the Eye of Terror from the perspective of an Iron Warriors Navigator, and the result is unsettling in all the right ways. The description of the fleet’s plunge into the singularity is genuinely compelling, and the way the Warp reshapes the Navigators is both fascinating and disturbing.
We also get a sharper glimpse of Perturabo’s mindset. Bitter, vindictive, and increasingly detached, he feels less like a general and more like a force of simmering resentment. As a narrative bridge, this works extremely well. It provides valuable context for the Battle of Tallarn and, importantly, was released before the Tallarn novel itself; making it a surprisingly effective piece of foreshadowing.
That said, it’s simply too brief to justify a standalone purchase. This is best experienced as part of a collected anthology rather than on its own.
Side note: as a former Iron Warriors collector, I have a soft spot for stories like this. They’re a fascinating Legion, and they deserve far more page time than they currently get. Tallarn can’t come soon enough.
