Book Review // Master of Sanctity by Gav Thorpe (Legacy of Caliban Part Two)
Today, we continue our adventures through the trilogy of Legacy of Caliban by Gav Thorpe. It follows a group of Dark Angels through three novels and a few short stories. The first part is here for your reading pleasure. For this review, we will be going over Battle Brothers and Master of Sanctity, so let's dive in:
Battle Brothers
Page Count: 26
Fluff: As the battle-brothers of Fifth Company struggle to keep the Chaos-worshipping forces of the Unworthy at bay in the warrens of Port Imperial, it falls to the elite warriors of the Ravenwing to hunt a mysterious traitor, one of the Fallen. What awaits Sergeant Cassiel and his Black Knights squad in the corrupted space station?
Overview: When I first started reading this tale, I thought I had accidentally returned a few chapters to Ravenwing (I need a bookmark!). This short story is a deleted chapter of sorts, set during the 2nd and 5th Companies’ assault’ on Port Imperial from the Ravenwing novel, but this time told from the point of view of the injured Brother Sergeant Cassiel and his soon-to-soon-to-be Brother Apothecary Gideon. It's what you expect from a 26 page space marine tale, it is full of quick fighting action, violences and iconic moments ripped from a 80's action movie. Why should you read it? Well, for one, Brother Sergeant Cassiel's epic fight moments: left alone having suffered horrific injuries- losing his legs and being left pretty much crippled from an earlier ambush the poor Sergeant has to outlast the crazy cannibal cultists that are breaching the room from every possible entry point. It's amazing how calm the characters are throughout this tale. It is a great read, for sure.
Master of Sanctity
Page Count: 416
Fluff: More secrets of the Dark Angels are revealed as the Legacy of Caliban trilogy continues. Caliban's legacy echoes through the ages, and the secretive mission of the Dark Angels Space Marines continues. Interrogator-Chaplain Asmodai sees treachery and deceit everywhere he turns. While this serves him well in his hunt for the Fallen, it also strains the Chapter’s relations with their Imperial allies. With their actual quarry now seemingly within their grasp, Brothers Annael and Telemenus find themselves at the forefront of a new operation that could shake the Imperium itself to its core.
Overview: The story follows the discoveries and revelations made in Ravenwing. We follow Annael as he is freshly promoted to the Black Knights and Telemenus, who is promoted into the ranks of the First Company, aka The Deathwing. Their eyes show how the terrible knowledge of the Dark Angel’s past affects them and changes their lives forever. We also get introduced to two new characters, Chaplain of Sanctity Sapphon and Chaplain of Repentance Asmodai. Their constant power struggle and differing viewpoints are a true highlight of the book. It was fun watching the pair argue how to deal with a Fallen marine and how easy it is for him to manipulate the pair into an ill-prepared hunt for more Fallen Marines.
One of the best sections of this story for me was the Daemon World Ulthor. On the edge of the Eye of Terror, both Ravenwing and Deathwing make the planetfall, hoping to capture another Fallen Marine. The descriptions during these chapters are just epic. From the city itself manipulating the buildings to stunt the attack, all the way to the creepy ass fortress/mansion of lungs, eyeballs and greater daemons. What happens here to poor Telemenus is heartbreaking, and I can't wait to see if he returns in the third title.
The ending had a twist I didn't expect, and I was ultimately left wanting to jump into the next and final installment. So come back soon for the final review.
