Book Review // Imperfect by Nick Kyme

Imperfect (The Horus Heresy – Short Story)

Author: Nick Kyme

Official Fluff: A simple game of Regicide between Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus is far more than it seems.

Haunted by his failure to turn his brother Ferrus to Horus’s banner, Fulgrim seeks understanding — and perhaps absolution. This short story offers a disturbing glimpse into the depths of the Emperor’s Children Primarch’s madness and the corruption consuming him.

The Review

This is a very concise story, so I won’t be linking to a purchase this time around.

The concept itself is genuinely intriguing. We find Fulgrim alongside Fabius Bile in a grotesque laboratory, where clones of Ferrus Manus are being grown and tested. Each clone represents another attempt by Fulgrim to understand where he went wrong — why his brother refused to join Horus.

It’s an unsettling setup, and it works well. The story does an excellent job of highlighting Fulgrim’s arrogance and pride. He simply cannot accept failure, even when faced with the truth again and again. This also serves as a strong precursor to later cloning experiments in the series, laying the groundwork for what’s to come with Horus. As a piece of character exploration, it’s effective, if brief.

That said, this is very much a filler story. Interesting and well-written, but ultimately skippable if you’re working through the series at speed.

As always, thanks for the support — and I hope you’ll join me over on YouTube soon!