This story is just under an hour in audio form. It truly has no right to have as much depth, action, character development, and seamlessly continues the story of the Mournival from the opening trilogy of the Horus Heresy.

Little Horus Aximund, most alike his arch traitor father, melancholic half moon of the Mournival feels the Sons of Horus are lacking something vital after the violent dissolution of the unique advisory quartet on Isstvan III. He and Ezekiel Abaddon discuss it's vital role and prospective new members. He plays some boardgames with Horus Lupercal. He leads a difficult attack against a combined force of loyalist Shattered Legions, largely consisting of Iron Hands with White Scars support. The conflict ends unexpectedly, leaving it's mark on him.

Writing a synopsis for a story like this does nothing to actually touch on what the story is.

***Some discussion and vague spoilers ahead, but this isn't really a story with spoilers and the experience wouldn't be diminished even you knew the blow by blow***

First things first, I've been consuming a whole bunch of Horus Heresy short stories and audio dramas, working through the Lupercal's War and Treachery and Betrayal collections, so I cannot be more explicit about how much the talent and experience of Dan Abnett is on display here. He manages to bring everything that made Horus Rising a phenomenal novel in its own right, but also a perfect foundation and setting of expectations and tone for whole Horus Heresy series. This feels like a novel and carries on the story of the Sons of Horus from the opening trilogy, but more importantly the quintessential essence of what marks the these books out among the creations the Black Library and the beyond pigeon hole of genre fiction, especially that of an existing IP, as books to take seriously. I mean, as seriously as the ludicrousness of Warhammer can be taken, and the quality over the whole series sadly lacks consistency (and input from anywhere near enough creators who aren't white cisheteronormative able bodied men). It is the making of the ridiculous something to take seriously Abnett and others have largely done so well with.

There is a grand mythological backdrop to the tragedy of the Heresy, proto-human dramas with weight and pathos, occult mysteries with combination of occult, military, and court intrigue, and action that is both of titanic, inconceivable scale, and viscerally immediate balanced on a knife edge between demigods, Daemons, all manner of Xenos, and heartbreaking fratricide. Doing something interesting with at least one of these elements is all I ask from a short. The combination of these with so difficult to define...Helenist Space Epic tone is what makes this series shine. Abnett is a core pillar of realising all of this and so much of it is on display here.

The story is bookended with the reflection of Little Horus, literally and figuratively. It is actually his 'do you want to know how I got these scars?' moment. The Heresy, and Abaddon and his betrayal of their Mournival brothers, Loken and Torgaddon, are weighing on him. His sense of self and sanity are in jeopardy leaving him haunted by dreams manifested of his own guilt and fear of failure. This is also his glow up story, as the character of who he was and will be going forward are given the chance to shine without the charismatic 'main character' of Loken and the enchantingly affable Torgaddon. Gone is the pale and wan reflection of the Warmaster, replaced by a fraying veteran, still stoic and strong, but less phlegmatic and Captain #4 on the call sheet. This is his pilot and he's the star.

The action is horrifying in its grand scale on the assault with Abnett making the countless deaths of faceless foes in the Sons of Horus rout of the human frontline harrowing and exciting, without ever feeling like bolter porn. This transitions in the duelling of Astartes with comparable arms and skills with great quality. This is certainly not the pinnacle of this kind of duelling writing, but it is great and appropriately brief. I wish I were better conveying this, but there is a way Abnett handles the, frankly silly, combat of Astartes with a deftness and skill akin to his dramatic scenes.

This is getting longer than the story, but, yeah, there is also the subtley of fate and omens that has always marked the former Lunar Wolves, with the psycho-mythological aspect playing into that with portentous dreams. I always love seeing some Shattered Legions and continue to adore the Iron Hands in general and individual, if not their Primarch and personal legion doctrine. White Scars are a fascinating legion at this time with them being one of the only uniquely divided and part-shattered, which I really need to read more about. The shields and the effects of mass reactive rounds when the penetrate them was sick in a variety of meanings.

This is a bloody brilliant story that works as a standalone, character-driven piece, but it does such a great job of showing a snapshot of where the Sons of Horus are at this point and carrying on the original trilogy storyline.

I was going to start this review with 'Do you want to know how I got these scars?' and ended up doing a big, serious one, which is the least I could do as this story really did the impossible task of entertaining and distracting me from a horrible c-ptsd conversion symptoms episode and howling chronic pain. I could not have been in a more ready state to be unfair and unkind to this story.

I feel like I have to say this isn't the best Horus Heresy short, that still goes to After Desh'ea by Matthew Farrer for me, but this is definitely up there, and remember your mileage may vary. I don't actually have a clue what I'm talking about, I'm just passionate and extremely AuDHD. ( )