Book Review: Inheritor by Gav Thorpe

I always enjoy a good Word Bearers story, and I’m hoping Gav Thorpe delivers the goods here. So far, he hasn’t let me down, so expectations are high. Time to embrace a little heresy!

Title: Inheritor (The Horus Heresy – Short Story)

Author: Gav Thorpe

Buy: Available on Amazon.ca

Blurb: The Word Bearers and World Eaters clash over the Ultramarines world of Kronus.

On the world of Kronus, deep within the realm of Ultramar, Torquill Eliphas of the Word Bearers seeks to bring his grand design to fruition. As part of Lorgar’s Shadow Crusade, the Ark of Testimony Chapter has fought alongside their berserker allies from the World Eaters for months. But the slaughter of Ultramarines is not their only objective. Eliphas intends to harness the power of the warp to construct the mighty Templum Daemonarchia.

Two Traitor Legions united to burn Ultramar, but it was probably inevitable they would eventually turn on each other…

Review

Fun fact: Eliphas the Inheritor originally appeared in the Dawn of War video game series. Who would have thought a video game character would make the jump into Horus Heresy fiction? Eliphas quickly became a fan favourite in those games, so it’s great to see his story explored further here.

The story follows Eliphas during the Shadow Crusade as he works within the Ultramar system, attempting to complete his dark project. However, he finds himself frustrated when he is recalled to rejoin the Legion before his work is finished. It’s a neat glimpse into the ambitions and arrogance of the Word Bearers, and Eliphas comes across as a compelling character with plenty of potential.

Thorpe also throws some World Eaters into the mix, which adds some extra tension and brutality to the story.

Overall, it’s a fun short read and a great bit of character exploration. I genuinely hope this isn’t the last we see of Eliphas in Black Library fiction, he’s too interesting a character to leave behind.