Book Review: Fulgrim by Graham McNeill
I'm still lurking in the 30k verse of Black Library for today's book review, reading the awe-inspiring Horus Heresy Series. I am now on book 5 of about a hundred, so we could be here for a while with these reviews. But we have finally hit one of my favourite titles in the series, Fulgrim. Yep, that is right, the Emperor's Children are coming out to play.
Book Details
Title: Fulgrim
Author: Graham McNeill
Publisher: Black Library
Type: Paperback
Page Count: 512
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Commercial Fluff: It is the 31st millennium, and humanity is at the peak of its powers. As the Great Crusade, led by Warmaster Horus, continues to conquer the galaxy, Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor’s Children, leads his warriors into battle against a vile alien foe. From the blood of this campaign are sown the seeds that will lead this proud Legion to treachery, taking them down the darkest paths of corruption. Leading up to the carnage of the Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V, this is the tale of Fulgrim's tragic fall from grace.
Review
Okay, I am again left feeling sorrow for another fallen legion. This book hit some strings, that is for sure. We start the book by showing the Emperor's Children pre-fall. A near-perfect fighting force, proud of their achievements but ready to achieve more. This is, sadly, the flaw that would ultimately break them: their thirst for perfection. It is truly incredible to see the legion portrayed so that it makes their downfall more realistic and hurtful, as you can't believe these characters would devolve so much! Like many of these early 30k novels, the first part is slow-moving. Though we are treated to some exciting pages, the whole point is to make us learn about and enjoy the main cast characters. Then the novel gains pace, and you are now trapped on a rollercoaster that you know will end in a horrific crash, and there is nothing you can do apart from hold on and wish it won't happen.
Highlights for me include; the characters, the creation of lifetime favourites like Fabius and Lucius, alongside tragic characters like the remembrancers. The birth of the noise marines is a horror inducing section of the novel, worthy of a Hellraiser film. And, of course, the story of Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus. Truly a heartbreaking tale. Of course, there are lowlights. There are not many, though. I would have liked maybe two books instead of one. Perhaps a more standard building up to their fall (possibly ending with the destruction of Laer and sword), the second being their fall from grace to the drop site Massacre. But that is me just being picky about problems that don’t exist.
If I were to ever get into the Horus Heresy game, I believe I would have to go to Emperor's Children. It was so dark, broken, proud, and so much room to play with conversions. A great and inspiring read. 10 out of 10.
