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gabe_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Definitely my favourite Seige of Terra book so far by a long way. I enjoyed that it felt like there were more of the big players involved, and I wasn't thinking "where are all these people" so much. I really enjoyed Sanguinius's view, and that of the humans like Sindermann. I also just really enjoyed the different conflicts. I felt a lot less certain of what the end result was going to be. Though I suppose that maybe I've just reached a bit of a wall in terms of what I know happens. I know how it ends but there must be a lot because we've got quite a few books left! So that made the suspense a lot more meaningful. The writing was also just top notch, Abnett does such a good job with this world. I enjoyed the sprinkling in of a lot of the staples of 40k that are in their infancy during the Seige.
gorillaofdestiny's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tcreedy's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant and absolutely gripping. Genuinely a triumph. Up there in top 5 books of the whole HH series.
ratgrrrl's review against another edition
5.0
June 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XXI The Siege of Terra (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus/xxi-the-siege-of-terra) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras.
Is this the best Horus Heresy or Dan Abnett novel?
No. To me, that remains Prospero Burns. But it goes really hard, is the most engrossed and engaged I've been in the Heresy for a while, and is the best of the Siege of Terra by a pretty significant margin!
Did this book have an incredible amount of work to do to pull me out of doomspiral that had me considering not even finishing the series, despite having read something like 80 books and nearly 200 short stories/ audio dramas over the last seven months, after just how much McNeill's The Sons of Selenar felt like it was written under duress and Thorpe's The First Wall being the least enjoyable book in the series?
Absolutely! I feel awful for how much negative stuff I had to say about those books, but everyone involved, real and fictional, deserved more.
Did it need to be this good?
Absolutely not. This goes beyond damage control and course correction to actually be something special.
This is a very difficult book to summarise because it is a wide-angled view of the new stage of the war, but with a strong through line and a lot of significant moments I don't want to spoil, so I'll do my best.
Following the weakening of the Aegis that allowed the forces of Chaos to make beachead on Terra and the loss of the First Wall, Saturnine is the story of the next major engagement and many of the events around it. The primary dilemma being that Dorn has realised there is a weakness in the Palace's defences, which has been overlooked by the Praetorian of Terra, and he knows that there's no way his opposite brother, Perturabo, will not see it and exploit it. Difficult decisions and sacrifices need to be made as it is impossible for the Loyalists to hold every important location, but they also need to act like they don't know that and commit forces to each defence to avoid further losses. There are some of the first truly significant and long awaited combats and events happening all over the place and many different perspectives, but the reinstating of the a new, augmented Remembrancer Order and it's inquisitive agents interrogating the people on the thick of it, as well as the reflections of various characters, most notably, Vigil-Commander of the Silent Sisterhood, Jenetia Krole, provide a framework and narrative stability.
I cannot articulate just how happy I am that this book is as good as it is!
I don't know how timings work out or how anyone at Black Library thinks or acts, but this novel truly feels like it is aware of how divisive--some might say unacceptable--some of the later Horus Heresy books, particularly the last Siege of Terra novel and novella, have been, and is really going out of its way to put some heart, soul, energy, and emotion back in this series, as it deserves. What I mean by that is the marked increase in quality and depth of writing and characters, progressing of the plot, a much greater focus on the continuing narratives of the characters we've been with for decades now, an injection of immediacy, excitement, tragedy, and awfulness into the combat, a whole bunch of significant nods to, acknowledgement of, and transition towards elements and aspects of Warhammer 40,000, and at least one direct response to a lament (I've never seen it levelled as a direct complaint, more of a general regret) at a significant change to the lore surrounding a certain character and a significant event into their life.
Like I said, I don't know anything and this might be me creating narratives where there isn't anything, but this reads like a book that is very aware of everything going on with this series, both in and out of the fiction, and is actively taking steps to ensure things are better for the reader and the series as a whole, which is great. Sometimes efforts like this go too far, get too caught up in addressing things, doing fanservice, or any number of things end up overwhelm a work, making it suffer, and lack it's own spark and identity. An example people might refer to is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which I actually think is a great movie and genuinely one of my favourites, despite its flaws and rereading, but Saturnine is not the Force Awakens, it is very much it's own, very Abnett, very brilliant novel despite all of this.
I really don't know what else to say about this because I'm not interested in listening events or including spoilers, so I will emphatically say that Abnett has restored my faith and interest in this series that I truly adore, even if it makes me sad and angry at times and I can be very critical of--but, honestly, that's simply because I care about this series and want it to maintain the incredible standards it set for itself and that everyone, both real and fictional deserve.
This is the first Horus Heresy book that really made me feel something in the closing stages, not necessarily from any particular event, though there are some definitely effecting and effective moments in the closing section, but rather from that unique feeling of being moved and nourished by an impactful and meaningful narrative. I wish I was better with words and able to convey what I mean more clearly, but there is something truly magical about reading a book and the culmination of that experience ticking over and illicitng genuine emotion and alternating brain chemistry (This sentence is a real contender for most descriptive of my own autism than anything else lmfao).
The reflections of Jenetia Krole, so starkly different in their perspective and so beautifully, hauntingly performed by Emma Gregory in the audiobook, alongside another stirling performance by Jonathan Keeble being forced to do significantly less, but not zero, questionable accents, are just one aspect of this novel that truly elevate it to being something more than just a good Horus Heresy novel into something special. These soliloquies, and the humanity in them, as well as the exquisite, ridiculous, silly, and charming tales or the ordinary soldiery, and everyone in these circumstances larger than even the most augmented transhuman really encapsulate what is so magnificent and meaningful about this series and the power and importantance of stories, as well as showing just how good a writer Abnett can be at his best.
This is a bloody good book that didn't need to be as good as it is to get the Siege of Terra back on track, but I'm glad it is because I genuinely loved it. It's definitely not perfect and some of the later action sequences and alterations vacillate in their effectiveness and weight, but overall the depth and care is magnificent.
This book opens with Sindermann standing on the edge of the Imperial Palace wall experiencing a severe crisis of faith and is close to giving up, but Dorn finds him and gives him hope and a renewed purpose. As someone who has approached this series with a religious fervour, dedicating the vast majority of my time this year reading and listening to absolutely everything Horus Heresy to finally complete the challenge I had failed a number of times over the many, many years I've been reading them, but was definitely ideating about giving up so close to my goal because a couple of books truly bummed me out beyond belief for myriad reasons I expressed in their own reviews, but the core being lacking a sense of care, respect, and quality this series has established, this felt like an incredibly apropos opening. Abnett, who is someone I am a massive, but critical, fangirl of, just like McNeill and Thorpe, who has both my favourite and what was previously my least favourite novels in this series--Legion is well-written, but the misogyny, racism, and what reads as Islamopbobia are off the charts--is the Dorn to my Sindermann, renewing my faith in this series, and, particularly, my faith in the veterans and Black Library who previously seemed like they were asleep at the wheel and just going through the motions to get the series finished.
I think it's also important to mention that this book, while it doesn't ignore the last one and the narrative continues, it does so with respect to and capturing the quality and energy of the very good, but imperfect opening of French's The Solar War, and really taking queues from Haley's appropriately stepped up and genuinely brilliant, The Lost and the Damned. Saturnine is far closer to the wide-angled, but tight through line approach and tragic excitement and bleak emotion of The Lost and the Damned. What I'm saying is we're back on track baybee, but it shouldn't be forgotten that French had a great opening and Haley truly got the Siege started in style.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read* ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING EXCEPT SAVE FOR THE REST OF THE SIEGE OF TERRA!!! All 54 Horus Heresy main series novels (+1 repeat), 25 novellas (+2 repeats), 4 Siege of Terra Novels, 1 Siege of Terra Novella, Cthonia's Reckoning, Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, All 4 Primarchs antholologies, 3 Characters novels (& eagerly awaiting Eidolon's), and 191 short stories/ audio dramas across the Horus Heresy (inc. 11+ repeats). Plus, 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
*My tracking consistently proves shoddy, but I'm doing my best.
Is this the best Horus Heresy or Dan Abnett novel?
No. To me, that remains Prospero Burns. But it goes really hard, is the most engrossed and engaged I've been in the Heresy for a while, and is the best of the Siege of Terra by a pretty significant margin!
Did this book have an incredible amount of work to do to pull me out of doomspiral that had me considering not even finishing the series, despite having read something like 80 books and nearly 200 short stories/ audio dramas over the last seven months, after just how much McNeill's The Sons of Selenar felt like it was written under duress and Thorpe's The First Wall being the least enjoyable book in the series?
Absolutely! I feel awful for how much negative stuff I had to say about those books, but everyone involved, real and fictional, deserved more.
Did it need to be this good?
Absolutely not. This goes beyond damage control and course correction to actually be something special.
This is a very difficult book to summarise because it is a wide-angled view of the new stage of the war, but with a strong through line and a lot of significant moments I don't want to spoil, so I'll do my best.
Following the weakening of the Aegis that allowed the forces of Chaos to make beachead on Terra and the loss of the First Wall, Saturnine is the story of the next major engagement and many of the events around it. The primary dilemma being that Dorn has realised there is a weakness in the Palace's defences, which has been overlooked by the Praetorian of Terra, and he knows that there's no way his opposite brother, Perturabo, will not see it and exploit it. Difficult decisions and sacrifices need to be made as it is impossible for the Loyalists to hold every important location, but they also need to act like they don't know that and commit forces to each defence to avoid further losses. There are some of the first truly significant and long awaited combats and events happening all over the place and many different perspectives, but the reinstating of the a new, augmented Remembrancer Order and it's inquisitive agents interrogating the people on the thick of it, as well as the reflections of various characters, most notably, Vigil-Commander of the Silent Sisterhood, Jenetia Krole, provide a framework and narrative stability.
I cannot articulate just how happy I am that this book is as good as it is!
I don't know how timings work out or how anyone at Black Library thinks or acts, but this novel truly feels like it is aware of how divisive--some might say unacceptable--some of the later Horus Heresy books, particularly the last Siege of Terra novel and novella, have been, and is really going out of its way to put some heart, soul, energy, and emotion back in this series, as it deserves. What I mean by that is the marked increase in quality and depth of writing and characters, progressing of the plot, a much greater focus on the continuing narratives of the characters we've been with for decades now, an injection of immediacy, excitement, tragedy, and awfulness into the combat, a whole bunch of significant nods to, acknowledgement of, and transition towards elements and aspects of Warhammer 40,000, and at least one direct response to a lament (I've never seen it levelled as a direct complaint, more of a general regret) at a significant change to the lore surrounding a certain character and a significant event into their life.
Like I said, I don't know anything and this might be me creating narratives where there isn't anything, but this reads like a book that is very aware of everything going on with this series, both in and out of the fiction, and is actively taking steps to ensure things are better for the reader and the series as a whole, which is great. Sometimes efforts like this go too far, get too caught up in addressing things, doing fanservice, or any number of things end up overwhelm a work, making it suffer, and lack it's own spark and identity. An example people might refer to is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which I actually think is a great movie and genuinely one of my favourites, despite its flaws and rereading, but Saturnine is not the Force Awakens, it is very much it's own, very Abnett, very brilliant novel despite all of this.
I really don't know what else to say about this because I'm not interested in listening events or including spoilers, so I will emphatically say that Abnett has restored my faith and interest in this series that I truly adore, even if it makes me sad and angry at times and I can be very critical of--but, honestly, that's simply because I care about this series and want it to maintain the incredible standards it set for itself and that everyone, both real and fictional deserve.
This is the first Horus Heresy book that really made me feel something in the closing stages, not necessarily from any particular event, though there are some definitely effecting and effective moments in the closing section, but rather from that unique feeling of being moved and nourished by an impactful and meaningful narrative. I wish I was better with words and able to convey what I mean more clearly, but there is something truly magical about reading a book and the culmination of that experience ticking over and illicitng genuine emotion and alternating brain chemistry (This sentence is a real contender for most descriptive of my own autism than anything else lmfao).
The reflections of Jenetia Krole, so starkly different in their perspective and so beautifully, hauntingly performed by Emma Gregory in the audiobook, alongside another stirling performance by Jonathan Keeble being forced to do significantly less, but not zero, questionable accents, are just one aspect of this novel that truly elevate it to being something more than just a good Horus Heresy novel into something special. These soliloquies, and the humanity in them, as well as the exquisite, ridiculous, silly, and charming tales or the ordinary soldiery, and everyone in these circumstances larger than even the most augmented transhuman really encapsulate what is so magnificent and meaningful about this series and the power and importantance of stories, as well as showing just how good a writer Abnett can be at his best.
This is a bloody good book that didn't need to be as good as it is to get the Siege of Terra back on track, but I'm glad it is because I genuinely loved it. It's definitely not perfect and some of the later action sequences and alterations vacillate in their effectiveness and weight, but overall the depth and care is magnificent.
This book opens with Sindermann standing on the edge of the Imperial Palace wall experiencing a severe crisis of faith and is close to giving up, but Dorn finds him and gives him hope and a renewed purpose. As someone who has approached this series with a religious fervour, dedicating the vast majority of my time this year reading and listening to absolutely everything Horus Heresy to finally complete the challenge I had failed a number of times over the many, many years I've been reading them, but was definitely ideating about giving up so close to my goal because a couple of books truly bummed me out beyond belief for myriad reasons I expressed in their own reviews, but the core being lacking a sense of care, respect, and quality this series has established, this felt like an incredibly apropos opening. Abnett, who is someone I am a massive, but critical, fangirl of, just like McNeill and Thorpe, who has both my favourite and what was previously my least favourite novels in this series--Legion is well-written, but the misogyny, racism, and what reads as Islamopbobia are off the charts--is the Dorn to my Sindermann, renewing my faith in this series, and, particularly, my faith in the veterans and Black Library who previously seemed like they were asleep at the wheel and just going through the motions to get the series finished.
I think it's also important to mention that this book, while it doesn't ignore the last one and the narrative continues, it does so with respect to and capturing the quality and energy of the very good, but imperfect opening of French's The Solar War, and really taking queues from Haley's appropriately stepped up and genuinely brilliant, The Lost and the Damned. Saturnine is far closer to the wide-angled, but tight through line approach and tragic excitement and bleak emotion of The Lost and the Damned. What I'm saying is we're back on track baybee, but it shouldn't be forgotten that French had a great opening and Haley truly got the Siege started in style.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read* ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING EXCEPT SAVE FOR THE REST OF THE SIEGE OF TERRA!!! All 54 Horus Heresy main series novels (+1 repeat), 25 novellas (+2 repeats), 4 Siege of Terra Novels, 1 Siege of Terra Novella, Cthonia's Reckoning, Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, All 4 Primarchs antholologies, 3 Characters novels (& eagerly awaiting Eidolon's), and 191 short stories/ audio dramas across the Horus Heresy (inc. 11+ repeats). Plus, 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
*My tracking consistently proves shoddy, but I'm doing my best.
praetorian333's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lozymandias's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Really starting to ratchet up the action in the siege of Terra, a great novel.
frazsaysyes's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
carcharadon's review against another edition
4.0
I'm taking off a star because of my visceral hatred of perpetuals.The last stand of Camba Diaz is probably the best fight scene I read this year, and that's saying a lot. The Ollanious plot was clever in a way I didn't expect.
some_randow's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
heikieesmaa's review against another edition
5.0
It's a lot of work to even go through Siege of Terra and I truly don't think there's point in skipping books in this last leg of the journey. Even though BL has put their top writers to work here, the prose of Abnett is still so much better than that of others. Plotwise, the loyalists get a bit of a break, lots of Abnett's characters (that I actually remember to my surprise, the dramatis personae is huge). So a great book in this context, but don't take it out of it and try to read just this one.