Horus Rising (Volume 1) (The Horus Heresy) Paperback – 28 Aug. 2014

I'm over 50, and I've only ever played a few dozen games of Warhammer in my entire life, and all those games were in the late 80's when I was gifted 'space hulk' for a birthday. The game was lost in a house move a couple of years later, and that was that!What I'm getting at is I'm no gamer and I've not attempted to paint a miniature since my Genestealers and Blood Angels from 'Space Hulk' were physically assaulted by my paint brush as a teenager.However, what I do like is science fiction, both film and novels, especially when a great deal of time, thought and effort has been invested in the lore around that particular universe, e.g. Star-trek and Warhammer 40K.I'd been looking for something to read recently as I'd been off work with an injured back and I came across the HH set of books online. I did about 60 mins of wiki reading to get the bare bones and thought I'd give the first book a go.You know you're onto a winner when you sit up waaay past bed time, saying "one more paragraph, ok just this chapter" 4 nights in a row. Yep....4 days and I'm a slow reader who likes to keep checking the index to keep up with who is who, however, I need not have worried as the myriad of character names are repeated often enough for them to sink in, which going into the book was my biggest concern.My second concern was, did I know enough basics? and the hour on Wiki was more than enough, as the author pitched the book just right, telling the story, and injecting the appropriate amount of historical reference where necessary, and it had me gripped.Abnett's descriptions of fight scenes are excellent, but one thing I didn't expect, which was a massive bonus, was the amount of humour in the book, and this is where Abnett excels in character building.I'm not going to bang on about the contents, I'll leave that to the experts, I'm here to convince those like me that it's not a heavy book, it's very enjoyable and entertaining and I've downloaded books 2&3 already!Enjoy!Jon (hubby to firechick)

I'm relatively new to the Warhammer 40K universe, having read (and, it must be said, thoroughly enjoyed) a handful of novels by writers like Ben Counter, James Swallow and, of course, Dan Abnett. In that respect, I expected the impact of this novel, which describes the beginning of perhaps the pivotal event in the 40K universe, to be diminished. Without really understanding who Horus is in relation to the 'present' of the 40K universe, how could it not be?Well, it's a testament to the powers of the author that such considerations as prior knowledge really matter very little. You could be entirely ignorant of the 40K milieu and still be pulled inexorably into a very involving, engrossing and epic story.This is very much a foundational text for the series that follows it. The nature of 30K Space Marines is explored in great detail. Their emphasis on brotherhood, honour and a resolute secularism (this in deliberate ironic contrast to the Emperor-worship that is a hallmark of the 40K setting) is established in considered, intelligent prose and the characters of Abaddon, Loken and Horus himself are all well-delineated. What is clear from this novel is that being a Space Marine is not just about superhuman strength and stamina and a breath-taking expertise with weapons. It's also about a philosophy and a sense of belonging. The seeds of the Heresy are certainly here and they are found as much in the pride of the Legions themselves as they are in the corrupting touch of the Warp.This isn't to say that the novel is one big philosophical treatise. There's plenty of action, as well as talk, and anyone who's read much of Abnett's work will know that he writes action incredibly well. Here, his writing is breathtakingly precise and clear - and terribly exciting. He makes much of the Astartes' size, strength and speed, continually reminding the reader of the superhuman nature of the Space Marines in ways that are simply awe-evoking.Although the Space Marines (particularly the Luna Wolves) are, quite sensibly, centre stage, the more human characters that populate the novel - such as the iterator Sindermann and the remembrancer Euphrati Keeler - are also written very well. Abnett uses them as an effective contrast with the Astartes, highlighting the Space Marines' courage and martial skill, while also illustrating that they are at least one step removed from humanity as we would understand it.Finally, there is Chaos. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but its presence in this novel is handled very well indeed, as, for that matter, is its explanation.On the whole then, an excellent start to the series - one that brings the more hopeful and ordered world of the 31st millennium to life and populates it with believable characters - even the ones that act and talk like little gods. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of this series develops.