Book Review // Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon
It’s time to focus and start pumping through these Heresy books like no one’s business! It's scary how many of these books there are now, but I am truly hooked. With the series ultimately finished, now is the time to get through them all. I have enjoyed Gav Thorpe's Dark Angel stories set in a 40k timeline with all the mystery surrounding them, so I hope Scanlon does them justice. Let's get into it.
Book Details
Title: Descent of Angels
Author: Mitchel Scanlon
Publisher: Black Library
Type: E-book
Page Count: 416
Fluff: The next novel in the ground-breaking, bestselling series that tells the story of the Horus Heresy – the civil war that nearly tore the human Imperium apart, ten thousand years ago. This novel explores the early history of the Dark Angels Legion and their Primarch Lion El'Johnson. When news of Horus's treachery reaches Caliban, the loyalties of this proud and mysterious Legion are tested to the limit, with tragic consequences.
Review
First, I am happy to report that this book wasn't as bad as the reviews made it out to be. It's definitely different from what has gone before, which could explain people's strong opinions on this title. You need to understand that it is set before the previous novels. This is a creation story, a story of how the Dark Angels formed. It is also a book of two halves (a recurring set-up with these novels, it would seem).
The first half is all pre-imperium. We are introduced to Caliban, a world that once knew the heights of technology but has since been forgotten. Those left behind can now barely maintain it. It is also a world that understands they came from elsewhere. They know Terra exists; they just have lost contact. This is different from most worlds of this period, as many have forgotten they came from elsewhere and believe they are the only world with humans.
The planet of Caliban is something out of a King Arthur legend: rolling, deep forests filled with monsters and adventure. Isolated societies are protected by Households of Knights, who themselves are viewed in a similar vein to Space Marines. Most of this part of the tale follows a young man becoming one of these knight protectors and his progression within the order. It is also at this stage that we meet Luthor and Lion El'Johnson—heroes of this era. I found this a refreshing and enjoyable tale; learning of the primarch’s pre-imperium should be expanded.
Then we hit part two of the book, the arrival of the Imperium of Man and the Emperor. Now, the planet is forced into modernization, and knightly orders are forced to join the Astartes Legion, but only if they are long enough to accept the gene-seed operations. Otherwise, they face gene therapy or get dismissed from the order they have served their entire life. The knightly code that has held the population together is thrown out the window, and life is turned upside down. Soon, Caliban's forests are being cut down and factories built, whilst the main characters are thrust into space to wage war they knew nothing about. It is in these times that a division takes root. Some of the older members are unhappy with the route Lion El'Johnson is taking their knights and start looking to divide the new legion in two. Soon, brother can no longer trust brother, and lines are drawn, creating a darkness over the legion, that hold till the current timeline.
This is a good read. It was hard to read after the earlier novels, for sure, due mainly to the change in pace and the fact that the early pages read like a fantasy novel. But as the division starts to take root, I find myself getting drawn in and wondering where it will take them and whose side I will pick.
Let me know your thoughts on this novel below.
